Hi there.

Hope your week has been going fine and dandy well.

Last night I had my shoulder MRI. It was pretty painless. Took about 25 minutes and the technician had alternative rock playing so I was happy. They made me take my bra off because of the metal clasp, but I was able to keep the rest of my clothing on so I didn’t need to wear a silly paper gown. I tossed the bra in my purse. After the test was over I was in such a rush to get home I forgot to put it back on. When I got home I laughed that it was still in my purse.

have bra will travel

have bra will travel

I’ll get the results next week but as I’ve mentioned I’m finally feeling improvement and feel confident that at this point some PT will be all I need to get my full range of motion back in my shoulder. I cannot wait for the day I can pull a shirt over my head without having to gingerly slide my right arm into the sleeve first.

Oh, and I finally made some progress in the attempt for a referral to a sports injury doc. The receptionist at the doc’s office took down all the info for my request and was going to share with my primary care doc. If he approves then they’ll just call me when the referral is ready. Cross your fingers! The doc I’m hoping to see is actually a sports chiropractor. His bio says Dr. Williams has dedicated his life to treating sports injuries and teaching proper biomechanics to athletes, as well as any individual interested in leading an active life.” Sounds like the right guy for me! 

So last I left you I had just filled you in on my meltdown and the Cold Feat 10k. After my running peeps went home, I had to make a quick stop up the road at my folks’ house. It had started to snow and everything was blanketed in white.

childhood home

The house I grew up in…

Then on Sunday morning I took some cool shots of ice formations around my neighborhood.

I love when the water droplets freeze like this

I love when the water droplets freeze like this

More »

So, I had a little meltdown in my car yesterday afternoon when I tried to run a couple of miles for the first time in a month and the knee didn’t approve nor did it improve. How could 4 weeks of rest go by without ANY improvement? (apparently I’m really stubborn and not listening to my “Time and Rest heal everything” advice) Other than my day of skiing 3 weeks ago I haven’t done any cardio. Tears were shed…

tears

is it weird that in the midst of crying I needed to document it with a photo?

Don’t feel bad for me. It’s totally not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. It’s my own personal struggle and I’m going to have to dig deep to keep myself sane.

More »

Dear Boyfriend: Thank you for a perfect Valentine’s Day
Dear Wolf Pack Girls: Thank you for a fun Atlantic City weekend 
Dear slot machine: I’m breaking up with you. sometimes you should try giving instead of taking. 
Dear shoulder: I think you need to try harder to heal. I am repeating my mantra “time and rest heal everything” but damn you hurt 🙁

OK so despite dropping some $$ in the slots and dealing with this ongoing shoulder pain I sure did have a fun weekend. Probably because it was filled with an abundance of delicious food…so let’s discuss: 
First, was the Valentine’s dinner that my sweetie cooked. He made stuffed artichokes, crab stuffed, bacon wrapped filet mignon, roasted potatoes and sautéed asparagus and mushrooms. I watched him cook everything so I know he didn’t sneak in the gourmet meal from somewhere. Oh and he even hand dipped chocolate strawberries for me. I guess he likes me just a smidge. Tee Hee. And then of course I made my famous apple crisp which we had with ice cream. Heavenly. Haven’t mentioned it lately, or maybe I have….I’M.JUST.SO.LUCKY!

valentine's dinner

I am loved!

We’ve been getting lots of snow. It snowed a few inches on Saturday. Duncan isn’t sure if he loves it as much as he did a few weeks ago.

More snow!

More snow!

More »

Hi there.

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a silly day to me because I think we should be lovin’ on everyone every single day. And I hate that it makes some people sad (I was that person for many years). But I’m on board to celebrate it today. Especially with my two favorites:

coffee and dog

my doodlebug and my coffee…LOVE!

I found the best candy ever:

wonka candy

YAY! Wonka makes sweetart conversation hearts

I’ve always said those conversation hearts are so chalky and taste like antacid and wouldn’t it be cool if Wonka would make a Sweetart version….My wish was granted!

Wonka candy

Be Mine!

I finally made it to the orthapedist and 11 days after falling off the snowmobile got an X-Ray. No breaks! So that’s great.

no breaks

no breaks

They can’t get me in for an MRI for another 10 days but apparently whether there is any type of tear to the rotator cuff or not, the treatment is the same….rest. Yep, rest. I could have saved myself some $$ on copays.

They gave me a sling so my surrounding muscles that are picking up the slack can get a break but it’s pretty uncomfortable so I haven’t been using it much.

sling

I need to bedazzle it.

This should be a fun weekend. Tonight I’m headed to Mr. SOTSS’ house. My sweetie’s cooking me dinner! I am loved (and lucky)! And because I love him back I’m baking dessert and I’ll even share it with him (although I already tapped into the can of whipped cream I bought to top the dessert with). Tomorrow I’ll be going to the Borgata (hotel and casino) in Atlantic City for a “wolf pack” birthday celebration for my friend Lisa.

wolf pack

The wolf pack from our last trip to celebrate Barbara’s birthday!

In case you care to read about our previous shenanigans at the Borgata you can read this post and this post.

The doctor said I can run if I want and won’t cause any damage to my shoulder but it might be uncomfortable. She said perhaps I should use the bike or elliptical. Since I don’t plan to start running again until 2/21 (which will make 4 solid weeks of no running) I might just ease back into cardio with some biking at the gym next week. Although I have to say I’ve been loving being lazy. It is really weird.

I have been walking with the dog when I can but that’s really all the exercise I’ve been doing.

struttin

struttin

brisk walk

enjoying the sunshine and the freezing temperatures

doodle

reflective doodle

freezing temperature

cold.just.cold

So here’s my life lesson: TIME and REST heal everything

Let’s face it, in this world where everything around us is instant—instant food, instant gratification, instant conversations, instant access to information—it’s hard to grasp the concept of slowing down and taking it easy. I’m going to stop Googling “how to heal faster from runner’s knee” and “how can I train for a marathon in 8 weeks” and instead I’m just going to take it one day at a time. I remember my foot doctor saying to me when I was suffering with ankle tendonitis “If it feels better give it one more week to be sure”. While I can do things like apply heat and ice, strengthen and stretch and foam roll, I think rest and time are really the clinchers in the healing process.

I know in time I’ll be feeling healthier and stronger and I’ll start craving those long runs…In the meantime I’ll enjoy  the time and the rest and the healing.

Duncan doesn’t mind all this extra time I have had for him…

the "stop taking pictures" look

the “stop taking pictures” look

stocking up on doodle supplies

stocking up on doodle supplies

The light is just too bright

The light is just too bright

Valentine's day means a special cookie!

Valentine’s day means a special cookie!

In honor of Valentine’s day what color would you choose Pink or Red?

Who else loves to squirt whipped cream into their mouth straight from the can?