"My Life" - 50 Cent

I.
Am.
F r e a k i n g.
Grateful.

Here is my list of 30 [one for each day in November] things than I am grateful for.

[in no particular order (other than 1 and 2) ;) ].

1. 

This guy. 
Who totally puts up with his share of crap, mood swings, running, races and more running. 

I am BEYOND grateful for MY Pita.

2.  Peanut.  This girl is all personality ALL of the time.  I love her GUTS.  And she loves me.......mostly because I know Ron.

3.  My parents.  They. FREAKING. Rock.

4.  My Mother-in-law.  I'm incredibly blessed to have an awesome relationship with my MIL.  No horror stories here guys.......Well, SHE may have a few about ME.....

5.  Having an OLDER brother.

6.  My sisters and sister in law. 

 

 

7.  My Woody - what would I do without my dear treadmill?

8.  Calculators.

9.  Spell check.

10.  Pickles.

11.  Bad races.

[yes, even this SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER bad one]

12.  Friends.  The awesome ones.  The ones that love you despite ALL they know about you.

13.  444

14.  The Monster's in my life.

15.  Costco.  Where else can you eat lunch for free [samples], get car insurance, 96 rolls of toilet paper and see Dwight[my 65 year old in store boyfriend]?  word.

16.  Washing machines. 

17.  Bandaids.

18.  Emojis.  Seriously.  Without them.........the true point of my text would never fully be realized.

19.  Religion.

20.  Second, third and fourth chances.

21.  The "Cheerleaders" in my life.

22.  Texting.

23.  eBay.

24.  Handkerchiefs.  The only suitable "classy" way to carry two weeks worth of snot --in your pocket.

25.  Prayer.

26.  Air Conditioning.

27.  Love.

28.  Non-judgmental people.

29.  Google.

30.  t o d a y.

"Birdhouse In Your Soul" - TMBG

Peanut reminded me this morning. . . . .

Peanut:  Mom, your birthday is coming soon, right?
Me:  I'm pretty sure I told you twice yesterday to start shopping.
Peanut:  So, ummmmm, how old are you going to be again?  24?
Me:  Ahhhhh, it appears, you figured out who Santa is.
Peanut:  okay, so really how old are you?
Me: [doing the math . . . ] ugggg, thirty-freaking-five
Peanut:  No.    way.    seriously?!

Ya, seriously.

That was my thought as I got ready this morning as I slathered on three different promising creams that I paid way too much for.  All promising me a "youthful glow" and "firmer, tighter skin".

What's a "glow" anyway?

This year has been:

incredible
insane
challenging
amazing
roller coaster-like
character building
intense
freaking. awesome.

Some times I think back to earlier times when things seemed simpler, less complex, less stressful & less demanding.

I'll.  keep.  today.
I'll.  keep.  these.  "glow-less" wrinkles.
And
my washboard forehead.

And in a few minutes........I'll be picking Peanut up from school with "Birdhouse In Your Soul" blaring .........She'll look at  me like I'm completely ridiculous......then we will dance the whole half mile home & I'll see a smile come across her face that can pretty much RIGHT anything wrong in the world.

And I'll remember once again, that thirty five years goes by pretty freaking fast . . .  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. [thanks Farris]

[ Birdhouse in your soul ] - be ready to dance.

Happy. Freaking. Friday.

"Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey

Dear God,

Yep, it’s me Emz.

Yes. Again.

I know I haven’t written in a while but our chat last night. Freaking. Rocked.

I just forgot to add . . .

Thank you x 444.

Thank you for:

• A daughter that is thoughtful and tender.

• A husband who calls me for no other reason than to say, “he misses me [at his desk at work]”
• A mom who always knows the right thing to say when I’m feeling BLAH.
• A friend who is ALWAYS there. No if’s, and’s, or butt’s but’s.
• All the non-judgmental people you have placed in my life [they do make up for the other ones].
• For giving me an OLDER brother.  And three rockin' sisters.  I just love knowing they are there.
• A Dad who knows I. break. down. every. word. he. says. as. “gospel. truth”. [well, other than that Obama stuff and the animal emails he forwards] ;) 
• A healthy body - that’s allows me to push it & run it into the ground [and that dang, occasional puke]
• A family that encourages me to be crazy. Believes in me. Never says, “why would you do THAT?”, or “I don’t get you.” What they do say, “you’ve. Freaking. Got. This.”
• My enemies. Well, this one is a work in progress. But I AM trying.
• Letting me whine sometimes.
• Understanding and caring about things that make ME - ME.
• Helping me be calmer.

• THAT moment yesterday. You know, when I may or may not have felt like throwing my 5” heel.  Until you reminded me, “it isn‘t worth it”
• Ohhhhhhh and thanks for letting Dawn have a cell phone . . . .AND one with unlimited texting to boot. Awesomeness.
• Thank you for not letting the scorpion sting me yesterday [especially, since I did take the photo when I thought he was dead].

• And finally, Matty-O thanks you for Bees.  For, if there were not bees, he would not have had as good of a chuckle yesterday.  Heather, you BEE one rockin' woman. 

Until. tonight.  I'm. out.

Emz

"Four" - George Benson & Al Jarreau

Four.

Four. More.

Four. More. Sleeps. Until.

Four. More. Sleeps. Until. This.

The quote that's getting me through all the nervous excitement . . . . .

t h i s :

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity."



-Louis Pasteur


The people getting me through this?!

Too.
many.
to.
name.

The one invention that I am loving - albeit totally disgusting . . .

this:

Sooooooooooooo
grateful
you
are
coming
Dawn!!

If you want to donate . . . . .
. . . . . . click that button!


If you'd like a RunEmz shirt . . . . email me . . . here .

Only $11.44 [nope, not making a penny off the sale].

You can send a payment via Paypal or I can send you an address to send a check to.

I.
thank you.
my
friends.

"People Helping Other People" - Barney

Yes, so Barney has a song I like, I'm totally okay with admitting that.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Remember that day?


12 days ago?

No?!

Let me refresh your memory . . . This post: [here] .

"help me, help me, help!" she [I] said . . .
Within minutes I had a comment from Michelle. "I'm sending you an email."


She contacted her neighbor Tom [this man is incredible. absolutely. incredible].


who


contacted quite a few friends/co-workers/business partners.


who


contacted a regional manager


who


contacted the regional manager in my area


who


contacted a facility [Athlete's Performance] who had these treadmills


who . . .


will be donating two treadmills for approximately two days.


A M A Z I N G.

I don't have the words to express my gratitude.  People helping people they don't even know. Whom they have never met.

I. Am. Grateful.

And it gets even better . . .


These treadmills are simply the best of the best.

Woodway Treadmills.


Their slogan: "For The LONG Run"

Could. not. be. MORE. perfect.


Michelle, Tom, Ben & Marc.


Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.


I. am. so. ready. for. this.

"In My Daughter's Eyes" - Martina McBride

Life is full of moments.

Motherhood.  is.  full.  of.  moments.

happy.
tiring.
sad.
creative.
confusing.
loving.

I've been so grateful for the moments, I've recently had, with my Peanut.

moments where my "baby", on the verge of sleep, looks up at me with eyes that shine, even in the [mostly] darkened room. I stroke my fingers through her hair.  She asks,  "Mom, what we are doing tomorrow?"  I reply, "same ole, same ole". and she smiles. And then, like every other night, I plead with her to stop growing so fast.

I know she will grow. And I know change is inevitable. (There are even some days I look forward to that day.) But, last night, after she had fallen asleep, I stole one more kiss upon her forehead.  I am forever grateful for nights like last night. For nights like my birthday [night]. 

For moments.

For cake in faces.  For cake that tastes as good up my nose as in  my mouth. 

For motherhood.

"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" - The Smith's

Ever tried to write a "it wasn't too bad but NOT good" Race Recap/report before?!

A lot of typing mixed with a lot of deleting.

Was completely freaked after Race Packet pick-up when I saw my number was "911"
Yep,  9 - 1 - 1.

Like 9-11 [twin towers]
Like "911, what is your emergency?"

Reminded me of this: 911 is a joke - Public Enemy [flavor Flav].

I was happy when the Pita & Laurie reminded me of this song.

"Fire Burning" - Sean Kingston  . . . . . "someone call 911! . . .Shawty [Emz]fire burning on the dance floor whoa!"

Truth be told.  I was not liking this.

I. am. not. superstitious. [ha]

Thanks to all of you who sent kind words through email and in comments.  greatly appreciated.

I did stumble upon this this morning [a la Jason] :
"stotanism"
The definition, according to Mr Burfoot[author of the book he was reviewing], is that stotanism is about toughness, though it doesn't imply an insensitive, superman [I'll add super WO-man] approach. The stotan must be willing to stand on his[her] own, to resist pain, to stick to his[her] ideals. A stotan is quietly self-sufficient. He/she accepts the challenges of training, injuries, races, and disappointments without complaining, because [s]he understands that simply by keeping on, by sticking to the path [s]he has chosen, [s]he will get stronger and better.

* * * * * That last part: * * * * *


[s]he accepts the challenges of training, injuries, races, and disappointments without complaining, because he understands that simply by keeping on, by sticking to the path he has chosen, [s]he will get stronger and better. 

And.
I AM going to add "faster". 

Because.
I.
want.
to. ;)

So that being said . . . . . .

 . . . . .  .I am hard on myself.

I expect a-freaking lot of myself.
I can do better than I did. 
I have done better than I did.
No question about it.....I'll get that PR.

Real. Race Report tomorrow.  And trust you-me . . . It's a doozy.
Once you add in all the gooey/painful/gory/gross details.

Emz official time was 10 minutes slower than I hoped but 10 minutes faster than last year.


3:26:14

Yes. 
There.
were.
tears.

BUT . . . .

[they were at the hotel. when I was alone]
on a positive note . . . . I didn't throw toss [lightly] my medal into the dirt/grass this time.  yay me.

Got to enjoy being with my friends and family at the finish line. Smelly hugs, salty kisses and a whole lotta [black] RUN EMZ shirts blazing in the AZ sun.
Trying to dance [while experiencing flipping bad cramps] to the "cupid shuffle" with the Pita [pretending he didn't know me].  awesome.

I have the most amazing support group [cheerleaders] any person could dream of having.

I.
Am.
Blessed.

AND

I AM getting that PR in January.

Heart of Glass

You know what Cinderella said . . . . "One shoe can change your life."
Some days, I wish I could just have the dang glass slipper. Would have been so much easier. Instead I've got me and my [Blondie] "heart of glass".

I've been told before I am "sensitive". By some I've been told I am "overly-sensitive". I was even told by another at the ripe age of 19 that they felt like they had to "walk on rice paper around me". I'm guessing that's not a good thing. I know I've come a long [loooooooooooooooooong] way in the last 10,11,12-er something years.


I had a chance to really think yesterday [I try not to do that {think} much because it usually leaves me with a headache]. About life. About me. me. me. me. me. me. Yep, and I don't feel guilty one bit.

First, I am so grateful I have love in my life. This thought reminded me of a sign[?] I saw in a book store in Port Angeles, WA.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao-Tzu

Nuff said.

I am thankful my personal spiritual relationship with God provides me with eternal optimism. I know there are times when I feel depressed, defeated or disappointed, but I am blessed this wave of hope is strong enough to crush even the strongest sentiments of pessimism and despair in my life.

I am so blessed to have a wonderful family that strives to be together. To be there. To just be. Sure we can struggle with conflicting personalities like we're still kids, but I wouldn't trade even one of them [not even their spouses] for anything in the world. My family made me who I am, and I am thankful for all the beauty and challenge in that.

I cannot begin to express my thanks for such a wonderful group of friends. When I want to be accepted, loved and appreciated, my friends are there in full force. My friends have become a second family for me, a family where I can seek unconditional support, acceptance and the absence of judgment.

I am so grateful to have a career that allows me to explore my talents while maintaining the "mom/wife" role I set for myself. I love the what it has done for me & my confidence in myself.

My health deserves my appreciation. I am so thankful to be pain free [given what I do to it each week] and without any significant ailments threatening my being. I am grateful for the Pita's job & the great health insurance and a financial stability that ensures we can take care of any sickness with the best available health care.
Finally, I am grateful to the beauty I experience daily. If I don't it's because I've been too lame to look for it. Whether it is in kind words from my friends/bloggers, a text from my mom, a humorous email, a kiss on the top of my head from the Pita or in the extra 3 seconds of my "goodnight hug" to Peanut, I am so blessed to have been given the gift of sensitivity and appreciation for all my surroundings.


Cinderella can keep her shoe.

This heart thing works for me.

really? for me?

So this amazing fruit bouquet arrived at my door this morning[ish].  I have never received one of these before.

a w e s o m e.

Such a thoughtful friend.

Thanks Angela!!