Hey everyone!!!
You know something? I missed writing in my blog the last 9 months, and the fall season for Team in Training is now up and running so I'm back!! Lucky you. :) To tell you the truth, I haven't done much training yet because I just got over a nasty cold, and I wanted to take it easy until I felt 100%. But now that I'm 100%, I'm getting ready to go to Seattle with my family, so I'll miss a training with the team, but this trip is very special. My whole family (including my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) is going, and it is quite a feat to sync our schedules. We leave tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Even though I don't have much in the way of training to share with you yet, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my life the past 9 months. So, I turned 30. Yah, I know. A card my cousin sent me said,"It's funny until it happens to you". So true!! I was a bit surprised by the fact that I indeed felt sad when that momentous occasion snuck up on me, but I decided I just need to make great things happen this year so that I ring in my 30s with a bang!! Thus, the 1/2 and full marathon. Also, I started working part-time which was quite a change after 3 years of unemployment! I'm interpreting with the county schools, and it seems really interesting.
A couple days after I finished the 1/2 marathon, my friend Paulina had a baby boy, Jack (or Jackecito as I affectionately call him :) ). He is adorable, and he always puts a smile on my face, even when I feel discouraged or down. I'm not trying to be depressing or anything, but lately I have felt what I interpret to be the very late effects of facing cancer. I struggle with the responsibility that I have to develop again in all aspects of life: finding a full-time job (and figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life!), cleaning, conquering my enormous to-do list. I get sad when I think that I'm 30, I'm single and I live with my parents (no offense, Mom and Dad!) :) I hope someday to fall in love and start a family, but I feel the pressure of my advancing age (hahaha, I make it sound like I'm 80 or something!!), and I realize that if I had never had leukemia, I would have had three years of my life to do this! I thought I'd share these feelings with all of you because I feel like sometimes I get preachy about cancer and how it has had a positive impact on me. I figured it was important to share some other feelings I have about it, feelings I think I've only recently acknowledged. But no worries...I am not depressed!! I just get sad, but just as I did when I had leukemia, I pick things to look forward to, and hanging out with Jack is certainly one of them!!!
Jameson and Guinness also cheer me up (look how freakin' cute they are...how could they not make me smile?!) They are at the kennel right now so it's eerily quiet in the house. On Father's Day, we're taking them to a farm near Winchester so they can try out sheep herding (Ronnie and Kathy gave this to us as a Christmas present!)...it should be really interesting!!!! I'll be sure to get some pics to add so you can see them in action! I think Guinness will probably try to make friends with the sheep and Jameson might just growl at all of them. :) Either way, it will make for a fun activity!!
Let's see...what else...My friends, Maya and Brant, got married in January, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid. It was a wonderful celebration and they have some great blackmail photos for pretty much any guest who ventured out onto the dance floor. :) It was funny because when Maya introduced each bridesmaid at the rehearsal dinner, she said a little something about them. When she introduced me, she mentioned that I overcame some great personal challenges in my life and that I was strong. She never mentioned cancer though, and I got the feeling that some other guests thought I was a drug addict. This is because the previous week, I had fallen on the ice and had some cuts and bruises on my arms (and marks from where they take blood each month!). We all got a good laugh out of that!!
We added a new extended family member in February...Addison is the first girl on either side of my family since Katie (so, in 25 years!!). I was very touched that my cousin and her husband chose me to be her godmother. She is beautiful, as you can see from the photo, not that I'd expect anything less--I mean, she IS my relative!! :) hahahaha I look forward to spending lots of time spoiling her since I consider that my duty as godmother.
I'm gonna sign off for now, but I'll be back after Seattle! I'm sure I'll have more exciting stories to share with you, and the hardcore training will begin also. Hope everyone is doing well and that the past nine months have been good for you also.
By the way, the photos are as follows: With Laura, Katie and Lori at my 30th bday party; Addison (Addy); Maya, Lori and I; Jameson; Guinness; Jack.
