Couch to ATHLETE!

It has been a couple of weeks since I have posted on my blog. I'm taking a break until the new year. I did, however, want to take a moment to wish my readers a VERY Merry Christmas!!!

It has been almost a month since I last posted. I was being all thankful during the month of November and now I find myself 4 days from Christmas and I am again feeling thankful. Thankful for my friends and family, thankful for my home and my cat, thankful for everything. I have fallen off the training wagon until about a week ago, and fallen off the healthy wagon months ago. I guess I have fallen off the blogging wagon too. This is where I acknowledge that I am going to take a break from blogging until after the new year. I wish you all the most delightful Christmas!!!

I was blessed with participating in meaningful volunteer opportunities at a young age. It all started with confirmation hours in eighth grade... I went on every trip to the soup kitchen and the Christmas wrapping days, I also signed up to help people with disabilities participate in recreational activities. And so began my first lesson on people first language. Perhaps you have heard of it? It is that whole idea that when you are introducing or talking about a person, you should always address them by name first. So for instance, if I were talking about my favorite TV show, and I wanted to talk about Max and his disability, I would introduce the topic by saying something like: Max, the boy with asperger, NOT: the asberger boy Max. This language has become so common to me, even writing the second statement makes me extremely uncomfortable. So, I was having a discussion about how people hang flags in front of their houses, or put bumper stickers or messages on the back of their cars. We ...

I never realize how truly lucky I am until something very small happens and it sheds light on everything. One of the scariest symptoms I have with this thing called MS is my choking from time to time because I can't swallow properly. I remember the first time it happened and it really scared me. It was the final day of my jury duty for a murder trial, it was my birthday and also the day before Thanksgiving. It was about 8 years ago, actually. The story goes as this, I was driving home from Jury Duty. I was in a crummy neighborhood on the southside of Chicago and I was eating a snack. The courthouse was not known for providing good food during lunch, nor was it known for its safe surroundings. Anyway, it was a cold rainy night, I was snacking on something and all of a sudden I was gagging on my food for some unknown reason. I wasn't known to carry my cell phone all the time back then, and my mind went to the worst place. I was going to choke and pass out at a stop light, someone...

And here is my final thankfuls for November. Thanks for sticking with me through the month of thankfuls! November 23: Mexican Food - To celebrate one of my friend's birthdays, I met her and her husband at the most delicious Mexican restaurant I have been to. I'll certainly be going to that restaurant again. November 24: Walgreen's - In a pinch Walgreen's is there for last minute photos and medicine. Walgreen's saved the day while making a birthday gift! November 25: Birthday Dinners - I have several friends who have birthdays the same week as me. For the past few years, three of us celebrate our dinner together. You know what I like about birthday dinners? Time with my friends and dessert! November 26: My friends - This was one of my friend's birthdays. Singing happy birthday to my friend reminded me that friends are really awesome. They celebrate you because they want to, and I got to celebrate my friend because I wanted to... November 27: Turkey Tro...

Week three of my thankfuls makes me realize that there are so many things in this world that make me happy. Here's this weeks list. If your looking for more of an athletic blog post this week, you should hop on over to my MS blog for the week. Otherwise, read my thankfuls here... November 16: Organized Closets - My friend came over and helped me organize a closet last Sunday. After organizing we went walking through antique malls. It was such a fun day and now I have the most organized guest room closet I've ever seen. November 17: New Colleagues - I got a new colleague this week who is awesome. I'm looking forward to working with her and maybe practice my exercise bully skills. We will see... November 18: Doctors - I'm pretty sure this has been on my list for the last couple of weeks, but here is the thing... My medical team rocks! From the mind to the body, the people who support me medically are committed to my overall health, for that I am thankful. Novemb...

When you are diagnosed with anything, from bursitis to dehydration to multiple sclerosis, the people who love you become experts on your disease. They know the most advanced treatments, the best doctors, all the symptoms of your disease, etc. The one thing they are not an expert on are the inner workings of your brain, unless you let them in. I have a friend who knows what makes me tick, and as much as I want to use multiple sclerosis as my excuse for things, she simply doesn't let me. As a matter of fact, if I even mention MS as an excuse, she calls me out on it and tells me to get over it. She is kinder than that, most of the time... Anyway, one of my proudest achievements in life have been all of my athletic pursuits. I cross start lines and finish lines, I celebrate, hug my friends and spend some time celebrating. I have other interests that are of similar importance like my vegetable gardens, music and my craftiness. Although these other interests make me extremely happy, ther...