Couch to ATHLETE!

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...

Sometimes it can be difficult to recognize what I am thankful for, especially when I am encountered with challenges. Take for instance being covered in stain, and having it splattered all over your laundry room... Or dropping your keys in a public toilet before having a chance to flush. It is a very good exercise to do thankfuls when I am having a particularly challenging week. Thankfuls may be difficult to identify when in flux, but they can improve your mindset. November 9: Kid Dates - I've been promising my friend's son, for a few months, that I would take him to Chuck E Cheese. Last Sunday, I picked him up and introduced him to the wonderful world of tokens, mediocre pizza and tickets. We had such a great time playing ski ball and every other game in that establishment. November 10: Resiliency - As I mentioned earlier, I've had quite the week with computer outages, stain flying around my house, and keys in the toilet. Here's the thing... I've gotten to the ...

 My friend pointed out that the thankful trend has not taken over facebook this November. We both have different opinions on people's propensity to identify the things they are thankful for during this month. I for one, love it. my friend argues that people should be thankful all year round and not just talk about it in November. I on the other hand, know that people are thankful all year round, and November is a special month that gives people permission to shout their thankfuls from the rooftops. What is wrong with that? In my opinion, it is sweet... So, I'll plan to be thankful every Sunday this month, since it is HIGHLY unlikely that I will make the time to post twice a week. Here we go. I think what I'll do is post a thankful for every day of the previous week... With a little story about each thankful... November 1: Organized basements - I have a good story about friends who came over to organize my life. My basement is now an enjoyable space for me. November 2...

It is so hard to rationalize taking medication for something that you don't necessarily see immediate results. People with a disease the progresses over time may understand what I am talking about. Here's the thing... Although I am an expert on my body, I am not an expert on the autoimmune disease that lurks within my body. Who is the expert then? Well my medical team... My initial conundrum with medication was that I have never wanted to be dependent on something... But there are very real and rational reasons why dependence on medicine is important. Take a diabetic for instance. Taking insulin is necessary or risk death. Taking disease modifying medication is necessary or risk faster progression. The same can be said for so many diseases... So, I currently take seven prescriptions and two high dose vitamins on a daily basis. I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle with taking so many pills and shots every day. In fact, I would be lying if I said I was a perfect medic...

*** Originally posted on February 5, 2012. Read on if you wish... A few notes, since this post was made, my Dukie man has passed away, but I still stand by the fact that an experience is much more fulfilling than a transaction.*** I was having a very interesting/enlightening conversation with one of my friends this week about the difference between an experience and a transaction. Every time someone calls me on the phone I have a choice to answer or not. I most frequently answer the phone because I am an extrovert and love talking to people, but on occasion I will pass up the phone call from a friend because I do not have the energy or time to give the phone call the attention it deserves. Similarly, when I take my dog for a walk I leave the house free of technology because it is my pup's time to experience the world and I feel the only way I can be attentive to his sniffing needs is by paying attention to his experience. What I have noticed on these walks is that he interac...