#25, #35, and #36!

I know it's been a while, but we've been busy! My practices have picked up to 7 coached practices a week (I only go to 6 of them because I'm a firm believer in the benefits of a day off!), and I've been freelance writing in my "free time" to make a little extra money. I wish I could say it was "spending cash," but ultimately it's going toward paying down the medical bills...although, technically, I guess that's still "spending it." We've spent our little time together watching football (way to go, Giants!!), catching up on our DVR'd shows, and slowly but surely crossing things off the list!

#25: After core class a few Mondays ago, Alex treated me to a vegan, macrobiotic, organic meal at Casa de Luz, an incredible restaurant tucked away in downtown Austin. For $12 per person, it's an all-you-can eat health-food delight. We had salad and pumpkin soup for appetizers and brown rice topped with nori, mixed veggies, Anasazi beans, and pickled red cabbage. We could have gone back for more, but I was surprisingly satisfied! And the most amazing part was that I didn't feel like vegging on the couch afterwards the way I do when we eat our more regular fare--pasta, chicken, fries, etc.... We were so pleasantly surprised with the food and the way we felt afterwards that we are going to try and make it a Monday night, post-workout tradition.

#35: We had this incredible find at an after-Christmas sale! I have been wanting a full-length mirror for a while. We were at a furniture store to pick up some missing parts from our coffee table, and while waiting, I noticed this mirror. It would match our bedroom perfectly, and I noticed that it was unusually deep. Lo and behold, it opens up to a jewelry organizer!! We bought it immediately and just finished hanging it last weekend. (On a side note, we noticed when we went back to pick it up that the "original price" it had been marked down from when we bought it was the new "sale" price, and the "original price" had doubled! Sneaky store!!)

#36: Alex and my dad spent the better part of a weekend putting up gutters! Yay! It has rained several times since and they work, well, exactly like they're supposed to.

Training and Fundraising update:
We had our big Mardi Gras fundraiser last Tuesday and raised nearly $3,000! The food was delicious, the band was awesome, and we were treated to some members of my team doing the Thriller dance. All in all a fantastic evening and a lot of money raised for a great cause. As for training, we are in the middle of a "ramp-up" segment, so I'm pretty tired! We had a 50-mile bike ride yesterday, followed by an 8-mile run this morning, so I'm thinking for today I'm going to take a big fat nap. Maybe when I wake up there will be a massage place open. Man that would feel mighty nice right about now!

I hope this finds you all well and that I get to see you sometime soon,

KC

#100

We were downtown last night at midnight for the "big" ball drop and the explosions of confetti and general gaiety. Very fun. But, the big news is that on our way out, I just happened to serendipitously pass two police officers. Okay, maybe there were officers everywhere and I couldn't have avoided passing any, but still, we passed two police officers and I went up to both and shook their hands, thanked them for being there, and wished them a happy New Year. They in turn thanked us for leaving after midnight.

Then we headed over to Alex's brother's NYE party and I am happy to say that we are starting 2008 as the still-reigning beer pong champs.

falling off the wagon, crossing items off the list, and more

We had a crazy busy holiday season! It was positively delightful having so much family in town and having so many parties to attend. And now it's delightful having none of those things and getting a bit of a breather.

Thanks to our busy holiday schedule, a brief hiatus on organized team practices, and a miserable little cold, I've fallen off the workout wagon these last two weeks. It's been easy to do since every minute of our days has been spoken for and because I know that come January 3rd we'll be hitting it hard every day until May 4. That, and it's been cold! But now I have some awesome cold-weather gear, more free time, a healthy immune system, and no more excuses. The break was good for my mind and body, but now I'm ready to jump back on the wagon and get going.

Now for the list:
#68: I gave bundles of personalized stationary to my cousin and grandmother. I think they looked quite festive with their bright red bows!I also gave homemade truffles to my coworkers. So while all my gifts weren't homemade, I did make a few of them. That totally counts.

#84: check! It was wonderful having my parents, sister, and brother here for Christmas. We took my parents to see the big Christmas tree and the trail of lights (my mom has pictures from that outing - I'll have to add them in later!) and had great times playing Beyond Balderdash and James Bond Scene It. We all enjoyed it so much I think we've agreed to make it a family tradition (having our family Christmas here, not playing JBSI)! Alex's parents visited the next weekend, and we introduced them to horseshoes (Alex's dad is a natural!) and took them to the county park by our house. While it's nice having the house to ourselves, it becomes more of a home when it's filled with the laughter and voices of many.

#92: While at Alex's company Christmas dinner, I knew I was going to order the grilled salmon. So instead of getting my usual beer, I ordered...wait for it...a pinot grigio. Important details to note: I knew white wine went with fish and red wine with beef; I picked wine over beer; and I enjoyed it! (I also enjoyed the second glass, but damn if I wasn't asleep five minutes into the ride home. It certainly does have a different effect than beer!) Oh, AND, I held it by it's step, swirled it, sniffed it, and then sipped. I didn't spit, but just the fact that I know that's the fourth step counts for something, right?? In googling it just now to make sure that I spelled it correctly, I came across this article--apparently some would think that my one encounter with pinot grigio is the wine equivalent of eating a Spamwich. I pay them as much mind as those beer drinkers out there who can no longer enjoy a Lone Star--I pity you and the jail cell of sophistication you've built around yourself. Tsk, tsk.

There are other tasks in the works. I've got six months left to go and my potted plants are looking a little paltry but still alive. I just finished Water for Elephants (which I enjoyed very much if any of you are considering reading it), so I think now is as good a time as any to start The Brothers Karamazov. I can do about 15 full length push-ups, so more than halfway on that one. My major TNT fundraising event is in the works (thanks 100% to Dawn, my wedding coordinator and my very own fairy godmother). And we're getting dressed up for New Year's tonight and going downtown--not an exact hit for #47, but we did go on a date downtown last night, which is more in line with the spirit of that task...

I hope this finds you all well and rested and pleasantly plump from all the holiday fruitcake. Happy New Year!

-KC

Nothing to report?

I haven't posted in a while because I didn't really feel like we had anything new to report. I haven't accomplished any more of my 101 goals, and really life has been just plugging along like normal. Then I realized that it's really not normal and maybe I haven't posted because I've been working my tailfeathers off and have just been too busy!

I've started freelancing (yay!) in my "spare" time. This is good news not only because it will help us pay off our medical bills, but because hopefully it will be steady enough to provide enough income when we have kids that will allow me to stay home.

I've also started my second season with Team In Training--this time I'm training for a half-ironman triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run) and have to raise $5,600 in donations!! Not only have I been spending about 10 hours a week in practice (and we haven't even hit our "stride" yet--we're supposed to pick it up on Jan. 1), but I've been working like crazy to get some fundraising efforts going: I participated in my company's holiday fair last Friday, have been busy writing letters/stuffing envelopes, and am hopefully in the midst of planning a big fundraising party with the help of my wedding coordinator!

BTW, if you would like to donate, please click here! Every little bit helps, and all donations are fully tax deductible. Most of you have letters coming encouraging you to join the one-hour-a-month club . . . intrigued? Details in your letter!

Alex returned from his Germany trip safe and sound and has jumped into helping me as much as possible. He's started coming to core workouts with me, too! He put up lights on our house all by himself--I think it took him longer than he expected, but we're both very happy with how it turned out! And we're now the proud owners of a ladder. They're quite helpful!


Well, that's what's new with us! I hope some of y'all out there are having a little less hectic lives right now and that you have enough time to get into the holiday spirit a little.

Happy holidays,

KC

Giving Thanks

Alex and I were eating dinner on campus earlier this week--a place called the Spicy Pickle. It was your iconic college eatery--small, spare, a little dirty. As we ate, I looked at the other patrons, almost all college students, and thought about the differences between me and them. I was amazed to realize that I didn't envy them--not their freedom, not their lack of responsibility, not their ability to spend their entire lives in T-shirts and flip-flops. I realized that I wouldn't trade what I have now for the ability to go back to being a student.

It would be easy to focus on the difficulties and disappointments this year has brought with it, but it is easier still for me to put aside those thoughts and give thanks for all of the amazing opportunities and experiences it has brought as well: an amazing trip to Ireland; my first half-marathon and Olympic-distance triathlon and the beginning of a journey to my first half-ironman; my first races with my brother and my mom; a great trip out to visit my sister in her new home; our first house; furnishing our first house; a not-so-gentle reminder to take care of myself and be alert for signs of problems and proactive about getting potential problems taken care of; another year of health and silliness for my cats; family and friends who are constantly supportive; and the world's greatest husband, my best friend, who has laughed with me, cried with me, challenged me, supported me, and given me strength when I lacked it. I am so thankful for every part of my life this year.

So thankful, in fact, that I wouldn't trade it for what had previously been the best time of my life. That was pretty cool to realize.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

KC

#43

As the elected hostess for the next Nesties game night, I didn't expect to have #43 crossed off the list until next month, but after running into a colleague and her fiance at our grocery store last week, we made dinner plans with them that quickly evolved into including games as well. I invited another work friend and her husband at the last minute after finding out that her morning sickness had finally abated enough that she was eating normally again. And just like that, an intimate dinner party and game night!

Guests arrived around 7:30, and after a delicious meal of vegetarian lasagna, meat pizza, salad, and garlic bread, we broke out The Newlywed Game. And hilarity ensued.

The game is actually a pretty decent throwback to the gameshow of old, featuring host Bob Eubanks and three newlywed couples who had to correctly predict their spouse's answer to a series of questions mostly designed to get people in trouble. The game came complete with dry-erase boards and markers. We had an interesting mix playing--the engaged couple, the just-married couple (that was Alex and me), and the about-to-be-parents couple. It was fun to see not only how well we knew our partners, but also the things that we didn't know so well!

And what's not to love when someone reveals--much to our delight and his partner's dismay--that his partner once put makeup on him and made him wear her pantyhose?? HA!

Overall, I highly recommend The Newlywed Game if you're having a game night with other couples who have a great sense of humor and a thick skin!

Derm check-up: so far, so good!

I had my first post-operative dermatology check-up today, and I am SO relieved to say that for the first time in 3 months, everything looks great!

Here's how it's gone:

• 1st visit: one mole removed = melanoma
• 2nd visit: one mole removed = "abnormal"
• 3rd visit: two moles removed = both normal
• 4th visit: NO moles removed! yay!

When the doctor came in and asked how I've been doing, I started crying. Not a blubbering, ugly crying, but a I've-been-living-with-this-monkey- on-my-back-every-second-of-every-day-and-I'm-tired kind of crying--just a few tears that came to the eyes and a lump in the throat it was difficult to talk over. I didn't expect to have that kind of reaction, didn't expect how tense I've been about this. I guess that's because for a long time I didn't really have a good perspective on what happened to me. Half of me felt like it was a really big deal; the other half felt like I shouldn't be so dramatic about it--sure, it happened, move on. So while I was trying to talk myself over it, I guess I didn't notice it wasn't really working.

I was talking about this with a friend of mine at our TNT launch on Saturday (more on that to follow!!!). She's a social worker for an Austin oncology center. She said, "So, wow, you're a CANCER SURVIVOR!" That label makes me so uncomfortable--cancer survivors are heroes. They've battled and fought and suffered and kept their hope through brutal treatments and endless hours of waiting for news, good or bad. That's not me. I didn't do anything special. I got a spot checked out, got bad news, had it removed, and now it's done. When I told her this, she said, "Yeah, you didn't have to go through chemo or radiation or anything like that, but for the rest of your life you still have to live with and deal with the anxiety that it's going to come back."

That was a crystalizing moment for me--the two conflicting halves of my reaction to having melanoma fell into place. Sure, it wasn't a big deal in the "fighting for your life" sense of things, but not one minute has gone by since the nurse said I needed to "come in to discuss the results" that I haven't thought about it. My life totally changed. Every freckle on me now seems dangerous--and I have a lot of freckles! So I guess it's been a really big deal in that sense--the constant, lifelong anxiety-that-it's-going-to-come-back sense. And I guess that's understandable.

That anxiety was only fed because every time I went to the dermatologist's office, he took off more "suspicious spots." I was beginning to feel like a cancer-breeding machine!

Until now! He said that everything "looks great" and told me that I shouldn't be constantly worried or start hating the sun. Which is good, 'cause I don't like worrying, and I love the sun!

Leaving his office this morning, I felt like I could breathe easier. Literally. I felt like there was actual mental space cleared up for focusing on my job, for being more patient with my husband, for having the right attitude going into my next training/fundraising season. I felt more like my old self.

The monkey's not totally gone--I still have a used-car-sized hospital bill that I have to pay that is a constant reminder of what happened to me. And I still think about every single one of my poor, misshapen freckles being cancer in disguise. But the weight is 10% lighter--I finally had one appointment where everything looked great and no suspicious spots were removed. And that feels so good.