Friday! Friday! Friday!

I am thrilled it's Friday. I can't believe it has been two weekends since the half. I need to start running again, I'm being too sedentary. I'm going to try and squeeze one in tomorrow in between a morning appointment, lunch, and errands to run..... Yeah, I know, we'll see :/.

Last night E and I went to the Tasting Room for some girl time and vino. The place was definitely bumping, but we managed to find two seats at the bar. E's been traveling a lot lately, so I was really glad to pin her down for a few hours. The night was really fun, and then it took a weird twist at the end.

E and I simultaneously got hit on by guys on either side of us. Her guy was a throw back to 1988, a real charmer who in mid-pick up line stopped to take off his wedding ring and stick it in his pocket. I guess a wedding ring can put a wrench in one's game. He justified it to E by saying it was his third marriage, and she worked all the time. Lame!

My guy was rapidly approaching 50 and a dead ringer for the Brawny paper towel guy, red flannel shirt and all. He kept telling me I was pretty while also commenting on the fact he could be my father. Guh-ross!

But, like an angel sent straight from God, by total randomness, my cousin's friend, A, happened to be at the bar that night, and she ran straight to me and E while we were squirming, trying to find a way to extricate ourselves from our suitors. She kind of pushed them out of the way, began chatting with us, recommended we go outside.... it was the perfect getaway. Thank you, A!!!!

Not much on tap for this weekend beyond the mundane errands, probably some cleaning.... We are having our first mini "party" on Sunday. We are having a few family members over to watch the Super Bowl on the new 52" tv. I'm glad it's family, it's like a practice gathering. Not to undermine any of our family members, but I don't have to be as prepared for them. I think I may need to purchase some more plates, because I don't think we have enough. Hopefully it will be a fun evening. My mom continues to alleviate a lot of the burden by offering to cook. I love my mom :).

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I want to take a class

I'd really like to take some sort of class that teaches me a useful skill or craft. I'd like it to be something D and I could do together, so preferably not potpourri making or something like that. In the spirit of personal enrichment, I'd like to learn something new in 2009, but I don't really know where to start. Where can I find classes? What kind of class should I take?

In the alternative, what sort of hobby could we take up on our own? I'd like to find something beyond the massive amounts of tv that will bring us even closer together.

In other news, I spent most of yesterday with a massive headache. Came home, took a long, hot bath, and crawled into bed. When D came home, he laid down with me for a bit, ordered a pizza so no cooking would have to be done, and even watched the Bachelor with me, which is a pretty big sacrifice for a guy.

Now that's love :).

More details on the half

So, I didn't really get into the details of the half last week. It was such a cool experience, but I'm not sure how to document it in words. I feel like the pictures tell a better story!

Nerves were flying in the days leading up to the event. I was scared of how I would do, if I would be able to finish, etc. It just seemed really daunting. I arrived at the Hyatt downtown on Saturday afternoon for the TNT pasta party, shirt decorating, and overnight so that we simply had to walk to the start line. It was a very good idea!

Running partner K (RPK) and I were roommates for the night, and we twiddled our thumbs until it was time to go down to the party. The food was actually quite good, and I carbed it up. They showed a slide show while we ate that featured the honored teammates from all the TNT groups across the city. I was on there, and it was a bit unnerving to see my face on a big screen every few minutes.

The presentation honored everyone who was there, and it singled out the top fundraisers. I was so proud to be a member of that group. I have raised almost $9,700 to date, which is beyond what I ever thought possible. I doubt I'll be able to touch that number again, but it sure would be nice to pull that off every year :).

We heard a speech from one of the mentors, P, who incidentally was one of my freshmen when I was an O-week coordinator during college. She lost her father to leukemia, and this was her second TNT event. Her speech, of course, had me bawling by the time she was done. Luckily, the night wasn't all about tears, we moved on to the shirt decorating party. RPK and I picked up these very cool sparkly letters, and we each put our name on the front of the singlets, and I put "Cancer is my bitch! Survivor since 2007" on the back.

That night's sleep wasn't awesome. We definitely tossed and turned, and then all of a sudden, it was 4:30am, and we were up. The weather was chilly, but pretty mild outside, so I went with shorts instead of the tight running pants, and a long sleeved shirt under my singlet. I wore some gloves as well. The whole TNT group met in the lobby of the hotel for a group picture, and then we walked over to the George R. Brown convention center to wait. We spent a good 45 minutes to an hour waiting inside of the facility before we were allowed to walk out to the start line. RPK and I were in the "slower" group (I prefer to call it noncompetitive!), so we started 10 minutes after the initial wave. Hearing that start gun was pretty exciting. We were in a big group for a while, and then things started thinning out.

As for the actual run part, it went well at first, then got hard, and then was on and off. I definitely did some walking, but I think I ran more than I anticipated. I also dealt with some aches and pains that were something awful. I developed a horrible side stitch about half way through that kept plaguing me, especially in the last stretch of the race. I finished the event almost doubled over, holding my side and weeping, both from emotion and pain.

On the upside, I had AMAZING support. My family, friends, and co-workers were out in full force, wearing TNT shirts, holding signs with my name on them, offering Gatorade.... it was awesome. They motivated me to keep going. D and my niece and nephews jumped in with me for a couple of blocks around mile 10, and that was fun. I remember how much fun it used to be to run as fast as possible when I was a kid :).

As for the end, I finished within the mandated 4 hours, without a problem. I wasn't very fast, and I'm definitely not a runner, but it was an awesome experience. I had the best time getting to know TNT people this season, sharing my story, getting involved with this cause.....

I had one guy come up to me during the pasta dinner to thank me for sharing my story with them all season. He told me that he signed up with TNT not having any connection to blood cancer, but I gave him one. If I inspired anyone to raise one more dollar, to want to do it again, to want to be more involved with the cause..... then I did my job.

The post race party was at my sister's bar, and it was loads of fun. The night ended with an impromptu family dance party, which is always fun! Many thanks to the friends and family who attended.

And as for me, a week later, my body is back in good shape. No more pain, although I was hurting something bad Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. I've already signed up for a 5K at the end of February, and I'm eager to do his same event with TNT next year. Most rewarding experience ever!

I did it!!!!

The half-marathon was this past weekend, and while I don't have time to write a full post, I just wanted to let you all know that I am alive! It was an awesome, amazing, painful, challenging, overwhelming, emotional experience, but I completed it, and I'm very proud.

And..... I think I'm coming back next year for more. I just can't stop until we find a cure for blood cancer.

More details to come when I finish catching up on all the work I've missed!

Moving, running, moving, running

D and I are moving tomorrow. I really, really hate moving, and we are trying to do it on the cheap, which means no movers..... just family :(. I've got to take it easy. My back aches have been flaring up from all the bending and moving boxes, and I don't want ANYTHING hindering me this weekend as I'm running. I'm very grateful that my sister and brother-in-law own a bar and don't work during the day. They will be helping us along with my mother. My mom is better at the "unpacking" part rather than the lifting heavy stuff. Although, I'm glad to have an unpacker on my team, because if there is anything that I hate more than packing..... it's unpacking.

I went to a Team in Training VIP reception last night, and pulled a classic K-- drank a lot of wine and got emotional about cancer stories :). It was fun, though, and it gave me the chance to talk with some people without then having to take off for a 8 mile run or something. People look different in regular clothes!

I'm still getting the butterflies about the event this weekend, but I'm also excited. I keep checking the weather, wondering what it's going to do. I need to plan for all contingencies. I also need to figure out how to carry all the stuff I want to have with me. Ideally, I'll have GUs, car keys, my phone, and a camera. I may have to ditch the camera. I know that I can run comfortably with that other stuff, but a camera might be pushing it. This is a moment where I wish I had my iPhone, so I could take pictures along the route and be accessible! I know friends and family will have cameras, but I want to snap some random shots of what 13.1 miles of Houston looks like on a Sunday morning.

Again, if you haven't donated, please do :). I hope you all will still be my friends after my incessant harassment over the past few months. I promise to give you a few months break from solicitation :).

Go Team!

Less than one week

I am less than one week from my half-marathon, and I am skkkeeerrrrrrrddddd! Every time I think about it, I get butterflies in my stomach. I always knew it would happen eventually, but it always seemed so far away, and now..... one week away. Less than one week away!

I picked up my Team in Training stuff last week, and this Friday my running buddy K and I will pick up our official marathon packet. I'm just so nervous that I'll do horribly and embarrass myself in front of all my supporters. I just want to get through it without falling apart.

Before our last group run on Saturday, one of our coaches said "If you cross the finish line without tears coming out of your eyes, there is something wrong with you." I don't think there is anything to worry about with me, I'm actually hoping not to be outright bawling when I cross the finish line. This event is so much more than just a half-marathon to me. It's about the cause, it's about the amazing fundraising I've managed to do (more than $8,500!), it's about tackling a challenge, it's about being healthy enough to complete it..... It's about all those who I am running in honor of. So, yeah, I probably will be bawling as I cross the finish line, and as I see all the people in purple singlets crossing the finish line.

And in case you haven't donated yet......

http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/houston09/klilienstern

Please.

Step 1: Spending time with friends

Yesterday at work I received an email from Pappasito's advertising 1/2 priced fajitas for 2 every Wednesday night between now and February 11. I sent the email on to a few friends, and I received a reply from my recently married friend BR asking what time D and I were going to meet him and his wife. I had to laugh, he's definitely the type to take a forwarded email as an invitation. But, I thought, why not? I resolved to spend time strengthening my relationships this year, and I hadn't seen them since they returned from their honeymoon.

So, I checked with D, and we made plans to meet them. Since we were doing a later dinner, I also asked a couple of co-workers to grab a drink after work. It was a gorgeous day, so we ventured around the corner to my sister's bar, had a couple glasses of wine, and then I went to pick D up for dinner.

We had a great time with BR and V. They are a really fun couple, and the fajitas were delicious (as were the frozen margaritas, which kind of flies in the face of my goal to lose weight, but I think I kept everything in moderation). After dinner, they treated us to a little TCBY, and we made plans to do it again. I forget about taking moments out from my busy schedule to have a pleasant evening with friends, but I'm so glad we got together with them.

Next Wednesday? Game on!

PS- To all my blogger friends..... start blogging! I'm getting bored looking at old posts :).

New Year, new me?

I don't like new year's resolutions. I think they set people up to fail, and why do we have to wait until the new year to start bettering ourselves?

However, I will agree there is something about the passage of another year that makes you reflective, and it makes you think about yourself and your life. I think I became a bit complacent in 2008. I don't think I worked to be the best "me" that I could. I think after 2007 being such a fight, after having to be strong and working for everything so hard, I just kind of wanted to coast. Coasting is not living. Coasting is taking the easy way out. I wouldn't say 2008 was a bad year, there were many highlights including taking and passing the bar, staying healthy, training for the half-marathon, getting engaged, finding a job...... but I don't think I pushed myself to the extent of what I am capable.

So, without putting it in terms of a new year's resolution, I want to spend 2009 becoming a better me, mind, body, and soul. I want to take my health seriously, which means dropping some pounds, eating better, and maintaining a commitment to exercise. I want to become a better, more adept cook in my new household. I want to strengthen the relationships in my life and make the people I love a priority. I want to become more fiscally responsible and forward thinking. I'm on the verge of getting married and starting my own family, and I want to make sure I'm able to provide for myself and the future.

I think by being the best me I can be, I'm going to be a lot happier. I think my happiness vacillates depending on whether I'm just coasting or living. I want to remember the lessons that having cancer taught me and live my life to the fullest extent. Corny, but true.

So, I'm asking my friends and readers to help hold me accountable to not a new year's resolution, but a total life makeover :).