Ramblings

- What is up with the "please prove you are not a robot" word verification thing on Blogger? I don't think even a robot would be smart enough to read the silly letters and numbers twisted and faded out. It took me multiple tries recently to leave a comment on a friend's blog because I couldn't read the jibberish. C'mon, folks! Just have the words easier to see. One sure way to keep people from commenting on your blog is to have word verification!

- So things have gotten busier with Marshall being gone three nights a week with non-bishop stuff and then having his normal bishop stuff on top of that. I want to tell people that they are not allowed to have any drama between certain hours and days of the week. Nope! I need to have my hubby to myself sometimes. Ha! Sometimes I feel like Mr. Incredible and want to tell the world to stay together for just a few minutes, please.

- My knee problems are not stress fracture related. Yippee! They doctor took an x-ray and my bone is whole and looking great. It is from weak hips, which cause misalignment while running. That ended up pulling on my femur and causing pain at the end of it. To treat it I need to so more quad intense exercises, like biking and squats, to build up that thigh muscle. I am so glad it is not bone related and that I can still exercise. I ran 2.5 miles the day after my appointment and it was wonderful. Wonderful in that it was great to run again, not in that my endurance or time was amazing. But now I can get back into it! And what is up with the weak hip thing in women? You'd think after giving birth a few times those hips would be tough.

- Sometimes I can understand why kids randomly smack each other out of nowhere. I know we are adults and know better, but sometimes there are people in this world who are just annoying enough that you really just want to smack them. It's a good thing we don't, but sometimes . . . 

I just can't help myself!

Um, so I am pretty much banned from going to PetSmart anymore. Not because I have misbehaved and been kicked out, but rather because I have the strong urge to save every homeless cat. (I really would if I could. I just need a much bigger home.)

See, this past week I rewarded Jacob by taking him to PetSmart to see all the fish, gerbils, and cats. Big mistake. I saw one cat, Riley, who I just fell in love with. Like our cat Bella, he was an underdog. Riley is almost 6 years old and has been returned to PAWS 3 times. Once because his owners lost their home, once because of allergies, and once because he was "too affectionate". (I have no idea what that means.) I felt so bad for Riley and was so intrigued by his loving nature. When we got our first two cats, I thought there would be lots of snuggling and lap time. But Penelope is young and independent and loves to run around outside. Bella is shy and can be loving, but only when she wants to. So I was excited about an affectionate cat. Plus I have read that having a male to the dynamics can be a very good thing.

As the week wore on, I couldn't get Riley off of my mind. I didn't want anything to happen to this sweet cat who has had such bad luck. Well, you know me and by Friday I found myself adopting another cat and bringing him home. Let's just say I have a very kind husband. and I promised him this would be our last cat. 3 is enough! I will no longer go into PetSmart to see any other homeless loveable cats.

But I am so glad he got Riley. He is very mellow and very affectionate. He loves to be around us and will come rub up against us. He'll jump into our laps and meow to us. He is so very sweet. The kids love him and his tender nature. And I do too. I am so glad we could give him a good home.

My knee revisited

Grrrrrrr. I am annoyed because I am not invincible. Shoot! I am not even whole. It's not that I am THAT old, but my body thinks I should still be having issues with my knee. And I do not agree with this agenda.

I behaved myself really well while recovering from my stress fracture and followed what my doctor told me I could and could not do. Then when we felt the time was right, I very slowly and cautiously began running. In time I decided to train for a half marathon. Why I curse myself with such lofty plans is beyond me because every time I say I am going to do a big race, something goes wrong. And it did again.

I took my time and worked up my mileage slowly. I didn't even get past 3 miles and then I started to experience some pain and discomfort in my knee. It would go away, but it became more frequent so I decided to lay off running for a bit and stick to speed walking and biking. Still, I had pain. Grrrr.

Now I am doing nothing and nervously awaiting seeing me doctor next week, wondering what we will find. Did my fracture not heal all the way? Has it been aggravated? What? All I know is that my knee hurts, even when I walk. Not as bad as it did with the fracture, but more than it should be at all. And I am going nuts trying to be good and let it rest. I am so bummed because I really truly did behave myself and eased back into running when I had the "go" from my doctor. So not cool!

First day of school

Today was the first day of school. My kids were so excited. Anna has been preparing for a few weeks now, brushing up on her multiplication tables and reading. Rachel and Jimmy were also anxious, but spent every final minute of summer playing Wii. And Jacob just wanted to have Mom to himself again. This morning came and everyone did a wonderful job of going to their classes. I have a little job this year at school as a playground monitor so I had the chance to see all my kids half way through the day. It was fun to check in with them and see how they were doing. So far so good.

Anna really is excited for her year with Mrs. Patton, who also likes Broadway plays. She is looking forward to her last year in elementary school and being the "top dog". She can't wait to learn about different countries and the Civil War.  I cannot believe she is in 5th grade. I remember that grade!

Rachel is happy because she has Anna's 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Hatch. Two of her good friends are in her class. She is looking forward to learning how to do cursive writing. I think this will be a good year for her.

My 1st grader! When did that happen? He had a great first day of school and did well being gone all day. It helps that his best pal Spencer is in his class. He is doing the dual-immersion program, learning Mandarin. Half the day he spends with his English teacher Mrs. Thorton and the other half is all in Mandarin with Mrs. Chen. He told me he didn't learn anything today, but then started to tell us the Mandarin words for different colors at dinner. Go Jimmy!

Jacob gets Mom all to himself. He is excited about this and kept me running all day playing games with him. But he did periodically tell me that he missed "his" kids and that school takes too long. Hopefully things will be better for him once he starts preschool in a few weeks. It's hard to be the one left behind!