Counting My Blessings

When I was in the hospital, I had a lot of time on my hands. One thing I did to keep myself occupied was make a list of the blessings I experienced. It helped me to focus on all the good things that God was doing through a difficult situation, and it was a tangible way for me to see how well He was taking care of me. I thought I would post the list here, especially since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I have so much for which to be thankful.

Blessings in the midst of a trial:

• doctor ordering a retest for C diff and finding out I didn’t have it
• getting flowers from my boss and my previous place of employment
• visits from friends, family, and several ministers from my church
• cable (especially HGTV!)
• my Kindle Fire
• free wifi
• unlimited texting (I would have been in BIG trouble if not for this)
• sweet nurses
• getting Chic-fil-A sweet tea from one nurse
• getting off IV fluids
• getting IV out of left arm
• taking a shower with both hands
• my iPhone
• eating real food and not just liquids
• Popsicles and ice cream
• sleeping pill
• getting the right diagnosis
• being able to walk around 
• health insurance
• slippers
• getting blood drawn without pain (this one lab tech was AMAZING)
• getting to watch my church’s service on TV
• a pink robe
• the YouVersion Bible app (I listened to a lot of Scripture read aloud using this app)
• peace from the Lord
• comfort and a lack of worry (this is HUGE for me-I am a chronic worrywart)
• feeling hungry
• getting to see Charlotte

The biggest blessings by far are definitely my parents, Stephen’s parents, and most of all, my husband. My parents live in Memphis and made the trip back and forth to Jackson more times than I can count. They kept Charlotte for three straight weekends to give Stephen a break, and my mom came up when Charlotte had her stitches and then waited with me in the emergency room, and she and my dad visited as often as they could. I truly don’t know what we would have done without them.

Stephen’s parents came down from Illinois last Wednesday and stayed until Sunday. They cleaned, they bought groceries, they cooked, they cared for Charlotte, and so much more. It was a tremendous help and comfort to me to have them here after I got home so I could try and get as much rest as possible. I feel so blessed to have such amazing in-laws.

And Stephen. I can’t even put into words how amazing he has been. He has been my rock and my support through all of this, never complaining. I think the bond that he and Charlotte have is even stronger now because he was essentially her primary caregiver for weeks, and she never has to doubt how much he loves her. I am forever grateful that God brought us together for such a time as this.

With all of these blessings, how can I have anything but joy in my heart?

May you find an abundance of blessings in your own life. Happy Thanksgiving!

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I Get Sick, You Get a Blog Post

Am I really blogging after 11 p.m. on a weeknight? Yes, yes I am. I am also currently coughing up a lung. I’ve been plagued with a nagging cold/allergies/sinus thingy for a week now, and I’m ready for it to be gone! Sore throat and cough and runny/stuffy nose do not a happy Erin make. (But apparently they do make me type sentences that Yoda could utter.)

A few confessions:

1.  I have not run at all since my half marathon on March 31, unless you count the 5 minutes I ran last Monday with Charlotte in the stroller (after which I realized my calves were on fire and promptly slowed to a walk).  The first 2 days were intentional rest days, but after that I just plain didn’t feel good. I am going to have to run soon, though, or before I know it I’ll be forced to go through Couch to 5k a 3rd time.

2.  Even though I’m not blogging about weight loss, I still weigh myself almost every day. It keeps me in check.

3.  I’ve had way more ice cream than is good for me the past few days. (Did I mention I’ve had a sore throat for a week? Ice cream is about the only thing that feels good on a sore throat. Well, that and milk shakes, which are also super healthy.)

4.  I have cried during almost every single episode of Parenthood. I bought the first 2 seasons with Christmas money and just finished up season 2 tonight. I love the stories and characters on that show! One of my friends claims she loves it more than she loved Gilmore Girls, but I cannot commit to that blasphemy such a statement. Parenthood doesn’t come close to touching my love of Gilmore Girls. Still, it’s a good show.

5.  Easter is my favorite holiday. I am not sure why, but it has held special meaning for me this year, and I truly loved being able to celebrate with our church on Easter, as well as going to the Holy Week services on Thursday and Friday. Without Easter, Christmas would be meaningless. I am unspeakably grateful that because He died and rose from the dead, we can have life forever with Him!

I hope you all have a great week!

Things I’m Looking Foward To

1.  The weekend. Always the weekend. 🙂

2.  March 23. Stephen and I both have the day off, which means date day! We are going to go see The Hunger Games and eat lunch somewhere and enjoy a carefree day.

3.  My half marathon on March 31. My training has been so different compared to two years ago. There have been very few runs that I just haven’t enjoyed at all. Running has been much more fun for me this time around, but I’m not really sure why. I don’t think I’m doing anything differently. Maybe I’m mentally in a different place than before, who knows? Running is still hard, but I look forward to it in a way I didn’t before.

4.  Painting my toe nails. This must happen soon, since we are definitely having some prime flip-flop-wearing weather!

5. Easter. I love Easter, and I am looking forward to celebrating it at our church.

What are you looking forward to?

Surviving the Dreadmill

Oh, treadmill, aka dreadmill. How I love to hate thee. I was super excited about our treadmill in the beginning and welcomed the opportunity to be able to run inside at home without having to go to the gym. The treadmill was a faithful companion to me while I was pregnant, and I logged lots of miles walking away while watching my all-time favorite show, Gilmore Girls. (Gilmore Girls makes all forms of exercise palatable, I think.)  However, the current treadmill setup does not allow for watching DVDs, and I seem to have somehow lost the adapter that allowed me to hook up my mp3 player to the treadmill. I tried running on it with my headphones, but I got so sweaty that they kept coming out. (Ew, gross, I know.) All that to say, I’ve been running in silence, which is a new thing for me. And it’s a struggle. This morning the last thing I wanted to do was get on that dreadmill again, but with it being so dark in the mornings, I haven’t felt safe running in my neighborhood with its limited supply of streetlights. So the treadmill it was. I’m sure I’m not alone with my mixed feelings regarding this piece of exercise equipment, so I’ve compiled a list of tips to help you survive that time on the tread.

1. Set a minimum goal, either time or distance. This morning I told myself I HAD to run for at least 10 minutes and then I could stop if I wanted to. Once 10 minutes came, I decided that I may as well run a full mile since that would be less than 2 more minutes, so I did that, but then I decided hey, why not run for 15 minutes? Then I decided to go for 1.5 miles, and before I knew it I had clocked 2 miles on the treadmill when all I’d planned was 10 minutes! (FYI: this little tip works for any kind of exercise. Give yourself 10 minutes, and odds are you’ll more than likely do much more than that.)

2. Change it up. Setting the treadmill at one pace and leaving it there the whole time is a surefire recipe for boredom. I love to change up the pace or the incline when I am feeling like quitting. I’ll even change the pace every 10 seconds or so if I’m really desperate, and it makes clockwatching more enjoyable.

3. Finish faster than you started. This is a good general rule to follow when running anyway, but I have a hard time gauging my pace outside. However, the treadmill tells me exactly how fast (or rather slow, as the case may be) I am going. When I’m on the treadmill I make sure that I increase my pace so that I am not ending my run at the same pace that I began it. This also ensures that I will have negative splits. This morning, for example, I started out at 5 mph and ended at 5.7 mph. I finished my first mile in 11:45 and my second in 11:15. I’m pretty proud of that.

4. Cover up the display. If I am looking at the display on the tread every.single.minute, I know it’s time to cover it up or I will go insane. Just throw a towel on there and resist the urge to peek underneath it every other second.

5. Use music to motivate. Even though I am not using music right now, I’ve used it a lot in the past and have found it to be HUGE boost when I need it. Tell yourself you can’t look at the clock until you’ve made it through 2 whole songs, or change the pace every time a song changes. If you create a playlist, put some of your favorite workout songs in the middle or toward the end, to give yourself the drive to finish strong.

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to hear how you make it through a boring workout!