Half Dollar

Josie Mae has been on a mission to earn money.  She's even started doing dishes after dinner.  Tonight she asked if she would get a dollar if she did the dishes.  I said, "Probably not a dollar, but 50 cents."  She asked how much that was.  Jackie explained that 50 cents is half a dollar.

Josie's face dropped "But that's not fair. I don't want a ripped dollar!"  

Report...

I thought it might be time for a progress report regarding my training for the Cancer to 5K.

I don't know if you've been wondering how things are going or not, but I'm here to make a report as we get into Week 3.  I'm still here!  My training schedule is set for 3 days of running/week--they are sets of 1 min jog/1 min walk--and increasing number of sets along the way.  On the "rest" days I'm getting in some walk time for the 3 Day or a pilates session if time is running short in my day.  All in all, I'm pleased with my progress.  A few things I have learned so far...

#1  I cannot be a perfect runner just because I've started training.  There's a training program in place to create a runner out of me, but it's not an overnight thing.  I'm having a hard time with this one...

#2  No matter how many times you explain to husband that he's not allowed to comment/critique/advise, he still will at the worst possible time.

#3  Trust Coach Bob.

#4  Diet & fitness talk during coffee morning chat with BFF should not be shared with husband unless there's a desire for it come back and bite me in the butt later.

#5  While I still struggling with belief that I will ever be able to run longer than 1 minute at a time without feeling like my heart & lungs might explode, I already see/feel progress.

Let me just reiterate that this running thing is something I've never been interested in, enjoyed or was ever good at.  Someone I met recently, who is a runner herself, said she couldn't wait to hear how it felt when I got that "Runner's High."  I suspect I'll be one of the ones who doesn't get it.  But, another friend asked me if I thought I might continue running for exercise when this training session ends.  And that's something I just can't answer yet. I must admit that I don't dread the workouts like I thought I would.  YAY for that!  And thanks to my trusted Replenex, my knees aren't bothering me like I worried they would.  

So, as of today, I am still on track!  Joel's brother & his wife--both very athletic individuals--were in town this weekend & the one compliment Joel's given me was that he admits I don't look awkward when I run.  Hmmm, I wonder if he thought I was going to be embarrassing during this venture?  Regardless, it's good to know that I "look" like a natural runner...even if I CERTAINLY don't feel like it!  

One of the things that really keeps me going is just knowing that my girls are watching me every time I go out to do my workout.  And I know they know this is new for me--unknown territory.  My hope is that they will see the courage it takes for me to do these things that are out of my comfort zone & will allow themselves to set goals & pursue dreams that others might tell them are not possible or even silly.  

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. --Walt Disney, Entrepreneur

Dreams get squashed way too early in life for so many of us...dare to dream.  It's when we have a dream that we're after that makes life enjoyable!  

Breakfast Conversation

This morning I thought I'd share a bit of breakfast conversation from my kitchen. 

Jamison woke up wet so he immediately took off his pj pants & put on his underwear before he came to the table.  While sitting there I noticed his hands in his pants....

Me:  Jamison, get your hands out of your pants at the table.

Jamison:  My hands aren't in my pants....they're in my underwear.

WELL, in THAT case........

When the boy came to the kitchen we noticed his eye was red.  I grumbled something about not having time to mess with the doctor today so Jackie piped in with her expertise.

Jackie:  He probaby just tooted on his pillow last night, then slept on it & now he has pink eye. 

Yep, you read that right.  Joel & I asked her to repeat that about 3 times so we made sure we were hearing her correctly.  She refused to tell us who gave her that genius explanation of pink eye, but she was beyond serious. 

Now, I know you're jealous that you can't start your morning out with that kind of intellectual stimulation.  But don't worry, I'll keep on sharing mine!

 

Cookies

As we were passing around the remaining chocolate chip cookies I made last week, Jamison said "Momma, you need to bake more cookies!"

I told him I couldn't because I didn't have anymore chocolate chips.

Jackie said "Make sugar cookies!"  Then Josie piped in "Or oatmeal cookies Momma!"

Finally, Jamison put in his vote "Make BEER cookies!"

This is where Daddy got a grin from ear to ear, gave his son a high-five & said "Hell yeah, BEER cookies!  That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Beer cookies?

What I learned last night....

At our first Poker Tournament for the 2011 fundraising season, many of our "regulars" were not able to attend.  It was a fresh, new crowd & I learned a few things last night...

#1.  Producers make a lot of money.  Especially if they were a Drama Major in college.

#2.  A straight DOES beat a pair of Aces.

#3.  There is music that makes you want to be angry.

#4.  Something as simple as a crumbled Hershey bar on top of a brownie can make a grown man moan with pleasure.

#5.  Germantown MD is not in the same state as Owings MD.

#6.  I'm really glad I don't have to tour with the Stooges. 

#7.  It doesn't matter how many times you claim to need to get up early the next morning, if there is still money on the table, we'll keep on playing till the wee hours of the morning.

#8.  The outlet by the utility room doesn't work anymore.

#9.  Don't let my husband get ahold of the camera before I upload the pics from the night before.  (YES, my love, I did notice there was a picture missing after you looked thru them this morning)

#10.  "Jesus on my necklace s-s-s-s-s-s" is the BEST line of a song EVER.

#11.  It's a little creepy that the 2 living people in Nighthawk's house have the same names as Dragon's 2 dogs.  

#12.  No matter how crazy & a little scary they sometime are, we have a GREAT group of friends!  

As Promised....

Things have been wild & crazy around here.  I completed the Camp Mom Certification for Girl Scouts officially over the weekend.  Need to know how to pitch your tent?  I can help.  Wanna bake some biscuits in a box oven?  I'm your girl.  What about chopping that wood?  Yep, right here!  It was a terribly long 24 hours, but new friends were made & now I can take the scouts camping legally!  WHAT FUN!

Vicky (Leader Troop 4345), Me, Pat (Co-Leader Troop 4345) 

Now, onto the update I know you've been waiting so patiently for.....Cancer to 5K training kickoff was last night!  I left the house at 5pm to drive across the bridge into VA for our 6:30 workout.  All day prior to this drive I was a nervous wreck.  I already saw the prescribed workout for the evening posted on the website.  And tho it was a mere 20 minutes long, it actually involved running.  Let me remind you--I.DO.NOT.RUN.  When it was time to leave, I'm not gonna lie, I cried.  Why, you ask?  Well, let's start back at the first reason --I.DO.NOT.RUN.  But, I also don't do well without a plan & while I did know what the training was going to involve for the evening, I had never met a single person in the group, including the Coach (was Coach Bob gonna be hard core & make me cry more? Were the other participants natural runners who were going to think my fitness level was a joke?) AND I had no idea where I was going!  

So, when I arrived at 6:15 (yes, the last 1/2 hour was just getting around the one way streets in Alexandria after I missed a turn right by the track!!) I sat in my car drinking my Access Shake wondering how I was gonna know who my group was?  This was a busy place at this time of the evening.  Was I going to have to walk around the track to all the groups of people saying "Hi!  Are you here with the Cancer to 5K group?" and then have to explain--for the gazillionth time--why I'm involved with a cancer survivor group?  But lucky for my nervous heart, 2 of the volunteers were right at the entrance with bright yellow shirts labeled "Cancer to 5K" so I knew that's where I belonged!  With only 2 other participants able to attend last night & 1 more volunteer PLUS Coach Bob arriving, we each got 1 on 1 training & it was FABULOUS!  

After a brief period of talking about kids, the Great Wolf Lodge, and past 5K runs, Coach Bob looked at me and said "Let's warm up with a lap around the track.  I want you to jog it."  --Insert BULGING EYES and VOMIT CHURNING-- And I guess that's how I looked too because he smiled and said "Go your own pace, let's just try it."  And off we went.  Sure enough, somehow I made it around the track ONCE.  Then he broke us into pairs with our own volunteers and our individual assigned workouts.  I got 1 min run, 1 min walk for 10 sets.  I also got Coach Bob as my partner.  For you avid runners, this may seem pretty silly.  For me, it was really a challenge. Afterward, we walked & stretched and went our own ways...to meet again on Saturday morning.  

I came home & sat talking to Joel, who enjoys running.  I told him as corny as it sounds, as soon as I said hi to the girls & stood there with them, a weight was lifted.  The unknown was now known.  Another weight lifted when Coach Bob admitted that he is a blog stalker (Hi, Coach Bob), but only because he wants to know what's going on so he can help us.  So, I don't feel like he's gonna make me cry anymore.  This very small group of people were so incredibly encouraging & welcoming--it was wonderful.  And while I don't know what Saturday morning holds in the area of running time, I am not nervous about going anymore.  I look forward to meeting more people who will be able to say "I know how you feel.  I felt that way too.  Trust Coach Bob, he knows what he's doing.  You'll run that entire 5K and finish."  Holly is the woman who had the idea to put this group together & to her I simply say "Thank you."  I still can't run a minute without being out of breath and wanting to sit right down, but thanks to her, I WANT to do more than that.  Last night, she told us of her multiple marathons & 2 IronMans.  She says "You can do anything after cancer."  Well, Holly, you are incredible & you can do anything you want.  This momma is just gonna stick to this simple 5K for now, but thank you for bringing this together for people like me.  

We're on our way, folks. I got up this morning and didn't even have trouble getting out of bed!  YAY!  My body will always have a funny shape thanks to the chunks that have been taken from here & there to recreate my new "girls", but for the rest of the parts that I can control, this is my mission.     As Holly said...I may have had Cancer but Cancer never had me.  Look out Forrest, Jenny is RUNN-ING too!

Let it Begin!

Today was my first outdoor training walk of the 2011 season!  I couldn't stand not taking advantage of the sunshine so I took a 3 mile walk on the boardwalk this morning.  It was a bit chilly for my liking, my iPod was deader than dead & I got out the door later than I had planned, but it felt SOOOOOOOOOOOO good to be back in my walkin' shoes!

The training for my 5K officially starts this Saturday, but as luck would have it, I will be off becoming certified as a Girl Scout Camp Mom for the weekend.  My body is a little thankful for that, but next week THAT training is underway as well!

Details--for those who haven't heard--are as follows:

November 4-6, 2011, my team--Jenny's Army of Angels--will be walking the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure in Dallas, Texas.  Our team is growing--you can join us if you'd like to walk!  This year the team has added its first man--MY man--and I couldn't be more excited!  I know he'll tell you that he's walking because I'm making him and that's ok.  But in my heart I know there's more to the story :)

If you're interested in joining our team or generously donating to our fundraising efforts, you can find us at 

www.the3day.org/goto/jennifer.s.wealer

Thank you to all those who have already started donating--we appreciate all your support!

By the way, there will be an update next week after the first 5K training....well, if I survive, that is!

Sisters

I received this email today from a dear friend & I've read it before, but found it fitting today as I shared an old memory with a most loved 'sister' via facebook.  There have been many great friends who have impacted my life in so many ways over the years.  The 'sister' who sent me this email has been a long-distance mentor/friend/confidant for nearly 6 years now as we work together in the same business from opposite sides of the country.  While my college 'sister' and I live 14 hours apart & still shared a chuckle about the proper coloring of an amaretto sour.   


Just sending out a great big *MUWAH* to all my SISTERS all over the country who have held my hair back while I got sick, let me leave mascara stains on their shirt when I couldn't hold back the tears, patiently taught me to mix an amaretto sour by matching the color of the kitchen appliances, called & sang a favorite song on my voicemail on the day of my colonoscopy, helped me burn the silly paper on the porch step, sent me a bra through the mail via Operation Support, supported my journey and/or walked by my side for 60 miles, gave me the courage to apply for something I figured was a long shot to win, helped me make that difficult call, brought my family a homemade meal during recovery from surgery, opened your home to me for a short or extended stay, or loved my children like your own while babysitting them for them....You all know who you are!   Here's to all my 'sisters'--dunno what I'd do without you!    


A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,
drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As 
 they talked about life, about marriage, about the 
responsibilities of life and the obligations of
adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her
glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance
upon her daughter. 


'Don't forget your sisters,' she advised, swirling
the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll
be more important as you get older. No matter how
much you love your husband, no matter how much you
love the children you may have, you are still going
to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now
and then; do things with them.'


'Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women...
your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other
women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women
always do.'


What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman
thought. Haven't I just gotten married?
Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a
married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely
my husband and the family we may start will be all I
need to make my life worthwhile!'


But she listened to her mother. She kept contact
with her sisters and made more women friends each
year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,
she gradually came to understand that her mother really
knew what she was talking about. As time and nature
work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman,
sisters are the mainstays of her life.


 After more than 50 years of living in this world,
here is what I've learned:


THIS SAYS IT ALL:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes. 
Men don't do what they're supposed to do..
Hearts break.
Parents die. 
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT.........


Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how
many miles are
between you. A girl friend is never farther away
than needing her can reach.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you
have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life
will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,
praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on
your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the
valley's end.


Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk
beside you....Or come in and carry you out. 


Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,
daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,
Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended
family: all bless our life!


The world wouldn't be the same without women, and
neither would I. When we began this adventure called
womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or
sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
would need each other.