Long days

Anyone who truly knows me knows that I cannot function without two things: SLEEP and FOOD.  Without the proper amount of sleep or food I can get rather...lets call it irritable.

Today happens to be my "long" day. I start class at 9:30am and don't get a break until 1:45pm. This means I don't get to eat a big lunch.  It also means I will have little patience in my final class of the day~big problem considering....I'll get to that in a bit. My first two courses are taught by the same professor. Judging by his syllabi, I was expecting a grumpy old man. He was young, funny and easily distracted. Not sure whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing. He requires a lot of reading and even more writing~my arch-nemesis 

My afternoon class is called Fluency~think of it as the flow/fluidity of speech. The book for the course is Working with People Who Stutter: A Lifespan Approach. There will be no exams, just a series of experiential assignments.  Here's my problem.  By this time in the day I am STARVING and tired of sitting in the same class all morning (my back aches from sitting so long, not to mention the "cold" 40s temps). Oh, and the professor stutters.  Now, I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the clinical meaning of stuttering, but  there are varying types of "behaviors" that are classified as stuttering. He displays several. I have nothing against the guy, he is intelligent, interesting, and brings a lot of personal experience to the subject, but that doesn't make it any easier for me to focus on what he is trying to say. A fellow classmate told me it does get easier for all of us. As the semester rolls on he gets more comfortable with the class and stutters less, and the students just kind of get used to it. I hope so.

After school I came home to start a crockpot dinner and clean up. HR comes home tonight. I ate a lite lunch and then went on a run before I picked up the boys. I decided to avoid Larry, Moe and Shemp today (the ranch dogs).  I hadn't seen them the few times I drove by their house, but I didn't feel like running into them and awkwardly spending so much time pretending I wasn't scared and forcing polite conversation just to get passed them. Maybe there's some sort of secret password I need to say before they'll let me pass????  I was bummed I didn't get to see Veggie (the baby calf in my pic from yesterday). He's definitely a cutie, but I'm not sure I would have seen him anyway because they rotate pastures to graze 

I ran, instead, near the university. I parked at the boys' daycare and ran a large loop around some historical buildings in the downtown area. I must admit I enjoy the "old time" architecture; the details are beautiful.  I only ran about 25 minutes, but I pushed the pace. It was a nice run, although I really need to find the headband I have that covers my ears (not sure what it's called).

Anyway, I survived another day. Now I have a ton of reading to do and a few assignment due tomorrow.

Friends

I've never been one to have many friends, though I do consider each one that I do have to be near and dear. We can go days or weeks without speaking and pick up just where we left off. My friends are more than just friends, they're family.

TAMUK admitted 11 new graduate students for the Spring cohort. I assumed that each of my classes would consist of only us 11 students, but we have the Fall cohort with us as well. Most of the students (both old and new) did their undergrad at TAMUK as well, so they are quite cliquish.  I managed to make friends with the only other "outsider". After class, she and I found our way around campus to get i.d. cards, permits, bookstore items, etc. There's something about being lost with someone else on campus that makes one feel a little less lame!!! We also had lunch together.  I learned that she has over a year of clinical experience as an assistant, so I know she's an asset.

The boys started school today, I can only hope they too made some little friends. I hear they did awesome, and they seemed to really enjoy themselves (from what I can make out from Trey's gibberish and the teacher reports).

I was also able to go on a slow 4-miler. I definitely took things slow due to the back pain I've been experiencing. I forced myself to stop and stretch a few times to keep my back loose. So I took the time to snap of few pics of my surroundings.

I was trying to take a picture of the open pasture itself, but the cows came running.

I figured they wanted to be in the picture too.
I guess I made a few more friends!  

Wide open spaces with little traffic = <3

I was excited to finally get a run in here. I've been itching to enjoy the countryside~the rolling hills, the pastures, the cows. It was a blast! I am a little bummed that I couldn't make friends with 3 fellas in particular...three ranch dogs that apparently have their run of the county road.  The first time I passed them they just came to the middle of the street, annoyed.  On my way back they followed, barked and even growled :(  How do you befriend country dogs????

I got a nice surprise in the evening when my momma stopped by.  A cousin of hers passed away and the funeral was in the area. Sad about the cousin; yay for getting to see mom!  She finally got to see our house, and I'm sure the boys were happy to see Nana.  

I also heard from a birdy that HR will likely be on the yard for the next couple of weeks.  This is great news! It means that at the end of each day he will be able to come home, and home is a mere 20 minute drive or so.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome day. I am blessed! 

Aches and pains

...aches OR pains?

We moved into our new home on Saturday. Well, I didn't move anything; HR and my brother-in-law did. I supervised ;) by Monday morning, however, my back was killing me. The pain is all on my right side-the sciatic joint. Along with that comes a lovely pinch down my quad.

I tried resting. I tried a little stretching. I tried ice. I tried heat. Nothing seemed to help. I usually couldn't tell you the difference between aches and pains in my back, as I am in a constant state of discomfort.

Yesterday, my friend Doc (sports medicine guru!) Invited me to his office to see what he could do. He stretched me and i thought i was going to die. He worked a little pressure point magic, afterwhich I could barely walk. Doc did his best to realign things. He suggested i stretch really well a few times a day.

Today I went on a short run. I ran 11 minutes out, just over a mile. Then the discomfort got so bad that i had to stop. I proceeded to walk and jog slowly the rest of the way back home.

I'm bummed. When i was a competitive athlete I was taught to observe the signs my body was giving me...to know the difference between good pain and bad pain. I am not sure anymore, not when it comes to my back. Mentally i am almost numb to the pain. I just tune it out. I do know the pinch isn't as intense. I'm hoping that today's discomfort/pain is merely soreness from Doc's pressure and aggressive stretching. Here's hoping.....

Home

Well, we are finally in our new house. It has only been a few short days, but it is actually starting to feel like home. My cousin even came to hang out all day today.

The boys at adjusting well. Ryan is having fun exploring. Trey likes all the "aminals". There are cows in the fields both behind the house and immediately across the street. There is also a charming red barn that houses an antique shop diagonally across from us. For those that don't know, Caiden is spending a semester abroad. It was a tough decision, but he is visiting with his dad in California. He is having a blast, making friends already and starts school next week. I miss him, but he sounds so happy. I'm glad that he us able tho get to know his dad a little before he has to go back to sea duty/deployment for his remaining 3 years.

I am anxious to get a run in here. There are rolling hills and wide open spaces. The boys won't start daycare until next week though, so for now it's Insanity and walks around the countryside with the boys in the wagon. It's peaceful.

Satellite TV and internet service will be connected Friday. School starts Monday. It's all coming together....

Oh Monday!

Monday was so good to me. It was an extra productive day and the best part is....I didn't do a thing!
HR got to come home early today. Generally when he is coming home on days off, he doesn't arrive until late in the evening. Today, however, they had issues with the well and were unable to frac.  Yay for a whole extra day off.  On his way down he stopped in Kingsville and found several options for our new residence.  So now out challenging is choosing one (better than our previous one of "omg, it's almost time and we have no leads whatsoever").
The two little boys are sick. My parents-in-law offered to take them both to the doctor. Try has a double ear infection.  Ryan, although battling a fever for the past few nights and crying as if he were too weak to do so, has nothing. He must take after me ;).  We are sure it's probably just a cold (he did strep and flu culture s and also checked his ears) but the doctor prescribed him an antibiotic aa preventative since Trey looks and sounds pretty bad.
I got to run with my running bestie this afternoon! We didn't get to run the 5 planned on, not did we run the hills because of daylight constraints. It was nice....got to vent, got to catch up. I ask going to miss Nora when we leave. :/
And now, to make this day perfect, i get to sit down and eat dinner with my whole family. I am excited to have HR home for a few days and finally get to decorate the house...together <3

All Work and No Play

...is not good for the soul.

After having a long week, HR calls me Friday afternoon and tells me that he has Saturday off.  He had thought about renting a car and coming down to surprise me, but the logistics of it all would be too complicated.  Long story short, I decided to load up the boys and drive North to spend some quality time with him.  The drive up was nice; I was excited to see HR and the boys did well.  By the time I made it up to San Antonio, all three were passed out.

HR and I decided to drive up another hour to stay with my sister for the weekend.  She has a large house and by saving money on not getting a hotel, we could indulge a little.  The drive to her house was great as well.  HR and I got to catch up on the week's events and talk about Christmas gifts and plans, and of course, the MOVE.  

My sis had some cold beverages and pizza waiting when we arrived, just what we needed!  She seemed to have forgotten the frosty mugs ;)  We visited a little before heading to bed.  Saturday morning my sister cooked us breakfast.  Afterward, we headed into Austin to ride the train at Zilker park.  It was a nice sunny day, about 80 degrees with a cool breeze every now and then.

Trey loved the train.  He is in to trucks, trains and planes, so this was like Heaven to him.  Caiden enjoyed the trail of lights props and most of all, the lights in the tunnel.  Ryan was in awe.  After our train ride, we had lunch at Serrano's.  We chose this restaurant because of the sentimental value.  Growing up our parents used to treat us to Serrano's.  It's a beautiful reminder of the Blue Crew Days.  The food in no way compares to the authentic Tex-Mex of El Valle, but it's pretty good.  Trey tore up the salsa!

In the afternoon we had cupcakes from one of the eateries in the downtown area in Austin.  They were awesome!  The cupcakes and icing are homemade and organic.  They were moist, delicious and not too sweet.  We ate our cupcakes back at Zilker, on top of a hill.  This was our view: 

After we ate we let the kids roam around a little.  I taught Caiden how to properly roll down the hill.  It was nice to have the family time.  We try to have family time when HR comes home from work, but it's hard.  There are so many things that need to get done in the 3 short days he's home.  Although we do things with the boys, it's usually rushed.  This is especially true on weeks like this week, when HR will be off smack in the middle of the week, while we are at school/work.  The boys climbed on us, my sis and Caiden raced around, and we explored a little.  

I didn't want the weekend to end.  Unfortunately, I had to go drop off HR at 9pm on Saturday night, so that he could take a power nap and be ready to go around 2 or 3am.  And then there was the long drive home; it just wasn't as smooth of a ride. Afterall, what did I have to look forward to, WORK?  lol.  Despite having to be on the road 12 hours or so, I wouldn't trade it; it was the perfect family Saturday!  I am truly blessed!!!!

Patience is a Virtue

....one that I do not possess.

Wednesday I went to the doctor to check out a pain I'd been having in my side.  In the past I've had an abscess on one of my ovaries, but this pain was slightly different.  I chose to see my family physician.  Immediately he asked why I didn't make an appointment with my gynocologist.  I told him that I didn't think I'd get in quickly, and besides, I wasn't sure it was a "female" problem.

So he asked me to lay back and began pushing down on my abdomen.  I nearly jumped off the table when he pushed down on the right side.  He was pretty sure he thought he knew what it might be.  After another sort of exam he determined that he was not so sure anymore.  So I was given orders for a CBC and a sonogram to see for sure.  I will spare all the boring details and say this: the sono started normally and then the tech had to take a detour....ugh, not sure what that was all about. Why must the sono-techs get trained to have poker faces?  And of course, I will not have the results until tomorrow afternoon, a whole TWO days later :(

All day today my sides hurt-one side or the other, and at times both.  I was beginning to think I was going crazy.  Am I psyching myself out?  I'm not sure if it really even hurts anymore.  What if it's nothing?  That would kinda suck, but then, I don't really want it to be something either, right?  Ugh.  Anyway, my students were supportive and engaged today, which kept my stress level in check.

After school I wanted nothing more than to come home and take a nap, the pain is exhausting.  I had given my word, however, that I would help judge auditions for our school's talent show.  That was entertaining, to say the least.  We actually have some great talent, the funny part were the bands.  They had to have spent over a half hour setting up their drums and amps and tuning their bases/guitars, only to audition for 1 single minute.  haha, Also, what's with the screamers?  The metal(ish) bands always had a singer and a screamer.  Didn't quite get that.  I could do without the screamer.  I should have been the Simon of the group and said, you guys are awesome, but the screamer is going to hold you back, dump him!  lol

Then there's this evening.  I decided Trey was ready for a haircut.  I got out my clippers.....

Front is ok, probably a little too long, but by that point I was working on borrowed time as far as him sitting still.

Back is.....well see for yourself:

C'est la vie....a friend of mine once told me, "The difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is about a week."  And so the waiting continues..........