Friday, 9-19-14

I brought Carlos to school in the morning and went straight to the dentist. I’ve had Invisalign “clear” braces for almost a year now and this was to be my final set of trays. The problem area, my two front bottom teeth, has resolved quite nicely, but I had to report to my dentist that my bite is still very uneven. We decided I would proceed with three more trays to see if that helps. As anxious as I am to be done with this process, I’m also very grateful to be able to address the issues with my teeth. With no intervention my bottom teeth would have turned inward so much the gums would have been negatively affected and the teeth would have likely come loose.

After the dentist I went to one of my favorite noon Vinyasa classes. Sandra is a newer yoga teacher. She is so sweet and patient. I also love her teaching style. I learn something new each time I attend her class. She loves arm balances and really encourages us to try even if we are unable to get all the way into the pose. I’m convinced I just have too much body to hold up! I keep trying though. Typically the next day I feel like I’ve done a heavy weight lifting session because my arms are so sore.

After school there was a school pizza party. Carlos and I went for a little while, but had to leave early to go to soccer practice. I love his new school and all of the activities designed for the families to become more familiar with one another, but somedays I’m just not all that chatty or interested in pursuing small talk. This happened to be one of those days. I tried striking up a couple of conversations, but they fell flat and eventually I just took to sitting on a bench facing the playground where the kids were playing. People are friendly and nice, but most already know each other. Do you ever feel like you don’t know what to say?

Typically this would be my weekend off, but I took the following weekend off to run the Vermont 50. Although I am no longer running we decided to go away for the weekend anyway. So after soccer practice and dinner I took a little rest before work.

Saturday 9-20-14

I rarely talk about work and I’m not going to drone on about it now, but suffice it to say I had a really crappy night. Each night that passes lately has me wondering why I stay. My resume is done and I’ve put some feelers out. In January the hospital is implementing a time clock system to punch in and out. At that time the 11pm to 7am shift will be required to work 11pm to 7:30am and we will be required to take a 30 minute “lunch” break. When I was hired I was told night shift works until 7am. This has been my saving grace in being able to get Carlos to school. I cannot leave work at 7:30am and get him to school on time. I am so frustrated by this. I mentioned to my boss that I was concerned about it and would probably be forced to quit. She just shrugged! I arrive to work 10 minutes before my shift starts. I never call out (it’s been exactly three years since my rib fracture and that was the last time I called out). I am a hard worker and go above and beyond my job description. But the bottom line is, we are all replaceable. This is probably just the kick in the ass I need to move on.

After work Carlos and I hurried out for an impromptu hike so I could shake off the night. We went to a new place I’ve been dying to try called Lithia Springs. It’s only a few miles from our house and I can’t believe we’ve never been. It was awesome and there’s still so much to explore. We hiked about 3.30 miles in 2 hours. We walked and talked, laughed and goofed around. It was kind of overcast and cool, but it was such a fun morning.

 

After the hike we picked up our CSA. I got loads of kale, purple potatoes, a big zucchini, tomatoes and a big cabbage. I am going to miss big bundles of organic kale!

Carlos had a soccer game in the afternoon. He plays in-town soccer. No pressure, no crazy parents and no traveling to other towns. Carlos has had a lot of soccer training, but it became clear that he just really doesn’t care for anything too intense so this is perfect for him. He enjoys it and loves being with his friends. I think they won, but honestly I don’t care because it’s supposed to be instructional with the focus on team work.

We chilled out in the afternoon. I went to bed when Orlando came home to get ready for another night of madness.

Sunday, 9-21-14

I left work and went straight to the gym for some strength training. I really could have used a punching bag though. When I got home I asked Carlos to come out for a short run one mile run with me. After all our hiking and his soccer playing the day before he was whining about his legs bothering him. I said we could walk and within about 10 minutes his legs were fine! We ended up doing a walk/run in the rain for a total of 2.16 miles. We even did a sprint to the driveway. He declared himself the winner, but I explained that I was the real winner because instead of one mile he did double.

We got home, relaxed, ate and then it was time for skating. Carlos did a fabulous job. I absolutely love this program he’s in. This was his third week back on the ice after being off for months and the progress is already noticeable. He is starting to skate backwards very smoothly and much more quickly. I’m so impressed with him. Skating backwards is difficult in my opinion. I have a very hard time with it.

It has become somewhat of a ritual for Carlos to go over my mom’s after skating. This gave me time to go grocery shopping, prepare minestrone soup for dinner, prep vegetables for the week, juice some fruits and vegetables and make a pot of quinoa and sprouted lentils to have on hand for the week. I couldn’t believe how much I accomplished in a few hours. Before I knew it I had to leave to pick up Carlos.

We chatted a bit and then played with Photo Booth until Orlando came home and I went to bed. In the spirit of Halloween we had fun with the X-ray setting on Photo Booth: