Author Archives: Jen Thompson

Another new stage is upon us

Note to Readers: This post was written on 11/2/2014, but was published once I felt it was safe to start telling people about “the news”.

 

Something totally amazing has happened. I thought it was tough to come to grips with the fact that I was actually married and living with another person, but last Wednesday, “coming to grips” brought on a whole new meaning.

I’m pregnant! That sentence can be terrifying, joyful, and nerve-wrecking all in the same sentence! It’s still sinking in that I am growing another human in my body. I am not just living for myself any more. Running, driving, eating… it all affects someone else now. Not only do I have to change my way of thinking, but I have to change my way of living.

Fortunately I am, in general, a very healthy person. I don’t drink, and never have. I do my best to get exercise daily, and while I don’t eat perfect, I am not at the drive-thru every day. My biggest changes are cutting out caffeine, getting more fiber and fruits and vegetables, and just listening to my body. I generally don’t like to take naps, but I am giving into the urge these days.

I didn’t have any symptoms when I decided to take the test, but for some reason just had a hunch I need to take one. Chas and I had been trying, as we are both in our 30’s, and I was desperately afraid that it might not happen for one reason or another. We got very lucky, and believe me, we are so grateful for the opportunity to be parents. That, unfortunately, doesn’t make it any less scary!

babyI have been feeling pretty good so far! I’ve had a little trouble sleeping lately, and the amount of bloat I have had to deal with is a bit ridiculous! A few headaches, some cramping, and the overall fear of gaining weight, but other than that, I am doing very well. Baby T is going to have a great home for the next 35 weeks… check that, the next 18 years, 35 weeks.

I really am excited about this change, and to start a family myself. I’m excited to see my dad as a grandfather, and my mom as a grandma. I am excited to bring our two families together again, just a year later to celebrate a new member of the family, and to feel all the love that I know they will all bring to us and our new baby. I’m excited for baby clothes and baby shoes, uncles and aunts, blankies and pacifiers. I’m even excited for breastfeeding, sleepless nights and dirty diapers. This is the dream, the thing I wanted my whole life: a family.

Lots of changes will be happening, and I am super excited to see where life is taking us.

 

Started from the bottom

Well let me just start by saying that for a running blog, this is pretty pathetic. I can’t tell you the last time I posted about running… until today of course.

I have run one 5k, one 10k, one half marathon and two full marathons so far this year. To be honest, I am not happy with that, as I would like to have run many more. My last marathon was at the end of April. It was quickly followed by my biggest work event of the year, The Preppy Awards, a move half way across America, a wedding, 7 weeks of work away from my family back in California, and the death of my grandmother. That brings us to October 15th. Since that marathon on April 27th, I have run 12 times. TWELVE! I can’t even call myself a runner with those numbers! And honestly, I feel like a disgrace.

Here’s the problem. I am scared. I am scared to run. How dumb does that sound?!? What if it hurts or I have to walk? What if someone I know sees me and thinks I run like an idiot? (BTW that wasn’t something I had to worry about in California, because I had absolutely no friends and knew no one.) I’ve been using excuses like I can’t find my fuel belt, or I just took a shower and don’t want to take another one. I have lots of work to do is always one that won’t go away.

I’ve been getting up early to do it this week, and I still haven’t convinced myself to take the plunge. Pathetic. When my grandma was still alive the last few years, she wore a brace because her hip wouldn’t stay in the socket. I always said to myself that I was running because she couldn’t. Now that she is in heaven that doesn’t apply anymore. In California I used to see hummingbirds on my run, and I knew it was my grandpas making sure I got my run done safely. I realize this is probably all hubbub, but it always made me feel better to think about. I don’t think there are any hummingbirds in Hays, so who is going to keep me safe?

Chas and I lost a friend of ours last week. We met him and his wife at Disney World, and I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time with them on subsequent trips to the World. At 37 he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and it took him within 18 months. That is barely older than we are. Jonathan was a wonderful guy, and from what I can tell, I am sure he never met an enemy. What is my point in writing about Jonathan? I am scared to run, and his wife just lost her husband. SERIOUSLY?!? I am a complete pansy.

As I sit here writing this tonight, I had the privilege of watching the Royals sweep the Orioles to make it to the World Series. They are going to win the whole thing. What to know how I know? One of Chas’ best friends, who was also only about 37 to my knowledge, died almost a year ago of Leukemia. The connection? Travis was the biggest Royals fan you have ever met, so it is only fitting that he guide them directly to the World Series and get what he always wanted. After a 29 year drought, they made it to the big show. To come full circle, if after 29 years of not making it to the World Series the Royals can do it, I can run again after a few months break.

I know that I have been writing a lot about death lately, but in times of unrest I believe we learn the most about ourselves. I’m not really a pansy, and I know that. For pete’s sake! I ran 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days at the beginning of the year. I’m going to get back out there… tomorrow.

Life begins now

dsc_8521It seems like life has finally slowed down a bit. Since summer began, so many things have happened that weren’t just little. They were life changing. Back on Memorial Day weekend, I moved halfway across the United States to my new home in Hays, Kansas. Shortly there after, my boyfriend of seven years and I got married… at a Cincinnati Reds game (Best Day of My Life, by the way). Over the course of the next two months after that, I spend about seven weeks in California for work, which basically resulted in nothing getting done. Long story, but I met some great people and it showed me how ready I was to finally be with my family.

My Grandma Elsie at 91. She smile was infectious.

Once I got back to Kansas, there wasn’t much resting going on. About two weeks later, my grandmother, Elsie Mae Glassner, died at age 93. She lived a wonderful life, and even when we knew it was close to time for her to pass, she couldn’t figure out why nobody could make her feel better. She was convinced she would live forever. She was an amazing woman and tougher than nails. My grandfather died 19 years ago, and since then, she lived through 2 knee replacements, a hip replacement, a hole in her bowels which caused her to have to get a colostomy, breast cancer, chemotherapy and a mastectomy, multiple falls and congestive heart failure. Grandma was the sweetest woman you ever met, and her smile is something I will never forget.

The best part about grandma is that my mom is a lot like her: smiles like her, and is the toughest woman I’ve ever met. To know that I have that in my blood line is something that I don’t take lightly. I am sure that my grandpa was happy to finally have her back. They loved each other very much, and they are both missed.

We finally arrived back home to Kansas last Tuesday for what seems like it could be an extended period of time. I found myself saying, “Ok, what now?” Everything has been so busy the last few month. It’s hard to finally take a breath, look around and say, “Ok. I can get back to normal.” I haven’t had time to get into a routine, but that is definitely my goal over the next few weeks. I have been shuffling my time between work work and house work. It’s actually a really tough thing to do, because my office is on Pacific Time. I like working first thing in the morning, but then I find myself working till 8-9pm because they are still in the office until then! It seems like the balance is to switch back and forth between work stuff and home stuff. If someone has a better way, I would love to hear it!

Anyway, it’s nice to finally feel like our life can begin now. There will always be things popping up that knock us out of our “normal”, but a few weeks of calm are exciting to have in front of us.

Final Preparations

It’s been almost an entire year since Chas got down on one knee in Santa Cruz and asked me to marry him. That was a really great day. We will have been engaged for 360 days on our wedding day. We are so excited!

Chas is getting a little annoyed with me. Seems like every day I am ordering more stuff trying to finish up gift lists or finalizing outfits, etc. It’s all coming together, even down to an argyle bow tie for Milton bulldog…

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While running has still been put on the back burner, I have been lifting almost every day with Chas, and I have to admit, my arms are looking pretty good. I feel comfortable with my body for my wedding day, which is a good thing. (Note: I say that as I am sitting here eating an entire box of Cheez-Its… Oh well.)

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Anyway, it’s going to be a very fun few days for us, but my life is getting crazy starting today… Let’s run down the series of events, shall we?

June 20th- Today, besides the ton of work I have to do, someone is coming to buy our couch, which I have to get ready. I also have to price everything for what I have going on tomorrow.

June 21st- Having a garage sale! We have a ton of stuff from combining our households, so we are sharing it with the community, for a small fee.

June 22nd- Chas’ camp starts. His nephew, Maximo, is coming to stay with us for a few days, and I am hoping to being painting our living room.

June 23rd-25th- I will be preparing for the wedding, working (of course) and helping with random camp duties.

June 26th- FLYING TO California! I am going to try to get a few good days and meetings in before I finally take some time off for the wedding. Of course if you know about where I live, it is a challenge traveling, because the nearest airport is about 4.5 hours away.

June 27th-July 2nd- Dog sitting… in California. Flying back to Kansas on the 2nd.

July 3rd- Leaving for the wedding week. We will be spending the 4th at Chas’ parents, then heading to my parent’s on the 5th… A 9-10 hour drive depending on the day.

After the 3rd, there is a lot of last minute wedding preparations that will be going on. I am so excited to spend the time with my family, and I sure it will be one of the best times in our lives.

More to come I am sure…

When one door closes

mapWell, here I sit on my last night in my apartment in California. On my last night alone as a single person. Wow, what a weird thing to say. My last night living alone, hopefully forever.

I have this weird urge to cry, not because I’m sad, but because I sort of have graduation goggles. You know, like when you were finishing up high school, getting ready to graduate and you completely forget that you were picked on, beat up, or ignored completely every day for four straight years. My California experience has made me a richer, more well-rounded person. The naive little Midwestern girl has now be exposed to the real world, and I have made it through to the other side.

I moved out here for a lot of reasons, and I can’t help but think it was absolutely the right decision. I am coming out of this a better employee in a job that I enjoy so much. I have found so many strengths and turn weaknesses into things of the past. I have become  a reality show producer, an event planner, a photo editor. I have been involved in so many wonderful things over the past two years with Prep2Prep. I have dedicated my life to the brand. I love this company, I just know that something great is going to happen for us.

For years now I have worked like a dog. My career has always been number one. I am so excited to finally have a reason to make work number 2. Prep2Prep is allowing me the opportunity to do what I love, what I am good at, and take care of my family at the same time. I have sacrificed two years with my puppy dogs, and now, I get to work from home and stay with them all day long.

There is a lot going on, and I still have to make it through three days of work and a 24 hour road trip halfway across the United State, but moving out of my apartment is taking one step closer to my dream. The days to come will be so special, and I can’t wait for new challenges both personally and professionally.

Keep Moving Forward…

31 things I have learned in my 31 years

Just before my 31st birthday, with 2 of my favorite girls.

I turned 31 this week, much to my dismay. On some of my past birthdays, I’ve look at myself and say, “Damn, you look pretty good for (insert age here).” Not this year. California and the stress that has come with it has aged me. But I don’t think that is all negative. The time I have had for self reflection, both positive and negative, have made me a more complete person. Whether that has made me a better or worse person, I will let you decide, but onto the point of this post. I have learned so much in my time, and I thought I would share some of the most important points with you.

1. Always live life by the Golden Rule. I don’t think much explanation is needed here.

2. Ask for forgiveness when you don’t have time to ask for permission.

3. Scrap number 2, because you are going to worry yourself sick about getting in trouble. Just ask for permission instead.

4. Cherish the small moments. For me, even just my fiance kissing me on the forehead can make all the difference in my day.

5. Never, EVER pass up an opportunity to pee. (I have to thank my dad for this one.)

6. Live life for yourself, because frankly, no one else cares. Your memories have to be for you.

7. Dessert, mostly cupcakes, is sometimes the answer.

8. A hot shower is ALWAYS the answer. Note: do not try to combine numbers 7 and 8. Icing is too precious.

9. Home is where your mom is.

10. The best way to start your day is with a funny YouTube video.

11. Always take a sweatshirt.

12. The good stuff (donuts, gummy bears, jelly beans, etc.) always makes your stomach hurt. Eat it anyway.

13. Every person you meet is meant to bring you something that you didn’t have before. There is a reason for it all.

14. Sometimes you just have to skip.

15. Galloping works too.

16. Snuggling is the best thing ever created. Pets, people, pillows, whatever.

17. When you need to be reminded that you are a sane human, just turn on the Real Housewives of Anywhere or the Bad Girls Club.

18. If you are with me, and I am unpleasant, feed me. Chances are it will get better

19. Going to Target and just walking around is an acceptable form of social interaction.

20. Can’t think of what to fix for Breakfast, Lunch, Snack or Dinner? The answer is always Breakfast food.

21. The best thing about music is that you can always find a song to support your mood.

22. Three words: EDDIE WOULD GO.

23. Like attracts like.

24. Your parents were always right.

25. It is much easier to get mad and scream in your car when other drivers on the road are stupid than accept their bad driving as “just something you have to deal with.”

26. There are very few priceless things in life that are physical objects.

27. Time heals all wounds. Scars may remain, but the pain will fade.

28. The best way to reset your mind is by doing something that makes you feel like a kid again.

29. The best feeling in the world is putting on a new pair of socks.

30. A morning without caffeine is not a great morning

31. Life will throw so many things at you. Take each one in stride, and enjoy the roller coaster ride that awaits you.

The More the Merrier

My running hasn’t been in focus in the past few weeks. After I finished the Dopey Challenge, I got extremely sick and definitely needed some time off. I took more than needed, as the flu turned into a bout of depression, which turned into even more depression when my cat, Roll, died just over a week ago. I have had a few running sessions scheduled, but only this past week did I actually get back on the road. I am traditionally a morning runner, but last Wednesday, I took an evening 5 miler, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It felt great to get back into the swing of things, and I compiled the activity I was doing by adding some kettle bell workouts to the mix. I really started to feel great, and I have to say, I am feeling closer to normal.

This morning I took on 12 miles, honestly not expecting to finish it all. In my mind, I kept telling myself to just make it to the half way point. I decided to take a route that I had not run before, just for a change of scenery, and it proved to be just what I needed. 12 miles later, I looked up and realized that I could go home. That’s a good run. 

Oddly enough, after eating dinner tonight, I got the inkling to go for a walk. A lot of weeknights I go for a walk, just a short one around the neighborhood, but close to 3 miles. It’s funny how exercise is contagious. The more you do it, the better you feel… and then the more you want to do! It’s what they call a vicious cycle without being vicious. With exercise, it’s the more the merrier. I forget this sometimes, but fortunately I love exercise enough to be reminded once again. 

It is hard to express to people how exercise changes your life. Quoting once again one of my favorite shows, Cheers, “You always come back to your one true love.” It’s fun to think that exercise could be someone’s true love, but it is something that I constantly find myself coming back to, even after a long absence. Exercise is always there, when I need to relieve stress, when I have gone off the diet deep end,  or when I just need to think. Exercise helps me cope with the changes in my life. I can do it anywhere, and all I need is an open road and a pair of shoes… and maybe a sports bra, right girls???

If you exercise, you know what I mean. If you don’t, take it from me, it is worth a try. Just remember, practice makes perfect.

TGIF: Thank God it’s February

IMG_1229January was brutal. While I had very rewarding moments, it was also one of the worst months in my 30 years of existence. Getting to spend the holidays with Chas and the animals was wonderful. It confirmed to me that I am ready to co-habitate and be a wife, which is the plan for later this year obviously. Then I flew to Florida to take on the biggest challenge of my life: 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days. I completed the challenge with flying colors and got to spend time with friends while doing it. I came back to California, and quickly found myself in a bout of depression, not particularly loving my job at the moment, lonely, and with not much to look forward to until the wedding… 6 months away.

Friday, the last day of January, was one of the worst days of my life. As you may know, I have two cats and two dogs. Lucy and Milton, our English bulldogs, are such good dogs. I just love them to death. Rock and Roll, the cats, have been with me since I was in college. I literally don’t know my adult life without them. Friday Roll died. My heart is just broken. Rock and I have never been without him in the 9 1/2 year they have been alive.

He was the best cat, loved kitty treats, snuggling with his mommy, and playing bubbles. The minute I sat down, he was on my lap, most likely with a paw on my laptop track pad. Roll never met anyone that he didn’t like, and everyone loved him too. He always met me at the door, looking for a way to get outside, and when unsuccessful would follow me around until I sat down, just to cuddle with him of course.

There are moments when I don’t know what I am going to do without him. There are moments that is seems like Rock feels the same way. I am beside myself. My life will certainly never be the same.

Rest in peace Rolly. I love you to the moon and back sweet boy. Here’s hoping that February brings better things and a new mood.

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Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Recap

My biggest race of the year is always the second weekend of the year. I figure if I get the hard stuff out of the way early in the year, the I can sail through the rest of it. This year is sort of an exception, because I have to get married in the middle of it… you know, move in with someone, be a wife. This is not easy stuff we are talking about!

So back to the reason for this post: Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend! I was a complete idiot this year. I signed up for the Dopey Challenge, which involved running a total of 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days. I have never done this before, but the plan from the beginning was to run with friends, as I knew that slow and steady would be the best strategy. This is a struggle for me, because I have the mindset to put my head down and trudge through. I knew going in that I would need to hold back for the sake of the team.

We started with a 5K on Thursday bright and early at 6:15 am. My friends and I had decided to run 3/1 minute intervals, so slow and steadily, off we went. It was a successful race, through the back entrance of Epcot, around World Showcase, and back up to the parking lot where we started. It was a short, but enjoyable and fun race, and a great way to kick off a weekend of running.

Bruce, Me, Julie and Darren… My running buddies!

Friday was much of the same, but a little bit longer (10K distance) and started a little bit earlier. The group had decided to decrease our intervals to 2/1. The course was very similar, but extended the first 2.5 miles through the roads outside the front of Epcot. It was again an easy run, and I pushed it towards the end, finishing strong.

Day 2: Bruce, Julie, Me and D$

We knew Saturday was going to be a big test. The distance was 13.1 miles. Darren’s knees weren’t feeling great, and to be perfectly honest, a few of us were having some trouble getting rid of waste (if you get my drift). Our intervals were scheduled to be 1/1, and as we started our trek to the Magic Kingdom, it was obvious that at some point we would have to separate. We stayed together through mile 9-10 ish, then Bruce and I unleashed the beast and finished by abandoning out intervals and running the remainder of the way. I felt very strong after the race, but my heel was extremely sore.

Sunday morning came quickly, and let me tell you, knowing that you have run 3 races already, but you aren’t even halfway done with the total distance you are running (at this point we had completed 22.4 out of 48.6 miles) can be an overwhelming thought. Our intervals were scheduled at 1/1 again and we started out at target pace through the first 6 miles. We had to pull teeth for quite a few miles after that, trying to keep the group together. Once we got to mile 16, and had spent much of the last 6 miles walking, standing and waiting for fellow Team Kitchen Sink members, it was clear that continuing on was the only option. Bruce and I once again took the lead, pushing the pace, and finishing stronger than we had started. It took us over 6 hours to finish, which pains me a little bit to say, but I can tell you that I felt very confident in my training. Had I run at my training pace, I am certain that I would have PR’ed .

AH! Finished…

With lots of running, thousands of people, travel and very little sleep surrounding me, I headed back to California with a fever that reached 103.4 and lasted for about a week afterwards. Two weeks out at this point, I am still recovering physically from the flu, but I am getting back to normal.

I doubt that I will ever run the Dopey again. It is very time consuming to train for, plus I am fairly certain that married life will bring new challenges to contend with. I am so happy that I got to experience it though. It makes training for a regular marathon seem quite easy. On to bigger and better things in the coming days!

I just posted my new training schedule on the running calendar page. I am planning for another marathon in Oklahoma City in April at this point and am excited to start my new February schedule.

’14 is off to a start

Ok, ok. So it is 24 days into the new year, and I have yet to post. Well I have a good reason…

Ok, never mind. But I am posting now, so get over it. 

My 2014 has been a little different than most people’s. To start, work has been paying me a very large sum of money to do nothing but data entry since about December 1st. It completely sucks, but it is what has to be done. It hasn’t happened very often in this job, but my job satisfaction level is not very high right now. I mean, I am satisfied with my work, but not satisfied with the work I have to do. It’s kind of a bummer, but I know it will change before long.

I had the privilege of spending the first 8 days of the new year with Chas and my animals. I was working most of the time, but the feeling of what a normal day would be like, living back in Kansas of course, was spectacular. The only real problem with it all was that my day was starting at about 3:30 am. The races that I was preparing to run caused me to get up that early, so just as I trained for the races, I trained for the Rise and Shine too.

It went well, but once I was gone, and the dogs were still getting up that early, Chas didn’t appreciate it too much. Whoops!

I didn’t really set any resolutions this year. So many big things are happening to my life in 2014 that I assumed that would be enough for me to worry about… Running 48.6 miles, moving back to Kansas, getting married. I will also be lucky enough to see old friends and family, and spend the rest of my life with my best friend. Resolutions aren’t necessary for me to reach a level of happiness that I have ‘needed’ in past years.

I am planning on writing in more detail about the races, but will do that in a series of other posts over the next few weeks. Today’s post was just to catch myself up to speed on what my year has been like. I have decided to spend this weekend detailing my workout plan for February. After the races, I caught the flu and am still in recovery mode at this point. February is 28 days long, and the perfect amount of time to make some changes and start preparing my body for what I want it to look like in my wedding dress. 

I’m excited for new challenges and adventures this year, and I hope to post it all for you to see. It’s gonna be a great year…