I have a love/hate relationship with wrestling season. My husband loves it, and I love him. He is gone all the time, and I am at home taking care of a stubborn almost two year old by myself, so I hate it. I love the team, going to watch them in the room in the afternoon, watching them interact with Cub and of course seeing them wrestle when I can make it. I hate the hours upon hours of wrestling watched at my house, the countless recruiting calls made/taken, and the disappointment on my husband’s face when he has to deal with a situation that he doesn’t want to handle, like disciplining an athlete for violating the rules.
Tonight I got to watch my husband coach in the national finals, the pinnacle for any wrestler. I cried, and not because we lost the match. I cried because I was so proud. I am proud of my husband for all the hard work he puts in, and so proud of Jon, his 197 lb wrestler, who has worked his tail off for years to get to this point. I cried because I wasn’t there. I cried because I wanted Cub to know what was going on and get as excited as I was, but instead he wanted to watch The Incredibles (Ok, fine.)
Wrestling season is over. That doesn’t mean I will get to see my husband a ton more, but any few minutes in the day it spares makes me a happy wife.
Charles Henley, I am so proud of you and the lessons and knowledge you instill in the minds of your athletes. No one works harder than you to make these young men great wrestlers and great people. And you still make time for Cub, Lucy, Milton, Rock and me. We love you and are so excited for you to come home tomorrow.
I’m not a religious person. I never have been, and I can pretty much guarantee after our latest trial and tribulation, I never will be. But I do believe in being blessed. Whoever, or whatever, you think blesses you is one thing. I tend to think that your character determines your experiences, hence giving you blessings or challenges to overcome. Some are one in the same. That is the situation Chas and I currently find ourselves in.
Two weeks ago, we were on top of the world. I was 13 weeks pregnant with Baby T #2, who we saw squirm and wiggle in my belly just a few days earlier. After hearing the heartbeat and seeing that little baby move, I actually said out loud, “I am so in trouble! I can’t have a baby that moves more than the one I already have!” But that seemed to be the case. The baby crossed it’s legs, straightened all the way out, and did quarter turns in my uterus throughout the entire ultrasound. We went home thrilled. Thrilled that we could give Cub a sibling, and excited that summer would bring a new member to the family.
Even better about this whole situation, we were getting ready to head to Ohio to see all my family, and couldn’t wait to share the good news. My doctor had said that once you hear that heartbeat at 12 weeks there is only a 3% chance of miscarriage, which makes any mother’s heart leap for joy. We went to Ohio and told everyone that would stand to listen to us. I was fortunate enough to be inducted into my high school’s athletic hall of fame as well, so many family friends surrounded us over our few short days home. We were on cloud nine.
On our way home, I received a call saying that the Radiologist had seen something a little strange on the ultrasound, and they thought it best for me to head 3 hours away to Wichita and have a fetal specialist take a look. Knowing how much that baby was moving, I agreed, assuming that they just didn’t get a good enough look because of the the movement. Boy was I wrong…
Chas is in the middle of his wrestling season, so getting away for anything this time of year is really hard for him. Not thinking this was much to worry about, I had decided to go alone to my appointment. But at the last minute, my mom decided to drive out the day before and attend with me. I told her not to, because it was at least 12 hours each way for her, but she insisted, and I was secretly SOOOOOO happy. We stayed in a hotel the night before and got up early the next day. After packing up, we decided to go get some donuts, and sat down with a half dozen, splitting them all and picking out our favorites.
I signed in at the doctor’s office, filled out years of paperwork, and waited to be called back. I was excited to have another ultrasound and see that little baby move again. They eventually came and got us, but to my dismay, a nurse decided to take my entire history during the actual ultrasound. When she was done, which seemed mighty quick, I left feeling dissatisfied, like I had been robbed of the chance to see my baby because of the millions of questions I spent the entire time answering. The nurse escorted us to a room, and we proceeded to wait for the doctor to come in, which took almost an hour. Yes, a full hour.
Dr. Margaret O’Hara came into the room looking serious but soft, and immediately indicated that she didn’t have great news for us and was glad my mom had come with me. She proceeded to tell us that the fluid the radiologist had see on our baby’s spine in the first ultrasound was actually a disease called Cystic Hygroma. I won’t bore you with the details, but in many cases it resolves itself, but can sometimes be associated with a genetic disease like Turner’s or Downs Syndrome. My mind raced a little, but this was my baby she was talking about, and I knew in my heart we would be able to handle any issues that came our way.
Dr. O’Hara then said 2 words I will never forget- Hydrops Fetalis. She explained that some babies with Cystic Hygroma develop Fetal Hydrops, which causes fluid build up around organs like the heart, which is what happened to our little baby, causing it’s heart to stop, robbing us of ever being able to hug, cuddle or love on our 2nd little baby. I can’t explain to you how that moment felt. It’s unexplainable. I never want to remember it, but I know I will never be able to forget it. We had just seen that baby move a few days earlier.
Along with all this came a surgery last week, lots of heart ache and grieving, and a LOT of blessing counting. I am so happy that Chas and I got to see that little baby the week before, moving and showing off just for us. While we aren’t lucky enough to ever get to hold our sweet little Quinn, it makes me hold my Cubby so much tighter. It has made our marriage stronger, and I think we both see our family and future in a different light now.
I want to and don’t want to forget what has happened, and that is my reason for documenting it here on my blog. This is a really important part of my life now, and while it won’t define me, or us as a couple, the impact it has had, and will have, is tremendous.
Hug your babies a little tighter. Remember to cherish the small moments, and never take for granted the opportunities that you are given.
The day after that doctor’s visit, Chas had a home dual that I decided to attend, but hide high up in the coliseum. On my way to the dual, I thought about naming our baby. We heard that heartbeat and saw that baby dance, and it just seemed appropriate. I heard this song, and it pretty much sealed the deal. In honor of our Mighty little Quinn Lavelle, I hope you take a few minutes to listen.
I already have our Halloween decorations down! YAY!
Cub is at daycare, meaning I had time to take the decorations down without tripping over a sippy cup.
I put creamer in my coffee. That’s right folks! Living large today!
Ok, really, I know those are non-important things that you don’t care about, but my point is that we are status quo here at the Thompson compound, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Chas’s season starts on Thursday, and being at status quo going into that is an accomplishment with a 16 month old. Oh by the way, he thinks he is two and throws temper tantrums like it as well. In fact, I took him to school this morning, and before I could even walk out of the room, he hit his teacher. I bolted like I was on fire. I already suspect that they don’t like him there, simply because I spend half of my day not liking him some days.
My goal for November is to work towards a more regular week so that I can get more done. I spent last night creating an hour by hour list of how my day was going to go, and I am happy to report that in hour 3 of the day we are on schedule. Yes! The whole motivation for trying to start November differently is that I have some big personal goals in mind that I want to have time to work on. I recently went to a conference where the hashtag #StayHungry was used. I really like that hashtag for multiple reasons:
I am always hungry, or hangry.
It’s certainly motivating.
It gave me something to write on my white board instead of a grocery list that consisted of diapers, toothpaste, and paper towels, all of which I finally just subscribed to on Amazon because I forgot every time I went to the grocery.
While I would like to continue to tell you about what I have in mind, I am on a schedule, and with only 4 minutes left in my “writing a blog post ans drinking coffee hour”, I have to wrap this puppy up.
I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween and a great start to November!
Can I brag a little bit? Who am I kidding? OF COURSE I CAN! This is MY blog!
This weekend I had the opportunity to go back to my first Kansas home down in Parsons. My father-in-law, a long-time College Wrestling Coach and mentor, got inducted in the Labette Community College Athletic Hall of Fame. And to be perfectly honest, he should be enshrined in a bronze statue out front. That place would be nothing without his contributions.
It was incredible to see the wrestlers that came back to show their support for him and the wrestling program. He touched so many lives throughout his coaching career, and I believe it is probably safe to say that Kansas wrestling would not be what it is today if it wasn’t for Coach T. If there was a wrestling genealogy chart for the state, Jody would be at the very top with all the little lines stemming from him.
The best part is that in his actual genealogy, I get to be one of those little lines. Even though I am just married in, my son has his blood coursing through his veins, and that drive, passion and heritage will undoubtedly get passed along to him, as it has my husband. In terms of role models, I couldn’t have found a better one to lead my family. Between him and my own father, the amount of drive, pride, accomplishments, and dedication that have gone into their life endeavors is truly tremendous.
I am a very lucky girl, and this weekend proved that to me once again.
When I look back on my life prior to marriage, kids and mortgages, it is amazing to me how different actual life is compared to what I thought life would be back then. I used to see the white picket fence, kids running in the yard, and the perfect dinner waiting on the table for the family. I never thought about the Kansas wind blowing the fence over, or the stretch marks from carrying multiple kids for way to many months, or the millions of grocery trips needed just to get frozen chicken nuggets and a salad on the table by the time my husband gets home.
The day-to-day struggles that make moms pull their hair out exist much more than the happy, calm, relaxing moments you dream of as a youngin. That’s not to say I am not happy or don’t love my life. I love it very much. You just don’t expect to be peed on or step on a Hot Wheels car in the middle of the night, or have your husband suddenly exclaim that he has friends stopping by and they need a feast brought before them.
I have been struggling with my fitness since well before Cub was born, and it is still a struggle today. I am trying to get better about planning it out to make sure it happens, but its hard to wake up at 5:30 am when you have had a kid kicking you all night long. With wrestling season just a week away, I know that it is going to be harder than ever to get back to where I want to be, but I have 3 months until I have the honor of getting inducted into the Milton-Union High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and I’ll be damned if I don’t look right for that. The blood, sweat and tears are the unsexy side, but they are the side that makes it all worth your while. I would have the opportunity to even be in the hall of fame if it wasn’t for them.
Life isn’t as sexy as it seems. Kids make a mess. Dogs make a mess. Husbands make a mess. Fences need painted and real food needs to be cooked, with love of course..
This is a great recipe I just tried for the first time. It makes a HUGE 13 x 9 coffee cake, so it would be perfect for a family holiday or bunch with a lot of people.
PREP TIME- 30 mins
COOK TIME- 55 mins
TOTAL TIME- 1 hour 25 mins
Serves: 14-16
INGREDIENTS:
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
1¼ cups sugar
1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 ½ tbsp. cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted
Brown Sugar Filling:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1½ tbsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
3 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp. salt
CAKE:
1½ sticks butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3¾ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
¾ cup sour cream
1½ cups milk
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13×9 with nonstick spray, or grease with butter.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping- Whisk together the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir in the butter and set aside.
Brown Sugar Filling- Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
Cake-
With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until very well combined.
Add in the vanilla.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after adding each one.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream until well combined.
On low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the batter.
While mixing, add ½ of the milk mixture.
Add ⅓ more of the flour mixture.
Add the rest of the milk mixture.
Add the remaining ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of your bowl.
Spread half of your batter in the bottom of your prepared pan, making sure to spread it to the edges.
Sprinkle your brown sugar filling on top of the batter.
Dollop the rest of your cake batter on top of your filling, using a spatula to spread the batter across the pan.
Using a butter knife, gently swirl the filling into the batter.
Top the cake with your Cinnamon Sugar Topping .
Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.
I have been fairly upfront about my struggles getting back into running post baby. Between working full time, wrangling Cub, keeping our new HUGE house clean and organized and all the other things that a woman has to do and worry about on a daily basis have been overwhelming to me over the past year. Summer seemed a lot better when I could lean on Chas more, but now that school is back in session, I am finding my days to be more cluttered, the work to be piling up, and the rage in my belly showing itself much too often.
Our new house, which I love, but takes a year to clean!
For those of you who don’t know, when you have Ginn genes, you have the temper gene. Mine is quite explosive, like my father’s (even though he will never admit that), and there are time when I have to set Cub down, walk away and move to something else to keep myself from going off. I am very lucky to have self-control when it comes to people, but inanimate objects sometimes take the brunt of the anger.
I don’t remember many more calm times in my life than when I was training for a race. My first marathon training fell during a particularly difficult time in my life while I was coaching a college volleyball team full of a bunch of assholes. I remember running every morning and letting my mind just drift away from the problems that I would be facing later that day. Being able to focus on my podcast listening, or the gnomes adorning the old woman’s yard on the corner of Corning and 32nd St. makes other things just melt away.
Not running for the past X number of days is really creeping up. The last 3 days I feel like nothing can plug up the steam coming out of my ears. But worst of all, I am so tired that I have no desire to get up and try to solve the problem by going out and hitting the pavement. My Friday’s are screwed because I am up til 3 am making sure our website is running properly and that all the cogs are doing what they are supposed to be doing. (Oh and someone always forgets to tell Cub that mom needs to sleep in on Saturday so that she doesn’t lock him in his playroom for half the day.)
The last 3 weeks of my life have been what I would call an emotional roller coaster. Parenthood is so different now that I have a walking, talking tornado named Cub in my house. He goes upstairs, downstairs, cries, yells, kisses, hugs, loves and screams. He is just something else. On Tuesday, he started day care, which is a miracle really. I was so nervous (still am so nervous), because he is too little to tell me if something bad happens to him. It scares me that he is not in my control for 8 hours a day, twice a week. But this week seemed to go well, and he came home to a rested mommy who had almost everything checked off her to-do list. Just being able to spread things out without someone’s sticky fingers touching and tearing them is a victory!
With Cub at day care, I have been able to normalize my workout routines, which has made me more than happy. Honestly, just getting a run in 2 mornings so far this week has made me more mellow. I feel like I can process thoughts and actions better, which is why I was so surprised when I freaked on Cub this morning. Well, let me put this into context with a simple math equation: (clearing my throat) Toddler+iPhone+Toilet=Disaster. That’s right, I am without a phone for the next 24 hours. UGH! But in the grand scheme of things, I freaked out less than normal, so PROGRESS!
I am having major Olympic withdraw. I miss my good morning cry when NBC would show a heart warming story about how someone gets inspiration from their dead mom. I made an executive decision that Cub will be the Decathlon gold medalist in the year 2032. He could be an Olympic wrestler or a setter/libero on the volleyball team and I would be ok with that too.
Work is nuts with a new school year starting, but I am feeling empowered to make decisions, get things done and continue to make Prep2Prep great.
Oh, and I haven’t told you about our new house! AWESOME! It is totally awesome. There is more room that I know what to do with, and I can easily send the boys downstairs to get them out of my hair. We are very happy here, and I am excited to move into fall and decorate for Cub.
So just a small update today, but with more free time, more posts are to come.
Change is of course inevitable. Over the past 10 months, Cub has grown and changed more than I could have ever imagined. He waves, kisses, laughs and cries. He loves brushing his teeth and feeding Goldfish crackers to the bulldogs. He is such a fun kid… when he is in a good mood anyway.
As a family, we decided to make some changes that would be beneficial, one of them being our location. While we have no intentions of leaving Hays in the near future, we did feel that our family would be better off by change where we lived, so we decided to try putting our house on the market. We worked so hard for 3-4 straight days sorting through closets and decluttering everything. Much to our surprise we easily sold the house in just 2 days. And even more to our surprise, we found a house that met almost all our criteria in a very desirable neighbor (and well within our price range) almost just as quickly. So July 8th, we will be closing on 2 houses and moving to a place that will allow our family to easily grow with no problem at all.
We are so excited for this new transition, and the best part is that the week before we close, we get to go celebrate at Walt Disney World for Cub’s 1st birthday!
For about 2, if not 3 years now, I feel like I have been a woman posing as a runner. My stats have been atrocious, my runs few and far between. Becoming a wife and a mother, moving halfway across the country from beautiful, sunny Northern California to windy western Kansas and dealing with sleepless nights and so much time without Chas during wrestling season has put a damper on my athletic spirit. In my mind and heart, I am a runner, but in actuality, I am a fraud.
Last week I ran twice. It was so refreshing to wake up before anyone else and know that while everyone in Hays, KS, was still fast asleep, I was working hard and showing the world my perseverance. Morning runs are really about putting one foot in front of the other. I generally have just nursed the baby, and instead of crawling back in next to my husband, I opt for the cold, windy tundra that is Main Street at 5:30 am. I run an out and back usually, trying to complete one leg faster than the other. Pounding the pavement that earlier makes a person ponder big things, future goals, the meaning of life, etc. In a way, it makes me feel superior, the fact that I can do this, that I have the will power to do it, even if just for my usual 2 mile stretch. When I walk back in the door, I am no longer free or powerful. I am mom, Marketing Director and chef, but I feel more empowered in my daily activities, and more patient in my handling of crying babies, dog messes, and dumb emails. A run can certainly mellow a Type A personality like myself, but at the same time makes me feel more secure in who I am and what I am doing.
Besides my running lately, I have been playing in a rec volleyball league and working on some Nike Training Club workouts. On Monday, we played a team that had 3 former collegiate players on it. By former, I mean just graduated. Being 11 years out from my playing days, I am confident in my ability and skills, but am most certainly a step behind where I was when training was my life. We lost the game on Monday, and I left the facility feeling embarrassed and angry. They other team was cocky, stuck up, and not fun and light to play like most of our “Rec” league opponents. I hate that feeling. But then I started thinking about my NOW self as opposed to my 11 years ago self. When I was in the same position as the cocky girls we played Monday night, I am sure I was similar, and enjoyed beating up on older people. But I will tell you why they should be bowing down to me:
I am 11 years out of my volleyball career and I still was blocking the crap out of them.
I have the guts and moxy to put myself in that situation knowing that I am not the same 100% I used to be.
Those girls don’t know what it is like to be up all hours of the night nourishing a human being.
I created a human being with my own body!
I can work a 50+ hour week, cook, clean, and nurture my family while still looking to maintain my health and the health of my boys.
I am setting an example for my son, showing him that anything is possible and fitness is forever.
Those girls aren’t up at 5:30 to make themselves better.
Oh, and they certainly don’t know that people may not remember what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
I am a mom, a fit mom. A mom that is continuously trying to make herself a better person, wife, employee, and human. I know everyone is fighting some kind of battle, as I am. I know that there were probably days when I acted like them, but now I see the world in a different light. Someday they will too.
And that’s it.
Can I brag a little bit? Who am I kidding? OF COURSE I CAN! This is MY blog!
Running From Everything 