26.2

I am wearing a necklace today that says 26.2. It is the distance in miles of a marathon. I completed my first (and last) marathon on Nov. 22. The marathon was exactly one week before my 1 year wedding anniversary. John and I trained together for an entire year so we could punish ourselves at the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa.

My mom bought me the 26.2 necklace. She gave it to me on the Saturday before the marathon. We ran the marathon on Sunday. It was such a moving gesture because Mom was pretty sure that I was going to die while running the marathon. She doesn't believe that someone's body should run for that long. After attempting it, I tend to agree with her! However, she did buy me the necklace. Wanting to actually wear the small pendant is what convinced me to finish the thing when at mile 20 I wanted to do nothing more than curl up in a little ball and cry.

I asked friends and family to send me inspirational quotes that I could read while I was running. It was really awesome and helpful. Some were funny, some were poignant, most were both. John told me if I didn't finish the marathon I was out of the family. That motivated me to keep going.

So, here's the story from my 26.2 mile adventure.

John and I got up early on the day of the marathon and drove to the close to the starting line. My cousin Heather met us there. She and I ran the first 9 miles together. I did pretty good for the first 13. It was nice to be able to talk to Heather. She's an awesome girl and she keep me in a happy place for a long time. Then around mile 10 my fancy schmany Garmin told me I was on mile 11. I was extremely happy about this. And, so I was feeling really pretty good. The marathon is a loop for the first half and then an out and back for the second half. I am a very slow runner and that tends to frustrate me quite a bit. But, I kept plugging along.

Around mile 15 I started walking because I was in a tremendous amount of pain. My friend Mary was waiting for me at 46th street (maybe - can't remember for sure) so I knew that I would have someone to talk to there. Lo and behold there was a crew waiting for me before I even got to 22nd! My uncle and aunt (Heather's parents) plus my cousin and Heather were all just hanging out waiting for me to come by. I saw my uncle shuffle across the street so he could cheer for me. I felt incredibly loved.

So I found Mary and she started walking for me. Then I heard more cheering and saw my mom, dad, 2 aunts, a cousin and an uncle all cheering for me. It was incredibly amazing. The only problem was that I still had so far to go!

I was in pain. I hurt. I was miserable. I don't like running. It was without a doubt the most miserable thing I have done. Friend Mary was with me though. She chatted with me. We looked for people we knew. Having her with me is the ONLY reason why I was able to finish. Writing this blog makes me feel even more loved and special. I've been emotional recently so I'm even tearing up a bit.

Friend Mary though had to leave me when we got back to her car.

I kept going because I only had 2 more miles to go then I was through. I was doing pretty well for about a mile but then the men came and took away the time signs - yes I was THAT slow. I started crying. A lot. Sobbing. So upset with myself. So frustrated for being so slow. You know in Junior High when you are pretty sure you are worthless and should not be allowed to even waste oxygen - that's how I felt.

And, then I looked up and saw my mom, aunt Phyllis, uncle Steve and John all walking toward me! John had on his finisher's medal. They could tell I had been crying. I was NOT in a good place. But, they were coming to get me! It was amazing. Absolutely amazing.

So, I started running again. I was a bit disappointed because I thought my dad had left. It was okay though because that's just my dad. But as I rounded the bend I could see both the finish line AND my dad and my aunt Denise and cousin Paige. It was absolutely amazing. I finished.

I got my shirt. I got my medal. I got hugs from John and the rest of the family. I finished. I'm still disappointed with my time. But, I did run a marathon.

Audio books

I love audio books. I'm listening to True Blue by David Baldacci. I think the cheesier parts stick out a little bit more when you are listening instead of reading. Nonetheless I really enjoy listening to books.

John and I were talking about what books we were going to take with us to Miami. We each gave the other one 5 books that the person should read. I'm going to try to remember what they were.

John gave to me
The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin; Wicked; Unmasking Administrative Evil; and Blood of Brothers. There's one more that neither one of us can ever remember.

I gave to John
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Animal, Vegetable Miracle; Anne of Green Gables; The Notebook. Well bother. There's one more that I cannot remember either. I'll update the post if either one of us remember.

And ... I return

I am being very productive today. I’ve found that listening to a book on my MP3 player actually boosts my productivity. I’m listening to True Blue by David Baldacci. It is pretty good. Some cheesy one-liners but still good.

I snuck up on John last night as he was looking at my Christmas present. He was looking at multi-tools otherwise known as Gerbers. I would like to have one.

Christmas lights in Austin are a struggle. Some people just haphazardly through up lights in their trees and on their houses. It makes John and I laugh. One of our neighbors vomited Christmas decorations all over their yard. Seriously, I do not think there is an inch of grass showing because they have so many lighted things whirling and twirling. They are playing music and have a countdown to Christmas … all within a few feet of our house! The word tacky is not nearly strong enough!

Termits?

I just re-read some of my former posts. Every time you see the word termit - please change to termite in your mind. Silly me!

Former house owner

This is a post I've been meaning to write for a little while.
When we were closing we met with the man who owned our house for 30 years. He was a very kind soul. He was pretty adamant that he wanted to close at the same time we did. We all were at the title company and he told us stories about the house. His wife was the one who planted the roses and the mini magnolia bushes. Our lot is bigger than most of the other lots in the neighborhood because there is a finite amount of room in between the two streets. So, there is a road ... houses ... then road. There is not enough room for 4 houses, but there is way too much room for 2. Therefore, they put three houses in between the roads. It allowed for bigger lots for those 3 houses. We are the middle house. The neighbor to the east is a complete busybody. There are 2 fences between our yard and their yard. Not sure why. But, they've all ready peeked through both of the yards to look at McKenzie! Trust me, this is no small feat. They also knew exactly what we were going to be doing with the yard. How? They pumped the people we hired for the lawn for information! Anyway, back to our sweet old former house owner. Once we had closed. He stood up, shook John's hand, and then proudly handed over the keys to him. He came across the room to give me a hug. I felt like he was blessing John and me to take over his home and to be happy in it.

Popcorn

I love popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. I could probably eat popcorn every day for dinner. I do not love popcorn ceilings. Actually, I don't have anything against popcorn ceilings. They don't mortally offend me in any way. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for John. John is mortally offended by popcorn ceilings. Our new house (the very old house) has popcorn ceilings. So, we decided we would scrap off the popcorn. Aiyiyiah! On Monday night, life was wretched. We couldn't get the corn to actually come off the ceiling! It is messy. Stuff is constantly falling all over you. Its pretty rough. By yesterday we had figured out how to remove the popcorn. A combination of ammonia with water sprayed on to the ceiling plus a scraper pretty well removes the stuff. I'm listening to a fluffy novel on my Sansa clip so I actually have been enjoying the popcorn removal a little bit more.

The texture on the walls is a whole other story. The texture is HIDEOUS. It looks like dripping blood. There's no way we could add paint to it without being totally creepy. (We are thinking about a light, light gray with white accent colors.) Last night the walls defeated us. We spent a good deal of time sanding. We even have a rotary sander and the walls just laughed at us. Blugh!

I am taking pictures to document all of this just haven't had the time to upload them yet.

Closing Time

The end of the beginning has arrived. John and I closed yesterday. There was a wee bit of an issue with termits. We don't have termits. We have a silly termite inspector. $180 later and everything is going to be just fine. WE CLOSED ON OUR FIRST HOME!

So, last night John was mowing and I was just bee bopping around. At one point I sat down in my yard and just smiled. It was a beautiful evening. It was quiet. (John was in the front yard.) McKenzie was running back and forth as fast as she could. It was incredible.

Oh, but I should relay the following story. My moment of bliss happened after this story. For a wedding present John and I received a potato. The potato was supposed to bless us and ensure that our life together starts out plentiful and remains that way. So, as John was putting together the lawn mower, I went to plant our potato. I looked up and there was a little blue birdy chirpping at me. It was a bit scared. I couldn't figure out why it didn't fly away. About that time McKenzie spotted the little blue birdy and she started attempting to attack. The bird hopped all over the place trying to get away from her. I was trying to catch McKenzie before she ate the bird. The bird was squawking at the top of its lungs. John was yelling from the patio that the mama bird was getting ready to attack my head. The mama bird was flying down toward me. Finally I grabbed McKenzie and ran to the patio. I saw the little blue birdy over by the fence a little while later. (McKenzie was banished to the house.) John mowed but said he didn't see the birdy. I'm not sure what happened to it. It was pretty dramatic!

John is at the house right now. (I'm at work.) Tonight we have a KUT event so I'll be burning the 10 p.m. oil. :)

One more day!

John and I close on the house tomorrow!
I am so elated. We close at noon.

I talked to Paola this morning. She is John's brother Henry's wife. So, she's my sister in law. I only have one sister in law. Since I only have one, I'm glad I have her!

She has quite the story to tell about coming from Mexico to the U.S. yesterday. She was in north Mexico taking care of some things. She wasn't able to go back to Mexico City to get any of her stuff because of swine flu. She walked across the border, then boarded a plane in El Paso. She flew to Dallas then to Fort Lauderdale. She was so excited to be back! And, Henry was very excited for her to be back. I tried to convince her to come to Austin for a visit. What's new? I always try to get people to come to Austin to visit. :)

House!

So, we close on our house on 4.30. I realized that I need to get a lot better about taking pictures and also sharing about our house. Inquiring minds want to know!

The house is not very pretty. It isn't very pretty at all. It is in a great neighborhood though. And, I love the floor plan. I say it isn't very pretty because it hasn't been updated since the 70s. I was recently introduced to a new term: sweat equity. John and I will put a LOT of sweat equity into the house.

The first thing we are going to do is scrap the popcorn ceilings. Then, we'll pull the carpet. Finally, we will have new floors installed. We are thinking Brazilian Rosewood or Brazilian Cherry. We are trying to decide if we have enough resources (aka money) to do the kitchen. It needs backsplash, painted cabinents, and new counter tops. Oh yeah, and a new floor.

The dining room is pretty awesome. We want to do a banquette of sorts. A long bench on one wall then a table and some chairs on the other side.

Carpet for the bedrooms. New paint. Ugh! We are going to be hemorrhaging money!

Running, bad journalism and barbecue

I ran 6 miles on Sunday. The longest I have ever run is 9 miles so it blows me away that I am so close to that amount. The 9 miles almost killed me. The 6 miles wasn't too horrible. We are doing Jeff Galloway's training so it is run for 4 minutes and walk for 1. It makes it totally doable. And, I'm not obsessed with how much further I have to go before I'm done. I'm only obsessed with getting 2 more minutes in before I get to walk. It is a much better mind game to play.

We went to see OSU play in College Station against Texas A&M on Saturday. Travis Ford, OSU's coach, got a technical foul. I have not seen any mention of the technical foul on the Tulsa World Web site. I easily could have missed the reference but I don't think I did. To me, the fact that a coach got a technical, is the lead! Coaches don't get technicals often. I think that other OSU fans would find that fact very interesting. In other media outlets they have discussed the technical so that's good. I'm disappointed with the World. I think that the newspaper has decided to play very nice so they can still get interviews with Ford. I think that's ridiculous. It is a newspaper for heaven's sake not an extension of the University's public relations athletic division.

On Saturday we also ate at Snow's barbecue. It was, once again, heavenly. I have decided that I am only going to eat Snow's sausage in my life.

Bust!

I woke up last night to sleet on the windows. I was so excited. I thought for sure I wouldn't have to go to work today. And, here I sit. At KUT. I love my job - that's not why I wanted to stay away. I just really wanted a day off. Don't we all every know and again? The Austin weather forecasters were cracking me up last night. It was like the end of the world was coming because Austin might get some ice. They were doing hour by hour announcements. And, then it was a bust. No bad weather at all.

I did not get up to go running this morning. John did. I stayed in my warm cozy bed. I didn't feel like fighting against myself this morning. I had all ready pretty much convinced myself that I didn't want to go so I decided not to. I am going to have to find a place to run today. I think I might try out the UT Rec Sports. I cannot go tonight because I have Spanish class. It will definitely have to be at lunch. I can get it done though. And, the wonderful thing is that I actually do want to get it done. I think I'll have a better run because I do want to get it done. This morning I would have had a horrible run because I didn't want to get it done. That's my rationale anyway!

A whole lot of thoughts

OSU lost last night to OU in basketball. Oklahoma got covered in ice. Austin is supposed to get cold by noon today. Unfortunate because I only have a light jacket. It was 60 when I left my house this morning!

I always have a lot of things I want to write about until I sit down at the computer. Then I draw a blank. I realized yesterday why I had been having decent hair days. There was no moisture in Austin. Yesterday it was misty and rainy all day and my hair felt the effects. John and I ran 5 miles on Sunday. It wasn't too hard. John told me that he was surprised I ran the whole way. I was like, what? Of course I ran the whole way. I was supposed to. Yesterday I ran for 30 minutes. It was hard which was discouraging.

On Saturday John and I went to Snow's Barbecue in Lexington, Texas. The drive was really pretty. Snow's was ranked No. 1 by Texas Monthly for having the best barbecue in the state. I don't normally like sausage but this sausage was delectable. The brisket was really moist and tender. The barbecue is fantastic. Absolutely unbelievable. While we were at Snow's I bought my first box of Girl Scout cookies. They were yummy. Thin Mints!

We bought one of those fancy schmancy scales that tell you your bone mass, body fat percentage and muscle percentage. Oh yeah, it tells you your weight as well. I have no clue if I am in the normal range on the other things (body fat, muscle percentage) but my weight is right where it normally is. Apparently working out every single day doesn't really make much difference. I do feel better though. My knees don't hurt as much. I don't feel sick to my stomach after eating - I did when I was in Oklahoma because we were eating such rich foods. So, I'm not going to change anything and I'm going to try to not be discouraged.

Bush girls

It is going to be a busy day today. I have meetings all day. Thursday is sort of my unofficial meeting day. I can handle it.

So, there is a letter that the Bush twins wrote to the Obama girls. It was so moving and touching. The Bush girls are a few years younger than me, I believe. And, they went to school at UT Austin and lived here for quite some time. So, they talked about learning that your dad is your dad not some sketch of him. I was really impressed by the Bush twins. They also talked about how if you were travelling on Halloween - dress up and trick or treat down the plane aisles. They talked about playing house in the White House. It was very down-to-earth and candid. I respect that. The article, if you are interested, is on CNN.com.

Not too energetic today

I watched the inauguration yesterday in the Austin City Limits studio. It was awesome. I felt like I was in the middle of history - both political and musical. A pretty cool feeling.

I was grumpy yesterday. I think it was because I was super tired. Yesterday we got up to do some cross training. This morning we ran for 40 minutes - running 4 walking 1. It was okay. I almost didn't make it out of bed but then I thought about going to tell John I wasn't going and it just seemed easier to put on my running clothes and go. Its not that he would have given me grief - its that I would have been disappointed in myself. He actually would have been super nice and then he would have went to the gym and I would have felt like a lazy fool.

I have been missing my family quite a bit recently. I saw some adorable pictures of Heather's kids. I miss them.

I am tired today as well. I just hope I'm not as grumpy. I need some caffeinated tea!

Weekend recap

I had a pretty good weekend. On Friday night Tressa, John and I went to the Austin Boat Show. Thank goodness I received the tickets for free from work. On Saturday morning we went to Waco, Texas, to watch OSU play Baylor. OSU lost in overtime. It was pretty heartbreaking. But we did get to see the Baylor Bears. There are 2 black bears that go for walks around Baylor's campus. When I was in college I remember getting an e-mail about the horrible conditions the bears were living in. They have redone the facilities (or maybe created new ones) and now the bears are living in style. We ate dinner at a Texas Roadhouse. It was good. Then we drove back to Austin and went to the Round Rock outlet stores. It was really pretty fun. By the time we got home on Saturday we were pretty well exhausted. Sunday was our 4 mile run day. It was pretty hard. I'm not so very good at regulating my breathing if I'm not on a treadmill so that is something I need to work on.

So, yesterday we bee-bopped around and then went to the gym. Yesterday I was a running rockstar. I ran for 12 minutes - walked for 2 - ran for 4 - walked for 1 - ran for 10. It was awesome. And, I was running at a pretty good pace for me.

This morning John and I got up at 5:15 so we could work out because at lunch today I am going to be watching/listening to the inauguration. It was hard to get up this morning. We did the elliptical machine today because it was a non-running day.

Have a good one today!

What is my last name again?

Yesterday I was a pretty busy bee. My last name is officially changed to Gaete ... well, according to the Social Security office anyway. I still need to go to the UT payroll department. I also need to send off for my new passport and finally get my Texas driver's license. But, I'm getting there.

Yesterday I went to the Social Security office. I had to wait for a very long time - like 2 hours - but within 5 minutes they had looked at my paperwork, entered something into their computer, printed out a receipt and sent me on my way. I think Mom was a wee bit sad yesterday that I had changed my name. I can understand. It is weird to be a Gaete now instead of an O'Neill. I am glad to change my name though. I respect those who don't, but I wanted to take John's name.

This morning was not a working out morning. I woke up around 5 and then went back to sleep. It was heavenly. I am having roast beef for lunch today instead of turkey. :( The turkey had a bizarro green spot on it that John and I did not appreciate.

OH! And awesome news - Tressa, John and I are going to the OSU/Baylor game on Saturday. It is in Waco. We are all pretty pumped.

5 a.m. came early

Good morning!
John and I did get up this morning at 5 a.m. Thank goodness John gets up first. So, he rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. I normally get dressed first and then I go into the bathroom. You know, brush the teeth, put in contacts, that sort of thing. I have an amazing warm-up suit that John's parents got me for Christmas. It is black velvet and super warm. Yes, I do need it in Austin. It was in the 30s this morning.

My run this morning was one of the best ones I've ever had. I realized that I need to run a bit quicker (relative to me. I'm still hideously slow) so I can get my breathing in working order. I need to concentrate on my breathing so I don't concentrate on how much running sucks.

Today I think I might leave work around 12:30 p.m. so I can go get a new Social Security card. I don't have my old one. I hope that's not a problem. I need to get my name changed with the new card so I can get my name changed at the University. I also have all my paperwork filled out for a new passport. I need to go talk to the very friendly UT post office man about how I need to go about that. I think I have to have my stupid picture taken again. Blugh.

Hope you guys have a wonderful day!

Hm ...

Man, I totally had something good to say on my blog and now I can't remember what it was.
Tonight is Spanish class. Last week I learned about health. I'm not sure what this week is. But, I did do my homework so I'm proud of myself for that.

Oh, I know what it was! My friend Mari told me that I had a lot of great perspectives on things so she was excited that I was going to be blogging. That is an awesome compliment. I was very grateful to receive it. It was even more impressive because it came from Mari. I hope to be more like Mari. She sends her grandmother letters often, stays in touch with people and has a delightful sense of humor. Mari is very un-selfish. She puts as much time into others and she does to herself. She lives in NYC these days with her husband but I'm hoping and praying she will move to Austin!

I'm one of "those" people

I create a blog and then I never write anything on it. Tsk tsk. I have been thinking of my blog often though. I'm trying to decide what I am going to write about. Will it be this marathoning adventure John and I have embarked upon? Will it be about our life as newlyweds? Will it be strictly about the way we are eating better and hopefully losing weight? I don't know. I think this blog will end up being about ... well ... me. Makes me feel pretty selfish but that's what I know the most about. And, they say you should write about what you know.

So, John and I are going to do a marathon. I received confirmation from Mom yesterday that if John and I ran the Tulsa marathon in November she would come and cheer for us. She at first asked me if she was supposed to run along side us. I told her she was. But, then we discussed how she could just make signs and cheer for us and call it good.

We did our first "long" run on Sunday. It as 3 miles. This Sunday we are going to run for 4 miles. On Monday morning we did get up at the butt crack to get our run in. Since we've started going in the morning we aren't really sure what to do with our evenings. It is a bit funny. Last night John read for a little while. I watched Larry King Live because Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser were on. Normally in the evenings we were going to the gym. But, now we don't have to go to the gym so we just sort of twiddle our thumbs. It is actually an amazing feeling because we have been so darn busy for so long.

January 6, 2009

I told John about my new blog last night on our way home from work. On occassion he will be a guest blogger. I think that will be fun. I also told him that I feel like my spine has been turned into a gently bubbling brook. Hear me out. For the first time since October I don't have a major event looming over me. The pledge drive isn't going to happen until the end of March, we're all ready married, there's no 2 week vacations scheduled and the major work event won't happen for another 2 months. It is a glorious feeling.

Mom didn't hear about her test results. Dad doesn't like the cold and now he's working outside.

Last night John and I went to the gym. I had to get my running in. I ran for 4 minutes then walked for 1. I ended up doing that for 30 minutes. I ran a total of 2.5 miles. Not great but I could have never run 2.5 miles straight.

I got a new hair cut. I look like I belong in the 80s. John said it looked okay this morning though. I'm wearing my new watch, my new rings and my favorite necklace. The necklace is silver and says Live, Laugh, Love. It was a wedding present from Judy. Hooray for Judy!

Whoa!

One of the things I want to be better at this year is keeping in touch with people. Here's to hoping I will do that. There are quite a few of you who have made such a huge impact on my life. I have not done a very good job of keeping in touch.

So, John and I are going to run a marathon. We have started training for it ... well, John has started training for it. I haven't because I didn't get up this morning at 5:15 to go run. John did. I don't know why I didn't get up ... well, I sort of do. I didn't want to. :) So, tonight I have to go run for 30 minutes. I will run for 4 minutes and walk for 1 minute.

I'm waiting to hear about my mom's test results. She had a liver biopsy a week ago today. I am hoping and praying for good news.