Pedal Update

Had an appointment with the podiatrist earlier today. Had a few x rays taken, had my foot fondled...looks like I probably don't have a stress fracture after all! Most likely just a flare up of my lateral or central fascia.

WHEW!

BUT if the pain doesn't go away in 10 days I have to go back in to get more x rays since stress fractures sometimes take up to 2 weeks to manifest. Taking a couple days off from running has already made my foot feel much better though. Went out for a run earlier today-after the doctor's approval-in new Brooks shoes and it felt pretty good. Still a slight throb but nothing like the other morning where I could hardly bear weight on it.

I am so so thankful for my ability (and desire) to run and for my overall good health. I know I often take running for granted and I need to remember to thank God every day for this wonderful gift! I really don't know what I would do if I couldn't run. In my opinion, no other form of exercise compares.

But that's just me.

(I hope I don't look like this in my upcoming races...)

Still akward, but getting better

I really haven't been happy with the length of my hair since I chopped off more than 10 inches in June. I just got my hair re-DID by the girl who fixed my color back in August. She is a gem. A jewel. A real self-esteem booster.

After she finished coloring my roots she asked me if I wanted a trim. Well, noooooooo, I am trying my darnedest to grow my hair out, I told her. Yet somehow she convinced me to let her trim my hair. Thankfully she took off only the teeniest tiniest amount possible. Then she asked me if I wanted her to texturize (am I even saying this right??) it. What does that mean, I asked? She explained it to me, then she done did it to my hair.

(I'm a little pissed off that none of my hair dressers in my 25 years of life have suggested this little trick before now. Just a little.)

My hair is so much lighter and it lays so nicely now. Ahhhh, I almost feel trendy.

And my hair is already down to my shoulders. Less awkward of a length for sure. I have to admit, things are looking up.





PS, I get to see my husband/best friend/lover in 4 days! EEEEEEEEeeeeeeee! (That was my squeal for joy.)

Bad Fortune

I'm going to see a podiatrist on Tuesday.

I don't know what's up with my left foot but I think I may have a stress fracture. I'm hopeful that the pain is only plantar fasciitis but usually plantar fasciitis creates pain in the heel and I have pain in the metatarsals (though I'm not sure which one exactly). This sucks.

And I have a half marathon in November. May have to skip that one, though I was so looking forward to winning some $$ in a local road race.

And I have the half marathon in Vegas in December. May have to push the limits and actually run that one. Already got a hotel and paid the entry fee. I guess I'll just keep my fitness up by using the aquajogger and the elliptical machine at the gym.

I hate substituting anything for running. I never feel like I'm getting a workout.

Wish me luck that the pain is just in my head and that it's not as bad as I think it is....

Good Fortune

I have been missing one of these hair barrettes since April. Is it sad that I know the month I actually lost my clip?

The other day I was rummaging through a purse I don't currently use looking for some lip gloss I haven't used in months...and stumbled upon my "lost" barrette! I cannot tell you how thrilled I was!

Firstly, I was given these barrettes from a dear friend of mine who lives in Spain who I rarely get to see nowadays (I hate growing up) and secondly, they were bought from a street vendor in Spain. So they are pretty special.

Oh, how the little things in life can make me so happy!

A Little Help for Doctor and Juris Doctor Tobler

Kyle tried to post the link to beautiful pictures of his family. He got the website wrong. Bored at work, I found the right website. These photos just should not be missed. Please click on the link to view Kyle and Kim and Charlie and Greta looking so fine.

http://www.sarawilhelmphotography.blogspot.com/

What a beautiful family.

(Kyle Tobler family: I sure hope you don't mind me exploiting your beauty and photogenic abilities on this blog.)

Echo Canyon Killed My Legs

Seriously, my legs are aching.

I decided to go for a hike up Camelback Mountain today, after an 8 mile run. I've had plenty of days where I go running and then hike several miles. This usually occurs in Nevada with the Tobler parentals. Nothing has ever compared to this, though. And I think the trail is only 2.4 miles total? Felt a lot longer.

Here's what the official City of Phoenix website says about the Echo Canyon Trail. And yes, Echo Canyon did match the difficulty level described by the website.

I did my best to capture the difficulty of the hike on camera. It wasn't easy, being that I needed both arms/hands for balance and guidance.


Awwww, the hike starts with stairs.


I'm not sweating yet....ppsshhhhhh, who said this trail was hard?


What the??


Oh snap.


True evidence I made it to the top.


Part of the Valley.


Oh, you rich people.


Part of the trail on the way down. Going down was just as hard as going up. Lots of close calls and loose rocks.


Oh what a cactus.


Seriously steep.


And goodnight, Arizona. I was so hopeful for an awesome sunset...instead I got this.



In other news, I have applied for two jobs in Utah! And I already got one rejection email for...the orthopedic floor. That's right Clark. I'm not good enough to pass out oral medications and turn people at regular intervals. Those SOBs. But the nurse recruiter did call me and he is going to get in touch with a few telemetry managers at a couple of hospitals, even though there aren't any telemetry job listings on the internet. What a nice guy. Wish me luck, and if any of ya'll want to say a few prayers for Clark and I, that would be cool, too. We really want live under the same roof again.

Ensemble of the Month *

Off the shoulder top, of course. Basic black will do.


Skinny jeans are all the rage, you know. Especially amongst chillun who never experienced the skinny jeans of the 80's and early 90's because they a.) had not been conceived yet or b.) were merely toddlers.


Any color high top Reebok kicks that were popular when I was in kindergarten. Though I believe red and black were the only colors available 2 decades ago. Thank goodness yellow and orange and pink are available now. For 20 years I was worried and stressed that I may never own a yellow pair of Reebok high tops. Serenity now.


Jewelry that screams you are five years old at heart.



*NOTE: This is NOT the ensemble of the month. I am totally kidding and just wanting to vent about fashion absurdities in our present time. Great music came from the 80's. Great fashion did not. Not that I am trendy or an elitist fashionista but COME ON. I'm just looking forward to the day when skinny jeans are no longer popular amongst the masses. **shudder** They came and went in the 80's and early 90's. (Thank goodness for the grunge scene right?) Fashion trends are cyclical so they're bound to get the hell out of society again. For the benefit of society, might I add. If you are a skinny jean wearing guy/gal, please watch your muffin top. I thank you kindly.

SO OVER IT

I am over being a homeowner.

So completely over it.

We've owned our house for over a year and I still haven't painted one wall.

Not one.

This was what I was most excited about, too. At the beginning. Now I don't want to ivest any money/effort into what may become a rental property.

And our backyard is still a mess. I know if we are to rent the house out I should attempt to make the backyard presentable and a safe haven for little children buuuuutttt I lack desire to make any progress in reseeding the grass and clearing out rocks. Sucks to be the kids in the family that may move in in the future. They can play in sparse rocks and dirt and dying bermuda grass. And they can learn to water grass at an early age since what exists of our lawn does not have an underground sprinkler system. Too bad, suckers. Give those kids some responsibility, they are too spoiled nowadays anyway.

And the homeowners warranty= another added yearly expense. I hate it. That is an airplane ticket to Europe right there.

I am actually looking forward to regressing and moving into an apartment if (and when) I move up to Utah with Clark. Maybe it is "throwing away money." Call it what you wanna call it, I'm tired of owning a house. Too much work/money involved in this aspect of the "American Dream." And it is way too easy to accumulate unnecessary items/furniture/crap with a house and lots of space.

Maybe I'm just tired of material things and tired of striving to achieve the American Dream and need to find a cabin in the woods and live in minimalist spledor. I've always wanted to.

Apology

I'm sincerely sorry Arizona, for all of the stupid and silly things I've ever posted about you being hell on Earth.

You're not. Sometimes you feel like it but you're not. Shame on me for exploiting your bouts of extreme heat.

The weather is beautiful. I love it. I was about to go insane and then all of a sudden the temperature dropped into the 80's. I can walk outside without breaking a sweat now. I can even run in the middle of the day.

Perfection.

I'll try not to trash talk you when next summer rolls around. Because I know it's five months of miserable heat and seven months of gorgeous weather. That's a pretty good trade off. (Maybe only four months of miserable heat??? I stop counting after the first hot month and just look forward to fall.)

And plus, I really have to enjoy you now since I may not be around to enjoy every single month of mild weather.

Don't dupe me, Arizona. Keep the temp mild and the air pressure low. I really don't want to take back my apology.

Love, Rachel

PS, some rain would be nice. Maybe some thunder and lightening, too. We didn't have a fantastic monsoon season this year. Just a thought. But I don't want to push my luck.

How I Roll on a Saturday Night

Six Pack. Everything tastes better in a bottle.


This is hard for me to put down right now.


But I did so I could watch a movie and get loads of caramel cemented between my teeth.


Mood music for???


Well cooking is never complete without good tunes. Does boiling tortellini = cooking? In my book it does.


Thank goodness for simple preparations.


Yes, I like tomatoes. A lot.


The one thing missing: a husband for company.


If Clark had been here, Saturday night would have been complete and perfect. Though I would have had to make two containers of the tortellini because I finished off every last stuffed noodle like a starving hound dog. And did I mention my 14 mile run went amazingly well? It did, hence the need for a six pack and milk duds.

No Thanks

Thanks but no thanks, I will not be vaccinated against the H1N1. Come what may, I simply refuse. I don't know everything regarding the matter, but I've done a little research.

Thimerosal, the preservative found in the newly formulated vaccine, frightens me. I know I have most likely been exposed to it since I was vaccinated against Hep B as a wee child, but I don't want no mo' in my body. There are way too many disconcerting links to neurological disorders.

Oh, and it was banned from from most countries 20 years ago BUT NOT the US of A? Go figure.

http://www.naturalnews.com/011764.html

Also, the mere fact that the vaccine has been formulated within MONTHS frightens me as well. The efficacy and safety of the H1N1 vaccine has not even been truly proven. Yikes.

I'm not an expert or a doctor, BUT COME ON. Very unnerving information.

And preggo women or women planning on having babies, take a gander at this article:

http://www.naturalnews.com/027019_H1N1_pregnant_women_mercury.html

Now don't get me wrong. I still get the annual flu vaccine( because I have to). And I still get the flu yearly anyway. But at least the flu vaccine I receive comes in a prefilled syringe and does not contain preservatives (though it is manufactured with Thimerosal, it undergoes a purification process so that by the time the vaccine is injected into your muscle, YOU DON'T GET A SURPRISE PRESERVATIVE). And yes, the vaccine Fluarix underwent legitimate clinical trials.

Maybe I'm being risky with my own health, but I'm not an 85 year old with an extensive medical history and compromised immune system and I'm definitely not a vulnerable fetus. And for the past 25 years of my life I've gotten the flu at least once a year regarless of vaccinations and I'm doin aight.

Any thoughts on this issue?? I know it is a controversial topic but I'm curious as to what ya'll think.