Good News
My mom was supposed to be having chemo tomorrow. Our whole family was kind of messed up about it - we were encouraging her to do it, of course, but every treatment has been taking just a little more of her. It's been hard to watch. But it's been harder to realize that this chemo was going to put her out of commission right when the babies are coming. I think that hurt her even more than it hurt us.
My parents saw the oncologist yesterday morning, and learned that he decided to cancel her sixth and final treatment, and move on to radiation as soon as she's strong enough (and as soon as they can get her in). They're confident that they've killed all the cancer cells with the first five treatments. Which means that she's done chemo! It's a milestone we've been anticipating for so many months, it's kind of hard to believe that it's here.
It means so many things for us... It means that she's not going to lose her hair that's starting to grow back in. It means that she's going to be healthy enough to help with the babies. It means that there's still a tiny hope she might be done radiation before Christmas. As strange and theologically unsound as this may be to say, it feels like evidence that God hasn't forgotten about our family, and that he didn't screw up when he chose these babies' due dates. It's GOOD NEWS.
I hosted my mom, my sister, my aunts and my cousin, and my grandma for lunch yesterday. It ended up being a little celebration, because of my mom's news. My dad came in for a while when he dropped off my mom, and I missed seeing my parents smile like that - not just a laughing-at-a-joke smile, but the kind that's shining with hope and joy.
Later, Geoff and I met up with a few friends from the Athens Joints in Motion team and had dinner at Pizzeria Gusto (still one of my very favourite dinner spots). It was fun just to catch up with them - we heard all about Brad & Laura's wedding plans, and met Tara's boyfriend, and planned our next mini-reunion.
Now, I'm off to Cocoon for lunch (just can't stay away - hehe), then I have a pedicure and a bikini wax booked for this afternoon (too much information?). Geoff and I are heading over to Reynold & Tammy's for coffee tonight for our one-year marriage check-in (Reynold is the pastor who married us). I'm thinking that if I'm knocked up, things are probably going okay... But it will be fun to hang out with them - they're expecting Baby #2 later in November.
Labels: Cocoon, Family, Joints in Motion, The C Word
Talk to the Expert
So I'm the featured guest speaker at the Running Room tonight. Each week, they bring in an expert to talk to their 'Learn to Run' clinic class about a different topic - and apparently I'm the 'expert' on active living with a chronic disease. (I know, I know - I laughed when I found out too.)
My plan is to share my story about growing up with arthritis, living with fibromyalgia, and participating in Joints in Motion. From there, I can definitely pull out a few principles that could apply to anyone - diseased or not.
I'm not really feeling *too* nervous about it, except that I have absolutely no idea what kinds of people will be at this clinic. And whenever I get up to speak and share my story with a bunch of strangers, I'm scared that it will come across as 'oh, look at the poor sick girl' and not 'hey, I can do that too' - which is definitely more what I'm going for. That, and my not-so-secret agenda to get some of these folks to consider signing up for Joints in Motion.
Anyway. Please send some positive energy in my general direction around 6 pm this evening. It's proving to be a long Monday, and I think I'll need it :)
Labels: Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Joints in Motion
A Happy Coincidence
Today was a low day. They just happen sometimes. I'm not really sure what to blame it on, and I'm not really sure that I want to.
I want to be better at my life. I want to be a perfect wife. I want all my clients to be happy. I want my house to be spotless. I want my bank account to look different than it does. I want to like the way I look. I want to have more time for my friends. I want to find some time for me again. I want to care less about disappointing others. I want my to-do list to get shorter, not longer.
I'm incredibly imperfect, and I'm incredibly tired of hurting. And the latest, greatest solution that I started on this past weekend is making me feel fuzzy - lousy timing, because I have so many writing projects to tackle at work right now. Nothing like trying to be creative on a tight timeline when your brain feels like it's made of oatmeal and you're acutely aware of every muscle and joint in your body that hurts.
Alas, no rapid miracle cure again this time. I hate this sinking feeling in my stomach that maybe there's no cure at all. Maybe the problem is me, and the solution is to adjust to this new reality. But that means putting an end to all this fighting - and the fight has formed so much of my identity that it's not really an option to me at all. My tired, fuzzy brain today actually paused to wonder if maybe the fighting is making me worse, and not better.
I should be sleeping, but I'm to busy obsessing about all the things that didn't get done today. My to-do list for work tomorrow is scaring me, and the current state of my kitchen is embarrassing. It's that moment (you know the one I'm talking about) where I must decide where my priorities lie - with stuff or with sleep.
Ugh. I know the correct answer.
But quickly, before I do, a story from today that made me grin from ear to ear... One of my clients (one of my favourites... shhh!) approached me to help him develop a community relations campaign for a charity project he's tackling this coming year. I lit up for two reasons. The first is that developing these types of campaigns is absolutely one of my very favourite parts of my job, and something I don't get to do every day. The second is that he told me about this project of his - and he's doing Joints in Motion! After I told him the two-sentence version of my history with the program, we both laughed. It got even funnier when we discovered that the location he's picked is one that Geoff and I have shortlisted. And then I had the enormous privilege of hearing a little bit of his story about why he's doing this and who he's running for. It was just one of those moments that made me so sure that I'm where I'm supposed to be, and that there is so much good left in this world.
Even my fuzzy brain and my tired, hurting heart could see clearly that the fight is not over yet. Not even close. Not until the fat lady sings. And that's not happening anytime soon, because I need to start training for another race :)
Labels: Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Can You Handle The Truth?, Cocoon, Joints in Motion, My Life
Fun on a Friday
Geoff and I had a great time tonight, reconnecting with some of the Joints in Motion team from Athens at Pasta la Vista. Lots of laughter, lots of stories and pictures, and LOTS of motivation for me to get active again! Both Tara and Lana have tried to coerce me into trying out their gyms, and Lana was pushing hard for us to come do the Fargo half-marathon in May. UGH. I don't know if I'm there yet, but I'll definitely think about it. One of the great bonuses that's come from Joints in Motion has been exposure to these incredible people who live such amazing, active lives.
Back Row: Lana, Laura, and Tara (full marathoners), Geoff & Me (10K walkers represent!) / Front Row: Fred (cheer team), Julie (full marathoner), Lynn & Chris (trainers extraordinaire)And... SURPRISE! In between work and dinner, I stopped in to see Kevyn and cut off all my hair :)
Labels: Joints in Motion, My Friends, My Life
Friday Smile
A less traditional Friday Smile for you today... I just received the 2008-2009 Joints in Motion destination plans in my inbox today, and it made me smile - partly because I really want to do another one, and partly because I know that for every person who signs up for one of these amazing destinations, we are one step closer to finding a cure.
Without further ado, here they are (tentative for now)...
September 2008 - Maui, Hawaii
Full and Half Marathon
Fundraising Goal approx $6,000
*Aloha!
April 2009 - Big Sur, California
21 Mile, 10.6 Mile, 9 Mile & 5K
Fundraising Goal approx $4,500
*Chosen by Runners World magazine as the world's most beautiful course
April 2009 - Country Music Marathon, Nashville
Full and Half Marathon
Fundraising Goal approx $4,000
*Yeehaw!
May 2009 - Trieste, Italy
Full and Half Marathon (Run OR In-Line Skate)
Fundraising Goal approx $6,000
*2 hours NE of Venice, on the Italy/Slovenia border
July 2009 - Gold Coast Marathon, Australia
Full and Half Marathon, 10K Run, 7.5K Walk
Fundraising Goal approx $10,000
*We'll throw 'er on the barbie, mates!
And it's not too late to join in some of the remaining 2007/2008 destinations:
Great Wall, China - May 2008
Edinburgh, Scotland - May 2008
Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - August 2008
Machu Picchu, Peru - August 2008
Walt Disney World, Florida - September 2008
Negril, Jamaica - December 2008
Walt Disney World, Florida - January 2009
Labels: Friday Smile, From My Inbox, Joints in Motion
Pictures - Lots of 'Em!
When it rains, it pours. For those of you wanting to catch up on the last six weeks of my life in pictorial form, you are in for a treat tonight! Make yourself a cup of tea first, though. And pace yourself. I've picked through the hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of pictures I had to choose from, and there are still LOTS for you to wade through if you so choose.
Click here for pictures from Joints in Motion in Athens.
Click here for pictures from our Athens vacation time.
Click here for pictures from Part One of our cruise:
Mykonos, Greece and Kusadasi & Ephesus, Turkey.
Click here for pictures from Part Two of our cruise:
Patmos, Rhodes, Lindos, Crete & Santorini, Greece.
Click here for pictures from our time in London.
And last but certainly not least... Wedding pictures! Here's
Part One and
Part Two, because I had a really hard time narrowing them down. (Thanks, Kristen, for doing such amazing work! We love them.)
So there you go! Enjoy. I've certainly enjoyed experiencing every moment that is captured here, and I'm so excited to share them with you :)
Labels: Greece, Joints in Motion, London, My Life, Photos, Travel, Wedding
Day Five
Today began with a 7 am wake-up call, a quick breakfast, and then a lot of waiting around. We geared up for the marathon, and then met all the other Team Canada 10k-ers in the hotel lobby - a literal sea of bright (s)lime green. Trust me, NO ONE looks good in this colour. But it's so awesome to be able to spot your teammates from a mile away. The full marathon folks left even earlier than us - some as early as 5.15 am - to get to their event. So I really have nothing to complain about!
We left the hotel at 8, then walked 10 blocks to the Olympic Stadium, which was the start and finish to our race. And then we waited... In the rain. The official race start was at 9.30, and by then I was SO ready to go. Something about being in the middle of that huge group of people, all hyped up and ready to go - it makes waiting almost unbearable.
Geoff and I started strong and - I'm VERY pleased to say - passed a whole slew of green pinnies. And it must have been a good pace, because we kept it steadily right to the end. The first 5k was uphill, sometimes a gradual incline and sometimes not very gradual at all. That's the bad news. The good news is that what we learned in science class was indeed true: what goes up must come down. And we enjoyed turning around and returning the final 5k downhill. Around the halfway point, Geoff and I were joined by a lady from BC named Theresa. Theresa and I had actually connected by email over the last couple of months, talking about training and walking tips. It was so awesome to actually get to walk the race with her.
The weather was absolutely perfect: cloudy, 17 degrees, a slight breeze, and on-and-off drizzle. Unfortunately, this also happened to make sections of the road slippery, and I spent about 2k close to the end trying very hard not to slip. I'm feeling some of those muscles tonight (skating muscles, it feels like), from tensing up and over-compensating.
When we were around the 9k mark, we started to hear all kinds of commotion behind us. Sure enough, it was the first-place full marathon runner, being escorted by police, news crews, and even a helicopter. It was very, very cool to be so close and cheer him on as he ran right past us toward his record-setting finish. We were psyched. Right up until we neared the gates to the Olympic Stadium, the grand finish line in sight. When we got there, the marathon officials informed us that we were finished, because they'd needed to clear the finish line for the full marathoners and we'd missed our 90-minute cutoff point to finish. It was momentarily very disappointing, but I sucked it up and realized pretty quickly that we'd accomplished what we came to do - we just missed the cool fancy stuff at the end. We still received our completion medals. And although we were not eligible to receive an *official* race time, Theresa had attached a pedometer / timer to her water bottle holder, and so we have our unofficial official time. A kind of heartbreaking 1 hour, 30 minutes, and 46 seconds. Heartbreaking, that is, until I realized that that's a pretty killer 10k time for a walker! A million thanks to Geoff and Theresa for keeping me moving, especially when I hit my wall of absolute exhaustion around 7k. I didn't need to stop once, and they kept me talking and laughing through the whole thing.
After the finish - following all kinds of typical JIM hoopla - we stayed for a bit, then headed back to the hotel to shower and change and find some lunch. Later, we returned to the stadium, where I got to accomplish one of my major goals for this trip: cheering in my Team Canada teammates, including Jen who was the very last person to complete the full marathon at just over 7 hours. For once, it wasn't the other way around. And it felt so good.
Believe it or not, I still had some energy left (I said SOME...), so Geoff and I headed from the stadium to the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, then set out on a mission to find Lindsay some Starbucks. This has been a goal of mine since we arrived here (this girl NEEDS her coffee and I was rapidly entering a state of withdrawal), and today we finally managed to hunt one down. I have never enjoyed a caramel macchiato more in my life.
At 7 pm, we met the whole team for our Victory Celebration Dinner, which was lots of fun. We all received grecian olive wreaths to wear during dinner, which made us all look RIDICULOUS (but it was a little bit fun). Every single JIM participant crossed their finish line today, so we had a lot to celebrate.
And now, finally, I can SLEEP. And Lindsay needs her sleep. It's been a long, emotional day - but such a good one. My body is tired and my legs feel about 79 years old (a vast improvement over my past two JIM adventures, but STILL). But my heart is so happy.
I wish I could explain what JIM means, but unless you've been here, I don't think you can know. Today was incredible, and I had been expecting nothing less. The people who take on the challenge of successfully completing a JIM project are very special, and when you get them all in the same place with a common goal - it's a kind of magic, I think. It really makes you realize that there's a lot of good left in the world, and that if you are truly determined, anything is possible. So many of them were not runners until they signed up to do this earlier this year, and the smiles on their faces when they hobbled into our celebration dinner this evening pretty much say it all.
Geoff's already asking where we're going next. And who are we kidding... I may take a break, but I'm not finished yet. There's still no cure, and I still haven't RUN one of these things :)
We're meeting up with about 15 other JIMers to leave on our cruise tomorrow morning at 8. On to Phase Two of this amazing, fabulous adventure...
Labels: Greece, Joints in Motion, My Life, The Boy, Travel
Day Four
Today started with another amazing breakfast. It's such a good thing that we ended up in a good breakfast hotel... Geoff and I are both pretty serious breakfast people, and it's a nice start to our days here. Today, we ended up at a table with Brad - the Global photographer on this trip - and his wife, and a girl named Christine from Ontario who is running tomorrow and has arthritis herself.
From there, we set out on a capital-A adventure to go find the Marathon Registration building on the outskirts of Athens (I was registered with the JIM group, but Geoff registered himself - so we needed to go pick up his race kit on our own). All we knew was that it was called the Olympic Complex sometimes, and sometimes the Hellinikon Centre, that it was close to a blue bridge, and that the Olympic fencing event had been held there in 2004. And that it *might* be blue. Awesome. We tried out the tram for the first time and actually found it with no problems at all. It helped that - once we got close - we just followed the giant mob of skinny people in white running shoes. It was about a 45 minute ride each way, and almost half of that was along the Aegean Sea shoreline, past beaches and palm trees and waterfront cafes - and all kinds of wonderful things that we totally don't have at home.
From there, we came back to Athens and hopped on the metro to go to the National Archaeological Museum. It was a very big building full of lots and lots of really old stuff, excavated from all over Greece and dating back to around 7,000 BC. Geoff was totally enthralled by this bronze gear mechanism thing - technology that looked as intricate as a wrist-watch, and it predated Jesus by about 80 years. I think what impacted me the most was how NORMAL all their stuff was. These people thousands of years ago went about their everyday lives using tools that we still use today, and jewellery that seriously did not look that old or strange. And the dedication they showed to their art - the intricate details coaxed out of clumsy materials that would have taken years to complete.
By midafternoon, yesterday's busyness - and this week's jetlag - totally caught up with me and I was DONE. We headed back to the hotel so I could get a quick nap in. Totally didn't happen because SOMEONE who shall remain nameless fell asleep before I did and snored so loudly that sleep was not an option for me. Argh. It gave me time to go over my speech and make sure my hair was cute. But SERIOUSLY.
:)
At 4.30, more than 100 of us met for the official Team Canada picture, and from there we headed into the Hero Celebration Dinner (pasta party). As always, it was so good to meet more of the team, and it really focused the whole group on why we're here and why it's so important. All the people who have raised more than $10,000 for JIM so far were honoured, and I was a little surprised by my total - $22,500. Amazing. We've come so far since these projects started in 2001, and it made me so grateful for all my family and friends who've been such an incredible support. Our team in Athens raised $671,000, and JIM has raised more than $23 million since it started in Canada in 1999. It's amazing what all our small accomplishments add up to. I know that $23 million has made a HUGE impact on arthritis research in this country. I wish that all of you could come along on a JIM trip to see all of this happening first-hand, because it's incredibly difficult to explain what it means.
At the dinner, I got to share my story, and - ARGH - I cried way too much again. I blame the jet lag.
And then came the evening's special surprise - a pep talk from Jeff Galloway (very, very cool if you're a running geek). He had lots of insight on the course itself, and on the historical significance of this race. I still think it's creepy that the messenger guy DIED at the end, but whatever. I'm sure tomorrow will be fine :)
So after a Team Manitoba meeting, we're winding down for the day (it's around 9 pm here). Feeling not-so-great about tomorrow - I'm in lots and lots of pain today and pretty tired - but I know it's about getting up, putting on my shoes, and doing my best. My worst fear (finishing dead last) happened in Lausanne, so I feel like there's nothing to lose tomorrow. Plus, Yvonne's here from BC (Mom knows what I mean), and I'm pretty sure I can kick her ass :)
The 10K starts at 9.30 tomorrow. I know it's the middle of the night there, but I'm sure if you say a little prayer for us today, the message will get here.
Labels: Greece, Joints in Motion, My Life, The Boy, Travel
Day Three
This morning was ROUGH. Especially because Lindsay had a little time change mix-up and was halfway ready before Geoff kindly pointed out that it was still the middle of the night. Ugh. In my defense, we have a room with no windows at all, and it's black as midnight in there in the middle of the day. Which kind of brings us back to the sleep/time sensory deprivation torture we were discussing earlier...
We got up for real around 7.30, in time for our Team Canada meeting downstairs at the hotel. It was loooong, but we got some good info out of it from our tour organizer and national coordinator. I think it just felt long because we were just about literally dying for breakfast. But the wait was worth it - the hotel put out an unbelievable breakfast buffet, and Geoff was smiling again.
Once we were full, we set out for the Acropolis. It was very hot, very crowded, and very lots of stairs and hills. Makes me respect all the people I know who've visited during warmer months, and busier tourist seasons (though I know there are lots of people in town for the marathon this weekend). It was only supposed to be 24 degrees today, but under the sun up there, it felt insane. Add in the glare off the white marble that's everywhere up there... Kind of overwhelming. I was glad for the over-priced (warm) water I'd purchased before our ascent. I'm not really sure how to describe what we saw up there. The history is kind of overwhelming. The renovations they made to *update* and *modernize* the place were completed 400 years before Jesus was born. That's kind of crazy to a Canadian girl, whose country has only existing for a tiny fraction of that time. One of my books said that Greece recently celebrated its 2,500-year anniversary of democracy. That history, and the realization that this society has been here for such a long time, made it such a beautiful place to me. And the views of the city were spectacular. Until I realized that I'd earned that view by climbing stairs and steep hills - and I'd need to go back down again.
Before our descent, we took in the Parthenon, the Theatre of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Athena Nike - and all kinds of other really old stuff. The theatre were especially interesting to me, having studied theatre history in university.
From there, we explored the Ancient Agora - essentially, Athens' main mall and 'downtown' from around 600 BC. Lots of cool stuff here, all old and crumbly. The most interesting thing to Geoff and I was the wall the Romans built out of pieces of all the Greeks' important monuments. Kind of incredibly mean. I'm sure the Americans would call it 'repurposing' or something equally PC.
It took a little bit of effort to locate the Herakleidon visual arts museum, the next place to cross off our list. Again, our hunt was well worth it. The neighbourhood was super-cool, and the museum's exhibits were excellent. Their claims to fame are their permanent Escher and Vasarely exhibits, and they had a special showing of Frank Scavullo celebrity photographs. I absolutely loved it. Definitely my style - and speed - of art.
From there, we saw a whole bunch of things in kind of quick succession:
- The Monastiraki flea market area
- Hadrian's Library
- The Roman Agora
- The Tower of the Winds
- More of the Plaka
- The National Garden
In lots of these sites, museum employees spent most of their time yelling at tourists for stepping or sitting on old rocks in the ground. Funny, until you look around and see how stairs and columns made of marble and solid rock are smooth and totally worn away by millions of hands and feet over thousands of years. Kind of put things in perspective for me - my brain is still trying to process all of what I'm looking at. OLD to me just doesn't mean THIS old. I knew in my head that things THIS old existed, but it's something else entirely to see it and touch it (or not touch it, when the museum employees are watching).
Geoff took pictures all day. It's kind of hurting me to have to wait to post some of them. Though we'll need to edit them, because he's been taking pictures of stray dogs and cats - and one turtle - ALL DAY. And mocking my fear of birds. It's been rough. I had one bird in particular who was after me at lunch, without a doubt. I kept on kicking at it to keep it away, and Geoff kept on telling me not to kick it. It was obviously pure self-defence.
Everything here seems to shut down by the early evening (and 'evening' can mean 2 pm here). Around 6, we went to the main city square - admittedly, in seach of Starbucks. We did not find Starbucks, but we did find The Shopping Street - literally block after block after block of stores, from quirky little one-offs to major label stores that Lindsay cannot afford, even when the honeymoon excuse is factored into my shopping math. Lots of fun to window-shop, though, and I did get my coffee after all.
And that's pretty much our crazy-full day! It's 9 pm now, and I'm pretty much ready to crash again. Just needed to get this all out of my head before it disappears.
Tomorrow, the real JIM stuff starts - including race registration and the Team Canada pasta party that I'll be speaking at.
Labels: Greece, Joints in Motion, My Life, The Boy, Travel
Day Two
Our Toronto - Zurich flight was so full of kids, I'm not really sure how to describe it. No question, the loudest flight I've ever been on. But there was this funny little girl who kept on turning herself upside down instead of walking through the line in the terminal, and frustrating her parents - much to our amusement. Come to think of it, it probably wasn't that funny. We were just extremely sleep-deprived at this point.
On the flight, they were showing a European version of America's Funniest Home Videos, which was probably not funny - but seemed like the funniest thing in the world while we were watching it. Again, sleep deprived. Which also happens to be one of the torture methods I've been reading about...
The dry stupid airplane environments also caught up to me on this flight - and I got a nosebleed about half an hour into the flight. EW. It turned into all kinds of drama because we were close to the front of the plane, and the drink cart had *just* passed us. Meaning that the path to the 'regular' class washroom was totally blocked. I got up and asked a flight attendant if I could please use the first class washroom, explaining the situation despite his crappy English. Apparently, this was a HUGE deal. He finally let me, but made it VERY clear that this was an exception. Excuuuuse me. Anyway. The situation ended sans drama, but it was kind of a weird, un-Lindsay-like little mini-adventure.
By 3 pm, we were checked into our hotel, and allowed ourselves 20 minutes for a catnap. Totally against the rules of international travel, but we were SO tired.
After that, we were ready to explore our new neighbourhood. Well, really we were just ready to sleep. But a little walking tour distracted us from that for a little while. We checked out the nearby Plaka neighbourhood - full of tiny cobblestone streets packed tightly with shops and restaurants, mostly really touristy. The area is kind of tucked between the Temple of Zeus (which is across the street from our hotel) and the base of the Acropolis. Very cool, because it makes it extremely difficult to get lost - these sites are so incredibly high up, you can see them from almost anywhere.
We also found the Aeropagus, which was basically just a big rock with stairs up almost to the top. We climbed it (me with a little bit of coaxing), and the view made the effort worth it. This rock is where the first homicide court was held, and it's also where Paul used to preach and convert people to Christianity.
From there we walked for a while and, despite all the tall monuments, we found ourselves a tiny little bit lost - and it was started to rain. On top of that, some of Athens' wild dogs decided they'd like to join us on our walk (Lindsay was largely unimpressed). We turned down a narrow side street, and found ourselves outside a restaurant boasting a full Greek menu and an umbrella-covered rooftop patio with an incredible view of the Acropolis. Sold. And totally worth the FOUR FLIGHTS OF STAIRS to the top. Ugh. Geoff bravely sampled the stuffed lamb, and I stuck with moussaka and calamari. All amazing. We were so full, but decided that we still needed to try the baklava for dessert - and it was so incredible. Geoff suggested adding an exclamation point to that last sentence. The baklava was that good.
(!)
We walked back to the hotel in the rain - the LONG way, kind of unintentionally - and 'crashed' would be an understatement...
Labels: Greece, Joints in Motion, My Life, The Boy, Travel
Day One
(Bear with me... I have a little bit of a pet peeve against people who go on and on about their vacations, all self-obsessive and annoying. Unfortunately for you, this site is primarily my personal journal - and so it's up to you whether you want to read or not :)
Geoff's friend Alan drove us to the airport on Wednesday morning. No big adventures, which is always a good thing when you're at an airport. It was Halloween, so I wore my cat ears (purchased especially for this occasion). I pretty much got winked and meowed through security. A little creepy, but I had amazing service all day. I'm pretty sure I could have smuggled ANYTHING with those ears on.
At the airport, we met up with Chris (the JIM coordinator and trainer for our team) and four other women who were travelling to Athens with us for the race. We were only with them until Toronto, though - for some reason, Geoff and I were the only people on the Manitoba team who flew through Zurich. Everyone else flew through Frankfurt - and we beat them to the hotel in Athens by a good 5 or 6 hours.
The only *real* adventure we had in the air was a medical quasi-emergency in the middle of the night, somewhere between Toronto and Zurich. An older (okay, forget politically correct - OLD) woman on the plane started feeling sick and was disoriented and clammy and shaky. Her husband and the flight attendants reacted quickly - and kind of over-reacted - and it turned out she'd just been late taking some meds. But it all resulted in lights on and loud talking, interrupting our only chance for sleep. Awesome. I'm glad she's okay, but SERIOUSLY. It made for a long day on Thursday.
I hate long flights. I always forget how much I hate them, but I really do. I'm cool for about four or five hours, and then the full-on claustrophobia sets in and I have to concentrate on breathing properly and think about as many other things as I can. On this flight, I had lots of TV episodes to distract me: The Office, Arrested Development, Entourage. And a great book that I started reading just before our trip: The Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein). Reading about torture and unethical psychological experiments really kind of put my flight panic into perspective. Until I got to the chapter that talked about how depriving people of a sense of time makes them go crazy, and I realized that - with the time changes - we'd totally missed an entire night. And that made me a little crazy again :)
Labels: Greece, Joints in Motion, My Life, The Boy, Travel
Identity Crisis
It's official. Geoff and I are registered for Athens. Kind of excited and exhausted and terrified all at the same time, because that means I need to get my ass in gear to be able to run the 10K four months from now. I did all the sign-up stuff online last night, which ended up being super-funny because I had to do it all with this strange name - because by the time we're travelling, I'll be married and will no longer be Lindsay Hildebrandt.
And I completely forgot that they'd instructed me to do that, because I had another weird moment this morning when I checked my email and I had a message confirming travel details for Lindsay Wright. I was like 'WHO?!' And then it all connected again, but it was still strange. Even though that change is still three months away, I've had a few moments today where I think I've been mourning the loss of ME just a little bit. I'm so excited to marry Geoff, but it's a little bit funny to think that my name is going to be different. I have a lot invested in being me (and at least some of it is good!).
Another weird thing that happened yesterday... I stopped at Superstore after work to pick up a few things, and I had midway through my shopping when I heard this announcement over the intercom: 'All shoppers and employees should evacuate the building immediately. Please remain calm and move quickly to the nearest exit.' Apparently, there was a gas leak or something... Anyway. I went next door to Rona and picked up some Tim's and looked around for a half-hour, then returned to Superstore (which had since reopened). Call me crazy, but I had been almost done my shopping and I did NOT feel like starting all over again somewhere else - and having to go to two or three different stores to pick up all the random things I could get in one stop at Superstore.
I walked to the deli section and retrieved my basket from the floor, exactly where I'd left it - and had an awesome time zipping through the almost-empty store in record time. It was kind of surreal to walk through the aisles with randomly abandoned carts and baskets left all over the place. Almost like the rapture or something. (Do all Superstore shoppers go to heaven?)
Labels: Joints in Motion, My Life, Wedding
Training Day
Today was the day I planned to start training for my 10K. The formal training doesn't start until August 31, but I need to be able to run a mile by then... And I can't run a mile. Not even close.
I woke up this morning and the sun was streaming in through my window. I lay there and smiled as I thought to myself, 'What a perfect day to begin training!' I lay there for a minute or two and imagined myself running across the finish line four and a half months from now. And then I began my morning ritual of wiggling all of my limbs and extremities in turn, trying to assess the damage. Ooh... Not good.
It's one of those days where I wanted to cry. I want to run a 10K to raise money for The Arthritis Society that will find treatments for this disease - or a cure. You'd imagine that the universe would be going out of its way to help me accomplish this goal. But alas, that's not the way the universe works.
And because I understand that, I didn't cry. I got up, got dressed, and went to work. I went to work in my comfy shoes, so that I can go on a nice long walk during my lunch break. Because I can still walk - and not being able to run today is not a reason to sit and feel sorry for myself.
And I'll try again tomorrow.
Labels: Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Joints in Motion, My Life
REALLY Overwhelmed
I just received an email in my Inbox from someone involved with Wednesday night's event, a prominent Winnipeg businessman. He let me know that he'd be sending a cheque to The Arthritis Society on Monday for $4,000 to help me finish my fundraising for my next marathon.
I don't have words to describe how I'm feeling right now. I need to do the math, but that just might have been enough to put me over the top of my fundraising goals - which would mean that I can focus solely on (much needed) physical preparations for the run. Any money that people donate now will be icing on the cake.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing. My entire week has been full of happy surprises. I am so very blessed.
Labels: Fundraising, Joints in Motion, My Life, The Arthritis Society
Overwhelmed
That's really the only word to describe how I'm feeling today... Last night was incredible. Honestly, one of the most meaningful events I've ever had the privilege of being involved with.
About a month ago, I agreed to speak at The Arthritis Society's first annual Celebrity Roast night, being held in honour of Charlie Spiring, CEO of Wellington West. Last night, I did NOT feel like doing it. I'm still feeling kind of sick, I'm exhausted from a combination of engagement / return to work / jetlag / fibromyalgia, and I didn't want to do it. I had to give myself a pretty big pep talk before I went inside. It helped so much to have my mom there to encourage me too. Talking to yourself always appears *slightly* less insane when there's someone else in the car.
I presented my story as the evening's keynote speaker. It's amazing to me that I still get choked up talking about my experiences - getting sick, getting sick again, my fight to be normal, my Joints in Motion projects, the support of my family and friends, and my hope for a cure. I wasn't polished. But I was honest and authentic. And I know that people - no matter how fancy shmancy they may be (and there were many of Winnipeg's who's-who in the crowd last night) - respond to that.
The evening was a genuinely good time. The speakers were hilarious, intelligent, and extremely witty. The food was amazing. And The Arthritis Society raised a heck of a lot of money, which made everyone's huge efforts absolutely worth it. I was very proud to be able to help out for such an important cause and a successful event.
I talked to so many people after - people who were encouraged, people who were inspired, people who had been quietly and secretly living with arthritis for years and who were finally set free and ready to talk about it. And at the end of the night, those people dug into their wallets and brought me almost $1,200 closer to my fundraising goal for Greece. Amazing.
Oh, and Ace Burpee came to find me after my speech to inform me of the fact that I am one of the funniest people in Winnipeg. Which would have made my night all on its own. Take THAT, Chuck and Kyle. (My charming co-workers have spent months telling me that I'm not funny. They rarely even smile when I crack a joke. They just sit there, look at each other, look at me, and then shake their heads. They actually keep track of the *actually* funny things I say, because they think it happens so rarely... I know. My life is so traumatic.)
Labels: Fundraising, Joints in Motion, My Life, The Arthritis Society
Garage Sale Announcement
Some of you know about this, but I have not been very healthy the last week or two. I've made a decision to postpone the Garage Sale we'd planned for this weekend.
I'll definitely still be doing a Garage Sale, just not for a couple of weeks. So you have a couple of options... Feel free to save up your stuff to donate then, drop it off at my place already - or drive it over to Steve and Esther's place. They're doing a Garage Sale at the end of May to raise money for their foreign adoption costs and for the orphanage their kids are living at right now. It's an awesome cause, and I know they'd appreciate your support!
In the meantime, don't forget about the Safeway Tag Day on May 12! It's going to be lots of fun :)
Labels: Fundraising, Joints in Motion
You're It!
I'm signed up to do Tag Day for The Arthritis Society on Saturday, May 12 at the south Osborne Safeway location. All the money I raise goes to my Joints in Motion project.
What's Tag Day? Officially, it's when annoying people trying to raise money for charity hang around outside a grocery store with a box around their neck and ask you for change - and then you 'tag' them with a sticker so that you don't harass them again on their way out. It's not *quite* as horrible as I've described it, but I won't lie - it's TOUGH.
I'm determined to do my Tag Day with a little more style. So here's my idea.
I did my first and only full marathon in 2004, and it took me 8 hours and 27 minutes to walk 26.2 miles. That's a LONG TIME. My idea is to set up a treadmill outside the Safeway entrance, and have friends and family stop by to keep that treadmill going all day - from 9.33 am until 6.00 pm - and demonstrate how much farther we can make it when we're all working together.
We'll still have a table set up for donations (and I'm checking to see if we can sell hot dogs, bring face paints, and some other fun stuff), but we'll have a draw and a story. Plus, I absolutely love the idea of getting all of you involved.
Interested? AWESOME. I need you to email me and sign up! I don't care if you can run 5 miles or if you can walk 5 steps, I just need to know that you're coming. I'm going to be in sweats and sneakers, and I'll help... But I'm going to need all of you to make it all the way.
I'll also need people to come and sit at the table to take donations, for hot dogs and face painting if that happens, and to just hang out and chat with the people who stop by - everyone has a story to tell about how arthritis has affected them or someone they love.
So... Are you in? :)
PS - Don't forget about the Garage Sale happening on April 28!
Labels: Fundraising, Joints in Motion
On Ice
Attention World:
I have 20 tickets for the Moose hockey game on Friday, April 13. I'm selling them for a minimum donation of $15 each (taxes included), and 100% of the money will go to Joints in Motion.
You can pay by cash or by cheque (payable to The Arthritis Society, with my name in the memo line).
Oh, and the April 13 game just happens to be the second-last home game of the season - so the first 10,000 fans will get free thundersticks, and someone in attendance will be walking away with a brand-new 2007 Toyota vehicle.
Interested? Talk to me soon, because these will go fast!
Labels: Events, Fundraising, Joints in Motion
Save the Date
Just a heads-up that the Garage Sale fundraiser for Joints in Motion that was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 31 will now be held on Saturday, April 27.
Gives y'all an extra month to do your spring cleaning :)
Labels: Joints in Motion
Clean for a Cause
To raise money for my upcoming Joints in Motion marathon, I'm planning to hold an Indoor Yard & Bake Sale on Saturday, March 31 in Niverville.
Please take a look around your house this month and consider what you'd love to de-clutter, big and small. It's a perfect opportunity to do some spring cleaning and empty out your closets for a good cause. Remember... It's tacky to re-gift, but it's classy to donate that gift to charity ;)
Give me a call if you'd like someone to pick up your donations in advance, otherwise you can drop them off in Niverville the night before the sale.
Thanks in advance, and happy pre-spring cleaning!
Labels: Events, Joints in Motion, My Life
