Month One Recap - Running, Sock Puddles, Par 3s and a Sense8 Plug

How is it July already? June's collection of sunrises and sunsets felt like a flip book, each day a page, turning so effortlessly! While I am still recovering from years of over stress and under concern for what I really want and need to navigate this topsy turvy life maze, the key word is that I am, without a doubt, recovering. And, I'm just beginning to rustle the dust and debris off my psyche, to see what's been hiding underneath.

Health-wise, I'm back in the habit of taking daily vitamins along with my regular meds, which currently consist of plenty of allergy cure-alls, sine mine have been HORRIBLE this year. My little old lady, days-of-the-week pillbox, featuring adorable lady bug renderings on each day box, has been a huge help informing this daily habit (Thanks, B, for picking up that little treasure for your old lady wife!) I'm drinking more water, and I'm getting a full 8 (plus) hours of sleep each night. I'm also meeting with my therapist every week to help me remember that I am allowed to take this time off for myself, that I am worthy of it, and that it's ok to focus on my wants and needs, first and foremost. She helps me with that pesky negative self-talk and quieting those raucous voices that have a tendency to bucket drum and drone and hiss and tsssk inside the old noggin.

During "week the second", I started incorporating daily workouts, and for the past 3 weeks, I've worked out at least 5 times a week, including a mix of 3-4 outdoor runs (I'm training for the SeaWheeze half marathon in VC, BC this coming August), along with 1-2 interval workouts at OrangeTheory (btw, I am obsessed with OTF! And I can tell it's helping to amp up my running game). On my "off" non-workout days, you'll find me at the driving range or more recently, practicing Yoga at my favorite studio, where I started up again this past week.

I am so happy to be running again, and what's especially great about training for a race and not working is that I can fit in my longer training workouts on my favorite lakeshore paths and trails during the work week (usually heading out around 9 or 10 am) -- which means I can avoid the work crowds and the weekend warriors that pack the trails during the early mornings, evenings, and weekends. It's glorious to have my favorite running paths (almost) all to myself!

I am reading a fair amount, though to be honest, nothing all that noteworthy as of late. I keep my reading list up to date on Goodreads, and if you're a big reader and a Goodreads lover like me, then look me up and we can swap titles. My sister just got me a copy of Gretchen Rubin's new book on forming happy, healthy habits, and I'm looking forward to digging into that. I promised my sister I'd read it before we meet up back in MI later this summer (I'll do my best, E!), so I'll probably get cracking this weekend. The book found its way to me with a perfect sense of timing, since I want to use this time off to form new habits that will bring more peace and satisfaction to my daily life.

Speaking of new habits, aside from the ones I've already mentioned, I am working on embedding a daily/weekly household chore routine into my life (thank you, Pinterest, for helping me to put together what appears to be an eventually manageable maintenance schedule). Right now, I'm hit and miss on locking down the chore endeavor. But, that's ok. I'll get there, and I want to get there, because having a clean, orderly home makes me feel like I am taking care of myself, and Brian, too. For the record, Brian is not "off the hook" with chores even though I'm not working, nor did he expect to be, and he is great about pitching in on the weekends (and is still the go-to chef in our house). But I like being able to take more of the pressure off during the work week now that I have the time, so that when he gets home, we can relax together, free of the visual noise of a sink full of dirty dishes or an abandoned sock puddle on the floor (defn of sock puddle: a pile of socks, usually mine, that builds up at the foot of the couch when I inevitably kick them off while watching TV).

I'm starting to jump into new(ish) hobbies and interests with more fervor than I could muster up during my work work work life. For the past ~4 years or so, I've been a passive learner of golf, with sporadic trips to the driving range, and a loosey goosey commitment to the sport. I've gotten to the point where my driving range record is not always horrible, and B took me to golf my 9 holes at a nearby par 3 course. We opted not to keep score (thank goodness!), and although I lost 6 balls (yeah, that's right -- 6 balls lost on a par 3!), I still had a blast and cannot wait to get out their again for another 'whack' at it. I've got the name of an instructor, so I plan to get in a lesson this July to help me adjust my swing, which I've been told is actually pretty good, but I have a tendency to hit a little left, and as a lefty, this means I'm leaving my club face a bit open. And, now that I've finally been out on a course, I have learned that I need to pay a lot more attention to reading distance and adjusting my swing accordingly -- for the record, my revised new favorite club is the pitching wedge. I knew it was versatile, but now I "get" it with much more clarity than before with all of its pitching and and chipping prowess!

In June, I also took a somewhat unplanned trip home to MI. I've got a big trip planned for late July/early August (for 2+ weeks!), but my grandmother died at the end of May (during my last weeks at work, just to add to the stress of my final days), which lead to this added sojourn to the homeland. Our family opted in favor of a smaller, family affair a few weeks after her death (versus a big church funeral), in part to  allow some of my family abroad more time to arrange and make the trip. The memorial included a really nice family lunch and a visit to the cemetery to visit my grandmother's grave, and the graves of other family members as well. While death is never easy, I'm so happy my grandmother had 99 years on this earth, and I shared just a few small threads from her life in my previous entry.

Let's see, what else in June...Oh yeah, I ate a lot of ice cream and I watched a lot (lot!) of television - so much that I earned an Xbox "achievement" badge for using Netflix 7 days in a row. I didn't even know that was a thing, and I have an inkling that maybe I shouldn't add that achievement to my LinkedIn profile. Yes, I admit I am a completely TV junkie. TV and reading are my reality escape methods of choice. Anyone looking for a summer TV reco? If so, check out Sense8, one of the newest Netflix original series, developed by the famous Wachowskis (of Matrix fame). The series chronicles the lives of 8 people from different walks of life and from around the world, who discover their lives are interconnected across many dimensions, and in extraordinary ways. Their rare and unusual connection is seen as a threat to some circles, and they learn they must work together to stay in tact (e.g. not get killed). The reviews I've read about the series are polarizing, and I fall firmly on the "like" side of the fence, though at times the sex and violence is a bit much for my taste, and it took a good 4-5 episodes to lay the foundation (e.g. a bit of a slow start). I do have to give an especially rave review for whoever is in charge of the music for this series -- powerful stuff! Is Sense8 available as a Pandora Station? I must investigate this!

...And that, my friends, is more or less how I rocked month one. More adventures, big and small, to come!

To Gram, With Love

On May 21, 2015, after 99 years of life, my maternal grandmother, Rose Van Dussen passed away. About a week and ahalf ago, my sister and I traveled home to Portage for a family memorial lunch, and for a trip to Rosedale Memorial Park Cemetery, where my grandmother was laid to rest alongside my grandfather, Russell, who died 20 years ago.


Langeland Family Funeral Home provided my grandmother's final arrangements, and as a part of their service, they put together a very sweet memorial video using photographs that my mother shared, and they also created physical memory books with the photos for my mom and aunt. I'm not sure if the video will be permanently available online, so I wanted to create a little digital memorial on my blog to honor my grandmother. Here are some of the photos (not in chronological order), along with some accompanying tidbits about her life.

Here is a photo of my grandmother when she was a little girl in Manistee, MI. Rose was the oldest daughter to Walter and Cassie Jarka, and she had 3 younger siblings, Kathryn, Robert and Bernice. I don't have a great side-by-side comparison photo, but I can tell you that the family resemblance is strong -- I looked just like my grandmother did at that age!


In 1940, Rose married my grandfather, Russell, a self-made business man, who put himself through college in part by playing piano at bars and jazz clubs. I still remember going to my grandparents as a little kid, and my grandpa would play Tiny Bubbles on the piano, among other musical stylings. My grandfather especially loved a good celebration, and I think he helped to bring my grandmother out of her shell. This photo was likely from a New year's eve celebration, or some other holiday party, maybe even a celebration related to  the family business, American Cordage Co. (formerly on Wealthy St. in Grand Rapids, MI), which my grandfather co-founded. My grandmother was a partner in the family business, and kept the books for the business for many years. How glamorous they both look in this photo!


My grandma enjoyed traveling, and as a family, we took several memorable trips over the years. I earned my International flyer status at the ripe old age of 3, when my grandparents took my parents, sister and me to Spain to visit my aunt (their youngest daughter), uncle and cousins. It would become part of the family lore that, following that trip, I would refuse to swim in lake water, announcing that 'I only swim in the Mediterranean.' We also took trips as a family to Disney World (with my cousins), as well as trips to Vegas (my grandpa loved Black Jack), So Cal, and Hawaii.

My grandma also enjoyed fine dining, cooking, Michigan Football (her brother, Bob, was a wolverine and so am I, of course!), and watching golf. She LOVED Tiger Woods in his heyday! In fact, in the early 2Ks, my grandmother went out and bought a Buick Rendezvous, giddy with the knowledge that Tiger was the Buick spokesperson. My grandmother's guilty little indulgences included ice cream (she could always count on me as her dessert partner!), and a glass of wine or a cold domestic beer.

I was the youngest of the 4 grandchildren, and I loved going up to East Grand Rapids to visit my grandparents. Look at how cute my grandmother and me are in this photo! It's one of my favorites. My grandmother was so proud of all of us grand kids.


Speaking of the grand kids, this photo is of all four of us with my grandmother, my mom and aunt in front of my grandparents' house.They had a charming little house in a beautiful neighborhood, just across the street from Fisk Lake. My grandmother stayed in that house, with the help of her housekeeper, Goldie, the neighbors who looked in on her, and my mother's weekly visits, until well into her 90s. She would eventually move to Portage, where she could be around more people in a retirement assisted living home (and be safer with the medical and care staff close at hand) and where my mom could more easily tend to her and visit with her on most days.


This photo is from my sister's wedding shower in '08, and includes my sister, mom, aunt, and grandmother. While my grandmother was unable to attend my wedding years later, I'm so happy she could be at E's wedding.


Although my grandmother could not attend my and Brian's wedding this past October, we stopped by to visit her on our way back to Minnesota. I feel lucky that Brian got to meet her several times over the years. She loved hearing about our adventures in Chicago, in Austin and eventually in Minneapolis, and I enjoyed telling her about the happenings in our lives.


Gram, I will miss your smile and your spark. You had an undeniable presence, and a certain sass and spirit that can never be matched. Your legacy lives on in your two strong and independent daughters, your four grandchildren and your three (so far) great grandchildren, and I know you loved us all very much. I love you!