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Sharing the Love (of Running...)

Hello again friends!  I am excited to let you know that I entered and won a spot as a guest blogger with Hendricks Regional Health Hospital and Physician Pracitices back in February!!  My "winning" entry posted today and I am thrilled to share it with you: 

Mama Needs a Timeout! 

My posts for the HRH blog will center around running, my training for the Indianapolis Mini Marathon (in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!) as well as future events and figuring out how to balance fitness and a good diet with the demands of being a mom and a wife (and a taxi driver, and a short-order cook, and a referee, and laundromat, and a maid...you get the idea!)   

I will continue to post our family's adventures on this blog so please plan to come back and visit my blogosphere when you can :)  

Lifetime MVP

It's official.  The moment I have been dreading for months has come and gone.  And honestly, it could not have gone better for everyone involved.  We all knew it was coming, but that certainly didn't make it any easier to watch today as Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts parted ways.  Eight months ago, both sides promised us Peyton would retire a Colt - but those nasty "circumstances" they kept referring to during the press conference overwhelmed them, and fans everywhere, until it was painfully evident that this would be the unfortunate result.

I was probably the last person in Indy who was holding onto the .001% chance that they could make this perfect partnership work for Peyton's final 3-4 years.  The way Irsay spoke today, though, it sounds like he may have been right there with me.  I will be the first to admit that I was less than pleased with Mr. Irsay during Super Bowl week when I felt like he hijacked the Super Bowl coverage while publicly disrespecting his franchise quarterback.  Sure, Peyton did his part to fuel the fire, but it felt like Irsay wasn't playing fair.

Watching them both today, though, it is clear that they have a tremendous about of respect for each other, for the game and for this franchise.  Peyton deserves the chance to compete for another championship before he retires and Irsay admitted today that Indianapolis is not in a position to give him that in the next few years. 

Holding Indy's first Super Bowl trophy

As someone who didn't really follow professional football until college (I was previously a die-hard high school football fan because in southeast Indiana, that's all that really matters!), I know I have been spoiled by Peyton's successes both on and off the field and what it's meant to the city I have called home for nearly a decade.  To all the pundits out there, I'm sorry that I can't share the pain of the losing seasons before Peyton but that doesn't make me any less of a fan.  It's true, I became a Colts fan because of Peyton Manning (and his Tennessee roots) but I've loved immersing myself in Colts history over the years.  It pained me to watch Marcus Pollard go to Detroit in 2005.  When Stokley left in 2007, after solidifying his place in Colts history by catching Peyton's then-record-breaking TD, it felt like we were losing a lot more than a third receiver.  Edge - are you kidding me?  Losing Edgerrin James the year before our Super Bowl run was devastating.  When Edge was back in Indy as a Seahawk in 2009 Indy fans gave him a standing ovation before the game and the production guys in charge of the stadium's big screen put together a 2-3 minute highlight reel of James's time in Indy that played at one point during the game.  How many players would receive that kind of respect from a former team and its fans?  I am so proud to be part of a city that loves it's athletes! 

Watching legends leave, the first-ballot hall-of-famer caliber legends we have grown accustomed to, is so much harder.  We hated to say goodbye to Tony Dungy in 2009 - but he transitioned seamlessly from coaching-retirement to the broadcasting booth and I love that I can still watch him every Sunday during football season.  Watching Reggie Miller walk away from the Pacers in 2004 was even harder because the end of his 18 year career, which should have finished with an NBA title run, was instead tainted by the now-infamous brawl in Detroit.  But he walked away from the game, again to the pseudo-retirement of the broadcasting booth. 

A friend had this sent to me while Ava was being treated at PMCH 4 years ago.

It's just a game.  I get it.  But I cried during the entire press conference nonetheless.  Peyton is a tremendous role model for kids (and adults) everywhere and I am so grateful that he embraced this city and its fans they way he did.  Of course we embraced him - he was the next big thing!  But I'm guessing there was nothing in his contract requiring him to spend millions of dollars and even more hours giving back to and caring about the community, this city and the state of Indiana.

I will always be a Colts fan.  I will always Believe in Blue...if only because a large majority of my wardrobe has a Horseshoe on it :)  But on this day, my five-year-olds said it best while watching the coverage of the press conference:

 Carli: "Mom, Peyton Manning is on TV!  Hey, why are you crying?"

Me: "Because Peyton's not playing for the Colts anymore.  He'll play for another team this year."

Ava: "Because he hurt his neck?"

Me: "Well, kind of."

Carli: "He's still my favorite player, though!"

Ava: "Mine too!"

Mine too, girls.  Mine too.  Thanks for the memories Peyton...when we celebrate our March 24th birthdays this year, you'll be adapting to a new city and I'll be asking for a new jersey.  

Since the girls' jerseys are pink, they'll definitely be wearing them again this year!

Love and Valentines

Once upon a time (my freshman year in college) I pretended to be the girl who "hated" Valentines Day.  

I didn't date a whole lot in high school and always enjoyed Valentines Day even when I didn't have a boy to share it with.  I have plenty of good "girls only" celebration memories and I didn't see any reason to make a big deal about it now that I had a boyfriend.  Nick and I had been dating for 4 months when suddenly the Hallmark holiday was upon us.  I was very matter-of-fact when I told him I didn't want candy and flowers - and I meant it too.  Or at least I thought I did!  Then it happened: one by one, the girls in my dorm started receiving flowers and gifts from their boyfriends... and I remembered that I am a hopeless romantic.  To his credit, Nick must have sensed my temporary insanity because he had still gotten me a little stuffed puppy dog holding a rose (that the girls found a few years back and is now a mainstay in the playroom.)

Hanover will always be a special trip down Memory Lane :)

In the years since, I never made that mistake again :)  I think it's silly when people complain about "hating" a day that's all about love, sharing love with others and hopefully receiving love in return - from spouses, parents, children, best friends, family members and even strangers.  I know I am beyond blessed that Nick tells me every day that he loves me.  And he shows me in doing little things like helping with the dishes or getting the kids to pick up the living room or get ready for bed.  Sometimes I am greedy and wish he did more...just being honest!  But then I know I am taking for granted the multitude of things he does every single day for me and for our family.  And then I realize I am the one who needs to do more to show my endless appreciation.  

Normally, my idea of getting "dressed up" means "not a sweatshirt"

As a hopeless romantic, Valentines Day is always fun (even before there was a boy, or now "the" boy).  I love wearing red and pink, heart shaped candies and any excuse to dress up.  But now that we are a family of five, Valentines Day is a day to remind me that I am not only a mom but also a wife.   Most days, okay every day, I am so overwhelmed with my responsibilities as a mom that I completely neglect those I have as a wife.  Valentines Day is a special day set aside to remind me that before we were over-worked parents, we were a pretty fabulous couple! 

Last years' Valentines flowers

Though Nick (like most men, I presume) has told me on multiple occasions he thinks flowers are ridiculous, he will come home with some tonight because he knows I think it's sweet.  It's one of the three times each year I get flowers, making each time special in it's own right.  We don't do gifts (unless it's inexpensive, silly and/or homemade).  But tonight after the kids go to bed, we will likely share a bottle of wine as we remember our first Valentines Day and some of the many we've shared since.  




Happy Valentines Day - Share some love!

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Queen of the Mancave

Disclaimer: Please excuse my football ranting...this has been a long, disappointing season!

I need my own sports talk show. I don't care if it's radio, local late night or Bristol...I always have an opinion and it's usually based on what I think, not regurgitated analyst talk so it would be fun to watch/listen to as well :). If you know anyone looking to hire an awesome new sports reporter, give them my name. In the mean time I will simply share my humble opinions with you all !

Bill Polian did great things for the Colts organization for many many years and he deserves all the credit for his part in that. While I was not surprised by his firing yesterday, it was sad to see him go after 14 great years that started with drafting Peyton in 1998. But Bill was ready to retire; he had handed the day to day operations over to his son just this year and, in my opinion, Chris managed to make all the wrong decisions for a franchise that seemed to run itself most of the time.  I know his job became increasingly complicated due to the lockout and Peyton's injury, but you don't go from a decade of 10+ win seasons to 2-14 overnight just because your franchise QB is unable to go.

An article Bob Kravitz wrote two months ago makes this announcement even more interesting because it leads us to believe that while Bill is/was well liked and well respected in the locker room and front office, Chris was quite the opposite. I didn't do the interview, I obviously don't know any professional football players personally and honestly I only agree with Kravitz about half the time, but this article actually made a lot if sense to me. Our recent decline in draft picks, the inexplicable choices made with personnel (specifically top-notch coordinators on both sides of the ball), the "good guys" we let go and the questionable ones we've kept. It all plays into Chris Polian's very poor decision making.

It is my opinion that Irsay and Bill Polian discussed these pitfalls during the season but especially after the Jacksonville game - and that Jim possibly offered to let Bill stay but was set on firing Chris.  No father is going to agree to fire his son therefore it was "time" (according to Irsay) to make a move. If you watched, or even read any of the press conference/release it was clear that Irsay is grateful for Bill's contribution to Indy's "greatness" and continues to have a great deal of respect for him as a GM/Vice Chairman and as a person. However, if you were really paying attention, it was almost impossible to miss how little Chris Polian's name was mentioned.  This was also apparent during the interview with Peyton and with the players who tweeted their reactions on Twitter.  Peyton mentioned Chris' name as an afterthought once, but Irsay never uttered it during the press conference except to say he had been let go.

My question is why am I the only one who's paying attention here?  I am admittedly a sports talk radio junkie, especially during football season.  I read several articles from the so-called experts last night and today and I listened to all the shows this morning - including the local ones who should know this better then I do since they get paid to pay attention - never once did anyone bring this up!  They were all "shocked" that Irsay would let a talent like Bill go at this crossroads for the franchise.  I still don't think he wanted Bill to go - but Chris should have been expecting his pink slip after tanking this season, presumably unintentionally, for an otherwise proud franchise.

Honestly, the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if some of his decisions weren't made hoping Indy would under-perform, to say the least, so he could get the #1 draft pick and make his mark on this franchise the same way his dad did.  But that is a debate for another day.

 As a bonus for anyone who was patient enough to read my entire rant...my opinions going forward: Draft Luck (duh, I know) but sit him for 2 years behind arguably the best quarterback of this, and maybe any era (yes, I'm biased).  Sign Manning's weapons (Reggie, Clark, Saturday as well as Freeney's partner in crime Mathis) to 2 year contracts - Irsay can make cap room to do this for a short time - and make the most of the Manning era, provided he passes his physical in March which appears will be the case.

Following those 2 years, Peyton turn 38 in the offseason (did I mention we share a March 24 birthday?!) and will likely prove infinitely smarter than Favre when it coming to knowing to retire.  Plus, he will have a couple of twin toddlers at home to keep up with - a great added incentive to move forward!  After that, unleash Luck with two solid years of mentoring by Manning and surround him with the guys you've drafted specifically for him, as Polian did for Manning, during Peyton's final two years.  Green Bay appears to be 2/2 in grooming back up QB's for starting positions (though Flynn may be too valuable to be back with the Packers next year) - so I'm considering my opinions on Luck with that in mind.  You know, Irsay did say his ideal candidate would be someone who'd never held the GM title before...maybe I should give him a call!

A Trip Down Hospital Lane

In the past 8 days my memories from almost 4 years ago have come full circle.  Last Monday I had to take Ava to our local community hospital to have an ultrasound of her kidneys done because she had recently gotten a UTI and they wanted to make sure she won't be prone to more in the future.  Then this morning, Ava and I went to St. V Children's for a scheduled CT scan of her head to determine if anything can be done for the hearing loss in her right ear that she suffered after complications from meningitis in January 2008.  The ultrasound of her kidneys came back completely clear and her CT scan was something that we had been putting off for a while just because we didn't want to stress her out with another test but decided that moving forward it would be best know what we're dealing with.  (And for the record, we scheduled the CT scan almost a month ago, well before we knew she'd need an ultrasound.  Like always, everything just happened at once!)

The tests themselves were nothing to be concerned about - non-invasive and quick outpatient procedures.  The location of the tests, especially timed so close together, was the hardest part for me.  The morning of each appointment we explained to Ava what would happen.  Other than some general uncertainty about the whole things, Ava was ready to go.  She did great during both tests - she was so proud of herself for being brave!  She as even able to do the CT scan without sedation, which was truly awesome!! 

Our first appointment, at HRH, was a little surreal just because I hadn't been in that hospital at all since Ava was admitted (for what we initially thought was just dehydration) that January morning 4 years ago.  We'd been to the campus for office visits but never had a reason to go around to the front where the hospital's main entrance is located.  We sat in the same registration cubicle that we did that first morning, but that was where the similarities ended.  We were taken back to a small room to do the ultrasound then released to head home.  While that visit had a way of stirring up old feelings, it was nothing like what I experienced this morning!  

Once again I found myself loading up the car with a nervous but very brave Ava, explaining some more along the way what was about to happen.  Once I told her she would have to get some "sleepy medicine" (anesthesia) she immediately informed me she could do without.  I told her we'd ask the nurse when we arrived.  This conversation was very detailed however and took up most of our ride to the hospital - which means the emotions I felt just driving into the parking lot caught me completely by surprise!

While we had been back to the hospital twice since Ava's stay there four years ago (once for a hearing test and once to deliver a $6500 check to PMCH for the Healing Hands 5k fundraiser!) I knew this time was different because we were about to come face to face with one of the same machine that changed our life the first time.  Just out of curiosity, I asked Ava as we pulled up to the building if she'd ever seen a hospital "this cool?"  "It looks like the bubbles on the front are glittering from the sunshine!" she told me...obviously pretty cool!  She was amazed; I thought I might cry.  I realized that she had no memory of being there from any of our previous visits - for which I am very grateful - but it was all starting to come back to me pretty quickly.  

We walked in, checked in at registration and were quickly met by the sedation nurse who was happy to let Ava try the scan without anesthesia!  Walking through the halls felt eerily familiar.  We got to our prep room where the nurse produced a "Barbie-sized" CT scan machine and walked Ava through exactly what would happen with Barbies and a Tinkerbell doll.  Ava was ready to go so I had to be too...

CT scan machine

During our two and a half week stay 4 years ago, Ava was having a test done nearly every other day it seemed (CT scan, MRIs, spinal tap, hearing tests and EEG's) and I was by her side for every single one.  Upon entering the room with that giant machine, they got her all set up, Tinkerbell in hand, reminded her to lay very still and went to work.  Suddenly the machine started up and I was reminded of her very first CT scan.  (During portions of the scan, it sounds sort of like a small airplane is getting ready to take off.  It's not as loud, but definitely a distinct sound and one that is not easily forgotten.  Luckily I was busy singing Twinkle Twinkle and Rudolph or my memories could have gotten the best of me.  But when she was finished she was *So Proud* of herself for doing so well - and she had one Proud, Happy and Relieved mama by her side once again :)  

I was thrilled to walk out of there today knowing Ava had made a happy memory there.  While I still get nervous when she asks questions about when she was sick (finding the right balance between the whole truth and how much truth I think she can handle right now) I am so happy that her two most recent visits to the hospital were quick, easy and relatively uneventful - well, aside from deciding what donut flavors to bring home from Dunkin Donuts today!   Sending God all our praises and gratitude for keeping our family happy, healthy and thriving for so many years!  PTL!! 

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Megaphones In My Closet

Once upon a time on one December day there was a little girl patiently waiting her turn to talk to Santa Claus.  The 4 year old had thought long and hard about what she would talk to Santa about this year.  Finally, it was her turn.  She walked up to the jolly old man, hopped up on his lap and started chatting away about what a good girl (and big sister) she'd been, how she just *had* to have and how she was excited to leave a special treat for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve.  The little blonde-haired girl was about to get down when Santa asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up.  The little girl answered quickly,"A nurse!"  Santa seemed pleased with her answer, bid her a "Merry Christmas" and was on to chat with the next child.  As the little girl made her way back to her parents, they were excited to ask her about her new revelation.  "We didn't know you wanted to be a nurse when you grew up!  That's so exciting!"  The little girl had another surprise in store.  "Actually, I don't want to be a nurse; I really want to be a cheerleader when I grow up but I thought Santa would bring me more presents if I told him I wanted to be a nurse."  

At this point, my parents probably wondered where on earth I learned to become so manipulative at my young age.  I obviously can not personally vouch for the authenticity of this story (because I was four!), but given that it has been told over and over again by my parents one can surmise that it is embarrassingly accurate.  

And so my cheerleading career began in third grade during Pee Wee football season and continued into my sophomore year of college.  During this time, of course, I saw many different sides of cheerleading.  The first four years were just for fun - no tryouts or competition to cheer for Pee Wee and Intramural leagues.  Seventh grade brought our first try-outs, and from what I can remember, was my first experience with "unsportsmanlike conduct" (also known as middle school girl drama in general).  I also cheered competitively during my junior high years (yes, there is such a thing - just flip on the cheerleading championships on ESPN next summer and you will see what I'm talking about.  It's intense!)  

Then came high school.   I made the Varsity squad as a freshman.  Suffice it to say I have some pretty terrible memories from cheering my freshman year of high school - but I also having some pretty amazing memories of support coming from the most unexpected places.  My dad would call it a "character-building" time for me :)  I learned a lot about who I was and what I stood for that year.  And a lot about how much crap I could take before I hit rock bottom.  I know there can be conflict on any team in any sport or activity, but for many of them you eventually have to come together as a team to work as a cohesive unit to be successful.  Not so much with cheerleading.  I just remember a lot of girl drama (think "Mean Girls") and no real reason to get past it.  


But the drama is to be expected to some extent because we are in fact talking about high school girls.  (I was one, so I feel totally comfortable making these accusations!)  I think the part that bothers me the most - and the part that makes the real reason for this post so difficult - is what happened in college, especially after I "retired my poms" my sophomore year... 

Stereotypes are a terrible thing.  We've all done it; judged someone by a single detail of their life without knowing even how much that detail has impacted their personality or why they made the choices they did.  And, in my opinion, the stereotype of a high school cheerleader is one of the worst.  "Bring It On" is one of the worst offenders off the top of my head.  I have never seen another entire movie made about the ridiculousness of a high school sport (girls or boys.)  But the one that probably proves my point the best is "Varsity Blues."  Seriously, Ali Larter, you could have done so much better!    I say "high school cheerleader" and most people respond very "knowingly" with an "Oh!" or "I remember our high school cheerleaders" and all they are thinking of is sleazy girls in short skirts.  It's one thing for me to have spent so much time defending myself against this stereotype.  It's another for me to want to encourage or even allow someone to think of my daughter in that regard.  


And therein lies my true conflict.  Ava came home yesterday with her "Super Star of the Week" paper to fill out and display on their classroom bulletin board next week.  We were filling out her paper and the last question  is "when I grow up I want to ____."  She quickly responds with "Be a chef! Oh, and a ballerina!"  Then pauses for a second before adding, "And a cheerleader."  I have no idea how she knows what a cheerleader is.  When I asked her what a cheerleader does, she gave me a quizzical look.  "They cheer for the people on the team."  I imagine there would have been a "duh!" in there if she was a couple years older :)  I can hope this is a fleeting phase, like when she wanted to be a superhero or the week she was adamant she could be a cat when she grew up.  If I'm lucky we'll skirt past this before the girls ever has an opportunity to even sign up for cheerleading.  And yes, we're pushing soccer and gymnastics at the moment - and anything else they have any interest in besides cheerleading.  Am I wrong to try dissuading her out of the exact same thing I did for nearly 13 years?  Maybe.  But I also don't want to be dusting off the "megaphones" in my closet in a few years :) 

"Oh, So You Don't Really Work"

Those of you who know me well can probably see where this is going, but humor me and follow along with my little story about how a late-night cashier was nearly assaulted with the gallon of milk I was about to purchase.

Last night around 9pm I headed out for a little "me" time... also known as grocery shopping alone without six little hands attempting to fill our cart with their ever-changing desires.  I was thrilled to discover there was still an actual cashier working a checkout lane when I went to check out just before 10pm.  (Generally, at our grocery at this hour I have to use the self-checkout which is ridiculously hard to manage with a week's worth of groceries in my cart!)  I generally enjoy conversing with this store's clerks and cashiers and I assumed this one would be no different.  The cashier (who I estimate is in his mid-20's) starts what I thought could be a friendly conversation until he proved me wrong.

Cashier Guy: "Wow, it's a late night for you, huh?  You always out this late?"
Me, laughing: "Yeah, it's so much easier than bringing along 3 kids!"
CG: "What time do you have to get up in the morning?"
Me: "Whenever the kids do until school starts next week - around 7am I guess."
CG: "Do you stay home with them?"
Me: "Yep!"   (wait for it...)
CG: "Oh, so you don't really work then.  At least you don't have to get up for a real job or anything."

True Story...it was all I could do to not grab a gallon of milk and hit him upside the head with it.  Thankfully it's rare to find someone with so little regard for my "real" job or for SAHM's in general.  So I responded with an enthusiastic, "No, I just work all day, every day" and decided to move on hoping this guy wasn't as unintelligent, let's say, as he seemed.

CG: "So you'll  probably just go straight to bed when you get home, right?"

Seriously, this guy was definitely in his 20's so I'm not sure why he's so hung up on 10pm being such a "late night."

Me: "Actually we recorded the preseason game that's on tonight; I'm hoping to watch some of it before bed."

CG: "Which game?"
Me: "I don't know, maybe the Pats-Bucs game."  I had no idea what was recording but I knew that game was being played last night.
CG: "Oh, the Patriots are up 31-7!"  Starting to get doubt his intelligence again...
Me: "I just told you I was recording it, why would you tell me the score?!"
CG: "Sorry, I'm a huge Patriots fan." 

And there you go, my doubts regarding his intelligence are confirmed.  I roll my eyes at him and give a sarcastic little chuckle.  He's already insulted me so he should have seen that one coming.  The girl (also likely in her 20's) bagging my groceries is surprised, "I didn't know you were a Pats fan!"

CG: "Born and raised a Pats fan!  But I don't tell many people that around here."  For good reason, I'm sure!
Me: "I was born and raised a Bengals fan, but it wasn't exactly hard for me to switch over when I moved here."  We all share a laugh...sincere apologies to my brother and dad and friends back home who have remained devoted to the Orange and Black.

I explained, "In my defense though, the 80's were a great time to be a Cincinnati sports fan!  The Bengals went to Super Bowls in '82 and '89 and the Reds won the World Series in '90."
Ms. Grocery Bagger: "I was a 49er's fan by birth, a Colts fan by choice."
CG: "Ouch, the 49er's! They've never won anything!"

At this point I am speechless!  I don't even know where to start...even a casual football fan should be alarmed by his ignorance!  Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice...where does he think they played?  Does the word "dynasty" mean anything to him?! 

I decided to stay with the basics, "Well, both times the Bengals played in a Super Bowl they got beat by the 49er's."  Not to mention the other 3 Super Bowl's they played in during their prime - winning all 3 of those as well! 

Ms. GB: "I thought they used to be good."
Me: "They used to be *really* good!"
CG: "Wow, you know more about football than I do!"

That is a gross understatement, my friend.