Each Day Is a Gift

Today is little Luke's 5th birthday! :)

Hubby was released in our stake conference after having served eight years as stake president.  Elder Doxey read the letter from the First Presidency of the honorable release.  It was a bittersweet day.  There was an overwhelming out-pouring of love and appreciation from the members of the stake.  I know how much he loves the people and the wonderful association with those whom he served.

My family and I sat on the second row.  I was bawling my eyes out in between coughing fits.  The choir sang with tears in their eyes the closing song,  "God Be With You Till Me Meet Again!"

In the 18 years that we've lived in this home, he served the first year as stake young men president, 4 years as stake clerk, 5 years as counselor in the stake presidency and finally the last 8 years as stake president.  Previous to our move to this home, he served 5 years as bishop, stake high council, elders quorum pres.  It will be nice to sit next to him in church now and soon we will serve as mission companions for three years! :)

Last night Larissa gave me some goodd tips on treating the cough and insomnia:  drank warm tea made of clover honey and lemon essential oil (didn't have any lemon on hand) to soothe the irritated throat,  rub peppermint essential oil on throat and chest to ease breathing along with Symbicort inhaler to bring down inflammation, rub lavender essential oil on the bottom of feet.  For the first time in over two weeks, I was able to get some sleep, still waken to coughs but able to fall back to sleep.

AM:  Ran easy with Karen and Wendy...lots of spitting, coughing, blowing nose...at least the ribs and sternum not hurting as bad.

PM:  RAD came over and bestowed my Boston 2013 medal on me.  It made me cry.  :)  I left Boston early the next morning without picking up my medal so Lowell used his lawyer magic and got it for me.  It was so good to see RAD and her two little boys.  Nice break from cleaning/dejunking of my house which is an ongoing major project right now.

Evening:  went to the pool with the intent to swim, only managed to get 10 laps because the leisure pool was crowded with children and families. 

Too cold, too sick to run outside, still coughing, lots of congestion that has spread to the chest. Hubby and I went to the LC after cleaning out one of the bedrooms all day. We walked and jogged every other lap for a mile then went down to the pool. I did 21 laps alternating between freestyle and backstroke. Felt good to let the jacuzzi jet hit my face and chest.

Tonight is the first time in 17 years that hubby does not have stake meetings and interviews. His former stake clerk came by to have him looked over some papers and forms to sign and commented that he's never seem my husband in regular clothes, only in suits! :)

Karen texted me for a run. I could hardly stand another day of not running so I texted back a simple OK and proceeded to get dressed. It started to snow, blowing kind of snow when I walked over to Wendy's house who was trying to register for Hobble Creek 1/2. I went inside her house to wait for Karen. We braved the storm and ran westward with me hacking up a lung. Within half a mile, Karen announced, "let's take you home, you are too sick to be out in this cold windy snowy condition." So they escorted me home and I reluctantly bid them goodbye as they ran off for more miles. :(

In the late afternoon, hubby and I went to the LC and did the same things we did yesterday, then we went to KFC for dinner.

Too sick to do any cleaning, so I posted my Boston Marathon report on the blog. I have been feeling icky emotionally and physically the last two weeks. I have restless nights from coughing and difficult breathing, and when sleeps do come, I have nightmares of the bombings. I continue to feel sad for the victims and their families. Time is going by too fast! Soon I will leave my children, grandchildren, dear friends and loved ones. I feel so unprepared to serve. Elder Zwick told us that the four months before our mission is the hardest time, once we enter the mission field we will have no time to think about anything, all the things that seem important before will not even be on our radar. I know I will fall in love with the work and our missionaries. I will have the wonderful opportunities to train, to teach, to work alongside my husband in this sacred work of the Lord. I know the next three years is going to fly by quickly. Right now I just wish this sickness would go away and I could be my normal self doing the things I love. Made an appointment to see the doctor this afternoon.

It was well past 8 after we got home from our church cleaning assignment...so had to run solo since Karen was out of town and Wendy had gone with her hubby earlier.  (She thought I shouldn't be running anything long with my sickness, so didn't make any plans to include me).  

Ate one of those PowerBar puree fruit thingie that I got from the Boston Expo, with no plan whatsoever, carried the cell phone just in case and a small bottle of really old Costco water, I headed out to the MC trail.  Ran west to the freeway (3.15 in 30min) then turned around.  Took a swig of that old Costco water which tasted very bitter.  When I got to 1200W/Bull River trail head, I tried the new water fountain.  To my surprise it was on (although the bathroom was locked); the water had a funny taste but figure it's still better than my water bottle so I emptied mine and filled it from the fountain.

Continued east and debated whether to go home for a 6 miler or keep going for more.  The legs were a bit rusty, the coughing has decreased, and the weather was SUPER NICE, so I decided to run to the east end for another 2 miles.  Got to another drinking fountain, just had to check it out, it's pretty much the same as the last one, figured it must be the new pipe tastes.  So I threw my water bottle in the garbage can and drank from this one knowing another drinking fountain is couple miles away at the Highland end of the gully and Dry Creek.

Had to walk the uphill end of the gully and was so relieved to take a drink break at the fountain.  I did not carry any Gu or money with me.  I told myself I'd turn around at mile 9.  I was averaging 10mm but then hit the wall hard by mile 9,  I could barely keep a 10:45, 11:00 pace for the last 4 miles home.  There were lots of runners, walkers, families, dogs, cyclists out on the MC trail.  I took a drink at every water fountain.  There are mile markers about every 1/4 mile and signs showing distances to various trail heads and roads at "intersections".  Too bad I won't have the opportunity to run the entire 17+ miles of the trail.  I was spent and starving when I got home.  Hubby was mowing the lawn.  I didn't tell him how far I ran...naughty me!