The post about an MRI, Shannen's race and a pulled stomach muscle

This is what I got to wear on Saturday. And I got to hang out
in a waiting room with a bunch of old men wearing the exact
same outfit. FYI gentlemen, the ties go in the back!

• Guess what I got to do this weekend? I got to have an MRI done on my foot. This is the final step in the Morton's Neuroma saga.  It took 25 minutes for the MRI to be complete. It was super loud, and I had to wear ear muffs, like air traffic controllers. Regardless of the noise, I fell asleep. I swear I can sleep anywhere...except my bed. Getting up even earlier these days. Around 4:30 am.  So now I wait for a week or so before the report is sent to the orthopedic surgeon. I said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not having my feet cut open!
• The best thing that happened to me this weekend? I got a message from Shannen. Just when I'm contemplating whether or not I should continue blogging, I get a message that makes that decision for me.  Shannen ran her first 5K race yesterday. When she picked up her race kit on Thursday, her running coach said, "on race day, don't forget to thank the person who got you into running". I got my absolute favorite message from someone that I have inspired. I was reading it in the parking lot of No Frills with a big goofy grin on my face.  Shannen came across my  blog when she was researching Dr. Poon's diet and she started her weight loss journey around the same size that I was when started mine. She thought that if I could change my life, my body and become a runner, then so could she. Shannen is a runner now. She just started running in October, and ran a 5 freaking kilometer race on Saturday! That is awesome! Shannen is awesome! And I keep blogging for now!
• Honest to God, my washing machine is sticking it to me.  It breaks down constantly, and to get it to work again, you have to bang it around. So it stopped working last Sunday, and try as I might to get it to work again all week, nothing. So this morning I'm wringing out all the clothing that was left in the machine mid cycle so I can get everything ready and head on over to the laundromat. After I get everything out of the freezing cold water, I give it one last bang, and away it goes. Figures. So I didn't have to go to the laundromat, but how long will it work before it breaks down again? I have no idea.

This is all I  have left of my beautiful boy.

• On Friday, hubby went to pick up Finn's ashes. Trying to explain to Julien that this was all that was left of Finn was no easy task. And I don't think I did a great job. He still doesn't get it, but I didn't want to say that Finn was burned to ashes. That would be a scary image. Next weekend we will spread some of his ashes on the Rail Trail near our house. 
• Only a couple more weekends till Christmas, and not a decoration to be seen in my house. I'm really not in the Christmas spirit this year, and if not for Julien, I wouldn't do anything. I do have to get into gear though. I will get a tree and decorate next Sunday. It will be fun. Julien is excited.
• I completed 2 runs this weekend. A 4K on Saturday, and 7K today. My 4K was pretty decent, but my run today was a bit off. I pulled a muscle in my stomach. Just below my breast bone. Weird feeling that. It's fine now, but when I pulled it during my run, I could feel the muscle spasm. The only feeling I could liken it to, was when Julien used to move in my tummy when I was like 10 months pregnant. Such a strange feeling. It happened a few more times when I got home, and now it's completely gone. That has never happened to me before. 

In front of the Tree of Hope in Gore Park, downtown Hamilton.

• Nuts and sweet potatoes have made their way back into my life. So now the obsession begins again (with the nuts).  I said I wouldn't eat either regularly again until I was running again. Well I am, and I do. I have a love/hate relationship with nuts. I love to eat them, and I hate how I obsess over them. I should just forget about the nuts all together because sometimes, I don't feel in control around them. And I hate the feeling of not being in control of my eating. I know, I'm only talking about mixed nuts. You all must think I'm crazy.
• My cold is getting better. I went to bed early on Friday and Saturday and may have gotten 7 hours of sleep each night. That's a big deal for me. I've been getting 4-5 hours per night for over a month now. I also made a huge pot of chicken soup yesterday. Just what I needed, but I wish my mom was here to make me soup. She made the best chicken soup and try as I might, I cannot duplicate it. 
• The 13th installment of the Anniversary Series of videos entitled, No Parking. Hubby and I finally make it back to the hotel after our jaunt out to Fort Erie, to find that although we already checked in, there is no parking left. I don't know about you, but my voice is super annoying. And why don't I sound like that to myself? Tanya explained this to me a week ago, and I already forget.

The post about my Nutreats interview, corrupting my father and dropping some pounds

The lovely card my team at work gave me.

• My heart still hurts and will for some time. I keep pretending like Finn is just away visiting his friend Lucy for a week, but that doesn't work for very long. It's hard to come home every day from work and not have him waiting for me at  the door. He was always so happy to see me and got muzzle kisses as soon as I walked into the house. I think this is hardest on my husband. He and Finn had a very special bond.
• With everything that has happened in the last week and a half, I was totally remiss in sharing my latest interview with you. This interview appeared on the Nutreats blog and it is to date, my absolute favorite interview. Feige Lewin really took the time to read through my blog and asked me specific questions relevant to my story. The other interviews I've done were generic questions that everyone got asked, but she really catered this interview to me. And I got to talk about weight-loss, running, Paleo, parenting.  All the important stuff!  Give it a read. You can read it here.
• Monday was a hard day at work. I got shepherded into my boss's office first thing in the morning. He could tell I wasn't myself and knew that Finn was sick the week before. I cried real ugly and hard as I told him what went down last Friday. The man had no tissues in his office and my tears were all over his table. I was a hot mess by the time I left.  I warned him not to get close to me because I was sick, but he said he didn't care and gave me a much needed hug which I really appreciated. Made me cry even harder though. My team gave me a condolence card for Finn. They are awesome!

My daddy and I celebrating his birthday. Not sure if the tweed works on me.
But I got that jacket for $3 @ Value Village! Got my bangs and eyebrows done today!

• On Tuesday I took my dad to Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls for buffet dinner and a show. Remember back when hubby and I were there for our anniversary and we got a free show? It was the Christmas Ice Show. Well we ended up missing the show because I don't listen to directions well, but we went into the casino and gambled $20. My dad has never set foot in a casino before. He felt corrupted. On the sixth spin of the slot machine, we won $148!!!! He was very excited and said he had to go to confession ASAP! The man cracks me up! Love him to pieces. We were celebrating his birthday. He's 83 years young!
• So this is a peculiar turn of events. For the absolute first time in my life, I have dropped weight without even trying. My favorite jeans have gotten so loose on me that I decided to step on the scale this morning. I weighed in at 158.5 pounds. The lowest weight of my adult life. I have dropped the weight in my thigh and ass area. I can tell by the droopy way my jeans are fitting right now. I'm not sure why this happened, except that I'm not eating very well. And again, by not eating very well, I mean that I am not eating very much. Perhaps it has to do with Finn and feeling sick over the past week? Maybe things won't stay in the 150's for long, and I'm okay with that. I wasn't actually trying to lose weight.
• I have an admirer at my  local Tim Horton's drive thru. A lovely young man who gives me my coffee every morning.  During November, he was acknowledging Movember. So he had a very faint mustache at the end of the month. Last week I told him that his stash was coming along nicely and looked at me with heartfelt conviction and said, "I will take that as a compliment". I said, "please do". So it's December 5th and he still has the stash! And was very excited to see me today. He's like 21! WTF? Makes me feel a lot icky.

I haven't run this pace for over a year...

• So this morning, I decided to be a big fat liar. I said I would follow the 1/2 marathon training schedule to a "T" for a few weeks. It's only week two and what was supposed to be a 3K run turned into a 6K run. I just felt like I needed to run. It was warm here in Southern Ontario this morning. Like 8C when I went out for my run just after 5 am. I am also battling a head cold so my pace is pitiful because I'm not gonna lie, I was feeling pretty weak. But I ran, and felt awesome when I was done regardless of the pace.
• The vet's office just called. Finn's ashes are in. I'm feeling even more angry right now. Shit! I'm only in the second stage of grieving. I am not going to be pleasant over the next month for sure. Feel sorry for my hubby:(
• This is the next installment of the Anniversary Series of videos. I get some air time. The video was originally over 5 minutes long, but EMI blocked it and I had to cut the ending. So it's very short. I look super old in this video. Really need some suggestions on those eye creams!!!! Just say'in:)

The post about missing my furry boy, getting discharged from physio and admitting I'm sick

Baby and her best bud Finn this past summer.

• Thank you all for your outpouring of support and condolences in regards to Finn's passing.  It has definitely been a tough weekend at our house. And I can't help but feel angry and robbed. I don't know who to direct my anger towards. Just over a week ago, I had what I thought was a healthy dog. Never sick a day in his life. Today he is in a freezer. It's a very hard pill to swallow for sure. Especially when my son asks me why this happened.  He's missing his best friend and doesn't understand why he was taken from us so quickly.  I have no answers.
• The weekend was spent reflecting on Finn's life and trying to keep occupied. Distracting Julien was easier than distracting myself. On Saturday we packed up all of Finn's things and brought them to our local animal shelter.  I am not getting another dog...ever! I say that now, but who knows how we'll feel after our pain has lessened. If I ever do get another dog though, I am getting a shelter dog. 
• My little cat Baby is missing Finn. They were pretty tight. They slept beside each other and hung out in the back yard together a lot. She also ate his food before he would eat. She's wandering around the house crying and looking for him. 

An awesome Saturday morning run with my gal Tanya!

• Enough of the sad talk. Moving right along. I had a much needed distraction with Tanya Saturday morning. We ran along the Rail Trail by the Running Room. It's been a long time since I ran out of the Running Room. Tanya's been a bit rusty with the running of late, so we totally motivated each other to get out and getter done! Considering we both had a running hiatus for sometime, we did pretty decent with an admirable pace if you ask me. 
• Although Friday was truly a Black Friday for my family, there was one good thing that happened. I was discharged from physio. I have been going to physio for 10 months. I initially went for a hamstring injury that I got while training for my first half marathon, then I had a lower back issue, then I had my foot issues, then the broken ankle. I was Graham's longest patient. 
• Running definitely reeks havoc with your body. I am convinced that if it wasn't for Graham and Highland Physio, I wouldn't be pain free right now. This is the first time in ten  months that I do not feel pain anywhere on my body.  When I run, it's almost like I am a new runner all over again. No aches, no pains. I also know that as my mileage builds, I'll be back in physio. It's just bound to happen. But Graham keeps me running so for that I am eternally grateful. Because I need to run.

Some parting shots with Graham (cue the 70's porn music)!
Julien and I at the Burlington Santa Claus Parade. Still can't get a decent
picture with the boy!

• On Sunday, Julien and I hit our second of three planned Santa Claus parades this year. There was a comedy of errors that occurred on the way to the parade. The most significant being that as soon as we got there, Julien announced he had to use the bathroom because his stomach hurt. I just sat through 15 minutes of traffic to park (and asked him if we needed to stop at the gas station about 15 minutes prior to this) and we were right by where we were meeting friends. I had to head back out in the traffic and go to Chapters so he could use the bathroom. The parade started at 2pm, and I didn't make it back till 2:40.  We were there for about 1/2 an hour and it was done. Short and sweet! It was all good, I needed to get home. I wasn't feeling so good.
• I think I finally need to admit that I am sick. I am now completely snotty and my head hurts a lot. My voice is also very raspy. I'm gonna call it sexy, but it's only that way because I am sick. I went to bed at 7:30 on Saturday, and 9 pm yesterday. The only problem with that is that I ended up waking up at 2:30 and tossing and turning till 4:30 until I just gave in and got up. My internal clock is completely effed up. 
• Although I have a head cold, I have still done all my scheduled runs. Sunday's run was my longest post broken ankle run. I ran 7K along my favorite running trail. It was also Finn's favorite place to walk and it was harder to do than I anticipated. I kept picturing him running along the escarpment and I'm sure that I looked unstable to all the other runners who passed me and heard me sobbing. I didn't care. I needed to get it out and you always feel better after a good cry.
• The next video in the Anniversary Series is called Strippers and being wrong. It's a long one, but makes me laugh.  We do talk about strippers and then get in an argument about directions (typical married couple stuff). And I admit on camera that I was wrong! A huge thing for me to have to admit!