Laundry . . . continued

So we purchased a washer and dryer, and they deliver next day with no additional charge.  My husband suggested that we wash tennis shoes.  Our poor, faithful little machine's final hours at our home was nothing but load after load of abuse.  We did two loads of tennis shoes.  A load of bath mats.  A load of throw rugs.  And yes . . . the dreaded dog bed.

That poor machine should have had a biohazard sticker slapped on it by the time it left our house.

Two Year Warning . . . Three Years Ago

Three years ago I gave my husband a two year warning that we would need a new washer.  The one we had was a refurbished machine we acquired in 1998 with our first home.  The lid of the machine often had to be pushed in the middle to get it to start.  I noticed some minor leaking.  And though it stated "large capacity" washer . . . it was not.

Well, our newer dryer (7-10 years old) started taking about an hour per load to dry in addition to the loud metal-on-metal squeal it did most of the cycle.  It was time to replace both.  My only goal for the machines was something larger and quieter.

When we get to the store, my husband started punching buttons, lifting lids, inspecting the insides, etc.  Really?!?!?  In the fifteen years we've had children, I became the sole Laundry Chief.  So I asked him, "Exactly what features are YOU looking for in laundry machines?"  I got a dirty look--as if I didn't anticipate (and deserve) that response.  It probably didn't help that my daughter and I started laughing, too.   Of course, "The Look" only made us laugh harder.

Mature Runner

My 40th birthday gift to myself was deteriorating eyes and arthritis in my hand. For my 41st birthday, I gifted five pounds of posterior "giggle" when I run. I was thanking my lucky starts that I had donned a t-shirt long enough to cover this movement when the song "Forever Young" came on my ipod. (I share an account with the girls). I thought it was quite humorous. Of course, when you are oxygen deprived, many normal things are funny.

Is my increasing posterior another reason to consider running a marathon?

Blessings

I heard a mother cheering on her daughter at a grade school track meet--and it hit me.  Less than three years ago that beautiful girl was a very sick, bald little girl going through chemo.  Watching her long curly hair flying behind her as her healthy body crossed that finished line--I nearly burst into tears in thanksgiving.

I think too many times we hear cancer and immediately think the worse.  Today I saw the best.

To Marathon Or Not to Marathon

I had a goal of running four marathons before I turned forty.  I ran marathons at the age of 36, 37, 38, and 39.  Last year I ran very little.  This year I'm feeling the itch again.  I've followed Hal Higdon's Novice training program (I am pretty slow and not willing to invest the time/effort to be faster) for each.  It's an 18 week program--last week was 18 weeks until the Air Force Marathon--which is approximately a thirty minute drive from my house.

To complicate matters, that marathon is over 80% full--with the discounted price to end on June first.  $75 is a bunch of money to put on a race I may or may not run.  Or . . . could that money be another motivator to get my running shoes laced?  To marathon or not to marathon--that is the question!

Detox Tea

I went to the grocery store over spring break and started laughing as I was unpacking my bags.  I wanted to try some "detox tea."  Do you see anything wrong with my plan for better health?

Yes--that's detox tea to wash down the butter, ice cream, pizza, and potato chips.  The easy mac is for the kids lunch--I DO have SOME standards.

The First Pancake

I heard the funniest quote the other day in a snipet for some comedy on television.  A husband and wife were talking about how their oldest child (teenager) was not quite right (meaning--stereotypical teen).  One of them replied, "Well, the first pancake never turns out quite right."

I got thinking how accurate this statement seems--I used to make pancakes and fed the first one to the dog since it never was quite the way I wanted it.  The more I thought about it, reality set in -- "HEY!!!!  I'm the first born!" 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I finished readingRebecca Sloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks over Easter break.  It was Dayton's "Big Read"; however, I finished the book about two weeks after all of the events were over.  This book was a fascinating read.

In short, this non-fiction is a biography of sorts about Henrietta Lacks--a Baltimore woman who died in the early 50's of cervical cancer.   Before her death, a doctor harvested some of her cells which later became the first cells to remain alive, grow, and reproduce.  These cells (called HeLa--I had never heard that term before, but it means something to science-minded people) have been used in research to develop cures and treatments to hundreds of diseases.  Henrietta died poor; her surviving children could barely affort their own health care even in their adult years.

This book raises so many questions and topics surrounding the good of science, patient consent, experimental practices, HIPA laws, HPV virus, research for profit, health care, etc.  I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something not-too-difficult nor too long, but thought-provoking.