The Five Stages of Getting Sick

Blame it on traveling or the back-to-school-plague that's gripping our students, but I woke up this morning and it had all caught up with me. I'm sick.

As usually happens when I come down with my first cold of the year, I had to process it before I really accepted it.

Stage 1: Denial
*Upon waking* My throat hurts. I can't swallow. Everything feels like glass! Maybe it's post-nasal drip. Maybe it's allergies or a dry throat from moving the bed right under the AC. Yeah, that's probably it. It will feel better after I eat breakfast.

*Examining the back of my throat in the mirror* It doesn't even look that red. If I have orange juice before my coffee I'll feel better in a matter of hours. That's how vitamin C works, right?

Work. Faster.

Usually by now it would feel better if it were just allergies...

No but seriously, I feel fine, this is all in my head.

Stage 2: Reluctant Acceptance
Why is it getting worse? This isn't fair. I'm a healthy person!

I want a popsicle.

Stage 3: The Blame Game
What did I do to deserve this?!

This is what I get for breathing recycled air trapped in a plane with a bunch of coughing old people.
This is what I get for letting kindergarteners hug me.
This is what I get for talking with Elizabeth about how gross kindergarteners are. Karma!
This is what I get for eating junk food all weekend and destroying my immune system.

Stage 4: Regression
I want soup.
I want ice cream.
No, soup.
Why won't anyone make me soup?

I moved the furniture around on Tuesday afternoon and as a result, Matt and I switched sides of the bed. I think this was a mistake!

Why doesn't Matt care that I feel icky?
WAAAAH!

Stage 5: Denial, Revisited
I should go to bed early...but I'm sure this is just a 24-hour thing.

So honestly, I feel okay enough that I could have worked out today, but on top of my sore throat, the top of my right foot and my ankle have been a bit achy today. I think I've pushed my limit of working out without properly stretching so I took today off with the intention to foam roll and really stretch. Neither of which I've actually done yet. But there's still time.

I'll be using this random day off to my advantage. Hopefully soon my calves, ankles, and throat are all feeling right as rain!

Do you go through denial when you start to feel sick?
Do you have to sleep on your side of the bed?

ABK

Weekly Workouts 8/29-9/5

Monday: I was craving a run because I didn't run Sunday. After a really awesome circuit, I decided I didn't need a run...but I went anyway. It felt good to just take a jaunt around the golf course before dinner!

I cooked, stuck dinner in the oven to stay warm, ran 1.65 miles, and came back to gorge myself on tacos.

YUM.

Tuesday: I conquered my fear and did 3x1600s! I now know I can push those faster next time; oh yes, there will be a next time!

We made sure to warm up with dynamic stretches and an easy loop first, and I think that really helped.

Wednesday: Elizabeth and I did the cardio boxing video from last week again. We just really enjoy it! It gets your heart rate up, but it's fairly low-impact, and it's a nice full-body workout.

I am in LOVE with Skirt Sports' fall prints. I was skeptical of the orange but in person they're so bright and fun!

Thursday: Rest.

Friday: We ran before work because I had a flight to catch in the afternoon. The humidity and heat were back with a vengeance, so it wasn't our best run, but at least we got it done!

Running before school is hard. We never go quite as far as I'd like because of time constraints.

Saturday: We got a few miles of walking in at Chagrin Falls and downtown Cleveland, so while I didn't do a workout, I was still active. I did try to get up early to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and run Saturday, but I was too tired!

Steph and me climbing birds in Cleveland's new downtown Square.

Sunday: Travel and rest.

Monday: We pushed our long run to Monday (because there was no work for Labor Day) and did just about 7 miles. It felt good to run long again but part of me is just not enjoying long runs right now.

Drenched.

My legs are tired for the first few miles and I'm having trouble breathing in the humidity. I need to be more diligent about doing warmups first!

Did you have a good week?
I hope you enjoyed your long weekend!

ABK

Cleveland Bound!

My grandparents are the best. They met in the Navy, where Grandma was a nurse and Grandpa was a dentist; Grandma says she saw Grandpa on base and told a girlfriend, "I'm going to get that guy." And then she did.

Can you find my mom in these pictures? Hint: she's the one who looks like me! Bonus: Find my dad in the last picture.

Grandpa was our dentist growing up, and Grandma was his assistant. They lived about 30 minutes away from us and have been in the same apartment for as long as I can remember. My grandpa's favorite memory of me is that one night, I was having a sleepover at their house and they promised they'd drive me home if I got homesick.

That night, I puked in my bed and got it all in my hair. (I have no idea why this is my grandpa's favorite memory of me but he tells it literally every time I call.) Even though they gave me a bath, I still wanted to go home.

So they drove me home, and when we got there, I had fallen back asleep; the next morning, I woke up and had no idea why I wasn't at their house.

My grandparents had six kids, and my mom is special because she's the oldest. She was apparently a great big sister. When her brothers were little, she'd crawl into their cribs and give them their bottles before going to school - or so the story goes. Obviously, my grandparents have a lot of grandkids (and now some great-grandkids, too), but I know we're their favorites.

I'm pretty sure this center photo is the first time they met Matt.

My grandparents always send us really thoughtful gifts. When we got engaged, they sent me a silver ring-stand. They send flowers every year for Passover so we have a beautiful centerpiece for our seder.

When Matt's Nana passed, Grandma wrote him a card and sent a gift for his ceramics studio so he could make something in her memory. She somehow always remembers to send birthday and holiday cards on time, and even though my grandparents are Catholic (we used to celebrate Christmas at their house), they always remember to send cards on Jewish holidays, too.

Grandma is also the best cook ever. The last time we visited, she made her special lemon meringue pie, which has a meringue crust, lemon filling, and homemade whipped cream topping.

When I visit, we eat this for breakfast every day, and Matt is always horrified by it...but in a loving way!

Don't let that sweet side fool you; Grandma loves to have her fun. She's the one who taught me to play cards and she loves to gamble!

My grandma has been having some health issues of the past year; she and my family are all very practically-minded about aging, but it sucks. Of course it does.

This summer, I overheard my mom on the phone with my sister as they discussed plans to visit Cleveland. Apparently Mom's high school reunion is coming up and she still goes to these things, and Steph saw an opportunity to jump on board and visit my grandparents.

Of course I wanted in.

And then, of course, Matt wanted in.

So we're on our way to Cleveland this weekend to visit my grandparents! I can't wait. With the tropical storm out there in the Gulf, there's a chance we'll have a delayed or canceled flight. There are supposed to be tornados Friday night, too. So keep your fingers crossed for us, because if this trip falls through, I'm going to be very disappointed!

Tell me something about your grandparents!
When did you last travel "home"?

ABK