Gayle Tales

For the first 50 years of my life, my perfectionist self mistakenly believed it was all about knowing more, getting it right, planning, attempting to prevent bad things from happening, and keeping all of my chicks in a row. It took me this long to discover that the JOURNEY is all that matters. This quote from Gilda Radner sums it all up:

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. "

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Running Stats

I have never posted twice in one day, but I forgot to post my running stats at the end of this morning's blog.

I also forgot to post them at the end of Annie's birthday blog.

So here is my update.

While running/jogging is still not easy,
I have started to develop of rhythm to my breathing.
I am not gasping for air anymore. Yeah!

I still find it hard to run 2 days in a row.
My body seems to need the extra time to recover.

While my legs still hurt, especially for the first 1/4 mile,
they don't ache for hours afterward anymore.

My jogging log (new entries in red)

13:18 min 1.04 mile 12:47 min/mile
12:29 min 1.05 miles 11:53 min/mile
14:53 min 1.24 miles 12:00 min/mile
12:34 min 1.06 miles 11:51 min/mile
15:08 min 1.37 miles 11:02 min/mile
16:46 min 1.45 miles 11:34 min/mile
16:07 min 1.44 miles 11:12 min/mile
16:20 min 1.40 miles 11:40 min/mile

15:54 min 1.40 miles 11:21 min/mile

15:03 min 1.40 miles 10:40 min/mile

15:39 min 1.40 miles 11:11 min/mile

15:25 min 1.40 miles 10:51 min/mile

15:28 min 1.40 miles 11:03 min/mile

15:31 min 1.37 miles 11:20 min/mile

15:20 min 1.40 miles 10:57 min/mile

15:55 min 1.50 miles 10:37 min/mile

16:07 min 1.50 miles 10:45 min/mile

16:03 min 1.50 miles 10:42 min/mile

16:00 min 1.50 miles 10:40 min/mile

18:00 min 1.67 miles 10:47 min/mile

I'm happy with my progress.

It seems silly that an increase of 1/10 mile makes

a difference, but it does.

Little by little, I'm headed in the right direction!

Fringe Effect

I've never been someone who likes to spend a lot of money on beauty procedures.

Most days, my nails are bare and short. If I want to look nice, I do my own manicure or pedicure. Why pay someone to do something I can do myself?

I go to the salon to get my hair cut every 3 or 4 months. In between, I trim my hair myself.

There is one thing, though, that is well worth the cost of going to the salon.

Lash Extensions.

My sister, Lori, was the first to try them before her cruise last winter.
She raved about them so much, that I decided to give them a try in May.

I LOVE THEM!

No more mascara!
No more black raccoon eyes as the day goes on.
I wake up in the morning and look good!
I can go underwater at the beach.

And I discovered a HUGE added benefit.

NO MORE red, irritated, dry, bloodshot eyes!

My eyes were irritated by the mascara I was wearing.

This is a picture from this morning with NO MAKEUP!

The lash extensions are applied one by one by a trained beautician.
They fall out over time as your regular lashes shed,
so you need to go back every 2 or 3 weeks for a "fill".

Here are a few pictures of a lash that fell off this morning.

The extensions are longer, thicker, and have a nice curl.

The only downsides:

- You can't rub your eyes a lot.
- You need to be careful when washing your face
that you are gentle with the eye area.
- You need to go to the salon for "fills" which take
about an hour every two or three weeks.
- The cost. Initially, @ $250, then $50 per fill.

The extensions are applied only to the top lashes.
I don't even bother putting it on the bottom anymore, though.
Just a little eye liner and I'm set to go.

I go to Kristen at the Somers Day Spa.
You lay down on a soft bed.
Listen to relaxing music.
Sometimes I even fall asleep while she applies them!
Soooooooo worth it!

Here is a link to the Xtreme Lash website.

Also, a few youtube videos.

This one is from the show "The Doctors":

And this is another video of someone getting them applied.
You don't need to watch the entire clip - but watch the beginning
and end.

Friday, January 27, 2012

It's Almost Annie's Birthday!

"Whether you think you can
or you think you can't,
you're right" ~ Henry Ford

When I saw this quote the other day,
I immediately thought of my daughter, Annie.

All of her life, she has always been the kind
of person who THINKS SHE CAN.

And the majority of the time, SHE'S RIGHT!
Whatever she tries, she's good at it.
And I can't help but think it has to do with
the confidence she has in herself.

There has only been one time when I have seen
Annie give up and stop trying.
It was a long time ago in dance class.
The teacher taught the class a new dance
to perform for the parents on Halloween.
I guess she felt she didn't know it well enough,
and...

She stood there with the saddest look on her face
while everyone else was dancing
and refused to try.

Other than that time in dance class,
she amazes us with her sense of determination
and her ever-present smile!

Here she is in Lake George trying softball for the first time.

And here she models a new dance outfit!

She must have been picturing herself out on stage!

She LOVED getting make-up on and dressing
like a princess for her dance recitals.

She made friends with her swim instructors.

At Disneyworld, she wasn't afraid to go up to
the characters and hug them!

Especially the princesses!

I love this dance recital picture with her two front teeth missing!

She used to go with Vance to visit the shut-ins from church.
This is her special friend Mrs. McGough who looked
forward to Annie's visits.

For a while, she fancied herself a figure skater...

I think her dance poses even helped her with...

basketball!

She used to be tall for her age, which came
in handy on the court!

Annie began to play piano in kindergarten...

She LOVED piano recitals!

I should say, she loved MUSIC.

And she loved Mrs. Bigge, her music teacher.

Here she is singing with her classmates in 4th grade.

She always has a smile on her face (well, almost always)...

Annie ran in the developmental track team when she was little,
then went on to run in Middle School...

and in High School...

She has always been comfortable in front of a crowd.

Whether speaking at sports awards,

acting in a high school play,

or playing sax with many jazz bands...

Annie, you continue to amaze us every day!
Happy 17th Birthday!
We love you and look forward to all the
exciting times in the coming year!

Monday, January 23, 2012

When the Unexpected Happens

"You gotta wonder why we cling to our expectations. Because the expected is just what keeps us steady… standing… still. The expected is just the beginning.

The unexpected… is what changes our lives." ~ Meredith Grey

If you're lucky, you grow up knowing
        your parents are your rock.
They guide you.
They comfort you.
They teach you.

Even as you grow up, it's just expected that
when you see them, everything will be ok.
You can kind of relax from your adult responsibilities
and be taken care of once again.
It is just expected.

If you're lucky, that's the way it will always be.
But most of us aren't so lucky.

I remember the day when the unexpected happened to me.

My mother had been diagnosed with throat cancer
      a month before.
She started radiation treatments and then chemo.
I was just going to Florida to help my father with her care.
My sister was going too. It would be a little vacation.

I pulled my rental car into their driveway.
Dad came out and helped me with my bags, like always.
I went into the house to find my mom sitting in her chair,
watching her soaps, as she always did.
I went to greet her and she said "Hi Honey!"

Then the unexpected began to happened.
She asked me if my sister Lori was home from school yet.

I looked at Dad and he tried to make things right again.
He brought her back to reality.
I wasn't sure he should have done that.

Then she asked me to write a note to the pastor of her
church and send him $10 so he would pray for her.
Her handwriting had deteriorated with her health.
It bothered me that she felt she had to pay a priest
     to do this for her.

I noticed my father looked old and weary.
And tired.
He kept trying to get her to drink.
They bickered.
Her throat was painful and she winced with
every little sip.

Jump forward to the next day.

My mom was sitting trying to drink and she asked me
for the phone book. She needed to find Daddy.
My father was standing right next to me.

When I pointed him out, she said that wasn't Daddy.
It was a mean man who tried to make her eat and drink
and do things she didn't want to do.

As she spoke, I saw the inside of her mouth.
He tongue and cheeks were coated with white.
Thrush.

Then I did something I had never done in my life.
I took control.
And my father seemed relieved.

I called the doctor and told him what was going on.
He instructed me to get my mom to the hospital.

At the hospital, when asked what year it was,
my mom answered "1972".
Her wig was askew and I reached out to fix it.
My heart was breaking.

I went to get food for my dad and me.
He didn't even know he was hungry.

When I went to the airport to get my younger sister,
I almost didn't want her to come.
I knew her life was about to change too.

But I needed her.
My parents needed a rock and I didn't feel I
was up to being a rock all by myself.

The unexpected.
It requires us to change.
It forces us out of our comfort zones.
Sometimes for the better.
Sometimes not.

And when the unexpected happens
you can always be sure of one thing.
You will never forget it.

______________________________________________

My jogging log (new entries in red)

13:18 min       1.04 mile    12:47 min/mile
12:29 min 1.05 miles 11:53 min/mile
14:53 min 1.24 miles 12:00 min/mile
12:34 min 1.06 miles 11:51 min/mile
15:08 min 1.37 miles 11:02 min/mile
16:46 min 1.45 miles 11:34 min/mile
16:07 min 1.44 miles 11:12 min/mile
16:20 min 1.40 miles 11:40 min/mile