I survived

My sister was in a jam this past weekend so I helped her by babysitting her two boys, 3 and 2, for a couple hours on Sunday. Honestly, I was scared. Hint number 1 to all, McDonald's will win the hearts of all kids. I walked in with a bag of chicken McNuggets, french fries and some pies and they were all smiles. Helpful hint number 2, make sure you know how to operate a DVD player and understand kids don't always want to watch the entire movie, they like the games or features on the DVD instead. Hint number 3, the computer is a babysitter itself. Disney, Sesame Street and even Barney have great websites that will keep children (and adults) entertained for hours. These websites offer educational games, coloring sheets, songs, stories and much more. The most exciting thing for me was that I made it the entire day without having to change a diaper.

We don't have that other couple to hang out with.

My husband has his friends and I have my friends. We have gone out with each other's friends and their significant others. But we don't really have that other couple that we hang out with. You know, call to do dinner, go for drinks, and watch the game with. We don't have children so that knocks out a lot people. We are both involved in sports and active in church. Not many of our friends share these similarities. Is it because we met later in life and our individual friends have come from different times in our lives? Anyone else in the same boat? Or are we just weird. (Stating the obvious!)

So my husband started school.....

On Tuesday my husband had his first MBA class at Concordia University. And now tonight, he is studying. I don't mind having my alone time but if I want to watch TV I have to wear headphones so he has silence. Hmph. I guess I should understand, I was probably the same way when I was in graduate school.
Now I feel like I need to do something, be more involved. I am running and training for a couple half marathons. But I still have more time on my hands. I guess I'm going to pick up some books this weekend. Please recommend some books.
Thanks!

Happy New Year!

I stated my new year by doing the Polar Bear Plunge. I still don't understand why anyone would do this but I guess it's to say "I did it."

Only in Milwaukee, Wisconsin can Bradford Beach attract more people on January 1st to jump in a freezing lake than watch some great volleyball on a hot August day. This was my second year jumping in the cold lake. My brother decided to join me this year. We were lucky to have warm temperatures of 40 degrees. There is a strategy to the jump: Don't wear a lot of clothes. Cold wet clothes on your body makes it worse. Before you jump in have your warm and dry clothes ready to put on. Bring a blanket and lay out your layers so you can get to them right away. Also, bring a lot of towels. Ladies, wear a bikini with ties if you can. Once you get your clothes on you can untie your suit and pull it right off, that way you don't have your cold wet suit against your body. Something new I learned this year from my fellow running buddies, bring big thermal bags full of hot water.... when you get out of the cold water you stand in the bag and it warms your body right away. Here are some pictures from my crazy morning.

Getting ready to go in

New Look

For the new year, a new look. My new year resolution is to blog more. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays and have a great new year!

Culture Clash

I recently read this article Culture Clash: Beach Volleyball in Qatar on MSNBC.com. We really take things for granted here in the United States. But let me just say, how awesome that these women from Iraq are competing in sports.

Happy Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for?

I'm thankful for:
Family
Friends
Health
My Cat
Running
A Job
The Beach
Freedom
Our Troops
Education
Sushi
Brett Favre
Red Wine
My Jeep
All Animals (God did make them before man)
Jesus coming to earth to live as a man and die on the cross to save us from our sins

Praise You in the Storm

This is my comfort song right now.

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

by Casting Crowns

I can't believe I haven't had anything to say

No excuse, but I've been busy. Very busy. I did get a mini promotion at work and that has taken up a lot of my time. Yes, this is a good thing but I'm trying to get adjusted to my new responsibilities.
There have been some issues that I would have liked to blog about - oh lets say the past election and such - but I decided that I am going to keep my thoughts to myself on those issues. Unfortunately a political discussion usually ends up in tempers flaring and people getting hurt. My friends and I usually do not discuss politics but I will admit I have learned a lot from my friends and our discussions that we have had. We are aware of our beliefs and political stances and we have gotten good at stating how we feel and why and leaving it at that. I think on a message board people use it as a place to slam others. I am not going to change the minds of any of you out there so I am going to keep my thoughts to myself. I think it's tasteless how some people criticize others for how they vote and what they believe. It is my right to believe what I want and vote how I want. Just as it is your right to believe what you want and vote how you want. We don't have to agree but we don't have to be rude and critical of each others beliefs.

Now........how about those Packers......UGH.

I have no thoughts

I'm sorry. I have nothing to write about at this time. Hmmmm......... that is odd for me.

Nancy's Run, Rock N Stroll

I am so proud of my friend Val.
Val and I went to college together and we had the opportunity to run as teammates. We rocked. She rocked. We were National Champions together at the Indoor National Track Meet way back in 1995. She was so fast. She was crazy fun. I should say still is fast and crazy fun!
Val and I have kept in touch since college. I found out that Val's mom Nancy became sick. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She fought hard and long. She was able to see Val get married. Nancy lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 2005. Since that day Val said she was going to organize a run in honor of her mom.
Val is now a member of the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance and has organized Nancy's Run, Rock "N" Stroll for this weekend. The 5k run/1 mile walk will take place in Whitnall Park. If you would like to register please go to active.com. Proceeds for the race will go to the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance.
I love you Val and I'm so proud of you for doing this for your mom. She is looking down from heaven and will be cheering everyone on in the race this Saturday.

"Ben Stein's Last Column"

I might be late to this. That's typical for me. But a good friend of mine sent this to me. Wow, I could not agree with Mr. Stein more. Maybe this is why I don't go to many movies, don't know many actors/actresses or read People Magazine. Anyway, if you haven't seen it here it is.

Ben Stein's Last Column - Monday Night at Morton's

Getting paid more because you have kids?

This made me so angry. A friend of mine told me that her boss shared with her that apparently they base what they pay their employees on whether or not people have kids. The reason was that people with kids need more money, so they make more, even if the other employees without children work hard, in same position etc.

Isn't this against the law? What would you do if you found this out at your place of employment?
This makes my blood boil.

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon

The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon was this weekend and I had the privilege to be able to participate in the relay action. Four of us fabulous girls ran for Instep as 4 Non blondes and won the women's division! We finished 6th overall. We were thrilled.

Two of the ladies I ran with just recently completed the Madison Ironman. That is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26. 2 mile run. They amaze me.

If you have run in a marathon I'm sure you can remember all the feelings of that special day. The nerves, excitement, fear and pain! I experienced all those feelings again for all the dedicated runners out there. I was overcome by emotion when I arrived at the bus at 6 am watching all the runners pin their numbers and making sure they had all their gear. As I was running my leg of the relay I made sure to say something to each runner I passed. And to all the spectators that come out to support all of us runners - thank you, it is such a great feeling to have all that support on the course.

Special shout out to my friend Sap finishing his first marathon!

Also to my friend Liz on her first marathon. Elizabeth on her second marathon in the Twin Cities and Jenny Crain in the Twin Cities for qualifying for the Olympic Trials Marathon.

What a great weekend for running.

Running the second leg of relay.

The exchange.

My parents came out to support us. My husband took the pictures.

High School Reunion

This weekend I have made a commitment to attend my high school reunion. 15 years. What was I thinking? This is our first reunion and I haven't seen some of these people since June 1, 1991.
Since the announcement of this reunion I have had constant dreams about my high school, my classmates and different events. What I have found very odd about whole thing is that, it was only four years. I was in college longer. Heck, I went to grade school with the same people for nine years (K-8). So why does high school have such an impact on me and I'm sure other people?
I didn't even like high school. I liked the school I went to and I adored the majority of my teachers. I was very involved in everything – cross country, track, drama, band, choir, cheerleading (only 2 years!!) and anything else I could volunteer to help with. I didn't really belong to a clique. I got a long with most people and had friends from all different groups. But on graduation day when everyone was crying in the courtyard I had already turned in my cap and gown and was on my way to my family dinner. My bags were packed for college and I was counting down they days until I could move in my dorm. Sure, I knew I was going to miss my Coach and fellow teammates but I was more excited to moving on to bigger things in life.
The reunion committee set up a website with all the details, pictures, quizzes and the opportunity for us to submit what we have been up to the past 15 years. There was even spot for us to send in an updated picture. Very interesting to see what the class clown and valedictorian are doing and how it is not what everyone expected. I also have learned that I am one of the only ones without kids. This will make for interesting conversations.

Tell me about your high school experiences? Did you go to a reunion? I'll report back on Monday.

Running

I think I have mentioned this before. I'm a runner. I have been running for over twenty years. I really haven't written much about running. Here is some parts of my running story that I wrote for the MKE online back in November of 2005. I was on the cover for that issue! That was fun.

How it all started: "What is cross country?" I asked back in 5th grade at sport sign up day. "You run" someone replied back. Sounds ok I thought and I signed my name on the line. That was back in September of 1983, I barely made it a mile but have been the runner since then. Fast forward 23 years later and I'm still considered the runner.

Brag time: I have run competitively since grade school. I knew I was going to be running for awhile after I won the Lutheran grade school cross country invitational back in 8th grade crushing the mile and a half course record. I continued my running career at Wisconsin Lutheran High School earning All-Conference all 4 years and All-State with a 2nd place finish at the WISAA state meet back in 1989. I signed my scholarship offer to the UnivWisconsin Wisconisn-Parkside in January of 1991. While at UW Parkside I earned All-American status 4 times and was a National Champion in the 5000 meters in 1995. My PR for the 5000 indoors was 17:40, and I believe 17:20 outdoors.

Injuries: I've had my share and probably some of the most unusual. Of course like every runner I've had the shin splints, stress frtendonitisd tendonitis. But back in March of 1990 I was "diagnosed" with OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS. What is that? My doctor explained it as a hole in the talus bone. Surgery one was in1990 and surgery two in 1991. "There is no way you can run at the collegiate level" is what the doctors told me. Ok, so I red-shirt my freshman year and ran the next 4 years. But it wasn't over yet. There is a new way to do this surgery, we are going to take bone out of your knee and graft it in your talus bone. "But Tracey, this is just so you can walk without pain," my doctor told me in January of 2000. After the successful surgery I was able to run a mile here and there 8 months later. My doctors last words to me were, "now, no marathons!" He really enjoyed receiving my picture at the finish line of the 2002 Chicago Marathon where I ran it in 3:27 and qualified for the Boston Marathon.

I have experienced so many wonderful places to wear out my Nike shoes. Out of the state and out of the country. But my favorite place to run currently is downtown in Milwaukee along the lakefront. I especially enjoy it on a Saturday morning. The streets are empty and as I make my way down Prospect Avenue to Lincoln Memorial Drive the sidewalks have reminiscences of what happened just hours before. The Lake is usually very calm and the sun is just rising. I make my way along the path on Lincoln Memorial Drive usually passing many runners. During the summer the Badgerland Striders are out and about training for the upcoming marathon. Runners have their own language and there is a certain respect we have for each other. As I pass each one I observe their t-shirt to see what runs they have accomplished or what college they might have attended. Usually grunts, waves or "morning" are exchanged. I make my way past Bradford Beach and run into the volleyball players setting up their nets. The hill up to Lake Drive is a long one but the reward is admiring the beautiful houses and hopefully some sprinklers to cool me off. I make my turnaround at Capital drive or on my longer days, Silver Spring. While I may look alone, I feel like I'm part of a team as I continue to run the past the dedicated runners.

Sometimes during my runs I daydream back to my college days at UW Parkside. These were some of the best running days of my life. Coach Mike De Witt worked us hard and made us believe in ourselves. While there were many, my best running experience was February 25th, 1995. I qualified for the National meet in the 5000 meters and went in with the second best time. I was never so nervous before in my life. I cried and coach had to give me my race plan 2 times. The gun went off and I jumped out the lead only to have it taken away from me at lap 4. I trailed by 50 meters most of the race after that and even got passed for 3rd place at 2 miles. At that point I refocused and picked up the pace. I honestly did not think I could get back to first but I wanted to be able to finish the race knowing I tried my best. Without knowing, I was catching the first place runner. The indoor track in Nebraska was so loud and I could not hear my coach. At gun lap I looked up and realized first place was in front of me. I took off and won the race by 6 seconds after being down by 8 seconds with 400 meters left in the race.

Lakefront Marathon:
I seriously considered training for the marathon but due to some lingering injuries I thought it would be best to sit this one out. Just recently I have been given the opportunity to partake in a relay team at the Lakefront Marathon. There will be four of us girls and we will each run a "leg" to complete the 26.2 miles. I am very excited to be part of this great running event in Milwaukee. Here is some great press coverage from JSOnline this morning.

Do They Have It?

Baby Joggers

If you don't know this yet, I am a "runner." I have been running for 20+ years. I try to stay competitive. If I'm not training for a race I will still just go and run. I'm sure I'll write more on that another time.

When and if I have kids I intend on having a "baby jogger" so I can continue to keep up on my running. I don't know, I may hate it but I will try. But there is a time an place for a baby jogger and in a middle of a race is not the time. I found this post on a chat board I participate on that made me mad. Leave the kids at home, have someone watch them at the race, or stay out of the way of the serious runners.

Runners...race etiquette question
From: ******
Date: 9/16/2006 at 10:16 AM
I just got back from running a 10K this morning (great race...I went with my best friend and we had a blast).I was shocked to see a number of people with baby joggers in the 10K. In the other races I've run, they've not been allowed. This was a relatively big run, too. Anyhow, some people were fine--they stayed out of everyone's way. This one guy, however, was a complete JERK. He was nudging people with the stroller to get by them and even knocked a woman over. We found out after the race that she had broken her ankle!!!So...my question is this--is this common in races and I just haven't seen it? Does anyone on here run in races with a baby jogger?


Wrong, just wrong. If I was this lady with the broken ankle I would be seeking this person out for reimbursement of medical bills. Runners......that is great if you continue to run with the baby jogger, but in a race....watch your manners. Thank you.

Business Trips

This is an interesting subject - Business Trips. I'm in Galena, IL for a conference. I'm observing many interesting behaviors, social rules, people, etc. I'm at a large resort with golf, tennis, a spa, hot air balloons and many more amenities. I'll just note that this conference involved a lot of Doctors and hospital administrators.
Some notes:
1. A lot of the men brought their wives along.
2. There are many BMW's in the parking lot
3. Technology has changed the typical business trip
4. The entire conference is run by women
5. I just watched 6 women walk by that are some of the "wives" here and they all have the same hair, same style clothes, same color nail polish and same purses.

oh, my lunch is here, I'll post later.......share some experiences if you have taken a recent trip for business.

September 11

Where were you....... 5 years ago. Wow. I remember the day exactly. I was driving into downtown Milwaukee as Reitman and Mueller (94.5 WKTI) reported that a small plane crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower. (7:45 am CST) By the time I parked my car and got to the office, a second plane had crashed, this was not an accident. While trying to contact friends and family we were told to leave the building. At the time I was working in the US Bank Building in downtown Milwaukee. The entire day was a blur.
If you want, share your thoughts and memories.
God Bless America......