Happy Thursday!

Why is it a happy Thursday? Because it’s makeover Thursday!

The first thing to get a makeover is my running shoes. Nothing like a new pair of kicks to make you feel good. I know, I know, back in this post I said I didn’t like to wear shoes, but I can’t really do without this kind of shoe, now can I? I ordered the exact pair that I was already using, so that I didn’t have to get used to a new style before my race.

A B

Exhibit A. New shiny pair of super-cushy loveliness. Exhibit B. What 9 months of running will do to your shoes.

I added up all of the miles from my running log and figured since Dec. 5th until two days ago, I have put 270.5 miles on these puppies! I bought them in August, so the mileage is actually quite a bit higher. Today was my second day breaking the new ones in and my feet were very happy indeed! My toes thanked me by not swelling up in the shower like they have been as of late.

When I got my news shoes and compared the two, it was obvious how much wear and tear my other older shoes had really gone through. I only replaced them because I was starting to have knee pain when I ran, and the new forming blisters were also a good indicator that a change was needed. I ignored the pain as long as I could, but knowing that I only had a few weeks to break in a new pair, I finally caved. My old ones didn’t look too bad to me until I sat the shoes side by side, then I could really see just how broken down my old ones were.

I’m such a saver. I still want to hold onto those shoes, but it’s silly because old shoes can cause a lot of injury. I guess I’m just sentimental about them because they are a physical reminder of my progress and accomplishments. Much self discovery both physically and mentally has happened while wearing those shoes. I covered a lot of miles in the last nine months…

The next makeover that is scheduled to start tomorrow is my back yard! Yay! We are having some cement work done in the morning and then Saturday my in-laws will be here to help us put in the sprinkling system and sod. I can not wait!

This is what I have had to look at everyday for the last year:

Usually I would be super embarrassed to show how ‘ghetto’ my yard is, but knowing that it is all going to change makes it ok. After all, I do need a before shot, right? I’m only planning a small area of grass and a whole lot of cement to accommodate a patio set and keep our yard maintenance to a minimum. Mowing a huge lawn in 110 degree weather is not a lot of fun! I can’t wait to send my kids outside to play and have them come back in not looking like Pigpen from the Snoopy comics.

I want to make a little tropical oasis for us in the backyard where we can have some shade and a little spot of green year-round. Ideally I would plant a bunch of fruit trees and shade trees, but at 170$ per baby tree, we are going to have to start with only a few. *sigh* It makes such a huge difference to be in a yard full of plants here in Arizona. I am not a big fan of the ‘desert landscaping’ that is typical here. Most of the front yards are all rock with a scattering of shrubs and cacti. Boring.

The third and most important makeover is going to be to my marriage. My husband was gone for 5 days, but it might as well have been 5 years. It bothered me that I didn’t miss him at the beginning of the week. I was going along with my everyday routine and I realized  how often we have just been going through the motions when it comes to the two of us. I guess when you are with someone for over 13 years you do get comfortable and don’t ‘try’ like you do when you are first in love. It was disheartening to feel this way, and by the end of those five days I had made up my mind to make a fresh start.

We have been very fortunate to have such a good relationship where we rarely argue or fight, but sometimes if I think there is nothing to work on in my little world, it doesn’t get a lot of my attention. Unfortunately, my marriage has not gotten enough of my attention, and I am now ready to change that. I have been complacent for too long and though we are happy I want to feel butterflies again.

When J got home last night, I was a little anxious to tell him all the things that had been on my mind. I was afraid to be so open about my feelings and shortcomings. I had to admit to him that it had been a long time since I was an active participant in our marriage. For a couple minutes it was one of the hardest conversations of my life. But, as usual, he knew exactly what I was talking about and was more understanding than I would have been given my past behavior.

I tend to think that I am good about hiding my emotions, but I hadn’t fooled him at all. He could tell that something had been bothering me for a long time, and he too was wanting to make some real changes to improve our relationship. I went to bed that night with more optimism about the future than I had in years. I’m almost excited to do whatever ‘work’ it will take to get us get back to feeling those butterflies again. In fact, I think I felt one this morning….