A week ago Daniel’s dad had a stroke while he was driving to work.
I won’t go into too much clinical detail, but thanks to quick response and an amazing team at Harborview he seems to have made a full recovery.
What I will say is that it was terrifying. When Daniel called to tell me, so many things ran through my head and it’s not easy to keep your mind from going to the worst case scenario.
I’ve spent a lot of long days and nights in hospitals and SNFs with my grandparents and as my parents have had outpatient surgeries. It was easy for me to switch into that mode, but it is a type of stress that is hard to explain. You have no control over the situation and you can never have the same level of knowledge that the medical staff has. For me, the only way to deal with that is to ask a thousand questions and gather as much information as possible.
The American Heart Association has been a huge help! There are a bunch of resources about stroke rehab and dealing with Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease and High Cholesterol. In the past, we’ve done the Heart Walk, but I plan to volunteer more this year and help give back so others have access to education that could prevent these conditions!
I skipped last year after I tore my meniscus, but doing the 5k this year reminded me why I love races! (It also helped that it wasn’t pouring rain like it has been in the past!)
This one is especially fun because they have great swag and of course Hot Chocolate at the end!
I would definitely recommend this race for any level! Here are my quick tips:
When you register choose your fastest possible time: Don’t sell yourself short! Plus this is a huge race so the slower you are the further back you start. This time we started in Corral C and that was perfect because everyone started at a running pace, but there was plenty of room and time to jog as needed.
Don’t burn all your energy on the hills: If you haven’t run here before, the hills might be daunting and there’s no shame in jogging or speed walking! You’d be surprised at how much time you make up on the downhill parts.
Set up the night before!: This is a must for most races because they’re usually pretty early, but this one you can actually sleep until the last minute because you pretty much just show up and race!
Make a plan for transportation to and from Seattle Center: In the past I’ve taken an uber or a lyft and that’s worked pretty well! You can also hang out in the armory and charge your phone or grab some coffee or food. There’s also decent street parking around Queen Anne (free on Sunday) and parking lots ($10-20). The one thing to remember is that if you do the 5k they block the road after your race for the 15k so you’re trapped! It’s easy to get around, but it could add about 20 extra minutes especially if you need to get into the city.
After the race take an Epsom Salt Bath: This is one of my guilty pleasures and it is the best thing to warm up after a cold morning and soothe your muscles so they don’t ache. I usually buy Dr. Teal’s Pre/Post Workout, but I love the foaming bath too!
Each year I volunteer at the Susan G. Komen Grace Notes Gala! It is such a joy to be around such a supportive community.
They always pick a great theme and everyone goes all out! This year the theme was the Roaring 20s and it was so fun to see all the flapper dresses and pearls!
My favorite part is always sneaking peaks at all the amazing survivors getting their photos taken. It’s such an inspiration.
Volunteering with Komen is something that I try to do at least a couple of times a year because they have such a great presence here in Seattle. They have opportunities in the office or for events and any time commitment you can make is valued. I would highly recommend checking it out!
Over President’s Day weekend, Daniel and I went to Vancouver, BC for our friend’s 30th Birthday!
This simple weekend trip turned into a time for me to reflect on some of the major things I need to work on this Lent and throughout the year.
As soon as I started packing, last minute of course, I realized I had no concept of what to expect for the trip. I had definitely Pinterested 1000 things to do in Vancouver and checked out a few of my favorite local travel blogs so I felt like I knew what I wanted explore while I was there.
Lesson 1: You can’t plan for everything especially when you’re not traveling alone.
I’ve traveled so much for work and I’ve always been able to eat at my favorite restaurants and explore my favorite local spots and spend way to much time taking in a view. In a way I missed that, but I quickly realized how lucky I am to have Daniel and the friend group and to be able to do things together.
Plus they picked the best restaurants and activities!
Eggs Benedict with Canadian BaconTubing at Cypress Mountain
Lesson 2: Dealing with challenges is so much easier with other people in your corner.
We got up early Sunday morning to sneak in some exploring time and we realized we had lost the keys somewhere on Saturday! Our friends helped us look all over and offered up tons of solutions that we hadn’t even thought of. Honestly, I was surprised at how composed I was and how great the day actually turned out.
I’m reading Pope Francis’ letter – The Joy of Love – and in referring to marriage he says, “Neither of the spouses will be alone in facing whatever challenges may come their way. Both are called to respond to God’s gift with commitment, creativity, perseverance and daily effort”
It reminded me how blessed we are to have such supportive friends and family around us not only for the good times, but for the difficult situations too.
We ended up driving back over the border to grab my spare key and my mom drove about an hour north to meet us, which saved a lot of time. On the way down we stopped for breakfast and we just had the best conversation.
Reading the specials board at Marlin’s Cafe
Lesson 3: Sometimes a little alone time goes a long way.
I just had my performance review at work and my boss touched on something that I’ve noticed as a challenge. I’m an extrovert that works with a whole company of introverts.
I have to make an effort to see the way others experience the world and this trip it became blatantly clear. Sometimes it’s really overwhelming to be in a group of high energy people and instead of creating more energy it just feels draining. A quick walk outside was exactly what I needed. It was like hitting the reset button and suddenly I was eager to get back to the group and have more fun together.
Lynn Canyon ParkTotally worth carrying the tripod!Lynn Canyon Suspension BridgeThis is why we wont be taking our own engagement photos 😉
We are so beyond lucky to have such sweet family and friends!
We had our Engagement Party in February and just about everyone made it! One of my best friends came up from Arizona and my cousin came from San Diego and my Aunt from Orange County!
We had the best time and it was such a great reminder of how supported we’ll be throughout our marriage.
It was also the kick in the pants we needed to get more ready for the wedding! It took a lot to coordinate a couple hour long event, so I can only imagine the hurdles that we’ll have to jump for our actual wedding.
Last year, my word was “acceptance” which was fitting in a year of so many changes. Fortuntately, most of the change was postive. I started a new job, bought a new car, got engaged! There were also very difficult things to accept. We lost my grandmother suddenly after a very long battle with lung cancer, both my parents had surgeries and we’ve faced situations and challenges that I could have never anticipated.
This year, we’re getting married! Plus we have trips and graduations and a honeymoon to plan! I know ultimately it will be a memorable year, but it’s a little overwhelming.
With that in mind, I used Jennifer Fulwiler’s Word of the Year Generator and guess what: my 2018 word is “ready”. I even tried it a couple more times to see what else I got, but “ready” it is.
It’s hard to even imagine being ready for everything that the future holds for us and for our family, but I think maybe that’s the point. I don’t think I necessarily need to be ready for the entire future – but I think I can take baby steps to be ready for some of the things I know are coming up no matter what.
There are some other major pieces that I need to work on to be more “ready” this year. One of them is communication. We often procrastinate talking about key details of important things and then we have to scramble to get places on time or buy a gift etc. That also segues nicely into another issue of building healthy habits. Each week, I imagine, this is going to be the week I finally meal prep, or set out my clothes or keep the house from becoming a complete disaster.
My coworker told me about this book.
So my goal is to start with some baby steps. I’d like to be more prepared for each day, each week and so on. Hopefully, by the time summer rolls around I’ll feel more ready for the wedding!
2017 Highlights:
Right before we got engaged!AladdinNorthwest Catholic ConferenceThe Puyallup FairPullman, WAThunder Creek hikeTom Petty ConcertOur first date! (Sort of)Jenny and Diego’s WeddingSunburn on Las Islas MarietasTrip to London before I started my new job!My birthday in Las VegasJanuary Long Weekend in Cape Cod
Briana Ledesma 