A fun valentine's gift!

Marc got me an awesome present for Valentine's Day: an IPOD shuffle! It is wonderful to have when working out because it is so little and clips on to my shorts , shirt, etc. The sound is incredible and I just love that it is so tiny! Mine is purple and I have been loading very upbeat songs on it tonight. As I write this I have it on pretty loud and cannot hear myself plunk on the keys to type. Anyway, I know this is sounding like a commercial, but if you run or are very active in working out I would HIGHLY recommend it. It really beats having something hanging on your arm. In addition to the shuffle Marc also gave be beautiful roses! Isn't he a romantic??

Congress is ridiculous

When I run on the treadmill, I always turn on the TV in front of me to one of the news channels just have something to watch and listen to if I get bored with my music or Glenn Beck. Today I am working on my tempo run for the week and I turn the TV to Fox. Just a few minutes into my run, they switch to Capitol Hill where you think that perhaps something important to our national security might be happening, and it is! Yes, all of the news channels (I noticed that everyone else's news was focused on this very important congressional hearing) were tuned in to bring us the very latest about the steroids scandal in major league baseball. Excuse me, but when did it become the role of our government to waste their time investigating a sport--and a very boring one at that?? I was bewildered that at least an hour (that was the time I ran) of uninterrupted television was spent watching this ridiculous proceeding. The people "serving" in congress right now are for the most part TERRIBLE. If they ever need someone to explain why they have such a low approval rating, they need go no farther than call me and I will give them example after example of ways in which they push our national security aside (ie--issues that really need to be taken care such as using our own natural resources for fuel, ensuring that our food supply isn't farmed out to other countries, eliminating the illegal immigration problem, properly funding and supporting our Armed Services, etc) in favor of holding hearings on drugs in baseball. Ugh, they really make me sick to my stomach.

I can run!

I can't believe that I did it, but I really did! I ran 5.2 miles today actually running the entire time! I am pretty amazed that I was able to hang on that long, but at the end I felt like I could have kept running for a while longer. It was fun and I had such a "high" upon finishing. I can hardly wait to run again and have some more endorphins released into my blood! I am in the process of training to run my first 5K at the beginning of April. I am excited to be in a race and at the prospect of finishing at my personal best. Who knows, maybe there will eventually be a marathon in my future!

John McCain is arrogant

I have been watching the republican debate from last night and I am developing the impression that McCain is an arrogant SOB. (SOB is not something that I would normally write, let alone say, but it seems to fit.) Anyway, He keeps saying, "So and so and so and so and 4 so and sos are backing me. Person A is supporting me so look how great I am. I was in the Military and so I would make the best commender-in-chief(something I do commend, but I do not think that past service in the military is necessarily indicative of future effective leadership of the entire military). The man is driving me crazy and Huckabee is such a snob. He won't leave the race because he sees it as a blow to the Romney campaign. I was not a huge Romney supporter because I did not want to join the "Mormon bandwagon" of supporters who bear their testimonies about how wonderful it is to have a member of the church running for the highest office in our country. (These people are a little crazy!) However, with the ridiculousness of the other republican candidates' high school like tactics, my fire is being fueled in that direction. I really like Ron Paul and a lot of his libertarian ideas, but do not feel that he is at all electable. He doesn't exactly have a commanding presence. I hope that others will see through McCain and not vote for him come this Super Tuesday!

Kindness

It has been a while since I last entered anything in here and perhaps it is because I really wasn't feeling quite like myself during that time. I still struggle a little bit, but I feel that I am better prepared to deal with those feelings and rise above a lot of the depression that sometimes gets to me. I am ready to feel empowered; to take control of my life again and keep everything in balance like I have been able to do in the past. I suppose that all of us go through times like this to some degree in our lives although we may call it different names and deal with it in our own unique and personal ways. Some of reach out to others to help us and pull us out of the mire where we have fallen. Others of us hold it deep inside of us and choose not to share it with anyone. We put on a happy face to the world, one that says, "I can handle this, I can handle anything." Then, when friends and acquaintances find out the truth about what we are hiding, they are surprised. That might be our fault to some degree, if not entirely. There are so many ways that we all deal with our struggles and the important thing is to not judge each other. If we could all assume the best in each other and never underestimate the power of our kindness to others, I really believe that a lot of the suffering that occurs in the world would be alleviated to some degree. I know that those who have been unconditionally kind to me have made the most difference in my life. From the kind doctor in the ER, to my dear family, and devoted friends, they have all buoyed me up in the darkest hours. Thank you.