I would love to have some bubbly with my Washington State friends. Instead of signing up for that race, I did something just as crazy yesterday. My Brooks program was giving away entries to the Virginia Beach RnR half marathon and I got one! Fortunately, my calf/PF is back to normal this morning. Tammy, I followed your suggestion about the downward-facing dog and of course worked a lot with the foam roller.
"I didn’t run a race until I was 41 and that was a marathon! Let that sink in for a minute." -me
MM #5615
twocat, whether you go or no, I know that your friend knows that you hold him dearly in your heart and THAT fact he will take with him to eternity!
That is a very good point!
TwoCat - sorry to hear the end is so near for your friend. I hope you are able to see him in person, but if not, I'm sure he knows you are with him in thought. soon he'll be pain-free and disease-free and that is something to be thankful for. Mike E - bummer. I was hoping that time away with your son would be the beginning of some big changes for him and he'd realize what great support he has with you and would want to make those changes to better his life. Just remember the seeds you are planting. puppy class was a big fail last night. Bailey is better behaved, but Bella is . . . well, she's Bella and is a very reactive dog. She spent about 45 minutes out of the hour, barking at the one and only other dog that showed up. I'm afraid my two little brutes have scared off the other two students - even though the teacher assures me that they haven't. They apparently had other reasons for not being able to come to last night's class. oy. not sure what I'm going to do with Bella to get her to quit barking at every dog she sees. She did learn "down" though. at least she learned something.
no run for me today but will be going rafting this afternoon with my rowdy co-workers. I guess that's a good way to keep cool. We'll hit upper 80's today, which we haven't seen for what seems like weeks. I know something in the 80's would feel like nirvana to most of you in the heat right now. I hope relief is in sight for the midwest/east coast.
Tammy
Marathon Iowa 2014
Tammy - down is the toughest command for "spirited" dogs. Two words for you on the other issue - "bark collar."
(((((Mike))))) IMHO, you're doing the best thing for your son. It can suck though.
twocat, whether you go or no, I know that your friend knows that you hold him dearly in your heart and THAT fact he will take with him to eternity! Posie huggs to you through the weekend!
Tammy, Tag says to get Bella a bunny, then she won't be as interested in other dogs.
I have no idea how far we went today, but we were running for nearly an hour. Our favorite trail is becoming badly over grown and covered with downed trees. Our town is very small. Breger , Dave59 and probably Hopeful have been through it. At the turn of the last century, there was a railroad, 2,000 person capacity dance hall, two hotels warehouses, mills and a canning factory. Though you really have to be observant, this trail is along the rail grade, by the mill and through a few homesteads. Rotting timbers are all that remain of the mill. Sometimes we'll find broken pottery or a rail road spike. There's empty orchards and lilacs that have gone wild for a century. We took a pause during the outing to jump off a culvert into a spring fed, churning pool. It's very cold. Think Lake Superior type refreshing. During the summer's humidity, a perpetual fog floats along the surface. The sides of the pond are steep and made of clay. As cold as it is, there is no quick exit. Tag waded out to see me, however, he didn't take the plunge.
SteveP
Mr. Chip & Mizz Rizzo
Tammy - have they talked about a squirt bottle at all for the barking? I received lots of good printed information when I had B'Nellie in class, I'll take a look to see if there was a sheet about barking for you.
SteveP - that must be a really, really, really cold pond if Tag wouldn't join you! Now I am curious about the town!
Derrick - one of my puppies now lives on Mackinaw Island. If you see her give her a hug from me. Enjoy!
TwoCat - like other's have said, I am sure your friend knows that you are with him in spirit and would give anything to be there with him. I do hope you can get there if at all possible.
JLynne- what were you thinking?? I hope it all goes well for you.
~Mary
"My sunshine doesn't come from the skies,It comes from the love in my dog's eyes."
~unknown
http:www.rawleypointkennel.com
Maniac 505
I'll do four easy later.
Tammy My parents bought a collar that shocked the dog when it barked, It was a big fail. The dog barked and got zapped, it screeched and ran, It kept yelping each time it got shocked and kept trying to run away from it. My parents had a heck of a time catching the dog so they could get the collar off.
Hi, Everyone - I've tried to keep up somewhat, but have had very little energy to do so. The last couple of days have been extremely hard, but some of the worst is over. I know I've been cryptic about what has been happening in my life, and this is going to be very hard for me, but I think telling people exactly what's going on is therapeutic, because what's happened has happened, and nothing can change it.
My husband was fired from his job of 20 years on April 7 for embezzlement. As the story has unfolded over the last few months, I am now able to clearly understand what has been happening the last few years. I've always known he was an alcoholic, and I knew things were getting worse, but as many of you know, an alcoholic has to be willing to admit he or she is an alcoholic before any kind of healing and recovery can begin.
As I told Shorty, I had always thought that one day I would receive a phone call saying he'd been arrested for a DUI and had either hurt or killed someone in the process. The blessing about the embezzlement is that he hit his bottom without physically injuring or killing someone.
To my shock, Shorty has fully embraced his sobriety, or at least appears to. This is the 2nd blessing. This coming Tuesday, he will have completed 90 days of rehab, all of it at his request. The change that has overcome him in the past 90 days is nothing short of miraculous because I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd have a sober husband.
Shorty never tried to deny what he did, nor has he ever tried to lay blame anywhere but squarely on his shoulders. About the day he was confronted, he says it was the best day and the worst day of his life. The worst because he was caught, the best because this lie he has been living with for so long is finally out in the open, and it has forced him to face his alcoholism.
On Wednesday, not only did Shorty celebrate 90 days of sobriety, but he was also sentenced to 9 months in the county jail. The DA wanted a year, but the judge gave him 3 months' credit for the time he has spent in rehab. Six or 7 people from his former place of employment showed up, and the manager, Morgan, who also was his friend, spoke. Sitting in that courtroom and listening to Morgan describe my husband as some kind of monster was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It was awful. Yes, many of the things he said - which were a reiteration of the extremely venomous letter he wrote to the court - were true, but he also painted a picture of a man who was nothing short of a monster. Obviously, my husband has many defects and issues he will spend a lifetime trying to overcome, but he also has many redeeming qualities, none of which were allowed to be spoken of in open court. Five or 6 character reference letters had been submitted on his behalf by folks who are willing to support him/us and were attached to the probation report to the judge, which had a sentence and probation recommendation, but again, nothing about the positive aspects of his character were allowed to be spoken of in open court. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life.
All of this has been extremely hard to deal with, and I have run through the entire range emotions over and over again - from shock, anger, shame, embarrassment, to the question of why. I don't know if we'll ever know the true reason why, except to say the stealing was fueled by the alcoholism, which was fueled by the stealing which was fueled by the alcoholism. An extremely vicious cycle. I am working my way through this with my own personal counseling, and I am trying to embrace Al-Anon. However, I have been so angry, a lot of my attitude has been $%*& it, I don't want anything to do with any of this.
On Saturday, July 30, two days before our 24th wedding anniversary, Shorty reports to the jail to begin serving his sentence. Ironically, I work about 1 block from the jail. I have no idea where our relationship is going to go, but I have made the promise to not make any definite decisions until he is out of jail and we have a chance to try and repair our relationship. It's not going to be easy, but I know in my heart I could never live with myself if I didn't at least try.
Some of what has been hard is knowing that, as this all comes out in the public, people will undoubtedly think I knew what was going on and was a part of this. I knew nothing, and have been devastated by it all. Not only has it been unfathomable that my husband could have done this, but it also has made me feel very stupid, foolish, naive, guilty . . . We have been blessed with a wonderful attorney who has assured me that in his experience, rarely ever is the spouse aware, but I still feel what I feel. And in open court on Wednesday, the DA went so far as to "accuse" me of knowing, and I had to sit there and take it when what I really wanted to do was stand up and shout, "If you're going to accuse me of wrongdoing, then charge me."
So that is the whole sordid tale of my life the last almost four months. I know I didn't have to tell anyone what is going on, but the truth is the truth, and I am slowly learning to live with it and to push the shame aside. I have been blessed with the friends here in my "real" world who have provided me with unwavering support, and I have been blessed by the support I have received from you, my "virtual" friends. I can never express how much it has meant to me, each "thinking of Leslie," "{{{Leslie}}}", the private messages, they have pulled me through some very dark times when I was unsure how I would make it.
So to each of you, thank you so very much. I hold you all close to my heart.
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
[[[[[[fatozzig]]]]].....virtual friends are nice, and really can keep a Confidence.....
..nothing takes the place of persistence.....
Holy Moly Leslie. I know you are tough, I had no idea how tough you are. In this little community, you are respected and well liked. Though Shorty can not change his life story to date, the happy ending is entirely up to him. Though he can not change is past, he can start living his todays as though no one would believe it's true.
Many hugs your way.
Leslie,
That is a beautiful, touching, and brave post. You are to be commended for sticking by your DH and by trying to heal yourself. Your DH is to be commended for laying the blame firmly on himself and no one else. That shows character. Things may not work out with your DH - there are no guarantees - but you will come through this, one way or the other, and you will know that you have done right by yourself and your DH.
Prayers and positive thoughts. You are a strong, good, and caring spouse.
Bill
"Some are the strong, silent type. You can't put your finger on exactly what it is they bring to the table until you run without them and then you realize that their steadiness fills a hole that leaks energy in their absence." - Kristin Armstrong
Leslie--wow--I am very sorry to hear about all of this. But--I am so impressed with you and for Shorty, for that matter. It must be such a relief for him to get this out in the open so he can put it behind him. And you--you are a pretty special person, I must say. I'm sure there are going to be some pretty rough days ahead but--one way or another--there is little doubt that you are going to get through all of this. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Lean on your friends! You'll continue to be in my prayers.
{{{Leslie}}} You are an incredibly strong, caring, loving wife. We're here for you, in whatever way we can be.
{{{Leslie}}} I am sorry that you are going through this. Like others have said you are strong and I greatly admire you for not giving up on Shorty.
"During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."
MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803
Quite frankly leslie, when you said in the beginning that the "bottom had dropped out of your life," my first thought was of many similar situations happening to others who are either completely innocent or being maliciously prosecuted by occasional egomaniac prosecutors and judges.
.
I am so sorry that it is happening to you now too. . Maybe aamos can comment some way or the other but it is very sad and true, but easily denied by those who have never had friends and loved ones experiencing first hand our so-called criminal "justice" system, that way too many prosecutors and judges care more about getting a conviction without any regard to a person's possible innocence, extenuating circumstances, underlying nature of motivations, appropriateness of punishments for deterrence, restitution, remorse/rehabilitation and/or retribution, etc,
Their annual evaluations don't extol their compassion with regard to trying to determine if a person might be either innocent or at least not a hardened criminal. Instead, they are lauded for getting, or trying to get, the maximum sentences possible. . As a result, there are many truly innocent people in jail and others who are serving maliciously extreme sentences. I think your husband is one of the latter. It was not a crime of violence and, unless he had a prior criminal record, he should have been released right away on some term of probation to provide complete and full restitution. .
Worst of all, the prosecutor’s remarks about you were uncalled for,
unprofessional, and a violation of an attorney’s code of ethics.
Please file a complaint against him with the bar association,
maybe against the judge too.
I will help you.
God bless you for posting this.
Good luck.
"Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)