Fix it with Nutella

It broke.

Shattered in a tiny spider web pattern.

You know that moment when something that you absolutely love breaks?  It seems to happen in slow motion.  I mean, not really.  If it were in slow motion, my cat like reflexes would have caught it in mid air as it descended from the back seat of hubby's truck onto the hard, dark newly paved asphalt of the cul de sac.  Instead, it fell with one loud thump and that was it.  But when I replay it in my mind, I see the off white lens (still attached to the camera) slowly tumble over and over in the air several times before violently hitting the ground.

Ouch. I love that lens.


So, what happens next?  Well, after the initial *shock* comes the calm, then the  dissection.
Removing the UV cover, I discover that the L-glass is still in tact.  In fact, there isn't even a scratch on it. Flawless... like the day I got it. (If this was my classroom: insert teachable moment here.)
I remember when I paid almost 80 bucks for that UV cover.  I went to George's in North Park and bought the cover as an afterthought.  It wasn't about clarity or color enhancement. At the time, it seemed to be just another 80 bucks that I was spending.  Whatever.  The camera shop might as well be the candy store.  I just pick up this and that.

So today, I thank my lucky stars.  Not because my lens is still in tact, but because it (all of it) is material stuff that can be replaced or not. The lens, the glass, the UV cover... all of it. What can't be replaced is that fact that both boys have practice tonight - football and basketball - and I can't wait to watch both of them hard at work.  In fact, basketball season is coming to an end soon.  The camera gets to come with me and capture those images.  That's what's important.  It's not like my relationships, friendships, or morals have been shattered... that's the stuff that can't be replaced by picking it up at the shop or ordering it online.

That said and understood,  I woke up and saw it on the table where I left it last night.  Still shattered.  Still broken.  And for a second, it brought back that feeling of sadness and panic.  (After all, that lens has seen it all... birthday parties, football games, wrestling matches, jun jitsu competitions, all the important events.  It has been my constant, reliable companion through all of it. ) But, my little guy thought of the perfect way to fix it... Nutella.

Yeah.  I don't know if Nutella will actually fix the lens.  But it sure did repair the spirit.  Man, he has the answer to everything.

After this blog, I'm going to order a new UV cover, shop around on the B&H website a bit,  and wipe that little guy's hands and mouth clean... in that order.

Pain and Revelations

Having so much time (laying dawn and on pain killers) has given me some time to think about what is important to me.  I've come to the conclusion that I have a bunch of stuff to be thankful for in my life.  Here are just a couple that come to mind:

I am thankful for my oldest son.  He is amazing.  He tries very hard at school and at home.  He hardly complains and he is very quick to help out with the little ones.  He is patient (I could learn a thing or two from him in that department)

He spent the last two football seasons cheering on his little bro at football games and watching the other little bro so that I could watch the football games too.  Now, he is playing rec basketball for Mira Mesa.  The team has won the last two games and it seems that he is getting better and better each week.  Better yet, he chooses to practice daily, dribbling and shooting in the driveway daily so he can get better.  What commitment!  I really could learn a little something from him.

I am thankful for my job.  Just like everyone, I really look forward to time off.  But unlike most, I really enjoy my job.  Middle school kids are a tough little breed...sensitive, impressionable, immature. They are also at a point in their young lives where they (can) enjoy school and value the relationships.

While I was gone, the kids had several different substitute teachers.  I'm sure that some were good, some were bad, some were more intense than others.  But at the end of the day, they love me enough to wish me well.

Lastly, I'm grateful for the lessons I learn at Flood each week.  Recently, Pastor Matt spoke about a scripture that has me thinking.  Basically, the Bible says all God wants in return for His sacrifices is for us to: "Act Justly", "Love Mercy", and "Walk Humbly." (Micah 6:8)  Man, those are hard to do.  #1 and #3 are difficult, but not impossible.  #2 ...well, I guess I don't know what that looks like because it is a state of mind where we extend mercy to move forward.  That means that we have to forgive the people that have hurt us.  And we have to forgive ourselves for hurting others.  Yup, tough stuff.  But I am moving in the right direction... I hope.

I'll end by telling you about the hamster wheel.  I went to see Dr. Popcorn, a dear friend from back in the underage days.  He says that my back is out because I tore muscles.  Torn muscles cause spasms.  Spasms cause inflammation.  Inflammation makes it hard for the muscle to heal.  The muscle can't heal, so it causes spasms...  See?  Hamster wheel.

I'm the Juggernaut

She gave me the nickname years ago.  I've tried to remember that when I'm down in the dumps, I have special superhero powers that I can use to become unstoppable.  All I need is a little bit of momentum and a little space.  I can do anything I put my mind to.  I'm the juggernaut.

Thank you DEE DEE.  I miss you.
(http://www.10news.com/news/23119138/detail.html)

Who's got your back?

When you need back up -literally-because your back is out, who's got your back?

This week I learned that real friends come through in a pinch.  What I mean by 'pinch' is when you are swiveling in a chair (that you've swiveled in100 times before) and your back goes out on you.  Yup, it's no fun to have back problems.

Vicodin, Darvocet, Flexeril, and Ibuprofen can help with physical healing.  But the knowledge that your husband, your family, and your friends will come through for you when you need it most  will bring more comfort than all the pain killers in the world.

To the teacher who will push a wheel chair and massage feet...
To the grown up girl scout that will clean the kitchen and pick up food for dinner...
To the Muay Thai princess & her Black Belt that will double as a taxi driver...
To the Sis & the No Neck that will take on three more kids (in addition to their four)...
To Miss America that will stop her busy schedule to make a grilled cheese sandwich and watch a little basketball...
To the veteran detention teacher that will make a friendly phone call...
To a school nurse that will call every five minutes to "check in"...
To the counselor that will laugh a little and help a lot...
To the principal that will give up a walkie talkie to make life easier...
To the former President who will give sound advise and put it in perspective...
To the in- law unit who can empathize and will turn a blind eye when the vomit starts...
To the pretty girl (that works why too much because he new job kind of sucks) that will send hope filled text messages with promises of foot massages and lady kisses...
To the students an co- workers who send well wishes by text, email, and simple thoughts...
To the little boy who acts like nothing is wrong and insists on quality belly time...
To the two tweens that fold laundry, watch little brother, and keep things in order (and quiet) ...
And To the Husband that will carry his heavy wife to the car and the heavy load at the house...

What can I say?

It's clear that when I can't use my back, someone will have it.  

Super Bowl... Super Smoker

My beloved San Diego Chargers didn't even make the playoffs this year, so Superbowl Sunday's highlights revolved around food with friends, H&M's new commercial, and a very dynamic halftime show that kept all of our mouths hanging open well after the 12 minute show.

The NY Giants took on the (favored) New England Patriots - Tom Brady vs. Eli "I-don't-wanna-go-to-San-Diego" Manning. Ever since that 2004 draft, I have had a love/ hate relationship with that Manning family.  On one hand, I can't believe in someone who pouts and whines about being drafted to a great team, but on the other hand I really enjoyed watching the Colts *almost* win the Superbowl a couple years ago.

So instead of focusing on the game, the crew and I  focused on the commercials, the food, and the fact that -regardless of the season- our friendships continue to maintain healthy levels of laughter.

In a move of pure selfishness, I bought Hubby a smoker.  Yup, a red hot smoker for my smoking hot husband.  (I wrote that on the card... I thought it was clever)

We put pork butt, tri tip, kielbasa sausage, and a rack of ribs in that sucker to see what it could do.   Hours and hours of smoking plus  a quick turn on the hot grill produced fall off the bone, delicious, succulent meat that was still as tender the next day.  The pork butt was smoked for almost 10 hours then placed in a crock pot to eventually transform into a tender and flavorful pulled pork.

Needless to say, we ate pretty well during the game. MM brought a delicious pasta salad (that we all packed for lunch the next day) and Sissy made Pão de Queijo to Mrs. Sensei's surprise and to my delight.  Talk about DE-LICI-OUS!  After eating (too much)  we laughed a bit more and talked about our favorite commercials. 

After much reflection, the top three  commercials of this year's Superbowl are:

#3 - The H&M commercial... no explanation needed.

#2 - The M&M commercial because the naked M&M sings, "I'm sexy and I know it"  That's the little one's favorite song :)

#1 - The Hyundai car versus the cheetah commercial, where the cheetah turns around and chases the guy who opened the cage.   It made me laugh out loud because Hubby goes back to K-9 this week and our new family member (Ace) just might do what that cheetah did in the commercial.  Yeah, I know I shouldn't laugh.  I may laugh a bit inappropriately, but at least I've never complained about being in San Diego.

Because this entry is all about how I'm kind of a foodie, I'll end with one more picture from Operation Carb Load last month.  I'm pretty sure that the Carb Load Party was my favorite part of the half marathon.  See why?

Not Superbowl eats, but a quick pix from the "CARB LOAD PARTY"  

How is this flat?

Half Marathon: Check.

The Carlsbad Half Marathon came and went and all that training paid off one step at a time.  It is amazing when I think about  how long ago this all started with the summer days of crossfit and lambrusco.  Today I can proudly say that - although I am not a strong runner - I am dedicated and focused enough to make my body do what my mind knows I can do.  It's funny, as I get older I don't feel older.  In fact, I am probably stronger today than I was 10 years ago.  This little journey isn't over quite yet either.  I feel another long run coming in the near future.  I'm not referring to the Camp Pendelton Mud Run... I'm thinking a little closer than that.  I am pretty sure that Hubby doesn't feel the same way, but I know that my girls do.  So, I'm not retiring the running shoes quite yet.

The day before the run, MM and I braved the weather and picked up all the bibs.  At pick up, we stayed for the health expo where I consumed some delicious yogurt and picked up a bunch of stickers that I would later toss.  One vendor worth mentioning is the Running Divas clothing company.  Talk about C-U-T-E stuff.  One of these days, I'm going to bend and buy one of each of the cute tops, comfy pants, and super stylish long socks.  But first I feel like I have to run more to , you know, earn the right to wear a "Half Marathon Mom" top.  Of course, arguably, how many half marathons does one have to run before one has earned it?

 It rained the day before and the day after the run.  But the day of the run, it was PERFECT weather.  The first 6.5 miles were mainly along the water in Carlsbad with a pod of dolphins making a guest appearance somewhere around mile 5.  I was told that it was a beautiful run by many people and I must agree:  the weather and scenery makes me want to run there again sometime. Maybe not 13.1 miles, but a nice stroll on the sand to chase birds and pick up shells.   It's funny that I never noticed that Carlsbad is actually a nice place to visit.  Not just the outlets there, but some of the little shops are quite quaint  and the beach is so inviting.  I love living in San Diego.

After the run, the troops and I hobbled to the car that was parked on the other side of the mall and went for some delicious pizza and beer at Pizza Port.  Since I had cut alcohol out of my diet, I thought I would commemorate the run with a delicious, ice cold one.  It sounded about right at the time, but once the beer was in hand,  really all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep, sleep, sleep.  Funny that I write that, because I was too tired to enjoy the beer but NOT too tired to enjoy the chocolate and ice cream I had right after.  

I think that Sissy, Mrs. Sensei, & the Juicy Gal would love a trip to the chocolate/ wine hole that Tee Wang, MM, Lily, and I discovered.  Note to self: Take the girls up there soon for some whine and wine.  

So, off  the bucket list goes the half marathon.  What an emotional journey.  One that I won't soon forget.  The last half mile was very difficult.  Maybe the hardest part of the run because I mentally shut down once I saw all the people and the home stretch.  Let's just say that I am acutely aware that it is NOT 13 miles, it is 13.1.   Luckily I had angels guiding me to that finish line.  Really, I thought about them and how they were smiling down on me as I crossed that finish line with Lily's hand in mine.  

And ,  I hope that one day my kids are proud of me.  After all, their opinions are the only ones I *really* care about at the end of the day. 

I'll end with one lingering thought:  This run is the first in the Triple Crown Series and everyone says that it is flat.  However, I beg to differ.  When it is uphill both ways, how is that flat?