Marathon Training, Good Hearts, and Furbabies

The blog has been a little quiet over the past few days, partly due to the fact that Tropical Storm Harvey was passing through my area which caused our normal routine schedule to be thrown out of whack! We worked half days all week so we could get our cancer patients treated without a break in their radiation. Driving to work on Monday was especially scary and lets just say I whispered a prayer of thanks once I made it there. This storm kept bringing flashbacks of Hurricane Rita which hit our area in 2005 and my heart goes out to the residents of Corpus Christi, Houston, Beaumont, and the surrounding areas that were devastated by this crazy storm.

Since it's Thursday, I thought I would share a few random thoughts and happenings going on over here.

Random thought: When you're cooped up inside the house for several days, a break in rain bands is a great time to play in water, with rocks, and random mud puddles. Oh, the life of a kid...

#1 Dopey Training

Well, when I first talked about my Dopey Training schedule and the reason I started training a week early, I mentioned hurricane season. Maybe I shouldn't have said it out loud? Oh well...this week hasn't been ALL a loss. Since being cooped up inside all weekend and now most of the week, I've managed to work a lot on my lower body and with my PT routine. Chasing Brayden around all day has been quite the workout, too! Whoever said their toddler was their cardio workout was 100% correct! The weather is supposed to be clear(er) on Saturday, so a long run is on the schedule. Hopefully all works out to do so!

#2 Good Hearted People

This goes without saying that during devastating times, you really do see the best in people. I am so proud of the way our community has rallied around to help not only our fellow neighbors but also those displaced from Texas. The hospital I work for has opened its arms to anyone in the middle of their cancer treatments and are now displaced due to the storm. Can you imagine how it would feel to be in the middle of your daily radiation treatments or weekly chemotherapy regimen and then  suddenly unable to continue your treatment? I can't even fathom the anxiety or worry.  Also, the Cajun Navy, the National Guard, Police and Sheriff Officers, Volunteers and everyone who has stepped in to help rescue storm victims from their homes - true heroes. Good hearted people, y'all. The world is full of them. It's sad that it takes a tragedy like this one to let it be known. We should strive to be the best we can be and show love to our neighbor every single day, not just in time of tragedy.

Random thought: Gumbo is good any time of year, but especially when pictures constantly pop up on facebook of others making gumbo during a storm. That's when you MUST also make gumbo!

#3 Madalynn

Although not storm related, this one still is worrisome news. Last week, I mentioned that Madalynn had an abscess pop up on her face and was in need of a tooth extraction. Well, during the extraction and cleaning, her vet found a random worrisome spot on her hard palate and sent it off for biopsy. I'm trying not to freak myself out, but I'm also trying not to sugar coat it either - it doesn't appear to be a good thing. On a positive note, Madalynn is back to her cheerful and happy self and hasn't let any of this slow her down one bit. As soon as we returned home from her surgery, she wanted food ASAP! For now, we are awaiting the biopsy results and taking it one day at a time. Thankfully, none of this is bothering her for the time being. I sure do wish our furbabies could stick around as long as humans do. When they become a true part of your family, stuff like this can be so hard. Keep her in your prayers if you think about it! We sure appreciate it!

I hope you've all had a great week! Thanks for following along with my randomness, I appreciate you!

Hurricane Harvey Birthday Weekend

My oh MY what a weekend! This is the third birthday weekend I've shared with a hurricane and each has its own set of stories to tell. Perks of living off the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, right? :)

Despite the storm, tornado, and flash flood warnings from Hurricane Harvey, I still managed to make the most of it all and enjoy my birthday weekend!

On Friday afternoon after work, I took Madalynn to the vet to have that spot on her face checked out. I was seriously nervous that something was VERY wrong, but thankfully it seems fixable. They told me that a cracked tooth became infected and the infection spread up into her sinus cavity and presented as a sore on her cheek. I'm taking her in today to have that tooth surgically removed and everything should resolve itself! (Say a prayer for her today if you think about it! Thank you!)

After returning home from the vet's office, I decided to take my chances on a run as I figured Saturday's forecast wouldn't allow for one (well, outside at least).

The run ended just a few minutes before the first outer bands of Harvey hit our area.

The heat index was at 85 degrees which actually felt pretty nice compared to the heat index we've had the past several weeks!

On Friday night, we had dinner with my parents at one of my favorite restaurants, O'Charleys. We somehow managed to maneuver between rain storms and made it to and from dinner without any mishaps!

Dinner was delicious as always and afterwards, we returned to our house for cake and gifts!

Y'all, this CAKE is amazing. I've had this same cake for the past several years and I look forward to it every year. This one is chocolate with whipped peanut butter icing. OMG.

Side note, how am I already 35?! What the heck.

Jason had to work on Saturday, so Brayden and I spent the day together! We played with #allthetoys and once the rain stopped (for the time being), we made our way outside to pull weeds!

We were in and out several times throughout the morning in between storms. While I did all of the dirty work, Brayden had a ball playing in the mud puddles, dirt, and water. This kid is 100% all boy and I love it!

On Saturday night, my friends and I had dinner at Rotolo's! Despite the off and on rain, it didn't really start to get bad until Sunday.

Sunday morning was my actual birthday and that's when all of the fun began! I made breakfast for Brayden and I, then we headed to church.

While there, my friend put me to work in the coffee shop! I've worked the coffee shop off and on for the past several years but never learned the big machine. It's actually easier than I thought!  Latte, anyone? :)

Midway through church, we were alerted to a flash flood watch that continued on throughout the day.

The bad part about this whole situation is the fact that the roads in my town flood...BAD. Even with just 20 minutes of a hard rain, it's impossible to get around town. So, instead of having dinner at a restaurant after church, we drove to my house (which is right down the road from my parent's house) and had takeout for lunch!

We decided on fried chicken! I seriously love fried chicken but hardly ever eat it, so this was truly a treat!

After lunch, my friend Kim stayed to hang out and we basically laid around and watched the weather channel all afternoon during Brayden's nap! Sounds thrilling, right? 

My family and friends also know me all too well! The majority of my gifts were Disney related! :)

Despite the crazy storm and weather, my birthday weekend was a fun one and definitely one I won't ever forget! Also, I'm very thankful that our area didn't receive much damage from this storm system and hope it continues to stay that way. SO many prayers to our Houston neighbors who can't say the same right now. :( My prayers and heart goes out to you guys as sadly, it still isn't over.

I hope you guys all had a great weekend and if you're in the Houston area, stay safe! My thoughts and prayers are with you guys!!