My Playlist

A few posts ago I rambled on about how the songs I was listening to while running helped motivate me on my journey. I mentioned how much music touches me and speaks to my heart. But what do the songs on my blog's playlist mean to me? Why are they important? What makes them so special? I thought I'd use this post to share with you why I love these particular songs the way I do.

Kokomo by the Beach Boys--Nothing too deep here. I love the upbeat sound of the song, the beach-y theme, and it's from one of my favorite movies Cocktail. Just good fun.

Little Wonders by Rob Thomas--I adore the message in this song about how the real beauty in life is in the little moments, the every day stuff. It's in those moments that you really do your living and loving.

No Place That Far by Sara Evans--I used to sing this song to Morgan as a baby, telling her with every lyric that I would go to the ends of the Earth for her, because even that would not be too far. Love has no limits.

I Swear by John Michael Montgomery--This song was quite popular on country radio back in 1994. James and I chose it for our wedding song but it was so new to radio at the time that we couldn't find sheet music for it for our pianist and singers to sing at the wedding. We chose a different song for the actual ceremony but had this song for our first dance. We still consider it "our song" and sometimes reference it in notes to each other, such as "I love you, I swear."

The Search Is Over by Survivor--What a great, classic 80's song! And what a beautiful story about finding that one special person who was there all along. It just takes opening your eyes to see what is right under your nose.

I Would've Loved You Anyway by Trisha Yearwood--Amazing song sung by an extremely powerful voice. What an unbelievable message about loving someone so completely despite the tragic ending. Isn't that a lesson for us all? Love with all you have and to the fullest. The message in this song has always reminded me of the Poison song Every Rose Has Its Thorn when the verse says, "It's better to have lost at love than never to have loved at all." Amen to that.

I Loved Her First by Heartland--No doubt about it, for any future son-in-law of mine, don't ever doubt that I loved these girls long before they took their first breath, long before you came into their orbit. I will forever look out for them and do my best to protect them, and without any question I will forever love them. Hold her heart gently. I'll be watching.

Above the Clouds by Amber--This is a more recent song I stumbled across and found I truly enjoy. I think what gets me most about this song is when it talks about "If we had known it would be so hard would we have set out on this road together?" Isn't that so true? A weaker person might walk away before things get tough. But for those that are willing to stick it out and risk it all, well, the payoff is magnificent!

That's My Job by Conway Twitty--Again, I like a song that speaks to me, that has a message, that pulls at my heart. This one delivers all that. It reminds me of my own Dad. It's kind of his motto with me whether I ask him to build a toybox for the girls or whatever, he'll oftentimes answer, "That's my job." This was the 2nd song I had played at James and my wedding, for the father-daughter dance. It will always hold a special place in my heart, even more so now that I'm a parent. Taking care of my girls, that's my job.

I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe--It's impossible to know and humbling to imagine what that moment will be like when we meet Jesus. We truly can only imagine.

Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh--Another fantastic 80's tune. I melt when I hear this. Maybe it's the woman in me that wants to be swept off her feet, I'm not sure. I just know when he sings, "when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away, I have never had such a feeling, such a feeling of complete and utter love" I swoon. What woman wouldn't?

I'll Stand By You by the Pretenders--I love this song! Carrie Underwood remade it recently and her version is just as lovely as the original. I adore the message about standing by your loved one no matter what. My favorite parts of this song are "Nothing you confess could make me love you less" and "When you're standing at a crossroads and don't know which path to choose, let me come along cause even if you're wrong I'll stand by you." Ahhhh....

Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton--Oh, to tell a woman how beautiful and wonderful she is...how could she not fall in love with you? Nice.

Good Riddance by Green Day--I've really liked this song since I first heard it on the final episode of Seinfeld. Excellent message about hoping you lived each day to the fullest. I hope all of you are having the time of your lives.

Nobody Loves Me Like You Do by Whitney Houston--This ended up being the song that was sung at our wedding when we couldn't find the sheet music to our first choice of songs. I'd always liked this song since Whitney Houston sang it on my soap opera back in the early or mid 80's for a soap marriage. Yep, that's right. I'm such a sucker for a sappy song that when I heard this ballad as a young girl of probably no more than ten years old it made such an impression on me that nearly ten years later I would use it at my own wedding. And you all wonder what good comes from watching a soap opera all these years???

Forrest Gump music--There's not much to say about this except it is one of James' and my favorite movies. Hearing this melody reminds me of all the good times we've spent watching this movie, over and over. We've shared tears, we've shared laughs, we've loved it all, and we're sharing the film with our girls. It's really an awesome flick, isn't it?

Faithfully by Journey--This song has always been a good song in my opinion, but it wasn't until fairly recently that I really decided it was speaking to me. During the summer of 2007, with James deployed to Iraq, the girls and I took a road trip to Disney World. On that drive I pulled out a cd that James had in the car, a mix of tunes he'd made and left in there for who knows how long. I popped it in the player expecting a lot of metal and hard rock, the kind of stuff he loves. I was surprised to find this song in his mix and really listened to the words. When it talks about being away from home so much, and "being apart ain't easy on this love affair" I realized how much the lyrics resonated with our situation. Now it is in my list of favorite love songs.

Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers--For those of us that grew up in the 80's we know this song from the movie Ghost. It's as synonymous with that movie as is "Ditto." Those of you who love this film like I do know what I mean. It's probably the melody of the song I love most. It's very soothing and makes me feel like slow-dancin'.

After All These Years by Journey--My newest favorite song! I love everything, EVERYTHING, about this song. The words seem like they were written for James and I, about our time apart, our children growing up, overcoming our hardships. It's a fabulous song that I haven't tired of hearing yet.

My Little Girl by Tim McGraw--My girls are growing up on me and sometimes it breaks my heart to think how their baby days are long gone. But they are amazing young girls and will be incredible little women. I am as much in love with them as any mother possibly could be. No matter how grown they become, they will always remain my little girls. And I will love them forever, for always, no matter what.

Through The Years by Kenny Rogers--I picture James and I as old people in this song, rocking in our rockin' chairs and as gray as gray can be. And I picture us sittin' side by side holding hands, happy to have been with each other through all these years. And if he wants to sing me this song that'll be just fine and dandy with me!

Ready, Set, Don't Go by Billy Ray Cyrus--This song is for every parent who has a child growing up much quicker than the parent would like. Get ready, get set, please don't go....oh yeah, I completely get that! When the time comes, will I be ready to let my girls go? I'm quite certain my heart won't be, but I know I will have to let them fly and soar where their hearts need to go. I can't and won't hold them back. I'll help them find their wings and I'll cheer for them as they spread those wings to take flight. But I won't promise not to cry. My heart will surely be as broken into bits as it will be bursting with pride.

So there you have it, an explanation of all the songs on my blog and why they mean what they do to me. And with all that you have probably come to know me a little better, too.

Oh My Stars

I'm so tired I can barely think right now. Thank goodness bedtime is a mere 4 hours away from now!

Today I hit the track for another long training day. My goal was nine miles. I wasn't really picky about how I accomplished those nine miles just so long as I finished them. I did want to run at least three of them straight but other than that I was content just to have nine at the end.

And nine I did!

Here is the rough breakdown of what I did...

Mile 1 fast walked
Miles 2, 3 and 4 jogged
Miles 5, 6, 7, and 8 alternated 1/4 mile jog with 1/4 mile walk
Mile 9 fast walked

The final tally had me at nine miles in 1 hour and 55 minutes. That breaks down to an average of a 12.78 minute mile, well ahead of the 16 minute mile pace that is required for the Half-Marathon.

I'm on my way!

Injury report: I felt a nagging ache in my right knee today while training, and still feel it now. My feet are also hurting from the plantar fascitis, but that's a given after such a long run. Hopefully they'll be fine, or at least better, in a couple more days. I took some Tylenol when I got home from the track so that should help keep the minor aches from becoming major pains.

Oh yeah, and did I mention I taught a one hour aqua class immediately following my two-hour track stint?

Yep, I'm tired!

Momma's aren't allowed to be sick, are they?

What happens when the person responsible for making sure everyone in the household is fed and clothed in clean laundry, chauffeured to school and activities on time, and the all around finder-of-lost-things gets sick? Does the world come to a screeching halt? Does the laundry pile up in heaps? Do the children take a hiatus from school? Does no one get fed?

Or does the Momma carry on as best she can because she's needed and Momma's aren't allowed to take sick time.

I've been very blessed over the last few years not to get sick very often. Sure, I have all the sports injuries I've described over several posts but that's of my own making. But I've been very lucky not to get really sick over the last several years, ever since I began focusing on my health and learning to live better. But sometimes the illness just finds you.

I came down with a bout of 'it' Tuesday evening, whatever 'it' is. I'd just finished a hard workout day complete with a 4 mile run/walk, an hour aqua class, and then an hour step class. I'd been home from step class long enough to shower and get my jammies on and eat a light dinner of a veggie burger and an apple when I immediately got nauseous and had horrible stomach cramps.

The pain lasted the entire night, where I was awake so much I was just praying for daylight so the night would end. I still had the trouble all day yesterday, barely able to do much at all with the peeps in my circuit class. Today I'm feeling some better but the discomfort is still present.

I'm not sure what brought it on. James first thought it might be dehydration, but I don't think the symptoms would've lasted this long if that was what it was. And I'm not throwing up so it's not a normal stomach bug or the flu. My best guess is it is an irritation in the lining of my stomach (possible ulcer???) from ibuprofen usage. My podiatrist had had me taking the stuff daily for months to help with the foot pain but when I began complaining to him of stomach pain a few months ago he took me off it, concerned I was developing ulcer issues. I hadn't taken the stuff since except for maybe a couple times for knee pain or whatnot. But Tuesday afternoon I'd taken one dose of it to combat some aches I was having that day. Maybe it was just enough to irritate my tummy all over again and bring on the pain. Who knows?

What I do know is that our world didn't stop here and that's because I've got a good man for a husband who took care of me while I was ill. He was truly worried about me as I lay moaning in pain on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night. He asked about me countless times yesterday to see if I was doing better. He helped out when I needed him and really made me feel cared for and loved.

You know how when you're a child and you're sick you just want your Mommy to take care of you? Well, this Momma is truly grateful that I had my daughters' Daddy taking care of me. Thank you babe.

You make one great Baby Daddy!

Music to my....Feet????

Yesterday was my long run/walk day and I intended to type up this post right after coming home from the excursion while all my thoughts were still fresh in my head, but alas, the day got so busy that I didn't have time to work the post up until now. So here's the recap with a little background first.

Those of you who know me well know that I am a musical girl. That's not to say I'm a musically gifted or talented girl, just that I adore music. It speaks to me. It inspires and moves me. It courses through me. I love to sing outloud though I will admit I am probably off-tune more than I'm on. But that really isn't the purpose for me. I just love music. Probably even more than the music, I love lyrics. Again, if you know me well you know that I'm a word person, too. I love to read and write and edit. I love the written and spoken word. Put a melody behind some stirring words and I'm in heaven! Truthfully, the lyrics of a song are more important to me than the actual tune. If the song has a great sound but the words don't mean much to me then I don't really care that much about it. But give a ho-hum melody some sensational lyrics, something that speaks to me, and it's my new favorite song.

All that leads into my run yesterday. In order for me to jog/walk around a track for upwards of two hours, round and round the track I go, I have GOT to have some music in my ears. I couldn't imagine going long-distance without it. It's the distraction I need to keep me from giving up too soon.

I began yesterday's walk with the intention of completing 7 miles as I did last week, or possibly going for 8 if I felt I still had the energy left for that one additional mile. So I set out walking. I walked the first mile quickly to warm-up. Then I jogged the next two miles. Then I alternated jogging with walking for another four miles. For the last mile I speed walked to the finish for a total of 8 miles. And throughout those miles it was the music that filled my head and the thoughts that the music stirred up that kept my feet going.

Isn't it wonderful how the perfect song can come on at just the right time to spur you on? Eight miles is the longest I've ever gone and there were times I thought I might call it quits and head home. But I didn't.

Bon Jovi came on around mile 3, at which point I was still running, to the tune of "Runaway." Again, if you know much of anything about me you know I love Bon Jovi!! I grinned to myself thinking I was a little runaway at that moment.

A song that used to play in the daycare I worked at back in 2000 while I was an OSU student and Morgan was a toddler came on some time later. It was a beautiful song about "every time you smile, each time you look my way, with every little kiss you steal my heart away." I loved the music so much I bought the cd and this particular song found its way to my mp3 player. It brought back memories of my little girl and how much I adored her then and how much more I adore her now.

I had come to point in the run where I was getting really hot and cursing the Georgia heat and humidity when a Disney song came on, reminding me what I'm training for in the first place. And the song was perfect--from the movie Mulan, it was a song about making you strong and fit to fight. It's one of my favorite Disney songs. The chorus part of it sings, "We must be swift as the coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the
dark side of the moon." It pushed me to go further and be stronger than I had felt like being in the moments before the song came on.

At about mile 6 1/2 Kiss began playing "Beth." Just hearing my little girl's name being sung put a smile on my face and I began thinking of the example I'm trying to set for my children. I want the to be proud of their Momma, and I want them to grow into strong, confident, healthy and most of all, happy young women.

I think it was in mile 7 when I heard Hooked on a Feeling and the line in there about "keep it up girl." I focused on those words and told myself I absolutely could keep it up. I was going to finish what I started today. I refused to quit early at this point.

It was the final mile, though, where I really battled and needed the most help from my music to take my mind into another place. At mile 7 1/2 I got a dreaded side stitch and tried harder to control my breathing to get rid of it. I heard shots being fired from a nearby range and knew James was probably on that exact range firing his rifle with his guys as that's what they've been doing this week. Playing on my mp3 at the very moment I was hearing the range shots was Billy Dean's You Don't Count the Cost and the lyrics about a soldier fighting for his home. I burst with pride from all that my husband has endured over these past several years of war, and all that he sacrifices along with thousands of other soldiers, so that we can be free. I never forget, though, that freedom isn't free. But as the song says, "you don't count the cost."

My eight miles ended with me feeling an enormous sense of pride and a gratitude to God that I'm healthy and able-bodied enough to do what I'd just done. My time on the track was done just as Billy Dean's song was finishing, having reminded us all that "if you ever doubt it just think about the Cross, because when it comes to love you don't count the cost."

Final report, eight miles in 1 hour, 43 minutes. Completed with the help of a lot of music, thoughts of those I love, and pride to be who and what I am in America.

For my James

Babe,

This post is for you, the one who is my best friend, my love, my all. You inspire me everyday. For all we've built, for all still to come, you're still the one.

Journey--After All These Years

A faded wedding photograph
You and me in our first dance
Our eyes are closed
We're lost in one sweet embrace
Since those days the world has changed
But our love remains the same
God knows we've had our share of saving grace

And I'm proud of all the blessings
You have given me
The mountains we have climbed to get this far
You've learned to take the laughter with the tears
After all these years

You make it feel brand new
After the fires that we walked through
Against the odds we never lost our faith

In our house we've made our home
Where our children all have grown
Precious moments time cannot erase

Make a living up and down the gypsy highways
Seasons that we've had to share apart
Somehow in my heart I always keep you near me
After all these years

After all these years
You stood by me
The days and nights that I was gone
After all these years
You sacrificed, believed in me
And you stood strong
Cause with our love there's nothing left to fear
After all these years

After all these years
You stood by me
The days and nights that I was gone
After all these years
You've sacrificed, believed in me
And you stood strong
Cause with our love there's nothing left to fear
After all these years

(This song is in my playlist at the bottom of this page. Scroll down and click on the song to hear it if it's not currently playing on my blog.)

Quick update

We spent the Labor Day weekend at the beach in Destin, Florida, trying to get down there and back before Gustav reared his ugly head. I'll post more on that another time, along with some pictures from the trip. It was great to be back on the sand and enjoying the family time. We are definitely beach people!

I worked on tearing the wall down a little more today but am suffering for it a bit tonight. I walked an easy 1 mile with Beth this morning at her school before hitting the track on my own for 7 miles. I walked more than jogged, but I did do a fair amount of jogging in there if I do say so myself. I finished the 7 mile trek in 1 hour, 33 minutes. I haven't decided if I will up the mileage to 8 next week or repeat the 7 hoping for a better time. Either way, I'm pleased that I'm completing the tasks I set for myself. Oh yeah, I also taught an aqua class today.

Tonight my feet are aching from the plantar fascitis, and one toenail is really sore which James says is a common runner's injury (called "runner's toe," I guess). I plan to ice the feet and elevate them after I get the kids in bed. A good deal of stretching will probably help, too.

As James put it to me today when describing his own injuries, "you gotta know when to work through the pain and when to stop from the pain," or something to that effect. I'm working through the pain right now as it's tolerable and I'm feeling confident that I can keep this up. And if I have to stop at some point, well, that'll just be one more brick wall I'll have to battle down like the ones before.

Just a little more than 4 months left until the marathon. Hip hip horray!