Wrestling Recap

It was another all-day wrestling tournament weekend. This time, it was on Saturday in Germantown.

C-man went into the second period on the first round.

At which time he won by fall at 1:35.

His second match, he got pinned in the first period. It was a kid who had pinned him previously at the West Bend tournament. I would love to see the two match up again, though, because I don't think C-man would let it happen again.

He had a bye for the third round. But in the fourth, he was without his headgear and still pinned the opponent in 20 seconds.

And then he went into the fifth round, feeling pretty confident. I guess it was deservedly so, because his pin came at 56 seconds.

While tired, he was incredibly happy to hear the jingle of three new pins to his hat. And then he went to spend the night with 9 other wrestlers and play beer pong (with water). In other words, it was yet another stellar day in the life of this charmed child.

TGIF

Thursday Thirteen

1. My husband and I are in the same metro area again. That has only happened for about 4 or so days in the past 3 weeks, so it's sort of notable.
2. Of course, 2 of those 4 days were spent at wrestling tournaments.
3. Speaking of wrestling tournaments, C-man has one on Saturday this weekend instead of Sunday.
4. 17 kids from his team will be there, so it'll be a busy day of photography.
5. It's going to be really nice to have a Sunday off, though!
6. Although we'll be at a high school wrestling dual tonight. Because that's what you do, after all.
7. Speaking of C-man. His friend called looking for homework while he was at practice. So I took a photo of it and emailed it to him and talked him through it.
8. This time it's free, kid. The next time, I'm charging tutor fees.
9. We've been binge watching The Flash.
10. I guess that means we have to decide if we burn through Jessica Jones or The Arrow next.
11. Our coffee maker took a dump, so I ordered a new one. It should arrive today.
12. Ahhh, the important things.
13. Another important thing - it's almost Friday. Boom. Crushing it.

Greener Pastures

As the saying goes, you're not supposed to change just for change sake. After all, the grass is always greener on the other side? But I'm not sure I totally agree with that thinking. Because sometimes, a lot of times, really, change is good. Great, even. I like things that are different. I like when things move forward. I feel stuck if I'm rooted in one place too long - almost as if I'm not learning enough anymore. And that's not a good feeling.

Statistically, this is the most depressing week of the year. It's cold and dark and you're directly in the middle of the funk. So maybe it's just that. But I really feel I need a change again. Time to find a greener pasture and get my brain moving.

When there are rules about pie, you should listen

Around we go again

It's a full swing Monday over here. C-man had two wrestling tournaments this weekend. On Saturday, he got pinned twice and got two pins for third. On Sunday, he got pinned twice and won by major decision once for third. Someone else took this photo of him for me. I missed not being able to take weekend photos of him. There's always next weekend, though. After all, it is wrestling season. This time in Germantown.

In other news, I could use a nap.

And I'm back

I spent the past four days in Port Aransas, Texas with my sisters celebrating our parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It was an impressive milestone made by impressive people.

And now, Monday...

Happy 50 Years!

Ten on Tuesday

1. I can't stop being hungry. It's like I'm a bear who has woken up from hibernating.
2. Logging into myfitnesspal hasn't really been that pleasant this week.
3. The good news is logging my food has helped me drop some weight.
4. Just another 10 pounds to go before 3/27.
5. I have a trillion things on my to-do list this week.
6. Okay, maybe a half a trillion.
7. I feel like I'm adjusting to my camera a bit now.
8. It is kind of like driving someone else's much nicer car. You know how to drive, but it's still different, and takes a bit to adjust.
9. We've been on a banana bread kick at our house. I've tried a different recipe with three different loaves. The Martha Stewart recipe with sour cream wins.
10. I brought a Keurig into work, and don't have to pay for the work coffee. Every time I do it, I feel like I'm sticking it to the man a little. That makes me happy.

And it's Monday again

• Beerman went to make rice last night, and realized we were out. Apparently the babysitter got rid of it because she wanted to use the containers for a craft project.
• We saw Holes at First Stage on Friday night. It was opening night, which meant it was a great audience. C-man put it as his #3 show he's seen there in our 5 seasons. I had to agree with him.
• C-man is back to school today. Thank God. I couldn't take one more day of Phineas and Ferb.
• I keep looking at my beeswax hanging in my cube and longing for times in my beehives. I miss that smell.
• I got a Zojirushi thermos coffee mug at the recommendation of the interwebs. Ohmagawd... Best. Mug. Ever. My coffee still steams at the end of the day.
• C-man and Beerman have been watching The Flash. Since he and I were home last week while he was sick, he decided to re-watch Season 1 to get me to watch them. Nothing like binge watching superhero shows.
• I have three days of work this week. I like the sounds of that.

Another Sunday, Another Tournament

It's a Sunday in January, so it's wrestling tournament day. Today's tournament was a grade level tournament, so 5th and 6th graders wrestle one another. (Versus birth year tournaments when it's 2005 and 2006 birth years) Since C-man is a 5th grader, that means he was the younger end of things. It also meant with his 103 - 112 lb bracket, he was at the lighter end of things. And then we learned that he was much more inexperienced than the others. So there was that.

He lost his first match. He fought hard, but he was just outmatched and let himself get pinned with one stinking second left.

His second match went a little better, and he won it 6-2.

The third match was great for him. He got a pin in 15 seconds. He was, of course, thrilled.

And then in the fourth round he got pinned by a kid who, no exaggeration, should be shaving.

So all of that ended him with a third place and a pin on the hat. He's quite realistic about things, and was sick all week with no practice, so was deservedly smiling at the end of it all.

And there you have my Sunday.

TGIF

It's Friday. Beasley got groomed. Beerman made it home from San Diego. C-man is done being sick. I'm ready for the Packers and a play at First Stage and a wrestling tournament.

Tuesday's Ten Things

1. I'm home for a second day with a sick kid. No fever or headache, but vomiting.
2. Gosh, I hope it isn't a concussion.
3. And I know it's a problem, because he's missing his presentation on a book he liked and wrestling practice tonight.
4. Beasley is loving us home, because he gets to keep going outside and hanging out in the cold.
5. I've been using Daily Burn almost daily to do a pilates class. I like it.
6. I may cancel my gym membership so I don't have to hassle with that.
7. My headaches have finally stopped. So now I can get back to reading again.
8. I've been slowly progressing on project throw things out. It's amazing how much crap I still have.
9. Summer camp books are starting to arrive in the mail. It's hard to believe it's time to start registering again.
10. Oh, Summer...

It's that time of year again

We woke up bright and early on a Sunday, because it's that time of year again. Wrestling season. C-man was so nervous, he wouldn't even eat bacon on our drive to West Bend.

He got a quick take down in his first match, but then went on to lose 8 - 2. It didn't help that he got a giant bloody nose in the second period, and it was gushing all over the place and he needed a blood time out. Gross.

The second match proved to be a bit nicer for him. He handled things well, and then it got tied up, and then he pulled ahead again. He won 10 - 5.

The third match was tough. The kid took him down and pinned him pretty quickly. We won't speak of that ever again.

But the last match made the whole tournament worthwhile. C-man handled things well, and ended up with a solid pin.

Two wins and two losses at his first tournament of the year was good enough for a third place medal that he proudly wore all through lunch. And adding a new pin to his hat brought only smiles.

Wrestling is definitely not a sport for the weak-hearted or stomached. Only three more months to go.

I'm tired of being stupid

The week has been survived. I've eaten pretty cleanly. I have slept very little. The recovery from this concussion is much slower than I'd anticipated. Thank you, weekend.

Thursday Thirteen

1. Being dumb is not fun. I have empathy for the dumb people of the world now.
2. I have a Keurig in my office now. It helps me avoid other dumb people.
3. It also helps me get coffee, since our cafeterias are currently closed for renovations.
4. The Vanilla ISIS and Y'all Quaeda hashtags on Twitter is cracking me up.
5. Work gave me a new phone, which is nice.
6. I'm most excited about getting a new phone cover.
7. Speaking of orders, I ordered a bunch of stuff off Amazon to spend the rest of my FSA money. 
8. I hate to see that go to waste.
9. I've started using My Fitness Pal to track what I'm eating. At least I can't be in denial then.
10. My back is still killing me. I am at a loss as to what to do about the pain.
11. I get my hairs cut tonight. Whoot.
12. Only one more day to go.
13. I'm too dumb to come up with 13 things today.

Good boy

Over the holiday break, we finally took the time and took Harry to his favorite watering hole at the park one last time. It's been a little over a year without our sweet friend, which is why I was surprised at how it still affected us so much. It was very important to C-man that he be the one to pour out the ashes into the stream. And while I expected the moving water to whisk him away, true to form, he lingered in his favorite spot for a while, beneath the treat tree, in the cool water.

While there are a lot of great ones out there, he was truly the best dog I've ever known. I miss you, sweet friend.

Pain

Lately, the pain has been excruciating. There is no escaping it, and it has arrived to the border of unbearable. Physically, it's terrible. Mentally and emotionally, it's a rollercoaster of flipping between being sad and angry in a day more often than I can count. The temperature in my body changes between boiling and shivering. And my focus is hardly even at sub-par, making trying to work just this side of ridiculous. I truly understand the depression people find themselves in through years of chronic pain. I'm at a loss for what to do anymore...

Full steam 2016

The new 2016 calendar is filled in, and boy is it already full. This month alone, every weekend has a wrestling tournament - sometimes two. Plus there are the Fridays of ski club. Saturdays, too, when there isn't a double-weekend wrestling tournament. Beerman is gone for two weeks for work, and I've got a few days away, too. I'm not even out of this holiday break, and can already feel my heart race with everything that needs to be done.

Good thing I'm resolving to work out and meditate more. I think I'm going to need it!

Still stupid

So in concussion news, I'm still stupid. Better than yesterday, but still not very good at focusing. Sigh...

Resolutions for Joy

It's resolutions day. They're really all resolutions day if I'm looking at it the way I should. But I don't always approach things like that, so this is a good of a time as any to start over. And since we didn't go out at all last night (I gave myself a mild concussion when I got bonked by the chair lift and was super sick all day yesterday - don't ask. Let's just say thank God for helmets.), I'm feeling as good as a day 2 of a concussion can feel.

So here goes:

• Books. I need to read more books. I'm aiming for 30 this year.
• Pounds. 15 less of them. Preferably by Spring Break so I'm not ashamed to be in a bikini.
• Workouts. This past year was about making my minimum 8 times a month gym visits so I didn't get charged. (Work pays for it if I make my 8) This year is about frequency. 3 times a week working out is my goal.
• Meditation. Time to get back at it. I'm carving out 5 minutes a day as a start.
• Declutter. A closet or area a month. If it doesn't give me joy, I'm getting rid of it.

Overall, I want this year to be about Joy. If it gives me and others joy, then it should be in my life. I want to thrive this year, not just go day to day. I'm very hopeful, as I am every new year. Bring it, 2016. We're going to make it great.