Hi and welcome back! Today was a pretty exciting day for me! I am celebrating a few small, but exciting personal victories. If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is that you must celebrate even the smallest of victories to make life truly exciting.

Today started out like the rest, and my alarm clock and I are no closer to becoming best friends. I had an 8:30 doctors appointment with my Orthopedist. Back in June, Layla and I were out for an early morning run (maybe this is why my body refuses to run early) when something spooked her, and she crossed my path unexpectedly. I couldn't compensate and went down on a bent knee mid stride. I tore up my knee and hand pretty good, but got back up and walked home. I continued to run and work out, but there was excruciating pain in the back of my knee. It felt like it was going to EXPLODE every time I bent my left knee. A month after the fall, I was having trouble kneeling, bearing weight, and even bending my knee to put on pants. I went to see an Ortho, and there was concern of a torn PCL. My stomach dropped when I heard that. That would have ended my running before I even really got started. I was sent for an MRI, and the week it took to get the results was like an eternity. To my delight, there was no tear, and the MRI was clean. YAY! A few weeks of physical therapy and I would be right as rain. Today was my follow up. I told my Ortho about my plans to run a half marathon, and he was not only super supportive, he gave me some great advice for strength training and prepping for the event.  Best doctors appointment EVER! And a great way to start the day. After that, I was off to the fair.

Gloomy weather kept fair-goers to a minimum, so the shift there went by slow like molasses in January. It was windy and chilly, and I wished I had pants on (fear not, I was in shorts, and not running around in my skivvies). After my fair shift, I had no agenda. That almost never happens in my life. I usually always have some commitment, or place to be. So with my free, unscheduled time, I decided to take a turn about the fair and see what it had in store for this year. My lunch had been generously paid for by another event staff member, so I opted for Chivetta's chicken. If you aren't from Buffalo, you may not be familiar with it. Chivetta's is a marinade, and it's, well, AMAZING. It makes chicken tender and perfect and fall off the bones. The smell is heavenly and makes your mouth water instantly. I've been breathing in sweet Chivetta's air since last week, and couldn't resist any longer. I sat happily at the table, quietly falling in love with every bite. Yea, it's that good.

When my lunch was finished, I strolled the fairgrounds for about an hour and a half, people watching, checking out vendors, and just enjoying the sun that decided to warm air around me. When I got home, I lazily crawled into bed for a brief evening nap, because, why not. After about an hour, I woke up and found the sun had gone again, but the wind and chill had lingered. I wanted to stay in bed. It was warm and that perfect kind of comfortable that makes it physically impossible to want to move. Lucky for me, I have my lovely Layla to insist on my getting out of bed. I won't lie to you, today I did not want to run. I knew it was going to be a longer than normal run, and staying snuggled up sounded way more appealing than pushing through the wind. But then I thought of you; any followers I have, even a single reader, and I thought, I can't let them down. I can't be lazy. So thank you, whoever you are, if you even exist, for being my motivation today.

So I hoped out of bed, donned my running gear and new shoes, and set out. The wind wasn't so bad, and the cooler air made the run refreshing. I set out to add one mile to my regular run. I didn't care about time, it was about getting it done. And get it done I did. I completed 4 miles in 38 minutes and 42 seconds. That really isn't terrible, and I was carefully pacing myself because I wanted to be sure to finish. And in all honesty, when I was done I felt GREAT! It was like a new running high for me. I set out to accomplish something, and I did. Nothing feels better than that :-)

My next accomplishment involved making all this effort and talk official. Yep, today I registered for the Niagara Falls International Marathon (the half marathon portion). The cost was a bit steep though. I'm a broke college kid who works as a paramedic by night. What that equates to is flat freaking broke. The registration fee was $95! I had no idea where or how I was going to come up with the extra money, especially because I had just bought my pretty new running shoes. Another stroke of luck in my life is that I have been blessed with the most amazing and supportive parents. They tolerate all my crazy endeavors and hair brained ideas with more enthusiasm than a bunch of high school cheerleaders. They are truly crazy, beautiful, wonderful people.  My parents offered to pay my registration fee. I was so excited, I could've cried. That's a lot of money to spend on something intangible, but they know what I means to me, offered their support. How lucky am I?

While today may not have been comical or filled with heart-racing excitement, it was still an amazing day. We so often dwell on the things we don't have, can't get, or have to deal with, we sometimes lose sight of what great things we have. Today was a perspective day for me. A clean bill of health, the ability to push myself farther, and the support of my amazing parents; those are all things that I think I take for granted everyday. So many people don't have any of these things.

So today I am happy, thankful, and filled with love for my quiet, simple and wonderful life.