Brandon’s jack o’ lantern!

Last week was pretty rough, with a very sick Miss L (asthmatic bronchitis + early strep signs), parent teacher conferences (she rocked it – way to go Miss L), nonstop requests at work, and a meltdown from me when Miss L’s poor tummy couldn’t handle her first double dose of antibiotics. She’s feeling better this week and as a result, I’m feeling better, but last week brought back a lot of bad memories about how out of control and inadequate I often felt in her first years of life. I have a much healthier outlook now than I did then, but last week brought back shades of those feelings and the times when I really just hated myself for not being able to handle things better, control my emotions, keep her well…lots of mom guilt and anxiety back then. I’m glad I am mostly past that, with some exceptions.

this tree down the street wins my ‘best foliage on the block’ award

But the weekend was better and this week, has been, too, so far. We are preparing for our long weekend in Savannah but of course that means – Rock & Roll Half Marathon! I’d really been hoping for a strong run and to show improvement over my Crim & A2 Half times. However, it may not be in the cards. On my last long run, I noticed pulling in my calf muscle; I thought it was just a cramp, but it never resolved, and even after a week off, it cropped up again last week. I haven’t run since and these are echoes of the A2 Half – a minor injury in the last weeks of training, followed by a couple of weeks off to try to hastily heal it, then a sub-par performance. I might try to run today or tomorrow just to test it, but it it’s still bothersome, then my half will just be “for fun” with a lot of walking mixed in. This is disappointing and maybe I’m just not cut out for the half, and should focus on shorter distances. We’ll see after this weekend.

I hope you are all looking forward to a cozy Samhain. We are now midway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, and the darkness of the season is descending. The weather in SE Michigan doesn’t look promising for our Halloween, with rain and cold, but since last year was so lovely we’re probably due.

Be well and enjoy your week – I will be back with the final 20 Days of Horror update (spoiler – I doubt we’ll actually hit 20) and of course next week, Savannah recap!

obligatory cat pic – emmett napping with me