One Year Ago...

One year ago at this time, I waking up from hip surgery.  Well, kind of.  My surgery was on February 29th (leap day) so I don't really have a one year anniversary.  It's been a loooong journey let me tell you.  Here is the story:

I had been having pain in my left hip for over 2 years and had been trying to get it diagnosed for about as long.  I thought it was a running injury because I was training for a marathon when it got really bad, but I started to get this pain shortly after running my first 5k, so I believe it was actually a yoga injury, since I was doing so much hot yoga during that time also.  I saw an orthopedic surgeon who thought it was inflammation, maybe tendonitis or just a tight muscle.  He put me on strong NSAIDs which did nothing.  Then he did an MRI and found nothing, but sent me to PT.   After that didn't work, he prescribed prednisone.  I had a reaction to the prednisone and ended up in urgent care with steroidal myopathy- basically extreme pain and weakness in my legs.  I literally woke up one morning, which happened to be Christmas day, and could not stand without holding onto the wall.  After that scare was over, I decided to get a 2nd opinion on my hip.

I went to an orthopedic surgery/rehab center and saw a doctor who suspected a labral tear.  He sent me for another MRI, but this time with contrast dye and a lidocaine injection into my hip socket- which would allow us to determine if the pain was coming from inside the joint capsule, or from the tissues around it.  The results were very clear-  definitely a labral tear, definitely would require surgery.  I scheduled the surgery right away and decided to get the show on the road.

This surgery can go one of two ways, either the surgeon performs a labral tear repair or a labral tear debridement, and they never know which it will be until they are inside the joint.  A repair has a more difficult recovery period, but a better prognosis in the long run.  A debridement isn't as hard to recover from, but the likelihood of ever being at 100% again isn't great.  I ended up with a large tear that couldn't be repaired, so I had a debridement.

The first couple weeks were hard.  I felt like I couldn't do anything on my own.  It scared me to not be able to lift my leg at all.  I worked really hard in PT just to get to the point where I could sit with my legs outstretched ahead of me and lift the left leg up even an inch.  It felt like a pretty long way to fall given that I had run my 2nd marathon just a few months earlier. (Yes, I ran 2 marathons with a significant tear in my hip socket- not smart and I don't recommend it.)

I was on crutches for about a month and in PT for 4 months! I know that even today my left leg is weaker than it used to be.  I've been struggling to get back into my running routine, but  I am finally starting to think about training for a race.  I did a 5k in August, which seemed like a huge amount of work, but now I'm running at least that far most days at the gym.  I might be setting my sights on the Fargo half marathon in May and MAYBE the Twin Cities Marathon in October- big maybe on that though.  I still have soreness in my left hip and my right hip has developed the exact same pain- so I know that I probably have a small tear on that side too.

If you're an athlete of any capacity, you know how devastating it is to be injured.  I am really proud of myself for getting back to it at all.  I just hope and pray that I can continue to train injury free for my next race.  It will require an adjustment to my training plan and goals, and a lot of self-discipline to not overdo it but to do enough.  Please send your good running vibes my way!

What I'm Loving Wednesday! Lavender and Wine!

How is it already Wednesday again? Sheesh.  It feels like last week FLEW by!  Somehow though, I've still managed to find a few new things to love and write about this week.  Let's get started.

ALL THINGS LAVENDER.  Ok, I admit that this is not exactly something new for me.  I've always loved lavender- both the scent and the taste of it.  I also love the color...in case you're wondering.  I recently bought some lavender honey AND lavender tea!  I'm afraid to admit how many slices of toast I've had this week slathered in almond butter and this honey.  Even more absurd would be the ridiculous increase in tea consumption, also with honey.

DE LOACH PINOT NOIR.  Also not a new revelation.  Mark and I joined the De Loach wine club when we visited their vineyard in Sonoma last September.  We opted to be in the "Pinot Only" club and have been reaping the benefits every since.  We recently got a new shipment and now have a basement full of our favorite wine.  I am kicking myself right about now for giving up alcohol during the week for Lent.  

Is it the weekend yet? 



Lessons from a Stray Dog

I saw something on my way to work this morning that has stuck with me all day.  As I was driving, I saw a truck stopped ahead of me with flashing lights.  As I approached it, I saw that the letters on the truck read “Animal Control.”  I slowed down as I passed the truck and saw a man trying to coax a dog to come towards him.  The dog looked like a German Sheppard, possibly a stray, and quite thin.  The poor thing looked terrified.  It was cowering away from the animal control man with its head down and tail between the legs.  The sight of a scared animal absolutely breaks my heart. 

I was struck by how sad it made me to see that dog acting so afraid.  I started to think about how I rarely have the same response to my own fear.  Sadness?  Sure, I am sad for people who I see struggling with fear.  It makes me sad to see people not reach their goals or their potential because fear is holding them back, but how often do I ever apply this to my own life?

A friend of mine recently told me that she was giving up fear for lent. She is committed to living 40 days without fear.  What an amazing concept.  Ever since she told me about her idea, I’ve been thinking about my own fear- but not until this morning did the sadness of fear occur to me.  Now I am starting to understand how sad it will be for me if I let fear hold me back from the things I want to accomplish.  I have a mind full of ideas and dreams for the future, but my fear of failure has been keeping me back from even starting to pursue these things.  So, today I want to thank my friend who is living without fear, and the stray dog who helped deliver this message to me.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
Marianne Williamson

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Weekend Recap

Well I can't say this was the most exciting weekend.  On Friday I had my yoga teacher training class, which was on Sanskrit this week.  I am terrible at foreign languages, but I suppose it's important to know what I'm saying and pronounce it correctly if I use Sanskrit in a class!  I was at work Saturday and Sunday, so that ate up most of my time.  I don't mind working on the weekends though, it's pretty low key and usually goes by quickly.  I lead a support group on Saturday afternoon for friends and family members of our patients, and it was a really good group this weekend, so that was awesome.

On Saturday evening, Mark and I started watching "House of Cards" which is a Netflix series.  We only got through a couple episodes on Saturday, but got REALLY sucked in on Sunday night! 


On Sunday, I went to the gym after work and ran a few miles.  Then I spent the rest of the evening working on my Bible study and watching TV.  I didn't really watch the Academy Awards, just tuned in every now and then to see what people were wearing.  I did catch Amy Adams on the red carpet and thought she looked incredible!  She's one of my favorite actresses, so I was pleased to see her looking so classy.  Isn't it the worst when your favorite celeb ends up on the worst dressed list?

Also, it's my first time linking up with Sami!  You should probably do it too!

Fitness Friday- My YOGA Story

These days I am living and breathing yoga.  I've been enrolled in a yoga teacher training through Yoga Center of Minneapolis (YCM) since September, and I am set to graduate in June.  I am absolutely *LOVING* it!  In addition to meeting about 20 amazing yogi friends in my class, I am learning more and more about why I fell in love with yoga in the first place and how I want to use it in the future. 

My first introduction to yoga was actually as a child when my dad was really into power yoga.  He had a teacher from our athletic club who also taught out of her home, and took me to a class in her basement one evening.  I could not stand on my head (like many students in the class, including my dad) but nevertheless, I felt an overwhelming desire to incorporate this practice into my life.  I didn't do much yoga in my teen years, but started to dabble some in college when I found a yoga class offered through the fitness center on campus.  When I was in graduate school, I started to have some really intense back pain- mostly related to stress.  At the suggestion of an accupuncturist I was seeing, I tried out a hot yoga class at a studio close to my apartment.  I. WAS. HOOKED.  I attended hot yoga 3-4 times per week throughout grad school, and it was during this time that I started becoming interested in teaching yoga. 

Fast forward a few years and here I am in the midst of it.  I researched a lot of teacher training programs offered in my area, and decided that YCM had the most comprehensive program and would best fit into my schedule.  I almost enrolled in the program last spring, but ended up having hip surgery (trust me, I am 27- not 77) and had to put it on hold. I am so glad that I waited until September to start because I have met some amazing people in my class who I know will be lifelong friends.  I am thankful each day that I get to step onto my mat, and I hope to share even more of this journey as I go!

Favorite poses:
Natarajasana- Dancer's Pose
Vrksasana- Tree Pose
Salamba Sirsasana- Supported Headstand

Linking up with Jen!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

So I am super excited to be linking up with this gal for What I'm Loving Wednesday!  Here's what I'm loving this week:

My Bible Study Group

I just started this study with four other girls and so far the study and the group is great!  I was invited to join this group by a friend who I met several years ago in a church small group.  I already knew one of the other girls, but I can tell that the other two are people who I'd be lucky to have in my life for many more years to come.  We are doing THIS Beth Moore study, which consists of DVDs and reading homework:

Can I just say, If you have never been introduced to Beth Moore, she is HILARIOUS!  I am so entertained by the way she talks AND writes!  Plus she is insanely insightful and intelligent. I would absolutely love the opportunity to see her speak in person someday.

My Silly Puppy

 

My funny little guy keeps me endlessly entertained.  We've had him for almost a year now and I can't imagine life without him anymore!  Here he is earlier this week trying to get a little bit of my snack, how could I possibly deny that guy??

SkinnyTaste Turkey Meatloaf

Yep, what I'm loving is meatloaf.  Actually, this also fits the category "What My Dog is Loving Wednesday" too.  Wait no, we never feed him human food :)   I made this for dinner on Sunday night and it was srrrsly good.  I do not eat meat very often and have never enjoyed cooking much meat, but I would make this again.  I'm pretty sure Mark ate half errr, a reasonable portion of it too, so it's man-approved!

Blogging! 

I am having so much fun writing blog posts and reading posts from other people!  I don't even care if other people want to read this, well ok- I do care, I admit it.  BUT, I would keep blogging anyways if no one ever read this.  I think it's great to have a record of my own to look back on.  I've never kept a journal before and I regret not having something written down somewhere to remind me of things that have happened in the past.

So that's it, that's what I'm loving right now!

Katie



Weekend Recap

I just love having a weekend at home with no big plans.  This weekend was relaxing, yet productive, and frankly I would like it to still be around.

I've always been a fan of Fridays, but even more so now that I don't work Fridays (except for this one, just a half day though!) and I get to spend the day in yoga teacher training.  This Friday afternoon started out with a coffee date with my yogi friend, Sara.  We walked to Starbucks across from our yoga studio and got a chance to catch up on life.  After I got home, Mark and I went out for dinner with my dad at one of our favorite local restaurants.  We capped the night off by watching TV on the couch, just the way a Friday should be.

Saturday was filled with going to the gym, errands, lounging, and cleaning.  I signed up for the Run or Dye 5k with a couple friends, and I am SO excited about it!  I saw a lot of pictures from The Color Run 5k, and it looked so cool!  This run is the same concept, so I expect it to be tons of fun!  On Saturday night, Mark and I took a Valentine's partner yoga workshop with Sara and her boyfriend.  I was SO happy that he was willing to put up with this for me, and it ended up being really fun.  It was taught by one of my favorite instructors, and she brought a few different red wines and chocolates for us to enjoy throughout the class.  I knew it was outside of Mark's comfort zone, but I think we actually did pretty well and got to try some cool acro-yoga poses....like this,

Ok, not quite.  But you get the point.

Sunday morning I got in a run and lifted some weights, but then spent most of the day being lazy.  I started going to a Monday night Bible study with some friends from church, so I spent a lot of the afternoon working on the Bible study homework.  We are doing a 10 week Beth Moore study on the Old Testament Tabernacle.  I hope to continue blogging about how this study is going as well, it is pretty interesting!

This was the last lazy weekend I'll get for awhile now, so I am extremely grateful for it!  Hope all of you reading this had a great weekend as well :)

Katie

Lent

I have to admit that this time of year is not my favorite.  By February, I am usually dying for the snow to melt and for the spring flowers to bloom. However, I do usually enjoy the Lenten season.  I enjoy studying the Holy days leading up to Easter and have always observed lent by giving either something up or by adding something to my days.  In the past I have given up all the usual thing- desserts, meat, cheese, parts of technology, but recently I have tried to get more creative.  Last year I gave up taking elevators, which posed a challenge when I worked on the 8th floor of a hospital.  After some thought, I've decided to try out 2 new ways to observe lent this year:

1. I will be donating 1 item each day for the next 40 days.  This is not only good for those in need, but will be great for me while trying to get the house organized.  I've been overwhelmed recently with the amount of STUFF we have accumulated over the last few years.  I have a hard time getting rid of things, but I know I will feel great about it when it is said and done.

2.  No alcohol during the work week.  Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm knocking them back all week, but we like to enjoy wine with dinner a few times during the week.  I usually go to happy hour with friends a couple times a month too.  I know this will be a challenge, but a good and healthy one that can really only benefit me in the end.

In what ways do you observe lent?  I'd love to hear some more ideas!

Meet the Halls!

If I am going to be writing about my little family, it might help if you got to know us!  I already told you a little bit about me in my first post, but here are some pictures of me doing my favorite things:

Me: 

Mark:

                                           

 

Mark is my other half (the better half) and it just about the best husband a girl could ask for!  He grew up in small town Minnesota as the son of a pastor.  He is works for TCF bank and is great at what he does.  He is a fantastic runner and golfer, and is an huge sports fan- especially when it comes to his beloved Notre Dame football.

Shay and Orlando:

I know everyone thinks they have the best pets in the world, but our actually are.  Orlando is 7 or 8, we aren't quite sure, and Shay just turned 1! They are so funny and get along surprisingly well, though we accredit this mostly to Orlando's patience rather than Shay's manners.  Shay was named after Mark's favorite runner, the late Ryan Shay, and is shaping up to be quite the athlete himself.  Orlando mostly sleeps and eats- yeah, they have good lives.

First Day on the Blog

Hey all!  I've been thinking about starting a blog for awhile now.  A lot of my friends have blogs and I enjoy reading them, so I thought I would give it a go of my own.  I anticipate this blog to be a journal of my daily life, but I guess we'll see where it ends up together.

First things first.  Here are a few details about ME:

-I'm a 27 year old living in the suburbs of Minneapolis.
-I have been married for about a year and a half to my husband, Mark.  He's my BEST friend and the love of my life!
-We bought a house just over a year ago and are enjoying living in it with our beloved pets, a cat named Orlando and a dog named Shay.
-I work as an occupational therapist at an inpatient psychiatric unit and at an eating disorder treatment center.
-I am currently in the process of becoming a yoga teacher through the Yoga Center of Minneapolis.
-My husband and I are both runners and enjoy races of all distances.
-I LOVE traveling, cooking, DIY projects, reading, animals, and new adventures.

That about sums it up, but you can count on learning more as this blog unfolds.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you back here soon!

<3 Katie