CHA CHA CHA CHA Changes

So the past week began with my last day at Burton's and ended with my first day at Valassis. For those of you that don't know, Burton's had been my part time gig for the last 18 months or so. It's an upscale restaurant that I worked mostly lunch shifts. My parents were each able to help out and watch Justin while I worked, and my hours were so few that I never unclaimed my title "stay-at-home-mom"...until Friday anyway. Friday I started working the ole 40 hour, 9-5 again.

Over Thanksgiving, a past co-worker reached out to me. He is with Valassis, a company which laid me off while I was still preggo with the Noodle. Joel asked what my current job situation was and if I'd be interested in working with him in an Event Planner type role. I was immediately interested. I told him I'd have to give notice at Burton's and with Triple Helix (another company in which I worked up to 3 hours per week as a virtual assistant to the CEO). Thank goodness Joel contacted me so many weeks before I started for him because there was a lot of prep I needed to do. In addition to giving notice at my two jobs, I had to secure daycare for Justin. Not only secure it, but mentally prepare for it...

I've always been very apprehensive about getting Justin into a daycare setting. I think germs, first and foremost, then guilt settles in. Justin is MY KID, why should I hand him over to a bunch of strangers while I work? I thought this until just a few weeks ago when I realized he is at an age where he should be interacting with other kids. The daycare we looked at, and later chose for Justin to attend is great for Justin to interact with other kids in, learn, play, explore, etc.

So, though I initially never thought Justin would attend a daycare, I now think it's good for him, albeit the germs are still a concern of mine...

Friday was the big day. I surprisingly slept well on Thursday, woke up on my training rest day and began getting ready for work. Joe was in charge of getting Justin dressed and ready. He will be, going forward. We successfully got ourselves out the door and to daycare and work with no tears. I'm leaving out details of my mini-breakdown on Thursday evening after Justin went to bed ;o)

I called the daycare twice during the day to check in on my little guy and both times they said he was doing great. When I picked him up, I learned he had napped, ate, and sat on the potty twice!! WOW!! That's more progress than I make in a week, LOL! He had a wonderful day and wants to go back, thankfully. He'll only be there three days per week. The other two days, he'll be with my mom or dad. They are able to watch him and I think it's still important for him to be with family.



Work for me was good too by the way. I'll enjoy my role there. It was good to be welcomed back by so many familiar faces.

So, it's winter in New England and I'm training for the Hyannis Marathon in 6ish weeks. Friday was my rest day and yesterday was supposed to be a 17 miler. Wind and bitter cold pushed me into postponing the long run to today. A sleepless night and still single digit temps are pushing me into postponing to tomorrow. Justin woke up vomiting three times last night. Twice I stripped the bed and stuck him in the tub. Poor guy has never been sick like that before. Correlation with daycare...I dunno... :-/ I'm tired today but still am contemplating running 17. Tomorrow is MLK day, a work Holiday and temps are supposed to be back up into the 30's. I may be stupid not to take advantage of being able to do it tomorrow. We'll see. If it's not above 20 degrees by noon today, then I will go tomorrow. It's a shame since I hydrated so well yesterday in preparation for a run today. I'm a planner after all and if things go askew, it nags me.

Well, laundry beckons... need to take one comforter out of the dryer to get the next set of bedding in then the next set. argh. An all day affair :o(

Racing For A Cause - Youth Suicide Prevention

I am not one to ring in the new year with hopes of keeping a resolution. I am one to continually make goals, regardless of the date and adhere to those goals, no matter the obstacles. If I'm committed to something I will RARELY do anything but stay committed. I don't like the word "resolution". I'd much prefer "goal". I'm a goal setter. I'm a planner. I specifically plan to reach the goals I set. If you fail to plan, you must plan to fail, correct?

In the year 2012, these are the goals I will accomplish:

• Hyannis Marathon (2/26) in 4:10 or less
• Bradley 10K (April) with a placement overall or in my age group
• Iron Horse Half Marathon (June) in 1:50 or less
• Hartford Marathon (October) in 4:00 or less

While meeting the above goals, I will raise money for a cause. I've been running for years now, all for the purpose of ME and ME alone. I guess my family benefits too since running keeps me sane. But generally speaking I have been selfish. Why not run for a cause?

Now, if you know me I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Among other things, I think several non-profit organizations out there are not in it for the awareness raising and the "finding a cure". Organizations like Susan G. Komen hit the proverbial lotto when they introduced that trendy little pink ribbon of their's... Now everyone wants to wear pink. Where does the money they raise actually go though? $500,000 went to the former president's salary in 2010. For a non-profit, that bitch sure is profiting. Komen's total revenue in 2010 was $311,000,000!!! Wow! So why is there no cure for breast cancer yet? Because fat cats at the top of the Komen ladder bank too much off of the revenue. Their jobs would be obsolete without cancer. So would the oncology units in hospitals, and the pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and not to mention the swag manufacturers that brainwash you into thinking you're making a difference when buying that stupid pink key chain. The list goes on.

Ok, so the most of the money they raise goes to raising awareness and to research. Did you know that the Komen Foundation has been around since 1982, but there have been no significant advancements in treatment or screening breast cancer since 1981? I dare you to enlighten yourselves. Do the research...

So I digress... What I am trying to convey in my long rant is that I don't want to raise money for such an organization that is nothing more than a pyramid scheme. I'm not a minion in pink, or yellow or purple or blue. The money I raise will go directly to the cause.

My sister Melissa is a PAL (Police Athletic League) Officer in Las Vegas. She works with kids (most are under the poverty line and under privileged) in the community to enrich their lives, encourage, empower and teach them. Being so close to the kids in her community, she is reminded daily that childhood is not always rainbows and butterflies. These kids are poor, bullied, abused, undereducated. Only a few will finish high school and fewer will graduate college.

In Las Vegas, the youth suicide rate is among the highest in the country. Only a few weeks ago, Melissa shared with me that within days of each other, a 10 year old and a 13 year old in Las Vegas took their own lives. They were just babies! But old enough to believe their lives were never going to improve. Was it depression? Bullying? What led them to thinking there was no other way out?

Knowing of these two kids and what they did hit me hard. I began to think that maybe I can make a difference to help eliminate this epidemic. It's still a taboo issue in some communities which perhaps isn't a good thing. Education and awareness to this issue needs to be priority.

So, let it be known that the money I raise in 2012 will all go to a foundation synonymous with educating communities on the signs and prevention of suicidal behavior, supporting victims effected by familial suicide, and other initiatives.

I'm still researching which organization I will end up with but stay tuned! My first race is at the end of February. I expect to narrow in on an organization before then and get the ball rolling with fundraising!