There is Always a Way

More pics from Day 1 and 2

And Day 3 I didn't really take any pics! Other than this metal arm shield that Nox made at one of the workshops. He did a nice job on it! The image he put on it is a bit difficult to see, but it is from Skyrim.

I had only one person comment on my shirt. I thought it was clever, but I'm not a die hard anime fan ;) It says Eat Your Protein and the images are from Attack on Titan (1 of 2 anime I've actually watched). It was the most that I "dressed up" for the weekend. In a world of cosplay, if you are in regular clothes, you are in the minority.

The kids went to a few panels in the morning/early afternoon. I sat with Lennix (while she continued to sleep) while Nate and Katelynn went to Pokémon trivia. They didn't win, but they came close! Aydan and maybe Luke played as well.

Hey! I woke up and ran. I did think about sleeping in a bit. The hotel bed is rather comfy. And I have one all to myself. But the trail was calling to me and I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t get some miles in. Even if I didn’t get all eight.

The Des Plaines River Trail is not far from the hotel. Last time I ran it, years ago, I saw so many deer. And while I didn’t see quite as many, I still saw quite a few! I counted 10 total.

It was a beautiful morning for a run. Rain the previous day had cooled it down quite a bit. The trail was nice and maintained. And there were some bridges and constructed paths that weren’t there before.

Day 2

Aydan woke up at 6am, 5 hours before he wanted to. He went down to the 9am panel. How to make a leather dice pouch. I joined him soon after. I got some Starbucks, which is conveniently in the convention center. And then we went to a 10am, 11am, and 12pm panels. Fantasy Foodies, Origami, & Anime AITA.

I can now say I know how to make an origami dragon! It did not turn out to be Aydan’s thing. He lost interest after a few folds.

Some of the rest of the crew joined us for AITA and then we went and got tacos at the expo. Not cheap ($50 for 9) but they tasted pretty good.

We relaxed with Lennix for a bit while her parents went to a Pokémon panel. She had just woken up.

Peyten and I went to Bingo, but it turned out to be an interactive one. You had to go around the convention and take pics of people. Peyten still wanted to do it until she realized she didn’t want to ask people to take a pic lol. I did not want to do it once I learned it was not just sit and mark your card 🤷🏻‍♀️

We walked around the expo instead. And then went to a panel with Luke and Natalie, WAIFU Wars. And I went to one by myself; How to make Obento.

Katelynn sent the pic of Lennix. She got a new Pokemon plushie :)

And Peyten/Padme found an Anakin! Not too many Star Wars cosplay. There was an Obi-wan as well and I think that’s it. At least that we saw.

Peyten and I kept an eye on Lennix for a bit so Nate and Katelynn could go out on their own.

And then later we got some pizza for everyone. DoorDash really does come in handy! Cost for that was $48 and change including delivery and $7 tip 😉

Nate, Katelynn and Lennix watched the fireworks. Lennix seemed to enjoy those.

Now I’m winding down with a movie and kids are hanging together.

I got on the treadmill again today and did the scheduled 3 miles.

And bonus! I got in a boxing routine. Felt good to do that. It had been so long!

I didn’t even plan the matching of my outfit to the gloves 🤣

I did this mid day and it was a nice break from the peopling.

Day 1

We had talked about attending every two years, but we missed 2025. It doesn’t feel like it’s been three years since we last attended, but apparently it has!

This year, we have a bigger crew! ALL my kids, plus my niece and nephew. 🥰

Seriously so surprised everyone was able to make it. At the ages they are, most everyone has to take time off of work and block out schedules. They are all anime fans so they made it work. Anime and time with family is a win win.

Pictures were hit and miss the first day. My phone camera seemed to gather condensation somehow and everything was blurry. I could use the front facing but even that was hit and miss sometimes. It seemed to clear up more toward the end of the night, but we will see.

I also had an issue with the truck. I was driving in the parking garage and it just died. I was able to get it restarted but then it died again as soon as I pulled into a spot. I started it later and it seemed to run ok but will have to proceed with caution. Hopefully it gets me home on Sunday 🤣

Peyten and I finished out the evening by watching a Knives Out movie. Peyten guessed the killer!

Some of the kids stayed up later and attempted to go to the rave. But apparently there were multiple and it was just meh.

After a day of travel and figuring out the lay of the land and 16,000 steps, I slept pretty well.

Well, I did not run 8 miles. Thursday was a rest day and I took the full day of rest. I think it was needed. I had thought about doing my 8 miles Thursday and resting on Friday, but decided to just get in what I could. I knew Friday would be a gamble.

The morning consisted of donating plasma early. And then I did some things around the house. Including recaulking my tub. A much overdue project.

The kids and I left in the afternoon to head to Chicago. We are attending Anime Midwest this year.

The hotel we are staying has a very decent fitness center! And bonus, it is not far from my room. Once we got settled and registered, etc I took some time and got some treadmill miles.

There are some trails nearby that I’ll try and take advantage of, but for the first evening it was nice to just get the time almost alone in the fitness center. Everywhere else in the hotel and surrounding was crawling with people.

There is even a bag for boxing! Maybe I’ll get in a routine. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to since mine is pushed up into storage right now.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed this and I enjoy historical fiction. And for some reason, I kept wanting this to be more true. Or to confirm more truth to it. In the end, I think the author captured Mileva well. I'm glad I read it and would easily suggest it. [Historical Fiction] (digital read) The Great Alone by Kristin Hanna ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a whole journey. Fantastic, heartbreaking, inspiring, and just....worth the read. [Historical Fiction] (listened) Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is an important read. We should be remembering history as much as we can. And it is also just a fascinating story that is told well. [True Crime] (physical read)

Sing you Home by Jodi Picoult ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It is interesting how dated this book is....but also not. And that is a bit sad. Some LGBTQIA issues presented in the book are still an issue today. I listened to this book and it came with songs. I did not enjoy the songs at all. I fast forwarded very quickly. They were written and composed specifically for the book, but I just couldn't bring myself to listen to them. I almost took off a star for that, but in the end...it shouldn't reflect on the book. Not my favorite Picoult, but still a good one. [Fiction] (listened) Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This one can have some triggering (rape), but I thought it was done well. Nothing too descriptive, etc. It was an interesting story with the added Wiccan aspect. Which, on paper, that all sounds strange but it worked. And as always, she had layers and perspectives that really caused you to think. [Fiction] (digital read) You Never Know: A Memoir by Tom Selleck with Ellis Henican ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ How can I not give Tom five stars?? But really, I enjoyed the book and appreciated learning about his life. It was a fun read. "Don't Know Where I'm Goin', but There's No Use Bein' Late" [Memoir] (digital read)

I thought about doing the scheduled run this morning, but my body was telling me I needed a rest day. I listened.

But later on, it was a good day for a walk with Lennix. With it being 90 some odd degrees and the air conditioning barely keeping up at the house, an evening at the beach sounded like a perfect idea.

And I might as well walk 4 miles! We walked up and down the trail along the beach. And up and down the pier.

We ended with some time at the splash pad. Her face lit up as soon as she realized where we were. She had been before. She took off with no fear and I was still trying to get my shorts off 🤣

We also went to Grand Mere State Park and did a little walking around to round out the evening. Gotta start her on trails early!

My time spent working on strength went way down! But, I had my highest mileage month of the year. 👏

As marathon training continues, my mileage will continue to go up. I'll need to figure out when I can do strength. Or how I can up my chances of getting it done.

I started marathon training pretty early. I'm already on week 5 of training and have plenty of time left. The marathon is at the end of 20 weeks. Once I decide I want to do something, I don't always like to wait. Might as well do extra training!

I got out early to beat the heat again!

Running eight miles this morning would have been fun, but I decided yesterday that I would not do that. Four miles was plenty. I was supposed to do two sets of "intervals" and so I just did one set. And kept my HR in the desired zone for each two mile portion.

And I found the deer flies! I decided to run down a road that I haven't in a while. The deer flies started attacking and I just turned around. I didn't know how long the section of them would be and definitely did not want to go through it twice on the back.

They decided to photo bomb me as I was trying to take a quick picture 😂

I ended up with several bites; maybe 5 or 6. Deer flies hurt pretty bad when they bite, but at least the after effects don't last too terrible long.

I will not be running down that road til the fall :)

Update on creatine: I have not had any further stomach issues since that first night. I've been taking it each night. Large glass of water with one scoop (5 mg). I make sure it is completely dissolved and then I add a scoop of fiber and mix that up. Taking them together has worked out nicely.

I think that making sure it is dissolved completely and taking it with enough water has been the key. Also, not taking it on an empty stomach.

Are we really almost to July?

Last Saturday, the 20th, the central air conditioning stopped working. I did some troubleshooting and came up with nothing. I talked to the landlord and he had his guy come out the following Monday to look.

And the verdict was that the compressor was toast. The whole unit needs to be replaced. My landlord is not in a position to buy a brand new unit right now and isn't able to find a deal currently. So, we wait.

He did make sure we had some air conditioning. He got us a window unit for Clive and my bedroom. Peyten already had a window unit (her bedroom doesn't have vents to get the central air). And Aydan declined. Nox is keeping decently cool in the basement. I had a portable unit in the attic that I brought down. My landlord got the missing parts (the window kit). He also swapped the outlet out, so I can plug the portable into that wall.

All that came today. He got the outlet installed. And I installed the two air conditioning units. So we have some air conditioning working, but boy was it getting hot! And still is hot in various parts of the house. This is like the first summer we lived here. After that summer, I negotiated with my landlord to get central air. It has been great!

There are worse things to deal with and we will adapt. But it has been a sweaty morning/afternoon! A cold shower was had. Even though I had already showered earlier after my run :)

At least we got these installed before the heat of the week. A few days of being in the 90s ahead.

When the temps are just going to rise all day, you might as well get out there early! I'll take the 76 real feel to the 105 ;)

And even with the 76% humidity, it was really lovely out there this morning!

I still have a decent amount of meal prep in the refrigerator, but I needed some more collards. And I had grabbed supplies for @afitterbrittany ‘s “turkey assistant”.

I made a slightly different version because of the dairy. I swapped the cheese with dairy free cheese. And used blended tofu instead of cottage cheese. I didn’t use protein pasta as I had some other pasta to use up at home already. And I used 2-1/2 cups instead of 3.

The tofu made the appearance grainy, but it didn’t taste that way. Very good! 😋 Definitely a comfort food. The way I made it this time, it ended up with 353 cal | 39 g carbs | 23 g protein for a 1 cup portion.

I’ll make it with protein pasta next time. And not sure I’d make any other adjustments. I liked it a lot just like this!

I also appreciate that I have half the containers of tomato paste, shredded cheese, and tofu for another batch. I like when the ingredients work out nicely and you don’t have odd leftovers.

Side note: I donated plasma on Tuesday and had a hematocrit of 39. I spent the next three days making sure I had a bowl of mini wheats each day. And I also had collards in at least 1 or 2 meals each day. My hematocrit was 41 on Friday. I’ll take it! And I’ll definitely keep collards and mini wheats in my daily diet. 🤞

RECIPE:

Turkey Assistant

1 lb ground turkey 1 small onion, diced Seasoning: 1 Tbsp chili powder 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning 1 Tbsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp tomato bouillon 4 Tbsp tomato paste (half can) 3 cups protein pasta 3 cups broth (any flavor) 4 oz (dairy free) cheddar cheese 1/2 lb blended firm tofu (or 3/4 cup blended cottage cheese)

Brown meat and onion (should be little enough fat with meat and no need to drain)

Add seasonings and heat til aromatic

Add tomato paste, mix well

Add pasta and broth

Heat to low boil and then down to simmer til pasta is done (add more water/broth if needed)

Add cheese and tofu

Weights and a ruck run!

Since I had the extra 20# for my run, I had a more difficult time keeping my heart rate below the prescribed 143. I ended up doing .10 run and .10 walk repeats for the duration. That worked out really well to keep my average heart rate where it needed to be.

Lovely morning to get outside. Next week will be hotter, so I’ll try and stick to earlier morning runs.

Pretty out there this morning! Cooler with a decent amount of humidity.

I almost kept my heart rate in the desired zones. One number over for the 4 mile section. I didn’t back off much on the hills, so I’m please with the number at any rate.

*I should mention that whatever I had going on yesterday ended up being a blip. After some food and a nap, I felt much better. I was able to donate plasma that evening and didn’t have any further issues. And zero issues on this run.

Kari time 🥰

I cut this one short. About 2 miles into the run, I started feeling off. Can't describe exactly. At first I got a little light headed/disoriented, but that quickly went away once I went from a run to a walk. And then my arms and legs were sort of wobbly or just felt weird/off. I walked the half mile or so back to the house. Running did not feel like a good option. I couldn't even get myself to try. My body wanted to sit down or lie down, but i just kept pushing and walking.

It wasn't too overwhelming a feeling. I didn't fear passing out right in the street. It was like that feeling you get at the start of passing out, but it just held there instead of progressing.

I got home and got some food. I still feel a little off. I think I'll rest my eyes for a few. Prior to the run, I had eaten a portion of overnight oats and had a bowl of mini wheats with almond milk, so it isn't like I was depleted or anything.