On the road again....

I guess I haven't been inspired much. Or maybe keeping up with a VERY full time job, kids, hubby's college, a part-time fitness business and more, I just can't find the time to put my thoughts here. But I found something to talk about, and it's too long for Facebook. :)

We just got back from a road trip to Vegas as a family. It's less than 4 hours away, it's not terribly expensive and it's sure to impress kids who are usually non-impressionable.

Here are some post-trip thoughts on the trip:

1) My kids are outstanding travelers. They keep a clean room, they are respectful, never get out of arms reach in a crowd and know how to go until they're exhausted, and rest, just because it feels good to do nothing.

2) Their favorite memory is watching the Royals epic comeback from the hotel room. We were screaming and jumping on the bed -- things we don't do at home.

3) Vegas is WAY more smoky than I remember. Almost debilitatingly so. So much so, that my son almost couldn't breathe in the hotel and we had to consider just turning around. But the staff at the Luxor concierge desk made it right -- with a complimentary upgrade to an amazing, beautiful suite in the east tower with NO smoke around.

4) What there isn't as much of in Vegas as I remember is drinking. Hardly anyone on the street, in the casinos -- anywhere, really -- had a drink in their hand, were drunk or inappropriate around kids.

5) My kids have great (er, expensive) taste. They nearly rioted at the "regular" hotel room -- and thankfully that upgrade came along to save his lungs. They wanted dinner prepared for them by Mario Batali (it was DELICIOUS!). They loved the Bellagio Chuhily glass and St. Mark's Square in the Palazzo the most. They loved cappuccinos at Illy. They ordered flan at our fave Mexican restaurant in New York, New York. They wanted to spend money on experiences and not stuff.

6) They would rather lay next to a pool than be in a pool. Just like their momma.

7) People are very judgy. "I can't believe you brought your kids to Vegas. I'd NEVER bring my kids here." Yeah, well.....maybe I shouldn't have. Is it too much for them? Am I setting a bad example? STOP THE NEGATIVE SELF TALK. We didn't hang out in casinos, take them to strip clubs, bars, or nudy shows. We ate, we watched fountains, volcanos, and spent time together as a family. It doesn't matter where we do that. And that's my call as a parent.

8) The kids are over packers. By A LOT. We took twice as much stuff as we needed. I have no idea where they get that philosophy (ah-hem).

9) When we couldn't do some things they wanted because of tight budget, they didn't complain or make us feel guilty (although we did that to ourselves). They simply enjoyed what we could do and said we could do other things next time. That takes a lot of maturity. Especially because I wanted to stomp my feet and cry myself. They make parenting easier.

10) It doesn't matter what you do, or how big or small your budget is - just be together. That's how memories are made.

We haven't been on a vacation for 3 years. Our only travel has been to move cross-country and to go back home for my grandma's funeral. But every time I have the opportunity to travel with my children, I see them in a new light. I hope we get many more opportunities in the years ahead.

How to drive in Phoenix

When I lived in Johnson County, KS, EVERYONE bashed on Johnson Country drivers. What they didn't understand if they lived OUTSIDE of Johnson County was that we were trained to be defensive drivers, in order to stay alive in metro traffic.

Johnson County drivers have NOTHING on Phoenix drivers. I dare ANYONE who ever judged a Johnson Country driver to get behind the wheel for 5 minutes in Phoenix and stay alive, without the following lesson. You're welcome. (PS, I don't have to drive in metro traffic much....I live in a 'burb and rarely leave it!).

1. You must first learn to pronounce the city name, it is: FEE-NICKS'. There are other names to learn such as Awatukee (Ah-wa-Too-Kee) but that will be included in the advanced course.
2. The morning rush hour is from 5 a.m. to noon. The evening rush hour is from noon to 7 p.m. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning.
3. The minimum acceptable speed on most freeways is 85 mph. On Loop 101, your speed is expected to at least match the highway number. Anything less is considered 'Wussy'.
4. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Phoenix has its own version of traffic rules. For example, cars/trucks with the loudest muffler go first at a four-way stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, East Valley, SUV-driving, cell phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of way.
5. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out, and possibly shot.
6. Never honk at anyone. Ever. Seriously. It's another offense that can get you shot.
7. Road construction is permanent and continuous in Phoenix. Detour barrels are moved around for your entertainment pleasure during the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a bit more exciting.
8. Watch carefully for road hazards such as drunks, skunks, dogs, barrels, cones, cows, horses, cats, mattresses, shredded tires, squirrels, rabbits, crows, vultures, javelinas, roadrunners, and the coyotes feeding on any of these items.
9. Maricopa Freeway, Papago Freeway and the 'I-10' are the same road. SR202 is the same road as The Red Mountain FWY. Dunlap and Olive are the same street too. Jefferson becomes Washington, but they are not the same street. SR 101 is also the Pima FWY except west of I-17, which is also The Black Canyon FWY, and The Veterans Memorial HWY. Lastly, Thunderbird Rd. becomes Cactus Rd. but, Cactus Rd. doesn't become Thunderbird Rd. because it dead ends at a mountain.
10. If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them know it has been 'accidentally' activated.
11. If you are in the left lane and only driving 70 in a 55-65 mph zone, you are considered a road hazard and will be 'flipped off' accordingly. If you return the flip, you'll be shot.
12. For summer driving, it is advisable to wear potholders on your hands.

Happy trails.

That's not the "flu."

One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when someone tells me that they've been sick with the flu. I always say "a stomach bug or influenza?" They say "stomach flu" 99% of the time. That's not the FLU.

Here's the thing. I'm UBER sensitive about the difference. Why? Because I have HAD the FLU (influenza, that is). It's awful. It's serious. It's life-threatening. It's the sickest I've ever been in my entire life, outside of MRSA.

So, I'm not a doctor. But I am a patient advocate for my chronically ill child, so I'm pretty well versed. I study and read A LOT. Here's a study guide:

• Stomach flu actually refers to gastroenteritis or irritation and inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Gastroenteritis may be caused by a virus, bacteria, parasites in spoiled food or unclean water, or another trigger such as lactose intolerance, which causes a reaction to dairy products. Basically, you're throwing up or have the runs.
• Influenza (flu), on the other hand, is a viral infection that mimics a cold, except that it starts forcefully with symptoms of fatigue, fever, severe headache, body aches and respiratory congestion. While more than 100 different virus types can cause a common cold, only influenza virus types A, B, and C cause flu. More severe cases of influenza can lead to life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia.
• While antibiotics can treat a bacterial infection that may cause gastroenteritis, antibiotics CANNOT treat influenza because flu is caused by a virus.
• The Flu Shot does NOT prevent you from getting a stomach virus (aka "stomach flu.") If you GOT a flu shot, and you get the stomach bug, DO NOT say the Flu Shot didn't work. It's a TOTALLY different thing.
• You CAN still get influenza if you got a Flu Shot. This happened to me. But my doctors told me if I hadn't had the shot, I might have died. It lessened the symptoms -- and I STILL had a 105-degree fever, pain, aches, chills, congestion, headache, fatigue and required hospitalization.

I'm sensitive to it because either one could be REALLY bad for my child. But there is a VERY clear difference in how they affect him. So if a child in his class has had the "flu" (influenza), there's a different protocol that we follow than if a classmate has had a stomach virus. It's important that we as a society not get lazy about our words and be clear about what our ailments really are. It really is a matter of life and death sometimes.

We're a clan of crazy ones!

This time last year, somehow I'd pulled off Christmas for my kids. I have no recollection of it. And even as I reminisced with my husband last night, I still have no recollection of it. See, I was still recovering from a very traumatic and major rotator surgery that ended up in ensuing complications, including additional hospital nights for a seizure and blocked bowels (two separate stays). I was so medicated, I don't even recall Christmas. I couldn't even make Christmas dinner with one arm completely immobilized and the other one so tired from doing everything else. I hadn't even started PT yet. I was useless.

But I do remember the drive back home to KC on Dec. 27. I was preparing for a job interview after the New Year, and I was so nervous. I wasn't feeling the change, I wasn't excited about it, I was just trying to put a bandaid on a horrible situation. My husband said, "If we're going to make a change, let's make a big one and move!" Move? Where? "How about Arizona?"

I laughed. We'd never even BEEN to Arizona. I started looking at homes on my phone in suburbs of Phoenix and felt a tingle in my spine. "I guess I'm not opposed to it," I replied.

On January 7, he got a job offer as a store manager in Phoenix. It was that crazy fast. We started our scenario planning - he'd move ahead, we'd stay and come after school got out. We hated that idea. But there was no way I'd get a job in my field before he left in February.

Only, I did. A great one. And it was a total God thing. You can read that story here.

One year later, looking back on 2014, it's insane what's happened. I'm doing unassisted pull-ups and leading people in life-changing workouts. We have this beautiful home we adore, that brings me joy every time I step into it. I wake up to sun pouring in our windows almost every day. I have a mountain outside my bedroom window that I hiked with my son last week -- the son who for 12 years, has been on medication every day of his life until we moved here. Since then, we've run 5Ks together, and hiked up a mountain. We're slowing inching our way out of medical bills. We have a church that we LOVE, and a pastor who is our dearest friend. The kids are starting a new, private school after break that we never thought we'd get into, but then two spots in their grades opened up. The Kansas City Royals are American League Champions, and were ONE OUT away from being World Champions. I finished grad school and am getting ready to teach my first class as a college professor. I mean, come on....crazy cool year.

There's no doubt in my mind that THIS is where we are supposed to be. We've learned so much about ourselves, our kids, our God, our abilities, and our inner peace with this move. When I was serving dinner last night, that I'd prepared with my own TWO hands, I teared up. It seems so silly to be so happy about making Christmas dinner. But as I looked over at my amazing little family sitting at my Grandmother's table (whom we lost this year, too), candles on our Swedish Christmas tree lit, the mountain outside the window with the sun setting behind it, I just couldn't keep the smiling tears off my face. It was a BIG year. A year that taught us the world about trust, faith, hope and above all, love. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

We're crazy like that.

Overwhelmed.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go "home" to Kansas City and walk the stage to receive my Masters Degrees in Organizational Leadership and Psychology. I wasn't going to go - many don't and just take advantage of the "send me my degree" option. But I knew that I would regret not going. Was I ever right. I spent the weekend with family and friends, eating my favorite BBQ and visiting my favorite places in my old stomping ground. I said goodbyes and gave hugs that weren't given when we left so abruptly this spring.

But when Sunday came, my world felt so different. I can't even express the feelings that came over me as I hugged and met my classmates, many of whom I'd never met because we were spread all over the world. We walked in with our advisor/lead professor/sponsor who was there from Australia. We marched in behind a drum and bagpipe corp into the auditorium. As each of our names were called, we were hooded, and congratulated by our sponsor, the Board chair and the University president. I soaked in each moment. Because for me, this was more than just graduation.

It meant so much more to me than my undergrad did. I paid for this degree myself (or, am going to) with money that I worked hard to earn. I did it while raising a family, being a wife/mother, working full time, and building my Beachbody business to a top 1% coach. I did it with influenza that hospitalized me, major shoulder surgery and rehabilitation, recovering from a seizure, moving across the country, starting a huge new job, working through the loss of my grandmother and the sudden death of one of my staff members. I may have "deserved" my bachelor's degree for getting good grades and learning my stuff. But I EARNED my Masters degrees. My heart was so full of pride and gratitude, it overwhelmed me.

I was also overcome with joy that my parents were there to witness it. Both of them have faced life-threatening health issues in the last decade. I'm the first in my family to reach this educational milestone, and they were there to see it. And they were there when I was offered a job as a professor.

A few days later, I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary. When we got married, we were 20, I was still in college and we had our whole world ahead of us. In the years since, we've raised a very sick young man who, for the first time in his life, seems healthy and thriving. We struggled with infertility, medical bills that sunk us, we declared medical bankruptcy paying for our son's care, we lost all of our grandparents, nearly lost all of our parents, got through five relocations, and so much more. I thank the Lord every day for my partner through life, but on our anniversary, I am especially grateful for the memories we share and the future that stands before us. Maybe, just MAYBE, we're on a path to brighter, lighter days after weathering the storm.

A song on the radio stopped me in my tracks today, and captured exactly how I have been feeling.

I see the work of Your Hands
Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance, oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming.

I hear the sound of Your Voice,
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise, oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming.

I delight myself in You,
Captivated by Your beauty,
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You.

God, I run into Your arms,
Unashamed because of mercy,
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You.

Praise God for the gift of being overwhelmed.