Back on the farm...

Silly me. I seriously thought that I'd be able to get my new modem and wireless router working on Friday. I seriously believed that there would be no interruption to my blogging schedule. Alas, it's Tuesday, and while I did get the whole setup working yesterday, I was far too tired to string together more than 7 words. And 7 words does not a blog entry make.

First things first: I've been running. Today, after work, I ran on the dreadmill for 2.5 miles. I kept a consistent 13:03 pace and listened to my audiobook. The scenery was... wait... it was the dreadmill. I would have preferred to actually do the run outside, but I only had a small window to do the run at all, which didn't leave enough time to actually drive to an appropriate running location, etc. I suppose sometimes these things are necessary. I still have yet to try out the trail running, but I'm hoping to be able to take a try at it on Saturday morning.

A week from Thursday, Soxfan and I are headed to NYC for a bit of a vacation. A vacation from what, you ask? Isn't living in the mountains enough of a vacation? I'll get to that in a second. While we are there, I am considering racing in the Front Runners New York Lesbian and Gay Pride Run. It's a 5 mile course through Central Park. I would have preferred a 5K, but unless I want to run in New Jersey, this is the closest thing I can find. I haven't signed up yet, mainly because I'm not sure that I can run 5 miles. More than that, I'm fairly certain that I can't run 5 miles in the sweltering NYC heat and humidity of late June. That being said, I do have the advantage of having been training in Denver... so maybe I'd win! ... ok, back from dreamland... This race would be a big challenge for me, but it would also be a lot of fun to complete a race in NYC, I think. I may give it a go. Worst case: I walk when I get tired. Worse things have happened.

Now, as far as the rest of my life goes...

Did you ever see that movie "Funny Farm"? With Chevy Chase and that woman who looked just like my neighbor? I'll give you the jist... Two city dwellers decide to move to the country. They move with all these romantic ideas about how wonderful and peaceful everything will be... But things go wrong right from the start.

That basically sums up my experience in the mountains so far. We heaved the newly purchased washer and dryer into the wrong positions, forcing us to remove both machines back out of the laundry room. Once we got them back in, the dryer exhaust hose was too short to reach. We finally got that problem solved only to find that the hot water valve to the washer not only leaked, but sprayed the entire room with water as if we were trying to grow gardenias in there or something. The plumber came and fixed that problem and ran an entire cycle without ensuring that the drain hose from the washer was properly attached to the drain, so we came home yesterday to about 1 inch of water throughout the entire laundry room. Turns out the hose from the washer to the drain is too short, and the extension that we tried to add just leaked water like a colander. So now we have 4 completely soaked towels and no way to do laundry. And that's just the laundry room!

The upstairs toilet routinely clogs and/or overflows. There was a hair clog the size of Texas in the upstairs shower that caused the water to be at ankle level 0.14 seconds after turning on the shower. There are about 872 missing electrical faceplates throughout the house and several light switches appear to do nothing whatsoever. In the kitchen, all of the cabinets open from the stupid direction, leading me to believe that the owner must have been left-handed (apologies to any southpaws out there...I have been pulling on the wrong side of the cabinet doors ever since Friday). Outside, there are birds living in the kitchen wall and a squirrel tore down my birdfeeder, which had hung for all of 4 days. Ini the dogbeast has figured out how to open the gate for his enormous dog pen, but when that becomes too tedious for his ADHD brain, he simply jumps the fence. After it gets dark up here, I am too scared to move by myself between the upper and lower floors (I am just completely ridiculous), so I have to make sure to get myself in the proper location before nightfall.

All that said... I love it up here. Sure there are loads of annoying things about the house and about unpacking and about figuring out a new place. But it really is peaceful up here. And I really do enjoy waking up in the mountains, just like I knew I would. We've talked to our property manager about all the little nuisances, and he's been very prompt about taking care of things for us. All that remains now is for me to lace up my running shoes and try out some new routes.

It looks like my house is made of cardboard.

Well, the verdict is in. Moving. Officially. Sucks.

Ch- ch- ch- ch- changes.

This weekend, I spent most of my time not running. Instead, I spent my time cleaning, packing and searching for usable boxes. I also spent a fair amount of time painting and driving and carrying heavy boxes. Now, if it sounds like I'm moving, that's because I am moving. And that's not all...

SoxFan and I... are... moving in together.

I know, I'm a little freaked out by it, too. For a while now, we've been... dating. If you can really call it dating because the only things that have changed are now we smooch and hold hands and he does all the really nice boyfriend things (like killing spiders and letting me pick the movie and worrying about me when I'm sick). It's a little weird because we have been friends for a long time, and now we're more than friends.

So, I'm packing up my sweet apartment in Lakewood for a 3 bedroom house in Conifer (up in the mountains). The new house has lots of trees and a nice big yard and window boxes and hummingbirds. It's quiet and peaceful up there, and I'm looking forward to already being in the mountains when I wake up on the weekends, rather than being in town when I wake up and having to drive to the mountains.

But I'm a little nervous, obviously. I learned to run in Lakewood. I have running routes that are like home to me. I know the potholes and the smells and the hills. I know where all the dogs live, and I know which ones are friendly and which ones aren't. I know the mile-markers. I know that once I make it over "that hill", I'm home free and the rest of the run will be a breeze.

And my current apartment is where I learned that I can be healthy.

It's where I learned a lot of things about myself.

I'm worried that by leaving, I'll forget how to run and I'll forget how to be healthy. I'm worried that this change to my environment will cause me to backslide into my old (unhealthy) habits.

But, one thing I've learned (while living in Lakewood) is that if your attitude is right, then nothing can stop you. So, rather than being fearful of this change, I'm going to try to view it as an opportunity. I'll have the opportunity to learn how to become a trail runner, in addition to being a road runner. I'll have the opportunity to train at an even higher elevation, making races in Denver seem easier. I'll have the opportunity to prove to myself that I am in control, even when my environment changes.

I've had such a great attitude lately. I've felt unstoppable! But, it's easy to feel unstoppable when everything is going great, right? Now I get to test myself: Can I maintain a great attitude when things are making me anxious?