as promised...

Sorry to keep you all in suspense (I'm sure you were just waiting on the edge of your seat!) :)

Our first pictures were taken a couple of months ago. I was heading to bed and noticed that there was something big under our window. I peeked between the blinds and there were two deer right there!! I ran and grabbed my camera and headed to the balcony. One was spooked be my being out there so she took off, but the other one didn't seem to mind at all!



The second deer ran to the trees and watched me... she was so still that she was hard to see!




A couple weeks ago I was walking in and saw 12 turkeys! I've never seen a turkey so close up before! You'll definitely want to zoom in on this one!



So maybe it's not too unusual to see deer and turkeys, but to see them right below you, and in the middle of a city, is pretty crazy to me!

We have lots more to post so please keep checking back!

our "backyard"

We took advantage of the beautiful weather Saturday and "worked outside." Most of you have probably heard us complain that one of the worst things about apartment living is we can't work outside - we don't have a yard to mow or gardens to weed or shops to piddle in. Yes, one day we might look back on these times and laugh about how we used to dream about doing yardwork, but for right now, this is something we feel we're missing out on.

So, while I was having my quiet time the other morning in the chair by the patio doors, I started thinking about what we could do to fix up our patio. And Saturday we went to work on it- we went out and bought the supplies and came back and I scrubbed the walls and floor and railing of the balcony (they were pretty gross) and then we planted our first flowers together. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures to document the day:

The before picture. (or in the middle of cleaning, if you couldn't tell!)


Our work space- the bed of the truck. (didn't want to get potting soil on newly cleaned patio floor, of course!)


And the after picture. (we bought too many flowers and didn't have enough room in the flower boxes. our solution? run to walmart and pick up a pot! haha!)


It's so funny how we baby these flowers. For the first couple days, when Brad or I would get home we'd first ask how our flowers are doing! And it's also funny that we each planted our own, and are totally babying our own flower box. Just this morning, Brad said he thinks he's going to water his. We refer to them as Brad's flower box and Kayla's flower box. I don't know why, but it cracks me up.

This morning was great, I went out and studied on the balcony and got to soak in the warm sun. It's so nice having our own, nice, pretty little space- or backyard, if you will!

Tune in next time for pictures on the various animals we've seen from our balcony!

Sidelined

Very much has happened between our last post and now. Where to begin?! It's definitely too much to put all in one blog, so I'll start with what's on my mind at the moment.

As most of you know, I've been running quite a lot lately. I'm signed up with Brad's parents and cousin for us all to do our first 5K in May, and I'm also planning on doing a half-marathon in KC in October. I've never in my life been a runner, so it's been challenging the past few months to start something I'm bad at and just trust that I'll get better. But it's also been so awesome to see my progression week to week... praise to God for designing the human body in the way He did! And now I actually enjoy going out for a run!

Here's where it turns bad, though. I pushed myself a little too far too fast. Back two weeks ago on a 5 mile run my knee was hurting from the beginning. Thinking you just push through the pain the same way you do with shin-splints or something, I just kept going. That was my first mistake; I couldn't walk or bend my leg for the rest of the week. Then last Saturday the pain was finally starting to lessen, and it was the last nice day in the forecast for awhile, so I went on a ten mile run. That was my second mistake. After that, not only could I not bend my leg, but my knee was also inflamed. It hurt so bad!! I finally went to the doc yesterday- I remembered that doctor visits on campus are free, and I got into a sports med doctor so that was really nice and convenient.

Here's the verdict: I have patellofemoral pain syndrome (AKA runner's knee) and prepatellar bursitis. She recommends I stay off it for 4-6 weeks, though I could slowly start back in only a couple more weeks. I also have to ice it multiple times a day and wrap it overnight. I am just so mad at myself - my pushing myself further just sidelined me for about a month. Not only can I not run, but I can't do squats or lunges or knee extensions either.

So why am I telling you all this? Yes, in part I may want sympathy (Brad is trying very hard to not feel sorry for me because he says I was stupid). But mostly I am telling you so you don't fall victim! Here are the basic rules of progression in running. Follow them, and you should be able to progress without getting any overuse injuries. First, increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week. Second, if you are doing any long runs, they should not be more than half of your weekly total. Some other general guidelines are to avoid concrete (sidewalks) whenever you can- trails and road are so much better on your joints, even if that means waking up early to run on the road (stay to the left side) before traffic.

Again, try hard to stick to these rules. I know it's hard, and you just want to push farther every time, but the last thing you want is to be hurt and then on the sideline for a month!!

We'll be updating more very soon!! Hope you haven't given up on our blog!

Have an EGG-cellent Easter! :) (couldn't resist)