Catching UP!

 WOWSERS.  It has been awhile since I wrote anything here....

I could give you a million excuses.  That's all they would be.  Excuses.  

Instead I'd like to do a little brain dump of some of my recent events.

Yesterday was Will's baccalaureate.  I am not sure why, but I am not feeling sad at all....  I am proud. I am proud that the kid who cried daily in kindergarten and near daily in 1st grade is going to be walking across the stage at graduation with a National Honor Society stoll and gold chords.  He has done the work.  I often say that Will is my "me." He has the good and the not so good.

At the service last night, there were two excellent speakers.  The big message from both of them was, "Be a light."  

Here's what I will leave you with today:

"Remember, even the smallest light can brighten the darkest places. Your kindness, compassion, and positive energy have the power to inspire and uplift those around you. When you shine your light, you not only illuminate your own path but also help others find their way. Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people. In a world that can often seem dim, your light makes all the difference. Keep shining brightly and let your light touch as many lives as possible."

What a Week - Part 2 (Thursday and Friday) - Saturday to be Shared Later

 Thursday morning was set to be a work day.  It was just what I needed so that I could be ready for a full day of students on Friday and the following week.  I was hopeful that I could everything ready for 5 days of instruction by the time Thursday's work day was complete.....FAT CHANCE.  

5 am alarm followed by a 5k before the sun was up, felt like a great way to celebrate the "Because I get to" mantra that continued to play in my head and my heart.  I decided to try calling Medical Associates before I went to work even though it was before 7:30 am.  I was thrilled when the receptionist answered and said that they had a 9:50 orthopedic appointment available with Dr. Rock.  That seemed perfect.  I could take the 8:00 class that my principal was leading in the library and then I could run Will to the doctor.  Everything seemed to be falling into place so nicely. 

Will and I checked in at the kiosk on the 3rd floor of the building and proceeded to the waiting area.  The nurse called us back and I began with the words, "We plan for Will to continue playing no matter what we find out today."  

The nurse did her fact gathering and then left the exam room telling us that Dr. Rock would be in shortly.  When Dr. Rock entered the room, I repeated that we were planning for Will to continue playing as this is his senior season. 

Dr. Rock gave us 4 possibilities of what he thought it was before sending us for an xray:  meniscus tear, broken knee cap, kneecap dislocation, or torn ACL.   Xrays showed no break so Dr. Rock brought in a model of the knee and declared the worst possible outcome:  NO SPORTS.

  We had been up front from the beginning.  Will had been playing and would continue to play.  I was mourning for my son as we left the office.   As we walked out to the car, I could tell that my 17 year old was processing big emotions.  As we drove out of the parking lot and stopped at the first light of te drive, I looked over.  Tears. I reached out and held his hand as he cried.  This felt surreal.  Hours earlier I had been celebrating getting a doctor's appointment so quickly and now I wanted to simply rewind time and never make the appointment.   While driving back to Lancaster, calls were made to the coach and the trainer.  We figured we had 2 options:  sign an AMA waiver or get a 2nd opinion.   With just 27 hours before the big game, it might be impossible to get a 2nd opinion.  

I returned to work and got things started for my school plans, had a grade level meeting, a health needs meeting, and tried to get a little more done while drafting a waiver saying that Will could play football.  By 6:00 I wasn't being very productive at school so I headed home.  I was WIPED out, drained completely.

It was now a waiting game for the legal team to either approve or deny our written request for Will to play that would override the medical note.

I rarely sleep well the night before a new school year and Thursday night had some extra worries so my sleep was nearly nonexistent (43 sleep score according to my Garmin).   

Thankfully, the excitement of the new year helped me rise and shine.  Welcoming the new crew of 5th graders was a great way to start the day.  I am also a huge believer in new beginnings, new months, and choosing JOY, so I let that lead my day.

By 10 am I got the news that the legal department wouldn't allow the waiver to be used.  On to Plan B.  Thanks to an amazing coach, an appointment was made for Will for 3:30 that afternoon.  Roger was able to pick Will up from school and I was able to meet them at the doctor's office right here in town.  There was a glimmer of possibility.

I was able to finish my 1st day of the new school year with the same positive energy that I try to use every day.  As soon as I had dismissed my students for the long weekend, I was moving to the doctor's office to be there for what we were counting on to be good news.

By 4:10 we had the 2nd opinion and we were going to make it to have Will at the football bus in time for the 4:15 departure!!!!!

While it seems like it would be the end from there, it wasn't. 

My nerves were bundled in my heart and my stomach.  With each offensive play, I was on the edge of the bleacher holding my breath until the play was over and Will was still standing on both legs.  Add to that the intensity of playing against a team that was ranked 2nd in the state....  We were first to score: 6 to 0.  Then Prairie was up 7 to 6.  With another score we lead 12 to 7.  The last 6 minutes of the game were intense.  The team pulled off a 28 to 27 win over Prairie du Chien!!!  It was the most exciting win I have seen in all of Will's years playing football.

I'm sure there are details I am forgetting.  I may even add some things later but for now we celebrate!

Our saga continues but I think we are on our way to good things.  

We continue to use lots of ice at our house. 

All of this is just another reminder to do things when you can.  Don't put things off.  

"Because I get to."

Passion!

#headupheartout

What a week! - Part 1

 Amidst the scent of freshly waxed floors and freshly sharpened pencils and the echoes of excited chatter, Day 1 of the new school year began, a blank slate filled with infinite possibilities.  Monday's chatter wasn't excited students.  It was the staff as we started the 2023-2024 school year with a whole district breakfast and meetings. It was a smooth start to the week with all the necessary things to get everyone on the same page about expectations for the school year.  After being at the high school for the first couple of hours, I went back to Winskill where our staff meeting began in the library.  My principal always leads with a strong vision.  His beginning of the year meeting was no different from others: high standards were set, sucesses were celebrated, and inspiration for the year ahead was created.  The morning was over quickly and I had just enough time to run home and get a few miles in before the afternoon work time.  Like with any first day, I came home from school at 3:30 exhausted but excited for what would come.  Quick clothing change and Roger and I went to Dubuque to watch Kate play soccer.  After the game it was a not so healthy dinner of Sonic---my first time!  Fried foods at 10 pm don't make early wake up calls for running easy.

Tuesday began in a similar way to Monday:  up and at school by 7:30.  Reading team and writing team meetings.  Breakfast while at school (thank you, Community First Bank, for providing it!).  There was a district lunch being provided at Memorial Park but I ran home to switch some laundry and get a few things done while I had the chance.  I returned to school for the afternoon and was able to get some things finished but I knew there was so much more to do.  I left at 3:30 but was able to convince Roger to walk back to Winskill Tuesday evening to complete just a couple of tasks with me.  We left Winskill by 6:45 and picked up Subway for dinner on our walk home.  As I was winding down for the evening I heard Will come in from practice.  It wasn't his normal entrance.  I could hear him bringing in some things.  He walked into our bedroom and I saw the giant, plastic wrapped, ice encased knee.  "I'm okay," he said.  I'm at a point in my life where I think when people say that, it means they really are NOT okay... just my opinion.  Apparently he had felt something during practice and gone off to the sideline for a little while.  The trainer had looked at him and worked with him to get the ice around his knee and his coach had sent home a cooler filled with ice to continue to 15 minutes every hour of icing. 

Made it to the mid week point and got outside for my morning miles! I knew that I needed to run because I COULD.  I have no reason not to be getting out for miles.  I am physically ABLE.  My 17 year old son can barely walk and I CAN RUN.  That was the push I needed to get out the door.

  It felt wonderful!  I knew I needed the day to start off this way because it was the day of the Back to School Bash which meant a little bit longer of a day filled with lots of EXCITEMENT.  I'd get to meet all my new families!  This was also the day of the active shooter drill at the high school.  Will was participating in the event.  I was walking to a 9:15 meeting when my cell phone started ringing.  I answered my phone to hear, "This is Brittany from Grant Regional.  I have WIll here.  Can you present yourself at the registration desk?"  My first thought was that something had happened with his knee and that he was at the emergency room.  

        "Yes.  I'll be there," I replied.  Then I realized that Will might have been at the active shooter drill.  "Is there about the drill at the high school?" 

          "This is Brittany from Grant Regional.  Can you present yourself at the registration desk?"   

         With that answer it felt confirmed that it was just part of the drill but I quickly grabbed my car keys and ran out to my car, drove quickly to the hospital, and entered the emergency room doors.  In those 2 minutes, I had to have been feeling and processing every possible emotion.  The biggest one being - What if Will's not okay?

          Once I saw him and hugged him, I drove him back to finish the drill, and I returned to Winskill to continue my preparations for the Back to School Bash.  Hours went quickly but I was ready when families began arriving at 4:30.  During the conversations at the school event I had the opportunity to talk with the school athletic trainer.  She recommended making an appointment with a doctor for Will's knee.  I was going to take him to acute care on Thursday but she thought trying to get him in with Orthopedics was a better idea.  That call went on my to do list for Thursday morning.  I finished the Back to School Bash and headed home to enjoy dinner and an early bedtime.  

I have so much more to tell about the week.  Part 2 coming soon.

Fellow Flowers Joy Challenge --- About Me

 Sunday started the Fellow Flowers JOY Challenge.   I am fortunate enough to get to be a part of the 5 week challenge.   I am leading week 1 so my "story" was shared today.  Here's what was shared:

Lead with joy

After years spent cultivating joyful energy, Margaret Bussan now shares her sunshine with everyone she meets. Read on for how the Lancaster, Wisconsin, teacher connects and runs with her “joy crew” and find her top ten reasons for loving summer! How’d you become a runner?   Running didn’t come naturally to me. I had always enjoyed walking and fitness classes (cue step aerobics, Jane Fonda and Denise Austin) but I had never even been an athlete of any kind. In January of 2010, a 24-hour gym opened up a block away from my house. On opening day, I went in there at 4 a.m. so that I could get a workout in before my morning work commute. That 4 a.m. time was perfect to start my fitness journey, which revolved around miles on the treadmill at first. I started with walking. By mid-February, I realized that I could get my four miles in faster if I would bump up the speed a little bit on the treadmill. I started sleeping in about fifteen minutes more and jogging my miles instead of walking them. In July, I saw a sign up for a half marathon on Labor Day. I signed up. Labor Day was on September 6 that year. I had been consistent with my treadmill mileage from January through August but I had NEVER run outside until race day! That half marathon was an experience. I quickly realized how much more enjoyable running outside was compared to the treadmill. I still love the occasional treadmill miles but have tried to make more of my runs on the road and with friends. What’s your current relationship status with running?  I have come to truly find JOY in being able to run. Throughout 2023, I have had a few health hiccups that have caused me to be out of running for some short periods of time. These have created a new appreciation for what running gives me: JOY!  I am not my fastest right now, but I am consistent with running. I log between 20 and 30 miles a week. What line from the Joy flower resonates with you most?   EVERY LINE of JOY resonates with me! Today I am going to go with the line “to appreciate sunshine” because I got up and got my miles in before work because the sunshine coming through the bedroom window was my motivation. What role does joy play in your life?   I think this is a key question. I believe that everything we do is infused with the energy that we do it with. If we do something with joyful energy, it will be joyful.  Please don’t confuse my answer with toxic positivity. When a situation is rough, I try to find the joy in it. Not to bring in nerdy brain science, but I really think that I have trained my brain to find the joy in things. Over the last ten years, and maybe  even a little more, I have chosen the JOY flower for my runs more than any other flower. It might even be possible to say that I practice joy often so that my joy muscles are always in good health. I am definitely a “lead with my heart” type of person and the emotion I choose to lead with is joy! What — and we’re taking big things, small things, silly things, anything! — brings you joy? I think I find joy in everything. I am lucky to find joy in my chosen profession. I find joy in serving others — as a church volunteer and MVRA board member, to name a few. Some of the small things that bring me great joy are time at home with my family, a quiet evening reading or watching TV. I experience joy watching my kids do things they love. I find joy in time with my running friends. Freshly baked cookies fresh from the oven brings me joy. Seeing someone — anyone — experience success brings me joy. Working hard for a goal brings me joy. Where is your happy place?   My happy place is with my family (Roger, Kate and Will) or anywhere the sun is shining. I’d love to say it’s at a beach but I feel like we rarely get to a beach. Why is joy important to you?   Joy is more than happiness to me. Joy goes along with my physical and mental health. It relates to accomplishments and being more than satisfied. Joy is experienced. I think joy shows in my smile and becomes something that I am able to share with others. How do joy and friendship intersect for you?   One way that I feel like joy grows is through shared experiences, and this is definitely a connection to friendships. Sharing a meal together brings joy and builds friendship. Running with others is another way that joy and friendship intersects for me. I experience great joy when I get to run with others. How about friendship and running?   I have been so lucky to build the friendships I have with other runners. One of my favorite things about my joy crew is that we are all at different points in life and yet we are able to share experiences. I feel lucky that our friendship isn’t forced. I never feel pressure to be anything more than I am with my run friends. When I am with my run crew, I am able to just be in the moment with them. The moments with them are what they are and that helps bring pure joy. How do friends make running better?   Shared experience and shared pain — just kidding! Running friends give me something to look forward to about the runs besides the mileage. I love the time spent with them. We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We support each other through the hard and we celebrate each other during the great! Knowing that we are there for each other builds my own confidence in myself and I hope it makes them feel more capable, too! While we all have shared values, passions and goals, we also have great differences that help us to be so much stronger together. Having my run crew helps me to be accountable even on the hard days. There have also been times where I might have quit running if I didn’t have my run crew. The support and friendships makes working hard more fun.   What’s the best part of summer?   Oh, how I LOVE summer! I don’t think I can pick one thing that’s the best part, but here are my top 10 reasons that summer is my favorite season: 10. Warm weather. 9. Sunlight before I even have to get out of bed. 8. Blue skies. 7. More time for adventures and fun trips. 6. Less pressure and less go go go than the school-year routines (a chance to relax). 5. Race opportunities are abundant.  4. Time for bike rides.  3. Saturday farmer’s markets 2. Weekend bonfires and s’mores.  1. Listening to music in the car at a pretty loud volume with the windows down and the sunroof open

WOW! I promise I am still here!

Check out this beautiful bouquet that brightened my day!

I'm getting my miles in still and I have lots of thoughts and reflections to share here.  I promise that it will happen soon.  Until my next post---Keep being AWESOME!

 

Classroom Slides for the Week Ahead

Slides for This Week

Unit 4 Writing Weeks

Wrapping Up Another Month

 Bring on the month of GRATITUDE!    I have so much to be thankful for.

This past weekend is just a small dose of all the good things I have in my life:  family, friends, health.

On Labor Day 2014 I ran a sub 2 half marathon.  Since then I have run 28 more and always chasing a sub 2 hour finish.  Saturday morning it happened!  Let me rewind a bit...  In August, Michelle joined me in Dubuque for the Alzheimer's Half Marathon.  I hadn't been following a training plan and the  night before I decided I would try 1 mile/ 1 minute intervals.  I finished in a 2:09.  I was shocked at that and felt really proud of the under 10 minute per mile average pace.  At the end of September I ran the Quad Cities Half marathon in 2:03:+   

With the Galena River Fall Half Marathon just one month from the QC Half, I was curious to find out if I could break 2 hours again.  While I haven't been following a training plan, I have been getting in the miles and feeling really good while running.  My average paces have been just under 10 per mile.  It left me wondering, could I average 9:05 for 13.1 miles?  

In case you didn't know, it Halloween week (hahaha) and that can be crazy at any school.  Friday was a pretty crazy day with a cross country send off parade, a fire drill, and the Halloween party.  By the end of the school day, I was really wiped out.  After a 2 mile shakeout run and a solid dinner, I was feeling ready. My "race plan" was to run 2 miles/ walk 1 minute.  It seemed like a good way to step it up from what I had done in September.  

I thought for sure I would sleep well Friday night so that Saturday would be a well rested run.  NOPE.  I couldn't find the clothes I wanted to wear for the race.  I didn't fall asleep easily Friday night.  I was awake at 4 am on Saturday.  OY!   

As I was getting ready on Saturday morning, I got a notification on my watch that my poor sleep had increased my recovery time and that I needed to take it easy on Saturday.  That wasn't what I wanted to do.  I wanted to go for a sub 2 hour half marathon finish time.  We pulled out of the driveway pretty close to on time but as we drove up Alona Lane, I realized that I didn't have my phone.  Luckily we were still close to home and I was able to find my phone quickly.  

Arrival at the race and packet pick up was smooth and simple.  I used the porta potties quickly and headed back to the car to stay warm.  All the nerves hit.   I was in my head big time.  As I was lining up at the start, Michelle gave me a hug and I began to fall apart.   I cannot tell you how much it meant that Donna and Michelle were here with me this weekend.  They believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.  A thank you will never be enough to let them know how much I needed them in that moment.  It can seem easier to give up on goals at these moments but they didn't let me forget that I had it within me to hit the goal time.  

Michelle noticed something behind me and pointed for me to turn and right there was Roger and Kate.  They believed that the race would be a good one for me, too.  

With the strength of other believing in my, I was able to believe in myself.  I was strong and ran a great race.  When I came through the 11 mile mark, I passed my cheer squad and I wondered if I could hit my goal.  My watch wasn't reading overall pace and the GPS had gone a little wacky so I had no idea what my time was.  Michelle hollered, "1:39."    That meant I had 21 minutes to make the final 2 miles.  

At about 12.9, Donna and Michelle were standing and cheering for me.  I felt like I could do it.

When I saw the finish line, the clock was reading, "0:00:00."   That didn't help me...  I ran through the finish and stopped my watch:  1:56:40!!!!   I did it!  

Confidence does not come easily for me, but I am starting to see my potential again.

As November begins tomorrow, I am beyond grateful for all the connections that help to build me up. 

I met my step goall every day this month!!!  Hoping to do it again in November.