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Swimming Blog Posts
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The Things I Should Have Given Away Years Ago.
Posted November 20, 2009 by Summer SandersI will never forget the day I wore my favorite holiday pants. It was my first Christmas party post divorce and I was feeling free and happy. I threw a small little get together with about 20 people or so. I hadn't put too much thought into my whole outfit but I bought these pants especially for this big night. They were red velvet. Yes, they were red velvet, tight and I thought I was lookin' good. That must be why I have kept them all these years.Close
My red velvet pants are just one example of the many items in my closet that need to exit but have somehow made it through every other cut. I feel like they were at a football training camp...they were the "walk-ons" and somehow, they just kept sneakin by until, UT OH...coach finally saw um.
Today I did it. I made my final cuts. At least for 2009. And I went deep. I went for the nice stuff, the black tie stuff that I swore would last forever. You know, when you are struggling with the price at the store you tell yourself, "But this dress is timeless. It will always be in style." I have really only found that to be true for a great coat and the perfect black suit. Other than those two items, I don't know if I believe the statement anymore.
I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to get rid of and in turn, give away a ton of this stuff. Because although I haven't worn it in awhile, I know someone else will LOVE it. So take a second, as the holidays approach and go through everything in your closet. Even those timeless things might need to take a hike from your life. You never know, it might open the door for a new item to fill that hanger in your closet.
Oh yeah, and as for my red velvet pants, they are now in my costume box...some things are just too good to give away. -
Running With My Girlfriends is Better Than Therapy!
Posted November 19, 2009 by Summer SandersI started running the moment I retired from swimming in 1993. I have loved it from that first moment until now, for so many reasons. Obviously, I love the way it works my bod and I love the feeling of really sweating but it goes way beyond the physical.Close
At Stanford, there is a really easy, fun and fairly quick run called "the campus loop". It is about 4-5 miles, it is completely flat and it circles the Stanford campus (one of the most beautiful campuses on earth). I used to run this all the time with my bff Heidi. Thinking about those runs makes me smile as I am typing this. We would discuss EVERYTHING during our runs...school, guys, parties, gossip, basically just life! When we were finished, we loved the fact that we got a great workout but we felt REALLY good cause we had just had a serious "clearing of the head" session. Like therapy.
There is one thing I know for sure about me and running. I think more while I run. My mind works in overdrive. Sometimes, while I am by myself, I will stop and write myself an email so I don't forget all the things I had come up with on my run. I don't think I am alone in this. Many of my friends, beyond Heidi, love to chat and run...in that order.
Heidi is now living in LA and I don't get to run with her as often as needed. She will still call me every now and then while she is walking and we will have an awesome hour long conversation. But with 4 kids between the 2 of us, that doesn't happen often enough. I have some girlfriends in Park City who I run with that are great listeners and awesome chatters. I went out today with one of them and she let me go on and on about life and several things that are happening in my world. She was such a wonderful sounding board. Honestly, isn't that really what therapy is??
I love my running therapy sessions. They don't happen during every run but when they do, it is such a relief. Thank goodness for girlfriends. Thank goodness for my runs. Thank goodness for chatty girlfriends who like to run. If only therapists would read my blog...they might consider putting a treadmill in their office. Now there is an idea! -
Giving Up To Give To Others
Posted November 18, 2009 by Summer SandersThe holiday season is right around the corner. Something happens every year...i think the calendar is shorten from November to the end of December as it jams on by. That is why I thought I would talk about giving and gifts now.Close
In my family, we would often buy gifts for a family in need. We would find out their sizes and needs and have a great family outing of shopping and giving. It is something I will never forget and it has stuck with to this day. I make sure to continue my dad's lesson even now in my life. I pull names off the little tree at the grocery store or at Macy's. I love the idea that I just might make a kid really happy during the holidays.
It actually doesn't take a lot. You don't need to spend a ton of money to accomplish this act of giving. What I generally do is give up one of my gifts to give to someone else. I also try to do this with the kids so that they understand the whole idea around the holidays. (and believe me, they get too many gifts anyway.) This is kinda why I am bringing this up. How many gifts do we really need? If we have a want, isn't it usually just one thing... you know, one thing you are just dying for. So, if you took everything else off your list and gave those gifts or the money that would have gone towards those gifts and bought for someone else, imagine what you could do!
I will talk about these charities more as we get even closer to the holidays but here are a few of my favorites to take a look at...
The Heifer Foundation
UNICEF
Right To Play
All three of these organizations are absolutely awesome in their own right. They each provide a different means of giving and are super established and trustworthy. I guess my point to you 12 people following my blog is that people need us this holiday season. Give them the gift of a gift...maybe one of your own. -
H1N1...To Vaccinate Or Not...That Is The Question.
Posted November 17, 2009 by Summer SandersThis is the beginning of a long and arduous debate. I know what I am going to do with regards to my kids but I am still torn as to how the information is presented to parents these days. It is REALLY difficult for a parent to make a fully educated decision on the subject since every practitioner out there has a legal obligation to tell their patient to vaccinate. Or am I making it too simple?Close
But you get what I am saying, right? A doctor can't tell you not to get the vaccine for fear that your child will come down with swine flu and become extremely sick. So, to cover their butts, they advice everyone to get it...why not?! Well, I don't know about all of these vaccines. What about the mercury levels in this particular vaccine. Shouldn't parents be worried about that?
I want my kids to be safe and I know that I chose to put them in their car seats for that reason, but comparing the H1N1 vaccine to a seat belt seems kinda absurd. That is what a doctor did, he said that giving my kid the vaccine is like putting their seat belt on. The choice of safety. Hmm...I don't think there are any side effects to seat belts. And, I think seat belts are pretty darn proven. There is a lot of research to prove it. As far as these vaccine's go, I think a bit more research is warranted.
I vaccinate my kids. I do believe in many vaccines. But I also don't want to go overboard. I mean, when you think about it, were the chicken pox that bad? I got to stay home from school when my brother had them just so I would get them myself. When are we protecting too much? I let my son and daughter ride their trike and fall so that they know how to recover the next time. When is that the case with their health? I don't know the answers but I think a discussion on this topic is a healthy one
