Looking Forward to Good Health in the New Year

So, I did it - I finished all of the pillowcases for 30+ people (including one for myself - with a running shoe print, of course) for Christmas. They really did make for the perfect wrapping paper - they fit gifts of ALL sizes and shapes!

I wish I could report that Christmas came and went without a hitch and that I even ran on our trip to my mother-in-laws, but that's not quite how it all went. Running didn't happen for a variety of reasons - icy roads, lots of visiting with family, adjusting to the time difference (3 hours), etc. The biggest reason was the most important one, though. Our son was transported by ambulance on Christmas night from the ER to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he was admitted for three nights.

After working for 2 weeks to get the kids healthy for our trip (daughter had pneumonia, son had sinus infection), they were both finally off meds and ready to go when a cold erupted in both of them the day before the trip. After several days of coughing and general ickiness, we began to realize that this bugger was not going to pass quickly. At Christmas dinner with 22 family members, our son picked at his dinner (RARE, as this kid eats non-stop) and had a wicked coughing fit that told us it was time to get help. My husband took him to the ER to be checked and after 2 breathing treatments they transported my boys by red sleigh (translation: ambulance) to Children's in Pittsburgh. Diagnosis: pneumonia and aggravated asthma.

The next 3 days were filled with trips back and forth to the hospital for visits/tag-team overnight stuff while the docs, nurses and respiratory therapists worked to get his oxygen level steady. We are ever so grateful for my husband's family who drove us back and forth (I don't know the highways and city area well enough to make the drive in the dark) and took care of the little sister who was dealing with missing her brother and fighting her own cold/bout of pneumonia. The day before our return home to Washington our son was released from the hospital and our daughter took her trip to the ER for a chest x-ray that confirmed her illness. Armed with a bag loaded with antibiotics and inhalers, we were able to get on our regularly scheduled flights home on Tuesday morning (despite the fact that I lost my driver's license in PA . . . but that's a WHOLE other story). There is no place like home!

I had planned to share the series of haiku I wrote for our Christmas cards on Christmas Day with you all, but I think this last day of 2009 is an appropriate day to share the poems, too. As I look back on the year, I remember our fun-filled summer fondly, I appreciate the supportive network of family and friends and I am amazed at all my children grew through. I look forward to 2010 as a year of further personal growth - as a writer, a runner, a wife and a mother. And I pray that it is a HEALTHY one - not just for my family, but for yours, too!

And now . . . the haikus:

Daily Adventures
Two bicycles race
Beside the family garden
A rope swing beckons

Camano Island
Logs stretch out their arms
For kids to construct their caves
On the rocky shore

Little Sister
Red hair flows freely
As she dances side to side
Laughing and singing

Big Brother
"I have an idea!"
Inspiration is bellowed
Filled notebooks are proof

Brianna
Behind the dense fog
Ducks quack and cows moo, "Hello!"
As she runs the trail

Husband
Stars twinkle above
As the crowd dances freely
Music-filled nights rock

Albus
Kids reach for the leash
Announcing a family walk
Swish, swish goes his tail

Our Wish for You
Christmas lights glimmer
As the New Year approaches
May love fill your days

Happy reading, running and good health to you in 2010!

We Are Dogs Who Love to Run - 1st Installment

Saturday our trusty dog, Albus, joined me for a run. It was glorious. After weeks of having him give me sad looks while I ran on the treadmill and the kids climbed on him in his own bed, we were both thrilled to get back outside. The fresh air was just what we both needed. It took him a full day to recover from the adventure (he is eight years old, after all), but he'd be the first to tell you that it was totally worthwhile!

This reminded me that I commented ages ago about a silly spin-off of my book that I'd call We Are Dogs Who Love to Run. Over the next week, I'll be sharing a few blurbs of this fun little treasure from dogs' points of view, modeling it off the text of We Are Girls Who Love to Run (Albus is on the cover of it, so this version is long overdue!).

Here we go.

We Are Dogs Who Love to Run by Brianna K. Grant

"I am a dog who loves to run.

Some days I run quickly, my padded feet carrying me swiftly like when I chase squirrels out of my yard. Other days I walk, allowing my master's children to run their fingers through my thick fur while they pretend to lead me with my leash. Whether I run, trot or meander, the time with my humans is mine to enjoy.

I am beautiful.

When I am happy, my eyes brighten, my muscles flex and my tail wags for the world to see. My tongue droops out of my mouth as I pant excitedly for playtime. My coat shines in the sunlight.

I am a good friend.

I love to be boisterous. My family counts on me for waggly dances, welcome home kisses and lap running around our big back yard on good days. I'm a good listener, and my family counts on me for knowing looks, lap time snuggles and comfortable silence when they have bad days. I value my family's feelings and take time to apologize when I let my nose take charge of my decisions."

Stay tuned for the next installment of this blog-only version of We Are Dogs Who Love to Run.

Happy running to you and your four-legged friends!