Karwoski Life

Sometimes I think that God has a pretty good way of keeping me in my place…making sure I don’t get too big for my britches, if you will. Just when I think I’m not looking too bad, or I’m somewhat pleased with a certain part of my outfit, for example and the tiniest bit of a strut creeps into my step, I can certainly expect to trip. Or spill something. Or run smack dab into a door, wall, or some other inanimate object. That’s how it seems to go for me. So it’s no surprise that just after writing my post about being so grateful, and having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with my family, and perhaps feeling a little bloated with pride at how good I have it…that Matt would say something so profoundly upsetting that it knocked me back down a few notches. As you know, I’ve had my moments of irrational impatience for what surely must be the longest surgery recovery EVER. Of course I am aware that duh, they cut my bones and screwed them back together with pins and obviously that is going to t

It’s Thanksgiving this week and I can’t help but find myself pondering all that I have to be thankful for. I’ve had my share of grumbly moments these past few weeks, as I’ve been recovering from my foot surgery. I am not the most patient person…and I’ve found myself frustrated at the slow pace of my healing bones. (Seriously, I KNOW I am ridiculous.) I’ve had to hang up my running shoes for a while and I’ve shocked myself that I might.just.actually.miss.running! Well, maybe not the actual running…but the feeling I have knowing I CAN run…that I’ve accomplished all these milestones in my running journey. There is a certain feeling that comes over me as I’m crossing the finish line of a race, or browsing through the race photos later, or putting on one of my race shirts, or looking at my precious medal (I still can’t believe I completed a half marathon!). It is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and pride…and I admit - I miss that. As the weeks are slowly ticking by, I am looking

This week I had bunion surgery on my right foot. It’s something I’ve been contemplating off and on for a while as my foot has grown increasingly painful over the past several months…but the opportunity for surgery itself popped up rather quickly. Weighing all the pros and cons to having the surgery it seemed there would never be a good time to do it. With all my responsibilities around the house I worried about the recovery time. But, talking it over with Matt we decided to take the plunge and just get it over with…crossing our fingers that the weather wouldn’t be too bad while I’m waddling around in the post-op shoe. My mom, who had just gone home a week before after driving up for Grandma’s b-day dinner, insisted on driving back up to help me out around the house. Being the stubborn person that I am, and not wanting to burden her with another trip, I tried to reassure her that she didn’t have to come. But a mother knows better, I guess. She was 100% right. I would have been in bad, b

October has been a super crazy month filled with amazing experiences, good times, and so many good friends. It was the culmination of 2 important runs for me – the Disney ½ Marathon, and also the Des Moines Race for the Cure. As you know – it was nearly one year ago that Amy first approached me with this crazy notion of learning to run so that we could run the Race for the Cure event in honor of our friend Julie who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I distinctly remember how she approached me…as we were shopping at our favorite mall. I’m sure my first reaction was…um…no way. Me? Run? You’re nuts. But it didn’t take long for me to come around. I mean, just having Amy consider the idea of running was amazing enough. She has always shared my opinion that running for fun was a myth. So, I thought…if Amy wants to do it…then I suppose I can get on board. It wasn’t long before the type A personality in me found a way to tackle what was surely a very foreign concept. Researching, we

The first thing I want to say about the race is Thank You. Thank you to everyone out there who supported me through donations, prayers, thoughts, hugs, encouraging words…all of it. Throughout the entire weekend, as I reveled in how much fun I was having, I was keenly aware of how much I owe you all. I am filled to the brim with gratitude for all the love and support I received as I trained for this race and prepared for the challenge before me. It was only through your support that Matt and I were able to make the trip a possibility and I am so very thankful for the opportunity to experience something so fun and so meaningful. As race departure time approached I felt a sense of calm overcome me…its surprising, thinking on it now, I wasn’t really all that nervous or anxious…I was excited as I waited in anticipation of what was to come…but my usual jitters never came, thankfully!! (Perhaps a well timed prayer from a dear friend helped me out!) We made our way to the lobby of the resort t

First of all, I just want to say…we had the BEST time this weekend in Florida. Truly, truly…it was so wonderful. I can’t tell you how many times we stopped to look at each other throughout the weekend and reiterate how great a time we were having. It was one of the best weekends…EVER! Thursday we arrived in Orlando after a fairly uneventful trip through Memphis, in the early evening hours. It was warm and sunny and we were tickled to be on our way to our Disney resort. Now, neither Matt nor I have ever been super crazy about Disney. I mean, sure, when we were kids we liked certain Disney characters (and I could probably still sing every song from the Little Mermaid) but we weren’t really interested in the Disney park experience. Going to Disney to run this race, obviously wasn’t the motivation for me…it was running in honor of Matt…and the warm, sunny location was a happy side effect. We just planned to take it easy and have a relaxing weekend away (oh, and run a half marathon), but

So much time has gone by in between posts...and so many good, fun things have been going on. I thought I might do a quickie photo update... Matt & I spent the HOTTEST, MOST humid day at the Iowa State Fair... Just so I could catch Davy Jones in concert! The Monkee in me just COULDN'T pass up the opportunity! Waiting for the concert to start...I wondered if it would be worth it...we were SO hot! IT WAS!! I had the best time singing along - though I'm sure the folks in front of me didn't! Matt would smile at me every time I turned to look at him...'Yep, that's my wife.' I also worked the Iowa Egg Council booth again this year at the Iowa State Fair with my friends Amy & Gina. People are still crazy about their free eggs on a stick! Speaking of Amy - she and I ran another 5K. The Harvest Dreams 5K out at Living History Farms. For some reason I thought that running through the grounds, at 6:30 in the evening, in AUGUST, would be a good idea. It wasn't. N