My Cholesterol and My Gallbladder

I have low cholesterol. I mean the low total, good and the bad. All of it. Not just the good like most people. Lucky me. It is genetic. It runs in my family. Although not all of my relatives have it, there are a few of us that do.
So, for those of you that don't know, cholesterol when too high or too low causes hormone imbalance, and depression and anxiety as well for it being too low.With this knowledge, I knew and doctors knew I needed to bring it up. So, that's what I did. I ate some type of fat at every meal. Usually coconut (oil, shredded or butter) but sometimes I had bacon and I am not talking about a serving of bacon. I am talking I ate the whole package of bacon in one sitting. These are my two favorites. Well, I started having stomach issues. After a blood test, it was confirmed that my cholesterol couldn't get any better. It was exactly where it was supposed to be. It is the best it has ever been. It is one of the best I have ever heard of. I was excited to hear the news. However, the bad news is my gallbladder can't keep up with the fat I eat. So, I have to choose, feel sick and eat fat and have normal hormones, or feel good and have bad hormones. Apparently I can't have both.
Just in case you were wondering here are my numbers...
bad cholesterol mine:89  normal reference range less than 130.
good cholesterol mine: 64!!! normal reference range greater than 46.
total cholesterol mine: 162 normal reference range I can't remember the low end number but the high end number is like 200. I was right around the middle between the two numbers.

Well, school is around the corner. I have enjoyed my summer.

I Ate Pancakes with a Spoon

I tried another Paleo recipe. This one called for eggs, which I am allergic to. So I substituted with one of my favorite substitutes. Unfortunately, this did not work too well and even after the batter was burning, it never formed into a pancake. Do I removed it from the skillet and ate it with a spoon.

Despite it being more like soup, it did taste good. Next time I will try a different egg substitute.

Is it our Dinner? Or is it the Dog's Dinner?

I bought a new cookbook for the Paleo diet. I was looking through it and saw something that looked like I would feed it to my dog. yes, marrow bones. I never knew that we could eat any of it. I thought it was all grissel and bone. I never once thought people would cook it and eat it. So I decided to give it a try. Oh, I do not know how I ever survived without eating this all my life. It was wonderful. Now, I must warn you, Jim absolutely thought it was disgusting. So, I take it not everyone likes them. It did gross me out at first. I mean it is the leg of the cow. But then I started thinking, we eat all the other parts too.
Apparently these are supposed to be really healthy. They are really high in good fat.
They are really easy to make too. Open the package, put them in a baking dish, set oven to 450 degrees, sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic (optional) I put mine on after it cooked, and let it cook for 30 minutes.
One other thing I thought was funny, the cashier, who just happens to be one of my best friends, said while she was ringing everything up, "Oh, Sally gets a treat!"
Me: "No those are for dinner.
Cashier: "you're going to cook them right?"
I just thought it was funny. 

Call Me Addicted!

I just signed up for my second 5k. It will be this weekend in North Pole.

Run From the Cops!

This was really fun and I encourage the people in the Fairbanks area to start training so they can do it next year. This is me after my attempted escape from the cops.

This is me before my attempted escape from the cops.

The race was a 5k. It was my first. I wanted to start with something short before I plunged into a really long race with no experience. I couldn't have picked a better one. This was really fun and I look forward to trying to outrun the cops next year. The cops gave us a head start by 30 seconds (so they say.) I made it to the half way point before they caught me. They "hand cuff" you with silly string when they catch you. They finished the race in about 28 minutes. I finished in 35 minutes and 22 seconds. This is my personal record. So I did really good. James was at the finish line which helped me keep motivated and my speed up.

So, I plan on training this year to improve my speed and hopefully I will outrun the cops next year.

Cross my fingers I will keep up the training and I will be able to do the Santa Claus half marathon in August. I have been slacking on my training. Ouch!

My Summer So Far...

This summer I have pulled weeds and raked leaves. I estimate to be a total of 30 black trash bags worth. You may think this is a lot... I agree. We have cut down numerous trees to help open up our yard for several reasons... 1. I won't have to rake leaves as much! YAY!!!!!! 2. To help brighten our yard and let in sunshine. This will help with the mosquito situation and also 3. to make a garden area for future. 4. We have more room to play instead of looking at trees like we are in a forest or something.
We still have quite a few trees to go. We have already cut down about 20 trees. We have about 50 more before we will have it where we want it. We would like to have an actual yard instead of a forest all the way around our house. In so doing the cutting of trees, I have learned how to use a chainsaw. I limb, and cut the trees, and Jim cuts them down. (He cuts and limbs too as I am still a little slow and need breaks often. I still need to build muscle.) We are getting a good supply for our winter heating.

I am also painting our house. The paint around the window sills was chipping away. So I decided I didn't really like that color anyway and am painting the house a cream color (Natural Wicker Gliddon) and a really light blue that I don't remember the name of.
I have also been ripping off the base/mop boards in the arctic entry way. These boards were rubber. They also don't match the rest of the base/mop boards in the house. So I am making them match. I hope to get these projects done before school starts.
In one week from tomorrow, I will be running my first 5k!!! The title of it is "Run From the Cops." Yes, I am serious! This is the first annual Fairbanks Run From the Cops 5k. I am excited. My 1/2 marathon training is coming along. I have come to the conclusion, I will have to end up walking part of it.

We have been attacked by carpenter ants. Oh the joys of owning a home. We sprayed and are still looking for the nest. Oh yes, this is another reason to cut down those trees! less ants.

Well, I have been super busy and my muscles are aching from using the chainsaw today. It is heavy.

1/2 Marathon

I decided that I needed some motivation to stay active. So, I decided to run in a Half Marathon. I am looking at the Santa Claus North Pole race that takes place on Ausgust 3rd. Well, I said it to everyone, so now I hope I can stick with the plan. That is easier said than done. I did go out and buy the nice running shoes and other sports gear. My shoes are so comfortable! I love them. The best part about them is that I was looking for the best fit. All the ones I had tried on were on sale except the best fitting ones. So, I thought well, I won't be saving. I got up to the counter and found out they were on sale and they were the least expensive! I scored!!