HipFitFam: A whirlwind two weeks

I'd like to say that my past few weeks have been filled with health, lots of good workouts, and some great family time. I would actually love to say that! But unfortunately, it's been a bit of the opposite. After coming off of two weeks of basically being a single parent while hubby was traveling, we were excited to be getting back to normal. Then I got *the* call, that my dad was in ICU and wasn't expected to last long. At about that time, the boy got sick, some of my friends decided to bail, and I had a destination half marathon I had already paid for. It was a blur of a week, but it ended well if you read my WHM Half Marathon recap. We went into the next week hopeful for my father, but nothing seemed to be working for him. He still wasn't breathing on his own and lots of things looked really grim, with only minor successes in his regulated blood pressure and kidney function.

So I did what I thought a good daughter should do and we bought me a ticket to fly to CA to see him. I took the boy, because the cost of childcare would've been the cost of the plane ticket and at least he was with me all day there. Hubby and the kiddo stayed home for school, and we hoped for the best. I went into a whirlwind of seeing family I hadn't seen in 15 years and I father that I was just starting to rebuild a relationship with. I was, to say it simply, scared shitless. But it all worked. His home was instantly comforting, and the boy was perfect. He traveled better than most adults, and he loved the family right away!

We also began seeing improvement in my father somewhat quickly. He went from a full respirator with a breathing tube down the throat (doing all the work for him) to a tracheotomy tube and doing all his own breathing. He went from being attached to every machine and drug I've ever seen, to being mostly on his own by the end. And last night, after two full weeks, he made it out of ICU!! He's not in a regular room, but the level between ICU and that. It's all so amazing, and I'm glad that I got to witness a lot of it and get some time in with my father. Being in ICU he couldn't see the boy, but I brought daily pictures from our explorations of the nearby beaches and harbors.

So yeah, I did get a few moments to explore with the boy. Not a lot, but as much as I was expecting and enough to clear my head when I needed it. I ran twice, only about 3 miles each time. But it was still nice, and I'm grateful that I even got that much. I preferred to spend my free time showing the boy the west coast and letting him play on their awesome playgrounds. He deserved it!!

So now we all go forward. My father continues to improve and get physical therapy/rehabilitation and his body heals. My family here tries to get back to normal. I try to stop worrying and process the trip. And I try to focus on my damn Spartan Beast. The last one is actually up in the air right now. Over the few weeks, I've managed to lose two pounds, probably all muscle considering my change in fitness. And that was muscle that I really REALLY needed for the Beast in under three weeks. But, it IS a free race for me since I got it from volunteering, so we may just go down to camp if I can't get my act together. I'll be disappointed for sure, but it will give me a good goal to strive for next year. And it'll have been worth it. Because family is always more important than any training I could do.

So here's to a new start for all of us. Let's keep our heads up and hope that things just keep getting better!!!

(And on that note, I give you gratuitous pictures of my cute kids, because they make me smile.)