I Shaved My Legs For This?!

Waving to Ginger Girl
at the start line

I ran in a 5k Mud Run yesterday. The Warrior Princess Mud Run. This was a huge accomplishment for me, not only because I didn't have time to properly train for it when I'd found out about it, or because I haven't been able to run in several years. But because I finally got a diagnosis on the demon that is my back & told "there is no cure." I was also told to accept the fact that one day I may not be able to walk or do the things I love.

Lucy & Ethel

My demon back already gets in the way of so many things but I refuse to let it rule my life. My St. Patrick Day plans were canceled due to me not able to move & horrible pain, & Ethel & Halfbrain ended up laying in my bed holding my hand as I cried from the pain. It takes a lot to get me to show pain. That day it was horrible.

That's right, bow to your Queen. 

Some days I can't sit on the bleachers to watch my kids' games & other little stuff that I wish I could still do. Getting a diagnosis was bittersweet. On one hand, it was nice to finally be told what's going on & I'm not crazy (some people in my life had told me it's all in my head), but on the other hand, hearing that they can't do anything for it was devastating. 

I took a day to process this information. I was sad. I was upset. I was angry. I was shocked.

The next day...I was determined.

It has to learn to live with me. Not the other way around.

I decided to prove that I will not let it stop me & I will still make goals & meet them. I just might have to do some things differently than other people.

When I heard about the Mud Run, I knew this was the thing to prove that nothing is ever going to stop me. I texted Ethel & asked her if she wanted to join me. After I explained to what the heck I was talking about, we started our team: Better Wives Club.

Our 3-person team. 

Better Wives Club is a take off of The First Wives Club. About a year ago, Ethel & I came up with a "club" for divorced women who are not just the First Wife, but the Better Wife. Our exes should be very sad that they no longer have a Better Wife. Our new husbands should be very grateful that our former husbands forgot how great they had it.

Our shirts & head pieces have their own stories too. They come from a bit of inside joke, how hubs & I met, Friends, Alice in Wonderland, I Love Lucy, & a lack of knowing what kind of head piece Ethel should wear.

Hubby's shirt says Pepper Monkey with a monkey on a laptop. My shirt says Salt Monkey with a monkey wearing a crown. Ethel's shirt says Butt Monkey & has a view of a monkey's very red, very giant butt.

Mine

Ethel's

Hubby's

 The story on the Monkey names. It's a long story but hubby's nickname from me is Pepper Monkey. It's a pretty funny story (duh, look who it's about) but it's a story for its own post. Because I decided Ethel is my long-lost sister, she gets a Monkey name too. I decided she's a Butt Monkey.

The story behind the pictures: well, Ethel's is easy. She's a Butt Monkey so I put a big, red, nasty butt on her shirt. Hubby is a computer programmer. He eats, sleeps, breaths computers. I found a picture of a monkey showing another monkey something on the computer 'cause he frequently teaches new programs to other people at work. My picture: Duh. I'm a Queen.

Back of our shirts:

That's right. We're awesome.

Mine

Ethel's

Hubby was Mad Ricky Hatter because he loves the Mad Hatter. I'm obsessed with the Queen of Hearts & always have been. Ethel is Um from Umbridge. The Ricky part of the hub's name obviously comes from me being Lucy. The Monica part of my name is because Halfbrain, Ethel, & I decided long ago that we are Monica, Rachel, & Phoebe from Friends (okay, actually, Ethel & I didn't give Halfbrain a choice on being Phoebe but that's only because Rachel is the one most concerned about her hair like Ethel is & Monica--well--she's a clean freak like yours truly). 

Me going down the pumpkin guts
slip n slide, "No Guts, No Glory"

I did the mud run & am just over the moon happy with myself that I made it. It might have taken me longer than some people, because I had to sit down & take a 5 minute break, but I did it.

I did it.

3/4 of the way to the finish line.

We did it! 
Like the true Queen that I am,
my crown never fell off. 

I crossed the finish line linking arms with my husband & my Ethel.