World's Worst?

I feel like in the past 3 days I have been a combination of the World's Worst friend, blogger, wife, email responder, sister, daughter, cat mom, grocery shopper, driver, patient person, yadda yadda yadda.

Need I continue?

After returning from Greenville, it was a whirlwind 2 days before my wonderful younger sister Karyna flew in from Philadelphia. I am SO STOKED to have her here, but these past 48 hours have been crazy. Or has it been 72?

Not really sure at this point.

And why?

Because I'm training for an Ironman - and the date is rapidly approaching. For the first time, I can feel a knot clench in the pit of my stomach at the thought. This date has been burnt in my head, seared in my mind for so long... Last summer I couldn't tell you what I would be doing in one week's time, but I could for certain, reply that on April 13, 7:00am Tempe-time, I would be starting my very first Ironman.

And now the training is really beginning to catch up.

I had a fantastic time in Greenville, without a doubt one of the best weekend's of my life. But after drving all day Monday, I had Tuesday to recover (half of which was spent in bed sleeping) and the other half was spent sorting throught the amazing volume of gear I had amassed. I'm sure that I came back with someone else's white Giro helmets...

And yesterday - ah Wednesday. For the first time in my life, I spent exactly the same amount of time training as I have sleeping. Only got 7.5 hours of shut eye in, but my Master's swim, along with my long-distance brick certainly did the trick.

So that left today to figure everything else out for Karyna's arrival. PLUS, needed to get my own stuff done.

But earlier this evening, as I was wolfing down scrambled egges after my swim, trying to obsessively clean the kitchen (love the fact that Nate cleaned the house while I was gone, but I'm just plain anal about some stuff!), and snapping at poor Nathaniel (it was my anxiety, I tell you), it dawned on me that Karyna wasn't here to see a perfect house. She wasn't visiting to see a completely made-up older sister. And she certainly won't be spending a week at our place, judging everything we/I do or don't do.

So I put down the 409, finished my eggs, and stood under the steamy hot water for a good 5 minutes.

It was devine.

Sometimes its so easy to get caught up in everything but yourself. We feel like we need to have the perfect appearance, the perfect house, the perfect look, the perfect life before we let anyone else in. But that really shouldn't be the case. Our family and friends love us for who we are, not by how clean the kitchen counter is. Karnya is spending a week in Pensacola to see ME, not check up on how my coffee mugs are stacked.

So I took a moment to myself. I settled myself down, took a steamy shower, and had a good time getting ready to pick her up from the airport.

Sure - the house may not be up to my own parr, but to Nathaniel it looks great. And the best part? Karyna doesen't even realize, because she's in town to see ME and not the house/house mess.

Next time I have friends and family over, I'll try to keep this in mind.

Just don't look too closely in the bathtub behind the shower curtain - you may just be surprised at what you find.