@Monica_in_Switzerland - nice running plan! As much as I hate hill repeats, I can't believe how much I've improved over the year. @soror - I've got to check out the Strong program when I get to our new home. Dh wants me to try going to the gym with him (no trainer!!) and I need a good program to follow. I've got packers in my house packing up all our stuff which is stressing me out a lot more than I thought it would. It's totally different when I know I won't see any of this stuff for 8 weeks and in that time I've got a graduation, a wedding, and a drive across the country. They almost packed the RV keys... The wedding dress is in the RV, so I guess as long as that makes it out with us anything else can be replaced. I had a major breakthrough yesterday. I was getting ready to drive ds in for his exam and I was thinking I would drop ds off and then go sit at Dairy Queen with a book. I told myself that this is a stressful time and I certainly deserve a giant ice cream treat. But, it was a beautiful day and as I was driving I kept thinking what a great day it was for a run. Then I realized that my desire to run was greater than my desire for ice cream. I drove home, changed into my running clothes, and had a fantastic run. It was a huge stress relief and I felt so great afterwards. This morning I ran with my training group. Speed repeats. I'm off to the gym tonight at 6:30 - after all the kids exams are done and the packers are out of the house.

It looks fantastic!

I think you're right. A lot of older people read the paper every day. My father-in-law gets three papers delivered to his house daily. I don't think you can expect family to go calling people to tell them about the funeral - not everyone who may have wanted to attend. Having it in the paper does ensure that people who care to celebrate someone's life can do so. And just because they didn't see the person often (or maybe for decades!) doesn't mean they don't have a right to be there at the funeral.

I think you may be right when it comes to mentioning cancer. It's something everyone can understand and in its own way it is vague as well - saying cancer is a little more gentle than saying bowel cancer. And that makes sense with your father as well - you're right in that bladder infection doesn't really explain the whole thing but that it's also complicated and personal and not easily explained. I guess that's probably where "short illness" or "long illness" come in. And as a reader (or as a friend who knew someone once upon a time) I'd feel more satisfied with a vague word or two about illness - I guess it's not that I think all of the details need to come out in the obit, but that enough details should come out so that people have a bit of a clue as to what happened.

That says a lot about your dad. He must have been a really great regular guy.

I think my mind goes straight to suicide or overdose because those are the things I fear the most. I've had two close family members commit suicide and the current overdose epidemic here scares me half to death. I've got teen boys - they're great teens, but it only takes one bad decision to die of an overdose. And suicide rates are much higher for males - one of my relatives was only 19 when he "died suddenly". Perhaps if someone close to me had died of a heart attack or a nut allergy then that's where my mind would go first. But, to go back to my query - for whatever reason it seems like cancer gets mentioned a lot as a cause of death, but not much else makes it in. I'm just wondering why that is.

It is kind of weird. I find older people read the obits a lot more than younger people. I think they are looking for people they knew well in younger times. I'm not sure why I like reading obits - especially since they always leave me wanting to know more. I do like the freedom that online obits allows. But, there's something about having a paper clipping as well.

Good point. From now on, all the coin I find in the laundry will go towards my obit fund so I can afford a few extra words.

But enquiring minds... It's like telling a story and leaving out the ending. Cause of death likely isn't secret - I'm sure friends and family area aware when someone dies of a heart attack or is killed in a car accident. It's not like it's private information. I think I'd want what is likely to be the last thing published about me to be memorable. I hope my obituary doesn't put someone to sleep (born in...moved to...had four kids...married to...predeceased by...survived by...passed away peacefully...snore). Maybe I'll write my own obituary. This guy's obit is fantastic. What a way to leave a lasting impression: "Stuff has been trying to kill me for years and it was colon cancer that finally got me, at the age of 44, on January 31st, 2018, peacefully at home. I'm survived by everyone who is still here and I'm predeceased by everyone who isn't. I had a great life with too few regrets to even be sure they really existed. My only regret is that I will not know how Coronation Street will end. Life was always about the things I was able to do, and not about what I had. I married my best friend. I was in a cage with a lion (not the same as above, but close at times; I married my match.) I got to spend many years of enjoying the freedom of motorcycle riding. I visited my second home of Ireland. I spent as much time as possible with the people I cared about, and the list goes on. My advice to you all is to make those bucket lists and to start filling them in. Life is short and it only runs out; I should know, I was only 44. So get off your butts and live those lives while you still have them and make sure you really think of what you want to matter on those last days. I bet it won't be the colour or the model of your car. I would also like to send my love to everyone who has supported me and mine in even the smallest way over the last few years. I love you all..."

And yet, I think that would be a pretty memorable obituary! Here's a great one - tells a fantastic story until the "untimely death" reference. So much detail and then...??? Did he die on a boat? Did he fall overboard? Did he get caught in a storm? Fall down some stairs? "Peter's love affair with life ended abruptly on June 4. Polio trapped him in an isolation ward at age 6. After that, Peter was determined to get the most of out of life. He enjoyed music, books, art, travel, good food, and the natural world. More than anything, he loved water: swimming, scuba diving, surfing, and messing around in boats. Very big boats. After crewing for the Coast Guard and years of salmon fishing, Peter took the position of first officer on the Garibaldi II. In 1992 he was accepted into BC Coast Pilots, a profession that he served with pride until his untimely death. A charming eccentric, Peter was often a mystery to himself and others. He shared many adventures with his friends, for better or for worse. No regrets. Peter is survived by his loving wife and her daughter."

I know there's no obligation to share, but I find it really odd. It almost feels like obituaries haven't modernized - we share so much over social media that for an obit to simply say, "died suddenly" seems strange. Obits, generally, sound a little archaic. Survived by... Predeceased by... In a world where communication has changed so much even over the last twenty years, it seems obituaries haven't changed much at all.

I was reading through the obituaries today and was struck by how many middle aged people "died suddenly" or "died very suddenly". Why do the obits have to be so vague? Do people say "died suddenly" to be polite? I could sort of understand it in the case of overdoses or suicides (though I still feel like a hint should be given). But surely not all of those people who died suddenly died that way - there have to be a few heart attacks, strokes, and car accidents in there, too. I don't understand why people are so specific with cancer deaths "so and so died after a long battle with cancer" but so vague about quick deaths. I think I'll write some instructions for whoever is writing my obituary. "Sarah died suddenly after she failed to look both ways and was struck by a bus travelling southbound on Harvey."

I've never been a big fan of reclining furniture because so much of it is really puffy and kind of ugly. That being said, we found a beautiful sofa and 1 1/2 size chair at La-z-boy that doesn't even look like it reclines. I'm putting in a link which I think is the right one, but I can't remember exactly what it looks like. We ordered it in April and it's being delivered to our new house. It's a power recliner with a USB port (cause every sofa needs a USB, right?). It's super comfortable - that's what sold me. Super comfortable without looking puffy and ugly. https://www.la-z-boy.com/p/sofas/edie-duo-reclining-2-seat-sofa/_/R-92P897

I was an exercise avoider my whole life! I started going to classes at the gym about six years ago. Just once a week at first. I hated running and did my best to avoid ever having to run - when I was in school I'd get a note from my doctor saying my asthma prevented me from running. I can't stress how much I didn't like to exercise. Anyway, that once a week in a group bootcamp turned into twice a week which eventually turned into a TRX class that met three times a week. Then I started running two years ago with the Couch to 10km app. I remember running for a minute straight and feeling like that was the longest minute of my life. Last year I started training with my running group and started lifting weights with a personal trainer. I find it so weird because I actually love it now. I would never willingly miss a gym day or a run. I still find it hard to believe that I can do these things. It feels good, though. I like feeling strong and fast. As a former die-hard exercise avoider, I highly recommend it.

Well, I think it comes from being fat adapted. I'm low carb as well as a faster, so my body runs smoothly on fat (from food or from the body). I don't hit a bonking point when running. I just got home from an 18.2 km run (much of it uphill - 533m elevations!) and I feel fantastic! I started running with this particular group as one of the slowest - so slow that I would get lost on long runs. After training for a year (all fasted), I'm able to keep up with the leaders. Yesterday I had bacon and eggs for lunch and then tuna, cheese, and a dill pickle for supper. No breakfast this morning. Tons of energy. I don't really know how it works, but it works well for me.

I'm going to learn from your mistake. No fence climbing for me!

It's smart to give it time. I always get frustrated when something sidelines me, but I'm also a big chicken when it comes to injury. I took a week off with the shins and then ran three times last week and didn't push myself. Now that I've got a long run under my belt and I still feel good I'm going to up my runs to 4 times this week.

I feel like a million dollars today! Ran 18.2 km with the group up and down some serious hills. Runkeeper says the elevation climb was 533m. I had my shins taped up - I'm a little scared to run with them untaped, but I think I'll try the Tuesday run with no tape and see how I feel. Funny how the first 5km is always the hardest. After I get warmed up I'm usually pretty good. The weather was beautiful and the route was incredible scenic. Great ocean, city, and lake views. Beautiful trails. And fun coffee time afterwards. I really needed this - I feel like all my moving stress has melted away. I'm going to pack the RV today and get a bunch of other stuff in order.

@soror that's really cool about the climbing certificate. I'm impressed. I'm also a bit of a chicken, so I can't even imagine trying to climb. Gym today was great. I had a personal best with the trap bar dead lift. Three sets of 235lbs x 5. I also had the most volume on the bench press at 90lbs than I've done before - 3 sets of 5. I really want to make it to 100 lbs before we move - two weeks left! I exhausted my arms with the bench press - tried to do push-ups afterwards and was only able to do three on the floor. Then I moved to the bench and did a few more and then a higher box. I asked not to do split squats for the first time - I never ask not to do something, but I've got a long run tomorrow (somewhere between 15 and 18km, I think) and I really just need to have another good long run under my belt after all the shin splint stuff. I didn't want to do anything today that would tire my legs out too much for tomorrow. My eating was on point today - so that's a major victory. I'm really stressed out about our move, plus the the kids are stressed (and one is very angry), and I'm doing all this on my own as dh is at the new house, so I had some mega stress eating days. I'm trying to remind myself that eating chocolate doesn't actually make me feel better. I have 15 days left here. And the packers come on Monday!!! I think I can last two weeks. Really looking forward to seeing my 18 year old graduate and then getting the heck out of here!

I love working out fasted and I've read that it can have some great benefits. I often workout at about hour 36 of a fast. I've worked out on day 4 of a fast. I ran a half-marathon on hour 15 of a fast and felt fantastic! I usually have more energy when I'm fasting so I feel better during the workout. And my progress has been really great - fasting definitely isn't hurting my muscle building ability at all.

I'm in crazy move-mode. Spent yesterday cooking and freezing things for our trip. Ran this morning with the group - hill training on stairs. I'm in yet another pair of new shoes. The more I thought about it, the more I think I remember my winter shoes being Nike Pegasus, so I took the plunge and bought a pair. They felt great - nice arch support and enough cushioning that I didn't feel like I was pounding the pavement.

That's awesome! I lost 60lbs on Keto, but gained some of it back during a bad bout of seasonal depression. I've since lost some of what I gained back and am close enough to my goal weight that all of my goal clothes fit. I find Keto is something that is easy for me to stick to meal-wise - I love salads with salmon and avocado, steaks and asparagus, broccoli with cream sauce, etc. My problem comes when I get depressed and end up eating a bunch of chocolate (a problem no matter what eating plan you're on). But, generally speaking, it's great to be able to see the pounds come off and not be hungry all the time.

Awesome! Thanks. Gym yesterday was tough. I was up at 3:15am to get my husband and my cats to the airport. I felt like a big wimp during my workout, but I got it done. Today was hill training with the running group. I don't think my new shoes are going to work out... I really wish I had looked to see what kind of shoes I was wearing in the winter before I threw them out. They were great and I ran in them for months without an issue. Nike. Maybe the Pegasus? I don't know. Frustrating.

I don't understand why some people who are adopted go looking for bio-relations. My dh was adopted and has always known who he is. He loves his parents and hasn't ever felt like something was missing. Sure, he's curious as to whether there's any serious medical history that would be worth knowing, but he's not curious enough to want to go digging around.

I know how you feel. Just had our last dinner with dd (22) before she leaves the province tomorrow. This will, most likely, be the last time we ever live in the same province again. Our 18 year old graduates high school at the end of the month. My younger two are going into grade 9 and 11 in the fall. It's really weird to think we'll be down to two kids at home soon.