Tried to post this on Sunday but lost the internet connection:
This morning I went out for a run. Got all dressed in my new running clothes and was excited to head out onto the flat streets of suburban Houston. I was NOT prepared for the wall of humidity and heat that hit me as I opened the front door. Mind you, it was only 6:30am! Wow.
The run went fairly well, trying to focus on keeping loose. Until I made the fateful decision to head into the neighborhood's "nature walk". As I turned in, I said to myself, "how bad can it be?" Argh. Wrong question.
I ran through a few spider web strands (not full webs, thankfully) and past a startled lizard. I gave a prayer of thanks for the lush green lawns I'd see earlier, the fat foxtail ferns, the lilies of the Nile, day lilies, placid calico cat watching me. And then I noticed something biting me on my calf. Gave it a whack and I think it called out the brigades.
Horse flies, perhaps? I don't know. Big black flies and lots of them. They were chasing me. The podcast said it was time for the walk segment, but after a moment of walking, I realized the black flies were supported by a contingent of other flying insects, all trying to land on me.
My walk segment turned into a dash, a zip, a sprint, nay... a panicked escape. Swatting, gasping, totally going on fear. My first thought - please God get me out of here - was replaced by single gasps of breath... "Please" .... "God".....
All sense of calm, breathing, relaxing - totally gone. Those darn bugs stayed with me until I was across the street from the "nature walk" area. By then Mr. Running Podcast said it was time for my next 10 minute run. Ha. Ha. Very funny. No way. I had to walk to catch my breath again.
Ran some of that last segment, walked to cool down, and stretched out. What's funny is how much I was looking forward to running in Houston where it's warm and flat. It's time to rethink those hills back in Massachusetts.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Where's Uncle Chuck when you need him?
Spring here in the northeast is stunning. Celia and I decided it must be a reward for making it through winter that the colors are so varied and beautiful. And they last so long!
The trees are catching my attention now that the tulips are fading. Some have tiny leaves, no bigger than the tip of my finger. Others already have leaves as big as my palm. And the bugs are feasting on some of the tender goodness!
One tree in particular is striking. I don't know what it is, a maple perhaps?
Where's Uncle Chuck, the forester? He would know every tree and shrub and tell me all the details. Ah well. Uncle Chuck is out in the woods of Wisconsin, peacefully enjoying the spring too.
Back to that tree - the leaves come out nearly purple - one day they looked a bit like Welch's Grape Juice with the sun shining through it. They fade to a burgundy or deep rusty color. Now they are shifting slowly to green.
The trees are so striking against the other shades of green, pale, soft and some bright and vibrant.
What's most amazing to me is that it is the end of May and spring is still blooming. Typically the Memorial Day weekend is hyped as the beginning of summer but where I've lived before, it's long since been HOT. James said recently that the weather is already into the 90s every day and he's back to mowing weekly. Meanwhile, up here it hasn't hit 80 once, and is still in the 40s at night. Quite the difference!
Aside from thoughts on the weather, there are two other things on my mind today. First, I have been reading through Isaiah 44-49 these past few nights. It is so comforting, God calling us back, calling us to return, wanting us to be near to God. What I find amazing is that God writes our name in the palm of God's hand - that is apparently what slaves would do - write the name of their master on the palm of their hand. How is it that God who created the universe, God whose love is never ending, God whose mercies never fail - that same God would be a servant and write MY name on God's palm? After reading Job, this is an image to ponder.
The other thing on my mind is paying attention - pay attention to details and the whole. My toe, my hamstring and I went out for a short run this morning. Not enough time for a full run, but needed the exercise so out "we" went. As always, I paid attention to the breath. But this time I paid attention to my toes too. I think what must have happened last Saturday was that I'd been holding tension in my toes, crimping them up and too tightly together. I noticed (details!) that I was doing just that, so I relaxed them so as not to repeat the injury. And yet, I had to pay attention to the whole - stance, stride, relaxing the back muscles, position of the shoulders and head, breathing and rhythms. It's a good thing. My hamstring was just fine today, finally. After a nice long stretch, I felt much better.
But I still don't like running much. :-)
The trees are catching my attention now that the tulips are fading. Some have tiny leaves, no bigger than the tip of my finger. Others already have leaves as big as my palm. And the bugs are feasting on some of the tender goodness!
One tree in particular is striking. I don't know what it is, a maple perhaps?
Where's Uncle Chuck, the forester? He would know every tree and shrub and tell me all the details. Ah well. Uncle Chuck is out in the woods of Wisconsin, peacefully enjoying the spring too.
Back to that tree - the leaves come out nearly purple - one day they looked a bit like Welch's Grape Juice with the sun shining through it. They fade to a burgundy or deep rusty color. Now they are shifting slowly to green.
The trees are so striking against the other shades of green, pale, soft and some bright and vibrant.
What's most amazing to me is that it is the end of May and spring is still blooming. Typically the Memorial Day weekend is hyped as the beginning of summer but where I've lived before, it's long since been HOT. James said recently that the weather is already into the 90s every day and he's back to mowing weekly. Meanwhile, up here it hasn't hit 80 once, and is still in the 40s at night. Quite the difference!
Aside from thoughts on the weather, there are two other things on my mind today. First, I have been reading through Isaiah 44-49 these past few nights. It is so comforting, God calling us back, calling us to return, wanting us to be near to God. What I find amazing is that God writes our name in the palm of God's hand - that is apparently what slaves would do - write the name of their master on the palm of their hand. How is it that God who created the universe, God whose love is never ending, God whose mercies never fail - that same God would be a servant and write MY name on God's palm? After reading Job, this is an image to ponder.
The other thing on my mind is paying attention - pay attention to details and the whole. My toe, my hamstring and I went out for a short run this morning. Not enough time for a full run, but needed the exercise so out "we" went. As always, I paid attention to the breath. But this time I paid attention to my toes too. I think what must have happened last Saturday was that I'd been holding tension in my toes, crimping them up and too tightly together. I noticed (details!) that I was doing just that, so I relaxed them so as not to repeat the injury. And yet, I had to pay attention to the whole - stance, stride, relaxing the back muscles, position of the shoulders and head, breathing and rhythms. It's a good thing. My hamstring was just fine today, finally. After a nice long stretch, I felt much better.
But I still don't like running much. :-)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Pet Peeves
Engery Smart! Lasts 8 Years! $54 in energy savings!! Light bulbs that come in a large non-recyclable plastic package. Why bother with the energy savings if the package isn't recyclable?
Meat from the grocery might be "organic" or "grass fed" or "range free" but it comes in a non-recyclable tray.
Other random pet peeves - Hannah Montana. Zoey 101. Suite Life. Sponge Bob. The same episodes. Over and over and over and over and over.......
Meat from the grocery might be "organic" or "grass fed" or "range free" but it comes in a non-recyclable tray.
Other random pet peeves - Hannah Montana. Zoey 101. Suite Life. Sponge Bob. The same episodes. Over and over and over and over and over.......
bookshelf
Found a new feature to put on the blog, a book shelf that looks like a book shelf! What fun.
One of the things I liked best about the MySpace blog was putting up whatever I was listening to or reading at the moment. Now I can share my reading list in a cool way, rather than just a list. Will have to figure out how to take the list off later. Have promised a friend a listing of books, as she's working with the poor and is facing all kinds of questions about povery in America, as well as how easy it is for us in the middle class to feel guilty for a moment and then just go on as usual. Good questions, good struggles. Very much in the tradition of the prophets, I'd say.
I've been reading through Job again recently. It was the first book of the Bible I read through from start to finish when I was nineteen. There's been a lot of life between nineteen and forty-ish. Job reads very differently now. I understand the agony, the bitterness, and the empty words of his friends in a much deeper way now. Having lived through my own agonies and bitterness, I hear Job's distress much clearer. God's answer though, still seems a bit short. Placing Job in the context of the cyclone in Myanmar, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the recent earthquake in China - so many people whose lives are devastated. One brief moment of terror and their lives will never be the same.
I understand that to a degree. Terror, agony, and your life will never be the same. I've lived through hurricanes and tornados but not earthquakes. My home has never been completely destroyed. I understand the loss of loved ones though, and the fear of wondering where to go next, where to put down roots, how will you put down roots again?
God's brief answer to Job and then the restoration of all his family and possessions, doubled over again, that just doesn't seem fair. The families of southern Louisiana and southeast Texas are still struggling to put their lives back together in a minimal way. The families of China who lost their only child will never have their beloved child back. The people in Myanmar are desperate for clean water and a simple meal, never mind a home. How can we say that God will restore?
It's frustrating. And yet, I can't give up hope. I cannot abandon hope in a loving God who will not let us go. It doesn't seem as though life as we know it will ever look like the Job story, but that doesn't mean we have to abandon faith.
I am reminded of a story James told me about the dung beetle he watched while out on patrol one day. Over and over this beetle would push a roll of dung and dirt up a small hill, only to have the roll fall down the hill. The beetle would climb back down and start over again, pushing up the hill.
It seemed an exercise in futility to the outsider. Why bother? But the rolling actually IS part of the dung beetle's existence. Struggling to roll that ball makes a place to store food, and for the females, it can form a place to lay eggs. There is a purpose to the struggle after all.
In our struggles, in our wanderings, in our seeming futility we can find hope and purpose. That's why I refuse to give up on God. The hope and purpose will come clear, in time.
One of the things I liked best about the MySpace blog was putting up whatever I was listening to or reading at the moment. Now I can share my reading list in a cool way, rather than just a list. Will have to figure out how to take the list off later. Have promised a friend a listing of books, as she's working with the poor and is facing all kinds of questions about povery in America, as well as how easy it is for us in the middle class to feel guilty for a moment and then just go on as usual. Good questions, good struggles. Very much in the tradition of the prophets, I'd say.
I've been reading through Job again recently. It was the first book of the Bible I read through from start to finish when I was nineteen. There's been a lot of life between nineteen and forty-ish. Job reads very differently now. I understand the agony, the bitterness, and the empty words of his friends in a much deeper way now. Having lived through my own agonies and bitterness, I hear Job's distress much clearer. God's answer though, still seems a bit short. Placing Job in the context of the cyclone in Myanmar, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the recent earthquake in China - so many people whose lives are devastated. One brief moment of terror and their lives will never be the same.
I understand that to a degree. Terror, agony, and your life will never be the same. I've lived through hurricanes and tornados but not earthquakes. My home has never been completely destroyed. I understand the loss of loved ones though, and the fear of wondering where to go next, where to put down roots, how will you put down roots again?
God's brief answer to Job and then the restoration of all his family and possessions, doubled over again, that just doesn't seem fair. The families of southern Louisiana and southeast Texas are still struggling to put their lives back together in a minimal way. The families of China who lost their only child will never have their beloved child back. The people in Myanmar are desperate for clean water and a simple meal, never mind a home. How can we say that God will restore?
It's frustrating. And yet, I can't give up hope. I cannot abandon hope in a loving God who will not let us go. It doesn't seem as though life as we know it will ever look like the Job story, but that doesn't mean we have to abandon faith.
I am reminded of a story James told me about the dung beetle he watched while out on patrol one day. Over and over this beetle would push a roll of dung and dirt up a small hill, only to have the roll fall down the hill. The beetle would climb back down and start over again, pushing up the hill.
It seemed an exercise in futility to the outsider. Why bother? But the rolling actually IS part of the dung beetle's existence. Struggling to roll that ball makes a place to store food, and for the females, it can form a place to lay eggs. There is a purpose to the struggle after all.
In our struggles, in our wanderings, in our seeming futility we can find hope and purpose. That's why I refuse to give up on God. The hope and purpose will come clear, in time.
Monday, May 19, 2008
loyalties
I feel divided.
ESPN is broadcasting an Astros game tonight. Quite pleased to see our hometown team again, we're watching the game. It's agony.
Who is this new pitcher? And why oh why are the Good Guys letting the Cubs do things like an In The Park home run??? Argh.
Only after I started yelling at the pitcher and hit the mute button so I didn't have to hear the replay of that home run again, did I realize something... I'm wearing a Red Sox shirt today.
You can't help but like the Red Sox. They suffered through the Curse of the Bambino for so long, and their fans are really devoted. (well, Boston fans are really devoted to ALL their teams) Fenway is the oldest ballpark in the nation, and it's right down the street from BU. I'd love to go to a game someday. It's cheaper to buy a shirt and watch at home, so I bought a shirt.
And started watching the Astros game! LOL Divided loyalties I guess. Funny thing is, I'm normally a really loyal person. I guess I haven't given up the Astros, but have taken on the Sox as team number two.
Lance Berkman is up to bat - Tejada just had a double and stole to third, so I gotta go. :-)
ESPN is broadcasting an Astros game tonight. Quite pleased to see our hometown team again, we're watching the game. It's agony.
Who is this new pitcher? And why oh why are the Good Guys letting the Cubs do things like an In The Park home run??? Argh.
Only after I started yelling at the pitcher and hit the mute button so I didn't have to hear the replay of that home run again, did I realize something... I'm wearing a Red Sox shirt today.
You can't help but like the Red Sox. They suffered through the Curse of the Bambino for so long, and their fans are really devoted. (well, Boston fans are really devoted to ALL their teams) Fenway is the oldest ballpark in the nation, and it's right down the street from BU. I'd love to go to a game someday. It's cheaper to buy a shirt and watch at home, so I bought a shirt.
And started watching the Astros game! LOL Divided loyalties I guess. Funny thing is, I'm normally a really loyal person. I guess I haven't given up the Astros, but have taken on the Sox as team number two.
Lance Berkman is up to bat - Tejada just had a double and stole to third, so I gotta go. :-)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Ouch!
There was a junior high dance Friday night. Full of the possibility of drama. At first my junior high daughter wanted to go, but then she changed her mind. After dropping big sister off at a friend's house for pizza and video games, I took Miss Junior High out for her favorite - McDonald's.
Now, I resist McDonald's because as yummy as it tastes, there will be gastric distress later. I'd like to boycott it, but my boycotts are best saved for another post. Miss Junior High LOVES McD's, so I took her for theraputic burger and fries.
Turns out, the pressures of junior high, friends and dating were overwhelming her. She said she wished they could just all go back to the way it was. Trouble is, you can't go back. We talked about friendships and dating, what people expect of you, that sort of thing. It drives her NUTS that some people will only talk to her to ask about who she's dating, as though that's all there is to her. And since dating and relationships are a major part of junior high life, even her best friendships are affected.
After Burger Therapy and talking with mom, she got all jazzed up and went to the dance. There was a LOT of drama, as expected, but it didn't directly involve her and she had fun. Guess it's all working itself out.
For my own fun, I took my right hamstring out for another walk/run this afternoon. It's crazy how the first run segment is so hard. My brain starts off okay, and the breathing starts okay, but the body argues back. Wouldn't it just be easier to hang out on the sofa and watch a movie?
There were two ten minute run segments. During the walk segment in between the runs, I noticed a little pain on my right toes - I figured it was the sock rubbing wrong on my toes, and just kept running.
Wrong!!
When I took off my shoes to stretch out at home, there was blood all over the right sock. Sheesh. My junior medic cleaned it up, because I HAD to stretch out that right hamstring (it was trying to twinge). Seems one of my nails cut into the toe next to it. Boy am I glad this didn't happen on Sunday.
At least now I really have a good reason for getting that pedicure this week. :-)
Now, I resist McDonald's because as yummy as it tastes, there will be gastric distress later. I'd like to boycott it, but my boycotts are best saved for another post. Miss Junior High LOVES McD's, so I took her for theraputic burger and fries.
Turns out, the pressures of junior high, friends and dating were overwhelming her. She said she wished they could just all go back to the way it was. Trouble is, you can't go back. We talked about friendships and dating, what people expect of you, that sort of thing. It drives her NUTS that some people will only talk to her to ask about who she's dating, as though that's all there is to her. And since dating and relationships are a major part of junior high life, even her best friendships are affected.
After Burger Therapy and talking with mom, she got all jazzed up and went to the dance. There was a LOT of drama, as expected, but it didn't directly involve her and she had fun. Guess it's all working itself out.
For my own fun, I took my right hamstring out for another walk/run this afternoon. It's crazy how the first run segment is so hard. My brain starts off okay, and the breathing starts okay, but the body argues back. Wouldn't it just be easier to hang out on the sofa and watch a movie?
There were two ten minute run segments. During the walk segment in between the runs, I noticed a little pain on my right toes - I figured it was the sock rubbing wrong on my toes, and just kept running.
Wrong!!
When I took off my shoes to stretch out at home, there was blood all over the right sock. Sheesh. My junior medic cleaned it up, because I HAD to stretch out that right hamstring (it was trying to twinge). Seems one of my nails cut into the toe next to it. Boy am I glad this didn't happen on Sunday.
At least now I really have a good reason for getting that pedicure this week. :-)
Friday, May 16, 2008
observations
After a couple days of yoga and stretches, I decided to take my right hamstring out for a test drive. Did the week six, day one segments and did all the runs. Thank heaven the worst uphill part of my route was a walk segment!
So much comes to me on a run. So many observations that it's hard to remember them all. I'll try to capture a few from yesterday.
Amazing shades of green - the trees are really leafing out, tender new leaves everywhere. The reservation is beginning to look like lace, filtered sunlight.
Confetti - the flowering trees here drop their blossoms all around and it looks like confetti - pink and white and magenta, a festival of spring and new life. Spring is a party!
Trinity - it occurred to me today that the breathing pattern I use is like the Trinity. Celia told me to pay attention to my breathing by counting - so many step breathing in, so many steps breathing out. My pattern is three steps in, three steps out, so that I'm always counting, one - two - three, using the breath, the wind, the Ruach, the Spirit, what makes life possible.
Marlboro - yesterday I ran past a discarded Marlboro box and immediately thought of my dad. It's not odd that a pack of Marlboros would remind me of him, he always smoked the red pack ones, up until six months before he died. What's odd is that several things have reminded me of him recently. Seeing a refrigeration unit and talking about him with my daughters - seeing a pack of cards and realizing I've forgotten how to play gin rummy, which he taught me to play (and beat me at regularly) - seeing something "black cherry" flavored and remembering how we both loved Black Cherry ice cream in the summer.
It's a tender and fragile world we live in. Cherish it and don't take it for granted.
So much comes to me on a run. So many observations that it's hard to remember them all. I'll try to capture a few from yesterday.
Amazing shades of green - the trees are really leafing out, tender new leaves everywhere. The reservation is beginning to look like lace, filtered sunlight.
Confetti - the flowering trees here drop their blossoms all around and it looks like confetti - pink and white and magenta, a festival of spring and new life. Spring is a party!
Trinity - it occurred to me today that the breathing pattern I use is like the Trinity. Celia told me to pay attention to my breathing by counting - so many step breathing in, so many steps breathing out. My pattern is three steps in, three steps out, so that I'm always counting, one - two - three, using the breath, the wind, the Ruach, the Spirit, what makes life possible.
Marlboro - yesterday I ran past a discarded Marlboro box and immediately thought of my dad. It's not odd that a pack of Marlboros would remind me of him, he always smoked the red pack ones, up until six months before he died. What's odd is that several things have reminded me of him recently. Seeing a refrigeration unit and talking about him with my daughters - seeing a pack of cards and realizing I've forgotten how to play gin rummy, which he taught me to play (and beat me at regularly) - seeing something "black cherry" flavored and remembering how we both loved Black Cherry ice cream in the summer.
It's a tender and fragile world we live in. Cherish it and don't take it for granted.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
too much too fast
If that pain in the back of my right thigh means anything, it means I did too much too fast. LOL Monday evening my right leg started to hurt - the hamstring that I'd twinged a couple months ago got to really hurting. It's much better now, and if it doesn't rain, I'll be out for a week six run this evening.
This past academic year felt the same way as this 5K run. All excited about it at first, then completely out of my element and nervous. Then the discipline and focus kick in and it's all I can think about - but then I pay the price. For the run, I paid with the hamstring. For the semester, I've paid with my very tired brain.
There have been a couple days since the end of term that I could barely move. I wanted to get things done, I know there are things that need doing, but what sounded most appealing was crawling back under the covers. That fog has finally lifted and I'm back in action. Yay!
One of my classes is working on a statement of reconciliation and peacebuilding for the Decade to Overcome Violence, sponsored by the World Council of Churches. If you have thoughts about reconciliation and peace you'd like to share, I'd love to read your thoughts. Thank you!
This past academic year felt the same way as this 5K run. All excited about it at first, then completely out of my element and nervous. Then the discipline and focus kick in and it's all I can think about - but then I pay the price. For the run, I paid with the hamstring. For the semester, I've paid with my very tired brain.
There have been a couple days since the end of term that I could barely move. I wanted to get things done, I know there are things that need doing, but what sounded most appealing was crawling back under the covers. That fog has finally lifted and I'm back in action. Yay!
One of my classes is working on a statement of reconciliation and peacebuilding for the Decade to Overcome Violence, sponsored by the World Council of Churches. If you have thoughts about reconciliation and peace you'd like to share, I'd love to read your thoughts. Thank you!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
I ran!
What a day!
Celia twisted her ankle yesterday playing hide n seek with friends (at 16, crazy kids, she reports they had a blast) and considered not running this morning. We assigned her "documentarian" role and had her hold our jackets and take pictures. Five minutes before the race, she changed her mind!
Mary Grace took the stuff back to the car, and I ended up tying my car key to my laces. We took off together but quickly separated. My slow jog was actually faster than Mary Grace's sore muscles (from last week's PE class at school) and Celia's sore ankle. They walked and jogged, Celia going back and forth between us.
I didn't even see mile one, but did get some water at the first table. Walked a few times, but mostly ran. Came up on a pretty little pond with ducks and dark purple flowers. Around a corner, another pond on the other side with ducks and Canada geese, and another family manning a water table, cheering us on. Terrific!
Close to mile two (wasn't I surprised to see the mile marker!) the girls caught up to me. I told Celia (always anxious to zoom ahead and feeling great now) to go ahead and run. Mary Grace's walking speed was actually... my "running" speed. LOL
Lots more cheering and a few hills and downhills, then mile marker three. One of the Running Club members encouraged us and then told us our time (which I didn't really register). At the corner where we started down to the end (back at the beginning actually) we got more encouragement to keep it up. Top of the last hill, another Club member told us to keep up the pace and then turn it on at the end, it's our race! Was just what I needed to hear, my knees were starting to hurt.
Mary Grace ran ahead, then Celia appeared. She'd finished and came back to run with me a bit. I made it across the finish line! Children handed each finisher a carnation. :-)
Our Results:
Celia - 40:45
Mary Grace - 44:32
Me! - 45:21
I went to get some water and a banana, and to walk and cool down. Was hoping to hang around, check out the sponsor tables and get a coffee and bagel - but then they announced that where they'd told us to park - we all needed to move as the business owner was towing cars! Ack! The girls were getting bagels, so I went to move the car, and planned to come back and get them. Didn't know they were following me. So we just went home and stretched out.
All in all, it was a fun day. The girls are doing great, I'm a little sore and I'm sure my right knee will be killing me in the morning, but for now, I'm just happy.
Celia twisted her ankle yesterday playing hide n seek with friends (at 16, crazy kids, she reports they had a blast) and considered not running this morning. We assigned her "documentarian" role and had her hold our jackets and take pictures. Five minutes before the race, she changed her mind!
Mary Grace took the stuff back to the car, and I ended up tying my car key to my laces. We took off together but quickly separated. My slow jog was actually faster than Mary Grace's sore muscles (from last week's PE class at school) and Celia's sore ankle. They walked and jogged, Celia going back and forth between us.
I didn't even see mile one, but did get some water at the first table. Walked a few times, but mostly ran. Came up on a pretty little pond with ducks and dark purple flowers. Around a corner, another pond on the other side with ducks and Canada geese, and another family manning a water table, cheering us on. Terrific!
Close to mile two (wasn't I surprised to see the mile marker!) the girls caught up to me. I told Celia (always anxious to zoom ahead and feeling great now) to go ahead and run. Mary Grace's walking speed was actually... my "running" speed. LOL
Lots more cheering and a few hills and downhills, then mile marker three. One of the Running Club members encouraged us and then told us our time (which I didn't really register). At the corner where we started down to the end (back at the beginning actually) we got more encouragement to keep it up. Top of the last hill, another Club member told us to keep up the pace and then turn it on at the end, it's our race! Was just what I needed to hear, my knees were starting to hurt.
Mary Grace ran ahead, then Celia appeared. She'd finished and came back to run with me a bit. I made it across the finish line! Children handed each finisher a carnation. :-)
Our Results:
Celia - 40:45
Mary Grace - 44:32
Me! - 45:21
I went to get some water and a banana, and to walk and cool down. Was hoping to hang around, check out the sponsor tables and get a coffee and bagel - but then they announced that where they'd told us to park - we all needed to move as the business owner was towing cars! Ack! The girls were getting bagels, so I went to move the car, and planned to come back and get them. Didn't know they were following me. So we just went home and stretched out.
All in all, it was a fun day. The girls are doing great, I'm a little sore and I'm sure my right knee will be killing me in the morning, but for now, I'm just happy.
We Did It
We ran this morning. Brilliant!
Had to leave right after crossing finish line as the photo shop was towing cars - although the race folks told us to park there. :-(
Will post more after stretching, showering and a cup of tea. :-)
Happy Mother's Day!
Had to leave right after crossing finish line as the photo shop was towing cars - although the race folks told us to park there. :-(
Will post more after stretching, showering and a cup of tea. :-)
Happy Mother's Day!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Busy writing one last final paper but wanted to share a couple things.
First, Mary Grace is participating in Mock Trial. http://www2.massbar.org/pub_programs/mock_trial/ She wants to be a lawyer, so this is good practice.
Second, Celia had great shoes and great hair for the dance, there's photos up above.
We had a grand time at the Boston Marathon, will have to write it up and post our photos. Lance Armstrong ran right past us, as did thousands of others.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Isn't she beautiful?
Ready for the dance!
The dress is the emerald color, no clue what I did to the camera to wash out the color on the other pic.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
finals have overtaken
Well, I made it back to Week Five runs. After a week of feeling awful, I tried to do a week five run, and just couldn't do it. Went back and ran week four again, then ran the first day of week five with Celia. She's a great motivator. Even grabbed my sleeve and dragged me along at one point.
Last week I went out for day two of week five, which is two eight minute runs, and I did them both! I was SO stoked, really proud of myself.
Pride goes before a fall, and I've fallen behind. Final papers and projects have taken over every spare moment. I even wrote last Saturday, sitting in the food court at the mall while the girls went shopping for a dress (semi-formal is Friday night). Bad mom moment, sitting and writing instead of shopping?
Perhaps not. All things turned out fine. Celia's got a beautiful emerald green dress and we found great shoes this afternoon. The paper I was working on is turned in, and two more have been written since.
I hope to get back to those week five runs by the end of this week, because the Melrose Run For Women is on May 11th - and that's the 5k I'd hoped to be ready for - we'll see if I make it. I've sent in the check and the entrance forms, so the girls will be running with me. :-)
Say a prayer for the United Methodist Church - they are meeting in Ft Worth to work on our denomination. I've been watching most of it by webcast, and the delegates are working hard. It's not easy, so keep praying.
Last week I went out for day two of week five, which is two eight minute runs, and I did them both! I was SO stoked, really proud of myself.
Pride goes before a fall, and I've fallen behind. Final papers and projects have taken over every spare moment. I even wrote last Saturday, sitting in the food court at the mall while the girls went shopping for a dress (semi-formal is Friday night). Bad mom moment, sitting and writing instead of shopping?
Perhaps not. All things turned out fine. Celia's got a beautiful emerald green dress and we found great shoes this afternoon. The paper I was working on is turned in, and two more have been written since.
I hope to get back to those week five runs by the end of this week, because the Melrose Run For Women is on May 11th - and that's the 5k I'd hoped to be ready for - we'll see if I make it. I've sent in the check and the entrance forms, so the girls will be running with me. :-)
Say a prayer for the United Methodist Church - they are meeting in Ft Worth to work on our denomination. I've been watching most of it by webcast, and the delegates are working hard. It's not easy, so keep praying.
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