50th Birthday, Redux

Well, I think I've recovered from Jean Murray's surprise party yesterday. 20-25 attended. It was soooo much fun! I was once again in my glory spending the day in the kitchen. On the menu: spinach dip, stuffed strawberries, smoked pork loin, harvest apple, pear, pecan salad, Mississippi Mud Cake and a very decadent chocolate cake. The cake recipes were new and they are definite keepers. Divine, actually. Oh, and cookies. Of course, cookies!

From Tom O'Leary: Team R.E.D. is holding a kick-off / informational meeting on Thursday, April 2nd at 7:30 PM the Bears Den in Byron... with the Bears Den providing some complimentary appetizers. Come learn and join Team R.E.D. Run. Eat. Drink. 2 out of 3 ain't bad! Mission Statement: Fitness & Fun! Team R.E.D is a dedicated group of Runners, Eaters & (occasional social) Drinkers. We meet at Byron’s Bears Den the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month for a group run or walk. As a reward for our dedication to fitness, we rendezvous at The Bears Den for some eats and treats! Contact Tom O'Leary for more info.

Segue into a link, also from Tom, regarding choosing your workout clothes!

Bill Nevala needs some coordinators for the Rochesterfest Triathlon. In particular, a volunteer coordinator and transition and run course coordinators. These individuals will receive a stipend for their efforts. Contact Bill for more information.

As always, I'm looking for newsletter articles for RTC News. I'd like to get some that are not marathon articles as well. If you have something to submit, please contact me.

Totally useless info: Spotted at Kwik Trip while buying eggs ... a 1-liter Diet Coke for $2.19 and a 2-liter Diet Coke for $1.79. Go figure. :-)

Today I had lunch with a couple of friends (celebrating Jeanne Block's birthday!). Poor Jeanne fell on the ice a couple weeks ago and broke her ankle and is on crutches for a couple of months. I feel so bad for her. It's not like her at all to be inactive. Jeanne is the race director for the Rochester Women's Race . The scoop: the awards this year are going to be hand-painted plates. Jeanne is so very talented and always does a wonderful job with the awards for her race. 5-year age groups as well, so she makes a lot of them! We wish Jeanne a very speedy recovery!!

Tomorrow is our (Judy Weller, Shaun Palmer and I) big trip to Gear West to scope out the wetsuit situation. Stay tuned. Tomorrow evening my book club gals are getting together for pizza, daiquiris and games. Should be fun. :-) What am I bringing? Cookies of course! Photos tomorrow.

Well, I believe that's it for today.

Thought for the day: "Nothing is better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you." True. So very true.