Game Night

Fun time at Paige's house last night for "game night". We all brought appetzers (I brought Chex Mix and Peanut Sitting Pretty cookies) to share, and there was plenty to eat. There must have been about 25 people there. She had 3 game tables going. I was at the Cranium table. Pictionary was going on behind us and they were a boisterous crew! I hadn't played it before but was willing to give it a shot. In the corners of the board were boxes containing questions. One of the themes for the questions was Star Performer or something like that. Aaron (my partner, Paige's husband) and I were stuck on green for what seemed like FOREVER. Some of the things we had to do to try to get off green ... me: act like Katherine Hepburn, act like the Energizer bunny, hum Hail to the Chief and I Shot the Sheriff, draw a zipper with my eyes closed, draw the Taj Mahal with my eyes open. Aaron had to hum Amazing Grace, California Girls and act like Boris Yeltzin (sp?). It was pretty commical and a lot of laughs were shared. A fun night. Thank you Paige and Aaron!! Congrats to Jeremy and Pattie for winning Cranium ... after 3 1/2 hours!!

Running Room has a sale going off ... 20% off (with coupon). I picked up some asics 2170s which are very snazzy (white with light green and aqua ... love the colors). Evan said, "asics dropped weight this year". My response ... "I wish I'd dropped weight this year". Everyone laughed. : ) Had to be there I guess.

I've continued my string of running a minimum of 10 miles per day for 16 days now. Feel great. The weather has certainly helped in that effort. I was out at 5:06 today in order to get to work for the opening shift. Glad I went when I did as when I was driving to work, it was very slippery. Had a great day at work. Lots of business which is fun, rewarding and makes the shift pass very quickly. I wish every day was like today.

After tomorrow's shift (I open again so it'll be another early run) I'm going to a wedding. Haven't been to a wedding in quite a while. The groom's mom is a friend of mine and the groom is a friend of Eric's so Eric and Alley will be there too. Hope I don't cramp their style. But I'm sure I'll cut out a bit before they do.

Dan's doing the fourth annual (I think) 2 day marathon run this weekend. I'll unfortunately have to miss Saturday due to work, but will try to catch them on Sunday morning. Literally. They're MUCH faster than I am and I doubt I'll be able to keep up. Monday brings an 8 AM run at Dunn Bros. and a chance to sleep in (I work 2 to 10 on Monday). Hoo-rah!!

Well, I was awake at about 4:20 this morning, even before my alarm was set to go off so I think I'll call it a day. Have a great weekend. Have fun. Stay safe.

Surprised

As I was out running this morning, I remembered a few things I'd forgotten to post. Christmas morning, I ran my usualy 10-mile morning route. There was a young man, looked to be 20-something, out walking a couple of dogs and walking toward me as I was running. Based on past experience, I'd guessed that he probably wouldn't return a "Morning!" greeting, so decided against greeting him and being disappointed. But at the last minute, decided that I'd greet him anyway. It was Christmas after all. To my surprise, he returned my greeting very heartily. I was so pleasantly surprised!! And very happy. Also saw Sue Christian out on 20th St SE. We met each other twice and exchanged "Merry Christmas!" greetings. : )

Went to see the movie War Horse with Jean and Julie Christmas evening. I'm not usually much for "animal" movies, but this was a very pleasant surprise and a great movie. And it was PACKED. Just a few empty single seats sprinkled here and there. Can't remember ever being in a theater so crowded.

Had my annual physical last week. Weight: down 5 pounds. : ) BP: perfect. Pulse: perfect. At the end of the appointment the nurse practitioner said that this was the point where she usually tells the patient to exercise and eat healthy. What did she tell me? Surprise ... I should probably exercise LESS. 90 minutes per day would be plenty. But I just LOVE to work out ...

Had an afternoon and evening off today and gots lots of miscellaneous stuff done. Still working on lots of address change/paperwork type stuff. Seems like a never-ending list. But I'll get there eventually. I went back on the healthy-eating bandwagon with my super-sized delicious salad.

But I did have a cookie for dessert. So much for will power. : ( I enjoyed every bite though. : )

10.12 mile run this morning in those stiff NW winds. Very pleasant temp though ... 36 degrees. Can't beat, and clean streets/sidewalks, for December 27.

So what's on the docket for the rest of the week? My brother and his family are coming over for supper tomorrow. "Game Night" with a bunch of Ironman triathletes on Thursday. (Sounds like SO MUCH fun!) Work. Work. Work. Wedding Saturday evening. Possibly a stop in at a party Saturday evening if I'm still awake. And hopefully at some point my last 20-miler before Ocala in January. Another busy week.

Go. Be. Do.

Merry Christmas One and All

It was a nice quiet Christmas at my house this year. I started the day running 15.12 miles before dashing into the Crown for a quick breakfast as I had to work from 9:00 until late afternoon on Saturday. 83+ miles for last week. Happy with that. After work, I came home and assembled the chicken wild rice soup and made Eric's favorite Brussels sprouts recipe. We opened gifts Saturday evening. The thing I've had the most fun with?? The African drum I gave Matt. It's got a goatskin top. Here's my niece Kaleigh giving it a try.

I gave Eric a 1000-piece puzzle that's all Coca-Cola advertising signs and that's been a challenge. Not even close to being done. So much for instant gratification!!

Sunday morning brought a 10.11 mile run after sleeping in until 7:23 (I think I haven't slept that long in 30 years!) before getting busy in the kitchen. My sister-in-law brought Andrew and Kaleigh over for Christmas dinner (my brother had to work) and we had a nice turkey dinner. They tried on their new jammies. : ) And ate a few cookies. : )

It was so nice to have a day off. This morning ... the annual Fun Run/Breakfast/Beer Exchange. I am SO honored to be in the only female on the invitee list. They let me win the fun run. : ) 10.62 miles for the morning. A record 16 in attendance this year. We had breakfast at Brothers and I had the walnut pancakes. Hadn't had them in quite a long time. They were delish, though too much to finish.

After breakfast, we exchanged beers out in the parking lot. Quite the selection!! Not knowing much about beer, I just did my best at picking something that wasn't too dark or strong.

This afternoon/evening I was back at work. And now, I'm ready to call it a day. So ... good night!!

Off!

A whole day today to do exactly what I want. And it was wonderful!! I started the morning by doing "paperwork", heading over to Kohl's and Walmart and wrapping gifts. I didn't get going on my run until about 11:00 AM. By the time I got about 5 miles into it, the wind was very stiff from the SW and it started snowing. Kind of tough running conditions but I stuck it out for 10.11 miles. And that was enough because ...

Last night I joined Team R.E.D. at Millie's house. And what a house!! It's simply amazing. Her dad is a hunter and the lower level was like a museum of natural history. Just incredible and very tasteful. Her mom is quite the cook and treated us to pretty fancy fare for Team R.E.D. ... a cabbage salad (with Sriracha in the dressing so it had quite a kich), scalloped potatoes and ham, fresh green beans and ciabatta rolls. I couldn't believe I didn't have my camera. I was so disappointed. Left it on my desk at home. But Tom Woo posted some photos on Facebook. We ran 5.5 miles (actually some of us did ... and some decided to head back to Beetles where we'd stopped to sing Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas). And they were pretty hilly miles. In addition to my morning 9.51 miles, I had 15.12 for the day. I'd planned to run long today, but decided to keep it at 10 and call yesterday good enough for my long run for the week. I think that was the right decision.

Delivered some cookies today after making one last batch. Peppermint Blossoms.

They're very pretty on a plate of cookies. Then Matt and I continued our tradition of making lefse (a Norwegian things ... kind of like a potato tortilla eaten with butter and sugar). It turned out very well!

Now, after cooking some wild rice for some chicken wild rice soup tomorrow, and eating a bowl of roasted corn and red pepper soup (my only meal today ... too much snacking I guess), I'm ready to kick back and relax and read the paper and watch Say Yes to the Dress. Mindless TV, yes, but fun.

Tomorrow ... an early run and then breakfast at the Crown with a big crew before dashing off to work for the day. Sunday, I'm off. Yippee!! Back to work Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend, and Merry Christmas!

Round and Round and Round

I made it to the indoor track last night. First time all year. First quality workout since August 2010. I felt so good about keeping up with Woo and Aaron Nepstad, and then Woo said he was having an off night. : ( I ran 12 x 400 and I think that's about what others were doing too. I asked Woo how fast the first couple were (I discovered the watch I wore doesn't have a lap button) and they were both 1:35. I have a ways to go. I used to do my 400's in about 1:24, 1:25 on average. But it was a good start. 7 miles total. 6 miles outdoors in the morning. It was a good turnout at the track. I'm sure I'll miss a few, but spotted were ... Woo, 6 Nepstads, Dave, Jim, Emily, Sue, Cathy, Millie, Mike, Peter, Shane, Amber, Adam, Adam. Here's a couple of us at the bitter end (me, Woo, Peter, Mike).

I've baked all the cookies that I probably have time to bake. Hoping Matt and I can make lefse on Friday. Yesterday I made Apricot Fold-ups ...

and finished up my cutouts.

For Sunday's Lace-Up meeting, I made chocolate chip and pumpkin cream-cheese filled.

We still need volunteers and lots of runners for Lace-Up (Feb 12). Lots more info on the website.

Weird dreams last night ... dreamed that my car burst into flames, and that I was back in my old house (after the new owners had taken possession) and got caught. Strange.

Need any window coverings? I'm working 4 'til midnight. Stop by!!

Well, gotta get moving. Have a super day!!

Going Forward

November was a very difficult month, and I'm glad it's behind me. This past week brought some tough days and I'm glad it's over as well. Hoping for a better week this next week! Topping off the list ... a decent night's sleep. I've worked until midnight the last three nights and that's very difficult for me. I'm not a night owl. My body wakes up about 5:00 AM no matter when I fall asleep. So I've had to nap if possible, trying to recover from just 4 hours of sleep before tackling another late night. But today brought a full day off ... beginning with a 10-mile morning run with OSS (thanks for the miles Tom O, Pete, Marni, Andy), grocery shopping, some cookie baking, a nap and a Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer meeting (thanks for lovely meal and sharing your lovely home John and Lucy. Welcome to the LUABC committee Judy, Betsy and Pam. Thanks for sharing Cutting for Stone Lucy). Soooo nice to have a down day.

Yesterday brought a morning run with OSS ... 20.11 miles for me. More than I thought I'd get in and I didn't have the fluids and fuel that I should have had, but I made it work. We had a couple inches of fluffy new snow and it was a bit slippery so I wore spikes on my shoes. With my rigid orthotics, heavy shoes and spikes, those shoes were HEAVY. On Friday early afternoon, Eric arrived. And his car died in my garage. Electronics stopped working. It was trying to turn over, but we thought it would be worth trying to jump it anyway. No luck. I checked the alternator belt and it was OK. But there was no starting it. So we had to tow it to the garage, where they determined it needed a new alternator. Picked it up yesterday before I had to be at work. Another full and busy day. Matt was home for a couple of nights so that was nice. He'll be in and out over the coming weeks I'm sure.

Well, I'm going to read a few pages of Cutting for Stone before getting to bed BEFORE MIDNIGHT!! HOORAH!!

Have a great week!!

Mix It Up

Tuesday evening was PK's first annual Chex Mix Exchange. What a fun idea. Easy and quick to prepare, and something different. We each found a recipe on ChexMix.com and posted what we were bringing on the evite so as to have to duplicates. There must have been close to a dozen different varieties including Backyard BBQ, Lemon Rosemary, Caramel, Loaded Baked Potato, Traditional, Pumpkin Spice, Parmesan Garlic, Sesame, Malted Milk Ball/Marshmallow/Dried Cherry ... quite the selection.

PK provided us each with many containers which we filled to take home. Fun evening. Fun idea. Thanks PK!

Yesterday I finally got back in the pool and lifted. First time since November 2 and wow I could tell. I've lost strength and am swimming even SLOWER than I was before it seems. I have to get back in both the gym and the pool on a regular basis if I can find the time. Robin Kautz was in the lane next to me and we chatted for a while in the locker room. Got on the Stairmaster for an hour before my 3 to 9 shift for a little stress relief. This morning I'm hoping to go for a run but the temps are falling (it's now 32) and VERY windy. But I suppose it could be worse. Not sure how to address the possibly slippery streets and paths ... spikes on my shoes seem like overkill. I'll see how it goes. May end up on the bike trainer or Stairmaster.

We have a guest speaker for the RTC banquet on January 28. Ruth Brennan Morey. She recently won the ITU (International Triathlon Union) championship and has run in the Olympic trials. Here's what she says she might include in her talk ... my research (ages ago) about self-talk in marathoning, to olympic trials, to my previous sports psychology work, multisport experiences, and life balance issues.

I have my annual Christmas lunch with about a dozen girlfriends. It's always a lot of fun. Then it's off to a 3 to midnight shift. More of the same Friday and Saturday (when I get to stay until 1AM!). No rest for the wicked ... or weary. : )

Have a great day!!

Cooking Light December 2011

We spent a lovely evening at the home of Amos and Barbara Kermisch. The food was delicious and plentiful and the company was even better. My total fave on the menu ... Jay's homemade bread. To. Die. For. I brought Almond Pumpkin Cheesecake with Almond Brittle.

Happy Holidays one and all!!

Catching Up

I can't believe a whole week has gone by since I've posted. But life is busy enough that it's not all that surprising.

Running from where I'm living now involves a lot of hills, but in the overall scheme of things, that's good. I can tell it's made me stronger. I've got a new route that I really enjoy. It can be 6 miles, 8 miles, or 10. I run up the hill to the water tower, up over 20th St to the east (not as bad as west) and then east on 20th St all the way to Marion Road. The stretch between 11th Ave and Marion is new and this week was the first time I'd even seen it, let alone run on it. The city is plowing it and it's been ideal for running. From here, it's 2 miles to 11th/20th and then one mile to Marion. A great spot for mile repeats. I've brought my 10 mile time down 6 minutes this week and that feels great. Yesterday I ran 20.04 and the first 10 were in 1:24:21. Each mile got faster up until 9 when I headed back here for some water and a slice of bread. I hadn't intended to run long yesterday thinking I'd do it today instead (warmer today, and I had to work all day yesterday) but it was going well so I just kept going. The last 11 miles were hilly. There's not much more than 1/8 mile that's flat within a mile of this house, so the last 11 were quite a bit slower. 2:57 for the 20 miles and I was happy about that. I am running a marathon in Ocala, FL in late January and Napa Valley in early March. I ran 61.53 miles this week, 2 hours on the Stairmaster and Friday was an off day. Feel like I'm getting back in shape, and feeling good. This morning I ran 10.16, the first three by myself and the rest with Millie and Jen. Fun run, even though we were ALL pushing the pace. : )

What else went on ... lots of hours at my jobs. 50'ish. On my one evening off, Tuesday, a bunch of us gals went to Hugo in 3D. My first 3D movie. I liked it. Good story. Here's our merry little band in our stylin' 3D glasses ...

Gina, Julie, Jean

Me and Cheri

Friday was a big day. Matt, my youngest, graduated from college magna cum laude with a degree in music education. They had a nice ceremony in Winona and we went over to WI for lunch at an Irish pub afterwards. My dad was still here and that made the day even more special. The first couple pix are two of the big thank you cards that Matt got from each class at the elementary school in Lewiston where he spent the second half of his student teaching experience (JM High School being the first half).

The graduate!

Me and Matt

Eric and Matt

That evening, I took the boys to the Tonic Sol-fa concert at the civic center. They're a 4 man acapella group. Matt's acapella group, Hear and Now, opened for them in Winona once. Anyway, it's a very fun concert with humor and audience interaction mixed in. They sang holiday music.

And that brings me to today. My first day off with nothing scheduled in 2 months. Got lots of cleaning done. Made a pumpkin almond cheesecake for my Cooking Light holiday get together tomorrow. Had to run to the store midway through to get more almond paste as I'm having issues with this oven. The first attempt at the almond cake base wasn't too successful. Tuesday evening my friend Pam is having a Chex Mix exchange. We all had to pick a recipe from chexmix.com and then we'll exchange them. What a fun and different idea!
Well, better check on the cheesecake. Have a great week!!

Lorie Line!!

My friend Jeanne and I have been going to the annual Lorie Line "holiday extravaganza" for many, many years. I guess it's become a tradition for us. And this afternoon we continued the tradition with another wonderful couple of hours being entertained by the talented pianist and her musicians. She puts on such a good show, and the costuming is nothing short of amazing.

After the show we went to Chester's for dinner. And guess who walked by and stopped to chat with us for about 5 minutes? Lorie Line!!

I look AWFUL in this picture. But it was so much fun to chat with her. She's very personable. We talked about bells, the grind of touring, working out, the Chopin piece she played (10 on a scale of 10 she said), our ages, our arms at our ages, ... Girl talk. And it was fun. : )

So that followed a shift at JCPenney which followed a shift all day yesterday which followed a shift Friday and Thursday ... You get the picture. I'm working a lot. Coming up, shifts until midnight and 1 AM. Good thing I enjoy what I'm doing. I'm just hoping some people decide to buy window coverings between the hours of 8 and midnight or I'm going to have a hard time staying awake!! I'm guessing that the last time I had a day to stay home (or just do whatever I wanted) was sometime in early October. Maybe. No Christmas tree this year. No cookies (yet). No time.

I ran just 5 miles this morning after spending an hour shoveling. The running was difficult, especially on the hills. And the shoveling took longer than I bargained for. I'm guessing I have close to 100% more driveway than I used to have and a retaining wall along one side so I had to carry the snow to the front yard.

I called someone last week to change the addess on one of my accounts. I got 3 confirmation letters yesterday (it affected 3 accounts). Meadow got spelled Medow and Drive got spelled Dive. Guess I'll be making another call.

Well, I just washed a load of workout clothes. Better get them hung up.

Have a wonderful week.

Happy 80th birthday (yesterday) to the best dad in the world. Love you. : )

Blogging

I must say ... taking on another job and working an additional 30 or so hours per week has definitely put a crimp in my blogging time. I see I haven't posted since Sunday. Yesterday I worked at the law office and then a 2 to 11 PM shift at JCPenney (it was DEAD). That doesn't leave much time for anything else.

Workouts: 2 hours on the Stairmaster at level 16 on Monday, 10 miles yesterday, 10 miles this morning. Met Ruth Brennan Morrey on the bike path and chatted with her for a moment. It was my best 10 miler yet since moving here. Each day, I run the 20th St and 5th Ave hills. Twice. That's six tough, tough hills. Today they were easier. Not easy, but easier. So I was happy about that.

Today I am just working one job, so I ran a lot of errands. I stopped at Rochester Cycling and Fitness and had Travis put the trainer tire on my rear wheel. Matt and I gave it a go on Thanksgiving day and trashed the tube. I found this cute little bracelet ... a section of recycled bike chain. They also have bottle openers. For the guys of course.

I'm now TRYING to put the rear wheel on the bike and want to cry. Or maybe scream. Sometimes it goes on so smoothly. And sometimes not. Today, it's a "not".

Back to Sunday. We all went out to eat at Victoria's before the George Winston concert. It was such a nice, relaxing evening.

Just made butternut squash soup with sugared walnuts for book club. I didn't get a chance to read the book but I'll enjoy the discussion, food and friends nevertheless. My friends Emelda and Paula are here from the cities and I look forward to seeing them.

Toodles!!

Busy!!

Just ran 12.53 miles this morning. A bit short of what I'd planned, but good enough. My left hip is bothering me some and the wind was sure cold from the NW. I know, I know. It could be, and will get, a lot worse. But for today that was good enough. My body also hasn't adjusted to being on my feet for 8 to 11 hours a day and that seems to be taking a toll on my running stamina as well as just plain not being in shape. I ran 10.41 yesterday morning before a really busy day at JCPenney. I love it when it's busy. The time goes fast, and it's a lot of fun helping people with their window treatments. But just standing around is hard. Anyway, when I run from this house I usually head for the Mayowood bike trail and the shortest way to get there is down 20th St SW and those HILLS. So I get to run them twice as well as 5th Ave SW south past Apple Ridge up to that water tower. Lots of hill work. Yesterday morning the running conditions were just great. It had rained some over night but wasn't raining during the run. Pleasant temps. In fact, I took off my shirt and ran in my sports bra. Can't do that too often in November. I met some TriRochester guys about 1/2 mile from the turnaround and my goal was that they not catch me. Assuming they also turned around, they didn't catch me. : ) I was happy. I think there were 15 runners at Dunn Bros. this morning which was great. Dave, Pam, Amy, Jean, Laura, Jim, Tom, Tom, Andy, Erin, Monica and her sister, Millie, Meredith, me. Hope I didn't forget anyone.

Got my drapes hung in the dining room on Wednesday evening. A great project to get done. Those sliding doors are like a big black hole after the sun goes down, and when the sun is up, it's hard on the furniture.

Got the RTC retrospective edition done and off to Dave for printing and mailing. I'm now working on moving files (race results mostly) from the existing RTC website to the new one. I think it'll be an improvement, at least on the back end and for race directors. And I believe we're saving some money in the deal.

Didn't hit any stores on Black Friday (or Saturday). Just don't need or want anything and have no desire to fight the crowds.

Well, I'm enjoying a rare day off so best get busy. Going to dinner and the George Winston concert this evening with friends. Sounds like a lovely way to cap off the weekend and begin a new week.

Enjoy your day.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I've been workint A LOT lately, and that leaves little time for blogging. None, really if my priorities were 100% right. But I'll put a little post out there so you know I'm alive. If you're my Facebook friend, you do get an occasional update though.

I just looked through the photos I've taken recently and there aren't many. I didn't even take any over Thanksgiving except this one last night of Matt in his "ugliest holiday sweater" for his Hear and Now holiday performance next weekend. It was a Salvation Army "find", in the women's section.

As you can see from the photo above, the house is liveable now. I still need to hang some things on the wall an do something with a bunch of boxes in the lower level, but liveable is good. And I could find everything I needed in the kitchen to make a Thanksgiving dinner, so that was good (turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, Brussels Sprouts). And it was good. My fave ... the Brussels Sprouts. I'm not a gravy eater and the rest tasted pretty much like it always does. : )

My stepmom's surgery went very well and she is recovering at cardiac rehab and will probably be released (to come back to my house) next week. Her son David and his family came up from the Des Moines area last weekend and dad took us out to eat. It was nice to see them. The girls are getting so big.

Ellen and I

I've been running most days, or getting on the Stairmaster, but haven't been to the pool or gym in about 3 weeks (before the NYC marathon). I have to work 9 to 5 today so won't make OSS, but hope to get a longish run in Sunday morning before/with OSS (Dunn Bros. north at 8:00.

Well, I better get busy. The times is getting away from me AGAIN.

Toodles ...............

Hear and Now

Hear's (misspelling of "here" is intended!) my son Matt singing his arrangement of Uncle Kracker's Follow Me with his acapella group Hear and Now. I'm so proud!! I could never sing in front of people like that. I have this Uncle Kracker CD and it's a fun one.



A HUGE congratulations to Michelle Williamson (Tom and Karen's daughter) who's 23 and completed her first Ironman tri this weekend ... Ironman AZ. She 1) won her age division, and 2) is now registered for Ironman Kona 2012. Woot woot!! So proud of her. : )

Ran 8.02 miles this morning in the new neighborhood. Two hours on the Stairmaster yesterday. Working a lot of hours and thus don't have much time for blogging. Still lots of unpacking and hanging pictures, drapes, etc. to do yet. But it's liveable "hear and now". : )

Well, I'm going to try to get done with the RTC year-in-review newsletter this evening. Hoping you'll like it. Look for a story from Tom O' (Memories of Melby), an On The Run With ... Millie Suk, a story on sudden death in athletes by Jeff Pasternak, M.D., recipes from me, and ... lots more. It'll arrive in your mailbox sometime in December (if you're a current RTC member that is!). Printed in color.

Toodles.

Getting There

Slowly but surely, the new (temporary) place is getting liveable. There's still a pile of boxes in the living room and I need to decide what goes in storage and what goes in the one free drawer and one free cabinet in the kitchen. The office is liveable, my bedroom is liveable, dad and Ada's room is liveable, bathrooms are liveable and the downstairs family room needs a LOT of help. What I really need is either: 1) more storage, or 2) less stuff. Option 2 is probably the better solution.

Millie and I had to practice our winter running skills this morning. We ran up to the cemetary on the bike path and then out to Quarry Hill and the tennis courts, the lake and then back to Panera. Very slippery in spots. But thankful that as of now we only have a dusting of snow. I'm really not looking forward to winter this year. This year more than most. I got in just over 8 miles. With Millie's 5 early miles, she got in about 12.5 (I went out another half mile after she met her sister and dad for coffee). Yesterday I ran with OSS up the Douglas Trail. Just a hair over 15 miles for me. Longest run since NYC.

We had a LUABC meeting at Jean's house this evening. We celebrated Laura getting her master's degree and also conducted a business meeting. The half marathon course has been certified and the giveaway this year will be embroidered black fleece gloves.

Well, I'm tired and I have to work 'til 10 PM tomorrow, so I'm going to call it a day. I'll post some pix tomorrow. Have a great week!

Not So Much

Very good news on the home front. My stepmom had a heart valve replace yesterday and it went very well. When I left the hospital she was still in the ICU and just taken off propyphol (sp?) and they were going to start waking her up. Hope she is doing well today.

It was a pretty un-birthday like day. Mostly. Went in to the office for a while in the morning, but didn't have to work at JCP. Went to the hospital. Moved the last two loads of stuff out of the house and started cleaning. Didn't even sit down and eat a meal. By then it was 5:30. Amy and Jean convinced me to join them for a glass of wine at Dooley's despite the fact that they were smartly dressed in work clothes and I was in cleaning clothes. It was a nice break with good friends. Then I decided to go to Target and look for a few storage containers instead of back to the cleaning (which I will start shortly). I bought myself a slice of cake, but no candles and didn't sing to myself. : ) THANK YOU, all 151 of you, for the birthday greetings on Facebook!! Made my day.

Well, I better get busy. I have to turn the house over to the new owners in 28 hours.

Have a good one.

Dead Tired

That's about all I can say. I'm dead tired. This move is dragging on and on due to limited time to work on it. And no time to work out, which doesn't help my stress level. But I'll get through it. I have to.

Prayers, positive thoughts, etc. would be appreciated for my stepmom Ada. She is having a heart valve replaced in the morning. They will be staying with me for a couple of months. I feel so bad that they have to stay in this messy disorganized house, but there's nothing I can do about it. I just don't have any time to get it organized. My food is at the other house, and I am here. Hoping that this weekend might bring a little order to the chaos. I am very emotional about selling my home on Kal Lane. It was a great house and I put a lot of myself into it (built it, and I designed it). I'm hoping to find the time to bake one last batch of cookies over there. Just the thought of that makes me cry. But in the overall scheme of things, it is just a house.

Well, I'm totally exhausted. Worked at JCPenney until 10:00 PM, then had to go to Kal Lane to get my bedding out of the dryer, bring it over here to make up my bed, and try to wind down after another marathon 20-hour day. And another one today.

Good night friends.

A Break

All I've done today is pack and work. No workout. No time. So now, I've decided to take a few minutes for me, and you. Here are my souvenirs from NYC:

Workout pants from Athleta, styled like jeans. Their pants almost all comes in talls, even small tall.

Headband and gloves, with the 5 boroughs on the fingers. Fun.

Yvonne and Jodi said I NEEDED this NYC purse. From a little boutique next to 30 Rock.

Five dollar pink animal print scarf from Chinatown.

From the expo (back of the shirt).

Race shirt.

Well, I suppose I better get back it. This is an exhausting and emotional job. At least I'll be glad when all my stuff is in one house. The movers moved the big stuff this morning. I have yet to pack up the kitchen, the office and some of my clothes. But I have another six days. Lots of friends helping move tomorrow morning/afternoon. THANK YOU all in advance!! Beer/pop/cookies provided. Come join in the "fun". Any time 9:00 or after.

Good night.