Thanks Amber now I have to think of 6 things that people don't know about me. Don't know if I can come up with 6 things but here we go
1. I am awful at small talk, even with people I know I have a hard time with the small talk that seems to happen when I get into a group of people.
2. Icy and snow cover roads make me sick with worry. I have been in a couple accidents with snowy roads being the cause and now I panic when I think about having to drive on them.
3. My fav. junk food is Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. I love all but two flavors and cannot have many in the house because I will eat them.
4. There are times that I crave fruits and veggies.
5. I am addicted to the food network, the game show network and lately listening to books on tape/CD.
6. I have been bitten by the running bug in a big way. I now want to try and do a marathon a year. I also want to really want to run something in every state in the US...either a full or a half marathon.
Now there are 6 things that may or may not be new to you. Now I get to pick a couple people to do the same. Lets try Amber, Sarah and Stacey.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Pictures from the last few weeks
A couple pictures from the Zoo
Running to see the tigers
The Snow Leopard that wanted to play.
The penguins
The best part of baking...the tasting.
My little man getting ready for his day at school.
Casey's new toolbox. It travels everywhere with us. He has also been sleeping with it by his bed, just in case there is trouble in the middle of the night that he needs to fix.
Bike riding at the local park.
Going down the hill backwards.
I thought this was very interesting. This church is located on the corner of Wright and Law.
One of the many trees close to our house.
My little guy loves to bring in the trash cans after being emptied.
My Jack-O-Lantern.
The blue painted ones are Casey's.
Running to see the tigers
The Snow Leopard that wanted to play.
The penguins
The best part of baking...the tasting.
My little man getting ready for his day at school.
Casey's new toolbox. It travels everywhere with us. He has also been sleeping with it by his bed, just in case there is trouble in the middle of the night that he needs to fix.
Bike riding at the local park.
Going down the hill backwards.
I thought this was very interesting. This church is located on the corner of Wright and Law.
One of the many trees close to our house.
My little guy loves to bring in the trash cans after being emptied.
My Jack-O-Lantern.
The blue painted ones are Casey's.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Whys of the world
Got this e-mail a couple days ago and it made me smile.
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are almost dead?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you> throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are almost dead?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you> throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
My Weekend
What a weekend. It started on Saturday, as most weekends do, with getting ready to catch a plane and making sure everything with Casey was done. So we got to the airport, checked in and to the gate with no problems. We flew on Alaskan/Horizon so it was a small plane, not bad because it was such a short flight. Landed in Portland with no problems and headed to our hotel. The Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland. Very nice hotel and very close to the starting line...a big plus. After checking in and getting settled we headed to the expo. It was a zoo but we were able to get what we needed and see a lot of stuff. After the expo it was about 4:00 and out dinner reservations were not until 5:00 so with it being Saturday and college football being on we all headed back to the rooms for a little rest. We ate at Mama Mia, which I would love to try again, it was yummy. My meal with of course pasta but it has some of the best meat sauce and the bread was to die for. After dinner and a stop at Rite-Aid for some last minute Gatorade we headed to the rooms.
Sunday morning...Race Morning. My day started at 4:00 a.m. I didn't get out of bed and moving until about 5:00 but I was awake and wondering what I had signed myself up to do. So got up and made coffee and oatmeal, great prerace breakfast. The night before I had my race stuff laid out and ready so I was able to just get dressed and get moving. 6:30 we started towards the race start. For this race they set up pace groups so after a few hugs, good lucks and good byes we found our projected finish times and waited for the gun.
There were 4 from our running group that got in the 4 hour pace group, Trina, Paul, Trevor and myself. For the first mile we ran together...didn't really have a choice. You were trying not to step on people around you. After about mile 3 it started to thin out and you were able to move a little better. Now with this being my first full marathon I had no idea what to expect. I knew I would need to slow down my pace a little and try to conserve energy. I was told the marathon does not start until about mile 18. Which for this race meant the race would not start until after the mile long hill climb at mile 17.
So I am feeling pretty good. Got my music on my IPod and I am trying to watch my pace and keep it reasonable. The weather had been an issue in my mind all morning. There was a chance of rain and it was very overcast. I went with the long sleeves, capris and gloves. About mile 3 I started to feel a few rain drops, nothing bad just a little spit here and there. Then around mile 7 the wind started to pick up. It was like what else can happen. Well I found out, where the rain had been just a few drops it turned into more then it would slow to a few drops, then back to the down pour. This continued on until about mile 22. By this time I did not care, I was tired and ready to be done. I was behind the 4 hour mark by about 5 minutes and was trying to tell myself that a 5 hour marathon would be just fine. The next couple miles were not fun, I think I walked about as much as I ran but I knew that if I stopped to stretch or anything I would not be able to start up again.
Mile marker 24 was located on the Broadway Bridge and after that it was down hill, so I started to let gravity do its thing and pull me down. The spectators for this race were amazing. They had bands everywhere with great upbeat music, lots of water stations and loads of kids with gummy bears. So with mile 25 in sight I knew I would be able to finish this race under my own power. I kicked up my IPod and just started to find something to get me moving. One thing I loved the finish was around a corner. I have run races that you can see the finish for almost half a mile and that is hard. There was a fat lady singing, you ran past her about a third of a block and there it was...the best sight you have ever seen. I finished in 4:09:45 (chip time) 4:13:24 (gun time) it took about 4 minutes to cross the start line.
Just a few of the racing stats:
Overall: 2553 out of 7498
F 25-29: 176 out of 656
Overall Pace: 9:32
Half Marathon Check Point: 1:58:50 pace of 9:04
When the overall winner finished I was at about mile 16.5
Brent also ran in this race and was able to set a new PR for himself. His time was 3:41:28 at pace of 8:27.
I must say I am very glad I was talked into this race. What has surprised me the most is how good I feel. My legs are sore yes don't get me wrong but Monday I was able to not only move but walk. It was a little wobbly but I was still walking. Then today (Tuesday) the soreness in knee and hip are gone, still tired legs but no longer sore. So I was asked if I would do another marathon, my answer would have to be probably. :) Who knew I would actually enjoy beating myself up on a regular basis for a tee shirt and medal.
I will try and get some pictures posted from the weekend one of these days. If you have time check out Portlandmarathon.org and see the race map and much more.
Sunday morning...Race Morning. My day started at 4:00 a.m. I didn't get out of bed and moving until about 5:00 but I was awake and wondering what I had signed myself up to do. So got up and made coffee and oatmeal, great prerace breakfast. The night before I had my race stuff laid out and ready so I was able to just get dressed and get moving. 6:30 we started towards the race start. For this race they set up pace groups so after a few hugs, good lucks and good byes we found our projected finish times and waited for the gun.
There were 4 from our running group that got in the 4 hour pace group, Trina, Paul, Trevor and myself. For the first mile we ran together...didn't really have a choice. You were trying not to step on people around you. After about mile 3 it started to thin out and you were able to move a little better. Now with this being my first full marathon I had no idea what to expect. I knew I would need to slow down my pace a little and try to conserve energy. I was told the marathon does not start until about mile 18. Which for this race meant the race would not start until after the mile long hill climb at mile 17.
So I am feeling pretty good. Got my music on my IPod and I am trying to watch my pace and keep it reasonable. The weather had been an issue in my mind all morning. There was a chance of rain and it was very overcast. I went with the long sleeves, capris and gloves. About mile 3 I started to feel a few rain drops, nothing bad just a little spit here and there. Then around mile 7 the wind started to pick up. It was like what else can happen. Well I found out, where the rain had been just a few drops it turned into more then it would slow to a few drops, then back to the down pour. This continued on until about mile 22. By this time I did not care, I was tired and ready to be done. I was behind the 4 hour mark by about 5 minutes and was trying to tell myself that a 5 hour marathon would be just fine. The next couple miles were not fun, I think I walked about as much as I ran but I knew that if I stopped to stretch or anything I would not be able to start up again.
Mile marker 24 was located on the Broadway Bridge and after that it was down hill, so I started to let gravity do its thing and pull me down. The spectators for this race were amazing. They had bands everywhere with great upbeat music, lots of water stations and loads of kids with gummy bears. So with mile 25 in sight I knew I would be able to finish this race under my own power. I kicked up my IPod and just started to find something to get me moving. One thing I loved the finish was around a corner. I have run races that you can see the finish for almost half a mile and that is hard. There was a fat lady singing, you ran past her about a third of a block and there it was...the best sight you have ever seen. I finished in 4:09:45 (chip time) 4:13:24 (gun time) it took about 4 minutes to cross the start line.
Just a few of the racing stats:
Overall: 2553 out of 7498
F 25-29: 176 out of 656
Overall Pace: 9:32
Half Marathon Check Point: 1:58:50 pace of 9:04
When the overall winner finished I was at about mile 16.5
Brent also ran in this race and was able to set a new PR for himself. His time was 3:41:28 at pace of 8:27.
I must say I am very glad I was talked into this race. What has surprised me the most is how good I feel. My legs are sore yes don't get me wrong but Monday I was able to not only move but walk. It was a little wobbly but I was still walking. Then today (Tuesday) the soreness in knee and hip are gone, still tired legs but no longer sore. So I was asked if I would do another marathon, my answer would have to be probably. :) Who knew I would actually enjoy beating myself up on a regular basis for a tee shirt and medal.
I will try and get some pictures posted from the weekend one of these days. If you have time check out Portlandmarathon.org and see the race map and much more.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Sad Day
Last night my dad called and left a message on our answering machine to call him when I got a chance. He sounded very strange to I called the second I got the message. I knew from the second I heard him say hello something bad had happened....sadly I was right. Our beloved black lab had died. We got him in 2001 in Pocatello. After a sting of bad luck with dogs we found an add for him in the paper and went to get him. The guy wanted 50 bucks and we were ready to pay but he said that with the love we were showing him we could just have him. We took him home in an apple box and babied him to no end. He was a one of a kind dog. He was a lab, something mix with a pink and black tongue. It took about a year to grow into his paws and he was just so lovable. My dad had never really gotten attached to dogs for the simple reason that growing up on a farm if something happened to one and they had to be put down he would have to do it. But Jack was different, everyone in our family loved that dog but my dad especially attached to him. He knew my dads pickup and would wait for him to come home at night. My dad was the first one he would run to for a pat on the head.
About a year or two ago he was hit by a truck or car and had something happen to his front leg. While he was not killed by the accident his leg was never the same. Not knowing what to do my parents just let him be...he was still able to walk, run, play and be a dog but his leg had a small sore on it that just kept getting worst. While they should have taken him to the vet, I think my dad did not want to hear the news that Jack should be put down. Jack then decided in this last year that he should find porcupines and pester them. He came home with quills in his nose almost weekly.
So back to my dads call. He told me in a very level voice that Jack was no longer with us. I broke down right then. My first question was if he had to do it. (with all that was going on with Jack I was sure my dad decided to put him out of his misery) He said no, when my dad came home from harvest Jack was dead on the drive way. He had been out in the field playing just being a dog and then my dad saw him head home. It was like he wanted one last run in the field. So my dad and mom wrapped him in a white sheet and took him down to where the rest of the family dogs are and laid him to rest.
I know its crazy to be so attached to a dog....a dog that for the last five years I have not even been around but...here I sit crying again... I think I am crying more for my dad and the fact that he lost this dog. Hearing the pain and sadness in his voice last night just broke my heart. I its nothing like losing a child or a parent or a friend but for our family it was losing a member.
Here are a couple pictures of Jack. He loved to play in the water...during the summer he could always be found rolling in whatever pond he could find.
A side note, Brent and Casey had just gotten home from a walk by the river when my dad told me. My poor son had to witness his mother break down. Then I had the joy of trying to explain to my son why mom was sad. He loved Jack and when he saw a picture of him and told me that he died last night. I hope I can use this as a good teaching tool for him.
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