Imagination

 All I saw was a deformed cucumber from our garden.

 Jack saw "J" is for Jack!!

Abbey saw a cane for an old person.

The power of our imagination can take us to wonderful places we might not otherwise visit. As adults, we often ignore the possibility in favor of the reality. Today I will look beyond the reality and see the possibility. It sounds like way more fun! Happy Friday & Happy Imagination Weekend!

Larks vs Owls

"Birds of a feather, flock together" may be true for high school. After all, the jocks usually hung out with other jocks. The smarties, hung out with other smarties, etc. However, I think in marriage, opposites seem to attract. Maybe not in all things, but in sleeping habits, I do. I think most of us marry someone with an opposite body clock from ours.
 I am a lark. I like to get up early and get my day started. I like plenty of time in the morning to go through my morning ritual of coffee, the paper and getting ready. I do not like to stay up late. My husband, on the other hand, is an owl. He doesn't love getting up early, needs minutes, not hours to get out the door and he loves to stay up late. In fact, he likes to fall asleep to the sound of the TV. I am sure on divorce papers, there is a box to check that states this as a cause for divorce! I have learned to fold one pillow over my head to block out the flickering light of the TV without cutting off all air supply. It is an art!
I have discussed this with many other couples over the years and, time and again, I have found the husband and wife have opposite body clocks. Why are we attracted to these people so different from us? Shouldn't larks be with larks and owls be with owls?? Wouldn't it be easier? Larks sing in the morning. Owls "who-who" in the night. Trying to blend the two songs can be a never-ending challenge. Maybe we are all just dodo birds!
So, which are you? Lark? Owl? How about your mate?
Biggsuzi

Mammoth

Two of my girl friends and I headed to Mammoth this past weekend so we could run the Inaugural Mammoth Half Marathon. Put three women in the car and, somehow, the miles and hours just fly by!! We laughed and talked and caught up on each others lives in short order! Shelly off to teach at a new school next year. Kim and her hilarious online dating escapades. Susan, well, Susan is kind of the boring one of the group. Life is pretty much holding steady for her!
The race itself promised to be a challenge as it was at 9,000 feet! It promised "virtually" downhill, which was true until the last few miles. You know, miles 9 thru 12 when you are running out of gas and wishing it were over? Yes, that's when the course presented some pretty darn challenging hills ~ at least for this old broad! Let's just say, my friend Shelly, who did not run the race, but was our finish line cheering section, told my other friend, Kim, that, "Susan looked thin and frail as she crossed the finish line!" Now, I'll happily take the thin part, but frail?! Yikes!! Judge for yourself in the bottom right photo. 
Here's the thing about a race. It is a lot like life. There are points that are easy and points that are hard. Part of it (waiting for the start) is just hanging around and stewing about what is to come. Part of it (when it's over) is reliving it and realizing it wasn't as bad as you let your mind think it might be. Maybe it was even been better than you thought possible ~ even if you looked thin and frail!!!

Pretending...

And some days I just fail...before noon...or ten minutes after I get up in the morning! Sigh!

Best Dressed Dog

Last week, on a run, I happened by a garage sale. Usually, I am not one who has any interest in garage sales and/or people's castoffs, but right up front in the driveway, I saw a display case. As I ran by, I yelled, "Are those dog collars?" The lady told me YES and I said I'd be back after my run. Most people who say they'll be back never show up, but I did. I even brought one of Callie's collars to use for sizing. Irene, a delightful and creative lady, owns a business called "Bark! What's in your closet?" She lives close to my house.
She let me pick out fabric for all the holidays I wanted and even sent me a few samples from which to choose. You can see Callie sporting her new summer collar (watermelons), not to be confused with her patriotic (stars) one that she'll be wearing for the 4th of July! She already had Halloween, so now she's covered for Christmas, St. Pat's & Valentine's Day. Am I leaving anything out??
Check out Irene's Facebook page if you are interested in spoiling your dog like I do. It's called "Bark! What's in your closet?" She even makes dog clothes and leashes. Now, clothes are where I draw the line...well, except maybe a Halloween costume!!!

Yeah, I know....DOG LADY!!!!

Biggsuzi

Quilting Memories ~ Sewing Love

 My beautiful and talented friend, JoEllen, took a bunch of the tee shirts I have received at each race I have entered and turned them into this treasure ~ a one of a kind quilt. I knew she was making it and have been impatiently patiently waiting for the finished product! All I can say is, it was worth the wait!! Pouring over each square helped me remember the good, the bad and the ugly of running. Some of them reflect a race where I got a new PR (personal record). Some of them remind me of an injury that nagged me during the race. All of them together in one place, allows me to relish the huge strides I have made as a runner.

 The back side is made of the softest fabric in which you'd ever want to wrap up your body. It also holds a tiny square with HUGE importance. She, somehow, (she is magical!), printed my running mantra on a square and added it to the quilt. These are the words I say to myself during every run, every day, every race. Not sure how it started, but these words are as big a part of my runs as my shoes.

I am not sure how you adequately thank someone for a gift like this. Words fall short. All I can hope is that she knows me better than most, she is in my heart til the day I die, and she knows I love the physical gift (quilt) and intangible gift (her love) more than I can ever say.
Some birthdays are better than others. This one was, all around, a GREAT ONE!!

Celebrate

As my husband says, "Any day on this side of the dirt, is a GOOD day!" Once again, he is right! PLEASE do not tell him I said so!!!

The Safer 3

Anyone who reads my blog regularly, knows that my three grandkids are little fish when it comes to the pool. They spend most of the summer months in the water. Imagine my surprise when I read in this week's newspaper that child drownings are at a four year high in Southern CA!! It gave me pause to consider this very preventable accident.
Just as I did with my own children, all three grandkids had swimming lessons from the time they were little babies. Many people who live in Orange County, especially the Tustin area, know the name of Johnny Johnson. He has taught, I am pretty sure, over half of the OC to swim including my kids. Not to "out" his age, but Johnny is probably on his third generation of teaching kids to swim. He owns Blue Buoy Swim School and is a huge proponent of water safety for all, especially kids. He is also very involved in a program about water safety called The Safer 3. More about that later.
When our kids are in the pool, we feel pretty confident in their strong abilities to swim. We have rules like, nobody can go in unless an adult is out there. That's not to say that we adults get lazy with our lifeguard duties, and occasionally run inside to grab something and they are left alone for a short amount of time. Even when we are outside with them, we are often caught up in the latest book we are reading or having a conversation. Attention to the swimmers sometimes takes on a less important role than it should. These are terrible admissions that I think many of us are guilty of from time to time.
There is an excellent program out there called "The Safer 3". The main concept of The Safer 3 is based upon the definition of the word "safe". Safe means you are free from risk of harm or danger. When it comes to water, this simply is not true. There is always risk when you are in, on or around water. The risk may vary in degree from very slight to severe. The letter "r' in "Safer" reflects the difference - safer, not completely safe. I strongly suggest you check out this program to learn more. The simple concept of asking "Where are my risks and what strategies can I implement to reduce them?" can save lives.
At a party, with lots of people, both adults and children who are swimming, we can never assume someone else is watching them. My husband and I call it the "Tommy Lee" effect. The rock star was having a  big pool party in his home a few years ago, and, as often happens, everyone thought someone else was watching the kids swim. Sadly, one young child drowned right in front of all those people! A terribly tragic yet preventable situation.
This summer, may we all be crusaders for water safety ~ a simple concept with dramatic results! For more info, contact Johnny Johnson at Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin. Tell him Biggsuzi sent you!

Adulthood

How many adults have felt this same way at least a few times in their life? I remember constantly telling my kids not to be so anxious to become an adult as it's not all it's cracked up to be! Like all kids, they didn't listen. They wanted to be out on their own, nobody telling them what to do or how to do it! I got a good chuckle the day my daughter called and said she wanted to "turn in her card". What card, I asked? The card for adulthood. It blows having to be grown up and responsible all the time, she said. Ahhh, yes, harsh truth.
Being a responsible adult can be difficult and exhausting. It was easier being a kid who was told what to do, what time to go to bed, what to eat, etc. Decisions made for you may seem to be oppression. Being a grown up can be oppressive! Some days, we adults are just out of answers, out of decisions and out of energy. We would like nothing more than a break, where everything is decided for us and done for us. Oh, maybe not forever, but we'd like to reset the clock every now and then. Just give us a short break from all the responsibility and then we can resume our job being responsible adult.
Anybody want to join me in my blanket fort? There's plenty of room!

Next Sunday?

Not sure why this made me laugh. Probably because my husband goes to Home Depot 8 - 10 times a week for job materials. Everyone think their husband works hard, but I am sure mine does. His is not only a thinking man's job, it is physically hard as well. He comes home tired and rightfully so. Then I present him with my list of "honey-dos"! Sorry, honey...but I do appreciate you!

National Running Day

Today is National Running Day! Hey, if we can have National Donut Day (June 7th), we can have a day that salutes running! I am happy to report that I have already logged over 4 miles this morning with my daughter and it feels great. The sign says it all...some days we are slow and some days we are fast. Some days we don't want to lace up our shoes and think of every excuse not to, but when we do...oh, but when we do...great things happen...in our head, in our heart and in our body.
JUST RUN!!!

Amazing? Really?

Recently, I have had the word amazing thrown at me a lot...Their life is amazing...their kids are amazing...their husband is amazing...their job is amazing!
I don't know about you, but I think amazing is a very strong word and not one I use lightly or often. I am pretty sure I have never described my life as amazing. I asked a few people about this and wondered if they would describe their life as amazing. Not one of them said yes. Oh, we feel we have good lives, maybe even moments of great, but amazing?? Ummm, not so much! I asked if they would describe their husband as amazing. No long married people said that word was the first one to come to mind. This is not say we don't love our mates and think they are pretty great. We'd also like to leave them out for the trash man on any given Wednesday! Amazing?  Ummm, not so much!
Kids? Well, young children are more exhausting than anything, with bouts of amazing every now and then, whereas grown children can challenge you in ways you never dreamed of and turn into regular adults with good days and bad days, happy and sad moods. Amazing? Yes, occasionally, and yet again, not the first word I would use to describe them.
Me? I have never thought that the first word I would use to describe myself would be amazing, unless being dependable, organized, quick-witted, judgmental and sarcastic equals amazing  and I just didn't know it! It's just such a strong word that is so over-the-top, it is hard to believe. I almost feel that when you try to sell something to me this hard..."It's all so amazing!"...it leads me to wonder if you are trying to convince me or yourself! It makes me doubt the speaker a little.
Life can be amazing. It can also be hard and messy and challenging and a roller coaster ride with ups and downs. I guess the trick is to notice the fleeting moments that truly are amazing!
Now, if you want to hear amazing, let me tell you all about my grandchildren!!