Entryway Art

You never know what you will find on the chalkboard in the entryway. Today it says, "I'm grammie. Call me grammie."
Please note, I have a VERY big heart!!!
Thanks, Abbey!

She Doesn't Even Know It!

 



"From a little girl so very small, how and when did you get so tall?"

Oh, our Maddy! She has grown into such a lovely young lady. This year we have really noticed a lot of changes in her, clearly letting us know that she is maturing.
Yes, we are totally prejudice, but she is a beautiful girl, inside and out.
Part of her beauty is, she doesn't even know it! She just travels through life with a happy smile and a cheerful attitude, taking it as it comes.
We are enjoying our front row seats watching as it all unfolds.
Lucky us!

Grapefruit?

Sometimes people come and go in your life. Sometimes you reconnect with people from the past and it feels like you saw them yesterday. Last night, we had dinner with Johnny and Cindy, a friendship that started because our daughter took swimming lessons from Johnny 35 years ago! Mark and Johnny played men's slow pitch softball for more seasons than I can count. But, things change, time goes by and you lose touch. Life gets in the way. This last winter, Mark remodeled their office at the swim school and we had the wonderful opportunity to reconnect. Chatting with Johnny is so easy. He is a kind, warm-hearted man who sees the good in just about everyone and every situation. I got to know his wife, Cindy, a lot better during the remodel, because she and I are like-minded business women who keep things organized and planned for our men. It also doesn't hurt that she was born in Nebraska and we have that connection as well.
What does all this have to do with grapefruit (see photo)?? Well, SOMETIMES, you reconnect with long time friends and they have the most awesome grapefruit tree in their backyard that is loaded with grapefruits that are so huge, you'd think they were genetically altered and they send you home with a bag.
For the next few mornings, as I enjoy my pink grapefruit for breakfast, I will smile, remember a lovely evening spent with our dear friends, and thank God for the blessing that is them.

Find Fun

 My daughter reminds me of this fact when I say I am too tired to do something because I get up so early. Usually, I consider myself pretty "fun". I like to laugh and I like to make other people laugh. Sometimes life gets in the way of fun and that is not good. There is always a reason to take life seriously. There are even more important reasons to NOT take it seriously and have some fun. Either way, we're all dead in the end...guaranteed!

Today was "Be a Nerd Day" and it was so much fun! I think I was one of the top nerds of the day. It may have been the "Kick Me!" sign on my back! We laughed. We made people laugh. What could be better?
Happy Friday!

NRD

Ran about six miles today in honor of National Running Day. It may have been my imagination, but there seemed to be a LOT of people out there running this morning. Maybe it was the perfect, overcast, cool breeze weather, maybe not. Whatever their reason, whatever their speed, they were outside putting one foot in front of the other.
I am proud to be a part of this group. It is my happy place.

 

Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry has been around since the bible (think Cain and Abel, Joseph and his brothers). These days, it falls into ~"She keeps touching me!" "She's on my side!" She won't put the iPad in the middle of us so I can see too!" "She took the last sugar cone!" Much of the same exasperated words spoken by generations when you live in a house with two or more kids.
However, every once on a while, you walk into a room to witness a sight like this one. Two sisters, engrossed in a TV show, one lying on top while the older one holds her up. Daily annoyances forgotten temporarily. Just hanging out peacefully for a short while.
I am just happy it lasted long enough for me to capture it on my camera!
Proof that sibling love can shine through sibling rivalry every once in a while.

Race Thoughts

 On Sunday, I ran my 22nd half marathon in five years. It was a lovely, overcast morning and perfect for running.  Running for two plus hours gives you a lot of time to think. It is one of the things I really like about running. Here are some random things I thought and observed on this run:

1. I noticed a lady and man holding hands in front of me. My first thought was, oh brother, you gotta hold hands during the run? Really? Then they abruptly cut in front of me and I saw that the lady had a distinct limp and a brace on her left leg. I looked at the back of her shirt and it said, "I survived a stroke." I realized that they were not holding hands lovey-dovey. They were holding hands to help her keep her balance and keep going. I ran over to her, patted her on the back and said, "You go girl!" She replied with a garbled, "Thank you." I immediately started to cry and continued to do so for the next mile. My contacts clouded over and the rest of the race was a bit hazy for me. I couldn't stop thinking about that women, working to overcome tremendous odds, out there on the race course. What an amazing example of the human spirit and what we can do when we set our minds to it. I will never forget her.
2. I was probably on about mile eight or nine and I had been off and on following or going ahead of this guy wearing pajama pants! Hard to miss a person in a half marathon in black and yellow plaid pajama pants! He ran up along side of me and said, "Boy, you keep a pretty good pace for walking!" I looked at pajama pant guy and said, "Gee, I thought I was running!" I was so pissed off, I took off and left him in the dust never to be seen again! I may be slow, but, damn, I run! Having several more miles to think, it dawned on me that he had probably been watching me for several miles. In fact, in my long races, I run a mile and walk a minute. It's how I make sure I have plenty of gas in the tank to finish the race as strongly as I can. Maybe, instead of a slight, he meant that he had seen me slow to the walk every so often and I was still keeping up with him and his pajama pants! Maybe it was a complement, but in my near exhausted state, I assumed the worst. Good life lesson. Quick to judge is usually not the way to go.
3. I also started thinking, could I run 65 half marathons by the time I am 65??? Given that this was only #22, it is a BIG challenge. When the race was over, I tossed the idea at my husband and his first response was, "Why would you want to do that?!" Sensing my annoyance, he thought a moment and said, "Why don't you try for 75 half marathons by the time you are 75? That gives you 10 more years and you only have to run an additional 10 races." Hmmmm, it's a thought, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I will still be running half marathons at 75! It would be a joyful blessing, but who knows? Most 75 year olds get tired walking through the grocery store. Maybe I could be the exception. Now wouldn't be something?  My thoughts return to the stroke lady and the notion that anything is possible.

The race is over, but these thoughts will stay with me for a long time. None of them are really about running. They are more about life and pushing your limits and working toward goals and never giving up. More life thoughts that can apply to anyone ~ runner or not.