Happy Halloween

Here's my Halloween costume.
What am I????

No Fake Runners

I have often said, "I'm not really a runner. I just run." Claiming to be a runner, when I have never done anything athletic in my life, seemed just too far a stretch. I didn't want to be labeled something I didn't deserve. I guess that is why this sign spoke to me. What I do know is that I am not a fake runner, so, by their definition, I AM a runner.
I ran eight miles this morning. I thought I was lagging through some of it. Turns out, when I got home and plugged my Garmin into my computer and read the stats, I was actually on a great pace the whole run.
I am proud to be a runner...at any pace!

Oh, Abs

She goes by many names...Abigail...Abbey...Abs...#3...Sassy Pants...
She challenges me. She makes me laugh. She observes all and remembers everything.
She is the cutest witch I have ever seen.
Lucky me to be in her life!

Friday Focus

Saw this sign this morning and knew it was speaking to ME! No, wait, it might have been screaming at me! It's going to be my "Friday Focus". Thanks, EB for sharing it!

Seattle

Life is made up mostly of ordinary time. Work, clean the house, pay bills, get gas, shop for groceries, cook, and on and on. But, occasionally, we get a moment (or a few days) of extraordinary bliss. My bestie and I planned a trip to Seattle. I can say, without hesitation, from start to finish, it was wonderful and perfect!! We both needed the time away and relished every minute. From shopping until we couldn't hold another bag to eating the most amazing food, we laughed our way through the city. We walked and walked throughout the streets. What was a confusing maze on the first day, became easy and second nature by the third. We saw fall colors that took our breath away. We rode a ferry. We asked strangers for their help. We saw art that made us stare in awe. We drank more coffee than we usually do (There are 657 Starbucks in Seattle!! FACT!!) We sat at night, in our hotel room, and shared our ideas, our thoughts, our hopes and, even at our age, our dreams.
I am a blessed woman to have this friendship. I love you, JoEllen!
 

Be Careful What You Wish For

I always told my kids...It's hard to be a grownup. Stop wishing you were there already! Like all teenagers, they thought I was crazy. Now that they are adults, I wonder if they realize what I was trying to convey.
Grownup is:

• showing up when you don't feel like it
•  being nice to people you really don't like
• going to work all the time and having a lot less holidays than kids
• looking over a stack of bills and deciding what to pay
• choosing a dress for your daughter's dance over something new for yourself
• cleaning out the unidentifiable green stuff in the back of the refrigerator
• wondering what the red light on dashboard means and how far you can drive with it on
• lying in bed unable to fall back to sleep because your head is filled with so many thoughts
• friends suddenly getting sick
• friends suddenly dying
• wondering how another year passed so quickly
• hoping your mere existence has made a small difference in life
• trying to "do it all" while realizing that doing it all is next to impossible

Grownup is tricky stuff, filled with many challenges and decisions. Some days it seems to get the better of you and some days you feel victorious in this thing called life. As my husband likes to say, "Any day you are on this side of the dirt, is a good day." Once again, he is right!

Long Beach Half

 Here we are sweaty and tired, but happy and satisfied. All four of us ran the Long Beach Half Marathon on Sunday. My beautiful daughter ran her first one and I couldn't be prouder. It was my 12th, so I was the veteran of the group and also the oldest! As I have said many times, I am not fast. I am a plodder.
Amber and I had a plan. We would run a mile, then walk a minute. We would NOT deviate from the plan. Many people start a race way too fast and often run out of gas before the end. It is not a good feeling! We did keep a bit faster pace than we wanted to, but not by much. If I had to break down the race, I'd say, Amber helped push me the first 8-10 miles and I helped push her the last 3-5 miles. She hit the wall about mile nine and it took some words of encouragement to get her to keep going. I knew she wouldn't give up, she had trained long and hard, but, for the record, 13 miles is a LONG WAY!!! Next time you are in your car going somewhere, look at the odometer and see where you are thirteen miles down the road. Now, imagine RUNNING those thirteen miles!! It puts it in perspective. A small incline in the road when you are driving, feels like a huge hill when you are running it!

 This was on the back of the shirt I wore on race day. Many people commented on it as they ran by us!! Every element of a race, people cheering, crazy costumes, funny signs on the side of the road, all make for a memorable experience. You never know what inspires someone else.

Kim and I had an extra special day because we had run the three races, in consecutive order, Surf City in February, OC Half in May & now, Long Beach in Oct. We qualified for the Beach City Challenge medal. It weighs about five or six pounds and we wore it proudly after the race.
Funny thing, I went into this race with the focus on my daughter and her experience and being there for her and I ended up with a new PR (personal record)!!! I have been trying for four years to beat my best time from a race in Dallas and I did!! Guess it, once again proves, "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."
Such a great day...and, dare I say, FUN!!!

Wonderful Wednesday

I am a planner. I am a list maker. I am really not very spontaneous. It actually kind of rattles me. Yesterday, I received a text from my son about 2:30pm asking what I was doing that night. I said nothing. His next text said, "Well, you're going to Bon Jovi with Emily! She doesn't know yet either!" Oh boy! Here I thought my Wednesday night consisted of a hot bath and a good book.
After the initial shock wore off, I got excited. Emily arrived and we took off for the Honda Center. Getting off the freeway at the exist took over 20 minutes! There are a lot of Bon Jovi fans in Orange County and this was the only night he was here. Thank goodness Emily knew our tickets were club level and we could take a side entrance right by the elevator. There was no line and we were inside and in our seats in record time, early enough to grab a glass of wine to toast our good fortune of a Wednesday night adventure.
The concert was fantastic and we had a blast. Some songs we knew and some we didn't. Early in the evening, Jon Bon Jovi said, "I'm not gonna talk much cuz we got more hits than the Sopranos!" It was the quote of the night! He also did a spot on impersonation of Mick Jagger while singing "Start Me Up".
Watching people singing along, dancing in the aisles, laughing and hugging each other made me realize how powerful music is in our lives. Songs remind us of high school, a boyfriend breakup, friendships, a vacation we took and more. It doesn't matter what generation you are from, I think it has this effect on everyone.
Thank you, Tyler, for giving us some fun memories.

Here's What I Know

Today was a busy and interesting day, just the way I like it. It started off with a meeting in Dana Point at a hotel as a possible venue for a wedding I am doing next July. The couple is stationed in Afghanistan until May, so they are depending on me to be their eyes and ears for much of the preliminary planning. I appreciate the confidence they have in me to help them with these important decisions while halfway across the world.
This afternoon, I met with a woman who's husband just passed away to plan the memorial reception for this week. We discussed food, flowers, a memory table and everything to make the reception both lovely and memorable. Rush, rush, fast pace me, always makes sure I slow down and just listen when dealing with people in this situation. A few days ago, they had no idea they would be planning this event. They are usually walking in circles. You might cringe and think, "Oh, how sad!"
Here's what I know. You gather people together. You eat and drink. You laugh and you cry. You tell stories. Did I just describe the wedding or the funeral? Actually, I described BOTH! Throughout life, things happen. We pause, acknowledge that something happened here, and we celebrate it. We celebrate everything. We welcome the newest member of the family and we say goodbye to a beloved member of the family. We cling to old memories and create new ones. We share each others joy and divide each others sorrows. I am honored to help with both.
Celebrate Everything!!

Chapman 5K

Saturday morning, Amber, Emily and I faced gale force winds in Orange to run in the Chapman 5K. It was Emily's first and, as with anything new, she was nervous. Amber was not happy about the strong winds and it did prove to be a challenge, especially when you would turn down a street and suddenly be running straight into the wind. It made your throat so dry, you could barely swallow. The girls joked they felt like their throats were sandpaper, or they had breathed in asbestos!! HA! All I could think about was the memories we were making. While at the end, I said how much fun the race had been, the other two both said they were just glad it was over!! Given a little time to rest and regroup, I think they also felt accomplished and pleased with themselves, as they should.
Amber decided to run back after she had completed the race, find Emily and run to the finish line with her. What a thoughtful gesture that can make all the difference to a new runner. I love the photo of them coming in together!
Races are all different. Sometimes it's windy. Sometimes it rains. Sometimes you get a cramp. The trick is to remind yourself that you are out there, doing it, no matter what.
Making memories with people I love...lucky me!

Hello, October

There is something about turning the calendar to a new month that makes it seem like it holds so many possibilities. Sure it's just the day after yesterday, but a new month can bring all sorts of surprises. I used to fancy myself a summer girl, but as the decades have passed, I find myself longing for cooler weather, fall leaves, pumpkin anything and a little change.
This October finds me trying new things, taking a trip with a bestie, producing another boutique, running a half marathon and who knows what else?! I have the whole month to see what unfolds. Bring it on!