Five Days & Counting

Last July, my daughter proposed an interesting running challenge to a few of us. Let's run a 12-man relay race for almost 200 miles! It's called RAGNAR and they have these relay races all over the US, all year long. There are two vans of six people each and each runner has to run three "legs" of the race in order. It begins at 5:00am on Friday in Huntington Beach and will end for us around 5:00pm on Saturday night down in Coronado! All this, while sitting in a van, running on very little, if any sleep. Six smelly, sweaty bodies in a confined space, trying to relax between their runs. Well, my gosh, who wouldn't want to do this?!?!?!
After nine long months of talking about it, it is finally here this Friday. We have friends flying in from Colorado and Texas to run with us. Some of my teammates I know very well. Some I have never met. We range in age from late 20s to mid 60s. Some are new to running, while others have been running for many years. Some are very fast and some, like me, are plodders.
While I truly hate the overused words, EPIC and AMAZING, I am pretty sure these words will be apt descriptions of how we will feel on Saturday night after accomplishing this challenge.
Stay tuned...

Pool Already?!

 Is it summer yet!?!! The fish want to swim!!

And be goofballs!!
And Pa never says "NO!"
Love these crazy kids!!!

 

Seeing Dollar Signs

Callie Girl was in for a long overdue, much needed grooming yesterday. Either you have a dog with short hair that sheds everywhere, or you have a dog with long hair that needs regular haircuts and grooming. Neither sounds like a winner, so it's a good thing we love them.
While picking her up, I began chatting with another "dog mom". I was complaining that the grooming prices had gone up and they had never bothered to mention it when I dropped the dog off that morning. She agreed that they seemed to steadily be increasing of late. Then she told me that the next day her dog was scheduled for cataract surgery!! She told me that she was sure her dog could not see her anymore and it made her sad. I said that, wow, I bet that was going to be expensive! She told me it was costing five thousand dollars!!!! I almost fell over! I thought about it the whole drive home. Would I be willing to spend that much money on my dog? Honestly, I am not so sure I would. I mean, I love her and she brings me a great deal of joy, but cataract surgery for that much money? I jokingly told my husband that I wouldn't spend that much on surgery for him!! It wasn't like the dog was in pain or suffering, her eyesight was going. She was eleven years old, the lady said. I guess she felt the dog had enough good years left in her that her doggie sight was worth it. Five more years...five thousand dollars...I guess she figured that amortized over that time frame, it was worth $1000 a year for her dog to see better.
I just don't see it. No pun intended!!!

Brochure? What Brochure?

"Life is nothing like the brochure."

Remember your twenties, when you thought you had it all figured out? You were going to set the world on fire. You were going to be a better parent than your parents. You were going to work hard and play harder. You were going places!
Well, guess what?! Here we are, decades later and looking back on how foolish we were, how little we really knew. Life is a tricky task master that often delivers a curve ball when we were expecting a fast ball straight down the middle. We strike out more than we hit home runs. We see friends come and go. We see jobs come and go. We see waistlines and hairlines come and go. We change with the times, often begrudgingly. We reminisce about "the good ol' days". We smile when the young generation tells us they are going to do it differently.
The brochure? I think we were supposed to write our own brochure as we went along. We were supposed to figure out that kindness really does matter. People over property wins every time. Spending time on people, rather than spending money on them, creates memories that linger long after the "thing" is broken or forgotten in the closet. Knowing when to speak your mind and when to hold your tongue will always be a good way to live. Saying "I'm sorry" is the solution to many problems.
 Rain will fall in everyone's life. The brochure says to carry an umbrella.

Til 100

Well, this pretty much says it all and I can certainly see Jack E. Boy saying it to me! He is a tough, sports kid with a big heart. He is always the first to give me a hug and kiss without any prompting. He asks about my day. He tells me I am a great "cooker". He says I am very creative.
Now, as to the grammie in this cartoon...why, oh why, is she depicted with short, old lady gray hair and glasses?!?!  Where are her contacts? Where is her bottle of hair dye? Where are her running clothes? Time to redefine the grandma of the 2000s! I know I am doing my best to create a different picture of what a "grandma" looks like...one red hair at a time!

Coffee/Wine

Sometimes, the simplest thing is the best thing. This made me smile in its uncomplicated answer to much of life's complications. I am an over analyzer. I often see problems where none exist. I often worry where there is no need. Coffee/wine...it can be the answer to so much. To those two, I might add running. Now that's a trifecta of solutions! I already ran this morning. I had my coffee. It's almost 5:00pm, so that just leaves my glass of pinot noir.
Today is a good day...full of solutions!

Customer Service Lives!

 If you follow my blog, you know about my awful running accident last month. I am all better now, but one casualty that did not make it was my good running glasses. They were scratched and bent beyond further use. I was lamenting this one day to my son-in-law, who works in the hockey industry, and he told me I should contact the company and tell them my story. He said really good companies want you to wear their items and would probably want me to continue to wear them. "See what they will do for you", he said.
So, with very low expectations, I sent an email to Hobie who made my glasses. I briefly told them about the accident and if there was any chance they had a lense to replace my scratched one. I received a reply, via email, THAT VERY DAY, from the nicest lady named Andree. Turns out, she, too, is a runner and was very sympathetic to my story. She also seemed impressed that I had run so many races in the last five years. She asked me to send her a photo of my glasses. Not only did I send her a photo of the glasses, I also sent her the link to my blog about the accident, complete with photos of my injuries!
She loved reading the blog and even sent it on to a few of her running buddies to read as well. She said the color of my glasses had been discontinued, but she offered an alternative. I checked it out online and let her know they were fine, more than fine really. I loved them!
I returned my damaged glasses to the company per her request, and in a matter of days, she sent me another email saying my new glasses were being shipped out that day! Not just a new lense, but a new pair of glasses! Wow! In a day and age where we are constantly faced with examples of a lack of customer service and company pride, I am here to tell you, Eyeking and Andree are the definition of quality customer service!

Here are my new glasses that they sent me, free of charge! I am touched by her efficiency and kindness throughout the process. Along with a new pair of glasses, I feel like I have a new friend in New York! Bonus!! I would recommend this company to anyone who wants quality sunglasses. I am thankful that my son-in-law suggested that I contact them.
Thanks again, Andree! You made my week! I will be wearing the new glasses this weekend in the Leprechaun Leap 5K and the following weekend in the Hot Chocolate 15K in San Diego. I will think of you each time I put them on and smile.
Biggsuzi

Go Team!

I am not sure what the level of involvement for most grandparents is, but we pretty much live and breathe these kids. This was a hockey game for Jack in the morning. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and ran off to his baseball game. I have a Master's Degree in cheering from the sidelines. I yell for the team and cheer especially loud for this beautiful boy that is my joy.
All the grandkids are all getting older FAST and will soon pick friends over Grammie and Pa. I need to capture as many moments and memories on my heart as I can, to cherish for later.
I want them to reminisce when they are adults about the crazy lady screaming on the sidelines of the swim meets, the hockey games, the soccer games, the baseball games. "Oh, that's my Grammie. She's loud, but she loves us!"
It's okay. I can own that!

What's One Hour?

General Facts:
Welcome spring weather with the start of Daylight Saving Time. At 2 a.m. on, Sunday, March 9, 2014,  most U.S. residents will set their clocks ahead one hour for the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. However, not all states will observe the time change. Residents of Arizona, Hawaii and U.S. territories Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will remain on their normal schedules. About 75 countries and territories have at least one location that observes Daylight Saving Time. Conversely, 164 don't observe the time change at all.
Daylight Saving Time gives way to longer days, but some won't be too delighted to lose an hour of sleep. In fact, some scientists suggest the "spring forward" time change disrupts sleep and could pose health risks, such as heart attacks.
Benjamin Franklin has been credited with the idea of Daylight Saving Time, but Britain and Germany began using the concept in World War 1 to conserve energy, the Washington Post observes. The U.S. used Daylight Saving Time for a brief time during the war, but it didn't become widely accepted in the States until after the second World War. 
My Facts:
Really?!?! Somebody says "move your clock" and I do it?!?! I follow a rule that makes no sense to me. Why do some states just turn their back on this "rule" and are allowed to NOT change their clocks? It makes people cranky and out of sorts for at least a week. Is it giving up the hour of sleep? I remember the kids being young and trying to convince them that, "Yes, it really is bedtime even though it is still very light outside!" Invariably, I forget to change all the clocks in the house and have to jump out of bed on Saturday night and go around and change them so they will be "right" when we wake up (OCD). Without fail, I will forget at least one or two clocks. I will discover this at odd times throughout the first week of "spring forward". OMG, where did we get so many clocks?!?! Alarm clock, stove clock, microwave clock, coffee pot clock, pool clock, car clock, watches! Thank goodness the clocks on the cable boxes automatically change for us. I have always wanted to stay up late on that certain Saturday night and watch the time on the cable box go from 2:00am to 3:00am. Poof!! Gone!!! Just like that!! 
So, if I'm cranky this week, I have a good excuse! 
Hmmmm, maybe I DO like daylight saving time!!!

Five Years Ago

This month marks five years since I ran my first 5K. To have started running is one small miracle, but to be able to say I have kept running for five years is nothing short of amazing. Never an athlete, not a runner, I still sometimes have to stop myself from thoughts that I am a fraud and not a "real runner". How can it be that I am?
Well, eighteen 5Ks, two 8Ks, six 10ks, one 15K and fourteen half marathons later, I guess I am allowed to think of myself as a runner. I credit two people for helping me start. One is my dear friend Carol in Texas who has run for ages and finally peaked my interest in it. The other is my son-in-law who, when I asked if he'd help me get ready for my first 5K, told me absolutely. We'd do it together. Here we are on a rainy Sunday in March 2009 running our first 5K in Newport Beach.
It proved not to be temporary insanity, I was hooked! I still am! My daughter often laughs at me or simply shakes her head at my desire to run races, better my times, keep all my stats. She runs to "look good naked". I run to stay fit and healthy, hopefully well into my old age. I run to have time for conversations in my head and solve problems who's solutions elude me. I run for that glass of wine, guilt free. I run to see that I can do it...that I can still do it. I run because it is the closest thing to play for an adult. I run to see that look of admiration on people's faces when they hear I have run 14 half marathons and didn't start running until I was almost 55. I run because it is all about me. I have spent my life taking care of others, my kids, my husband, our business, the home, the bills, the everything. When I run, it is just me and nobody else. My single obligation is to put one foot in front of the other, to keep going.
This month, I will run another 5K and another 15K. Next month, I am part of a 12 person relay team that will run almost 200 miles in 36 hours. My birthday falls on a Saturday this year and I am searching for a half marathon to run on that day. It's a "big birthday", if you know what I mean and, for some silly reason, I want to be able to say," I ran a half marathon on my 60th birthday!"
God willing, I will.

PNO

 Last night we had one of our monthly Parents Night Out evenings. This is where kids from about 2 thru 10 are dropped off by their parents for three hours. First, we cook dinner. Last night, it was tacos, rice and beans. We have a yummy dessert. Last night, it was ice cream cones with your choice of ice cream.
There is also a craft to make and a fun movie to watch. It is a loud, crazy, messy three hours, but loads of fun. The movie comes with popcorn sprinkled with M&Ms. That's just how we roll around here!
We have a ready-made clientele through our grandkids friends from school and word of mouth has spread as well. Some parents, however, say they don't like to inform other parents about the evening for fear their kid won't get a spot! We usually have from 12 to 15 kids.

At first parents dropped their kids and hung out a little bit. Now, they mostly "dump and run"!! Some of the kids have been coming for years and we have watched them grow up a lot. In fact, last night, I noticed several of them seemed so much taller and older this time. It made me a little wistful. As I have always said, days are long, but years are short.
Why do we do it? As an event planner, I learned long ago that if you wait for people to hire you, sometimes you can be waiting a long time. Creating events has been a great avenue for me to make some money (yes, the parents pay me!), spread the word about my services, and it satisfies my crafty, organized, planning self to be creative. Plus, I realize that many of these families do not have the support system of family close by (especially grandparents) and they need a break. They are very grateful for three hours of peace. Several of the parents have used the evening to go out together with other couples for a quiet dinner. Some go to Target alone!! It may sound silly, but if you are a parent (mom especially), you know the value of a quiet shopping trip.
These evenings would not be possible without the aid of my husband. He is another set of hands for helping serve dinner, cleaning up while we do our craft, and fixing any audio visual problems we have with the movie. He truly enjoys all the kids and he knows, on PNO evenings, he will be getting a really good dessert!