TBT

In honor of "Throwback Thursday"...three different days, one almost a decade ago, when my life was changed FOREVER in a moment. The trio that did just that, proving that small IS mighty!! It also proves your heart can expand and feel in ways you never knew were possible.
Nothing like a new baby to remind us what's important.
Oh, and after looking at these pics, I think I want to cut my hair!!!

"S" is for Susan

My dear, crazy friend decided that this BIG birthday needed a BIG present....in fact, she decided it needed SIXTY presents!! Not only did she give me 60 things, every one of them started with the letter "S"!! From Skittles, to succulents, to spoons and Subway gift cards, she plotted and planned to make this birthday special for me. I am a much better giver than receiver and frankly, I felt a little overwhelmed and unworthy with all this, but it sure was fun! Do you know how long it takes to open 60 things?!?!

 The final gift was a beautiful new quilt she made for me. Now, you may be saying, "Quilt doesn't start with "S"!", but a Star Spangled quilt sure does!!! Lucky for her, I was born on Flag Day and love the red, while and blue theme.

My card was actually a sewn panel on the back of the quilt. A treasure to enjoy and remember this birthday and for years to come.
Then, to top it all off, she and her husband took us out to dinner to a restaurant I have been wanting to try for ages called Park Ave. As her husband said when we left, even the restaurant fits the theme because it is in Stanton!!! Who knew that fine dining can be found in Stanton?!?!
So far, this getting older thing is really working out well for me!!

Birthday Blessings

 Birthdays are tricky. They can be awesome or lousy. Some people want to ignore birthdays, but not me. I feel you have to share Christmas with everyone, but your birthday, well, it's your day. I have had birthdays where I waited for someone else to make them special. I hoped they could read my mind and would give me the perfect gift, take me to the restaurant I always wanted to try, and all my family and friends would make a fuss over me. Yeah, not so much...So, I figured out, the hard way, that in order for me to have the kind of birthday I really want, I had to create the kind of birthday I really want. And this year, I did just that!
I wanted to run a half marathon on my birthday and went all the way (650 miles) to Provo, UT to do it! This guy, although not a planner, is game to do just about anything that will make me happy! He says he is my driver, my bodyguard and my biggest fan! OK, so I plan and he helps me execute those plans. It works!

I even had a shirt made that said it was my birthday! I counted 16 people along the course of the race who, as they ran by me, wished me a Happy Birthday! Again, to some, this would be silly, but I loved it! I got quite a few, "You go, girl!" and "Wow, that's an accomplishment!"

 The race published a magazine that was in each runners goodie bag. Out of 4000 runners, they published four stories and one of them was mine!!! Again, to many, this would not be anything they would want or enjoy, but it made this BIG birthday even more special. I got to mention the people who helped me with my running (Carol in TX and my son-in-law) and how much I appreciate their support. Seeing it in printed form let me thank them in a special way. When you are trying new things in life, it is always helpful to have people around you who support you (Carol), push you (Sean) and believe in you (both of them). I can't thank them enough.

People often say, "You look good for your age!" "You don't look 60!" Well, guess what?!?! This IS what 60 looks like ~ a sweaty, hot mess that just ran 13.1 miles in her fastest time ever. The point is, be your best (fill in age here) you can be. Don't wait for someone else to plan your birthday, plan your life or define your happiness. More often than not, it will come up short and be disappointing. If you plan it yourself, if you own it yourself, you have only yourself to blame or praise. I like that!!

TMI

WARNING!!!! This blog contains explicit information that may totally gross you out!!! Do not read, especially to the end, if you can't handle it!!!
If you read my blog, you know that last August I climbed Mt. Whitney, or, as I like to call it The Worst Day of My Life!!! Many things resulted from 21 hours on that damn mountain, but one of them was that I lost three toenails over the next few months following the climb.
My big toenail fell off while I was on a fun girlfriend's getaway in October. I screamed in the shower when I looked down and discovered my foot in one spot and the toenail circling the drain!! My poor friend thought something bad had happened. Well, it did!!! I lost my toenail! It has been our running joke every since and out of the blue, I will send her, once again, a text with this photo of my displaced toenail. It has given us many laughs.
Perhaps odd to admit, but I have kept this toenail, on my desk in my office, since I lost it. I am not sure why, but I didn't want to part with it. My daughter is completely grossed out by this and my son-in-law suggested I drill a hole in it and wear it as a necklace. Both reactions give me the chuckles. Yes, sick, I know.
But it gets worse...
Today, when I came home, my dog was sleeping in her bed with a pile of barf on the floor in front of her. That alone is a disgusting, but as I was cleaning it up, I noticed some chunks of something within the liquid barf. The something had a very distinct hot pink color. I recognized it, but couldn't recall from where I remembered it. Then it dawned on me!! I went into my office and, sure enough, my special toenail was missing!!! My dog had jumped up on my chair, onto my desk and eaten my old toenail!!!!! It obviously didn't agree with her tummy and she barfed it up!!! I guess the toenail was out of date code!!
My friend is lucky I didn't take a photo of the barf with chunks of pink in it. It would have started a whole new chain of texts to her!
I find myself sad that the toenail is no longer around. It feels like a piece of me is missing. Oh, wait, it is!!!

Everything is Possible

"Every child is a message that everything is possible again; your past, your story, this world, it all has another chance."

These three remind me of this daily. In an often cynical, negative world, they offer the positive. Each, in their own, unique way, offers their story. All they ask is that I stop, listen and pay attention to this story. Kids really are pretty simple. They just want to be heard and matter to you.

Wait a minute....don't we adults just want the same thing????

National Running Day

Today, June 4th, is National Running Day. I wanted to participate in a run somewhere, but finding a run on a Wednesday is pretty tough. Thanks to social media and our many ways to connect with people and ideas both near and far, I made a commitment online to run today, five miles, right in my own neighborhood. Now, this may sound like pretty much any other run for me, but somehow, it feels a little different. The people in the cars passing me by most likely don't know today is National Running Day, but I do. I made a commitment to myself (the most important kind!) to be part of something greater than my normal weekday run. Today, I run with all the other people, in all parts of the city, the state, the nation and the world.
We run because it makes us feel good, both in body and spirit.
We run because it challenges us to test our limits and exceed them.
We run to clear out the cobwebs in our brain.
We run to celebrate this fragile thing we call life.
We run because we can.
A day like any other day, and yet, so much more.

Hello, June

 What a beautiful way to decide to start your day! Hoping it will be so good you won't ever want to forget it!  This starts birthday month for me and I am planning on having at least a few of these kind of days. A little run, a little sun, a little fun...that sounds like a good start to me!

So, hello, June. Be awesome please...and remind me to notice!