The Big Race!

At long last I am sitting down at my computer again to stretch my writing muscles. Very good friend Laura was visiting me lately and I was lost in a whirlwind of friendship and unable to break myself away to return to every day things. So, here I am - missing husband and wishing Laura could have stayed a bit longer. However, perhaps it's good for me to have a few days on my own with the boys. I need to focus on them a bit now. Time to resume our music sessions in the morning and our walks outside in the beautiful Springtime weather of Washington.

Speaking of Spring, I lately entered and completed a 10k race on the very first day of Spring! It had been so long since I had run a race that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I waited at the start unsure as to how far back I should place myself in the line-up. Next to me was a woman with a very unusual dog. He was scruffy-looking and medium-small. Not exactly the kind of dog you would imagine in a race. He was rearin' to go though! Barking at everyone, not in a vicious way, but extremely competitively.

Then the shot rang out and we were off. I found myself swept along with all the runners around me. I passed several people who were taking the start really slow and reminded myself not to burn too much of my strength and energy in the first lap! It was hard not to let competition ruin my ability to complete the race! But I did it. I paced myself as if I was running alone and tried to keep up that pace.

Not too far into the race we encountered the only section with incline. I ran it. Others walked. I found myself fully capable of continuing on through the hills and I jutted out my chest and felt the pride in my accomplishment. That is until I was passed by one of those who had walked the hills. I don't know why it bothered me so much but it did. So I picked up my pace and I tailed her. I wasn't about to let someone beat me who couldn't continuously run the race! So after three more laps of the course we were nearing the finish line and I was ahead. On a downhill slope she attempted to pass. But I knew we were almost there so I sped up, and then faster, and faster until I almost sprinted the last 400 yards.

I made it! And I had beat the red-headed walker! One hour and fifty-two seconds! My legs were like jello the rest of the day but my mind was soaring. I had run a race again, after 7 years! Next perhaps I can try a half marathon. Who wants to join me? Pops? Dan?

Personal Training Blunder

A few weeks ago I finally received my membership card to 24 Hour Fitness and with it came a wonderful surprise, a free 50 minute session with a personal trainer! I was stoked because I always feel like an amateur to the gym because I never enter the free weights section. I seem to stick to the treadmill and, my recent addition, the elliptical machines. This was my chance to learn how to use the mysterious strengthening tools I had never braved before.

Unfortunately for me I chose this past Monday to use my free coupon and I was so excited. The trainer was a runner for one thing. I figured he could give me some very good thoughts on running and how to prepare myself for the 10k race that I had signed up to run this Saturday. He told me basically that any kind of work on toning your body and cardio workouts would strengthen me for running. So he showed me a full body workout that I could do using free-weights and an exercise ball.

I was exhausted after the session, so much so that my hand shook as I entered the combination to open the lock on the locker where I had placed my purse. The rest of the day my muscles felt like jelly. Unfortunately this feeling of jelly-limbs inevitably turned into muscle pain the following day, the kind of pain you get when you first start exercising after a long time of being lazy. This trainer had shown me how to work muscles that I didn't even know existed! And they hurt!

So for the rest of the week I have been attempting to regain my muscle control and lose the pain. I should have waited until after the big run to start up my new free-weight routine!

Lessons for later in life I guess.

Building Community -- A Continuous Process

We had a marvelous gathering the other day at our home. Preparations began several days ahead of time with a major organization meltdown (mine) over the mess of our house. I'm not naturally a very organized person. But I go through sprints of it. There are days when I just can't sit down because I want to find a place for everything! And then normal life comes back to me and my living space gets cluttered again. This past weekend, however, we were having guests over to our house! We couldn't let them come if they couldn't walk through the kitchen to get to the dining room because of all the unopened boxes and piles of papers! So I began to furiously organize and finally got all my fragile dishes placed nicely in my beautiful new (old!)hutch. Time to kick those now-empty boxes downstairs!

By mid-day on Sunday our house was spectacular. We could have held a ball in our kitchen and dining room with all the space we had opened up and we were ecstatic! Our guests began to arrive exactly on time at 3:00pm (the american neighbors we invited). They were thrilled to see the progress our home had made in the past 6 months. Neighborhood stories about our home are many and always very interesting. Such as all the many times our immediate neighbors had to help pull a car off the embankment because it couldn't make it down our driveway. Or the morning of the drug raid that happened because a nice tenant living in our home was growing marijuana. Apparently he tried to escape the police by jumping out the window in the master bathroom.

All-in-all our neighbors are very happy to have us living here now and we look forward to a very positive friendship. We have many things in common as well. They are avid hikers and have mentioned some wonderful trails in the area that I hope to visit soon. They are also dog lovers and shared some wonderful stories of dogs that they now have or have been previously a part of their lives. Jane from next door talked about a 147lb German Shepherd dog who grew to that size because of an almost exclusively elk diet in his early years. Jim had been hunting and brought home an elk. They had very carefully packed it away in the freezer and went on vacation. Unfortunately when they returned it was to find that the freezer had just failed. The meat still seemed good and they didn't want to toss it so every day Jane would cook some up for their dog. No wonder he made 147lbs!

In addition to wonderful neighbor experiences we had a variety of other friends over and I was amazed by how well they mixed together. Even though they had a hard time understanding each other Jane managed to keep up a wonderful conversation with our hispanic friends and Jim was already talking architecture with a man recently relocated here from Peru!

The neighbors from down the street even showed me a few plants growing in my yard that were edible! And we talked about making natural cleaners and handsoaps for the house.

What a marvelous day and positive future for our lives here!

Another Monica Moment

This morning was definitely a two-cups-of-coffee morning. I didn't get up extremely early but it was just one of those mornings when I struggled to make myself human. I tried to sleep for a little while longer on the couch during morning cartoons, but Ronan kept talking to me and Jonas kept bugging me to go make my coffee. Perhaps he's aware of the fact that I'm less monstrous once I've had a cup, or perhaps he just wanted me to continue with our normal morning routine. Whatever the case however, I finally caved and dragged myself off the couch.

I should take a hint from my parents who have their coffee pot ready the night before. All they have to do is press the button when they wake up and a few minutes later they have coffee! I never do though. Every morning I have to prepare the coffee pot before I can start it up. It takes so much longer to dump the old grounds, grind new ones and fill it up with water.

Anyway, this morning I finally had my first cup in my hands. Honestly I think it's more the idea that wakes me up...not the caffeine. But I love the smell of coffee, I love the taste (when sugar and milk are added) and I love the warm feeling of my big Mara owl cup in my hands in the morning. It usually takes me all morning to slowly sip. I enjoy sitting at my desk and checking my e-mail/blog while I drink my first cup. This morning, however, that first cup definitely didn't do the job.

I poured out my second cup. Added my sugar and stirred. Opened the bag of whole bean coffee that was sitting beside the pot and began to pour. Only when I had a full topping of floating coffee beans did I notice that this was not what I wanted to add to my cup! Whoa! Where am I? Who am I? Guess I really need this cup huh?

Well, I finally fished out all the beans and replaced them with my intended additive (milk). I have to tell you though, I barely made it through half of that cup before it was off to the gym with my energized toddlers. Perhaps I was just thinking too much this morning. But it's nice to have some moments like these in life where you can really wonder where your brain was! I can't even write this without laughing hysterically. Tears streaming down my face. It took me fully 10 minutes to write the paragraph above this.

Another Monica moment. Enjoy!

Do I Know You?

It was grocery shopping time this evening and I had to get out of the house. Jonas and Ronan were being their charming (I've-been-inside-too-long-and-it's-raining) selves and so we decided not to put off our shopping but brave the evening out together and head to Trader Joes.

We arrived happily ready to make some food decisions and Jonas talked me into letting him drive his own "Customer in Training" cart. Good idea? Perhaps. He was excited. A cart of his own to push around and fill (sadly he seemed to think that he could fill it with whatever he chose, picking things at random which he couldn't possibly recognise). The problem comes in dodging the rest of the shopping traffic. My little man doesn't always look where he's going. It was fun though.

Rounding the last isle I was trying to identify anything we might need from the shelves when a nice woman comes over all excited to see me. She looked vaguely familiar but I assumed that this was because she worked there (her name tag said Kendra). She was very nice, although she spoke in whispers because she had lost her voice, and we were happy to smile and talk with her.

When we were ready to check out we happened upon her checkout lane. She told me that I always look so familiar to her every time I come in and wondered where I was from. We covered the basics: high school, college, major towns we've lived but none rung a bell so we assumed it was just from the very spot we were standing that she knew me. Honestly I used to live just up the street from that Trader Joes when we were in the apartment the summer before last. Perhaps it's just that she hadn't seen me in a while and suddenly recognized me today.

Whatever the circumstances Jonas loved speaking with her in whispers (she was whispering because of her voice and Jonas was copying her because he thought he should) and Ronan very sweetly and loudly said 'bye' as we left. It was an interesting day at the grocery store.

Do you ever come across a stranger and wonder, "Do I know you?"

The Dreaded Cold

Ronan, my little one, started with a runny nose about a week ago. This led to stuffiness and cranky baby syndrome as well as being exceptionally contagious. The dreaded cold had entered our home again. Here I was thinking we were pretty much leaving cold season and remarkably lucky not to have to suffer numerous bouts of it being that we had two small toddlers.

Toddlers are germ magnets! They touch EVERYTHING, then inevitably suck on their fingers. They don't always have mama there to remind them to wash their hands or spray them with hand sanitizer. What toddler would really think about that? Jonas! He knows all about germs. When he doesn't feel well he attributes this to germs and talks about washing them away. However, he is still only 3 and as such does not frequently remember cleanliness. That's for mothers to fret over.

Oh well. So Ronan had a cold. It almost seemed like Jonas was going to breeze by without catching it until two days later when he started sniffling. Meantime I had gotten it shortly after Ronan and honestly I think it hit me the hardest. I've never had a cold like this. Perhaps it was confounded by allergies or something but my eyes were constantly watery. So much so that I couldn't read! Me! Not to mention my Rudolph nose and constant honking noises. It's four days in and I still can't smell anything, although thankfully I have my eyes under control again and can read! Yay!

Cold progression throughout a household of our size is inevitable. Daddy didn't quite get the cold but went to the doctor for back pain and was told he had a slight case of bronchitis. Without a cough? I've never heard of it. But here we are..nearly through it and thankfully sleeping full nights, notwithstanding my semi-normal early wake-up calls.

Thank goodness for vitamin C and echinacea!

Beach Day

Daddy was off to work this afternoon and both boys were just so eager to follow him that I could not keep them inside. We needed to flee the house and search for an outdoor space where Ronan was unlikely to infect others with his germs (he has a cold). Our initial destination was the Forest Park as usual where we could run under the trees along many crisscrossed paths brandishing our magic wands and practicing for our future at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, as we drew near the park I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to change course.

Instead we headed for the beach to play in the sand a while. We arrived at the parking lot and immediately the boys were energized. They raced over the boardwalk and up the stairs leading to the bridge. Here, however they stopped for a long time. A train was coming! "Beep beep!" said Ronan, and Jonas, of course, corrected him, "No Ronan, it's a choochoo train!"

After the train had passed we headed down the spiraling stairs to the beach. High tide, so much for sand. But there were tons of rocks, so mama tried to instigate a rock castle build and a search for seals. Ronan wasn't open for suggestions though. He was intent on one thing and one thing only: throwing rocks into the Sound. Hmmm...mama says no. Ronan says yes. Mama says no, let's build a rock castle. Ronan says no, let's throw rocks into the Sound. And on. And on.

Finally after many attempts to banish the rock-throwing idea I was saved by the arrival of a man with two dogs. We were on the off-leash portion of the beach and these dogs didn't look like they would tolerate my toddlers' rough play so I was given a marvelous excuse and we moved to the other side of the beach.

Why we didn't first come to this side is beyond me. There was sand here! And a glorious array of driftwood logs creating a beach playground on the short high tide space. Yay! With little persuasion I was able to get Ronan covered in beach sand and away from rock throwing. Finally a mama success story! And now we know that the side of the beach we need to go to is the sandy side.

I must note also that we met a lively puppy on our way back to the car and she was a chocolate lab. Very cute little girl who loved the attention of my boys and they hers. When we left her company I asked Jonas if we should get a puppy like that and he said, "well, first we should get some food for her." That's my smart little man. Prepare ahead of time. I love it!