a duck, secret service, a doctor, and a teenager

No, no punchline- just Halloween. C. donated her candy to Joe, who was feeling too old to participate this year...

37 is grand...

how can it not be??
on my night stand this week:
love in the time of cholera (Oprah, or no Oprah-i've wanted to read it for awhile)
eat,pray,love-next month's book club
three cups of tea
feast of love- an absolutely great book-so happy to have rediscovered it
pontoon- prairie home campanion, anyone
body surfing
already finished Celebrity Detox- amazing, singular, wonderful

back to the running this week, too...

happy, happy, happy

I am Woman...

that would be the tune that came up at mile 11 during the half-marathon and thoughts of the gals who encouraged me along the way got to me...#10355 was crying as she trotted down the road with the stomach flu!

most importantly, i finished, and i even made it under my goal time: 2:56! i am really happy about that, but I am even happier about the 250 miles i ran to get ready and the friendship with kath and the encouragement and support from my friends. i couldn't have done it without any of that OR without my body glide!

Cara

let me tell you a bit about Cara McDowell:
-when I am with her, I am at my best!
-we've known each other since 1991 and hit it off immediately
-my husband once danced her into our kitchen and she still has the scar to prove it
-she taught me how to play Set
-some of our best days were spent in the Westchester house eating take out Mexican food and hanging out
-she is K's godmother
-she is the reason we call C., Cara
-she is the teacher I try to be
-I am so happy she has such a full and wonderful life in TX with her awesome husband and darling boys
-when we are together, it is as though not a moment has passed
-she is much,much older than me :)
-when we part company we say "see ya' next week", because otherwise I cry inconsolably at the thought of how long it will be until we are together again
-I miss her every day!

Ten Miler

managed to do 10 miles this week- all by my lonesome! It took me just under two hours, so I am hopeful that I'll be able to do the half in just under three, but we will see. the kids are amazed that I have run nealry 250 miles in order to be able to run 13.1 successfully on Sunday.

this is my early b-day present and it has been quite a journey. i started it because i wanted to prove to myself that i could finish something i started, and to lose weight. well- one goal down(i am finishing) and one to go(have not lost a single ounce). i find great humor in the fact that i qualify for the CLYDESDALE division! Just call me Bessie! I think the absolute best things that have come out of this 20 week journey are: the clothes (comfy and cute), getting to a place where I can actually run without thinking about it, becoming familiar with products like BODY GLIDE

...and most especially: getting to know my running buddy Kathleen on a whole new level. If you ever want to find out how great a person is, run long distances with them. you can't imagine how great it is to have someone who is not competing with you, but rather inspiring you, pushing you and rooting for you. besides, even when I'm slow, she sticks with me, what more can gal ask for??

and she's back...

with a lot of support from my friend and running buddy, Kathleen. (Who, may I just say, is awesome! She hung in there through my mental breakdown and was all smiles and support this morning when I showed up at her back gate at 7am- she is incredible!)
two more weeks to go, and for the first time, I actually think I might finish the race with my wits intact!

in other news, hoping to see Cara today in San Diego- K's godmom and fabulous friend! She is one the people in my life that, no matter how long we go between chats or visits, it is like not a day has passed.

right now, I am off to deal with some chaffing issues- have a great weekend!

hello, it's me...

okay, it has been awhile since i last posted- real life takes over occasionally! hope all is well in your corner of the world...
what have I been up to? well...
-meeting and getting to know 18 new students. it is a nice group of children, however, they have many needs that we will spend the year working on. thank goodness janine and i love a challenge
-chasing after precious c. who walks everywhere. she is such a gift-always happy!
-getting three kids to three different schools. a first for us. each is doing well and working hard already.
-we had a nice shower for my niece andrea, who will be married in Oct. it was great to see everyone and catch up with them.
-book club- what a great evening! Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and recipies from the book-FUN...
-NOT running- seem to have developed some sort of mental block and have abandoned it altogether. not sure what that is about....
-trying to sneak in some moments with my husband. we are lucky to have older kids- we can go out and grab a quick meal here and there...

tonight is family night in America. we are lucky, as most nights mean all of us at the table for dinner together. we have started to say no to things that interupt our dinner time- we decided that it is sacred and comes first. don't get me wrong- it is not ozzie and harriet pleasant, but we are all together, each with our part to play, and it is only a matter of time before it will be impossible to call everyone to dinner and have them show up! life goes fast, and it is great to appreciate being together as a family- even if it means I have to cook!

a turtle sees herself for real

Well, it has been a really busy couple of weeks. Just like CPAs have their busy season, teachers spend many, many hours getting their rooms ready and attending meetings. Unfortunately, the only paid part are the meetings!

It turns out my ipod needs to be calibrated and I have not been running as much, or as quickly as I thought. I found this out the hard way when I ran a 4miler with Kath- 52 minutes is a 13 minute mile and I thought I was running closer to 11. Today, I headed out to do 8 and quit at 4.5...Joe was with me and he could walk as fast as I could run!

the kids are savoring their last hours of summer and so are the teachers in the house! our rooms are ready, the kids have their books and schedules and some new clothes to wear. we wait on school supplies until after the kids go to class- in the upper grades, each teacher wants something different and in the lower grades, most things are provided. (Did you know that kids need a 140.00 calculator these days??)

C. is waking up and ready for breakfast and then it's off to church, home to finish up summer homework and then, perhaps, to Hemet as grannie fell last night and broke her wrist...

take care of yourselves and travel safely is you are on the road!