The Word of the Day is.......

BRRRRRRRRR!!!!! Another cold one today but the fresh air feels absolutely fabulous! No running just walking. Only 6 days left of the fall quarter.....in the words of Lincoln Park....Imma bout to break!

No rest for the wicked!

So we've been to every corner of the state of Washington in the past two weeks (ok we skipped the south west corner). I am so glad we can relax a little now. (It's not going to happen but I can daydream about it can't I?)

I wanted to thank Megan for a wonderful Thanksgiving day meal, and for protecting us all while we were amongst the mad throngs of people. :) And a thanks to poochoo and julio for their hospitality and donuts. It was great to see everyone.

It's too cold outside to run, let alone walk. It is a whopping 6 degrees and the roads are nice and icy. I'm going to load up in layers today though and try to get some fresh air and a little blood pumping through my veins. My brain really needs it. I would rather try to weather the weather then be stuck on the treadmill right now. When I have a little more time and brain cells are regenerated I will write about our Seattle experience.

This next week is going to be a test of of all it is that I have to give. It started out on Monday.....Test in A&P.....Tuesday test in Nutrition, today I only have class.....and then it's presentation and test on Thursday, test on Friday, test on Monday, test and presentation on Tuesday and finally my final final exam on Wednesday. My butt is going to be glued to a chair. Not looking forward to all that but it'll be worth it once Wenesday is here and passed. Hope everyone is staying nice and warm!

Seattle Post Race Report.....

Will be postponed for now due to bad weather and some logistical problems. Will write more in the weeks to come. :)

I'm-ma Surviva.....not gonna give up

(if I could express my feelings about shopping amongst throngs of mad people......this picture would say it all. I was woken out of a dead sleep at 5 am......I was in shock and awe.....I obviously was not born with the shopping gene....maybe I got it from one side of the genotype but my phenotype screams "you people are out of your shopping tryptophan soaked minds." And then I found a Starbucks and everything was just fine)

I survived a Black Friday in one piece. All limbs are attached and my sanity is still intact. It was my first and I will say a very fun and memorable experience.....beware the woman with the handicapped plate and a truck full of cigarette butts and garbage. She will spare no one to get her fill in of shopping on a black friday at Tar-geeeee-t (silent T people). She will run you down and then flick her ash on you. (make note to self.....if ever you should attempt this feat ever again, make sure you bring someone who is a Leo.....you will be well protected my friend.....no numchucks needed here.....just a good set of keys for eye gouging.)

I am so excited for this weekend (although today is technically here already). (gulp) I am looking forward to getting back to the old stomping grounds.....and staring up at some real sky scrapers. I am excited to run such a scenic route and be surrounded by my family and friends (minus those far away...I carry you with me in my heart). I am trying to remain calm....even though I woke up at fricken 5 am. I am runner.....hear me roar!

On a final note....I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and the "Turkey Trot" aka vj's "one mile marathon" was a blast. Minus the creepy clown that was mime-ing and dancing to Christmas music. Congrats to Julio on running a 7:40 and for running back to help that old lady up after he crossed the finish line.

Thanks and Giving

I love this time of year. Autumn is my absolute favorite season because there is always so much hustle and bustle going on. It starts out with a change in the air, and then the leaves. Then theres going back to school and all the excitment that that brings......and before you know it it's Halloween. And then quicker yet it's All Saints Day and November is in full swing. Then of course following right behind comes Christmas and New Years. It's an exciting time of year.....when you can stop for a second and enjoy it.

Thanksgiving is the time of year where I stop to reflect on everything that has gone on over the months. It's usually the time I start to jot down any resolutions I may want to consider for the New Year and update my 1 year, 5 year and 10 year plan. Ok.....so I'm a virgo who is hooked on writing lists and being organized. I have actually saved all my resolution lists and life "plans" since I started writing them down in 99'. It is funny to look back and see what my priorities were and what it was that I wanted to do with my life. The even funnier thing is that those priorities haven't changed much over the years. I still want to buy 20 acres and a cabin, and finish my RN and run a marathon. I have changed a few little things and of course I have crossed things off the "lists". I mean thats what lists are for.....the crossing off so you can see that you are accomplishing something.

I was reading an article this week for my Psychology class titled "The Value of Positive Emotions". It was a powerful article and it made me look at this past year in a whole new light. This year has been a year of change for me in every aspect of my life. It has been fast paced and it has been trying at times. Sometimes people or obstacles are placed in your life to help you learn about yourself and what material it is that you are made of. Sometimes we let a little negative creep in and we don't even realize it. I am the eternal optimist....an idealist and so I am always trying to make good of even the worst of situations. Positives can be found even in the negatives. I mean multiply enough negatives together and your going to eventually end up with a positive. I guess the point I'm trying to make is this.......it's been a fabulous year and I have learned more about myself through all of the challenges. You can't grow unless you experience time outside of your "box". There are some challenges ahead but I know that they'll be overcome. This upcoming year is going to be one of the best. It's just a gut feeling.

I am thankful and grateful for all those who are in my life. I am happy, healthy and I am blessed enough to have found my soulmate and bestfriend. It took him long enough to show up.... but when he did it was perfect timing. I run Seattle for my little pit crew...Sunny girl and Jake.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I can't wait to run the turkey trot....and then gobble down. Hope you have a wonderful day......and I miss everyone thats far away. I love you Dad! :) Rock on Plymouth Rock! (aka the Plymouth Pebble).

Muscle Madness

I have free time. Right at this very minute I have free time. No more pounding muscles of the face, neck, back, chest and abdomen into my brain. Not until next week when we start all the other muscles of the freakin body. I will be the happiest person alive once November is over. Ok maybe after the first week of December and finals are done, dead, gone.

This week has just been another blur. There are only about ten days until Seattle. Time does fly when you have no time to have fun. I may be lacking in the time department but I must say.....life is pretty darn good. In fact it is absolutely amazing and wonderful. Haven't had much time to ramble about running (not running that many miles now anywayz) or anything else for that matter. Maybe after tommorrow I can sit and catch up on the ol blog and everyone elses.

I can't wait until the weekend. We are going on a little "get away"....and let me tell you I am beside myself. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Sad really....but I'm counting down the hours. I AM NOT DOING ANY HOMEWORK. And I am going to have pure unadulterated fun. Sorry I mean WE are! :) Wishing everyone a lovely week and hope to catch up with everyone soon. For now I have got to cram....free time over.

Week 14......yes it's here!

Everything lately in my life goes by Weeks. Big chunks of time just rushing by at a warp speed. Weeks left of school, weeks till Seattle (whatever that may be), weeks till Christmas and so on and so forth. Last week went by and is gone and I am staring 2007 in the face. I mean it will be here in 8 weeks. EIGHT weeks. A whole new year. I swear I'm still somewhere in August. Maybe it has something to do with the crazy warm weather. I would chalk it up to Indian Summer but we've had no sun.

So this week is a taper week. (my closest and dearest know the dealio YO!) The runs are 5/8/5 and 9 miles. Ahhhhhhh I breathe a sigh of relief. My knees breathe a sigh of relief. I am so excited to go to Seattle. Not just for the race but for the food, and bookstores, and womens apparrel. Oh and the coffee. And the peeps. And honest to god I will even savor the traffic. It will be bliss I tell you. BLISS! Even the rain.....the sweet rain. Not rain until after the race though. (please god or buddha....one more teeny tiny request).

I finished my last day at work.....but they keep asking me to work more hours. Clearly the people need some sort of hearing device. I will miss the staff and my sweet residents but it is time to moo-ve on down the road. Or was that ease on down the road? Anyways...This week I have massive amounts of reading to do and a couple of tests. Hopefully I can keep up. Adios for now. Wishing everyone a great week!

Dear God Part Deuce......

Dear God, Buddha or whoever it is thats out there,

I wanted to thank you for guiding me to see the light. I think Mondays always have a way of kicking me in the pants.

I realize that when I last spoke with you I didn't say thank you for all you have done for me and all the wonderful gifts that I have gotten in my life. I do have my moments of self absorption, and although I would never admit it in public the occasional narcissitic tendency. But I don't have to tell you that because you already know this.

Sorry for babbling on and wasting your time.....let me get to the point(s) I am trying desperately to make.

I realized that the last time we spoke.....ok so I spoke and you listened.....I was only thinking of myself. It is no one elses fault but my own that my time management needs time management. You are only placing people who are rude, arrogant, mean, selfish, and crazy in my pathway to help me grow into a more compassionite, caring, and understanding person. Lessons learned. The hard way maybe....but learned.

I think my Nana would roll over in her grave (or be spitting down from heaven) if she knew I did not pray for all those in the world who are in need and for not asking forgiveness (especially for all the F-Bombs I have been dropping). I do this now.....(silence).

Thank you for helping me get through another Monday with a smile on my face. AMEN

Dear God or Buddha or Whoever is out there.......

Dear God,

Could you please ensure that I can make it through this week with all four limbs and brain intact. I cannot seem to keep up on the load that you keep dumping on me and I think I may be losing my hair faster than a 70 year old man with prostrate troubles. I have been taking it all in good strides and I even laugh occasionally. Please just give me the strength to continue having a sense of humor even though it can be really hard to laugh when the cruel joke is being played on you.

Forgive me for complaining and lead me not into temptation, like telling people off or giving them the bird. I don't really ask for much (my Christmas list doesn't count....I sent that to the other guy up north) so please help me get through this week with a smile on my face and my To Do list caught up. Thank You for hearing me and not laughing at my pain and suffering as insignificant as it may be.

All Saints Day.....a day of new and happy beginnings

So where are we? Oh yes! Somewhere in the middle of Week 13. And week 12......well we'll talk about that another time. It was here and gone before I could comprehend that it was here and gone. So I'm trucking right on in to this week and not looking back. Today is a nice easy 5 tomm is 8 and Sat another easy 5. I have to move the second 18 miler to Monday due to work committments. Then it's time to taper.

Speaking of work.....I have decided that I will be moving on from my current job. I have a bigger and brighter opportunity and I have decided to pursue it. I think that I need more of a challenge. I miss my old job in Oly and all the people there and I wish I could have imported some of the work ethic to bring over here to the Mak. But sadly that isn't possible. I am excited and looking forward to all of the "new-ness" a new job brings. Besides the old job really wasn't conducive to my school schedule. I always felt like I was juggling forks....make one wrong move and there goes an eye. The past month it has been school, work, school,study, run,study, eat, sleep. Oh yes and a side order of family time, blog entry, and a phone call to the outside world.

School has finally slowed down for like 2 seconds. I am happy to report that I got a 96 on my A&P midterm (not bragging I swear). I was very happy and relieved and have all A's thus far into the quarter. I finished one of my last papers yesterday so I think I can relax until next week when the socks hit the fan again.

The Autumn Leaf Run was alot of fun and I was so excited for Shelby. She did really well, only stopping twice because we had to go up a little hill. She practically sprinted the whole mile and laughed the whole way. Everyone was impressed with her finish and I'm pretty sure she came in first for her age group. Next year we're going to have to go for the three miler. She was also excited that she got her own number and even more excited to see that there were some four legged participants who also had their own numbers. After the race we sat down by the finish line and cheered on the people we knew running the 3 and 6 miler. It was a really fun little race.
It is now November. This is going to be one very busy month and I am hoping to get through it in one piece. Besides Seattle theres Thanksgiving, and presentations, tests, Veterans Day, crabbing, and a new job. Theres a few more things I could list but I won't, for fear of droning on. Changes are going on at a constant rate of speed and I'm not feeling like things will be slowing down anytime soon. Wish I could say that about my race pace. :)