checking in

So if you are wondering if I'm dead...

HELLO!

And I'd love to catch you all up on my latest adventures but our internet is POO right now and I'm at my parents place using their computer/internet.  So I'm gonna just say hey-

"Hey."

-and here's a link to my mom's blog telling all about the trip that I/we went on last week.  (I got to be the photographer!)

I'malink,I'malink,I'malinklinklink.

...more to come later!

I'm here! & Hi Dad!!

blah, blah, blah....

We've been sick.
The internet is sick.
So here's some pics from my phone-

And here's a drawing/memory for my dad on Father's Day-

I call it, "A Globular-Cluster Date"

 Happy Father's Day Dad.  I love you!  And I'm at the door.  ..right ....now.

(Wouldn't that be awesome if you read this right as I walked in the door?  I'll be stopping over so fingers crossed!)

"3 am Garret"

I had a dream the other night.  (I do sleep sometimes...)  Garret suddenly started to speak.  I have these dreams maybe once or twice a year and they are always SO realistic.  This last one he was saying phrases from his favorite videos and I was so worried that I would react incorrectly and he would revert back.  It was a dream about me- scared about doing the wrong thing.

I guess I'm a mom.

duh.

Do you like the picture?  I "cleaned-up" his room a bit for good presentation...

my protege

I discovered that Suzie is quite the photographer.  She left me some portfolio samples on my phone...

She is now booking appointments but beware, payment requires cookies...

tuppence (thanks for the title Tyler)

How am I feeling?  GREAT.  Today my hobbly-walk is mostly gone and my sore left foot is almost ignore-able.  You know what that means...  Tomorrow I go running!!!

Is it silly that I'm already thinking about my next marathon?

Mike just laughed as he quoted my first comments, moments after my finish.  (I said some pretty harsh things about running, marathons, life...)  But I reminded him that it only took me about 10 minutes of rest to say something positive.  Give me a break!  I had to run in the HEAT!  I don't do that!!

So the rest of this year will be dedicated to shorter runs.  I'm hoping to increase my OK speeds to WOW-WHAT-WAS-THAT speeds.  And next year I will conquer another 26.2...

Well, enough about running (for now).  Let's do a movie review-

Temple Grandin

It's the true story of a woman growing up with autism in the 50's, 60's.  (Back then doctors told mother's of autistic children that they didn't hold the child enough.  Can you imagine?  Yeah, they referred to them as "refrigerator moms".  Cold and disconnected.)  But the movie is captivating.  Clair Danes plays Temple and is excellent.

I cried and laughed.  I could see so much of my kids in her.   Even if you don't have any connection to autism I think you'll enjoy this movie.

Yes, YOU.

Hi.

I have to tell you about a particular scene- when Temple needs a certain contraption that calms her and she can't get to it she becomes desperately frantic.  It was just like an odd phase that Brenda went through.  She has never liked having her teeth brushed and there was a while when after the struggle she would throw herself to the floor, face down, hands at her side and cry, "Water in the hair.  WATER IN THE HAIR!!!"  She would only calm down once we trickled a little water on her head.  Strange, huh?  It was fascinating to watch Temple have similar moments.

It's just really good.  I promise.  Watch it!

the long awaited post

So.  It's done.  My first marathon.  I am a MARATHONER!  It was HARD.  I sailed through the first 17 miles.  Winced through mile 21.  And hated life for the last 5.  The hot sun tried to ruin me but I said, "You SUCK, sun.  I'm finishing this!" 

If by some miracle there is a certain young girl reading this- THANK YOU for standing outside your house with the hose offering to spray passing runners!!!  That was heaven-sent.

But I felt strong.  My legs are, of course, SORE, but I remember being amazed that I was never really out of breath (except when I was trying to not cry at the end), and even though I was slow in the end, I had the energy to keep going...

It took me 5 hours and 2 minutes and I'm just giddy over the fact that my mom and I did this together.  My dad was our "go-to" guy and brought me shoes and grape juice when I needed it.  (In the heat my barefoot shoes just burn my feet, so I switched around mile 16.)  And Mike met me at the finish line.  (He says it looked like I was annoyed to see him.  I was just trying not to cry...)

But running amidst 900 others along the beach and river was an experience few can claim as their own.  I'm really savoring it (the day after).  I believe this may be the first of many such events for me...

Those who know me well, know that I am not a very vain person.  More of a slob.  But the small, vain part of me is taking over as I prep this post.  I am yet to have a good picture of myself at a running event.  It is partially my own fault as I like to run wearing something I rolled out of bed in, and fixing hair and makeup always seems pointless... But I swear I'm just doomed to awkward running pics.   So be it.

I do have one gloriously-fantastic picture of my second-born (me included) from about 10 minutes after the marathon-

 Here's Mom and me SUPER happy to be done and alive-

So today I made Mike snap and snap and snap until vain-me was satisfied with a good shot.                                                                                

Notice the necklace?  It's a silver '26.2'.  My mom gave it to me and I love it.

WE DID IT!!!!

crazy laughter...

I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.  I'm running a marathon tomorrow.

I'M RUNNING A MARATHON TOMORROW!!!!!!!