I’ve been out of it for a while now--that song fits. Sometimes life hands you lemons, from which you can make delicious lemonade. Somewhat less well known, however, is that sometimes life kicks you squarely in the junk, rips your still-beating heart from your chest and stomps it into thousand little pieces. What do you do with that?
On a more positive side, the running thing has been going well. I ran 10 miles for the first time in July, which gave me a lot of confidence for the half marathon. After moving in late July I got to take the girls up to Oregon for a week. We first went to my sister’s house in Eugene, and the girls became best friends with their cousins (they are the same ages). I went to a Eugene Emeralds baseball game with my dad, brother and brother in law. It was nice to just hang out and watch the game, even though I didn’t know the names of anyone playing. The leadoff hitter was maybe the shortest baseball player I’ve seen, but he was ridiculously fast. His little legs were wheeling around like a cartoon character! I believe this was also the first time I heard my dad offer to buy me a beer. I KNOW it was the first time my brother bought me a beer!
The next day my sister made the best pancakes I think I ever had. I think she puts crack in them. The girls and I headed to McMinnville to meet their aunt at the Evergreen Air and Space Museum. The air museum is where the Spruce Goose looms over a bunch of other (far smaller) aircraft. The buildings and grounds are spectacular, and the exhibits aren’t bad either. It’s a nice place to check out. I even had a bison burger while there (it was a bit dry, but good).
My sister brought her kids up to my parents’ house in Buxton, so the girls were happy. I took my sister’s dog Cody with me on a run up the Banks-Vernonia trail that runs behind my parents’ house. It was a nice run up and down hills, but it was shady and cool compared to L.A. weather. I ended up running 14 miles, but Cody quit at about 13 so I beat the dog!
We also managed to hit the Newport Aquarium and do some tax-free shopping before we left OR. I also got to spend some time with my friends Courtney, Jennifer and David.
Now I’m getting ready for the Disneyland Half Marathon, which starts at 6am Sunday morning. I have to head down to Anaheim today to pick up my race stuff, check into my hotel and try to get some sleep. At least it won’t be very hot at 6am!
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