Evil and Good

Quote of the Day: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

This is a quote that a friend  posted on his blog recently.

It really hit me hard, because my thinking has been closely related to this quote.(lately)
This is something of the human condition that we struggle with daily. (I believe)

Who am I to ever point at others and say that they are bad or wrong ?- when I myself am far from perfect and might commit the same infraction if I were in their situation.
I think about this every time I drive. I am quick to condem someone on the cell phone or someone that has cut me off, etc.   But when I'm in a hurry or stressed, I have found myself doing the same thing that I hate to see other people doing.    I have to constantly tell myself to quiet the inner being and not get upset.
Aren't we all so complicated!?
I believe that usually when a person is angry or upset - it is because  old pain or emotion  triggers it.
And when a person gets angry, the ability to think rationally is greatly diminished.
I have heard before that an angry person has no more ability to think rationally than a drunken person.
And you should never try to reason with a drunken person!!

Well, on another note. There was a crazy situation in Moses Lake this week. The Columbia Basin Herald had put a comment on their FB page that a mentally ill man died (that everyone knows, because he has walked the streets there everyday for the past few years). 

I was quite alarmed at first, because I had seen this man many times( because I go to Moses Lake quite a bit.) One time I even stopped and talked to him and tried to help him out.
 He would walk the streets in torn clothes and an old pair of shoes - no matter what kind of weather.
I sat one day at Dairy Queen watching him in the pouring rain taking his shoes on and off and sitting on the sidewalk just drenched -with no thought of the cold around him.
I kept thinking of how easily I could end up like this. Life is so crazy, aren't we all just a few steps away from insanity?? (like this situation)
Well, when I tried to help him out....he said he didn't want any help, just a little money to get him a meal at McDonald's. So okay I can do that.
( And come to find out - a lot of people have done the same thing for him.)  

So,  I later found that the rumor on ' The Heralds'  facebook page wasn't true.(and they have since deleted it and apologized)
 He was taken to the Tri Cities area and is in some kind of rehab place there.  I hope he is doing better.

The day after Valentine's

Yes, I really felt the day after Valentine's day would be gloomy.
It was and it wasn't.
It was because the Sun didn't shine all day and it looked gloomy all day.
But it wasn't for me, because I was feeling good today! YAY!
I have not walked the River in a long, long time and I decided I was going to do it!
When I got there, I could see clouds rolling in and it looked like it was going to rain.
But I decided to walk anyway and see how far I could go before the rain started.
Well, it sprinkled now and then, but it never rained hard, so I was able to do the
 whole 11 miles.



So I felt good about myself today. Even though, I haven't walked or jogged much at all since the 1/2 mara -

 I did accomplish something today.

And I even got to talk to a good friend on the phone (during my walk) that I haven't talked to in months.

I also got to talk to my daughter a little bit.

Then after getting home and cleaning up, I went to Ephrata.

I visited my M-I-L, Vera in the hospital and I was able to do a few things for her.

I felt like I may have lifted her day a little and then I went to visit my buddie Connie at work.

We had a great talk and I saw a few other pals and I really felt like it was a great day.

Wow.....I'm getting easier to please in my old age!

Speaking of old age, I've been cleaning out old letters that I've had. I hate to say it, but some of them are clear from Middle School. I even had some old valentines in there. I realized that these things are 40 +

years old!

I finally threw a bunch of these things away. But it was fun to go through a lot of them (especially the ones from my High School friends that wrote me when I went to BYU)

The Nostalgia really had set in after I read a lot of those letters.

Jay had written me a lot of mushy, lovey, dovey letters!  Can you believe that! I had to show him.

Anyways, I found a wedding invitation from an old roommate at BYU and decided to look up her name on Facebook. I found her! It was so great to re-connect and she looks like the same fun Jeanne that I remember. What an exciting thing it was. Life has really changed for us with all that we can do on the internet!

The Miami marathon

Well,

I do feel good about completing this 1/2 mara.

I couldn't sleep the night before, because I was so nervous about it. (And we had to be at the starting point by 5:30 AM - which was 2:30 AM pacific standard time.)

I've decided it's really all worth it, tho, even if

I still do have my doubts around mile 8. Saying to myself : " What do you think you are doing - you're not a runner." This is where my good  mantras come in and I have to be stronger than my weak mind.

There are always those very lean runner types that make me think - I shouldn't be here.  But then, there are really all types of runners and I'm so thankful to see those that have a little meat on their bones!

There were around 22,000 runners in this race. So it was fun to be with such a big group and see so much variety, even though I do prefer a smaller group.

The scenery was the best on this run: Palm trees swaying, blue skies, beach, big huge cruise ships sitting at the dock, and the tall sky scrapers of Miami's downtown.

Well, I didn't do my best time this time, but I was just happy to be there.  I waited for Rocky to complete his mara, but I was getting sick standing in the hot sun- sweating and trying to find him.  So I just about gave up and decided to go back to the car, when I happened to catch a glimpse of him. That was good, because then we got the pics that I posted above.

We both felt pretty good.....so we went back to the hotel and ordered a pizza.  And the minute the pizza arrived, we both felt ill. We had bad headaches and started throwing up.  I think it was a delayed reaction to the Sun. (heatstroke) We weren't used to the heat. Just two days earlier I was in the freezing temps of the Northwest.  Well, to make a long story shorter: we felt much better the next day and ate all the cold pizza.

Then Jay came and we had a great week together. We really enjoyed the warmth. The guys played golf and I just took it easy. We drove down to Key West and stayed a night there. On our last day, we took a ferry out to an Island. (Tortuga) It was 70 miles out and  had an old Fort on it.(Fort Jefferson).  What a history it had......I really enjoyed hearing it. I guess I don't have time to tell it all here.

Anyways, we did do some snorkeling, but the water was pretty cold. I didn't stay in very long. It was much more fun to just lay on the beach and take in the beautiful scenery.  It all seems like a dream now.

Mantras

Runnersworld mantras
The above link is to an article in Runner's World about Mantras. I thought it was pretty interesting.

Today I've decided that I need a better mantra in my mind for the race that is coming up.
I'm not even going to tell you what my mantra of the past has been,( because it is quite lame,) but it has worked for me.
I really think it is great to have a mantra or a few mantras to think of during a race.
Since they don't usually let you listen to your Ipods during these races - you need to have something in your mind to keep you motivated.
When I ran the marathon at Salmon River, I kept telling myself,  'You can do this',  'You can do this'.
'You are strong', 'You are strong'.
 It did help......  but that's still not my main mantra....I just can't tell you, because it might come back to haunt me someday....:) (if I tell anyone)

There are plenty of good ones and singing a song in your mind helps, too.
So if anyone reading this has any great suggestions, I'm all ears!!

Today I jogged 5 miles on the treadmill. I do hope I'm ready for this race, because I haven't been in one since the 5 miler at Ephrata Sage-n-Sun last June.  And I kind of had a tough time at that one-( for some reason.)  I felt better at the 1/2 marathon in Wenatchee last April.
 Well, I do believe a lot of it is in your mind. You can make or break how well you do - just by what you tell yourself.
Positive attitude, Marie,  positive attitude, positive attitude...........
runnersworld mantras

A sunny day...

Here's a few pics from Christmas time that I wanted to post.  The first one is of baby Gwen after her last surgery on her lip.  It looks sooo much better.  She has all the apparatus off now and is doing fine. The other ones are of the Grandkids, (one of Kallista) and Greg is in a couple of them. Maybe because Heidi is the one that took these pics.  Mine didn't turn out too well. I've gotta start taking my good camera with - instead of using my I-phone.  The last photo is of all of us (except Rocky) at Hoover Dam.
I'm so glad we were all able to get together.  I can see it is getting harder and harder to make that happen.

Anyways, I have to report about yesterday. It was a beautiful, sunny day here.  I decided to do my 11 miles around the Columbia River.  And believe it or not, I actually got hot.  I had layered on too many clothes. But it felt good to be outside and sweat it out.  My phone said that it got up to 55 degrees! 
I know it's causing a lot of melting and flooding which isn't good, but I sure enjoyed the day.
Well, I can say that my feet felt like lead on most of the walk .  I just couldn't run that much. So that is telling me that I'm not going to be in the best shape for this marathon.  Oh, well.......... I'm just going to have to do what I can.
I'm just so thankful that I can get out and move.  I feel so badly about Vera.  She can't even stand up. Your quality of life does suffer when you are laying in bed most of the day, that's for sure.

January............

It's just not the most fun month is it?? I really don't know anyone who LOVES the month of Januray.  Maybe just those that live in a warmer climate.
I have a few family members that live in sunny Arizona and they don't mind January. 
 They can tell us (with a smirky smile) what the temp is there on any given day in January and make us here (in the Northwest) -EXTREMELY JEALOUS.

Yes, I am longing for a warmer climate right now. Yesterday I did 9 miles on the treadmill and it seemed like FOREVER!  I even watched the entire movie "The Count of Monte Cristo" (which did help), but there is something wrong with walking in the same spot for 9 miles.  I can't quite articulate what the problem is, but it just doesn't seem right to me.  I like to be going some where.

Well, I know that complaining about it - won't get me anywhere. I will get a taste of warm weather at the end of this month.  I'll be meeting our son, Rocky J in Miami to run the marathon.  Rock is running the full and me the half.  I think I already mentioned that, but it's really a great thing to look forward to. I think we'll be running on the beach (or at least near it) most of the way! I can't wait.   Although, my body says it can.  I need to keep up the exercising plan or I will not be in any shape to run.

WEll, these pics I've posted here - are just ones of warmer days in the past couple years....that's all....

Christmas time.

Okay, I'm finally going to write a little about Christmas time. (2010)

But before I get into that - I'm going to report that I have started my walking/running regimen again.
Since last Saturday, I have gone 4 miles on the treadmill - every other day.  I don't think it has helped having a cold through it all.  I really thought I could sweat out the cold, but I think I made it worse.  Anywho,
I'm committed to keep this up and do some long jogs at the end of each week. 
Rocky(my son) and I are going to participate in the Miami Marathon at the end of the month.  He will be doing the full and me the half. (of course) I've gotta get ready.

Well, it really was a great Christmas all and all, but of course, the things that went wrong do stick out.

I will first list the things that went right:
1.  We(our family) all got together in one place!
2.  We all had fun - in one way or other and at one time or another.......:)
3.   No one got seriously hurt.
4.   No one lost tons of money gambling, or at least I don't know about it......:)
5.   We saw some neat things....(The Bellagio decorations and water fountains, the M&M factory, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, Adventure Dome, Hoover Dam,a couple good movies, a good show, etc.
6.   We could have spent so much more $$  than we spent.........:)
7.   Had some pretty good food - a few times.
8.   Had a pretty good place to stay with a hot tub and pool.
9.   Had a great time w/the Grandkids.

Now the things that went wrong:
1.  Our plane flight was cancelled, so we ended up driving all the way to Las Vegas. (15 hours or so)
2.  Which means we drove all the way back. (and it wasn't pretty driving the 'Blues' in eastern Oregon)
3.   Greg got seriously sick on Christmas Day. (We think it was food poisoning)
4.   We ended up eating at In-n-Out burger for our Christmas Eve feast!
5.   We ate a Buffet for our Christmas Day Feast and for the price - it was sad......
6.   I realized (which I already knew)  that it is sooooooooooo much easier to just have everyone come home.
7.   Rocky J.  really didn't get to stay very long.
8.   We could have spent less $$ than we spent......:)
9.  I got a cold on the way home that just won't leave!! Now Jay is getting it.

Well, I know that you gotta have the bad w/the good -or you don't deserve the good.
So I will just say that it was quite an experience and we probably won't do that again......
but never say never..........

This is at the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  It was a fun place to take the kids.

                                                             This one was at Hoover Dam

P.S. Oh, and one more!
No one WON tons of money, or at least I don't know about it......:-)

A different New Year.........

Happy New Year! I hope it will bring more love, peace, and happiness than last year. Not that last year was terrible, just that it could be lots better.

I don't think I can catch up with all that has happened this last month. It's just been a very, very busy month.

The day after I last blogged -
 my Mom-in-law (Vera) fell at church and broke a lot of bones.
I just happened to be the one bringing her to church and trying to keep her from falling at the time.
We were so great about stepping carefully around all the snow and ice to get into the building.  But right when we entered the building - I let go of her to shake someone's hand and she took off and tripped on one of those mats that they have at the inside entrance of the building.
 I saw it all.  It was like slow motion to me.
 Nothing I could do - but try to help with all the aftermath of it.  And that is what we are still doing. (and will be for a long time)
It has been very sad this whole month to see how painful the whole thing has been for her. She broke her hip, her wrist, and her foot.  She already has a a broken right arm that can't be fixed and now her left side is bad.
So she can't even feed herself right now.  So many friends and family  have been so great to come to the hospital to see her and  to help feed her.
She has lived by us - our whole married life. I'm very lucky (blessed) to have such a kind, good, sweet mother-in-law.  I just hate to see her living the last of her days like this. (She is 87.)
She has had a lot happen to her in the last 15 years - since Jay's Dad died.
But to make a long story short, it doesn't look like she will be able to take care of herself again. She will probably always be in a Nursing Home now.  I do feel bad it happened this way, but like I said - there's not much I can do about it. 
Here's a few pictures of her in the last few years:

Well, maybe I'll just stop here and tell you the happier stuff in my next blog.

We did have a great family vacation this Christmas - so I will have to do a blog on that.

I'm kind of a downer right now (have a cold). So our celebration of the New Year was to go to bed early.

Yep that's sad.

December

Yes, I know December is going to go by in a blink. It's already December 4th and I don't know how that happened. December is the month that I can always think of a million and 1 things to do. (and at any given moment)  I try to do my Christmas cards early, but I get them started and then put them on hold for one reason or another. Yes, I have started them this week, but I'm already finding excuses for not finishing them. I really want to have them done before I leave to Idaho Falls on the 8th. I hope that can happen.

Baby Gwendolyn is having another lip surgery on the 9th - at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake. I will stay and watch the other 3 kids(Weston, Analee and Kallista)  while Staci & Chad take Gwen to Salt Lake.
I'm so glad that I can help in some way.

I will get back on the 13th, but there will of course be plenty to do before we leave a week later to Las Vegas.  That's where the family is having Christmas this year.  Yes, it will be interesting! (to say the least)
We are all quite excited it about it.  We'll find plenty to do , I'm sure.

Anyways, about my Christmas cards. I've decided that I picked the most unflattering picture of Jay & I for the cards and it's just to late to change now.  I've already got over 60 copies. Yes, I'll post it here and you can be the judge. 
I just wanted to get it done, but now the more I look at it, the more I realize I shouldn't send pics of us at all.

          It looks like we are really squishing poor santa in this picture....:)

I'm thankful for........

Yes, I'm feeling in the thankful mood. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day!
I got my IPAD today and I can't put it down. I think I won't have time for anything else. There are a million apps you can get for just about anything you can think of - and free ones at that!! I just looked through all the magazine apps. I got the Seattle magazine for free, but there were a lot of free ones(mags) that I've never even heard of.  I guess I can waste enormous amounts of time on this, but, hey!
it's fun!
Anyways, back to being thankful........right now I'm thinking of how thankful I am to have a warm house.
It is sooooooo freeeeeeeeezzzzing cold outside.  We are having abnormally cold weather for November.
It is below zero outside right now. We just are NOT use to the below zero #'s. 

I know I take for granted all the luxuries that we have.  One is a nice car.  I have a good car that I can rely on. I'm so thankful for that.
We have electricity and running water (even hot water at that). We are so blessed.  Right now Jay has a nice fire going in the fire place.  It's so nice to have that on a cold, blustery day.
We have plenty of clothes and plenty of food.  I know we will glut ourselves on food tomorrow. It's so nice to have good food to eat. I realize that we really take this for granted.
I guess now that I got started  - I have to mention more - good music, good movies, technology.
We can call anybody at anytime that we want.  I can call my good friend in New Zealand and it's no big deal - because it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. (like it use to). Yes, I'm thankful for good friends, too.
But I know that the most important thing to be thankful for is:  FAMILY.  Yes, I'm so thankful for my loved ones.  Just what would we do with out each other??
We would be quite lonely.   I'm not one that minds being alone, but alone for too long.......that I do mind.

One last thought:  I'm thankful for just normal, ordinary days.
 Here's a thought I read by Jean Irion:
" Just a normal day.  A normal day! It is a jewel!  In time of war, in peril of death, people have dug their hands into the earth and remembered this.  In time of sickness and pain, people have buried their faces in pillows and wept for this.  In time of loneliness and separation, people have stretched themselves taut and waited for this.  In time of hunger, homelessness, want, people have raised bony hands to the skies and stayed alive for this.  Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.  Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.  Let me hold you while I may, for it will not always be so.  One day, I may dig my nails in the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want more than all the world -- your return.

The IPAD

Yes, that's right........I ordered a Christmas present for myself!! I'm in love w/my Iphone so when they came out with the IPAD - I kept thinking of ways that I could justify buying myself one.
Last year I had finally bought myself a laptop. And I've really enjoyed having a laptop. I can take it with me wherever I go and have all my stuff on it.
 Yes, I know I'm not the best at computers, but I'm okay.
 For not being raised with them, I feel like I do okay.  It's true that when ever I have a question with my computer - I have to ask one of my kids.
I have had a lot of st00pid questions, but 'hey!' that's the only way you learn, right??!!

So a couple weeks ago, my laptop gave off a loud crackling noise and displayed a big spark of light.
And after that, the screen would not work.  I looked up my warranty and of course, the warranty had expired a few weeks earlier.  So I really don't want to have to fix the screen - so I just hooked it up to a screen I have here at home.  Well, that means that I must keep my laptop at home now, right?!
 And yes,
I need another type of computer device to take on the road!!  YEAH!  I had my reason to order the IPAD!!
My husband thinks it's funny - that I have to rationalize somehow to buy myself the IPAD. 
He doesn't think I will use it that much.  But I know he's wrong. I will go crazy with it. I know there are a million apps out there for it and I can do pretty much anything w/it.   I heard that it has a greater GPS system then my Iphone.  I will love that.  And I can get on the internet anywhere, because I will have the 3G AT&T system IPAD. 
I can't help it. I'm excited.
I hope it gets here before Thanksgiving. Then I'll really have something to be thankful for.  (j/k)

Footprints

  Yesterday I walked around the Columbia River again in Wenatchee.  I thought that the day I went walking  last week was my last time for this year, but I was lucky.  Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and it felt like it was warmer than last week.  I did more jogging yesterday - so I did feel better.
 But then last night I was up half the night coughing. Jay has had a bad cough for a week or so. I should have known that I would eventually get it.  I tried real hard this time not to kiss him and all that stuff, but darn!! I still got the cough.  Oh, well.............................................

Today I'm thinking about our footprints that we leave behind us. I saw some of my own footprints in the dirt outside today - as I was cleaning up around the house. (We had a terrible wind and it blew garbage all over the place.)  Anyways, after thinking about footprints that we leave behind.  I thought of the famous poem we've all read called "Foot prints'. I'm sure you've heard of it.
   It made me think. What kind of footprint will I leave behind to my posterity?  Hopefully, it's one that will make them smile. Hopefully, it's a loving, kind footprint. Hopefully, it's a unique and unforgettable footprint.

Here's another quote:   "  Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for awhile and put footprints on our hearts.  And we are never, ever the same."

11 miles

 Here's a pic from yesterday.

Yes, it was great to be able to walk 11 miles around the river and it was a pretty good day for November.

I'm glad I got the chance to do it, because today was cloudy and cold all day.  I really did pick the right day.

I'm a little sore today, but I feel pretty good.

 

And here's a pic from the time I walked before yesterday. (A few weeks earlier).  The trees were beautiful and look at those red leaves. Well, yesterday they had almost all dropped. It's time we face it - winter is almost here.

Now here is my last pic for this post. It's Jay and I - a couple weeks ago or so.  This probably will be the pic that I put in our Christmas cards. I don't know. We don't have too many good pictures of us together. Maybe someday we'll do one of those professional ones.

Anyway, today is Veteran's Day. It really does make you reflect on how much our Veterans mean to us. We are so blessed to have so many Men and Women that have served our country so well. We owe them such a huge debt of gratitude. Thank you all you Veterans out there and all those that are serving our country now.

I thought I was going to quit.

Yes, I really had decided that I shouldn't blog anymore. I know that only a couple people read my blog and I've been wondering why I was still doing the blog.  Especially since I had accomplished my goal (last year) of doing the marathon. That was the reason I started this blog - to get to that goal.
  But then again, I also wanted to keep myself doing the walking/running thing.

Well, I've been very lax this last month on doing any exercising at all.  I could blame it on a lot of things, but at the end of the day, I know it is because I just didn't make time for it.
So here I am today deciding that I will try hard to start again and keep myself at least doing the walking. I always feel so much better about myself when I'm in that groove. And I have been in that groove for a few years now, why quit??  I love being outside walking, but I will have to settle again for the treadmill this winter. I'm even thinking of getting an eliptical when my feet start to hurt (because of the treadmill).
So tomorrow I'm going to try my last walk around the river for this year. It's suppose to be okay weather tomorrow.
Okay...okay ...enough about that.

I have a long quote to put in here that explains how I feel today. Here goes:

" Stop censoring your actions.  Be you-- the only you there is. No one else is qualified for the job.  Have fun, have a sense of humor and have a million laughs. Be an optimist; be the person you were as a child.  Do something new, exciting and different.  Look at life from a different point of view.  Get curious; ask a trillion questions and experience the joy in looking for the answers.  Make new friends and cherish the old (some are silver and the others gold). Invite creativity to become as much a part of the fabric of your daily life as your everyday routines like making the bed, cooking meals, cleaning the house and caring for the people you love.  Look at these everyday, seemingly mundane tasks and see where you can infuse them with spirit, individuality and fun.
"This quote by Gilda Radner, the comedian who died too young, is a great reminder of the importance of being you: ' While we have the gift of life, it seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die, whether it is our spirit, our creativity or our glorious uniqueness."
"I believe that we each have the individual responsibility to bring forth ourselves into the world."

- Sandra Magsamen

'The Shrimp Fest'

Well, it's been a few days since the big "Shrimp Fest" that we went to at Gulf Shores, Alabama.
 But I must say something about it.  It was fabulous-oo!

It really wasn't all about shrimp.  It was about fried foods, crafts, fried foods, art, fried foods, the beach, fried foods, people, and did I say 'Fried Foods???
We kind of went a little crazy when we got there. We were hungry - so we felt like trying every kind of fried food that we could. The following are the fried foods that we tried:

1. Fried Shrimp, of course (even coconut at that)
2. Fried Green tomatoes (I liked them, but Rocky and Jay didn't much)
3. Fried Alligator (I'm serious)
4. Fried Donut stuff (of course) this was a huge one with cherries and chocolate on it!
5. Fried puff pastry stuff with delicious crab and sauce inside.
6. Fried oreos (and they weren't that bad)

Yes, by the time we ate all that stuff - we just couldn't take anymore. I wanted to try the fried pickles, but I just was feeling too weighed down by the time I saw them. (and I mean weighed down)  My poor stomach.
The fried Alligator was too chewy and fatty.  I don't think I'll try that again, but everything else was very good.  We had a fun time trying it all.
We were quite thirsty - so we tried the 'Homemade Rootbeer' and had some Lemonade, too.
You would get a big mug of the rootbeer and you could keep refilling it with different kinds of the rootbeer.
They had vanilla, cherry, and other flavorings, but I thought the ordinary rootbeer was the best.
Can't get better than that.
There was Jimmy Buffet like music playing in the background and it just felt very good to be there. I must say that I haven't been to an outdoor festival like that in awhile.  And the last one I was at - wasn't half as good. This  was better than a county fair to me.
http://www.alagulfcoastchamber.com/index.php?page_id=37&mod=Pages&LiveEdit=false
Well, it was a great way to end our trip to Alabama to see our son.  We had a good time with him, but all good times must come to an end. ( for awhile)  I sure hope there are many more good times like that.

We had a safe trip home yesterday and today it is back to work as usual. 
Here's a pic of Jay getting something fried at the 'Shrimp Fest' !

Savannah

Well, we've had a good trip so far. We made it to Mobile. Then Rocky had us on the road the next day! We've spent most of our time in Florida.We spent a night in Destin, St. Augustine, and 2 nights by Jacksonville. The guys have been doing some golfing. We stayed at the Sawgrass Marriott by Jacksonville and they golfed on the famous 'Players stadium golf course' there. That was a big deal to them, but my favorite thing was this morning when we went on a trolly tour of Savannah, Georgia.
What an old town with flavor! Big beautiful Oak trees lining the streets with tons of Spanish moss hanging off of them. The old town was planned in the late 1700's. They started with a town square- which was a square park with houses surrounding it. They eventually ended up with 24 squares and all of them had a beautiful park in the middle. Today there are 22 squares, but they are all wonderfully preserved. Most All of them have the originally built homes around them. But of course, a lot of them have been remodeled inside and re-painted outside.
I was so impressed. It was like going back in time. Then all of the old iron fences and iron work on the houses! A lot of it is 150 + years old !
There was soooo much history. I was also surprised to hear of all the movies that were filmed there. One that sticks out is ' Forrest Gump'
They showed us the spot in one of the park squares where he sat on that bench talking to people throughout the movie.
So now we are driving back to Mobile. One more day there with Rocky. He says we are going to 'the Shrimp fest' at gulf shores. Yea, I love it.

getting to the Airport early...

Yes, I have a very weird quirk about getting to the Airport extra early. I'm always afraid I'm going to miss my flight - so I make sure I'm there 2 hours early no matter what.  It's a psychological thing and since 9/11 - it's gotten worse.
   Right now we are sitting in the SEA/TAC airport and much to my husband's chagrin - we are two hours early.
I take care of all the flight, hotel, and other arrangements when we go on a trip - so it's my family members' own fault if they don't know the actual flight time that we take off, right??!!
Today we take off at 11:30 and I told Jay - around 11AM. (You think he would have figured it out by now!)
But I always say at least a half an hour earlier, because I'm afraid of running late.   Maybe it's because I have missed a plane before and once was enough for me!!
  We are going to Mobile, Alabama to see our son.  I'm excited, because this time it should be a more leisurely trip than last time - when we drove 5000 miles(round trip) to take him his stuff .
The guys plan to do some golfing in Florida and maybe we will get to see some places that we haven't before. Well, I am getting low on battery - so I'll sign off. 
But it's so nice to be here and so relaxed at the airport while we are waiting for our plane.  Just don't ask Jay how he feels about it.....:)

Bishop Jay

Yes, I've got to post about my husband, Jay.
Something happened on September 12th this year to us.  Jay was put in as Bishop of Ephrata 1st Ward in our town of Ephrata, Wa.
We are members of  ' The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' (Mormons). 
We both have grown up in the church and been members most of our lives. Our children were raised in the church, too. (of course).
Here's a link to our church website - if you are interested in knowing more.....:)
LDS.org
     I really never thought I would be a Bishop's wife, but now I am and I don't know what to think of it!!
I'm hoping I can just hide in the background and not have to say or do much.  But people are telling me that I can't do that.  I do keep busy at church with either playing the organ or the piano for our meetings. I am comfortable now in being in that role. And I have been in the presidency and as a teacher in different auxillary organizations in the church. (Primary, Young Womens, Relief Society)  I am thankful for all the experience that I've gained from being able to serve in these positions.  Right now I'm the 1st counselor in our ward Relief society, but I think that will change soon - since Jay is the new Bishop.

   About Jay being the Bishop, I have no doubt that he will do an excellent job. He is a great leader and has such a good, kind heart.  And he definitely does get things done.  It's amazing to me how he already has stepped right into the position and it seems to fit him.
He really cares about the kids and the young men and women. They all seem to like him, too.
I think it didn't hurt that for all these years he has been known as the Candy Man.  He always has something in his pocket for the kids after church. It's usually a wrapped candy, like a smartie or jolly rancher or pepperment, etc.  It will be interesting to see how he will handle this now with all of his other duties.

  He was in a Bishopric about 10 or so years ago (as a counselor)  with Dave Hammond.  Dave lives by us and he and his wife and family have been good friends.  Jay learned a lot of good stuff from Dave and will always be grateful for that time to work with him.  Dave was the reason our boys got their Eagle Scout Awards.  I know they wouldn't have been able to receive that honor without all of Dave's help. So we are eternally grateful for that and so are our sons.  It really does take a village to raise a child.  And I'm glad the Hammonds are in our Village!

Yesterday

Yesterday.....all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as if there here to stay.....Oh, I believe in Yesterday.......
Sorry... after I wrote that title. It made me think of the song "Yesterday".  Not a bad song. But it's not exactly how I feel right now.  I feel pretty lucky and don't feel like I have a lot of troubles right now. (knock, knock, knock on wood). 

I just thought I'd blog about the great walk around the river that I had.....Yesterday. Here's a pic that I took. Doesn't the river look so peaceful?? In fact, it looks like a lake in this picture. The water doesn't look like it is moving at all.  But I promise you - it is the Columbia River in Wenatchee. There was one place that I walked by that was so stagnant that the algae smell was very, very strong.  This is not how the River usually is - so that's why I took the pic.

On this walk, I also had my first encounter with a deer as I walked aound a bend in the path. I don't remember ever coming face to face with a deer on this walk.  I was a little startled, because I about ran right into her, but she seemed calm and just moved very slowly away.  Wierd, usually the animal is more startled than the human.

Well, it was a nice day and today was great, too.  I can't complain.
I was able to go in to work (Columbia Basin PT) one day this week and I felt like I worked hard that day. It always makes me happy that I don't have to go to work every day.  But I do enjoy the socialization of it all.
 I see a lot of old friends and meet new ones every time. It's good for me.

Blog name change

Yes, all day  today - I've been thinking of changing the name of my blog. 
I guess I can't change the Url of it, but I can change it on my heading, anyways.

I walked the 11 miles around the river today. (I just saw a sign today that said it was 11 miles not 10.
Wow.  that makes me feel better.) I guess I could clock it and find out, but who cares.

Well, Anyway, I thought of a lot of different names like:  Trying to be realistic... or Smile..... or Marie's
blog...(real original). But nothing seemed to fit.  So towards the end of my walk, I was listening to my tunes and Jimmy Buffet's song came on " Trip Around the Sun".  It just seemed to be my answer......:)
  If you get the chance, listen to that song.   I was trying to copy out the lyrics on-line, but they asked for my cell# and I think they were trying to charge me something or make me sign up for something.  So I decided to forget that.
So the reason why I'm changing the name is that I notice that more and more -I'm not talking about my walking/running goals. I'm talking about whatever.....anything and everything else.  So it really shouldn't be called Marie's Walking/Running Blog.   Let's face it, I'm no pro at that,  but at least I tried.
And I will continue to keep trying....walking that is ....maybe not as much running anymore.
Today was a different day on my big walk. It looked like it would rain the whole time, but it didn't.
Then the minute I got into my car - it started to rain a little.  I still don't know what happened to the summer.

I can't believe this is September 8th.  Well, I'm doing my best to hang on while on this trip around the sun.

I'm still here.

August 2010 Gwendalyn

Well, I just can't seem to keep up with my blog the last few months.
I guess because it's a walking/running blog and I'm not doing my walking/running as much as I use to. (that's probably it - except today I walked 4 miles......:)

Above is a picture I took of our latest grandaughter Gwen. She had a cleft lip, but the surgery in July really changed that.  I'm so glad that she doesn't have to wear the apparatus on her face and the arm restraints anymore.  Her next surgery will be in December.  The Dr. said that she needed more time to heal.  But hopefully, this next surgery will be her last.  They will look at it when she is 5 years old and decide if she needs another surgery.  I'm so glad that they have the technology now to easily fix a child's smile.
I have an uncle that had a cleft lip and was born in the early 50's and he had many, many surgeries for many years.  I've always felt bad about hearing how much he had to go through.

Well, I don't know where to begin in posting about all that has gone on this last month. It's been a busy and fun month. I had the best 51st Birthday.  I went to three lunch parties that week. Two with friends here in Ephrata and one with my parents in Zillah.  I really felt loved and on top of that - my husband gave me the most beautiful flower arrangement and said the sweetest thing ever in a card.  Okay, I guess I'll share it, because I think it's something anyone would appreciate hearing.  It said,   " Everyday I'm thankful for the day that you were born".  wow.....pretty good, huh?!

I also had a great trip to see Staci & Chad's family and then go to Utah BYU Education week for a few days. I loved it. I try to go whenever I can.  I've gone on and off for the last 20 years to it. I have a lot of good memories of going to that and I have lots of notes from all the different classes that I've been to.
Every hour of every day this one week in August - they offer tons of classes.  And the subjects are so diverse.  This year I was into some of the financial classes on Retirement.
 I guess Jay & I need to think of preparing for Retirement.  Yes, we are getting old.  We need to prepare.

I also, took an organizing class and went crazy when I got home with organizing my house.  I'm kind of an OCD type -cleaner person anyways, but I realize that I really love to organize so I'm getting my(our) house into better shape.  Although, it has lead from one thing to another. I'll explain.
We moved the big entertainment system in the living room to another wall and that lead me to clean out everything in that entertainment system and organize it.  Then I decided that all the photo albums need to be in one place (which they weren't) and all the DVD's, CD's and videos need to be organized and it one place.(which they weren't either)..  Well, you can see what I'm saying.  Then I noticed the wall that we took the big mirror off - needed painting. Yep, that's leading to me painting the living room.  And then I decided to put all my piano music (which is a lot) into one place.  So we bought some files for the computer room and I decided to change the whole computer room around.  Oh, you are probably getting bored .....if you are reading this.  I'd better just stop, because you certainly have gotten my point by now.  But to make a long story short........I've just about organized and cleaned every room in our home here.  There's always more to do, but I feel good that I've been able to get a lot done.

Now if I can get back in to my walking/running routine again.  Hopefully, this week!!

Oh! Another reason I was inspired to organize and clean things around here - is that my parents moved to Zillah, Wa. from Toppenish, WA this summer.      I don't know if I've said anything about that.
I was able to go visit them and help with the moving a little bit. They really did clean out and give away a lot of things. They moved into a smaller place, but it is perfect for them and they are closer to my brother and sister that live there.  Which is great.
So it really has been a busy summer.

Never Ever Give Up - Meridian Magazine

Never Ever Give Up - Meridian Magazine

Should I be scared??

I had another great walk around the river today. Saw a lot of people on bikes. I'm noticing that more and more -people are riding bikes - instead of walking these days. I guess it's the thing to do, but I really don't want to get into it. For one thing, you have to buy an expensive bike. Then you need a helmet, and then you need biking pants and then a biking backpack and then gloves(I've seen a number of people wearing these weird gloves).  Well, you get my point.

I've had a couple people tell me in the last month - that it's not good that I walk by myself on that walk around the river.  That something could happen to me. You know I've been doing it for at least 4 years now - (sporadically) and I've never felt scared.  I don't walk at night and I always have my cell phone in my hand (ready to call 911) if I have to!  I use to carry mace, but  I've stopped that.  I really have decided that I'm old enough now - that I don't think anyone would want to mess w/me.  And if they did - well, I've had a good life.  ummmmm. I guess I should not sound so non-chalant about it.  But when you are walking in a public place w/lots of other people running and biking - you feel pretty safe.

Now walking out here alone around the farms - maybe that's what I should be scared about!

Sunday morning I was doing my usual 4 mile walk out here by our place - and on the last 1/2 mile ( coming down Rd. 5 )- I spotted a couple walking towards me on the road.  They had a gas can - so I asked them if they had trouble and needed some gas.  Well, yes, that was true.  So I walked them back to our house and had Jay help me get them some gas.  Now their story had some holes in it, but I won't tell all the details here.  Just that I was surprised that at 9am on a Sunday morning - I would encounter a questionable looking young couple on the road outside of my house. You never know, but I still don't think we should walk around being scared all the time.  It takes so much joy out of our lives.

Do I have anything to say??

  Well, I did walk the river this week!! It sure was hot, tho.  I had to sit down and cool off -( half way through the walk.) I even went early, but it's just a hot week - what can I say.  I don't mind the heat as much as I do the cold, so I won't complain.
Oh, wait, I already did complain! lol.
Anyways, something about walking around a big river of flowing water just makes me happy.
I'm okay with walking around the farms here when I can, but it's just much more fun being around the river.
So I will continue to try to walk that 10 mile walk at least once a week -for as long as possible.

I still work now and then as a sub at the Physical Therapist's in our town. They called me in for tomorrow - so I'm happy to do it.  I like to be around people and at least feel like I'm doing something to help them.
But I just didn't like to work this job everyday.  I guess it's cause I like my freedom too much.
Yes, I'm spoiled.
My husband has been the bread winner all of our married life and it has worked out great for us!! I'm thankful to have a sugar daddy!  There I said it.  I don't care what anyone thinks of it.
I try and do what I can to contribute to our happy life and it has worked for us.  I know that most people don't have this luxury, but I'm so thankful that I do.  Whoa.......I don't know how I got off on this subject.
I really thought I had nothing to say today.......other than the fact that I did walk the river this week.
But I guess I do have a thing or two to say.....:)
I've tried working over the years of raising our kids ....and it just hasn't worked out too well for me.  I love taking care of the home, cooking ,being there for my family, having time to walk and do volunteer church work.
I am in awe of women that can do it all and I have many friends that seem to be able to. That is: to work full time and still take care of their family pretty well.(plus all the extra stuff)  
My hat's off to them, but I don't like the fact that we sometimes criticize each other.  We should be supporting each other - not tearing each other down.
What works for one - might not work for the other.  That's all I want to say!

Still trying to keep up the walking....

Yes, this is a pic of one of the spots around the Columbia River where I try to walk at least once a week in the summer.  I just haven't been keeping it up as good this summer as I have the last two.
(Well, I guess there's still August left.....)
   I did walk at least 3 - 4 miles around the farm these last two days, but hopefully, sometime this week -
I will walk the 10 miles around the river.
  Life always gets in the way and the first thing I tend to do is: stop my walking.  They say it takes 21 days to do something and make it stick as a habit.  I don't think that applies to walking/jogging.  I can be very diligent at doing it for a long time and then all of a sudden something happens and a week goes by, then another week and then....... I'm all out of shape again.
I started this blog about a year ago. And I started it so I could keep up the walking/jogging thing and report about it.  I thought that being accountable to a blog might keep me going.  Well, it did for quite awhile and I did accomplish finally doing a full marathon.  But it really has been hard to keep myself motivated to continue. I suppose I should try for another marathon, but I can't get myself to commit to that again.
I think it's okay if I try and just keep doing the 1/2's, but they aren't easy to find  and plan out either.
Oh, well............
This has got me thinking.....
I need to just plan the next 1/2 mara and have something to look forward to that will keep me going.  I guess it's time to start doing some research on 1/2 maras for this fall. Back to browsing on the internet again!

Way behind

Wow.  Since I've started this blog, I've never had such a lapse in updating it.

All I can say is that it is July and we were on the road for about 3 weeks.  I did take my laptop, but never seemed to have the time to do any posting.  
I don't know where to begin on explaining  what has happened this month.  But it was quite an experience and we did make it down to Mobile, Alabama and back in one piece.  We took Jay's truck and trailer.
 Talk about guzzeling gas! It seemed like we were stopping every couple of hours to get it!
 But we did get all of Rocky's stuff safely delivered to him - so he is happy.
 I had one bout of heatstroke that has never happened to me before, but I lived through it. (so I shouldn't complain)

And we had a good time babysitting the grandkids for 3 days while Chad & Staci took baby Gwen to Salt Lake for her surgery.  It all turned out well, but poor baby Gwen has to wear arm restraints and all this face apparatus for 6 weeks, then she will have another surgery and do it all again.  I guess it is best to get it done now so that she won't remember it.  But it has been tough for Staci & Chad - the feeding thing has especially been tough for Staci.

 The picture above is Gwen after the Surgery.

Well, I have felt like a slug, because I haven't been walking much at all.  So I'm trying to get back into it.

I did the walk around the river yesterday and Man! I'm feeling a little sore today.

But I am glad to be back home and getting into the swing of things.

Hopefully, I can do better at posting on this blog now!

What kind of a Grandma...am I???

  I just realized that I haven't put up any pics of our newest grandchild and it has been over a month!
So here are some pics of the baby and her mom and the rest of the kids! Aren't they adorable! (I'm not biased or anything)

I know I haven't been posting to this blog - like I usually do. I couldn't believe that it's been 2 weeks since my last post!  Summer hits and daylight is longer - so you spend more time outside....or I do anyways.
 I have to report that I have been walking a lot.....not doing much running since the last race. But I have been doing my 10 mile walk at least once a week and then a 3 or 4 miler everyother day.
I don't have any big races coming up on the horizon, but I have talked to some buddies about doing the Leavenworth 1/2 mara in October.......we'll see.....:)

    But now to go back to the pictures that I posted above.  I realized that I hadn't posted any pics of the grandkids, lately and especially baby Gwen!  Yeah, what kind of Grandma.......am I?!
I really adore these kids and of course, their parents.
Isn't our daughter Staci ....so beautiful?!  She is an amazing mom to these kids.  I just wish they lived closer - so I could see them more often. But I have to take what I can get.......:(

   We are going to go on a trip here soon to take Rocky (our son)'s stuff in a u-haul like trailer to Mobile, Alabama. (Yep, that's a lot of driving) But he is already down there - working and waiting for his stuff.
This will be an interesting adventure, I'm sure.....:)
 On the way back, we will stop in Idaho Falls, ID and watch the other 3 grandchildren (Weston, Analee, and Kallista) while Chad & Staci take baby Gwen to the hospital in SLC to have the operation on her lip.
  I feel so glad that we can help them in this way.
I'll have my laptop w/me, so I'll try to post an update.  

Well, that's all for now.

Sage and Sun - 5 miler

Yep, I did do the Ephrata Sage and Sun fun run. I chose the 5 miler, because I had done it in the past and thought I would have no problemo. But I was wrong - everyone else that ran the thing - ran the whole thing!  I know that I'm a walker/runner - I can not run the whole way. 

Well, for some reason this time - there were no walker/runners - just runner/runners.

That's okay, I guess.

It's just that my name will be last in the Ephrata newspaper - which is a little humilating. It brings back all those memories that I think I told here in my blog awhile back. 

It's a story about when I was young and in a long distance race and was the last one. My Dad loves to tell it and has told it in church a few times. He says, and I quote,"Marie was way behind everyone else and should have just quit the race, but no she did finish it and was given a standing ovation - just because she finished!"

I know he is emphasizing that I didn't quit and that's what is important - but much to my chagrin - I still feel the pangs of being the last one and everyone thinking I should have just dropped out of the race - because I was sooooooooooo far behind.

Well, I will get over it now, because I am 50 and I feel like I don't care about the ego thing anymore. There are plenty of people like me in the 1/2 maras that walk and run - and do it for their health.  I will just have to stick to those kind of races!  Because I'm not last in those kind of races!! (knock on wood)

I do have to say that is was nice of Roger Pugh.(who had a shirt on - that on the back said, "Don't let the fat guy beat ya!")  Anyways, Roger did run back after he finished the race and both him and his daughter ran to the finish line (again) with me!  They were nice to think of me........:)

Discombobulated....

DISCOMBOBULATED - having self-possession upset - thrown into confusion.

   I heard this word on the radio the other day and it really intrigued me.  I kept saying it over and over - I'm trying to add it to my vocabulary, but I never seem to find the right time to throw it in.  Oh, well...........
I thought of it again today on my walk and decided that when I get home - I will look up the definition.
Well, that's the definition (above).  But why don't they just say: confused, or bewildered, or disconcerted??
That's what I thought it meant.
 I guess I'm pretty close.

I'm really not feeling discombobulated, but then again, I'm sure I should be. There are so many things we should be feeling discombobulated about these days, right?!   The Oil still pouring out in the Gulf,  the War on terror still going on over seas, the uncertainty with the immigration problem, the mess with our Healthcare system, and........just give me another minute and I'll think of more............you get my point.

   Well, I really don't want to talk about all that stuff.  I just wanted to present the word ..'DISCOMBOBULATED'  to you.   I think it's a cool word. :)

Here's a pic of a pretty tree on my walk/jog. What a beautiful day it was today and I can say that I went 10 miles. I'm feeling it tonight, but it's not that bad.   I just felt like I was in heaven today.  Everything looked so beautiful to me.  Everything looked so green and the sky blue and the sun shining and............

need I say more?  I felt so blessed to just have the time to be able to do this today.

I listened to my wonderful tunes and it seemed that all my favorites just happened to play today.  Okay maybe I'm laying it on to thick, but I want to just enjoy how wonderful it all was.  Because we all know that life goes on and in order to have these wonderful moments - we have to have the ugly, sad and not-so wonderful moments. 

You've gotta take the good with the bad or you don't deserve the good.(what my Dad always says.)

The critters......

Well, I had a great walk yesterday - even though I got rained on a little bit. But I was surprised at all the critters that I encountered on my walk.
The first picture is of some ducks (or geese??) and their little ones following behind.  I couldn't get them all in the picture, but there was quite a bunch of them and all out floating on the river.  It was a beautiful sight, but for some reason doesn't look as good to me in this picture.
  Then when I was walking across the footbridge over to Confluence Park - I looked below me and saw at least 20 (I counted) big fat gophers or muskrats or whatever you call them.  You can't see them very well in this picture....but they were there.   I was surprised to see so many of them hanging together. It looked like they were having a family reunion or something.

  And I think you can tell by this last pic - Yes, it's a big snake - but it's just a bull snake.  I was close enough to see that it didn't have any rattlers on the tail.  I'm also surprised that I saw a snake this early- usually it's toward the end of the summer - when it's really hot.  Oh, well....................
    And the other day I saw a huge Eagle fly right over my head.
 Oh, and while I'm mentioning wildlife - I saw the cutest little owl on my walk around the farm here.  I thought it was a baby owl, but Jay says there are small owl species around here.
   So you never know what you will see if you just get out and walk.  Sometimes it is hard for me to get out there, but I'm always happy that I did and I always feel better afterwards.

Now I have another pic to post.  It is of Rocky Jay and me.  We took this before the Elma, WA 1/2 mara (that we didn't end up doing) a couple weeks ago. When we went to the race start - there was hardly anyone there and we realized that this was a very, very  small town race.  In fact we were worried that we were the only ones in it, because the other people that were there - were in the bike race part.  I've never been to a race that looked that badly organized - they even gave us a shirt from another race.  They didn't have their own shirts!  So we decided to go up the road and the guys could go golfing.

 That's okay - I'll learn to check out the reviews on the races next time I sign up.  This one didn't have any reviews - I should have known.

Couldn't help it either....

This is from one of the blogs I follow - The Neologist - (Sarah)
I got a kick out of it - so I thought I'd repost it.  :)