We're looking for two people for our Hood to Coast team; this is a fun team and not a terribly hard core group. Most expenses have been paid and the cost to you would be nominal; you could stay with us if you're from out of town.
If you are not familiar with the event, go check it out here:
Hood to Coast
August 27th & 28th
Let me know.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
"Sobering" experience
Preface: My kids are all o.k.
We have four kids; they are 20, 21, 23 & 24, needless to say they keep me busy and full of worry.....All of our kids like to party and in my humble opinion they party too much. I didn't have this kind of college experience but I know many folks did. I have preached and preached about binge drinking, drinking and driving, etc.; every time they walk out the door I tell them I love them, ask who the DD is and remind them to make good choices & every time I do this they roll their eyes at me; probably like I rolled my eyes at my parents many years ago.
Our youngest daughter called last night about 6:30 p.m.; she had been hanging out at the pool with friends all day and it was clear they had been drinking. She told me that she had 3 beers; I don't know if this was the truth or not. She put one of her friends (a boy) on the phone; I really like the kid, he took her to the Prom and I know they both really like each other but have never acted on it. He now has a girlfriend but he and Olivia are really good friends. He was obviously intoxicated; we chatted for a minute and he gave the phone back to Olivia. I had been talking to her for about a minute and she said she would call me right back, she had to go. She didn't call back......kids can flake out so I wasn't worried.
An hour or so later, I was hosting Bunco, it was a beautiful evening so we were outside in the back yard. I heard the phone ringing but ignored it; my husband was working in the garage so he didn't hear the phone ring. It rang again but I just let it go; for one, it is NEVER for me or it is a solicitor. After about an hour or so I went in the house to get something and noticed that we had a voice mail, it was Olivia and the message said she was at the hospital with this boy; he had fallen off the balcony. She sounded very upset but she stated that she didn't have her phone so there was no way I could call her back but she would call me back. I then put the phone in my pocket went back to Bunco and waited for another call. She didn't call back.
Fast forward a few hours, my friends were gone and still no call; at this point I was truly worried. I went to Facebook (information central) and looked for updates on her page or her friends pages; I found one friend and sent her a note to call the house because I knew the girls had been together. Finally at about 10:30 Olivia called, in tears......Tim was in the ICU at the hospital with a broken jaw, a broken arm, a crushed cheek and other unknown injuries. He had fallen from a third floor balcony; needless to say, alcohol was a factor in this tragic accident. He is in surgery this morning. Olivia said it was so horrible last night to see his mom holding his hand as they pushed him into the ICU on a stretcher.
She wrote this on her wall last night:
After today I have learned about drinking!
I think this really had an impact on her; I sure hope it had an impact on her, it had a big one on me. Olivia is a wreck and she feels responsible for this tragic accident; it is so hard to see your child in so much pain.
Such a sensless and tragic accident........
We have four kids; they are 20, 21, 23 & 24, needless to say they keep me busy and full of worry.....All of our kids like to party and in my humble opinion they party too much. I didn't have this kind of college experience but I know many folks did. I have preached and preached about binge drinking, drinking and driving, etc.; every time they walk out the door I tell them I love them, ask who the DD is and remind them to make good choices & every time I do this they roll their eyes at me; probably like I rolled my eyes at my parents many years ago.
Our youngest daughter called last night about 6:30 p.m.; she had been hanging out at the pool with friends all day and it was clear they had been drinking. She told me that she had 3 beers; I don't know if this was the truth or not. She put one of her friends (a boy) on the phone; I really like the kid, he took her to the Prom and I know they both really like each other but have never acted on it. He now has a girlfriend but he and Olivia are really good friends. He was obviously intoxicated; we chatted for a minute and he gave the phone back to Olivia. I had been talking to her for about a minute and she said she would call me right back, she had to go. She didn't call back......kids can flake out so I wasn't worried.
An hour or so later, I was hosting Bunco, it was a beautiful evening so we were outside in the back yard. I heard the phone ringing but ignored it; my husband was working in the garage so he didn't hear the phone ring. It rang again but I just let it go; for one, it is NEVER for me or it is a solicitor. After about an hour or so I went in the house to get something and noticed that we had a voice mail, it was Olivia and the message said she was at the hospital with this boy; he had fallen off the balcony. She sounded very upset but she stated that she didn't have her phone so there was no way I could call her back but she would call me back. I then put the phone in my pocket went back to Bunco and waited for another call. She didn't call back.
Fast forward a few hours, my friends were gone and still no call; at this point I was truly worried. I went to Facebook (information central) and looked for updates on her page or her friends pages; I found one friend and sent her a note to call the house because I knew the girls had been together. Finally at about 10:30 Olivia called, in tears......Tim was in the ICU at the hospital with a broken jaw, a broken arm, a crushed cheek and other unknown injuries. He had fallen from a third floor balcony; needless to say, alcohol was a factor in this tragic accident. He is in surgery this morning. Olivia said it was so horrible last night to see his mom holding his hand as they pushed him into the ICU on a stretcher.
She wrote this on her wall last night:
After today I have learned about drinking!
I think this really had an impact on her; I sure hope it had an impact on her, it had a big one on me. Olivia is a wreck and she feels responsible for this tragic accident; it is so hard to see your child in so much pain.
Such a sensless and tragic accident........
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Missoula marathon race report and photos
Wow, what a weekend; we had an absolute blast! I highly recommend the Missoula Marathon; it was well organized, well supported, the course was great (although a tad warm) and the people were AWESOME!
We opted to fly from Portland to Spokane, rent a car and drive to Missoula; it was prohibitively expensive to fly directly to Missoula. This really worked well though as we were able to see some sights along the way.
Our first stop was Haugen, Montana.....the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar/Store/Restaurant for some carb loading.
We spent Saturday in Butte, Montana (my husband's home town) at the National Folk Festival; what a hoot!
Sunday morning came very, very early; the race had a 6:00 a.m. start and we needed to catch a bus to the start, the buses started running at 4:15 a.m. This meant I got to set the alarm for 3:45 a.m. UGH :-( We got to the start at 5:00 a.m. and had lots of time for visits to the porta potties. We met up with our other Portland friends and took off as the cannon sounded; I bet the neighbors loved that part.
Missoula is about 3300 feet and I was a little worried about the elevation; I never even noticed it. There is one significant hill on the course and it was at about mile 14; other than that I would consider it a relatively flat course. Montana is pretty darn rural and the first 14 miles or so were through the country; it was beautiful.
My running mate, Vicki, has been nursing an injury and was hoping to finish in about 4:30. I really didn't have any big goals, except to finish. Vicki and I have travelled to quite a few destination marathons together and we usually stick together on these races; it is more about the experience than the pace. Of course, if one of us really wanted to go for it; we would. Vicki has gotten me to the finish line a lot of times; it was my turn to get her to the finish line.
We spent Sunday afternoon watching the World Cup and wandering through downtown Missoula; but first we had to have a greasy bacon cheeseburger and a beer. We joined friends for a celebratory dinner Sunday evening.
I survived 3 marathons in 70 days and I am no worse for the wear; I can't tell you how happy I am. On Monday morning there were no aches, no pains, absolutely nothing to indicate that I ran a marathon the day before. I did take it really easy and I know that, but I think this bodes really well for future events and for my training. It was so nice to just go and run; getting my BQ out of the way in Eugene took all the pressure off me for Newport and Missoula.
Up next......St. George, Utah on October 2!
We opted to fly from Portland to Spokane, rent a car and drive to Missoula; it was prohibitively expensive to fly directly to Missoula. This really worked well though as we were able to see some sights along the way.
Our first stop was Haugen, Montana.....the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar/Store/Restaurant for some carb loading.
Sunday morning came very, very early; the race had a 6:00 a.m. start and we needed to catch a bus to the start, the buses started running at 4:15 a.m. This meant I got to set the alarm for 3:45 a.m. UGH :-( We got to the start at 5:00 a.m. and had lots of time for visits to the porta potties. We met up with our other Portland friends and took off as the cannon sounded; I bet the neighbors loved that part.
Missoula is about 3300 feet and I was a little worried about the elevation; I never even noticed it. There is one significant hill on the course and it was at about mile 14; other than that I would consider it a relatively flat course. Montana is pretty darn rural and the first 14 miles or so were through the country; it was beautiful.
My running mate, Vicki, has been nursing an injury and was hoping to finish in about 4:30. I really didn't have any big goals, except to finish. Vicki and I have travelled to quite a few destination marathons together and we usually stick together on these races; it is more about the experience than the pace. Of course, if one of us really wanted to go for it; we would. Vicki has gotten me to the finish line a lot of times; it was my turn to get her to the finish line.
 |
| Mile 17, looking good and feeling strong |
 |
| This is feet from the finish; I felt like a million bucks |
 |
| We finished; 4:28! |
 |
| Great friends and running buddies all from the Portland Area and all Missoula finishers; celebrating Sunday evening |
 |
| With Brad on the University of Montana Campus; his Alma Mater for both under grad and grad school |
 |
| We're not sure what this was, but we found it on the University of Montana campus; it is made from "recycled" items. Monday morning we had to head back to Spokane to catch our flight home. We made one pit stop though; we stopped in Wallace, Idaho. |
 |
| Did you know that "The Center of the Universe" is in Wallace, Idaho? How much fun is this? |
Up next......St. George, Utah on October 2!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
It's official
I am now Maniac #2731, Bronze Level
Race report and photos from Missoula will follow
Have an awesome day!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Happy Friday and goal update
Wow, where has the year gone; it is the 2nd of July, I can hardly believe it. It seems like a good time for a recap on my goals for the year; I have done "O.K." on meeting or working towards my 2010 goals.
• Read a minimum of one book per month; preferably two
SUCCESS: The list of books is long but I would highly recommend the Stieg Larsson series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest - I absolutely loved all of these books
• Run an ultra marathon
FAIL: I have postponed this goal until 2011; I decided that my quest for maniac status trumped this goal. besides, I turn 50 in 2011 and what a great way to celebrate - a 50k!
• Be more accepting and understanding
SUCCESS: This is on-going but I think I am making good progress
• Qualify for the Boston Marathon, 2011
SUCCESS: I qualified for Boston at the Eugene Marathon on May 2, with a time of 3:56:23; yippee, the hotel reservations have been made
• Do strength training two times per week
PARTIAL SUCCESS: I have been doing Yoga twice per week and have incorporated an occasional strength session into my workout regime.
• Be a good friend
SUCCESS: I have the absolute BEST friends and I am so thankful for each and every one of them (blogging buddies as well)
• Swim at least once per week
FAIL: Times in the pool = 0
• Be more organized at home
SUCCESS: There are fewer people living at my house so this is easier by default
• Log 1,500 miles (this is an average of 29 miles per week)
PARTIAL SUCCESS: I have logged about 700 miles to date; that leaves 800 for the next 6 months - I think it is doable
• Be more fiscally responsible
WORK IN PROGRESS: Enough said
• Run a 1:55 half marathon
SUCCESS: I ran 1:55:21 at the Vancouver Lake Half Marathon on January 24th
• Expand my culinary horizons by preparing more new meals for my family
SUCCESS: I am loving cooking more and finding new recipes
• Be less wasteful
SUCCESS: This has been tough as people come and go at home, but I am definitely shopping smarter for groceries and planning much better
• Communicate more and better with my husband
PARTIAL SUCCESS: This is tough, but I am working on it
• Stay positive
SUCCESS: Sometimes success is achieved just by keeping my big, fat mouth shut
• Complete the 100 push-up challenge
FAIL: I hate push-ups
• Walk the dogs more often
FAIL: My poor dogs; I play lots of catch with them though
• Complete the 200 sit-up challenge
FAIL: I don't know why this has been so hard for me; I can do push-ups - I am still hopeful
• Enjoy life
SUCCESS: I am trying to chill out and not sweat the small stuff; I think it is working
• See two movies per month; at least one at the Theater
SUCCESS: I love NETFLIX! I have even gone to the Theater, but not once per month
• Try meditation
FAIL: I'm not that deep :-(
• Do 2 pull-ups
FAIL: I am still hopeful though
• Be a good human
SUCCESS: This ties into some of the above goals and I am working on all of them in concert.
If you are still reading at this point, I am headed to Missoula, Montana for the Missoula Marathon on July 11th - this will be my 19th marathon and will enter me into the hallowed halls of the MARATHON MANIACS - completing 3 marathons in 90 days; for me it will be 3 marathons in 70 days.
Lastly, I will be spending 3 WEEKS (yes, that is 19 nights) in a hotel in San Francisco for work July 18- August 6th - I would love to meet fellow bloggers, go for runs, etc. Let me know.
• Read a minimum of one book per month; preferably two
SUCCESS: The list of books is long but I would highly recommend the Stieg Larsson series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest - I absolutely loved all of these books
• Run an ultra marathon
FAIL: I have postponed this goal until 2011; I decided that my quest for maniac status trumped this goal. besides, I turn 50 in 2011 and what a great way to celebrate - a 50k!
• Be more accepting and understanding
SUCCESS: This is on-going but I think I am making good progress
• Qualify for the Boston Marathon, 2011
SUCCESS: I qualified for Boston at the Eugene Marathon on May 2, with a time of 3:56:23; yippee, the hotel reservations have been made
• Do strength training two times per week
PARTIAL SUCCESS: I have been doing Yoga twice per week and have incorporated an occasional strength session into my workout regime.
• Be a good friend
SUCCESS: I have the absolute BEST friends and I am so thankful for each and every one of them (blogging buddies as well)
• Swim at least once per week
FAIL: Times in the pool = 0
• Be more organized at home
SUCCESS: There are fewer people living at my house so this is easier by default
• Log 1,500 miles (this is an average of 29 miles per week)
PARTIAL SUCCESS: I have logged about 700 miles to date; that leaves 800 for the next 6 months - I think it is doable
• Be more fiscally responsible
WORK IN PROGRESS: Enough said
• Run a 1:55 half marathon
SUCCESS: I ran 1:55:21 at the Vancouver Lake Half Marathon on January 24th
• Expand my culinary horizons by preparing more new meals for my family
SUCCESS: I am loving cooking more and finding new recipes
• Be less wasteful
SUCCESS: This has been tough as people come and go at home, but I am definitely shopping smarter for groceries and planning much better
• Communicate more and better with my husband
PARTIAL SUCCESS: This is tough, but I am working on it
• Stay positive
SUCCESS: Sometimes success is achieved just by keeping my big, fat mouth shut
• Complete the 100 push-up challenge
FAIL: I hate push-ups
• Walk the dogs more often
FAIL: My poor dogs; I play lots of catch with them though
• Complete the 200 sit-up challenge
FAIL: I don't know why this has been so hard for me; I can do push-ups - I am still hopeful
• Enjoy life
SUCCESS: I am trying to chill out and not sweat the small stuff; I think it is working
• See two movies per month; at least one at the Theater
SUCCESS: I love NETFLIX! I have even gone to the Theater, but not once per month
• Try meditation
FAIL: I'm not that deep :-(
• Do 2 pull-ups
FAIL: I am still hopeful though
• Be a good human
SUCCESS: This ties into some of the above goals and I am working on all of them in concert.
If you are still reading at this point, I am headed to Missoula, Montana for the Missoula Marathon on July 11th - this will be my 19th marathon and will enter me into the hallowed halls of the MARATHON MANIACS - completing 3 marathons in 90 days; for me it will be 3 marathons in 70 days.
Lastly, I will be spending 3 WEEKS (yes, that is 19 nights) in a hotel in San Francisco for work July 18- August 6th - I would love to meet fellow bloggers, go for runs, etc. Let me know.
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