Goodbye Fast Dog

This afternoon we had to put Game Plan down. He was diagnosed with bone cancer the beginning of March and the vet told us then that we probably wouldn't have two weeks. Luckily, we were able to spend almost two very special months with him longer then what we expected.

Game Plan was my Fast Dog. We would play a game where he would zoom around the backyard and I would holler out "Fast Dog" as he bolted to and fro. He loved it. Even today, as I was able to work from home and be with him all day, he tried his hardest to be Fast Dog as he 'raced' to catch two squirrels on his three lanky legs. He had a good day. We started off with some cheese and then brown gravy with his food, he was able to lay outside all day in the nice, warm, sunny weather and was loved on.

One of my favorite stories about Game Plan is of when we had some friends over for Doug's birthday. After the party, Michelle called cracking up. She went on to tell us that her daughter was soooo exited when she left and exclaimed, "they have the cooooolest house mom. They live in a castle* and have a deer that eats dog food!"

He certainly was dear. As Doug said, he was a gentle soul. He will be missed. As I look at his pillow where he should be and isn't, I cry. Goodbye Fast Dog...I love you and miss you.

*We do not live in a castle or anything near it. We do however have a house that has a very steep roof, that maybe in a little girl's eyes she did see a castle and deer that eats dog food.

AND...on a weird side note, as the tears flowed today, I looked down and could see them 'bouncing' off my shirt. I had a dri-fit shirt on and the tears were not soaking into the shirt, these tears were hitting and flying off. Interesting, I thought...good wicking material.

Ft. Collins Forecast

Colorado-here we come! Doug, Steff and I are headed to Ft. Collins for the Colorado Marathon later this week. I'm very excited about our long weekend adventure. Colorado is one of my favorite places. I love everything it has to offer. However, we may be enjoying the city from under an umbrella.

The forecast for Ft. Collins this weekend:

May 2
Rain / Snow Showers / Wind
45°32°
May 3
Partly Cloudy
57°32°
May 4
Few Showers
57°37°
May 5
Showers
61°40°

Looks like I'll be shopping for a new umbrella, packing rain gear and snow boots. Maybe not snow boots but warm, fuzzy socks! It is only Tuesday so things can and probably will change. Whatever the weather, we'll make the most out of our trip and have a great time-like always!

What a Weekend What a Weekend

Ahhh...love weekends like these...
Rising and shining early not once but twice-Saturday morning to see my team off on their first 20 mile run-Sunday morning to run the Trolley Run
Coffee with mom
Starbuck's coffee on a chilly morning pre-race
Successful shopping to find not one but two pairs of pants that fit PERFECT and found two bras too
Not one but two girlie movies-one that made me laugh-one that made me cry
Not one but two glorious naps
A fun 4 mile run with not one but two Kim's (Kym's)
Breakfast with two great friends (and Doug) at the Classic Cup on the Plaza-Eggs Benedict, potatoes and Roasterie coffee and I ate EVERYTHING on my plate-I couldn't resist
Royals win twice this weekend

The Trolley Run
Another fun run (4 miler)
Early morning meet up with friends for some Starbuck's
A bus ride to the start (no waiting...they have a great system going)
Huddle in Walgreens to stay warm before the start
Having multiple people stop and tell you how cool your shirt is (I know! I designed it!)
Crowded all the way-but very fun
Chatted with several people I knew on the course I hadn't seen in a while
We were nice and didn't count the people we passed-outloud!
Kym realized she was a marathon snob when we laughed at people who were talking about how farrrr we were going-4 MILES-Whew!
Downhill-although Kym wasn't so certain
Garmin battery wasn't charged so we didn't know times or splits so we just ran
Finished in 41:37-10:24 pace
Four Kenyan's place in the top four spots for the men. The winner finished in 18:09!! That is averaging a 4:33 per minute pace! We weren't even at mile two yet!
Doug came in under an 8:00 minute per mile pace!
Jenny finished in under 30 minutes! Super fast-you two are awesome!

Is it Winter Again?

Holy Hell...I know that's where I'm headed if I keep saying that-but good God, what is with this weather? When I left home for work this morning it was 70 degrees-went out for lunch and it was 52, windy and cold. Hmmph...

Running: Last night was our TNR...I had run earlier in the day so I just went for the burger, fries and friends. And then after stuffing ourselves silly we headed to Cold Stone Creamery for a fundraiser a fellow Team In Training participant was having. You can't pass up a fundraiser like that. I was even so kind as to get the next size up in my ice cream so she could get more money from it. Now...how kind am I??

As for this weekend, I had planned on running 8 tomorrow with my team who is doing their 20 miler for the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon and then running 4 on Sunday for the Trolley Run but my Coach just informed me that I didn't need to since we're tapering for the Colorado Marathon next week so it looks like an easy downhill 4 mile run for me this weekend. I can handle that. Love you Coach! Wink. Wink.

Life: I'm rich. I'm rich. Not really so don't come knocking on my door for a handout...but...I got my estimate on my car for the hell (I mean hail) damage and took the money and ran! Now JB is just showing some character.

To a great weekend, warmer weather??? and fun run Sunday.

Lemonade...Lemonade...Whoooo...

What is better then sitting on the back porch on a nice summer evening sipping lemonade? How about doing that while helping a great cause. I stole this blog entry from Michael, Kaylee's dad. As most of you know, Kaylee is my honored patient for Team In Training.

On June 6th & 7th there will be an event that I invite everyone to attend. It is Alex's Lemonade Stand which will be at all Hy-Vee stores in Kansas City. The money raised will help with cancer research and will help fund a cure. The organization is led in Kansas City by Mark and Cheryl Mozier. Their son was diagnosed with a tumor years ago and has since recovered. The time and effort they have spent putting Alex's stands in KC has been great. They are the sort of people I strive to be like. They make a difference in life and I think there is a part of all of us who want to do the same. They are doctors and professionals but make time to give back in a huge way.
My hat is off to the Moziers and I raise a glass to their hard work. I encourage everyone to do the same. Please stop by one of the stands and make a donation to a great cause. The funds raised will help find a cure to a disease that can hit families of any race, religion, or social status. Lets help put an end to this suffering, and help the Moziers with their fight against cancer! Cheers.

Thanks Michael for letting me steal your blog entry. And Great News...Kaylee is in maintenance phase and seems to be doing very very well. She's going to the gym and working on strengthening her body. Keep up the good work girl! We're cheering you on!

Hell Hell Hell...I mean Hail Hail Hail

The night before last our area had a bad storm and my baby ended up with hail damage on her noggin (her hood). She has almost 116,000 miles on her and I still love her as much today as when I first laid eyes on her. She has been the best car ever. I'm going to have it inspected to see how much dough they will fork over to me instead of getting it fixed at the body shop (since it's paid off (whoo hoo!) and I can do that!) and I may take the money and run. Hopefully the dents will work themselves out this summer in the sun.

And this is for you Lily. Mmm...This is a chocolate long john. They can come cream filled with different filling if you like-but I don't get cream filling in mine. I'm sure you have these...just call them something different.

A Great Day for a Run-The Lawrence Half Marathon

In short-the Lawrence Half Marathon was a great race all around. Challenging yet fun.

In long-we headed to Lawrence with Stephanie around 6:30ish. It was such a nice, easy drive down K10 to get to Haskell Indian Nations University where the race started and finished. The weather was slightly cool as we headed to the start. I wore shorts, a short sleeved shirt with a long sleeved shirt over it (a throw away) and some gloves. I think the temp was around 52 degrees at the start with the sun starting to rise.

As we headed to the porta potties there wasn't much of a line yet. We noticed they were decorated. Decorated porta potties? Yep-from the sponsors. Something I haven't seen before. Since I had my choice, I went into the one decorated in pink-from some runner girl company. Inside it had balloons (pink and white), they had pink stickers galore, kleenex, an extra 4 pack of t.p., hand sanitizer and air deodorizer. If you can make a porta potty fun...this was it.

As we lined up, I kissed Doug and left him and Stephanie about midpack as I trapsed to the back of the pack. I think the race got started on time as the horn sounded. On a side note-they did not have chip timing and I think it took me almost exactly a minute before I crossed the start line and was off running.

The course was beautiful. Lawrence has some amazing older houses that we ran by along with the cute excentric houses such as the purple house with the purple fence with a flower garden painted on it. We ran through town, down Mass St (the main drag in Lawrence), through parks and up through the Kansas University Campus. Now that is one amazing place. The buildings and halls are stunning along with the tulips that were in full bloom today in the warmth of the sun.

The course was challenging with a lot of hills including Mount Oread at mile 4. I call it the Holy Hell Hill. A smart thing they did was to have a water stop placed at the bottom of the hill so I grabbed my water and took a short walk break up part of the hill. Once I topped the hill I could see the whole world. This was the most spectacular part of the course.

It warmed up more then it has on any run I've been on in a long time (actually since January at the Disney World Marathon). It didn't seem to be much of a factor for me and I faired pretty well. At about mile 7 I realized I had been running pretty well and steady. At this point, I determined I was going to try to finish up the rest of my miles under a 12 minute per mile pace. I kept a very close watch on my Garmin and did just that! Whoo Hoo!

Mile 01 11:10
Mile 02 10:44
Mile 03 10:52
Mile 04 11:22
Mile 05 11:50
Mile 06 11:07
Mile 07 11:01
Mile 08 11:04
Mile 09 11:31
Mile 10 11:47
Mile 11 11:46
Mile 12 11:44
Mile 13 11:57 -Thanks for running me in Steff-otherwise I may have seen a 12 minute mile!

I averaged an 11:24 and my Garmin recorded 2:29:42. I'm sure my official race time will be around 2:30 or 2:31. I'm happy with my time-considering mom being in the hospital and I had not been eating right (or really-eating at all). After the race there were all kinds of post race goodies: chocolate milk, orange juice, yogurt and tons and tons of homemade brownies, cookies, muffins and so much more-it was a great spread. While I had some oj and choco milk, we waited to see if Jenny placed and she did-2nd place in her age group! Way to go girlie! Doug finished in great time but I think he was a little disappointed as he didn't meet the goal he set for himself. I'm certainly proud of him. He's really bumped up his intensity of running lately and is doing great. Steff also had a great run. After Jenny received her bling we stopped by Chipotle to get our free grub-another great goodie from the race.

All in all...a great challenging race, great weather, great volunteer support (tons and tons of volunteers), beautiful course and great grub afterwards. I'll be looking forward to completing this race again next year.

The Bestest Friends Ever

THANK YOU to all who have called and emailed checking in to see how my mom is doing. I appreciate all the well wishes and prayers. It is greatly appreciated and it means the world to me to have such a great circle of friends. I love you! I love you! I love you!

Mom is doing MUCH MUCH better then what she was on Thursday and we have found out that it is something that will get better soon. She probably will not be released until Monday but we're on the up and up now and are seeing the light at the end of the hospital stay.

Thank you again.

Livin' on a Prayer

That's just what I did last night. However, not the Livin' on a Prayer with Bon Jovi I had planned. This was Livin' on a Prayer at the hospital. Mom ended up in the hospital yesterday so we've been been here since yesterday morning.

I woke up this morning and I HAD to get in a run. It wasn't me wanting to run. It was my body screaming and pleading for it. After sitting at the hospital all morning, day, evening and late into the night-I would have been happy sleeping in for a bit before heading back to the hospital but my body wanted a release and I let it do just that. I went for a 3 miler and I'm so glad I did. It felt good. When I headed out, it was even starting to rain, but I didn't care-I knew what I had to do to make it through the day.

Hopefully we'll get out of here soon but we're not seeing the end just yet. The end of the hospital stay that is...

May you and yours be healthy.

Livin' on a Prayer Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Livin' on a Prayer-Bon Jovi here we come! Tonight is the Bon Jovi concert in Kansas City. There are five of us going and it's going to be a blast from the past! I'm not sure I remember how to fix my hair like it was my senior year of high school so I think I'm going to have to forego the ratted, hairsprayed nest of a do tonight. It kinda looked like Stacy's hair but it was longer and went down to the middle of my back (a picture of Stacy below...whoever Stacy is...I grabbed it off the net). This dress looks a little like my prom dress too. However, mine had a big pink ribbon and bow around the lower waist area (pink...imagine that).

So...we're headed to dinner tonight before the concert. The concert doesn't start til 8:00 pm. Now normally, I'm thinking about bed, Law & Order, CSI, running the next morning or something else besides ROCKIN' OUT so this will be a little out of the norm for us but should be a great time.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow-This weather has been crazy lately. For the last several weeks it has rained while it is bright and sunny out. Now...this is normal for Hawaii but not Kansas. Honolulu was my second home for several years. My mom lived there so I would visit several times a year for weeks at a time. It reminds me of the morning showers they would get from the mountains. I've been searching and searching for a rainbow the past few weeks with the sunny rain we've been getting on occasion and hadn't found one...until today! I saw my rainbow! If only I could hear the sounds of the ocean and IZ's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow but I'll settle for Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer instead.

Mid Week Training Update and Pretty Feet

Training for this week has been going well. What?? It's only Wednesday...ohh...okay. So far so good then. This is what I've done and what I have planned...

Monday: Yoga
Tueday: 3 Mile Run 32:05 for a 10:42 pace. 10:35...10:32...10:58
Wednesday: Yoga and weight training
Thursday: A 3 or 4 Miler
Friday: Pilates
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Lawrence Half Marathon

Life: It's time for a pedicure. It's been too long and I'm in DIRE need, especially since I show these tootsies in yoga twice a week and sandal season is here. AND...it's the least I can do for them after pounding them on the pavement day after day. I would post pictures of 'before and after' but I am afraid I would scare you away forever.

Work: I'm working from home today and will hit the YMCA at lunch today for weight training. The boss is having a baby today so he's going to be MIA for a while.

Noonish Update: The Y doesn't have weight training classes during the day today so I may head there tonight before yoga or do some weights around here later. Went and got that pedicure. Ahhh...my feet are so happy! I'm in my flip flops and it feels gooood. The weather is THE BEST today...sunny and 75ish! I have the windows opened and the back door is open for the puppies to lounge inside or out-whichever fits their mood at any given moment. And that's exactly where I'm headed to get some work done-outside in the bright, warm sun.

Peace

Besides yoga is there any other physical activity you can actually work your butt off at and when you're done walk out with such calm and peacefulness? I love the way I feel every time I walk out of class.

After running, or during sometimes, I get a sense of lightness and a 'feel good' attitude, but it's not the same. I don't even get the feeling with Pilates. Could it simply be the 10ish minutes spent at the end of class in chavasana?

Some may say it's your instructor. I'm not going with that as I've had some instructors that I could have taught them a thing or two and I'm FAR from knowing much about yoga. Even with my current instructor, she sometimes plays her music too loud or speaks too loud but I still come from class feeling that sense of peace.

Should I question it? Probably not, but I quest to feel more of that throughout my day.

The Good Life...with Training Sprinkled In

As you can see, my focus has been on yummier things lately...traveling, the Royal's home opener, and a chocolate party among many other things. I haven't posted much about what I've been doing training-wise. That is because it has been the same 'ol same 'ol...Running and Yoga and they are both coming along just fine.

I do have to confess that I didn't run long this weekend. Doug and I decided to postpone it to this coming weekend and then Jenny mentioned that she is running the Lawrence Half Marathon on Sunday so we've decided to join her and then when we get the half completed, we'll just tack on a few extra miles. Might as well get a medal if you need to run long-right?!

So what did I do with my Saturday and Sunday if I didn't run long? Saturday morning I went to training with Doug to make sure my team (and others) got in their long run okay. Everyone seemed to do well with a few aches and pains here and there-but that is to be expected. The weather was crazy...cold, windy and snowy.

Sunday, we slept in a bit (ahhh...) and then Doug went to the YMCA and ran 8 on the dreadmill while I nestled in bed, drank my coffee and watched Sunday Morning. I love Sunday Morning. It was a nice and peaceful way to start the day.

Here's to a nicer, warmer and sunnier week of training!

Not Your Ordinary Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory

This afternoon we had the pleasure of being invited to a Chocolate Party. I have never been to a chocolate party and do not know of anyone who has, but I can tell you this was NOT your typical chocolate party (if there is even such a thing as a typical chocolate party)-this was a Chocolate Extravaganza. ***An added note after talking with people today who didn't understand the concept of having a party just to have a party and not having someone trying to sell you something.*** This was not a "come to my party and buy something from me", this was Nolan and Stephanie being the kind, generous souls they are inviting friends over to "just enjoy yourself...have as much as you want, eat til your heart is content...thanks for coming" party. So...as we walked into Steff and Nolan's there was a sea of chocolate and oh how you could smell it in the air. We're talking coffee from The Roasterie (the best coffee in town) with chocolate from Christopher Elbow's, Chocolate Stout Beer, chocolate candles, chocolate soap to wash your hands, two chocolate fountains (one with milk chocolate-one with dark chocolate) flowing with marshmallows, dried mangoes and pineapple, pretzels, twizzlers, animal crackers and I can't remember what else. There was chocolate covered popcorn, chocolate nuts...oh Lord...please help me not remember all I ate today! They had chocolates from all over the city. It was an amazing spread.

Doug and his Chocolate Stout Beer. This may have been after a couple (notice the squinty eyes).

Just a FEW pieces from Christopher Elbow's. There were trays and trays.

Doug's favorite...the Mousse Alps from Andre's. They were dark choclate filled with chocolate mousse. Doug says the mousse tastes like ice cream that doesn't melt. I would have to say my favorite was the Aztec Chocolate Bark from Annedore's. It was dark chocolate pieces flavored with a sweet-hot blend of cocoa, cinnamon and chili. I would never have thought to put spicy chili in chocolate but I love it! It was such a great new surprise! Along with other surprises was another favorite from Christopher Elbow's-cinnamon chocolate and the chocolate with lime and spice...and..and...I could go on forever. Now, I had to draw the line somewhere and that was when it came to the chocolate bacon. I couldn't get mysef to try it as there were too many other things I wanted to eat.

And the take home loot was out of this world...

Lets see...what do we have here? In our take home goodie bag we got:

An 'Indulge' Memo Pad with a chocolate covered strawberry on the cover

'Fabulous' Hallmark Notecards-one of my trademark words

Chocolate Mint Pedicure Bombs from The Merry Chocoholic

Chocolate Mint Foot Balm from The Merry Chocoholic

Chocolate Mint Foot Soak from The Merry Chocoholic

Milk Bath Teas for the Love of Chocolate...sink into a creamy milk chocolate bath with just a hint of cinnamon...mmm...

Chocolate Pear Swirl Bar

An 'i love chocolate' pink pin

A box of Russel Stover's assorted chocolates with some Hershey's Kisses...another nice 'local' touch

A Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate Scented Candle (HUGE)

And some Ganache for Lips All-Natural Gourmet Chocolate Hazelnut Lip Balm

This DOES NOT include the chocolate we took home. Steff and Noland sent us home with NINE Mousse Alps...NINE...along with I don't know how many Baby Cakes of all assortments from 3 Women and an Oven AND a ton of chocolate pieces from Andre's, Annedore's and Christopher Elbow's.

I think we're toast for the evening. I'm so stuffed, at one point in time I thought I was going to end up in a chocolate induced coma.

Thank you Steff and Nolan! You are the best hosts in the city! There's not not a lot of things better then spending time with great company, sipping great coffee and gorging on THE BEST CHOCOLATES EVER!

***Another added note today after talking with others...no, I do not know how much money they put into this party and no, I don't want to know. All I know is Stephanie put her heart and soul into this and to her (and me and a lot of others) it was worth every penny.

Weekend Training and the Chocolate Extravaganza

It's almost the weekend! I'm looking forward to it being halfway quiet too for a change. Two weekends ago, Doug and I ran the Olathe Marathon and last weekend we went to St. Louis where Doug coached his team and I ran the GO! St. Louis Half Marathon. So this weekend we get to stay home and it's going to be fairly mundane except for the chocolate party on Sunday.

Doug and I have another long run this weekend as we train for the Colorado Marathon May 4th (see my cute runner girl ticker at the bottom of the page for the countdown). I think I'm going to run 16 or 18. Okay-probably 16 because if there is a choice between 16 or 18-it's going to be 16! So over the past two weeks it's been 26.2/13.1/and now 16 and that's not counting weekday runs.

Sunday...oh I can't wait for Sunday. Sunday afternoon is Stephanie's Chocolate Extravaganza! She has put so much planning and preparation into this, I can't wait to see it all come together. She's going to have chocolates from all around the city, have not simply one chocolate fountain, but TWO! She's also having chocolate stout beer and who knows what else. I can hardly wait! I may be sitting on her doorstep Saturday evening. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time now and it will be a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

To running and chocolate...I love you both!

Oh How I Love My Coffee

At home this morning I wasn't able to make my usual cup O' Dunkin Donuts Joe. Well, I could have, but didn't have the right kind of creamer. And what is coffee without the right sugar and creamer? I thought about running to the store to get some creamer-no, it's raining. Thought about stopping off at Starbuck's-no, it's raining. For those you know that know me-you very well know I might melt and not because I'm made of sugar. I'm melting...I'm melting...So what is a girl to do? HA! This girl went to work to get her coffee. We have a coffee kiosk in our building! They serve anything your little heart desires and my little heart deisred some mocha this morning.

Our 'campus' has 4 different coffee shops, 3 different buildings you can have breakfast and/or lunch with multiple multiple multiple things to chose from and best of all-it's great food. We also have a C-Store, a beauty shop, a flower/card shop, a dry cleaners, a doctors office and much much more. I have to say we're pretty spoiled here.

So I'm sitting here, sipping my Joe and planning for the day. Remember-April showers bring May flowers.

Opening Day Ice Box

Opening Day was certainly colder then it has been in all the years I can remember. The morning started off raining and then pouring. I kept reminding Doug the game would be on t.v. and he kept pretending not to hear me. He is a true fan and has been for years. I wouldn't be able to get him to stay home for anything.

I dressed in 3 layers, a coat, hat and gloves as we headed out to meet up with the crowd. We ate lunch and then ate some more lunch and then dessert before hopping on the party bus to the game. Considering the weather, the party bus was the way to go this year as tailgating wouldn't have been great fun.

By the time we got to the stadium, it was misting heavily but by the time we found our seats it had stopped. So, no rain-just cold and windy. We sipped hot chocolate (although not Christopher Elbow's) and snuggled together to stay warm. Next cold day...remember the blanket!

I have always been a fan of the stadium. I think our field is one of the prettiest around but now...whew...that scoreboard knocks it out of the park. It is truly amazing. It is so crystal clear and so enormous it just blows me away.


Although, the weather was dark, cold and windy, we stayed for the whole game and watched the Royals win! I'm looking forward to many more wins to come! Lets Go Royals!

Opening Day at the K!

It's that time-the home opener at the Royals! I've been going to the home opener for years and love the atmosphere Opening Day has to hold. Whether we tailgate or take the party bus to the game-it's a tradition to take the day off work and enjoy every minute the day has to offer. It doesn't matter what the weather holds, it's going to be a great day.

My favorite song of the day: Centerfield

I'm looking forward to seeing the new renovations-the scoreboard is supposed to be amazing. Here's to a great season...GO ROYALS!

GO! St. Louis Half Marathon Race Report

I'm not sure how else to describe it besides FUN! The day started out around 5:00 am. I got up and got around as Doug headed downstairs fairly early to meet up with the team. By 6:00 am we were taking team pictures and walking down to the starting line. I had dressed in shorts, a short sleeved shirt with a throw away long sleeved cotton tee on top. I topped it off with gloves and a do-rag. We stepped outside and you couldn't have asked for a better morning-not hot, not cold but just a little nip in the air.

The gun went off on time and it took us about 10 minutes to get to the start line. Karen and I took off nice and easy as we wanted to make sure we didn't head out too fast. As we picked up the miles, we were on a steady pace and feeling good. Karen's great about staying steady and we did just that.

It didn't take long for me to lose my gloves and long sleeve tee as we warmed up fast and the sun came out. It never got too hot. It was perfect. There was a slight breeze blowing and all was well. There are two major out and backs that make up the majority of the half marathon. I'm not a big out and back person, but it was nice because we were able to see the leaders of the marathon zoom by. Talk about amazing! I can't ever imagine. But it's so fun to watch them fly by.

We kicked this course's butt this year as last year it kicked ours. We knocked 49 MINUTES OFF our time this year from last year! WHOO HOOO!!


We saw Stacy and Emily cheering on the course as well as Doug coaching. It sounds as if everyone had a great day. As I sit here, it looks as if the Cardinals have another home game today-the stadium is filling up and it is a sea of red everywhere the eye can see.

Karen and I are getting ready to head to lunch and wait for Doug to bring in the last of our marathoners, which should be soon, and then we're heading home. Counting down two more days until the Royals home opener! Go Royals!

About Last Night-The Washington Nationals and Busch Stadium Lighting

Last night I was getting cozy in the hotel room bed...it was soooo nice, when Doug called and wondered where I might. He was sitting with others with Team In Training and they were watching the game. I was tired. I was ready for bed but didn't want to be a party pooper so I headed down to meet up with them.

We were all chit chatting when I noticed the table of men that were also hanging out at the next table and they were dressed to the nines. Doug then told me that Dallas Perez (or Odalis Perez as Doug corrected me-thanks babe) was sitting behind us. For those of you that do not know, he played for the Royals last year and now is with the Washington Nationals. Come to find out there were about a dozen or so players watching the basketball game WITH us...well not really WITH us...but the tables next to us. They are staying in our hotel because you honestly could hop-skip-and jump one time each from our hotel at the Westin to the ballpark. There was not any hubub or anything-just everyone enjoying the game. There were people rooting for both teams so it was fun.

After the game, we came up and hopped in bed. About midnight I had to get up and close our curtains because the lights from the stadium were so bright that they were beaming through our hotel room window. I may have 'St. Louis Cardinals' tattooed on my head as the lights from the sign burned into my forehead overnight.

The Night Before

Well...we've made it to St. Louis. It was a nice, fast ride down with everything going as planned. Lots of laughing, singing and poor Travis wondering what he had gotten himself in to.

The drive down and the rest of the day here was beautiful. The sun was shining and the temp was around 65ish. It was a great day to wander around downtown. As I sit here, I'm looking out our hotel room window straight into Busch Stadium and at the Arch. The sun is setting and the lights are starting to shine as the sun is setting. Our hotel and the view from it is beautiful.


Downtown was full of activity today with people bustling around due to activity for the marathon, the weather being gorgeous and the Cardinals being in town. Of course, Doug was walking around with his Royals shirt on-he's such a great supporter. We have just gotten back from dinner. Doug went to the TEAM pasta party and Karen and I hit a local Italian hangout that was very good. Now we're heading down to meet up with others to watch the basketball game.

The weather is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow. It's going be a great day.

Here's to an early night in and to an early morning tomorrow...Good Night...Sweet Dreams...and to a Great Race Day. Til then...

Meet Me In St. Louie and at Christopher Elbow's

It's T Minus 1 before we head to to the Gateway to the West. Tomorrow, after Doug finishes coaching the run with Team In Training, we are road tripping down with Karen and Travis. We will stop off for lunch, get to St. Louis, check in to the hotel, head to packet pick up, relax a bit, head to dinner and then back for an early night.

Doug has a team running the Marathon and Half Marathon so he will be on the course all day assisting them. Karen and I are running the Half Marathon. This will be her second Half Marathon and then she heads straight into training for the Nike Women's San Francisco Marathon.

After everyone's in Sunday, we're turning around and road tripping back. This will be a whirlwind trip which is nothing too out of the norm for us-especially since there aren't any oceans or mountains to be had and it's a 'been there done that' feeling.

BUT...before getting all excited for tomorrow, I'm feeling the excitment for this afternoon. I'm heading out with Stephanie to Christopher Elbow's for some more chocolate tasting! Steff is having a chocolate party next Sunday and I am so excited! A CHOCOLATE PARTY! With her knowing what a freak I am about my chocolate, she invited me last month to go chocolate shopping with her. It was such a great day. We went to 3 Women and an Oven, Andre's and Chistopher Elbow's. It was a chocolate packed day! So this week, Steff calls to order her chocolate from Christopher's and the lady tells her he is always making new chocolates so she needed to just come back in and try the new ones. And with Steff being the great friend she is, she has invited me to tag along to try chocolates again. I can't wait. His chocolates are pieces of art. Amazingly beautiful and better then that...they are DELISH! They taste as good as they look.







He also has sipping chocolate. This is pure chocolate that you sip. Not your regualar Swiss Miss by any sense. AND...they make their own marshmellows to top it off. I have never tasted a tastier marshmellow. I can't WAIT! This is going to be a GREAT weekend. I'm looking forward to such a great time! I hope you have a great weekend too!

April Showers

Life: It's gloomy and rainy here today but I'm okay with it. Especially after stepping out in the backyard yesterday afternoon and seeing the green pop out. Our raspberry bushes are leafing, our peach trees are busting to bloom. The tulips should be ringing in their vibrant colors soon. At work, it's so nice to walk down the sidewalk and see the trees budding. I truly work at the most beautiful place. They take such great care of the landscape here. The only thing I like better then walking to work is walking from work to see and smell the beautiful trees, flowers and shrubs. There is always something flowering or budding. I don't know what most of it is-but that doesn't stop me from appreciating its beauty. I often wonder if others appreciate the start of something new or if they are bustling to and fro that they don't even notice.

I hope you stop and smell the flowers today. It will open up your hibernating senses.

Training: Tonight is our TNR. I hope it's not rainy then. I need to get out and get a 3 miler in to see how my legs are recovering and I would much rather do that outside then on the dreadmill (that is not a typo). Yoga has been great and I'm able to get my full stretches in (unlike Monday) so that's good. Last night my class ohhh'ed and awww'ed over my completion of a marathon. It kinda makes me laugh because it's so much a part of me that it doesn't seem unusual to run a marathon anymore. However, it's still fun to see people amazed over your accomplishments (even if some of them don't know that a marathon is 26.2 miles-I'm still good with the it!)

North Pole Marathon

The North Pole Marathon was yesterday. It looks like 17 participants finished. How fun! Can you imagine? I think I'll put this on my Bucket List.

If you're interested in running 2009 you better get signed up now. They have only 25 spots available and is to take place on March 26th, 2009.

Can someone help me out with the payment schedule? Full payment of EUR €11,900 to firmly secure a place will be accepted on initial registration. Alternatively, a EUR €4,000 deposit to reserve a place will be accepted. This deposit should be followed by a second payment of EUR €4,000 by September 1st 2008, with the remaining payment of EUR €3,900 due by December 31st 2008. I'm not good with exchange rates so I'm not exactly how much the race entry is!

My Honored Patient Kaylee Quijas

I am in the process of mentoring my third team for Team In Training. We are training for the Rock 'N Roll San Diego Marathon June 1st. I enjoy every minute of helping newbies learn what it takes to train for a marathon as well as fundraising for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I also enjoy meeting our honored patients and learning about their stories. Our honored patient for my team this season is Kaylee Quijas. She is a 15 year old sophomore who was diagnosed with Leukemia on June 21, 2007, actually Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (A.L.L.). I can not imagine being a teen-ager and suddenly having your world halted. Being 15 poses so many hard times as it is, let alone facing a very scary diagnosis such as cancer. Can you imagine losing your hair now (okay Doug, maybe you can't relate) let alone being a 15 year old girl? Kaylee is gutting it out and being so strong trying to get to her maintenance phase. Last week she was denied as her immune system (her ANC count) was too suppressed. Tomorrow the family goes in again to hopefully hear some good news.

To read more about Kaylee and her fight with Leukemia, check out her site at http://kayleequijas.blogspot.com/. Her dad, Michael, keeps an updated account of what is transpiring. We're hoping SOON, Kaylee will be back on track being a cheerleader and doing normal teenager things. We're praying for ya Kaylee!