The Heat, Kate's Visit, and Life

The heat is horrendous. Had a scary storm last night early so did my mileage tonight. Tink and I waited until 7 p.m. but it was still 94 with the heat index. Walking 60 miles in October weather will be sweet after all this heat!

Kate arrives on Friday! Very excited Mom here, out to Harry's Market today to get in some stuff that will be yummy for Kate. Got some doggy treats for Ky and Tink, too.

I did a blog on thankfulness a few weeks ago, and when I looked back at it about a week ago I realized I missed some important folks who helped me become the person I am today - my aunts and uncles. On both sides of my family I am blessed to have loving aunts, considerate uncles, and they all amazingly managed to marry people who may as well be my blood, too.

Actually, my aunt Marge is the reason I did the 3Day originally. I remember her the best of all the nieces and nephews, simply because I am the oldest. If you knew her, you could not help love her. She ALWAYS smiled. ALWAYS. One quick memory: she and my uncle Al took me out ice skating with my cousin Joey my first ever time at the age of seven. I can still feel the ice gliding beneath those double runner strap-on skates. Another vivid memory was when she and my Dad did the polka around the living room on Fourth Street and were so much fun to watch. She always had time to talk no matter how many people she was expecting for dinner. To lose her to breast cancer has been a tremendous family loss. Still.

And now Harry, her youngest brother and my uncle, is on all of our minds. He suffered a freak fall at the steel mill where he works and is now recovering with a plate holding his pelvis together. He also broke his hip, sacrum, and a vertebra. So, say a prayer or send a loving vibe that Har heals quickly. What can I say about Harry? Harry is Harry. To know him is to love him. He is a stand up guy. You can't help but love him and all my other family.

Live each day on your feet and with your good health thankfully.

Class Over!

I am free until August 19th! I took my Brit Lit final two hours ago. My professor, Dr. Norris, recently received his doctorate in Medieval English and it was such a pleasure learning with him. He has a very dry sense of humor which I appreciated. And, like most of the professors I have had at Kennesaw State, his range of knowledge as related to his subject is vast and awe inspiring.

Quick Story: I turned in my paper two days ago - wrote a literary analysis on an aspect of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and I have to admit I was a bit nervous. I know, I always am when it comes to school. He had brought up that ratemyprofessor.com site at our last class, so I went and looked him up AFTER I turned in the paper (oh, and he gave everyone an extension til today and I was sitting there thinking, "No way. I am not doing anything else with this, I'm handing mine in tonight." Which I did.) and then I almost had a heart attack. Some of the reviews said how tough he was grading. UGH! I should have waited and handed it in later. Now I'm doomed. Ok, you're right. I did ok. Got an A! : )

Katie will be here a week from tomorrow - Jen and Paul celebrate their first wedding anniversary that weekend- much happiness and excitement at my nest. Here's a random photo for the ending of this random blog...if anyone wants to know what a bean bag box looks like. Here it is.

Take time to meditate. Or as Todd says, "love is the answer...I've been from shore to shore to shore, if there's a short cut I'd have found it, but there's no easy way around it...love is the answer."

Tony Snow

I don't have the words. Read Tony's.

Swallow At the Hollow, Etc.

After walking 10.2 miles on Saturday, I went to Swallow at the Hollow that night to see a great show and have some good salad and bbq. My foot is the one directly to the left of the date. I'm so proud of my feets - they are doing great! The pain in the left arch is about gone, I think Kate's addition of Joint Support from Banyan Botanicals (I have been taking two times a day since I got it Mother's Day) has helped. Thanks Kate!

Now - the other feets: my friend, Patty, and her daughter Tricia, her niece Erin, Tricia's boyfriend, Will, and a few other friends of theirs joined us along with another friend of Patty's called Patty! Swallow is located in a small cabin and all the food is cooked on the premises. The owner is there and thanks everyone for coming - individually - after the show. Check out the link. It is very cool. The performers are country/bluegrass/gospel writers who tell you the stories behind the music - quite a few were hits. I'm not a country music fan but a trip to the Swallow is always an event.

Katie's birthday is coming! And she is coming here August 1st! Teresa got a 12 week contract teaching - yay! She has her foot in the door. Mana is coming, too! Nick is taking vacation while Katie is here - can you tell I am one excited Goosie??? 8 >

Oh, and two days to Batman! Zounds!

Thunder, Tink, Sydney and Tony

We've had horrific storms this week; a parishioner lost their home to a lightning strike. At class one night, we lost the electricity. Thankful for all the accompanying rain we desperately need, I still missed out on some mileage this week.

Last night Tink and I got 3.6 in before I went to a beautiful wedding at our church. The reception was fun, too.

This morning, I took Tink for another 3.6 from our house, then I dropped her off at home and headed to Costco for new tires. I walked from the Costco to Kennesaw Mountain. It was so hard for me NOT to walk the mountain - but only in my mind. My dogs were tired! I was walking by time, not by distance, which I knew I could measure when I got home. Love that Gmaps pedometer - the link is on the side bar. Anyhow, I did another 6.6 without my girl.

I was whipped. Came home, ate, and fell asleep after watching a interesting (and what turned out to be final) interview on TCM of the late Sydney Pollack by Elvis Mitchell. And now Nick calls to tell me Tony Snow has passed away. Snow died at 53, one year older than me. Snow and Pollack both died of cancer. So as much as my feet hurt, I will keep training. We have to find a cure.

Aloha from Kauai and Maui

Since I had such an outstanding picture of Mana's foot in Kauai, Katie sent one of hers in Maui. Katie okayed sharing an excerpt from her email:


Mana's pic was taken on Kauai's Na Pali Coast at the beginning of the Kalalau trail, a world famous 11 mile hike, of which we did 2, 4 round trip.

[My picture] was taken at Turtle Town of Maui. At another black lava beach, La Perouse, about 5 miles down we swam with dolphins for about 45 minutes; then we got in the car, went to turtle town for INCREDIBLE snorkeling which included turtles and two manarays!!! The most beautiful, graceful things I have ever seen! It was a GREAT day.

Aloha nui loa
Katie

4th of July, the Peachtree Race, & Bean Bag

Jen and Paul ran in the Peachtree, a race that has been run in Atlanta every year for the last 39 years. There are over 50,000 people who run (and walk and wheelchair) and some of the runners win monies. They each did their own time (unofficially) and Jen came in at 55 min, 20 sec and Paul did 72 minutes and I think 10 sec. They both were almost at the goals they had set for themselves. Brian was in town, so he and I went and met up with them; it was a proud moment for us and our kids. They are pictured here in their shirts - I tripped up, I should have gotten feet pictures of them! Afterwards we went out for breakfast and some folks clapped for them - yay!

Nick and Teresa both had to work - blech. Anyhow, we cooked out and Jen and I took on Brian and Paul in bean bag. It took a phone call to Pop up in Philly for a judging on a rule - and Jen checked the internet - but we kicked the boys good the first two games. After dinner, they wanted a rematch, but the mosquitoes were feasting on Jen and I so well that we lost the first rematch then forfeited the second because the bites were making us miserable. So, in my mind, we won! : )

Nick and Teresa came late and we had some good laughs and all too soon it was after midnight.

Kate and Mana return from Maui later this week - but we will not see Kate here in Dixie until August.

Tink and I walked this morning with Karyn for our 3Day training, and we did 6 miles in 1 hour and 45 minutes with one potty break. Good going!