Spring in January

65 degrees.

Six o'clock in the evening.

January 7.

These were the ingredients for an exceptional 3 mile run. Okay, it got pretty dark midway through, but tonight's run was enjoyable from the moment I opened the front door. Each inhale was the smell of wet earth, melting snow and dinner on the grill. I thought I even smelled a campfire. It is a beautiful spring evening in the middle of winter.

As I finished the last half mile I swore I heard the chirping of birds, but it was just the whistling of my jacket as my arms brushed back and forth.

Shine

Never underestimate the power of taking the time to clean something and making it shine. This is the old hardware on my parents' kitchen cabinets, and with a toothbrush and some cleaner, my mom has given it new life. The drawer pull on the right is what they all looked like when she started.

156 and a quarter?!

Wow, have I been a slacker this year. At the end of each calendar year I add up all my running mileage and this year was 156.25 miles. This may seem not bad, but I have a record of usually averaging 400 miles per year which to "serious" runners isn't a ton, but it's enough for me. You know what that means? No new shoes for me! Running shoes last for 300-400 miles; guess I better hit the road.

On a positive note, I've made it to the gym every day since we got back home from the holidays except yesterday. I took the day off 'cause I had my weekly gymnastics class in there so figured I got an extra workout, hehe. B and plan to get there today. He hasn't missed a day!

We are downloading Podcasts to make our workouts more fun. What are your favorite audio Podcasts? I like Escape Pod (free Sci-Fi short stories) and Grammer Girl, but am looking for some new ones.

Happy New Year's Eve!

Hello Friends, Family and Random Folk Who Happen By.
As 2007 ends in just hours, do you have big plans for tonight or fantastical resolutions for the new year? Do tell!

Me, I'm resolving to have no resolutions. That way I can't fail, right? Okay, I have SOME goals I guess, but resolve means "to make a firm decision about" and these are more just thoughts, ideas and hope-I-get-to's. I do like lists so without further ado...
1. Do Randolph Arts and Crafts Show in June
2. Go to Hawaii
3. Go surfing (in Hawaii)
4. Snowboard on a "real" mountain
5. Lift more
6. Run a half or full marathon
7. Be more grateful
8. Don't let P.I.T.A.s get to me
9. Read, read, read as always
10. Attain Design Certifications
11. Try to get off this computer more since I'm on one all day
12. And as always, be inspired by one of my favorite groupings of words ever:

Desiderata
By Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

No less than the trees and the stars (I just LOVE that)...Happy New Year to each of you.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas one and all while there are just a few short hours left in it.

We worked on the house, had amazing food at my mother-in-law's and parents' (Dad's a great cook and my brother whipped up some amazing fudge with my Mom's perfect recipe and technique), and I got some Etsy-licious presents that I'll post on here eventually from my love.

There is less gift giving (1. Because there are just so many of us and 2. This year we put lots of "gifts" into my parents' new house!), but it's nice to be at that place in life where gifts are the least important thing. I'll be honest, as a kid it was ALL about the gifts. Of course I enjoyed time with my family, but one year I really wanted a boom box. Not only did I get it, but it was an awesome purple color! It's on my best-gifts-ever list mainly 'cause I still remember the wanting of it and how much I used it after I got it. Yeah, I walked down the sidewalk in the small town I'm from with it on my shoulder and Michael Jackson's Thriller blasting out of it. If you're of my era, you know you did it, too, and you're aware of the weight of D batteries. D batteries - do they even make them anymore? I also remember taping songs off the radio and the DJ talking over them. Hated that.

Well, I hope you all got what you wanted, whether it was a specific gift or just time to enjoy the people you love. There is no replacement for them.