Kids say the darndest things

Yesterday I ran in the Surftown 5K.  The course was flat and had some great views along the way.  Minus the toothache that prompted an emergency dentist visit at 2 pm today, my body feels great. The day did start early yesterday and when I got home I snuck back into bed and tried to get a quick nap.  

About 10 minutes later Kristen made an appearance in my room and climbed into bed with me.  She snuggled up close to me, eye to eye, nose to nose. She was playing with my hair when she looked at me and said the following:

"Mom, I'm so proud of you for wunning in da race today. You did so good and you winned a medal.  Mom, I just love you so much."

My eyes filled with tears, I was overcome with her genuine pride and acknowledgement of my accomplishment. Then about 45 seconds later she added this ....

"And Mom you don't even smell"

I start chuckling "I don't even smell ?? Well that's good right?"

"Yup Mom, you're not stinky at awll"

What is it they say out of the mouths of babes .....

Beach Day

This morning I got up at 4:40 to meet my friend, Brenda, to drive to a 5K along Misquamicut Beach.  This is not a big deal, we've run at least 3 races together before today ..  4:40 am is a new all time "early" for a 5K though.

I prepared last night - shoes, socks, phone holder, 5K belt and before the alarm went off I snuck down the hall in our bedroom to the bathroom and got dressed. Teeth brushed and hair tucked up haphazardly into a ponytail I tiptoed down the stairs, grabbed my bag and sat in the downstairs bathroom to put my shoes on .. all in the name of not disrupting the shut eye of the family dog.

It was chilly this morning as we headed to check in .. we get to the tent and the woman asks "Do you have your ID?" .. "Um... in the CAR" after a brief little issue locating me in the computer (R-O-M-A-N-S-K-I) Brenda and I were numbered up and headed back to the car to sit with the heat on for a few minutes.  The final Musketeer, Don,  joined us and we plotted our race strategy.  "Finish"  

We took a quick walk up to the beach since we would be watching the road while we were actually running and not getting distracted by the views. 

Then we started back towards the starting line .. there was a Half Marathon starting 10 minutes before the 5K.  There were SO MANY people lined up, the starting line is up by those columns of balloons. 

The gun fired and we were off down Atlantic Avenue.  Someone was cooking bacon, that seemed unusually cruel, then a bit further down the road SKUNK, then the one mile surfboard. Runners were starting the loop back now, at first just a few then the volume grew.  I'm concentrating at this point, one foot in front of the other, head up, elbows in, relaxed .. then I hear my name .. OMG someone KNOWS me - ugh!  Thankfully it is that sweetheart friend of mine, Mary, who has been encouraging me along this journey.  Ah ... the turnaround, the water stop, we're still running .. usually we have to stop and walk at least once or twice ... then the 2 mile surfboard. Over half way there! At this point, no, I'm sure it was earlier than this, I was wishing that I had taken off my running jacket .. thought about sliding my arms out and letting the empty sleeves flap like wings.... decided against that but made my friends PROMISE to remind me not to run in that again.

It was about mile 2.5 that I fell into a groove, my arms and legs just moved together effortlessly.  A woman from the race staff encouraged us as we rounded the corner "You're almost there - the finish line is just ahead"   I could hear the announcer but hell if I could see the finish line ... right foot, left foot, right foot .. then I hear my name again .. there is that Mary, complete with her entourage spurring me on towards the finish line, yes, I can see it now .. .. as we are just about crossing the timing mat I hear the guy on the mic say "smile for the camera, Ladies"  and then "Oh I can see that's the picture on this year's Christmas Card" Yeah, sure you say that to all the girls.

We finished, we improved our pace, we ran the entire time and, truth be told, it was fun and we're planning on doing it next year!

Oh and we got a MEDAL ... How about a "like" for the BLING

New Beginnings

Today is September 11 and believe me when I tell you I will NEVER forget that day in 2001.  I was in the throws of a divorce, living with my parents, trying hard to figure out the road ahead of me, then in the matter of a few minutes all my own woes and troubles seemed to instantly disappear.  I've written about that day before on Romanskiville, how that day changed me, for the better I think but still changed.

Last year we were expecting our new house to be delivered one day and set on the foundation the next.  Our original delivery date was "the last week in August", emphasis on original delivery date. We learned in late August that we were about 2 weeks behind schedule.  Early in September we get an email telling us the house will arrive in the afternoon of September 10  late in the afternoon and will be set on the found on September 11.  

"September 11" I thought to myself "Jeez why does it have to be on THAT day" I kept that thought to myself for 2 reasons really #1 - that was the day unless there was some freak rain or wind storm there was no moving it and #2 - I should be thrilled that my new dream home is getting set on the foundation and the date shouldn't matter.

The pieces arrived as promised on September 10, in all their "Oversize Load" glory complete with several escorts.

We took pictures, climbed up to look in windows, I could see the kitchen and the appliances.  It was AWESOME. 

The next day started early - the set crew and the crane arrived before 7:00 am .. the sun was still coming up.

The first 2 pieces were on before 10 am and it was starting to look like a house.

There were lots of people here that day, the builder, the set crew, my parents, my mother in law, Uncle Steve, my sister in law, brother in law and a handful of people stopped in to watch with amazement.  One particular person, a woman I met at church several years ago, a woman who has become a really dear friend, came that day to catch some of the action.  We stood together and watched for a while and then she said to me "I think its neat that this is happening today, 9/11 is such a sad day, but you, you're building something new, that you've dreamed about, this is your new beginning"  Ah, it really is all about perspective - isn't it? Sometimes you need to hear a fresh one. 

So today I remembered that terrifying day in 2001 but I also thought back to the day last year, when the house we talked about, dreamed about, scrimped and saved for appeared before my very eyes in a matter of hours. I remembered that day in 2012 and I smiled.  I smiled because it was a dream come true. It was a new beginning for us. 

September 11, 2001 might have changed me, but September 11, 2012 changed me too.

Noah's Ark

I get these email forwards from an acquaintance all the time .. you know you have at least one friend like this who forwards you more dirty jokes, Anti-Obama propaganda, links to You Tube videos, etc. than you can shake a stick at.  I rarely have time to plow through all these .. so most of the time they just get a bulk delete executed on them.   Today, I was able to check out a few before dumping them.  I think this one got my attention because the subject line said "Noah's Ark" and I thought there might be a cute picture of an elephant .. I have thing for elephants, but we'll leave that for another day.

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark. 

ONE: Don't miss the boat. If you do, you miss out on so much

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat! While our trials and tribulations might present themselves differently .. we really are all more the same than we are different ... be kind to others .. ya know like your parents taught you to be

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark . I'm not sure of the actual figure, but the majority of families live paycheck to paycheck and are just one injury, one unexpected expense away from the brink of financial ruin ... 

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. It is a HELL of a lot harder to get back into shape then to stay in shape ... says the 40 something, plump girl who started running again after a 12 year hiatus who now dreams of finishing a half marathon "someday"

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. There really are too many to list here, suffice it to say that I have met several critics in these 40 years .... some are terminally critical, some focus their criticism on a particular area - parenting, career goals, decorating style, and others eventually come around.  I have come to realize that sometimes the criticism is really just a distraction from their own shortcomings.

SIX: Build your future on high ground. 

Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy... that about covers the literal "higher ground" .. as for the figurative .. build your future on a foundation of honesty, loyalty, fairness

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs. 

This was part of my argument when lobbying Paul for Baby #2 ... they would have each other to travel through life .... 

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. Haste makes waste ... 

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile. 

Sometimes in the heat of the battle it is hard to take a step back, to stop kicking and paddling, to just lift your feet and float.  There are times when it is hard for me to be still or to quiet the voices in my head  .. running is my float now, I put on my cute neon pink visor, lace up my shoes and hit the road.  The music, the fresh air, the concentration of putting one foot in front of the other makes everything else fall away

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. Just cause you have a title or a degree doesn't mean you are any wiser .. be open, listen.  It takes a lot of concentration and patience to listen ... not so much to talk. 

ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. Most of the people who follow this blog know that I have a strong faith and belief in God. I rely on Him for strength and support when I am tested. I am raising my children to believe in Him as well, and I believe, that with Him all things are possible.