Just a Formality!

While I was busy doing my best to get a PR (Personal Record for all you non-running fans)my sisters and company were making the most of their journey. Notice the tuxedos? That's right, the Nelson girls managed to get a formal escort across the finish line! Maybe we SHOULD have gone for Gofer Girls, cuz we always go fer boys!

We Did It!

I'm having technical difficulties. My photos aren't uploading well. This one only tells part of the story, so I'll narrate the rest.

Two years ago I ran my first 5K at the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration in Boise, ID. It was an overcast, rainy day and proved to be a very difficult challenge for me. I was hysterical at the finish line, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. We made a hasty get away to avoid the onset of hypothermia.

Last year I ran again. I beat my previous time by two hundredths of a second! I'm not sure that even counts. I was running injured as my Achilles tendon had been giving me fits for several weeks. My right leg was taped from knee to arch. This time I convinced my daughter and my niece to join me. They both had young babies. They both finished well ahead of me. We made a hasty get away to feed the infants.

This year was a bit different. My daughter and leg taper could not attend. My niece ran ahead of me again. (Those youngsters are fast!) We both beat our times from last year. I cut nearly two minutes off my time! I'm pretty sure that counts! We had a leisurely day at the park enjoying our complimentary breakfast and frozen dairy products. No hasty get away this year!

Two friends from Parma joined in the walk, as well as, four of my sisters, another niece, my niece's mother-in-law, and several of the Jefferies clan. I am certain the Jefferies had a wonderful time. Sadly, we never found each other. It's easy to get lost amongst 13,000 women!

Here are some highlights of the day ...

1 - I beat my time.
2 - Nobody took the short cut.
3 - Creamsicles.
4 - Guys in tuxedos.
5 - Barb tried to cheat.
6 - Barb didn't know she was trying to cheat.
7 - More creamsicles.
8 - Sarah crossing the finish line.
9 - Melanie's quotes.
10 - Finish line photo (see above)
11 - Clear blue skies.
12 - Did I mention creamsicles?

Have I Lost My Touch?

Maybe I should reconsider baking. As noted in my seldom read and less often purchased book, "Gold Pans and Iron Skillets," I believe baking serves as therapeutic activity for many ailments not the least of which is hunger. Let's just name a few - boredom, frustration, aggravation, depression, and a down turned economy! However, I've been having a little trouble lately.

My zucchini bread was squishy inside. That was weird since I added five minutes to the timer and then another five. Hmm. The tomatoes I was bottling at the same time proved to be very well-done. As it turns out, I had my timers confused. The bread needed another ten minutes. The tomatoes, on the other hand, should be very safe to eat.

Zucchini is plentiful so I baked more bread a few days later. This time I was cautious to use only one timer. That would have worked out fabulously if I had been in the house at the moment it buzzed! I believe I made up the ten minutes that I shorted the previous batch. This bread did not want to come out of the pans. I suppose it had been there so long it thought it was supposed to stay.

Unleavened bread happens by mistake. At least that's how it happens at my house. The focaccia bread I stirred up to go with the tomato bruschetta sauce that I made from my garden produce smelled delicious. It looked like a cracker. It chewed like leather. It tasted fine, but I am now wondering what is happening on my insides as it was difficult for the sink disposal to chew it up!

I'm wondering if I've lost my touch.

It's Really About Love

My husband can seldom pop the top on a soda can without sharing “just a sip” with me. The same goes for chocolate cake, cookies, dessert at a restaurant, etc. It’s not that I really want a soda. If I wanted one, I would have one. I think it’s deeper than that. What I really want is to know if he loves me enough to share his soda with me.

Think about it. How many times have you seen a woman take “just a taste” of her sweetheart’s dessert? She doesn’t really want a dessert, for if she did, she would want the whole serving … and she wouldn’t be all that willing to share.

It is a test. Maybe it is a ritual or a well choreographed dance. Hubby orders dessert. Wife declines, “I couldn’t eat another bite.” Hubby gets his dessert. Wife helps herself to Hubby’s dessert - just a bite! Hubby never complains, because … he loves her, and he expects to share … and he knows the game rules.

Overheard recently after a wife helped herself to her husband’s sports drink:

Husband #1 “They always want to share.”
Husband #2 “Ya, until it’s theirs. They don’t ever want to share with us!”

That’s right, because if we really wanted a treat, we would want it all to ourselves. We’re just testing them. Isn’t it grand that they know the rules?