Memorial Day Weekend

We had a very nice weekend. Friday was spent at the nursery getting tomato and pepper plants and herbs. Saturday was even better. Paul attended a b-day/beer party and then we had friends over for pizza. I finally found a way to get Paul to eat popcorn with me. It has to be buttery with freshly grated pecorino romano and parmesan cheeses!

Sunday morning we started cleaning out the garage in preparation for Alex's birthday. We took time to grill hot dogs and have a picnic on the lawn. As Alex was napping, Paul and I spent quality time power washing the garage. I found the power washer to be very fun. I got a lot of satisfaction squirting the grooves in the garage floor and watching the dirt fly out. I was covered in mud, but it was fun. Apparently you have to be careful around the sheet rock! Who knew? I was concentrating on the dirt. :)

This week will be busy getting things ready for the weekend. I can't believe Alex will be 2!

Welcome Little Birds!!!

They have finally arrived!!! I've been waiting for about 3 weeks for the yellow Finches to arrive. I've had my thistle strategically placed in two different spots. Yesterday morning I saw 3 of them in our maple tree. I really enjoy bird watching as I've gotten older. I just wished I would have cared more when I took Ornithology. I still have my guide book, and my dad gave me binoculars for Christmas. I'm set. I also saw a bird yesterday that I haven't been able to identify. I have my guide upstairs ready to go but hadn't gotten my binoculars out yet. I need to bring them up, so I am prepared next time he visits.

Marathon Weekend

Exciting, anxious, discouraged, proud, miserable, loved. These are just a few of the adjectives I could think of to describe this past weekend.

The last couple of years, I haven't been able to fully participate in the pre/post marathon frenzy. I was so excited this year because my mom came down to take care of Alex, so I could be involved. Friday turned out to be a bit of a bummer. It was cloudy and gloomy. I wasn't as pumped about the race due to the route change because of flooding. I couldn't see how cheering would as much fun. Three people I was looking forward to cheering on were injured, and I wasn't able to to attend the dinner we were invited to due to the flu going around at that household. To top it off I started getting a nasty headache. Also, Paul figured he wouldn't attempt to qualify for Boston.

Saturday, pre-race, wasn't much better. I had gotten little sleep due to my headache, and I was worried the alarm wouldn't go off. Things quickly turned around. As we got to our first cheering location, I started to get pumped. I had my cow bell and air horn ready to go. Paul figured he would start out the race slow. He was so far ahead of schedule that we just about missed him. By mile 5, his was on pace to qualify. I couldn't believe it! We made several more stops. By mile 20, he was still on pace and looking good. The course turned out to be a lot of fun. After mile 20 we headed to the Dome to watch him finish. My anxiety started to set in. Things usually take a turn for the worst around mile 22. I would have loved to have been around the last few miles, but we wouldn't have made it the finish line. The 3:10 pacer came through....and NO Paul. I knew then something had gone wrong. Of course, I was disappointed for him. So much time and and hard work is put in to training. He finally crossed at 3:24. He ended up cramping at mile 24. So close!! He said the weather couldn't have been more perfect for qualifying. I know he was upset. He will attempt again in Sept at the Bismarck marathon. It was neat to see his running buddies come over and take care of him afterwards.

We attended the annual post-marathon party at HBH. It's always fun to hear every one's experience. There were blisters, black toenails, and stiff legs everywhere. All I had to show for my day was a blister on my finger from ringing the cow bell like crazy. :) One of the ladies at the party qualified for Boston that day. She talked to Paul about taking salt tablets. I think that will be his new strategy for Bismarck.

Sunday morning I was still feeling kind of cruddy, but I was showered with love. My mom had helped Alex make me a card and had taken him out to get flowers. I had two sets of flowers and 4 cards. Paul and Alex had also gotten me some goodies. After lunch we headed to the nursery to get flowers. It was nice and relaxing being able to pick out flowers and getting them potted. We ended the day with steak and baked spuds. We were going to get ice cream, but I was too stuffed. I crawled in to bed at 8:30 and was out by 9:15. Can't ask for a much better day than that.