OH MY.......

I'm so sorry...I've been such a bad blogger!! 

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!  Now the Christmas season is upon us and life is busier than EVER.

Lots of stuff going on around here...I'm still working and training for races, my next 1/2 marathon is coming up in January at DISNEY WORLD!!!!! I'm so stoked...I haven't been to Disney World since 1977--a teenager full of angst.  Shoot..Epcot wasn't even finished at that time!  I'm working my way to doing a triathlon this spring....I'll let you know how that works out.

Because of the economy and a bunch of stuff we've been working on around the house Hubby's taken a part-time job. He's learning that working "retail" and customer service is a REAL treat at this time of year!

Lots of knitting going on...OF COURSE...Christmas is right around the corner!  Number 1 Niece has gone crazy knitting...she's making all her presents this year.  Warms my heart to know that she's loving the hobby I love---and taught her.

Well, gotta run---If I don't get back here before the BIG day is upon us I hope you all have a Merry Christmas...How do you like this years card?

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

Yet Another Edition....

...of "What a Runner Sees" -- yeah, I know it's been a while since I've made one of these posts but I think last weekend's festivities gave me LOTS of subject matter!!

This is the 8K race that took place on Saturday...many of the costumes were hilarious!  There was one guy running completely dressed as a leprechaun with a teddy bear strapped to his back!




I've said it before and I'll say it again...this is one of the MOST fun races ever, simply because everyone really gets into the spirit of things and makes it one big party....or maybe a circus atmosphere? 

A couple of my running friends were there...I simply texted them and said "look for me...I'll be the one wearing green!"







EVERYWHERE you looked there was something/someone to see with a CrAzY costume/hat/hair to see...I think the fella to the left had ALL three down to a science.  He even included the race sponsor "Yuengling" to his wardrobe.





Then there were all different types of "beer hats" (mine happened to be metallic) ---

SIGNS--SIGNS---EVERYWHERE THERE WERE SIGNS....

I didn't get pics of all of them but one that sticks out in my race was a HUGE banner stretched across someones front yard that said "Tight butts drive us nuts"---

Headed back to the finish line there were plenty that said "Beer ahead" "Hurry Beer is chilled" -- but the one that kept me going was on the back of the 2:15 pace runner I followed. 

Red solo cup, I fill you up
Let's have a party, let's have a party
I love you red solo cup, I lift you up,
Proceed to party, proceed to party

....and in his hand he carried a Red Solo cup! 

Speaking of party--

While enjoying my cool beverage I happened to look over and notice tulle sticking out of a port-o-potty...I took the picture thinking that someone had just caught their tu-tu and ripped it...if I had waited only a few seconds more I would have caught a very large man walking out of the potty wearing the tu-tu!!  HILARIOUS!!!

Dolphins played just off shore...



...while King Neptune kept watch over the party!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!!





Post Race High....

Hope everyone had a GREAT St Patricks Day!  We did for sure...

Still riding high after the best ShamRockin' Half Marathon!!! We had a great time...enjoy the pics~~

The Boyz see me off on the start!

One of my "Forrest Gump Running Moments" (a great reason to run early in the morning)

Feeling GREAT....2:17 a personal record!

Enjoying my FREE beer!!

Later we went to the pub for dinner and I had an Irish Car Bomb!!  YUMMY!!


And.....the BOYZ had a blast on the beach!

Rudy says....I'm POOPED!!

So is Momma Rudy!!

We stopped at a really REALLY nice yarn shop on the way home...where I found the cutest knitting kit~~Let me just say......LET THE BABY KNITTING BEGIN!!!  (pics to come)

This grandbaby is going to be well dressed in knits....now if we can just find out the gender!!  I think they ALL want a little boy...fingers crossed.

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!



Public Service Announcement....

As a postscript to yesterday's post I feel the need to be informative.

To all my Running and WannaBeRunning Friends...please take note of this video.  It's VERY important to pay attention and learn from this video:



Funny thing is I do see a couple of these guys all the time on the Greenway when I run!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

On and On....

Yes, we've had a mild winter but there have been some REALLY cold mornings for running but the training must go on....51 days and counting till the Shamrock Half Marathon!

This past Saturday was a total wash out on getting my normal group run in, so I had to go solo on Sunday...and it wasn't much better, oh yeah it was dry--but freezing temps!!

Pretty appropriate name for a headband huh??

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

Happy New Year!!

Well...I did it anyway!  We met some friends last night at our favorite Mexican establishment...and I had ONE too many margaritas!  Needless to say I didn't feel so good last night OR this morning. UGH!!

BUT I made myself go run...the 23rd Annual run to the Mill Mtn Star, for those who are not familiar with the area this run gains almost 900 feet in 3 miles.  I guess I am a glutton for punishment, but I have to say I really started feeling better after I started running. Once the steep park kicked in I had to walk/run/walk/run!

We had about 100 runners and walkers ascend to the Star...and a photo op to document the beginning of 2012.

HAPPY NEW YEAR....here's to running/walking in 2012!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Catching up....

Well, I know it's been a while and I need to catch up. Though there has been some knittin' going on I don't have any pics yet...some are gifts so I can't "show" them yet. Let's see...where did I leave off?

Oh yeah--the 2nd beach trip...

THIS is one of my favorite sights, I can't take enough pictures.
Every morning was even more beautiful than the last.



Well, the reason for this trip was my 2nd half marathon. This year I chose the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon, I wanted to do this one last year but I had already chosen Richmond and knew there was no way I could do 2 in a month. Since becoming a runner I've found that I'm ALL ABOUT the finishers medals!! 

This one was one I REALLY wanted...and it's HUGE!

An 8" long surfboard that doubles as a bottle opener (and a fridge magnet...I guess there are 3 uses)!! I had a good finish, expected a little better but with only a 1/2 mile left to finish I started to cramp up. The after race party made me feel better! I even met a new running friend while there...I hope to get to Nashville to run the RocknRoll Half Marathon with her very soon.

Can't wait to get back to the beach now...is it Spring yet?

The BOYZ even had a BLAST!!

Earlier this month we had our own Oyster Festival here in the Valley. Hubby is from a town that has an Oyster Festival the first weekend of November every year for the past 54 years, so 2 of his brothers came in with the "goods"! Oh what fun! Sorry no pics...I was so busy cooking and entertaining I never picked up my camera. We had lots of good food & good company that made the evening a complete success!

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Since the last 2 years involved us traveling this year we got to stay home. Son #2 and I ran the Drumstick Dash...his first 5K EVER--and we finished side by side! I'm so proud of him and hope that I've spurred on some interest to do more in the future!

Pre-race pic...not as cold as in previous years and the race continues to grow! It started 6 years go with only 2000 runners & walkers--this year there were 14,000+!!!!!!! Their motto--"Move your feet so others can eat"!


Then on this past Saturday Son #1------GOT MARRIED!!!!!! They eloped but I'm so pleased...I have a new daughter and 2 new step-grandaughters out of the deal! Hmmm....well, I guess that's all I have right now.
Guess I'd better get back to my Christmas knitting! Are you ready for Christmas?

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

It won't be long....

Till I get to see this again...



Training for my half marathon is coming to an end...the hard work has drawn to a close. The Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon happens in a very short 2 weeks!

Knitting on Highlander goes on....

Thinking of Christmas begins....ugh!! Anybody else have their holiday projects planned or am I just WAY behind?

Keep on Knittin & Spinnin!!

Catching up....

Ok...lets see if I can cover the bases here without being too long-winded.

Jack officially retired the 1st of July...he's been VERY busy in the workshop--check out this blog & Etsy page!

In my last post you saw my new bag for the summer...WHICH I LOVE....and I'm going to hate having to change out later. I'm working on a new one in my head, lets see how long it takes me to hit the sewing machine with. It's been really hard keeping my head above water in the past few months, so I'll give you THE BEST news first....I QUIT THE "FREAKIN'" LIBRARY!!!!! Yes, I said good buy to "BIZZARO WORLD" -- listen, I don't want to step on toes here and I don't know if all libraries are like the one here but after 11 years I'm tired of being the round peg in the square hole! I didn't fit in....not at all! Yes, I love books...yes, I'm good at customer service....but after I was "demoted" last October because MY BOSS/SUPERVISOR went psyzo (literally) and I WAS DOING ALL THE WORK--I got the short end of the stick--I was told I wasn't a "team player"?! HUH?? That group of women wouldn't know what a "team" was if a baseball bat hit them in the head!! Anyway...I won't keep beating that dead horse.

Now I work in the "polar opposite" world at the YMCA. I'm currently helping to coach the half marathon team there and working the front desk. It's awesome!!

In August I ran my anniversary race aaaaannnnnnnnnnnnd........Finished 1st in my age group!!!!!! Yeah--you'd thing this would rank as the best news but it's such a close one. Currently I'm training for the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon (oh...and Rudy & I and Milo & Jack are training for the Doggie Dash too)







All the while....the knitting continues, though slow I have managed to finish a couple items...sorry no pics at the moment but I promise to have some soon!


Did I share THIS with you? I can't wait till the movie comes out!! I can pick out all the places filmed at Explore Park and I was there on the day that they had to do the water scene...it was very chilly!!

Ummmm....lets see....OH--all the animals are doing well. We are adjusting to living with a cat who is senile....really! I've come to realize when he's confused, have to talk to him even though I think he's going deaf too...unless he's just ignoring me. He forgets where his litterbox is...thank goodness for Rudy who lets us know where the poop is so we'll clean it up! He cries in the middle of the night....so now we keep a nightlight on for him. Milo has become his protector--he worries about Ace so much. He has a hard time moving around so Milo watches him to make sure he gets where he's going okay. Ace will turn 19 on the 15th of this month!

The Girlz have faired very well in their first summer. They are allowed to free range in the backyard...a couple of my flower beds have suffered but then again the hot, dry summer hasn't helped much either! They are a lot of fun to watch...there was a brooding period for a couple of them and we saw the pecking order change because of it.

Henny Penny is my favorite--she's a riot!

We made our annual 4th of July float trip with friends this year....last years was abruptly interrupted by a VERY ugly family drama. This year's was probably the best yet--I guess making up for what we missed last year!!



And Son #1 had a milestone birthday this year!!

Yeah I know...it makes me older too!

Well, right now we are getting ready for our annual beach trip...a much needed and deserved vacation is on the horizon!! Just about 10 days away now....

Okay, I think I've blabbered on enough now. I hope I can be a better blogger in the days & months to come. Please bear with me....and with blogger, apparently with a recent "upgrade" there has been some issues, one of which is while you are loading my page it will go to "blogrolling.com" for some odd reason and tell you this domain name is for sale. Just ignore it...if you can!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Yes, I've been busy!

Sorry...but all my spare time has been taken up by either Rudy or sleeping! Well, I have been keeping up my running & training...my next race is a VERY important one. Though my family hasn't been hit by this disease. I run for ALL those who have.

Please help me....help those who have!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Emotional High....

I DID IT!!!!





What can I say, 4 1/2 months of training and a purpose for this race left me on an emotional high when the race came to an end.

....and of course my little cheerleader was there~~

(funny, one of my running partners here in Roanoke found me after the race because of Rudy -- She saw him before she saw me!!)

The morning started off VERY frosty & cold, I was up at 4am to start my day...yoga, breakfast...and lots of coffee!! Thank goodness there were LOTS of port-a-potties available! I met up with the Donate for Life team for our team picture.



You can't see (of course, I'm behind everyone...check on the right side) but I was wearing my "I'm Running In Honor Of..." banner on my back.

Though I was very nervous, time flew by...before I knew it -- it was 7:40 and my starting corral was off. Now back in June when I started this journey I estimated I could possibly finish in 2:30, as I trained I had it in my head that I could possible do better than that. So I set a mental goal of hitting 2:20 for my finish time...



Of course, I kept my uncle close in thought the whole race long but as I turned onto Cary St headed for the finish I started to get emotional...the tears were unstoppable, even though I kept telling myself that there were cameras taking pictures...(I kept saying to myself) SMILE DAMMIT SMILE!! I guess it was a good thing I was sweating so bad, the tears can be mistaken for sweat! You can check out my "Official Pictures" here! There's even a video.

OH....my finish time? I finished in 2:19!!!!!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Pikermi~~

A running I will go...a running I will go...

Well, for most of you by the time you read this I'll have finished my race. I've trained hard and I WILL win today...
In my mind I will win simply by finishing the race, no matter what my time is!!

Title confusing you? Well, it's a greek word used to describe a half marathon...an I think it's SO cool--oh, and it's a community in Greece. But it's such a cool word!

I'm running a "Pikermi"!! Pikermi~Pikermi~Pikermi~Pikermi~Pikermi~Pikermi
Sorry...it just rolls off the tongue!

I'll have pics later.

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Keeps you Runnin'

Please keep my Uncle in your prayers....he's been moved to ICU yet once again.

I have this on my MP3 player for the race tomorrow, one of his favorite bands!



Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Just a Small Space

(I tried to post this yesterday but Blogger was "having maintenance"!)

Look at the new "Runners Corner" I made in my new fiber room!!





I saved the sign that my buddies Pam, Nikki, Steph & Dani brought to my first ever race! AND...for some crazy reason all my running shoes that have been retired! Yeah...I'm a packrat!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'

SQUIRREL!!

From the files of "What a Runner Sees" I have a funny and yet a little morbid tale from yesterdays run.

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this....but are you familiar with the "indecision" of a squirrel? It happens in the fall and spring A LOT while driving...squirrel runs out in front of you and as you near he dashes from side to side---either to dare you to hit him or out of mortal fear, who knows. Here lately it's been happening to me while running...not only do I have to worry about the unevenness of the sidewalks in the one particular neighborhood, now I have squirrels to worry about. I'm sure his friends are up in the tree watching after daring the little sucker to see if I'll fall!

Well...today it happened again only "little squirrel" was to worried about his new nut to give me much grief. However, I believe a runner before me had an encounter with one of the "bushy tail buggers" -- but it didn't turn out so good for the squirrel. Keep in mind I'm on the sidewalk, not in the road (where I prefer to run) there lay a squirrel, nut in mouth and (sorry to be so morbid) footprint on it's head....I SWEAR IT WASN'T ME!! Poor little guy...maybe he zigged when he should have zagged?!

Maybe I need a dog like this~~


(I LOVE this movie!!) Rudy's doesn't think much of squirrels...in fact, he doesn't even pay attention to them while on our walks! So even getting Rudy a collar like Dug's wouldn't work.

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!

What a Runner Sees...

"Running long and hard is an ideal antidepressant, since it's hard to run and feel sorry for yourself at the same time. Also, there are those hours of clearheadedness that follow a long run." -Monte Davis


Well...this one I can show you, I couldn't help but stop long enough to take a picture.
Yesterday I saw~~




Probably this biggest snapping turtle I've seen in quite some time! I know it's hard to tell from this picture but it's head was as big as my fist!!

Oh...I'm still seeing all sorts of strange stuff too!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Well I did it---ADDENDUM!

You remember my post about the Richmond race in November? If you need a refresher...CLICK HERE.

As of this past Sunday my uncle had been at Univ of Pitt for 3 weeks, going through test after test. A week ago today the word came that he had been placed on the lung transplant list....WooHoo....we've all been on pins and needles waiting for that word. Fast forward to this past Sunday evening...the call came, they had a lung for him! Prayers answered!!!
Surgery took place yesterday morning, I was getting constant updates from my cousin throughout the day. She finally got to see him at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, of course he was out of it but she did get to hold his hand.
This evening I received this picture from my cousin:

Simply AMAZING!! Can you believe that? He's wanting to play cards!!! Not sure yet when he'll be coming home but I can't wait to see him in person!!!

Oh....about the race, prior to all this news coming down I decided (and, in fact, changed my registration) to take the leap and run the half marathon in honor of my uncle. I am nervous about taking such a big leap in my running but this is minor in comparison to what my uncle has endured...the gift he's received...and the sacrifice a family made. Whether I finish running or walking I will be thinking of my uncle and the donor family the entire time!

I'll ask again...if you haven't made the decision to become an organ donor please give some thought to it.

Dogs on Thursday

I know...I know, I should have posted something by now! Thanks for the birthday wishes, I truly do appreciate all your well wishes. We had a great time in Gatlinburg, (more pics to come...just too tired to do all the editing!)

...and so did Rudy!!



Sportin' his new hat! Besides my shopping experience, Rudy found that he had a store to visit! We found that lots of places in the area were pet friendly, allowing Rudy to "strut" through like he owned the place.

Is it hot where you are? I really hope it cools off some by Saturday morning...I have a race to run.
Speaking of which, recently I spoke about the Richmond race which I will run in honor of my uncle, who needs a lung transplant. We got word yesterday that he's been placed on the transplant list---Hallelujah! they've been at the Univ of Pittsburg for 2 1/2 weeks waiting for all the test results to be completed. Please keep him and my family in your prayers. In light of that, I decided to up the ante...I changed the race in November...I won't be running the 8K (4.97 miles)---I'm running the Half Marathon!!! YEP...13.1 miles!!! Let the training begin!!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Music Monday

Yep....back to some Music Monday! Here's a blast from the past...check out the hair!!



Well....I did it, my first "sports injury"--yesterday I was out early for my morning run when almost a third (just over 2 miles) of the way into my run I felt a "snap" in my calf. DAMMIT!!! SO...I have to R-I-C-E for a while. Hopefully 2 weeks will be enough time to recover. I can't stand this...the overwhelming sadness here lately only gets worse. Running has been my therapy.

Hope you all had a good weekend...

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Well, I did it....

I registered for the Richmond Marathon/Half Marathon/8K last night!! I'm planning on running the 8K, but I'm going to train as though I'm running the half marathon...who knows I may switch races!!!

This time it's going to have special meaning. As with most races they are for a charity, Richmond's charity is Donate Life. I have been an organ donor for YEARS...and I hope that those reading this are as well, or may decide to become a donor. Please....PLEASE consider this very important choice.
Many donor stories have brought me to tears...there was one that I saw on the news a year or so ago where one person saved 5 lives.

Now you ask how this related to my reason for running this race...I will be running for my uncle. You see he has Pulmonary Fibrosis, without new lungs and a liver he won't be with us for very long. Life is precious...and time is of the essence.
My uncle was one of my teachers as I grew up...you've seen pictures of me fishing, well...

I have that love of the outdoors to thank him for. I'd LOVE to take him fishing, but he's far too weak to go.

As Hubby and I head out this weekend for our annual 4th of July float trip with friends, my uncle will be with me in spirit. I hope to bring him back a fish...or 2!!

Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers...and if you aren't an organ donor please give it some thought, it's very easy to do!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'----and Fishin'!!