Craft sanity

monogramsHey folks,
So I've been making lists of things I want to include in the wedding and have come up with some nifty ideas. The only bummer is that I've only been able to make caveats to a lot of these "great" ideas.
Here's the internal monologue:

1. Quilting squares for center pieces? Great, but only if I can find the right fabric.
2. Horseshoes on tables? They're dirty and I have to find a lot of them.
3. Monogrammed everything! That's a lot of W's.
4. Make my own table runners? I need to find and set up my sewing machine.
5. Make my own website? I need my sister's help, and a lot of it!

However, thanks to Martha and other helpful friends, I have figured out some things that will work and not drive me crazy:

1. Monograms for the doors. 
2. Wedding Website for Dummies! = Google Sites

Let's start small shall we?

Also, running is still going well. My very nice boss has allowed me to switch my hours a bit so I don't have to run in the dark in the mornings. I can go in to work early, and then enjoy some afternoon sunlight for a run! How great is that? Also, I'm still in love with Map My Run. You should try it!

That's all for now!

I've been a little busy

Hi all,

Sorry again for being a delinquent blogger. I've been a little busy.

First, I'm engaged! It's true. It's perfectly wonderful in the "Oh my goodness I'm getting married!" kind of way. We're getting married next July, and I couldn't be happier. I'm also going to be the Matron of Honor for both my sister and my cousin. Yes, that's right. Three cousins are getting married within five months of each other! Don't worry; this won't turn into a wedding blog, but it might highlight some crafts involved in the wedding.

Second, I've finished the Fox Cities half marathon! You know, that race I told you about back in July? Yeah... Sorry about those missing training posts. The best thing I could have asked for while training is all the support from Steve, my family and friends and my running buddies. Kristi, Amy and I all beat our goal times. I came in at 2:27:19. WHOO HOO! However, since I've got a wedding coming up now, I can keep reaping in all the endorphin-y goodness by continuing to work out. Add in some arm work and core work and I'm going to be the fittest bride (almost) ever!

Third, life happens all the time. Between races, grandparents, friends, new projects, volunteering, work, and whatnot, life gets a little busy. I promise to blog more often.

Ha! You say. I've heard that one before! You say. Well, you're right. I've been a slacker. I repent and will go forth and change.

I'll just add it to my to-do list - the one under all the Post-It notes...

Raspberry Rhubarb Sunset

"Tropical heat wave, we're having heat wave..."

The state that features such things as the Snowmobile Hall of Fame, the Frozen Tundra and the Birkebeiner (a cross-country ski marathon) is having a heat wave. It's supposed to be in the 90's all week long! So what smart things did I do last weekend? I went running, baked a cake and then hiked through Pike Lake State Park.

Running was to train for the half marathon that I wrote about. Got in about 4 miles over the weekend and it felt good despite the humidity!

I made a Raspberry Rhubarb Cake:Here's the recipe:

Cake:

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup milk

1 egg

4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb (mine was a frozen and then thawed and drained)

3 oz. package of raspberry Jell-o

½ cup fresh raspberries (you can probably use frozen too, but make sure they are thawed and drained)

Topping:

1 ¼ cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

6 Tbsp butter, softened

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Grease bottom only of a 13” x 9” baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour with sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add milk and egg. Mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb evenly over batter. Sprinkle with dry Jell-o.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all topping ingredients. Mix well with a fork. Sprinkle topping evenly over cake. Bake 40-45 minutes until topping is light golden brown and rhubarb is bubbly.

I highly suggest serving it warm with vanilla ice cream!

Then the hiking took Steve and I to a natural spring where we filled our water bottles (please excuse the awkward camera angle):

And to the tower for a gorgeous sunset (it was very windy):



Stay cool everyone!

Back in Action

Howdy readers!

I’m not going to waste your time and my blog space to apologize to you once again for my lack o’ posts. Instead, I’m going to let you know that I’m going to revamp this blog slightly to reflect my adventures in crafting, cooking and the great outdoors.

First off, let’s tackle the crafting. My new love: sewing and quilting. Thanks to my mom who taught me all things involving a needle and thread to keep life together (and your clothes intact), I could probably make my own clothes if I had to. Fortunately, coupons and sales keep my love of shopping alive, too!

If you hadn’t guessed since my last, long-ago post, I’ve jumped into quilting! See my adorable baby nephew enjoying my first (almost) solo quilt project:

Isn’t he cute?

I say “almost” solo quilt because I had a few glitches with measuring my seam allowance. Live and learn, friends; live and learn. Again, thanks go to Mom for helping! I’m already planning my next two quilts. However, it’s way too nice outside to sit inside at the sewing machine.

Second, cooking rocks in summer because you have more options than winter. Winter foods are warm and comforting. Winter demands warm, baked treats. Winter is the perfect time to enjoy hearty soups and basically anything that will keep the chill of Wisconsin winters outside from your insides.

Summer cooking means grilled food, chilled desserts and things-on-a-stick. Fortunately, my boyfriend, Steve, is handy with a grill and I’ve enjoyed many delicious cookouts! I also got to have dinner at Sanford in Milwaukee. The owner/head chef once cooked for Julia Child. LOVE.

Sadly, the only plants I can seem to keep alive are my pots of petunias and marigolds. Therefore, I’m really excited that Steve also has a green thumb! As I’m writing this during my lunch break, I’m enjoying a salad with greens from his garden. Yum.

Also, black beans? Where have you bean all my life? You make my day and my salad! I’d provide a picture, but the salad has already been consumed.

My first cooking adventure of the summer was Chicken Teriyaki skewers from scratch. Results: I placed in our office’s cooking competition. I just couldn’t win because I was on the committee… Darn.

My next cooking adventure of the summer: Rhubarb. Steve’s mom has handed me a number of recipes for this pink, celery-like veggie that a grows like bonkers behind his garage. I’ve eaten it and enjoyed it. Now let’s see if I can make some rhubarb deliciousness happen. I’ll report the results.

In other cooking news, I want to be this girl’s friend: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/postcollegekitchen.html

Third, I’ve decided to run a half marathon: http://www.foxcitiesmarathon.org/halfMarathon.html. I’ll be training for the next 10 weeks and letting you know how it’s going. Today’s training says “rest”. Check.

I’ve got lots of other things coming up including my longest camping trip yet, softball, running, and more. I’ll keep the bandages, ibuprofen and bug spray handy!

Have a great one!

My apologies

Dear sadly neglected readers, I would like to ask your forgiveness for abandoning the blog and leaving you with nothing to read (ha - I'm sure you've all found lots of interesting things to read). I've been working on some new projects (pictures coming soon). Updates:

• Running is going well. I ended the Blarney run with a time of 32:30. It was fantastic and it felt good despite the windy day. I ran with Steve and Kristi. They both finished ahead of me and did a great job!


• Guitar is going so-so. I have almost mastered "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.


• Sewing has taken center stage at the moment. You'll see the project soon. I promise.

Here are some fun other blogs I've found in the mean time for you to check out:

• Can you tell what my new hobby has been?


• How cute is this?


• If you haven't read my friend Kalie's blog, Tales of Wanderlust, in a while, then you're missing out!

New project pictures coming soon!

FYI - Gary's Gallop is this Saturday! Come run with me :) I'm hoping to break last year's personal best!

For the monkeys...

My friend "Jane" told me a little over a year ago, "I think your nuts. I'm glad you love running, but I think you're nuts."
This past November, I got an e-mail from this same friend asking if I would run The Sampson Stomp and Romp with her in January. That's what we did today.
Since it was her first race, I had this big plan to have a before and after shot and to celebrate her big accomplishment. Well, whoopsie, I forgot to charge my camera battery. Photos will show up the next time we do a race.
"Jane" requested that our next race be a bit warmer. You can see our race results here. Nothing like waking up early in the morning on a balmy 11 degrees F and running through the zoo with 1100 of your closest friends... at least neither of us slipped on any snow or ice!

To run or not to run?

To be or not to be?

Screw that. I’m not some weenie Danish prince who had some mega family issues. The answer is always “Be”. Duh.

To marathon or not to marathon?

Now there’s a question for which I do not have an answer. Is it physically possible? Yes. The people on “The Biggest Loser” can do it. They went from being close to death to running one in under 5 hours! Then again, they had Bob and Jillian and a host of doctors…

Remember last year when I started this blog before I kind of fell off the face of blog-dom and abandoned you all? I had a friend, Julie, who ran a half marathon and then a full marathon within two days. Granted, that’s kind of crazy, but that’s why we love Julie! This had inspired a group of us to train for a marathon in January of 2012 – the Disney Marathon. If we do this, the marathon will land exactly on my 28^th birthday. That’s in 322 days.

Pros:

1. Coolest Birthday Goal EVER!

2. The marathon runs through all the Disney parks and you get a medal in the shape of Mickey Mouse.

3. I’d be running it with friends.

4. Nice to meet you, I’m Jen. I ran a marathon.

5. I get to buy more shoes.

6. Side benefit of weight loss – I hope.

7. This is an attainable goal in a year. I’m not trying to do this in 3 months or less or anything.

8. I bet I’ll need some cute shorts to go with those new shoes…

Cons:

1. That’s a long-freakin’-race!

2. Do I really want to spend my birthday running?

3. Questioning myself – Do I have the motivation and discipline?

4. My feet are going to hurt.

5. That’s a long-freakin’-race!

6. The Y puts a 30 minute limit on the treadmills. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to run 26 miles in a half hour. That’s even speeding in a car on HWY 794!

7. I didn’t finish this year’s goal (missed by 2 races). What makes me think I can do this?

So at the moment, the Pros outweigh the Cons, but not by much.

Thoughts?

Can't or Won't?

It's late. I'm going to admit that I was staring at my closet for about 20 minutes before I opened my laptop and started typing. You see, tomorrow is the Fall fashion show at the Wauwatosa Women's Club (you should all join!), and I want to look nice. Duh, you say, but it's more the fact that I have to see my former Boot Camp coach, Sandi, than the fact that it's a fashion show.

I want to show her that thanks to all this working out, and a lot of her encouragement, I'm a whole size smaller than I was a year ago and I've stuck to it! And I don't mean, I'm a size smaller because I bought smaller pants and darn it, I'm going to make the zipper go up no matter what. I'm comfortably a size smaller and a whole lot healthier!

I think a lot of health is determining if you can't or won't do something about your lifestyle. Can't = impossible, and that's a load of hooey. As it says in the Bible, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." If you are choosing not to get off your couch, then you're saying "can't", and that's something you can change. However, if you're missing an arm and you say, "I can't do push-ups" that's legitimate. If you are refusing to do something, then that's a "won't", and you probably just need an attitude check.

Sandi, like me, hated the word "can't". She knew that if you just tried a little harder, you could! She once told me, "when you think you can't do any more, do 10 more". If people would just choose to at least walk for 30 minutes (10 minutes three times a day counts) or use a stretchy-band, they could do more than they even think is possible!

Fitness is achievable! If I can do it, you can do it! Heck, if I can learn all this crazy stuff, then there is hope that I'll find just the right outfit for tomorrow!

I don't remember where I read this quote, but I love it, and I'll leave you with it while I find an outfit to wear tomorrow:
"Impossible is nothing. Impossible is a big word used by small people. Nothing is impossible."

I spoke too soon...

OK, so I recently wrote about taking time and not getting sick.
Whoops!
The day after I wrote that, I got strep throat!
Facepalm.
Fortunately, at least it's a real infection where they can give you penicillin, and then you get better quickly unlike a virus where all they can tell you is "good luck". Fortunately, it has been over 48 hours, and now I am no longer contagious nor do I sound like Darth Vader!
Whoo hoo!
Sadly, I am still a bit congested. This means that I had to miss the race this morning, but thanks to my friend Kristi (*waves) I'll still get my race packet [free t-shirt]. Next year! I'll run it next year!
So, thanks to everyone who gave me home remedies, advice, and general well-wishes. I appreciate you all!
Love,
Jen

I'll rest when I'm dead

Dear sadly neglected blog readers,
Today you're going to learn a truth that you might already know, even if you may already be aware of it.
You see, back in high school when I foolishly refused to miss school unless I was contagious, bleeding, or broken, I jam-packed my days with classes, clubs, sports, homework, volunteering and even being in the spring musical my Senior year (insert your guffaws here). I was involved in so many things that my over-achiever-ness was hitting all-time highs. I had a very smart, very competitive class all striving for scholarships and outstanding GPA's. My motto at the time was, "I'll rest when I'm dead."
After my over-achiever self got herself a scholarship to college and charged ahead into the major of her choice and without ever wavering. I did it again. I was in clubs, on student government, played intramural sports, had three internships, traveled, held a job and helped organize the senior farewell reception. Oh yeah, and I remained grade-anal so I could wear the special tassels and get that shiny stamp on my diploma.
Fortunately, while this makes me sound like some crazed, teen-movie do-gooder (which I probably was), I got a full time, benefits-providing job within 3 months of graduation. Whoo hoo! Unfortunately, I didn't learn that it's OK to NOT pack your life full of activities and whatnot landing my 23-year-old butt on my parents' couch with mono. I went from running 5Ks to napping on the landing a measly nine steps up from the first floor. Let me point out that prior to this, I hadn't taken a nap since I had a 12-day hospital stay and 5 surgeries at the age of 10.
Lessons learned: humility, patience and napping.
One kicker here: I sometimes have to relearn those post-mono lessons. Take last week as an example. I managed to get a bazillion things done including being able to show up for the Halloween party dressed as Betty Crocker complete with three dessert options for the other ghouls.
Why am I telling you all this? First, because I apologize for not writing sooner and this is my explanation. Second, because it's my blog and I can. Third, because I have two races coming up this weekend and I want to tell you about them.
I can just imagine you intelligent reader thinking, "Woman, did you not learn anything from the previous paragraphs? Do we need to remind you about the stairs?" Well, I can tell you that I'm running on Saturday and walking on Sunday, so no worries that I'm trying to pull a two-fer.
The first is the Warrior 5K: This 5K and 2.5 mile walk, which serves as a fundraiser and community outreach for the WLC cross country teams. It begins at 10 a.m. at Greenfield Park.
The second is the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis: This event kicks off at 8:30 a.m. at the Milwaukee County Zoo to benefit the 1.1 million people in Wisconsin who are affected by arthritis or one of it's 100 related diseases.
So, once again, I apologize for neglecting you, my readers, but I hope you'll forgive me and stay tuned for adventures in guitar lessons and my last races of the year!
Thanks

Coming from behind

Ok, so except for those few times that I'm running late, ahem, I'm usually on top of the ball. I've got a handle on life, usually. Then I sit down at my laptop after a very productive day (you should see my apartment sparkle!), and read a post from my friend Kalie who blogs from Texas and I realize that I'm behind. I haven't been consistent lately with running or posting.
Fail.
So here's an update, and hopefully something to think about. My last run was the Blazer Race, and sadly, I got lost once again and missed the start. I had to sit in my car and watch as the runners took off at the sound of the gun. The police officer, who I realize was only doing his job, would not let me through so that I could start the race. Instead, I got my number and my t-shirt and walked the two miles with the other walkers (which I had to run to catch up with) in the rain.
Fortunately, being a part of that race helped support Bethlehem Lutheran School and the Menomonee Falls Fire Department. While I joked about how hot firefighters are in a previous post (and they are), it was a little different running that day. You see, that race was on September 11.
In 2001, I was going to my AP Literature class and thinking about the quiz I had to take. Then I heard Billy G. say something about a bomb and I thought how dumb he was to talk about that in a school. I sat down in my normal spot still thinking about myself and that quiz. Then Carl came in and told Mrs. B. that we HAD to turn on the TV. I saw the second plane hit the tower. We were all stunned. We barely moved. Jessie S. started crying because her dad was supposed to go to DC that day (he ended up being safe and sound). We still had to take that stupid quiz. I think Mrs. B. ended up throwing them out.
In 2010, I obeyed a police office and ran for a local fire department. Somehow that didn't seem like much considering how they put their lives on the line for us all the time.
As with all New Year's resolutions, this one needs a kick in the pants. I think Kalie's post and remembering that every race I run is for a very good cause is a nice swift kick in the behind.

Running for Lung Health, Education, Firefighters, Children's Hospital, etc.

Hi all!
If I can swing it I'll be running like a crazy person for a while.
Wait, I just realized what I wrote. While I would normally ask that the peanut gallery please keep their mouths shut, I do love when you all write comments, so bring on the crazy jokes!
Now, down to business.

Here are the runs that I'm planning on doing for the next foreseeable future:
1. My good friend Rulena pointed out the 3rd annual Free to Breathe® 5K Run/Walk in Southern Wisconsin. The event provides an opportunity for lung cancer advocates, survivors and the community to come together to raise awareness and support to fight this disease. 100% of the net proceeds from this event will benefit the National Lung Cancer Partnership’s research, education and awareness programs.
When: August 29, 2010, 7:00 a.m. - Event day registration opens, 8:30 a.m. - Run/Walk begins
Where: Veteran's Park, 1010 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive Milwaukee, WI 53202
Registration Fees/Deadlines: $20 Online (closes Wednesday, August 25), $25 Event day on August 29, 2010
WHY: Lung health is essential to all-around health. If you can't breathe, it can lead to cardiovascular injury, brain damage and death. Lung cancer is deadly! If I can swing this race between my co-worker's wedding the night before and a wedding shower Sunday afternoon, I'm going to do it. I'm all for supporting anything anti-cancer!

2. My friend and fellow committee member, Lisa, pointed this race out to me: The Blazer Race is a fun, community event to raise dollars for the Germantown Fire Department Auxiliary and the Education Fund at Bethlehem Lutheran School. This will help fund the Survive Alive House, equipment for firefighters and education materials for the GFD. It will also support tuition assistance, teacher training, technology and special events for Bethlehem Lutheran School.
When: Saturday, September 11, 2010
Where: Bethlehem Lutheran School at N108 W14290 Bel Aire Lane in Germantown.
Registration Fees/Deadlines: $15 for adults by September 6, $20 walk-up registrations on September 11, 2010 (Children are $10 no matter what)
WHY: I want to help this race get off the ground, so you should all come run or walk! Also, as a person who was TERRIFIED of fire as a child, I really want to help kids learn about fire safety. Firefighters are also wonderful people who risk their lives for the safety of others. They're also usually very attractive. Bethlehem Lutheran School really needs support too to give children the best education possible based on Christian principles and Gospel truths.

3. I've walked for Brigg's and Al's Run & Walk for Children's Hospital a number of times and I'm excited to run it this year! This run/walk has raised more than $11 million dollars with the help of outstanding community support. This makes it possible for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW) to provide medical care for more than 325,000 patient visits each year. Note: for runners, this is an 8K option only.
When: Saturday, October 9, 2010, runners' mass start at 10:30 a.m.
Where: Marquette University Campus (the pretty lawn outside the Student Union building on Wisconsin Ave)
Registration Fees/Deadlines: $25 for adults online before the race ($5 chip timing for 8K runners), $35 day of for runners, $30 for walkers (Children rates are different) NOTE: If you register online, your stuff will be shipped to you for $3.50. If you want to avoid that, then you should register at one of the registration sites.
WHY: As a 10-year-old child, I spent 12 days living at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (5th floor!) because I had osteomyelitis (bone infection) in the growth joint of the big toe on my left foot. Seven surgeries, two casts, a wheelchair, a CVL line, crutches, nine months in two bledsoe boots, two months of missed 4th grade, a bajillion dreaded needles, tears, balloons, and relearning how to walk... Long story short, THANK YOU to the wonderful care of my parents, the doctors (most of them), nurses (I still love Janelle), and the PT crew, I can run. I hope I never take this for granted. Now, I'm going to run for the other kids who need all the care and love that they can get!

Pick a race and run with me!

Check out the lovely people at CBS 58 who covered the Run/Walk to Milwaukee Irish Fest and caught one of my team members in this clip:

http://www.cbs58.com/index.php?aid=13705

How awesome is that?

Run/Walk to Milwaukee Irish Fest packet pick up

REMINDER!!

If you would like to pick-up your race packet prior to the event on Saturday,
you can come to the pre-event packet pick-up on Thursday, August 19! However, participants will still need to get their timing chips and Irish Fest wristbands at the event on Saturday, we are not allowed to give those out ahead of time. Yes, you can pick up shirts for other people.

WHAT: Pre-Race Packet Pick-up
(You can get your event t-shirt & goody bag before the race)

WHERE: Arthritis Foundation offices
1650 S. 108th Street
West Allis, WI 53214

WHEN: Thursday, August 19 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
(pre-race packet pick-up was originally scheduled for August 17,
but we had a problem with the event t-shirts and had to change
it to August 19. We apologize for the inconvenience!)

You rock!

That's right. You heard me. I'll say it again.

You rock!

Cruise Elroy has 13 team members. 13! WAY TO GO!
Your t-shirts will be available from the Foundation on Thursday, August 19 (Happy birthday mom!). We had a slight mishap with the t-shirt printing, so the t-shirts are coming in a little later than expected. However, because you (you fabulous people!) joined a (the coolest) team, you get a spiffy draw-string bag and coupons too. The people who only registered as individuals (who I still love and appreciate), get plastic bags.

If I happen to get the t-shirts early (because I've got connections), I will let you know and you can have your shirts earlier than most people. Aren't we lucky?

Let me know if you want me to make a drop off early. We can plan something. We can even have a secret code like "the eagle flies at midnight", but not that one because everyone will know!

Until then...

GO TEAM!

Open Letter [read: plea] to my Friends Both Runners and Walkers

Hi All!
Here is a reminder that the Run/Walk to Milwaukee Irish Fest is coming up and Team Cruise Elroy still needs some more team members! I got approval from the bosses that I get to actually run the race this year instead of just working the event (that's right, I work for the Arthritis Foundation)! I'm stoked :D

All you need to do is follow these easy instructions to sign up online at http://runwalktoirishfest.kintera.org.
1. Click on the "Register Today" button on the left side of the page.
2. Click on the "Register Here" green button in the middle of the page.
3. Select "Join a Team"
4. Select "Cruise Elroy" from the drop down menu.
5. Fill in all the needed information. When you get to "Fees" section, you can either pick the $20 fun run/walk option or if you want to be officially timed, then you select the $25 chip timing option.
6. Set up your fundraising page.
7. YOU"RE DONE! There will be a t-shirt pick up day ahead of time, or you can contact me and I'll get your shirt to you!

If you're getting this e-mail and you've already signed up, THANK YOU! Please feel free to pass this along to other people who want to join our team!

THANKS,
Jen and 1.1 million men, women and children in Wisconsin who are affected by arthritis (and the other 45 million people across the US who have it too)

P.S. I'll be writing about other fabulous philanthropic options that you can sign up for including the Blazer Run in September and the WLC Golf Outing at the end of August at the Broadlands.

Last assignment for my writing class

Hi all,
I have finished my writing class, and while I'm not sad to be rid of Sam the Eagle/Yoda or the very depressing Linda, I'm a bit sad that I'll miss some of the other characters in class. I wish them free-flowing pens, smooth paper sails, and un-choppy sentences. Here is my last assignment. WARNING: it made my instructor tear up a bit. She had to ask for a tissue! Bonus points if you can tell where I got the names from!

Roadmap
By Jennifer McTavish

The sun is setting on another day at the lake. It’s quiet. The water is calm, the air is warm and the lightning bugs are starting to glow against the dark pine trees. Mosquitoes will be out soon. At the end of the pier, Fred sits very still like he always does letting Anne play and fidget with his hands. In all these years, Anne never learned to rest quietly like Fred does. He still amazes her.

Anne presses the finger tips of her right hand to his left, then rolls the rest of her hand down to line up their whole hands. Fred’s hands are a bit wider and his fingers a bit longer. He doesn’t wear any rings or jewelry beyond the plain band she slipped on his finger 48 years ago. The gold shines just as bright although it has a few scratches on it. When he smashed his hand while fixing the pier they were now sitting on, the ring saved his finger from being broken off. There’s a small scar on the inside of his knuckle as a reminder. Love saves.

She twirls his ring around marveling how it fits just the same. Other than some arthritis setting in to swell his knuckles, his hands are unaffected, a constant. Fred always had very tan hands compared to her pale ones. His big hands made hers feel dainty although she wore a size eight ring, bigger than all her friends.

“It’s a good fit,” Fred once told her early on in their relationship. They had known each other for over 50 years when you count their easy friendship along with their married life. I agree, Anne still thinks to herself.

Fred stares out across the lake. Anne can’t say what he’s looking at or what he’s thinking. She never could. “What are you thinking about?” Anne asks. “Nothing in particular,” Fred answers. If I didn’t know better, I would think that nothing is all he ever thinks about. Anne shakes her head and turns his hand over to study the back.

At 72, he still has strong carpenter’s hands, and there aren’t many liver spots or freckles dotting his hand. There is a small white line from a very old scar. His sister was teasing him and had locked him out of the house. Having a boy’s temper and a naughty big sister irked him enough to punch through the screen door. Fred and Jean still argue over who was at fault for the eight stitches that made that small white mark.

There is another scar, newer, that runs parallel to “the screen scar” from last summer when he had to pop out a window screen because he locked himself out of the house. Fred didn’t think that Anne knew about it at that time, but she observed him later putting the screen back with a bandaged hand. She never said anything. Still, she wonders if he put two and two together because he smiles whenever she brushes her finger over it.

Sighing, Anne flips his hand over. He lets her. Now, palm face up, Anne traces her finger across the heart line, the head line and the life line. When they were still dating, Fred took her to the county fair where Madame Regina, a so-called-psychic, read their palms for a dollar. It seemed extravagant at the time. “A man’s hands are a road map for his life,” Madame Regina told them. “You can see where he’s been and where he’s going to go.” Anne liked that idea, a roadmap.

Being a good, God-fearing, German Lutheran, Anne doesn’t put too much stake in what they had been learned from their palms. Then again, she can’t lie if you claimed she’s always been a bit hurt that he had the fate line and she didn’t. “You’re going to be famous one day,” Madame Regina told Fred. “Everyone will know you. Many people will come to you for advice.” Anne draws her mind back to the present and her finger down that crease on his hand. Why just today, didn’t both of our boys call to ask Fred’s advice? Fred always stops to say hello to someone when we go into town. Perhaps there is something to what that old fortune teller said.

The sun sinks low over the pine trees and Fred shifts slightly on the wooden bench. It’s the first time he moved since they sat down. His free arm reaches up behind her to give her shoulders a squeeze before he rests it on the back of the bench. Anne smiles and draws letters in Fred’s palm. She spells, “kiss me” on his hand. He laughs softly and brings her hand to his lips.

This reminds Anne of one of the first vacations they took to Florida when they were newlyweds. Since Fred is and has always been handy, Anne planned a visit to Thomas Edison’s winter estate in Florida during that trip. She thought Fred would like to see all the things he invented and built. The tour’s docent told stories about his inventions and the Edisons’ personal lives. When Thomas proposed to his wife, he was practically deaf due to a childhood injury so he asked her to marry him by tapping Morse Code on her knee. In honor of the Edisons’, Anne had drawn silent messages on Fred’s hands for over 40 years. He reads the words effortlessly.

Anne takes Fred’s hand in both of hers and holds them as the sun finishes setting. The stars have come out. The moon shines both in the sky and from its reflection on the lake. It’s about time to go in. Anne looks down at Fred’s hands. On his palm, she writes one more message for the night, “I love you.” Fred turns her hand over and writes, “Always.”

Back from Vacation!

Hi all!
I'm back from vacationing at our family's cottage where I spent as much time as possible outdoors fishing, swimming, reading, shopping, walking and all manner of things with the fam. I also learned to play Bunco (watch out for mom and Grandma!) and Euchre (for the 5th time - thank you Melissa for being SO patient!). I was going to be a good little runner and writer while Up North, but the fish were calling my name. See?



So I was a little lax on the running and the writing... I ran a few times with my brother and sister-in-law's dog, but that was more like being dragged by a small steam engine or stopping abruptly when something extra interesting-smelling just happened to halt that bundle of energy. I'm sure we were quite the sight! As for writing, I took a rainy afternoon and wrote letters to a bunch of my out-of-state friends and in-state friends that I knew needed some fun mail. Who doesn't love getting mail that isn't a bill? NO ONE.

Anyway, one night while I was helping Dad pick up the last of the fishing stuff to take back up to the cabin, I turned around and saw one of our neighbors sitting on the dock. Mrs. and Mr. L-, an elderly couple, were holding hands and sitting on a bench at the end of the dock while they watched the sunset over the pine trees that line the west shore of the lake. That made me think of how my grandparents ALWAYS hold hands when they sit near each other. Then I thought about how Mom and Dad often hold hands at church or in the car. You see people in all stages of relationships, whether it's parent-child, friends or couples, holding hands. That's what inspired writing assignment #3. It's a bit choppy for a poem, but rhyming can be difficult. It's not all hat-cat-bat, you know...

Hands

When asked what is the most attractive thing about a man,

I always answer “a man’s best feature is his hands.”

Why is that they want to know?

“Because they hardly change as you grow.”

Sure they may get rough or later a bit frail,

But the touch, and the purpose never will fail.

Simply holding hands is what they do best;

Transferring feelings and meaning without stop or rest.

At first, reaching out is tentative and shy

To boldly take her hand or wait and let lie?

“Thank goodness for horrible scary movies!

She grasped my hand when the film gave her creepies.”

A while later her father walked her down the aisle,

He gave her hand a pat-pat and he smiled.

He passed his daughter’s hand to the groom

Where love with honor and faith then bloom.

A quick squeeze of the hand and a wink sends an offer

Of activities more passionate and much, much hotter.

This leads to holding hands with tired awe and respect

As they lovingly count ten tiny fingers so small and perfect.

Through the years they offer support, comfort and care

Through triumphs and deaths they applaud and they bear.

No matter what happens his hands never change,

Never falter, always there, his hands stay the same.

Someday, but not yet I’ll sit on the end of a dock

Holding his hand as the waves gently rock.

We’ll hold each other sure as the sun slowly sets

And know that this moment is the best that it gets.

Camera Stormin'

Sunday morning started off kind of bleary. There was so much rain in the past week that I was just hoping that it wouldn't be a crazy storm like in the past few days. If you're one of my out-of-state readers, Wisconsin has had a lot of severe weather this June including a tornado that took out most of the town of Eagle. Regardless of the weather, I jumped in my car and headed to Veteran's Park.

Brainstorm 2010 was super humid and the air was so thick with moisture that it felt like you were swimming. Uh oh. Humid = not fun running/breathing. Fortunately, there was a good breeze going.

The Epilepsy Foundation had excellent signage, so it was easy to find the tents. I checked in with the team check in and then found Melissa and the rest of the Jay-Walkers. (Go back a few blog posts to read about Melissa's brother Jason). So far, the EF also had the coolest t-shirts. See?

How fun are those shirts? This picture is of me and Melissa, who organized our team of her family and friends, before the weather went berserk. I should also tell you that for this race, I decided to test and see if my camera's claim of "waterproof" was true and I ran with it in my hand the whole time.

Here we're headed to the start line. I'd guess about 300 people showed up to run or walk:

These next two photos were about 800-1000 meters into the race (3/4 mile):

This is about 3K into the race when I thought "Hey self, you're taking pictures of other people, why don't you take a photo of yourself?":

These two photos were shortly after the self shot about 3.5K into the race. I've only got a mile to go and it is starting to rain. And was that thunder?

See those clouds out there? Yeah, thunder and lightning happened about a minute or two later! I looked back for a second to take this really blurry photo of (L-R) Discovery World and the Milwaukee Art Museum:

This exceptionally blurry shot is of Melissa, her husband Bill and his friend from college whose name I don't know (I think it was Dan?). I made it around the final turn first (which has never happened before), so I decided to try and capture them with the camera:

Since I finished first for my team (!!!), I stayed at the finish to take their pictures. Here's Bill and Melissa:

At the turnaround, which was about 1-1.2K from the end, it was raining so hard that I had to stare at the ground and could only look up and blink to be able to see. There was lighting and thunder and my shoes were squishing! Brainstorm lived up to it's name!

Thank you to everyone who donated $$ to help our team! We raised $505.00! Thank you!

Writing project entry 2

While I realize that this blog is about projects, it's been mostly about running and fitness. I'm going to jump tracks to love.

Today, I was at my writing class and we read our assignments out loud while the others read along. Everyone loved my piece on Maddie and thought it was really cute. But the essay that really caught my attention was by Katie M. She wrote an essay based on a conversation she had with her 85-year-old widower father Katie asked her dad about his "lady friends" and if they were just friends.

His answer was so touching that I'm sure that Katie wouldn't mind if I paraphrased it for this blog post (plus, I'm pretty sure I know all my readers and she's not one of them):

My friends are just friends, and they'll stay that way. Your mother is the love of my life even though she's gone. Love is that feeling. Love comes from that one person, and you never know when it'll show up or where it comes from. She brought out the best in me, and the worst in me, too. She challenged me, and made me the best man I could be. When you have a love like that, the best kind, you don't settle for anything less.

I think that's one of the best definitions of love I've ever heard. Makes me sigh a little bit (or more than a little bit).