tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83556723566578676582023-11-15T23:44:54.802-08:00Love to Learn and RunRunning, Parenting, Learning, Motherhood, Childrenlovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-76399915009731879782017-04-17T10:22:00.002-07:002017-04-17T10:22:27.557-07:00New Blog SiteThank you for continuing to read this blog. I am now blogging on my website: <a href="https://lovetolearnruncook.com/">https://lovetolearnruncook.com/</a><br />
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Have a lovely day...lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-24193570642498386062017-02-15T18:14:00.000-08:002017-02-18T22:24:52.837-08:00Humbled Runner<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few days ago, I was brought down to earth, fell off my high horse, and ate Mr. Stanley’s dust. Yep. I was hummmmm-b-led… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">majorly</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, humbled.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3044ba03-42cd-cd98-6d5f-b00df957ec73" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It all started at dinner. All great ideas involve food. We were having a grand ‘ol time eating the love-filled meal I had cooked for us. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Cafe Stanley’s</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "Carne con Chile and Beans" (I’ll share the recipe with you on my almost complete website) were </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">extra </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">delicious because they were made with my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">secret </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ingredient-extra love. Really, food tastes so much better when adding extra dashes of love. That day, my magic wand was swirling and swirling.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, my son was telling me about how his dad (a.k.a, my husband) had outrun the fastest runner on his baseball team at practice. This got us chatting about sprinting and racing, and well, I’m </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ultra</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> competitive in non-running sports, so this topic was somewhat up my alley. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Running is for mind and body health ( oh, and writing inspiration)- a non-competitive sport for me. However, my competitive juices kicked in when we discussed sprinting. I was a sprinter, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eons</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ago.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Yes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like on a</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> real </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">track and field team. With an arrogant tone and demeanor, I said to my husband, “... oh, I can </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">totally</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> outrun you…” We had a fun exchange and I persisted with racing that lovely man who puts up with my weirdness ( I mean interesting nature). He said, “... I’m not racing you. I KNOW, I’ll win.” He smiled knowing his comment would irk my competitive side. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It did. I smiled because I love his playful nature, but was also a little bothered because </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’m not the fastest endurance runner, but as far as sprinting short distances, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">w-ell</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, not to be arrogant or anything, but, I can totally keep up with speedsters. I even said, “... well, you’re lucky, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">anyway</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, because my leg is starting to hurt…” Honestly, it wasn’t an excuse , in case, he agreed to race and I didn't win. My right quad was really starting to hurt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did We Race?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nope. Not that evening. Trust me, I was ready to turn our neighborhood into a track. But, he declined.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday Runday?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Usually, not for me, unless, I must switch up my running schedule due to mom/family responsibilities. It was Sunday ( a scheduled rest day). I was dressed for a run because I had taken a few days off after running a 20 mile run the previous Sunday and an almost 16 mile run three days after… I know… As I type that craziness, I’m cringing.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You see what I mean about having to switch up my marathon training schedule due to mom/family responsibilities? One of my super-smart-runner friends reminded me how difficult marathon training is (time consuming) when making motherhood my primary role in life. But, like most runners, we all have numerous life roles along with our running dreams (for me it’s to BQ). I have an incredibly supportive husband and son, but I can’t help it, I want to continue excelling at being a dedicated, fun, and present mom and wife, hence, running goes down on my list.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s crazy to switch up training as often as I do, especially, because it leads to injury. My husband caringly reminded me to be cautious of injury when I told him I was going out for a 16 mi. run so close to a 20 mi. run (he’s not a runner, but he’s a cyclist, so I should have listened). I wanted to listen. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Honestly</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I wasn’t being stubborn or a crazy-runner, I was worried. Worried I wouldn’t be ready for the LA Marathon since I’ve skipped several long runs because I want to be a great mom, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and friend 99.9% of the time. I know, crazy...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get to the Point, Karina. Your Posts are Too Long (This One Is Not)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sorry. Ok, so we hop on over to the local high school track. The plan was to warm up, gently run and listen to my body. My husband and son joined me, hopeful a baseball game would be taking place at the adjacent baseball field. No baseball game, but since my husband had been wanting to practice base running form with our son, they did that while I attempted running without pain.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After an easy four laps ( a mile), my leg felt ok. Definitely, not 100 percent, but good enough to think I could keep running. As I’m approaching my son and husband, I pause. My leg is ok and endorphins and serotonin have kicked in, so the competitive side takes a peak. “Please, honey, come on, just once..., please?” I ask with a giant smile. I think he was tired of the pestering and agreed. Our son smiled when he saw us walking towards the starting line. As a former track and field star (ha!), I take sprinting competition seriously. My husband agreed to line up at the start, like real track stars. I know, you probably feel sorry for my poor guy for putting up with me (sometimes, I do, too). You would like him-he’s super awesome and funny!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC9B04DMuB5u2NbbzLMrbyoT5A71fNVF0cInCOhFH05lme0fuML__vKqhC0T6psjBl_89-E3nDLiNFrd1ugZiPsjbc4q62NJ7QlJeugz73yxtbuapb1nv2_j2yBgvLSJNLHY86uC9Yy1f/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252888%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC9B04DMuB5u2NbbzLMrbyoT5A71fNVF0cInCOhFH05lme0fuML__vKqhC0T6psjBl_89-E3nDLiNFrd1ugZiPsjbc4q62NJ7QlJeugz73yxtbuapb1nv2_j2yBgvLSJNLHY86uC9Yy1f/s640/FullSizeRender+%252888%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess who was on lane 3? My husband. I'm on the left (lane 2). I had to use a filter on these two pictures- It adds dramatic effect. Right?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIWQSD73K8PGDQgcPfbx-U1UAPxu0kDL6n_mVUylZDNZ7vcc852yfUJCB68igdZPQ8pIEm_tzHzlQNeiugFwTKmf8BfSlNji_KxfszU7ZmPClBwKeFUuINmP6jiQ2ub9uDgmWucpKXGA9/s1600/IMG_3387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIWQSD73K8PGDQgcPfbx-U1UAPxu0kDL6n_mVUylZDNZ7vcc852yfUJCB68igdZPQ8pIEm_tzHzlQNeiugFwTKmf8BfSlNji_KxfszU7ZmPClBwKeFUuINmP6jiQ2ub9uDgmWucpKXGA9/s400/IMG_3387.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me (in case you were wondering). My hair is a tad messy. I was wearing a hat, (sunny at the start) but by the time, my husband agreed to race, the sky was grey and felt a few drops of rain. Even, more dramatic... right?</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We took our marks, got set, and he went. I went, too, but I totally ate his dust. Yep. I lost. I majorly lost to Mr. Speedster and, now, I'm injured for who-knows-how-long. Fortunately, the LA Marathon is on March 19th, so if I listen to my body and keep resting, I may make it to the start line injury free. Definitely, not at the endurance level I want to be at, but I know I will BQ. Not this year, or next, but, I KNOW with my determination, I will run a Boston Marathon before I turn 60-for sure!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hurting My Leg Was Not An Excuse</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even if I hadn’t hurt my quad, my husband is so darn fast, I still would have eaten dust. The man has gorgeous, strong runner legs, so instead of being a sore loser, I say, “... You see… you should totally be a runner… You were born to run…” His response was not nice, not nice at all, “Nope. Sorry, I hate running </span><span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(ouch, right, runners?)</span><span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I will never be a runner. But, I’ll happily cheer you on.” he ended with his beautiful smile. What a waste of talent, right? But, in his hey day, his speed came in handy as a baseball and football player. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I’m mostly in awe of my husband's speed (he wasn't even giving it his all, either), I was a teeny bit (ok, fine, a ton) bothered he outrun me by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a lot</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">… But, I’m using the outcome as motivation to keep at my continual need for speed. Sprinting and long distance running use different form. I haven’t practiced sprinting form in years since my new running love is long distance, so, maybe, some of the loss is due to form, but, still, my husband is way… fast and super sweet. He reminded me of the changes in form, too, along with my leg injury as a reason for feeling like a tortoise . I may be a looser, but not a sore one. I admitted, even without leg pain, he still would have brought me down to earth, off my high horse, etc, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I haven’t told my brother, yet. Not looking forward to his reaction. He would </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>LOVE</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to know I’m no longer the fastest in the family. As a child and adolescent, it bothered him to lose to me in our sprinting competition, year </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>after</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> year. He refuses to race me, but after </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> defeat, I’m sure, he’ll happily take the starting line with me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Waaaa… I went from cheetah to snail… Waaaa…</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OK, enough with the tears. I’m ready to get to work. Well, as soon as my leg feels better and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">time, I’m definitely not skipping my post-run yoga sessions. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah, I can skip it today, I feel great. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who’s regretting those repeated thoughts, now, lady?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, I’m using this as motivation to keep improving as a runner. Plus, it’s fun for our marriage and our son can see how people of all ages need continual practice to improve and attain goals. Talent alone is not enough. He was born with natural talents, but as he develops, he must practice if he wants to continue excelling at his chosen sports and activities.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Lesson learned:</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> listen to your body, rest, and always do post-run recovery (for me, it’s yoga).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you for taking time to read my koo-koo mind’s adventures... Wait, if you'd like to read a fun anecdote, please keep reading. I promise, no politics in this post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Epilogue</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnm7nd1AS6_flzi1NDjSESgrK5D2bo3Sr2TDDXFpAwmFy0pkPbFbWOxPI5vpB-6sl_oiwh0P5i6cC731uugmvs_91lafq02AspUN3JSdczRGuMDLhlSPerPsHJJV1mfa6zVgvJfIy1uCA/s1600/IMG_3391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnm7nd1AS6_flzi1NDjSESgrK5D2bo3Sr2TDDXFpAwmFy0pkPbFbWOxPI5vpB-6sl_oiwh0P5i6cC731uugmvs_91lafq02AspUN3JSdczRGuMDLhlSPerPsHJJV1mfa6zVgvJfIy1uCA/s640/IMG_3391.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What is the point of this collage, Karina?</b></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "gentium book basic";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I was waiting for my husband and son to finish up their baseball running form, I was feeling sorry for myself, worrying and imagining the worst. </span></span><i><span style="font-family: "gentium book basic";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is it, I'm not </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">going</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to be ready for the LA Marathon. I should have listened to my body. I should </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">have</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> listened to M (my husband). I know </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">better</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I should have, this, that, and ... </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "gentium book basic";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could have spent minutes to </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hours</span> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">thinking</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the should haves, but that wasn't making me happy, so I made the </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">decision</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to turn this negative into a </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">positive</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watching my son and husband sprint back and forth on the track wasn't making me smile, either. While I love watching them play sports, seeing them practice my favorite sport (aside from baseball) without pain, made me sad. As I sat sidelined, I thought with a deep sigh: <i>shoot! This is going to delay training, again.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I decide to turn away from their fun and took pictures of the beautiful sky. As I'm turning, my hair gets in my face to say hello. <i>Hi</i>, I reply and notice it's still dry and silky. <i>How?!</i> I was running and sitting in rain, a light rain, but it was wet and humid, my hair's nemesis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>No way... It looks like this with this rain?! </i>As I'm finishing up the picture on the right, I hear my husband from behind, "...You're taking pictures of your hair, <i>again</i>?" "Yes. If I don't, my sister won't believe me." "Believe what?", he asked. "My hair. Look at it", I say while bringing it up to show him, "it looks good. "It always looks good", he replied. You see, how lucky I am... He is mostly sugar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He had asked the question about my hair because as we were getting ready to run, I said with a giant smile, arrogant demeanor and tone, "oh, wait, I want to get a picture of us in our starting positions to remind <i>you </i>of my awesomeness..." I know, I know, I'm embarrassed for me, too. I definitely have a reminder, alright. <i>His </i>awesomeness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second set of pictures were to text my sister. We were blessed with uncooperative hair in the presence of moisture and humidity. She would want to see this rarity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is my typical look on rainy and humid days. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWl3yWj4h-A3sUwYUCwQ9FjdeRsYcvaCgoaOboubj9QfRn1ggr2JPlfFn4rDf5yl9Acov2t9G6LD_UyUHOWVSr9QIz4BpBXttbogW7xFDp_akBlgaVpS7uYRzHkaCckcV67JhWxZ890jj0/s1600/6f028c20-57e8-0132-0b6c-0eae5eefacd9.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWl3yWj4h-A3sUwYUCwQ9FjdeRsYcvaCgoaOboubj9QfRn1ggr2JPlfFn4rDf5yl9Acov2t9G6LD_UyUHOWVSr9QIz4BpBXttbogW7xFDp_akBlgaVpS7uYRzHkaCckcV67JhWxZ890jj0/s320/6f028c20-57e8-0132-0b6c-0eae5eefacd9.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbBrgE1EIum8hnX3V9nYIRhyphenhyphenwSdRLXk529Rse2RPDYm9h0nX270NdHCchC8TZdnP0k8nOhG0r5Vq2FXtllmMBDoL84DSVP-xOo6LKGuS33XdrLW8oK-CaI6XNn1xIBVStw7da5YDJohYB/s1600/monica+frizzy+hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbBrgE1EIum8hnX3V9nYIRhyphenhyphenwSdRLXk529Rse2RPDYm9h0nX270NdHCchC8TZdnP0k8nOhG0r5Vq2FXtllmMBDoL84DSVP-xOo6LKGuS33XdrLW8oK-CaI6XNn1xIBVStw7da5YDJohYB/s320/monica+frizzy+hair.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Not in spring, summer, or fall (my hair seems to only love warm/dry weather) But, too much beach and sun makes me sport this look:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj66ZtK2UwSgyYrJjyrB1Kgv-iBeUcz5j1QDCkSG0y1Nb4625dbnMtatrDX1qXDzfOZd2Yw9-GABqgAMtr0gkyNgtWrk3HPqj1US8i8Y0WZ73KQQoaXi3icLNWidqAhlxbdLsjUTbVzyYT/s1600/f05183ed981756068dedcc4a6e870321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj66ZtK2UwSgyYrJjyrB1Kgv-iBeUcz5j1QDCkSG0y1Nb4625dbnMtatrDX1qXDzfOZd2Yw9-GABqgAMtr0gkyNgtWrk3HPqj1US8i8Y0WZ73KQQoaXi3icLNWidqAhlxbdLsjUTbVzyYT/s320/f05183ed981756068dedcc4a6e870321.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think mother nature was being kind to me. It was her way of spreading girl power. Our soul sisters are awesome when we need a pick me up. Mother nature often comes through for me, so she's one of mine. If I was going to be bummed about my leg and think up ways to up the ante on my training, I was going to do it while feeling stylish... Plus, injuries, always get me extra love from my boys... </span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-50852543375507943452017-01-09T17:45:00.000-08:002017-01-11T16:28:45.648-08:00Mirror, Mirror- What Do You See?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="250" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/HC6UeHkolC40Fa7Ajk-yktGqWhU9S5FThpZgPvvP734Avl6JMamXJeELU8ZMboNe44gsn4QQOu513rIyPhcJUT6LmICwPKv46RQ_akqg-S0vrWKtRXsi4hfwsdGXwr4ErIzdnYyx" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="202" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Girl Before a Mirror</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Pablo Picasso (1932)</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-51502d36-8144-9dc2-eabd-75777be7b253" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”, asked the Evil Queen in the Disney classic, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently, while browsing my Twitter feed, I came across a thought provoking tweet from one of my favorite follows. An image and message everyone should look at and fitting for the start of a new year.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="310" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/JO5TtTX3QEt2cmD6am5xDcz0GhQnfD45Qe0n2rDbxra5vF77PX5NSoXiez3uk0yDQ9bYfv2Blh8WUQH44snOMCC5OWmG1osBym2dUEh6MZFOuDMQaq_wNIFqaVtydgHjK-ijxh9p" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="312" /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Living in Los Angeles, California, a.k.a., “beauty” capital of the world, I have met and interacted with some the most beautiful people in the world. Not the beautiful </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">many</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> people in Los Angeles aspire towards, the beautiful I reference and admire are beautiful minds and souls. Fortunately, I have a choice to surround myself with people who don’t place a beautiful casing as primary importance in their everyday lives.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, living in Los Angeles for over thirty years, I have seen some of the most beautiful casings in the world. Driving, walking, hiking, and of course, running anywhere in the vicinity of the beautifully diverse city of Los Angeles and it’s surroundings means there will be gorgeous women and men walking and strutting their feathers. I’ve even engaged in conversation, small talk, and glances with “beautiful” everyday-folks and the ones with a desire for stardom on the small or big screen, catwalk, and pages of fashion and external beauty magazines.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, several of these beautiful, everyday people and stars have a beautiful mind and heart to match. However, too many of those gorgeous casings, not so much. In fact, it’s the everyday beautifully masked people that disappoint the most. It’s understandable why some of the aspiring actresses, models, etc. would not be pleasant since they are in daily competition with other women for roles, etc., naturally, they developed a defense mechanism in competition. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From observations and research of wild animals, competition is a way of survival. The fight for nourishment, leader of the pack status, and reproduction are a must in the wild animal kingdom. The same was true in hunter-gatherer days. We are not far removed from our ancestors, competition for the prize, whatever that may signal for each person, can evoke thoughts and feelings leading to unattractive behaviors. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When looking at your reflection, what do you see? Do you like what is reflected back? If so, have you always liked your reflection? If you don’t like what you see (again, I don’t mean physical beauty), are you ok with your image? I believe, at some point or another, we all dislike what is reflected back, but it is at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> moment when we have a choice to continue forward in our internal misery or make necessary changes to love what we see in our mirror. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Life is mostly beautiful, but we wouldn’t be able to experience the highs of life without feeling the lows, so don’t feel bad, discouraged ,or upset if, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>currently</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, you do not like your reflection. Our life experiences shape our current thoughts, feeling and actions. As children, we are mostly guided by our parents, guardians, and whoever is most important in our lives. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as adults, we have the freedom to choose our own paths and actions. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If, currently, you dislike what you see in your mirror, reflect on what lead you to the dislike of your reflection. Writing it/them down helps. Next, write down what steps can be taken, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>today</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, to smooth out the rough terrain. Some of my biggest life decisions have been made by writing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> everything</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, dumping all thoughts, no filters. Only your eyes and senses are present, so go to town and purge everything cluttering your path towards self love. No need to take time writing in order. The goal is to spit it out as thoughts arise. Real and raw happens when we allow unfiltered thoughts to surface. Next, look at your list, what can be checked off immediately? Start there. Often, reading what is on our mind can be eye opening and cathartic. Baby steps, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">always,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> baby steps. Trying to run before learning to sit will make the journey unattainable, impossible, and miserable. Ultimately, leading to a quick turnaround to the old, familiar road. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Evil Queen didn’t like the answer in her mirror. If today were your last day on our beautiful planet, Earth, would you be happy with the way you made yourself and others feel? In other words, what was reflected in your mirror.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xUIo4gPXeZLtePp7RuegpyF_Tr0O56pUndasLyPJrb33OI-BsD4ts83oYdJXOPJB5q0jvOngNPl7bSKxZPCXdMkOnrmuSV9m9Pg4MkLMYo76dazOJx6S9WqRUIILRkY6AmUoydvi" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="190" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-69560392788218815192017-01-01T16:11:00.001-08:002017-01-04T13:14:43.827-08:00Warning: Don't Party and Run<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Related image" height="400" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c8/e7/63/c8e763e8a45974ccc29453ee8328f809.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="270" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Three Dancers</i>- Pablo Picasso (1925)</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to rock ‘n roll all... night... and party e-ve-ry... d-ay… </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-5b01e22b-43c6-f09c-eb55-e5cc482e40a2" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How-ever</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, as fun as that would be, there are minor factors preventing an all-day-every-day-party-life-reality: a. I’m a mom, b. I’m an adult, c. I’m me (I’m fun, but not a "party", party animal) and d. I’m a runner who </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">loves</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to race.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, we’re going to a par-ty, par-ty</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, we’re going to a par-ty, par-ty</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, we’re going to a par-ty, par-ty</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would like you to dance- par-ty</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (real Beatles version is “birthday” not party)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a cha-cha-cha-chance, par-ty </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(same here, my party was a super fun White Elephant Gift Party hosted by my sister and brother-in-law)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would like you to dance, par-ty</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (again, should be birthday, not party, in case, you’re singing along, too)</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, some</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the weekend of December 16-18th, I did party all weekend. But, not like a “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rockstar</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> party”, like a fun, semi-hip, mostly-dorky, suburban </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mom’s</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> idea of party animal-good food, a little </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> good food, followed by..., </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what else</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, good food, a tiny sip of wine, here </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> there, coffee and tear emitting laughter, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everywhere</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of course</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-singing and dancing!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let the mingling begin… cha-cha-cha-cha-cha...-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">par-ty!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“... when is your next race?” asked my sister’s lovely, oh, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> lovely best friend. Even if you don’t know her, can't you get a glimpse of her loveliness? A </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">non</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-runner asking about my racing schedule deserves immediate adoration. Currently, she’s a non-runner, I say “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">currently</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” because I’m working my magic on her and my sister. Both would be fun race partners. Spending a few minutes to hours with them always ends in tear laughter. We all claim to be “Lucy”, not one of us will take an Ethel or Caroline Appleby role. A part of me would be ok with taking the Ethel or Caroline Appleby role since we can’t all be Lucy, but, come on, I’m totally a Lucy.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, this fun friend asking with genuine interest about my running schedule shows you her awesomeness. She really is a genuine and kind soul-love her! Again, her question, “... when is your next race?” “Tomorrow!”, I answered with a giant smile. “To-mo-rr-ow?”, she asked with a concerned and you’re here partying the night away expression. “Oh, but, it’s not a half marathon or anything, it’s </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>on-ly</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a 5k., I clarify with a swap of my right hand over my left tilting head, scrunched up nose, raised right brow while the left teeters down and a raised upper left lip, signaling, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it’s no biggy.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her follow up question, “... what are you running it for?” My triathlete brother-in-law was in the room at the time of the question, I turned to him for camaraderie and understanding when I paused, trying to give an understandable response to a “current”, non-runner, but all I could express was the truth, “...um...for fun!”, I replied with enthusiasm as I looked forward to the endorphin/serotonin release the next morning. Of course, my brother-in-law smile-laughed in agreement since all koo-koo runners understand the real reason we love running is the fun and joy of being able to run and endorphins/serotonin (a natural high for those of you not familiar with running).</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Party’s Over...</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was about 9:30ish PM at that point and I no longer live a hop-and-skip away from my sister’s home, so I understood her concerned response. “Ok, well, we need to get you ready and hydrated…”, she said with a nurturing tone and gentle caress of my left arm (arm caress was because she loved the texture of my dress). You see…, how sweet and awesome she is, she was concerned about my race preparations and there I was laughing away and having a great time. Ask my brother, the poor guy’s left arm-shoulder was probably sore from the pounding it got. It was his fault , if he wasn’t so funny, I wouldn’t be pounding his arm-shoulder as I laughed. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>And</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he agreed to sit next to me when I tapped the saved seat, next to me. Who doesn’t want to sit next to the funniest brother in the world during a super-fun-White-Elephant-Game (fun, unique version)?! You </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>know</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I had a good time, I was sitting in between my hilarious husband and brother. Not sure they were equally pleased, but, oh, well, I had fun.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">O-k..., fun is over.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, to try and pry my son to leave the fun he and his cousins were having. He’s too good to me, he knew I needed to prep for my race the next morning, so very minimal effort was needed, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this time</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fkyLsRDOGAps2jG8sQePjFqUEEX0OEQW-FP8tABv3io0cmrKjQRt5iVYwvWFFY96m8NDbZQXy4Nu_2ITCpN4etA5rRm2nxu26BV7AcVvimW4EuTohUPj6eSc-EqRi1xdYifvBpSb-iRg/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252877%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fkyLsRDOGAps2jG8sQePjFqUEEX0OEQW-FP8tABv3io0cmrKjQRt5iVYwvWFFY96m8NDbZQXy4Nu_2ITCpN4etA5rRm2nxu26BV7AcVvimW4EuTohUPj6eSc-EqRi1xdYifvBpSb-iRg/s320/FullSizeRender+%252877%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This pic is from Thanksgiving, but I was wearing the same shoes, a similar dress, and sat in this same spot at some point for the B-Family-Super-Fun-Unique-White-Elephant-Par-ty. Cute shoes, right? Stylish, comfortable, and runner friendly heels (at least, that's what I tell myself). No full pictures to share from the actual party because, well, half of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>my people</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> didn't agree to have their images posted. F</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>i-ne</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">... I'll respect their wishes...</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;">Bedtime? What bedtime?!</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn’t get to bed until… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">after</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> midnight.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Droon..., droon..., droon..., droon… </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The dreaded sound of the alarm when all you want to do is snooze, “...just two more minutes…<i>Aurgggg</i>..., I’m sleepy…"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wait!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I have a race in Dodger Town! In seconds, my sleepy eyes doubled in size as I ran downstairs… Shoot! Shoot! Sh</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>oooooot</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">….</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brrrmm. Brrmmmm. Brrrrrmmm. Coffee is ground, and ready for brewing. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Typically, life pauses until I’ve had the first sip of the glorious brew. Except for that morning, I needed to be ready and out the door in less than thirty minutes if I wanted to leisurely pick up my bib and enjoy views of Dodger Stadium with my son and husband.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Surprise! Your family is TIRED, too.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In case you forgot, we had been in party mode the night before and as much as my boys </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">love</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to support me, they were a little too </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pooped</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to jump for joy at the thought of freezing their bottoms as I ran past them once or twice. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Immediately, after considering their probable desire to continue snoozing on a chilly, still dark, early morning, I suggested skipping the race to my husband. I had to pull his arm (ha!). He agreed, only if our son agreed, too. I’m sure he was hoping our son’s exhaustion outweighed his super support of my running. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sprinted into my son room's to ask the BIG question. Still half asleep, “... b..u..t… Mom, aren’t you going to be sad if we don’t go?” Love him! “No, honey, of course, not! I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>totally</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> understand. You’re tired, don’t feel bad, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>honestly</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’m pretty sleepy, too, so don’t </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">even</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> worry, go back to bed.” See, easy-peasy, no guilt for either of my boys and off I was towards Dodger-Stadium-Adjacent-Race-Location. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shoot, shooot, shoot…. According to the WAZE app, I was supposed to leave my house fifteen minutes ago. At the current time of departure, my arrival time was estimated at just shy of 4 minutes before 8AM (start time). How does that happen? Why can’t other people start their Saturday morning trips later?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You had to go back to readjust your Santa leggings, didn’t you? You didn’t have time to eat your breakfast, but your leggings are in place.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shoot-again! I forgot the bag of shoes I was bringing to donate. I turn off my car, quickly get out, sprint inside my house, inhale the smell of coffee and buttery, vanilla french toast I still haven’t tasted, reply to my husband's question , “...the bag of shoes, bye, I love you, guys!” I yell as I slam the door, actually, the wind slammed it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another, sprint to my car.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I should have just spent the night at my sister’s house. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember, she’s a hop-skip-away (not really, more like 15 min) from the race location and I had to drive miles and miles. Fortunately, I’m familiar with the area or so, I thought, because I got lost… Yes, me! A huge, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HUGE</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Dodger fan, who has been to that vicinity many, many, many times, and I had no idea where the exact race start was located. Major</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> auuurgggg… Baboom. Baboom. Babooom. Baboom-baboom-ba-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the heck</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is happening to me?! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ms. On-The-Ball is turning into a mangled tangled spool of thread. Thank goodness for organized race planning on the part of Christmas To Give race organizers who knew runners like me would be running amuck on Saturday morning during Christmas party season. They had signs with balloons , guiding us to the starting line.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> Ba. Boom. Ba.Boom.</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Phew, thank you!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TAfOzdqHRK0STi4MesSJqcAMZJSoo1R60vByfegJ41mZEW1EQDOJypDjC4N4E8vNoIcStXqNfZWIzFvTjlFtuLHvBtTITUmd8EkSUaTDywev3sMRFRZDaFFG3TGl5g8-m8k0TxIBiXQN/s1600/IMG_1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TAfOzdqHRK0STi4MesSJqcAMZJSoo1R60vByfegJ41mZEW1EQDOJypDjC4N4E8vNoIcStXqNfZWIzFvTjlFtuLHvBtTITUmd8EkSUaTDywev3sMRFRZDaFFG3TGl5g8-m8k0TxIBiXQN/s400/IMG_1233.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pic was snapped on my way home. I had no time to stop and snap on the way to the race. Don't worry, I didn't stop traffic, aside from me, there were no vehicles, anywhere, in sight.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No other vehicle was visible, I was starting to panic, worrying I had passed the location. At the realization, full blown Karina-panic mode kicked in. The race was starting in nano-seconds and I was still driving to a location I had no idea existed and I’ve been an Angeleno and avid Dodger Stadium visitor for decades. Back to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>ba-boom-ba-boom-ba-boom-booooooom-thump-thump-thumpppppp-thhhhuuuuuummp.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I see two other vehicles looking equally lost and panicked. I saw them a few more times, which was not a good thing because it meant there was no parking and at that point, I could hear the loud speaker giving course instructions. I was missing my first ever race because of my need to laugh and have a ball with family and friends?! Nope. Not happening. Finally, I found a spot, way, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> down the hill, closer to the trail/park entrance, but I found a spot, so what did I do? I hauled b-u-t-t. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Skreeech...</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> halted my fresh-soled-short-distance shoes like the emergency stop on the spin bike to jog-walk-run-wa-jo-jo-wal-run-wa-fast walk. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Why the chaos, lady?</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It was a steep hill and darn those hills for not liking me, I wanted to enjoy the race and not feel out of breath before I even crossed the start. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;">The top of the hill is visible.<i> I made it!</i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ms. the race start is behind those giant trees..” that was kind volunteer #1 upon seeing panic in my face. Hearing the MC cheering on the runners forced me to jam up that small hill. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Waaaa.</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.. I was so late…</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, again, I’m standing in what I thought was the bib pick up line, but lo and behold, it was only a kids craft table?! No!!! I was</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> way</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> late! “Oh, no, Ms., you pick up your bib, over there.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, now, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">finally…</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Super cheerful volunteer #3, “Oh, hi, Ms… (yeah, I know, I don’t know what is up with the Ms. thing either. Apparently, I look like a Ms. without my cutie by my side. Or, a ma'am couldn’t possible be as lost as me.) “I’m so sorry, I’m so late. This is the first time I’ve ever been late for a race.” I spewed all that in one breath as I tried to pin my bib without panic. As I’m re-pinning, I realize I need to run with the goody bag the relaxed and cheerful volunteer handed me </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my wallet ( I ran out of the car with it in my panic and no husband and son to help me with either). </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More Late Runners</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The couple driving around in front of me, arrived as I was in my pinning-panic mode, “We are so sorry, we are so late” I hear them say to the young woman volunteering. Her response was carefree and relaxed, again, “Oh, no problem, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at all...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, it’s chipped timing, so don’t worry.” Easy for her to say, she’s not on the other side of thirtysomething, us thirty-plus runners tend to take this racing thing a little more seriously, especially, when we have Boston qualifying dreams. That clock only tick, tocks away... after thirty. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After an internal conversation on how to best hold onto my goody bag, and wallet, oh, and chapstick to ward off raisin lips, I cross the start line-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">alone</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> That felt weird. I’ve never done that before.</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It felt like I was running out my front door, until I caught up to the end of the line. “Two loops, two loops before you make a left.” said the volunteer. “Ms., is that your first lap?”,she asked as I tuned right, where the first lap runners are meant to run. “Yes.”, I stop to answer. But, I thank her for thinking it was my second, apparently, I looked fast in my Santaish get-up. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First lap-easy, pea-sy. Hills, eat my dust.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You know the saying, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch”? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clearly, I forgot it because right when I thought my lack of preparation for this race wasn’t going to stop my speed, it put me in my place. This was my s-l-o-w-e-s-t 5k-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EVER! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A PR on the slow spectrum, for sure...</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a regular morning, this race would have been a little tougher than a normal 5k race because of the vacillation from pounding on concrete to trails. It was a fun combination of road and trails. But, sluggishness from lack of sleep, sprinting to get to the start, and well, my love-hate relationship with hills, made for a not-on-the-track-to-Boston pace. Not to mention, the narrow paths. With my luck, risking running past someone was not a good idea. The trail paths were a bit splish-splashy and I’m accustomed to road running. Plus, my snow colored sweater leggings are super cute and I didn’t want to ruin them with mud.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKBLmo9jPE9SKoXMJM5rdvV3_OlOLdtoglXI15wf-bGbwRv2oHiyAH7Z4Rmgrk_fwEjNlECFZS5-14pIsETIvs1Qqb4EIxsZH0hnMMPjaZRUOTTh4RZtQZ6oOc5x-zEaXBr8cWpXDxGW4/s1600/IMG_1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKBLmo9jPE9SKoXMJM5rdvV3_OlOLdtoglXI15wf-bGbwRv2oHiyAH7Z4Rmgrk_fwEjNlECFZS5-14pIsETIvs1Qqb4EIxsZH0hnMMPjaZRUOTTh4RZtQZ6oOc5x-zEaXBr8cWpXDxGW4/s640/IMG_1177.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You see... narrow path, right? Would you risk slipping if you're mostly athletic, but sometimes clumsy? I didn't think so. Anyway, I had time to pull out my phone while holding my wallet to snap this picture. I ran past my car while on the race path, threw in the goody bag, but held on to the wallet since my key was attached. Hence, my slowest 5k PR!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmm…., think , think think, Karina. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How to turn negatives into positive? Hit my head with the palm of my right hand, “D-uh, Karina, remember from Algebra class, eons ago, a negative times a negative equals… a positive?! Oh..., yeah..." I turned my morning negatives into spreading cheer. After all, I was dressed like jolly ‘ol Santa, I might as well, act like him. No beard or Santa hat, but definitely a cute and stylish red, white and black runner version.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember, the lovely couple arriving late to the running party? I spotted them on the course, trying to snap a picture of themselves with the beautiful views behind them. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Tan, tan, tan, tan… </i></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In comes superhero-Santa-runner-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Me</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I stop my already slow pace to ask, “Would you like me to take a picture of you?” They smiled and the woman replied, “Sure! Thank you!” They were an adorable couple </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>and</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> racing buddies… How lovely, right? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I resume, ultra-slow pace and spot a runner who seems to be feeling like me, but instead of speeding up to pass her since narrow road was coming up, again, I slow my pace when she senses me behind her. Why would I do that? Well, if she’s anything like me, when I see runners run past me, I feel even more sluggish, and since we were both sensing unkindness from the the all-terrain course, I decided to let her feel the joy of not having another runner pass her by. Anyway, it was a comfortable pace. But, a few minutes later, all those rainbow colored thoughts were thrown out the door, I have a habit of going all out, full sprint, Des Linden style, as soon as I spot the finish banner. Once I condition myself, it’s tough to veer away. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Major eek….</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The time on the finish line clock was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>well over</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> my usual 5k time (clock was at 40 something minutes), but I had forgotten, I also started </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> after the clock began ticking. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Phew!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’m ok, with having a much slower time than usual, but not that one… Remember, I have Boston dreams.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1G8gxjUu4TwJnZgml4j-FpWTeVeMYfUca_JgCJQExFWlwKLQmhOxDNPaFQgtE64BJHOCr6pTI1gR8exiPqjxMJgJF__VKXFYBHPb1xmYGd3vX5K3tEL2U1H7oFyngA-UrFIPqFmjtQDfj/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252878%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1G8gxjUu4TwJnZgml4j-FpWTeVeMYfUca_JgCJQExFWlwKLQmhOxDNPaFQgtE64BJHOCr6pTI1gR8exiPqjxMJgJF__VKXFYBHPb1xmYGd3vX5K3tEL2U1H7oFyngA-UrFIPqFmjtQDfj/s400/FullSizeRender+%252878%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who cares about final race time when you are greeted by this lovely table...? Not me, at least not at <i>that</i> moment. I'm blogging about it, so, clearly, a medium size, OK, fine, an xxxx-large part of me cared.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">My last and final victim before heading back home to prep for my tamale making/dancing party</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was enjoying a post-race donut when I spotted a runner trying to find the perfect angle to snap a picture of himself with, again, those gorgeous views. I walked over to him and asked if he wanted me to take a picture. He said, “Oh, yes, sure.” Ha.Ha. He thought I had asked him to take a picture of me. When I clarified, he laughed, too, and was appreciative for the offer. See, now he has a picture snapped by a semi-pro photographer. Ha! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before making my final trek down the trail to my car, I had to take a few pictures of the gorgeous view of Dodger Stadium from the race start and finish location. How did I not know about </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>this</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> place?! I knew the race was Dodger Stadium adjacent, but I was thinking a different park. See, there is always something new to learn about places and people, including, the ones we have known for years.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_XzbnQETIEZ2jzXVJhF7U1loyu8FqfdxrcKTL0uiWBC9fyfetM0RDGe5adnaE4HMXgMMizmc4tDN2Lj9Y4oYrSgH17Ln8KX2LUR7h1J3YyCOZTyhHXa95i7SHKDqIB-5QxDHK1saEhDy/s1600/IMG_1197+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_XzbnQETIEZ2jzXVJhF7U1loyu8FqfdxrcKTL0uiWBC9fyfetM0RDGe5adnaE4HMXgMMizmc4tDN2Lj9Y4oYrSgH17Ln8KX2LUR7h1J3YyCOZTyhHXa95i7SHKDqIB-5QxDHK1saEhDy/s640/IMG_1197+%25281%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think of <i>Gingerbread Baby</i> and <i>Gingerbread Friends</i> by Jan Bret each time I see this medal. Two of my son's favorites when he was younger. I loved reading and acting out those books with him.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep adoring sigh... Dod-ger... Stadium... You are be-au-<i>tiful</i> from <i>every</i> angle. Perfection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the culprits for my race-morning chaos. a. the sweater-Santa-leggings (you know that story) and b. sunscreen. How I knew I was running way late that morning: "Weren't you supposed to leave 20 minutes ago?", asked my husband as I returned a second time to apply sunscreen. "Yes.", I answered. "And, you are applying sunscreen , it's cloudy?", he said with a shake of his head and sigh. "I know! But, hello, there will be sun, <i>later </i>and skin cancer doesn't care about weather<i>.</i>" In my defense, yes, I delayed by applying sunscreen, but as you can see from the white spots on my legs, I applied in haste, so not a lot of extra time was used up warding off skin cancer,<i> Mr. Stanley</i>... This is the only picture I have of my Santa-ish outfit since my personal photographers were cozy and warm at home.This pic was snapped as I picked up all hand-held items I dropped when snapping pictures of the views. I was in haste because the kids race was happening and I was blocking the right side of the path as I picked up my dropped items. Y-<i>eah</i>-embarrassing...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images I was capturing when I dropped everything...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The not-used-during-baseball-season Dodger Stadium entrance next to the race location.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0FpH2Jbhyphenhyphen0_2lQ8nqYjxs7giTV3k3Gt1cdSwcSjqPOtYlZFW-WfOjfOS9kygAJczXah95gZLWPW611qF_kD83CYYJkU6hGg3WJEV0ttu3qfpnxuXkw5Pl-4bHHEWs2cS9TklVsKmWSoV/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0FpH2Jbhyphenhyphen0_2lQ8nqYjxs7giTV3k3Gt1cdSwcSjqPOtYlZFW-WfOjfOS9kygAJczXah95gZLWPW611qF_kD83CYYJkU6hGg3WJEV0ttu3qfpnxuXkw5Pl-4bHHEWs2cS9TklVsKmWSoV/s640/IMG_1234.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance I thought was next to the race start when I left my home way late. Lesson learned, Ms. Research-everything-but-important-details.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> another,</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> long drive-I’m home!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Honey! I found a place with</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> gor-geo-us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> views of Dodger Stadium and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> don’t even know about it!, I exclaimed with giddiness. He knows everything… So, it felt </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">awe-some</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to share new information with him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No!!!!!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> As I’m chatting up a storm with my husband, I realize, I forgot the donation bag of shoes in my car. Lack of sleep, haste, and fogged memory from the latter made me forget the most important reason for signing up for that race. I felt terrible, but, they were still donated, so maybe someone closer to my home was in need of those shoes. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6nFxEfJKqs4EbJB40a7HVlLltg8eENdmxAIRXG8_TGI8F-BjH32UU1eu1W0MaZe5VuoMUIVNazmMotGNWufRRf9Z3b4Hhv6GqB5d_LwSpawX5XT6ArN0HYrzoPjbMzoJg9cEPWMNWw4K/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252881%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6nFxEfJKqs4EbJB40a7HVlLltg8eENdmxAIRXG8_TGI8F-BjH32UU1eu1W0MaZe5VuoMUIVNazmMotGNWufRRf9Z3b4Hhv6GqB5d_LwSpawX5XT6ArN0HYrzoPjbMzoJg9cEPWMNWw4K/s640/FullSizeRender+%252881%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gift from my sister's lovely best friend for our Tamale Making/Dancing Par-ty... Fun. Fun.<i> Fuuuunnnn...</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stop feeling jealous of my Christmas Eve outfit. I can sense the greeness and green is not a good color on you. I know, I know, I'm stylish in running and civilian clothing, so I get why you would be jealous.You are forgiven. My brother-in-law said I looked like a character from <i>That 70's Show.</i> If you look at my super-cute coat peeking on the left, you can see why, the look is very circa 1970ish... Hence, the 1970's filter to match.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTadNjhwZ61BhvXB1oVv4HmkwYY-RJVs3JJTi3QYmcwcSdLXcJm_ZkbaMeKEhhBD38l7mGOX-klDIcNtr6RThqbIoutJdOzTPu7DjC_YBHwJMQalwO0hv0nleerrPUonDMkjAN6PQIhe5/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252879%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTadNjhwZ61BhvXB1oVv4HmkwYY-RJVs3JJTi3QYmcwcSdLXcJm_ZkbaMeKEhhBD38l7mGOX-klDIcNtr6RThqbIoutJdOzTPu7DjC_YBHwJMQalwO0hv0nleerrPUonDMkjAN6PQIhe5/s640/FullSizeRender+%252879%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade,<i> de-lectable</i> champurrado made by my multi-talented mom on Christmas Eve to go with a freshly made batch of tamales. I can taste and smell it's gloriousness as I look at the picture. I dare you to find champurrado as good as hers. In fact, I double-triple dare ya...</td></tr>
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Guess what the above 3 pictures have in common? You'll never guess..., so I'll tell you. They are all involved in fun, juicy future posts and stories... Par-ty... cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha...</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is it just me or do all you racing-runners experience a little bit of chaos on race day? If so, I’d love to hear some of your stories. If not please,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> please...</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> share your racing wisdom, I often feel like I'm in an episode of</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> I Love Lucy</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "gentium book basic"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on race day.</span></div>
<br />lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-31478074286391859572016-12-15T16:13:00.001-08:002017-09-20T22:53:20.825-07:00Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree...<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree... How lovely are your… bran-ches… Tan-tan-tan-ta-n-tan-ta-n-t-an-tan. Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree… How lovely are… you-r bran-ches…” Do you know that little jingle? Have you heard it before? I just sung it to you as I typed. Click-sing-click-sing-click-sing-sing-sing-sing... </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May-be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, one of these days, I’ll include video of me singing, so you see why my family cringes a lot. Please, notice, the emphasis on “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May-be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. Maybe means if I’m ever </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">out-of-my-mind</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but with as koo-koo (by koo-koo, I mean interesting</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, not</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> weird, I prefer interesting and unique) as I can get, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maybe</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” is closer to a possibility than highly impossible. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My auditory cortex sends my ears the sound of an operatic voice when I sing my heart out because all I hear is beauty. I don’t know what is wrong with my husband and son’s ears? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May-be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, they need to make a visit to an otolaryngologist (fancy name for ear, nose and throat specialist) or neurologist to have their ears and auditory cortexes checked out. Right? I mean, come on, lovely husband and son, my mom and you, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">son</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, are gifted in the singing department, so I can’t be </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">th-at</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> terrible… Maybe, I just need singing lessons to tune up the chords? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of these days, I’m going to do just that and I will show those two. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmph</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. When I’m singing in one of my favorite operas or musicals, they will regret the hundreds to thousands of scrunched up noses, sour looks, and redirection questions to get me to stop. Guess, who won’t be getting front row seats, then? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmph</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Take that, Stanley man and child!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lights! Camera! Action!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These three words summarize what I love most about Christmas. Thanksgiving is equally exciting because, well, pies , turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, more pie, pie, again, oh, yeah, did I mention I absolutely, completely and utterly adore pies (pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin, my brother-in-law’s banana cream pie, and a sprinkle of apple (that’s just fall, spring and summer have even more flavors). You see what I mean about going koo-koo, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so-me-times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Thoughts of dessert and coffee can do that to me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, yes, while I absolutely love the quality time and laughter with family while eating, eating, and eating delicious multi-cultural food, along with all the traditional-turkey and the works at Thanksgiving, Christmas is even more fun. Definitely, not for the presents, in fact, I’ve written an essay in the past on my thoughts related to gift giving. Maybe, I’ll share with you one of these days. But, don’t start making assumptions and worrying that my son doesn’t receive presents at Christmas time. He deserves no pity-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at all</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! Tr-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-t me…, he totally gets </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> than he needs and I contribute, too, but it doesn’t mean my opinions can’t differ from the norm on Christmas/holiday season and all gift giving in general.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whistle While You Work, I Mean, Decorate…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who doesn’t love seeing the halls decked with holly</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, fala, la la la lala lala la</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, right? After all</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, ‘tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la la la la</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darn,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> why wasn’t I given the gift of singing? I love doing it so much, but I don’t enjoy sour looks when I do it “too much”. Typically, I’m considerate, but not during Christmas time. Along with music from musical geniuses, The Fabulous Beatles, Christmas songs turn frowns upside down, immediately! Dealing with crowds of people in a rush, everywhere, can make the most patient person show glimpses of… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Grinch</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, in December, I don’t give a hoot if people dislike my singing. I sing away… and dance. Well, that’s a given, I do that every day and I’m really good at that, so if I get any looks from my boys it’s because they wish they could move like me. Ha! I’m not joking, here, though, I’m a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ter-rif-ic</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> dancer. My lack of vocal chords is made up with my moves… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’ve got moves like Jagger, I’ve go-t moo-vv-es…”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Actually, better, than Mick. Well, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wait</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, it depends on who you ask. But, if you, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">only</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, ask me, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I have way better moves than him. Thank you, mom, for the dancing gene, but it would have been nice to get your singing voice, too. I so could have been a rock-star… </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shakira, you are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SO</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> lucky, I didn't inherit my mom's chords-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nobody</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> would know your name! Deep sigh… What could have been... </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="dance dancing sexy fail awkward" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/xhx9RaRfu5T0c/giphy.gif" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photography</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been told I take “too many pictures” by a handful of our future’s kindest and brightest. People who used to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">love</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> posing each time they saw my camera; however, I don’t know what happened to them as soon as they neared double digits age?! In the past, I’ve heard from a couple of them, “…are you posting this on Instagram?” “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wh-at!?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?! Is that like a candy gram?” I didn’t even know what Instagram was or how Twitter worked, then. Of course, now, I’m an avid Tweeterer (is that a word?). But, no, I do not have an Instagram account and if I did, I wouldn’t post pictures of them, unless they and their parents approved. I ask for permission before posting their images on Twitter and if they change their mind at any point, I delete those tweets.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No, I don’t take thousands of pictures every year to post on any medium. I take pictures because I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LOVE</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> photography. I love capturing life-people, animals, nature, objects, and anything I find interesting in our beautiful planet, Earth. As much as I would like to hold all those precious images in my mind, I can’t. My hefty hippocampus stores a lot in long term memory, but it can’t retrieve certain memories like a picture can, at least not for me. When I browse through old pictures, I relive the experience. I can smell, taste, hear, see, and feel the moment as if it were happening, again. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photography and Writing are Synonymous</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my favorite photographers writes of his love of photography, “I have always believed that a good photographer is like a writer. Each photograph is like a story, only written with light instead of ink.” In addition to finding his photography incredibly breathtaking and inspiring, I lit up the first time I browsed his site and read his thoughts on the relationship and similarities between writing and photography. He’s right, photography and writing are synonymous. It's interesting how we share many similarities with people all over the world, yet, we'll never get to meet most. Thankfully, the internet allows us to connect and share our talents with the world. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Browsing his site is like taking a mini-trip around the world. The stories he captures through his lens, further ignite my desire to explore the grandness, diversity, and awe inspiring beauty of our planet, Earth. Deep sigh… If only there were unlimited resources and time to explore everything in my hefty list of “must see and experience” before my time is up.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This talented photographer’s website features his gorgeous work, but a book filled with his talent, knowledge and techniques would be a wonderful suggestion to send his way. Maybe, I’ll send him a message with the suggestion. With continual practice, I hope to tell great stories through both mediums, too.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Time Machine, Please. A la Dr. Who or Marty McFly Style.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes, I wish I lived in a sci-fi book or movie because I’d love to go back to some of my son’s earlier years. I was fortunate to have been able to enjoy a lot of his life with him, many of those moments were </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">priceless</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, moments that happened years to a decade ago, but feel like last year. They were a lot like trying to enjoy your favorite meal, mindfully, but no matter how slowly and in the moment you experience its greatness, eventually, you come to the last bite and there are no left overs because it was that good. Parents of little ones, enjoy, enjoy, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">en-joy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> because you’ll never get a second chance to absorb and cuddle those precious moments, ever, again. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPA7MiItnc6Ea4-cGfUyvmfr54TRVS_g3ph-qCKNOdwIuh84aU_Mu0JqcLFvVCmHSawTS3FwGOPxls_WtQoJbFvlPe0Z_zHh28vTcTgiCdUy3muaVwltwiJD-053LdochaW2gkBKqfbeX/s1600/IMG_0954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPA7MiItnc6Ea4-cGfUyvmfr54TRVS_g3ph-qCKNOdwIuh84aU_Mu0JqcLFvVCmHSawTS3FwGOPxls_WtQoJbFvlPe0Z_zHh28vTcTgiCdUy3muaVwltwiJD-053LdochaW2gkBKqfbeX/s320/IMG_0954.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imaginary, specifically, athlete and superhero play was <i>HUGE</i> during this age. I can hear his voice, vacillating between smiles, laughter, but mostly frustration with me because I couldn't stop laughing and smiling when he was trying to get us to pose for our "Christmas Superhero" photo sequence. Our superhero names changed with the day and activity. This time, I was Superhero-Mommy-Santa and he was Superhero-Rudy (a.k.a Rudolph). Looking at the pictures, right now, I can feel his super soft face next to mine, see him walking back towards the camera to re-set it as he shook his head in adorable annoyance many times. "Ok, mommy, we are superheros, ok... Do your superhero face, ok. Aurrg, Mommy, stop. We need to do it, again and this time, no smiling, ok." I couldn't help it, I intentionally and non-intentionally laughed because he was so <i>darn </i>adorable!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cziupld6OuU-fGFUK8Vk4kyvp7XOtRQoylC_wOXZE2qau7fUrySMXjbVD8r9j4CcGyqVhyphenhyphenv5x5w9DjESkne3fBU_f7aNkDshCsyBSrteUrbhNBcXBpzStp-knE3_1A2wydkKjTmUlgLw/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252874%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cziupld6OuU-fGFUK8Vk4kyvp7XOtRQoylC_wOXZE2qau7fUrySMXjbVD8r9j4CcGyqVhyphenhyphenv5x5w9DjESkne3fBU_f7aNkDshCsyBSrteUrbhNBcXBpzStp-knE3_1A2wydkKjTmUlgLw/s320/FullSizeRender+%252874%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobody is ever fooling this cutie... He has always been ahead of every step. My husband and I saw his body language and were ready to move him from his uncomfortableness with this Santa, but he quickly listened to his instinct and began to step off the sleigh. We've taught him to move away and leave any situation that makes him uncomfortable and he did. As he stepped off the sleigh, he said with a still lingering uncomfortable to relived chuckle-smile, "Yeah.. <i>that</i> was not the real Santa..."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTWNiJnuBG0wyS2IIPhS_TyGJkctqbMyZcxugZE4mSs9cco1Ay2kgNHxmXN94EPsG3l2dd4aWGJneRjfk-9TIdzw6apuoj7fhiDBuVyHSKAqurxYz65H7jNCAb6ORje80azypZ_SK9zBx/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252867%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTWNiJnuBG0wyS2IIPhS_TyGJkctqbMyZcxugZE4mSs9cco1Ay2kgNHxmXN94EPsG3l2dd4aWGJneRjfk-9TIdzw6apuoj7fhiDBuVyHSKAqurxYz65H7jNCAb6ORje80azypZ_SK9zBx/s320/FullSizeRender+%252867%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want to cry... A mixture of bitter-sweetness tears... I can smell his beautiful and indescribable infant scent. It's like a puppy smell, it doesn't last long, but you never forget it. The peaceful breathing is visible in my mind, I can hear it as if he were sleeping before me <i>this</i> second. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />I know there will be many more to add to that time machine as he progresses in his development. However, the school age years display some that are not always enjoyable. As much as I wish I could keep my son in a wonderland bubble, I know that is not healthy or beneficial to his future. Sadly, school age is when children begin to learn life is not like a day at Disneyland. But, if I do a good job in parenting, hopefully, my son will be able to find joy and beauty even when life throws those dreaded curve balls.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As mother of a twelve year old, who will be an adolescent next September, I try to enjoy as many moments as I can, but the early years were filled with continuous firsts, wonderment, and carefree energy. No child related stressors like school, friends, extra-curricular activities, and societal expectations to excel in all areas, all the time. Even though, I try to parent without these crazy expectations, my son and his generation are receiving messages from society to excel at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everything</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, making my parent role even more important. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some days, it’s tough to find a balance between what I believe and what is expected of him and his generation. Fortunately, he can come to me for guidance when he needs to vent and recharge. His mental and physical health is primary and that’s when having a little darkness comes in handy because I refuse to comply with what I don’t believe. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to photography, Karina. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, trying to snap a posed individual or group picture with these interesting semi-humans (I mean that as a compliment) results in either chasing them or I’m given seconds to snap away before they disperse. Not cool, soon to be adolescent boys, not cool at all. I mean, not sick, not sick at all. You would think there were some serious hormonal changes happening in their minds and bodies, right? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, Christmas and my birthday is the only time of year when these cuties will pose (these days posing is more candid shots of them goofing around, but not running from my camera) for longer than five seconds, so I get a nice photo session, allowing for the creation of a picture book. I don’t have many from the older years because, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">w-ell</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I explained what happens when I try to take pictures, but I have thousands of pictures from their early years. Which I have to say, these boys enjoy looking through and reminiscing about “when we were young”. Ha! No wonder they think adults are ancient. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aren’t </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you guys glad I love snapping away, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">now</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?!” is what I ask when I see their smiles and laughter looking through pictures of their early years. Their response, a smile, of course. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Downside of Loving Photography While Parenting</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t parent and photograph. At least, not with a nice camera. Early in my parenting, I lost my Canon Rebel, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">twice</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, because of my need to bring it along for all adventures. The first time, it was turned in at the LA Zoo by a lovely employee. Sadly, the second time, I was running away from coyote trying to save my son while hiking back to our car from the Griffith Observatory. In hindsight, there was no danger to either of us, but I was a borderline </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">taca-taca-taca-taca</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, chopper-mom, then. Poor little guy, he probably heard the blades in his sleep. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">H-ey</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’m not perfect. At least, I’m reflective and self-aware, so I stopped hovering, soon after the realization.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, this time, it was never found. I even posted an ad on Craig’s List! Yes. I. Did. At that point, it wasn’t for the camera, it was the pictures I wanted. I lost pictures of my son from Easter and all adventures shared that week. Thankfully, smartphones are equipped with a handy lens. If I knew my son and nephews really didn’t want me to snap away, I wouldn’t. I respect children way too much, but I know they enjoy reliving memories, too, so I will continue capturing their lives. They will love reminiscing together during holidays and get together for years and years…</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Tan-an. Tan-an. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-o-ch-in’ a-round the Chrit-mas tree, have a ha-ppy hol-i-day… Mistle-toe hung… where you can see…, everyone …</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Don’t you love that Christmas song? It reminds me of the Home Alone scene when Kevin is having his solo party. In recent years, my dancing around the Christmas tree has turned into a solo dance party, too. When my son was younger, he joined in the twists and twirls, as he approaches adolescence, I get smiles, but not much dancing… See, why it’s nice having thousands of pictures and video of the days he thought dancing around the Christmas tree was like a day at Dodger Stadium? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHpfRW_YZKO3rZJt2w5SyBlplBSTF1su9cdH2NznxzhR7_cmzjenD-2-vlPuPLy_GnHBEOr12MFI4iN2zQdAIZl4nUn98rc01ZAhzouh0Rmnw3M8ouVgEeen5Wic3eFkT04xwro1gsOst/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252872%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHpfRW_YZKO3rZJt2w5SyBlplBSTF1su9cdH2NznxzhR7_cmzjenD-2-vlPuPLy_GnHBEOr12MFI4iN2zQdAIZl4nUn98rc01ZAhzouh0Rmnw3M8ouVgEeen5Wic3eFkT04xwro1gsOst/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252872%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not our tree or home. We were dancing and laughing before the rest of the Stanley family arrived at Grandma Cookie's for our Chritmas Eve. Oooohhh, we broke into Grandma's. My husband says we're always last because of me. <i>Hmmph.</i> This year, we were there before Grandma and Papa-the homeowners. Ha!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXA9we-ZQgvnnoWxRKkRoIYnyGh8dfN0CRW0x3CcFDF_YvpvOcweBBUs5J1eFOK78GU7bJXeGwGNYRwagVaoGQvBLYaQuNpeOYohWBI3R1NhsXTQiZ7DIwBL7YdJx7k_nMkON_T59jeDVH/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252871%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXA9we-ZQgvnnoWxRKkRoIYnyGh8dfN0CRW0x3CcFDF_YvpvOcweBBUs5J1eFOK78GU7bJXeGwGNYRwagVaoGQvBLYaQuNpeOYohWBI3R1NhsXTQiZ7DIwBL7YdJx7k_nMkON_T59jeDVH/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252871%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capturing a non-goofy or happy face was rare with this cutie... He is <b>A LOT</b> of <b> FUN</b>! He's easy to figure out when he's not feeling well.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How-ever</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I do have a furry and adorable audience. My precious girl enjoys watching me, or at least that’s what I think. I tried getting her to dance with me, but she took after her dad- no dancing gene. So, I settle for a non-participation audience. She might be thinking: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Holy shouts, this woman is my mom?! What was I thinking when I begged them to take me home with them?! Just give me another treat and I’ll tolerate your craziness, lady</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just keep sitting and pretend to be enjoying her “show”.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKxeMAf1ktT5B6SlEbsMN7UnvwDzdu0FiA37Za_w41hVldLYJGU8f3Sln66jEiP92Ucw1ah3e_OE1XptEgRW7rmfDzi1s7f1So3BuJnmDt9Su8gp9id_mSS8i2Z0NCck98_TSjKYqnwJc/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252875%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKxeMAf1ktT5B6SlEbsMN7UnvwDzdu0FiA37Za_w41hVldLYJGU8f3Sln66jEiP92Ucw1ah3e_OE1XptEgRW7rmfDzi1s7f1So3BuJnmDt9Su8gp9id_mSS8i2Z0NCck98_TSjKYqnwJc/s320/FullSizeRender+%252875%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do You Prefer Natural or Artificial? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">th-at</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> type of natural or artificial! Geez, people, get your mind out of the gutter! Any-way, if like me, you try to be as green as possible, choosing an artificial tree sounds like a green option, right? According to research, it’s not (see epilogue for short summary and epi-epilogue for a fun anecdote from Spring Break '16) How do I know this? I was feeling conflicted about our yearly holiday tradition, thinking I, “Ms. Love our Planet”, was somehow not being green by continuing with one of our favorite family Christmas traditions- choosing, chopping, and chugging away a natural tree from a farm. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6rM_UegeCWFJlGfFlBZRV6mYokW9bvmVEr-juDLRzk129wd2YFVK29S6lI670Xcb5RLbj_DzZEF9Z7Hn4LdQvz59aOyhvtTqt9KO5UbdShu4AiWcqfPRDsm82QvfSAuFSCYhgp0InDyz/s1600/IMG_9539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6rM_UegeCWFJlGfFlBZRV6mYokW9bvmVEr-juDLRzk129wd2YFVK29S6lI670Xcb5RLbj_DzZEF9Z7Hn4LdQvz59aOyhvtTqt9KO5UbdShu4AiWcqfPRDsm82QvfSAuFSCYhgp0InDyz/s320/IMG_9539.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny3kyXpSpzozNA2TKpqYpp6-MnmQWgVjl-97jDZU3nFnBzd6w47po33GhBZhmyJQVJ-zXdhfrXlF6TSdS9N6N6feTOpqdnGc-KocLN4W9xKsX4ayuWMnSz98zxMhdQlWZkis4TPYHivvk/s1600/IMG_8198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny3kyXpSpzozNA2TKpqYpp6-MnmQWgVjl-97jDZU3nFnBzd6w47po33GhBZhmyJQVJ-zXdhfrXlF6TSdS9N6N6feTOpqdnGc-KocLN4W9xKsX4ayuWMnSz98zxMhdQlWZkis4TPYHivvk/s320/IMG_8198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowledge really is power and sense of relief. After my quick research, I was happy to learn our tradition was the greener option. Plus, I find natural to be more beautiful in all areas of life. Imperfections are real and interesting. Chop, chop, away without guilt…</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Christmas tree has been an all-day event since my husband and I celebrated our first Christmas as a married couple, 2002. I can’t recall the exact date, but I’m certain it was around the first or second week in December. Since then, we make our farm trip the second weekend in December. The first year was overwhelming, you should have seen all the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">be-au-ti-ful</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> trees and I had to choose </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, only?! </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boy! What a difference motherhood makes in the decision process, my cutie quickly taught me (to my husband’s delight), the need to make quick decisions, no longer obsessing about the perfect tree, the decision is made as soon as patience turns to not-so-much-patience (a.k.a someone gets hungry, tired, thirsty, wind not blowing properly, inability to use my superhero powers to control the environment, etc. etc). Our son’s first Christmas tree was chosen quickly because we had agreed we would choose whichever tree our son cried at, first, and we did. He was hungry before we reached the middle of the lot. Before parenthood, we walked up and down, up and down, several times and I always chose the first one I liked. How annoying for my poor husband, right? Fortunately, with each year, the “not-so-much-patience” factors decrease, plus, the farm has a snack bar with shaved ice, our son’s favorite part of the tradition.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79iwL6Xwh9zWtFgZ7NaCs97U3DZiX-iScLGJiDHR4FLBmJgw_6w-LmB9eH2Jgp3zwAb5HdbiAT5ZcB_4NZ48ryPNZcQVaI2LBJyNSPFy8OD7Q2_8GjFJ4LvRyZOcZL20LivNOMEDywrrq/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252864%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79iwL6Xwh9zWtFgZ7NaCs97U3DZiX-iScLGJiDHR4FLBmJgw_6w-LmB9eH2Jgp3zwAb5HdbiAT5ZcB_4NZ48ryPNZcQVaI2LBJyNSPFy8OD7Q2_8GjFJ4LvRyZOcZL20LivNOMEDywrrq/s320/FullSizeRender+%252864%2529.jpg" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ye-ah.. I was majorly freaking out about this... Remember, I was a bit on the chopper side, here. His dad asked him to do it to see my reaction. Not funny, right?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpomkH1aIyaWYwOa5ywgeiFjMVPY9xt2D4sL4TpJ7-_OqNFSGvPINwnY2TYlPkelA1RxaFsAGfz8h64LsSlCdWxgM1Sy1D9DlIUbUKrDj-l423b-ZexliCpxoDr95mT_IIdcPn4cK-zEm3/s1600/IMG_4724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpomkH1aIyaWYwOa5ywgeiFjMVPY9xt2D4sL4TpJ7-_OqNFSGvPINwnY2TYlPkelA1RxaFsAGfz8h64LsSlCdWxgM1Sy1D9DlIUbUKrDj-l423b-ZexliCpxoDr95mT_IIdcPn4cK-zEm3/s320/IMG_4724.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to get him to take one picture without his hat because the reflection from the brim was covering his eyes. His response, " NO, mommy... Mommy, fi-ne, do you want me to get a sunburn on my face!? Ra-m-bar, what you said..." Shoot, he still quotes my theories when it benefits his argument. Darn him, smart cookies can be tough to parent, sometimes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw50H95uYZvOOW28KLA9_JBIdxVb4KLDXOpOrGBGJmJGPUldIHguh9V9jmmt-sXdLQibnWG9njVCw-jdIaVUdn9zFkZsodOs3sA15MmGqBobPW_0f6DANIL7Q37Pglw1UaqkmiuGaDOa5j/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252863%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw50H95uYZvOOW28KLA9_JBIdxVb4KLDXOpOrGBGJmJGPUldIHguh9V9jmmt-sXdLQibnWG9njVCw-jdIaVUdn9zFkZsodOs3sA15MmGqBobPW_0f6DANIL7Q37Pglw1UaqkmiuGaDOa5j/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252863%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" finale... Deep sigh... His dancing participation was fun while it lasted. Today, we have new, but, <i>still fun</i> traditions. Each phase of life brings changes and traditions. Traditions he looks forward to and traditions he will reflect on fondly.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxJwxcLnhO9d6bR2KzfQ1uSScDCabbAnaF7tbK0WG8zZhh94an9gcHbrbswi2jsvLB-EB4G0zAYRLix1tm8vEfCGgiO0WBwuwCs8VKpW25rygYhGMZnumfBuINtN9XRNZNLApDVJft9Fd/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252866%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxJwxcLnhO9d6bR2KzfQ1uSScDCabbAnaF7tbK0WG8zZhh94an9gcHbrbswi2jsvLB-EB4G0zAYRLix1tm8vEfCGgiO0WBwuwCs8VKpW25rygYhGMZnumfBuINtN9XRNZNLApDVJft9Fd/s320/FullSizeRender+%252866%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice, his finger pointing? He forgot he was hungry as soon as he saw the camera. If only, he paused for my lens, today... Deep sigh... They grow up <i>way too quick </i>(it's a cliche because, sadly, it is true). By the way, I'm sharing some of my memory book pics because you are all awesome for supporting my blog. But, mostly because I like you and you're AWESOME people.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqfU3ylvRQlbhX8DwJRHp_jHTKlrGurHxQZLWr6VNt3Uoplbn2Rd-mJpxJbzcBMiD1JkmTMwFPvBom6YiND_PuiE0VIQSGcqW0pPKBlvlpFo1iFM1V0jQMabulTs3TJvTqkH9_f7phJBv/s1600/IMG_8195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqfU3ylvRQlbhX8DwJRHp_jHTKlrGurHxQZLWr6VNt3Uoplbn2Rd-mJpxJbzcBMiD1JkmTMwFPvBom6YiND_PuiE0VIQSGcqW0pPKBlvlpFo1iFM1V0jQMabulTs3TJvTqkH9_f7phJBv/s320/IMG_8195.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Like all newborns, when all needs are met, this is what we get to enjoy... Waaaaaa... He was not even 3 months, here, and at this moment he's playing basketball outside with his friends-soon to be teenagers... Major waaaa... But, I also smile because I love watching him develop and enjoy life!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What?!?!?!?!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- N-au… It can’t be… Can it?! I’m SO… </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bumm-ed…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the talk of a favorite old-time tradition and this is the year it’s not happening?! “Say it isn’t so, M…. (one of many names I have for my husband), please, tell me you’re joking, again…” He wasn’t. Bummer in the darn summer. Obviously, I can’t say fall/winter because that wouldn’t rhyme. But, you get how I was feeling. Bummed in the fall-a-few-weeks-away-from-winter, for sure.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What happened to our tradition?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Science. Science is the most beautiful and powerful force. If only a hateful monster would realize </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this fact</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and a gazillion </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I wouldn’t be feeling a mixture of sadness during the most wonderful time of the year for family and friends. Knowing, soon after the joys of the season, eloquence, class and intelligence will be exiting America’s beautiful white home and replaced with the movie, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Idiocras</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y, makes it tough to fully enjoy anything, right now. But, for my son and his generation, my smile will be wide and bright. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No trees until 2021.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Due to changes happening to our climate, the family owned farm we visited every year since 2002, did not have a good year. Negative climate changes impacted this family’s farm. Trees have been re-planted, but expected to be ready in five years. Our son will be 17… Holy smokes, he’ll be closer to college-age, a bitter-sweet realization, indeed. He will be a junior in high school?! Don’t you feel like you were in that age group a handful of years ago? Again, why I love photography… Good memories can be relived.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While pre-cut trees were brought in for sale to the farm, and we wanted to keep with our tradition while supporting small business, this year, we decided as a family to try out a local tree lot. It definitely was not the same experience, but we can always turn a negative into a positive. I had always wanted a Noble fir. Since our farm only carried Monterey pine, this was my chance to get one. After browsing the three types of firs available at this new location, we decided on a Fraser fir. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, for the most exciting part of looking at the positive of what was a negative, an </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In-N-Out Burgers…</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is adjacent to the lot we visited this weekend. That was a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">giant</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Christmas gift for me. If I could, I’d live there for months at a time. So, yes, guess who and who was beaming with the new “maybe-five-year-tradition”? My son and me! My husband is a little burnt on the delish burgers thanks to 2/3 of our trio’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">love</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the place. But, if it makes us happy and it means he doesn’t have to drive miles and miles for a tree he is worried might fly off the roof the entire way home, he’ll semi-enjoy this part of the new “maybe-five-year-tradition”. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The only down-side to the In-N-Out burger “maybe-five-year-tradition” is my husband caught our son’s cold and my son and I didn’t feel right eating one of his not-very-favorite-anymore meals while he was feeling nauseous. But, the delectable smell was in the air and I inhaled its gloriousness, it was a close second to tasting it. Deep inhale… Until next time, In-N-Out…</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEvAm5sJH0TArRm5hrTqSH3_iGB04_1CeMLG3SbEs7iGTpZ0tacW9OxcWdD2_dgPfgNvy2Om0OSxE5_Mxh_8vjuptP0l8DeYNLA9N1sU_kKct-DYJGqaL16yGanxqyaJn4n_75nwSqPkq/s1600/IMG_1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEvAm5sJH0TArRm5hrTqSH3_iGB04_1CeMLG3SbEs7iGTpZ0tacW9OxcWdD2_dgPfgNvy2Om0OSxE5_Mxh_8vjuptP0l8DeYNLA9N1sU_kKct-DYJGqaL16yGanxqyaJn4n_75nwSqPkq/s320/IMG_1169.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next time, was..Wednesday, after baseball practice... My husband was miles and hours away, so we were able to enjoy without guilt. In-N- Out outdid themselves, <i>again</i>... Everything was di-vine...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are some of your holiday season or favorite non-holiday traditions? I’d love to hear about your stories and traditions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Epilogue</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As promised, a very short summary on why natural trees are better for the environment:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">·</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each tree my family has chopped has been replaced with up to three seedlings, ensuring regrowth of more trees.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In contrast, artificial trees may appear environmentally friendly since they can be reused for numerous years. However, since they are plastic, there’s the potential for toxins.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">·</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Natural trees are easily recycled. Surprisingly, artificial are not. I thought both were recyclable, but apparently, most artificial trees are not.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">·</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From science classes, we know, we need trees (we blow them kisses of carbon dioxide) and trees need us (they receive our love, carbon dioxide, and return it with oxygen). See, how lovely it is, we’re deeply rooted and connected to natural trees.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">·</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, buying natural is contributing to “in…the… ci…r-cle, the c…-r-cle of life…”</span></div>
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="367"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 0px; border-left: solid #000000 0px; border-right: solid #000000 0px; border-top: solid #000000 0px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aTDmumUkddfQatxilEfmcMrn52n8Cfzc34nNybCHxpXxOl48dOn7ORR0GQtk5HalKUnYpwTivmNeHrbzZ4P65DL8xw-GdaOQfyS6WHJ-_SZy0ngcZCXkufrchHUnblHyElQjtFri" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="427" /></span></div>
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<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 0px; border-left: solid #000000 0px; border-right: solid #000000 0px; border-top: solid #000000 0px; padding: 4px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adding this diagram made me feel like I was developing a lesson plan-ha! Singing and dancing would have been part of the lesson- for sure!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Epi-Epilogue</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disclaimer: I’m sharing this somewhat lengthy story with you because it was a highlight memory of 2016 in our home, but it has nothing to do with Christmas or the winter holiday season, so don’t feel guilty if you close my post now. But, it's fun, so if you like fun, keep reading...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKifFT4MZIyeIocAlm_nFD13h6naIJT3k6RwBfVRhkstLQ9Ox51xWto-xKlzxtgIfq6DmHLJx6F5B623RTDMiDZ3OlGwOuJJUeOL9VWl-WI_GOahHWcZw3gUybM8LZiMjq3XcxbDM9UyD/s1600/IMG_1697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKifFT4MZIyeIocAlm_nFD13h6naIJT3k6RwBfVRhkstLQ9Ox51xWto-xKlzxtgIfq6DmHLJx6F5B623RTDMiDZ3OlGwOuJJUeOL9VWl-WI_GOahHWcZw3gUybM8LZiMjq3XcxbDM9UyD/s320/IMG_1697.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since my family (except, my brother who adores the Anaheim Angels-eek!) and I are HUGE Dodger fans, it won’t surprise you to learn we made a short visit to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona for our son’s spring break. In case you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>are not</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> familiar with baseball, this is where all the crazy fans gather and watch as many games as possible while witnessing major baseball talent before, during, and after games, pretty much, rubbing elbows with major leaguers. In other words, Disney World for baseball fans. My husband and son are SO lucky that I LOVE baseball because it really is eat, sleep and breathe baseball… I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">loved</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it!!!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">OK, but back to the fun story…</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On our last Dodger game, we were driving into the parking lot… Too-too-too-too-too... Actually, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, that’s the pace when I drive. When my husband drives, it’s more like riding a roller coaster-I often feel nauseous for at least 20 minutes after exiting the vehicle. I probably wouldn’t pass a sobriety test and I don’t drink much. Anyway, he was driving into the lot when </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">behold</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he is cut off… </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tan-tan-tan-tan…</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As kind, brilliant and lovely as he is, he inherited the Stanley gene for driving and using a certain gesture when cut off… I always cringe and hide when he does this, it’s so </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">em-barr-assing…</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But, he can’t be prefect, this and not loving running are pretty much his only flaws. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fortunately, the vehicle spotted our car and quickly veered back to the left. Seconds later, my son calls out in amazement from behind, “…that’s Kershaw…!” My husband turns to his left, looks inside the vehicle, clearly realizing it </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Kershaw because his left hand was quickly set back on his lap and exclaims with a smile,“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sh-t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! That </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Kershaw.” Remember, he’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> perfect, so he does have colorful language.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In case you don’t know, Clayton Kershaw is my favorite Dodger, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at the moment</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If I hear anything negative about his character, that may change, but</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at the moment, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he is my favorite Dodger. Why? While he is incredibly talented on the mound, including the batter’s box for an MLB pitcher, I mostly choose him as my current favorite Dodger because he is a kind soul, on and off the field. I won’t make this a post within a post because the amount of kindness and love he and his lovely wife (his high school sweetheart) disperse around the world makes me smile and proud he represents the Los Angeles Dodgers and you know how lengthy I can get about the subject. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plus, when my son was younger, while at Dodger Stadium (baseball palace of stadiums), Kershaw noticed our son standing off to the side while the rest of the children ran to get his autograph. Upon noticing him, he looked at him, waiting to see if he walked over for an autograph, too. My husband and I asked if he wanted to join the autograph line, but he said, “No, it’s ok, I watch the base-ball players”. At that time, his favorite Dodger was “Nomore” (Nomar Garciaparra) and “Rammy Amirez” (Manny Ramirez) and, non-Dodger, Barry Bonds (a San Francisco Giant…-I know! If that’s not parental love, I don’t know what is?) Flash forward to present day, our son can’t believe he passed up an opportunity to get a Kershaw autograph and we didn’t dissuade him from being a Barry Bonds fan.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> fine</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’ll stop gushing about Kershaw and his kindness. Maybe I’ll write up a post on him and his wife’s foundation to share why he is my favorite Dodger and why I’m happy my son looks up to his style of play, personality, and character, on and off the field. But, before, I end my post, I need to share my reaction to almost getting cut off by Kershaw. With a wide open mouth, my big eyes doubling in size, I froze for a few seconds before gushing, seriously, I gushed, like a school girl. Typically, I’m not easily star struck. I live in Los Angeles and have run into several celebrities, but I don’t think of them as special or worthy of gushing, except for the brilliant and kind souls. Simply born American beauty standards beautiful isn’t gush worthy, a beautiful mind and soul must match for gush worthiness. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, if they are admirable authors or athletes (and kind, of course), then I turn into Lucy Ricardo during her Hollywood, New York, and all over the world celebrity encounters. Yes, I was gushing and said, while covering my mouth like a giddy school girl, “O-h…</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…were almost </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cut off</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Ker-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">shaw</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!!! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">H-ow</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> cool </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> th-at?!” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know, even as I type, I’m embarrassed for myself and rethought posting this because you know how I feel about always modeling a certain type of behavior for my son and celebrity obsession is definitely not one of them. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B-ut</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’m also </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">incredibly</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> honest, so I had to share my imperfections, too. Ha! Don’t worry, after the realization, I removed my robotic casing to reveal my humanness to my son. His reaction was a lot like mine when I read my first Stephen King book (at about his current age) at the realization his mom is human. Ha! He already knows I only admire kind people, so no explanation was needed. He knows I admire Kershaw and his wife for all their humanitarian efforts in America and abroad. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One more thing, I promise…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even funnier, a day later, we saw a picture of Kershaw posing with a woman on the Dodger’s Twitter feed. He and the woman had been in a minor car accident while in Arizona for spring training. Ha! Isn’t that hilarious?! That could have been </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">me</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">… Although, I wouldn’t have snapped a picture with him. Remember, I turn into a nervous school girl with kind and talented souls. But, I could have had the story to share with my maybe-grandchild? After all, Kershaw is going to be a future hall of famer and I have two personal stories to share with my maybe-future-grandchild-if –my –son-decides-to-have-a-child.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Ok, one more funny part about this whole story and I promise no more talk of Kershaw or the Dodgers. </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W-ell</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, remember how Kershaw backed away from cutting us off as soon as he spotted our car (of course, he would)? That meant we should have arrived to the parking lot before him, right? Well, guess what? As we were walking to the stadium entrance, his empty SUV was already parked in the lot. So, you know he jammed into the lot after us! I took a picture, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">too</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I won’t share it because then I would be invading his privacy, but since you know I love photography, I had to take a picture for my memories. “Poor Kershaw..., I remember those early parenting years. He was probably in a rush because he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his wife and baby. Or, he overslept from lack of sleep…” is what I said to my husband and son as we walked inside Disney World. My husband and son were cringing, sighing in annoyance, shaking </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> heads, and rolling their eyes the entire time. How they put up with me, I don’t know? I must be pretty darn awesome! Hahaha</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's my son's leg, walking away as fast as possible... Guess, why? My phone's camera.</td></tr>
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<b>A HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, <i>HUUUU-GE</i>..., </b><br />
<i>...thank you</i> to <i>all of you</i> who have been <i>SUPER</i> supportive of my unplanned blog. Initially, I started it because I wanted to share, "Yes Day" with you through Twitter, but the character limit and the voice of the person who unfollowed Neil Gaiman for too many tweets telling me to watch my tweeting hands , lit the bulb- Eureka! D-<i>uh</i>, start a blog! I did!<br />
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And, <i>well,</i> six months and 18 post later, here I am, still reeling... you in for more of my thoughts, feelings and actions. Clearly, I'm interesting (not weird or strange, I don't like those words to describe my interesting personality-ha!), right? Hey, may-be..., I <i>do</i> have a shot at making my "Best Seller" publishing dreams a reality... Well, that is if I'm ever <i>brave enough</i> to share some really , <i>really.</i>.. juicy stories stored in my hippocampus. <i>Yes</i>, I can do <i>juicy.</i> R<i>e-mem-ber</i>, a little darkness makes life interesting...<br />
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Have a safe and lovely holiday season... I'm so HAPPY I decided to join social media (Twitter) almost a year ago because I was able to "meet" many beautiful minds and souls.</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What was one of your highlight memories from 2016? I’d love, love</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, love</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">… to hear one or many. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, come on… you know you want to share…</span></div>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-44966560175479054912016-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:002016-12-20T11:51:55.873-08:00Runner to Runner Compliments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
was a chilly, low 50’s, sunny, cusp between fall and winter Southern California
morning. I was feeling cold and dreary. Wanting to forgo the day’s activities
and responsibilities to simply enjoy my French toast and coffee while cuddling my puppy. My home was nice and toasty, ready for the holiday season, with scents of vanilla, maple syrup, buttery French toast and coffee lingering as
I enjoyed my breakfast, bundled up in layers. The thought of forgoing and swapping
the day’s responsibilities with a soft, plush, snow colored blanket, my T.C.
Boyle book and a third cup of coffee crossed my mind, more than once. But, </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">no…</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, my phone chimed in to erase those
pleasant thoughts. Why was the alarm going off? A reminder of goals needing
immediate attention. One of </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">many</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
small goals needed to reach higher goals. The higher goal at the moment is the
Los Angeles Marathon in March.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
had missed my 8 mile run and a few others earlier in the week due my son's need
of superhero-nurse- mom role. I love being his superhero-nurse-mom. Hello, I am
a mother of one for a reason. Amongst the plethora of factors for having one
child, one of them is I honestly don't think I could love another child like I
love him. Sorry, but I warned you, I am honest to a fault. I have dozens of
nieces and nephews, but I definitely have favorites. I <i>love </i>all of them, they are all incredibly talented and lovely human
beings, but I can’t help it, I feel a deeper connection with some. Maybe I'm
crazy for thinking this way, but if I have favorite nephews, nieces, students,
son's friends, etc., I <i>KNOW</i> he would
be my favorite child if I had another. Plus, he is everything and more than I
ever wanted in my child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Now,
you understand why I often regress in my training? If only, this lovely person
I adore would listen to me and carry that </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">darn</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Purell bottle I gave him to place in his lunchbox, my running stats would be
closer to a Boston qualifying time. But, any delays in Boston dreams are well
worth it for him. Don’t worry, you can stop gagging, feeling nauseous and
rolling your eyes, now. I’m not all rainbows, cotton candy, lollipops and candy
drops, I gave him a piece of my mind this time, “Ok, buddy, I love, love, love…,
taking care of you, but can you </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">PLEASE</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
start washing your hands or using the hand sanitizer before you put <i>anything</i> in
your mouth, cover your face when your friends, table partners, or any human
coughs, sneezes, really, anytime they open their mouth. Oh, yes, also, try not
to do </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">any-th-ing</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> that would make you
sick. Only, until March 19</span></span><sup style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. After that, you can be a normal child,
again.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Deep sigh. If only, I could </span>home-school<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and keep him in a bubble until
after my marathon. But, I do have to mention, he felt sad that I had to cancel a reunion with </span>friends<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> from my graduate school/counseling days, so maybe that will motivate him to wash, wash, wash those hands to the </span>length<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of the happy birthday song (ha! he did it as a toddler/preschooler, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but at lightning speed) and shield, shield, shield from all coughing and sneezing in the air, lately.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hopefully,
he listens because, apparently, I am on a <i>r-oll</i>… You’ll never guess what happened
to me while on my run on that cold and dreary morning? What is one of the best
things a runner can say to another runner? Yes, I know, you are right, there
are many things, but for me, pace and speed top my list at the moment. Well.
Guess, who was complimented on her pace, not once, but multiple times…?! Yep. Me. Hence,
why I am blogging about the experience. Like I mentioned to my friend/soul
sister, I was going to tweet about the awesome experience, but a tweet wouldn’t
do the feeling justice, so lucky you, you get to read about my thoughts and feelings,
again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lace- Up and Go, go, go! No Turning Back. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Just Keep Swimming...</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>.... Just keep swimmimg, just keep swimming, swimm-ing, swimm-ing, swimm-ing.... What do we do? Swim, swim, swim.</i> She's right, we need to keep swimming, or in my case, moving forward with my goals. Are you singing Dory's song, now, too? </span></div>
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<img alt="Image result for dory just keep swimming meme" height="320" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/18/19/f0/1819f0681f4326b6fcff8b4365e7f821.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SO,
after listening to the nagging reminder to get out the door, my goal was to
simply walk and warm up. No other expectations to unmotivate me. Baby steps,
always. I was dressed in layers fit for someone living in the east coast
because I was <i>fr-ee-zing</i>. Low 50’s is
FREEZING to a Southern Californian. Memories of leaving the house wearing a similar
running outfit told me to take off the top layer.</span> <span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This happened to me
last year during my first freezing run of the year, but did I listen to
experience? No, of course not. Less than .25 miles in, I was regretting my
decision. Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn. No wonder my son can be stubborn about
certain things, too. SO, I stopped to remove that top layer, forcing me to wrap
it around my waist and run with it, a major annoyance for me, but needed to learn
through self-discovery, I guess. Gee, my son is a lot like me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally,
after all gear issues were settled, I was feeling in the groove, zooming past
people, and cars (parked cars and standing people ) since I decided to take a
busier route. Ok, so here is where the compliment happened, I was running on
one of my favorite /dreaded paths on a steep hill section when I hear,
“…that’s a really good pace”. I turned back to make sure the man was speaking to
me. He was?! I know I’m fast, but not when it comes to hills, my athleticism
turns to sluggishness and incoordination. Since most courses include hills, I need
to work on my legs to get to a point where hills and I can have a mutual
friendship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Apparently, my determination is paying off because I had a similar interaction
a few weeks ago as I was sprinting up a steep hill… I was complimented on my
pace, <i>again…</i> by not one, but <i>two</i> (dos in Spanish) male runners in two
different locations (both hilly). Only that time, the words were prefaced with
a “Wow.” “Wow! Impressive pace.” And, “Wow! You’re fast!” It would make you
feel pretty badass, too. I now know what it must feel like to be Des Linden. As
you can imagine, I was beaming the rest of the way, both times. In fact, the
most recent runner shouldn’t have made my head swell because somehow I slowed
my pace and even stopped to observe a bee eating nectar and appreciate the beauty of our surroundings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only downside to snapping and enjoying this moment was I lost my new favorite chapstick. It actually worked to ward off cold weather induced chapped lips. Eeek..., the cold turns my lips to raisin like texture, but for this moment of mindfulness, I can deal with chapped lips.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
know what you’re thinking... I'm a mom and taught in a classroom, so that </span>makes<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> me a... <i>mind... reader</i>.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">You’re thinking I was complimented by the three runners
because they were trying to pick up on me, right? That’s what my husband thought,
too, initially. But, if that’s what you’re thinking, then I’m </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">in-sul-ted</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why? You dare ask, w-h-y…?! </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hmmph</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. First, because it means you don’t
believe in my ability to befriend hills. Secondly, you think I’m naïve. I’m definitely
an “n” word (nice), but NOT naïve… Believe it or not, I can tell the difference
between someone paying me a genuine compliment and someone trying to pick up on
me. And, while both times, the pace compliments came from male runners, I did
not get one inkling of a pick-up line. Plus, I always have an itch on my nose
or somewhere in my t-zone that displays my left ring finger. If that doesn’t
ward off pick-up lines, I immediately bring up my husband. Poor guy, whenever
that happens, I come home huffing and puffing and see him rubbing his ears.
Hahaha! I’m a dork, but a funny dork, right? No, I don’t get picked up while
running or anywhere, really, but just in case I’m oblivious, I developed a
habit of scratching my t-zone area with my left hand. Ha!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why are you bragging,
Karina?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
not bragging, I’m sharing knowledge to further enhance our already positive
running community. The moral of my story is compliments can be good for the
mind and soul, so spread them. Typically, I’m pretty confident, and don’t need external
validation. Except for, parenting validation from my son. Anytime, I receive compliments
from him on my parenting, it’s like winning the lottery, each time. Parents,
teachers, and anyone that works with children, you know those are treasures. However,
since I have been struggling with hills and pacing, it was very nice and
motivating to hear a compliment from fellow runners who don’t know me. If you
see good form, pace, speed, etc. while pounding the streets, trails or courses,
try to say something to the runner doing the awesome act. They may look like
experts, but, you never know..., they may have been working hard and you can
be the one to make their day. If they are experts, I’m sure compliments are
usually appreciated from them, too. If not, it’s their loss, your gain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Ready for Parenting Duties</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">With my writing and running responsibilities out of the way, it was bath and walk time for my girl. Since it was my son's first day back at school after being home sick and he had early dismissal, I had no time to dry our hair, so I let nature do it for us... It was still freezing according to my usual internal temperature gauge, but the amount of endorphins from my 8.2 mile run and the pace compliment, I was warm and cozy enough to let the chilly air dry my hair. And, I was wearing a turtleneck, ultra chunky sweater dress with cute, stylish, winter boots covering my cute cozy, plush warm socks. I was ready to head to the bookstore and coffee shop... I can't get enough of either place.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0jae-apD3KNLGwFGesCIEtmViJRfjBnQnOGIEn5WywvsrMv9p0Lsaivbgo-m8RwPtojdJNjnALHhMqNyJC9oOnjzFDtl3D2cU0L9RgzMomyf9W27BD8ExObnqG-EyzarNBgKOYniF5vP/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252856%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0jae-apD3KNLGwFGesCIEtmViJRfjBnQnOGIEn5WywvsrMv9p0Lsaivbgo-m8RwPtojdJNjnALHhMqNyJC9oOnjzFDtl3D2cU0L9RgzMomyf9W27BD8ExObnqG-EyzarNBgKOYniF5vP/s320/FullSizeRender+%252856%2529.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ok, girl, smile for your dad. Let's show him you're nice and clean and ready for cuddles..." She was too busy looking for her next victim- poor lizards, birds, roadrunner, and anything else that makes its way near her. She thinks she's a mountain lion. I let her enjoy her pretend play. Unless, she is running towards a coyote thinking it wants to befriend her. At that point, I remind her, she's a small and adorable pup.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey8uh1lC5BAEpEorTBLN1tYI2pMFJ0Y0so7UKHtZFubQHcc1Vh-zCNuwM7pnGLX8AgjJCGXboGqMMY_UGzOecHRpyFWhCcG_quMbZHvrrJA9dDrCpq5VWdX7twipoEXKG8kvoEdYGfHBv/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252857%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey8uh1lC5BAEpEorTBLN1tYI2pMFJ0Y0so7UKHtZFubQHcc1Vh-zCNuwM7pnGLX8AgjJCGXboGqMMY_UGzOecHRpyFWhCcG_quMbZHvrrJA9dDrCpq5VWdX7twipoEXKG8kvoEdYGfHBv/s320/FullSizeRender+%252857%2529.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My second attempt, I changed the wording a little bit. I said, "Ok, girl, let's take a picture for M.... (my husband's name). It always works. It looks like she adores me (she does), but she's definitely a daddy's girl. Saying his name in a high pitched tone is like saying "treat", "walk", "chicken", etc. to any other dog. Deep, love sigh... I love my children...</td></tr>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-12261751872191797762016-11-26T16:39:00.000-08:002017-09-20T23:14:48.189-07:00Bruin Town-Bruin Power!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBq5pwJ0puiCQdYPIo6Gb-AOqNmdJL_tY_BzBlgLeOHOoUVhdHl9IREfS-pturSK488Kq_t_rZBSkBjqituq63bBfa3vQ8e47wrhJ3ikBtS9qDI8cDGN4SRVnJDuVZ6S00NbIcspRsVjh/s1600/IMG_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBq5pwJ0puiCQdYPIo6Gb-AOqNmdJL_tY_BzBlgLeOHOoUVhdHl9IREfS-pturSK488Kq_t_rZBSkBjqituq63bBfa3vQ8e47wrhJ3ikBtS9qDI8cDGN4SRVnJDuVZ6S00NbIcspRsVjh/s320/IMG_0636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Picture it, Sicily, I mean, Westwood, Bruin Town, 2016. Any Golden Girl fans catch that Sophia reference? Yes? No? If yes, she’s cute, right? If not, you might want to watch-funny and smart ladies. So, yes, picture it.<i> Gor-geous </i>fall morning. Sprinkles of rain, revealing a crisp, early morning sun and chill, music bum-pin’, good music, the kind that makes you moooove and groooooove-my kind of music! Runners, runners…, a sprinkle of non- runner college students (at least not dressed in running clothes), and more runners, everywhere… What a vision,<i> riii-ght</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">The time? 8:25…ish. Can you guess what I was doing on the UCLA campus at that time on a Sunday?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><b>Running? O-f course!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">A 9:00am start time is always a treat, especially, as a parent, it allows for more sleep in time for my son and husband. Both are incredibly supportive and as much as my husband would prefer to sleep in, he really couldn’t enjoy added slumber in peace knowing he wasn’t on site to cheer me on. Plus, his voice always gives me motivation to push. Somehow, he knows the exact location where I will need the push and encouragement most. Just when I’m feeling sore legs or the need to take a breather, I hear him, <i>loud</i> and <i>clear</i>. Sometimes, I wish I had his thundering voice. It would be lovely to have when cheering for my son, nephews, and their teams on the baseball field, basketball court and pool. But, I’ve grown to love my soft spoken tone, too. Plus, I can sing my heart out and dance upstairs while he and my son are downstairs, sparing their ears. No matter how loud I think I sound, it’s still a whisper in comparison to most voices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">But, this post is not about the pitch and sound of my husband’s voice or mine. It’s about two of my favorite things and how they were combined on Sunday, November 20th, 2016 at Bruinville (a.k.a, UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, for those of you not familiar with the awe-some campus).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Earlier in the year, I signed up for my first “We Run the City 5k”, taking place, each year, during the UCLA vs USC football rivalry game in Southern California, my hometown. If you are familiar with the rivalry, you know a lot of mostly innocent, fun college student banter takes place the week leading to the “<i>big</i>” day. Due to reasons pertaining to the brain, I’m not much of a football fan, but that’s a different post. However, somehow we end up on UCLA’s campus, each year, on “<i>the</i>” weekend. We get to see some of what the Trojans had in store for the Bruins. Usually, our reasoning for being on campus “<i>the week</i>” is basketball games, cultural events, or in the past school or work related, but this year it wasn’t for those reasons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><i>This year…</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Our reasoning for being on campus during rivalry week was for…, wait for it… Running… Actually, racing! Oh, wait! The element of surprise is gone, I already told you in my introduction this was a running related post. Sorry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Ok, so this was one of the races where I had the luxury of curbside drop-off and knowledge of where to locate parking. All those years of paying daily parking fees finally turned into a positive. We knew the location of less crowded, best priced, and closest lots to the starting line. While I picked up by bib (easy-peasy), changed my shirt (this was the first time I wore the race day shirt on race day. It was too cute not to wear), and located the starting line, my husband and son were parking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">I’m the type of runner needing a warm up half to a mile before I get my groove on, so as soon as I received a call from my husband letting me know where they were parked, I sprinted towards their direction. Alright, I’m exaggerating, not a sprint, a fast walk-slow sprint towards them. The steps where they would be coming down are a trek and you know how I feel about elevation, I didn’t want to overexert myself before the race.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQcPun-lMmBr_VUiQL0f5u59oTNu90Kjnp1Xf0w7k3qWoKSGG0YyiPUEtCegh5GE7_r44hXUx3fi7-BAyExB0ZY6oMLkAwjSalJMujGSpqWJEWJJ59kCjhSmSyuDwwROehazJXfRWoqCp/s1600/IMG_0670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQcPun-lMmBr_VUiQL0f5u59oTNu90Kjnp1Xf0w7k3qWoKSGG0YyiPUEtCegh5GE7_r44hXUx3fi7-BAyExB0ZY6oMLkAwjSalJMujGSpqWJEWJJ59kCjhSmSyuDwwROehazJXfRWoqCp/s640/IMG_0670.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sprinted up and down these steps with my son many times in his early years.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ed1lKWZnVkWNAc84jRpx783BaNG-ysl2fCpab3mBvOLJCvV2_zfFKQc2xgEN5-WhlSOdYzV19qQzDgBS3XpU2MpTD8e_FSJzPSW3k61UWBNCCG8SZFghdsowYaVOnpLdtXRc3_cS-Wf_/s1600/IMG_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ed1lKWZnVkWNAc84jRpx783BaNG-ysl2fCpab3mBvOLJCvV2_zfFKQc2xgEN5-WhlSOdYzV19qQzDgBS3XpU2MpTD8e_FSJzPSW3k61UWBNCCG8SZFghdsowYaVOnpLdtXRc3_cS-Wf_/s640/IMG_0669.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">I ran towards them with a giant smile and exaggerated wave to get an eye roll from my son. Boy, did I succeed! He’s fun. Being his mom during the adolescent years will be filled with laughs-mostly on my end, I think. But, I do get smiles to go with the eye rolls, so I’m thinking a medium sized part of him enjoys my attempts at embarrassing him. Yes, I do many of these “embarrassing things” to get eye-roll-smiles, but the primary reasoning is to instill in him not caring what others think. As long as we are being kind and nobody is getting hurt (physically, emotionally, or mentally), other’s opinions shouldn’t negatively impact how we choose to experience life. I want him to feel free to be himself-always! As he approaches adolescence, especially, <i>now</i>, this message is important.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><b>What?! Ah! Not Fair!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">As my son slowly raises his head and looks ahead, I hear, “… Mom, look,” with a facial and body gesture showing concern as he pointed towards a corner of the Arthur Ash Student Health and Wellness Center building, “… I don’t know, Mom… I don’t know if you’re going to have a chance to place today. Look, the UCLA track team is running, too.” Well, I wasn’t planning on placing this time, but seeing the blue and gold crew in their awesomeness did put a tiny damper on any thoughts of placing. This is not the type of race where PR’s and placing are of importance, anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><b>Warm-Up with Dion Jackson!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Any idea who he is? I didn’t, but after his electrifying and energizing warm-up, I can now say, I do. As you know, I <i>LOVE </i>running and dancing, and of course, baseball. But, in addition to all those physical activities, I l-o-ve anything active, anything that gets my blood pumping and serotonin and dopamine receptors releasing and releasing to their hearts desire. Pretty much all sports, hiking, and yoga. However, I am NOT a fan of releasing those lovely endorphins for the sake of “working out” (the gym). I know many people that feel passionate about indoor exercise (ha-hem, I won’t mention any names, my brother, who is supposed to be running with me, but clearly running is his gym because he keeps coming up with excuses for not joining me), but I need to be outdoors. The combination of air, sun, nature, and outdoor sports is my preference for keeping my mind and body healthy. But, a gym workout with this trainer to the "stars" would be fun!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwbhNZ-OOi1Mw2RkvNa_c2XnFM12CydyTGFSVuYnsAVsv5xJCM53p_VBYHXL98Fz8clAMM33YikKcsnG1wZ2d2b3FimYZDnGjGA7fDGUbk2Md3iCBReTwJuli-atDGKk-Pi3_VgldBId-/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwbhNZ-OOi1Mw2RkvNa_c2XnFM12CydyTGFSVuYnsAVsv5xJCM53p_VBYHXL98Fz8clAMM33YikKcsnG1wZ2d2b3FimYZDnGjGA7fDGUbk2Md3iCBReTwJuli-atDGKk-Pi3_VgldBId-/s640/IMG_0622.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Anyway, Mr. Dion Jackson was my cup of coffee on race morning. He started energizing the sea, ok, not a sea, I’m exaggerating, again, but there were many runners outfitted in UCLA and USC colors (lovely blue/gold and wonk, wonk, wonk-dreary red/gold). This was one of the first races where many people wore the race day shirt. I rubbed elbows with several in the Student Services locker room. First time, I saw many women in the bathroom not waiting in a line for a stall for its intended purpose. Ha! The quality and feel of the shirt was awesome. I felt guilty about not donating more to The Special Olympics because of the great quality goodies we received from the sponsors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">So, we all donned (or, most of us) our respective school colors as Dion and a lovely group of co-energizers lead us through fifteen minutes of stretching. It was more dancing than stretching, so you know I shook, rattled and rolled-literally! Ask my son, he was trying to find a hiding place in the vast open space. I kept nudging him to join me, but the look on his face and the lowering of his UCLA cap brim gave me a huge hint to stop… But, I kept shakin’ and g-roo-vin’… Until, a wise voice spoke to me, “Mom… you’re going to tire yourself before your race…!” Honestly, it was a<i> fun</i> work out. A <i>really</i> fun one, but I took my son’s advice because I was feeling a teeny bit out of breath after the first song. SO, here are pictures I took while the second song/dance was taking place. I was still groovin’ and movin’ in place, but not participating in the jumps and turns. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevAXV8zW7e3x1DI4r3fY2DOVzel6cwsOHtOpIok0CC5_yds6Hhrf54-rYBr913Hs-x847VI26jgm7dtgflbL_JNjhw0aOE3cTfGOk9DBSf5U97qvvZ3uwN92ADWkZBpO4yXZ4qagVJxND/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevAXV8zW7e3x1DI4r3fY2DOVzel6cwsOHtOpIok0CC5_yds6Hhrf54-rYBr913Hs-x847VI26jgm7dtgflbL_JNjhw0aOE3cTfGOk9DBSf5U97qvvZ3uwN92ADWkZBpO4yXZ4qagVJxND/s640/IMG_0624.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">Let the Competition Begin… Go Bruins! Don’t worry, blue, you have me on your side. </b></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">U…-C…-L…-A… U-C-L-A. Fight! Fight! Fight!</b></h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGhTRom-osxc9fSQUd9osSlamKa96AD3w6ye5GNdgic2nDRIIyh2bDPPYetcJ6SbQul32cqZDSXkzhvwEDvXTBCU3b_8SAH5VQaj7JLqJfkfPFlSAXCNPuPPSpDwyjrDSKTcXujHptfsr/s1600/IMG_0626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGhTRom-osxc9fSQUd9osSlamKa96AD3w6ye5GNdgic2nDRIIyh2bDPPYetcJ6SbQul32cqZDSXkzhvwEDvXTBCU3b_8SAH5VQaj7JLqJfkfPFlSAXCNPuPPSpDwyjrDSKTcXujHptfsr/s400/IMG_0626.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No PR's for many runners on this race... Very slow start and I waited for all speakers to finish before I lined up.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">As you know, I’m a HUGE believer and proponent of LOVE, but I’m not perfect and I love competitive sports. Typically, running is not a competitive sport for me, but when it involves the well-known Southern California university rivalry and I’m running for the awesome blue team, I can’t help it, my competitive side makes a cameo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Do you see my smile? Guess why I’m smiling? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaymy9T_-GzkNfoXwd-z9X4lv0kSQSc27_sqIeT_3CYBOvPmdLggXUXCnRne-eCfJfFweFivbYmrx1ieexL1jB8LfZlgZwudF6aneHOrZRjbO2gPsUh1yQz52M4Gg8hcToPY2KXLlrwA9X/s1600/UCLA+5K+Running+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaymy9T_-GzkNfoXwd-z9X4lv0kSQSc27_sqIeT_3CYBOvPmdLggXUXCnRne-eCfJfFweFivbYmrx1ieexL1jB8LfZlgZwudF6aneHOrZRjbO2gPsUh1yQz52M4Gg8hcToPY2KXLlrwA9X/s320/UCLA+5K+Running+Pic.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpg0q1therFphyu7FsLzfKx1jHAkMNwPl8nKphCp35LGp3m8Dn3I9JLlAx4cfBhLEaxfHRj1a-niFsCttP7YqPvUcEtRk_cJ67hJgzSmwMMH6J2AZwqEsTgCawHbj0hbDN6nVuwrT3ZZPL/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252853%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpg0q1therFphyu7FsLzfKx1jHAkMNwPl8nKphCp35LGp3m8Dn3I9JLlAx4cfBhLEaxfHRj1a-niFsCttP7YqPvUcEtRk_cJ67hJgzSmwMMH6J2AZwqEsTgCawHbj0hbDN6nVuwrT3ZZPL/s320/FullSizeRender+%252853%2529.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Yes, <i>of course</i>, endorphins and love of running, but not here… I’m smiling because I was getting ready to pass two USC runners (much bigger than me, too). They had no idea, they were about to eat my dust! Pretty much, this run was a combination running for all the bright and beautiful blue in life and the strength to overcome red gloom. We all have to have a little darkness, it keeps life interesting and prevents complacency, right? It keeps us on our toes, always questioning and seeking truth. As long as it’s non-harming, playful darkness, of course. For me, having a smidgen of darkness keeps me continually fighting for kindness, truth, honesty, and the mindset and knowledge to positively further and enhance our world.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwvPMOA8SE3XU7y28KFUyK2PadNzKue-hzR5mD1ClRI2_9oC_16RtPyZFhXvtrQFPI8HJ-br2bDhCzMZYgNeelHVFnlMX1HW0r-UY5Hxp-deKwNb-4N2hEA29lyraE7dBk_2k24I1ShoF/s1600/IMG_0759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwvPMOA8SE3XU7y28KFUyK2PadNzKue-hzR5mD1ClRI2_9oC_16RtPyZFhXvtrQFPI8HJ-br2bDhCzMZYgNeelHVFnlMX1HW0r-UY5Hxp-deKwNb-4N2hEA29lyraE7dBk_2k24I1ShoF/s400/IMG_0759.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used a filter on this one for a more dramatic effect. It captures my though process about the race and beyond .<br />
Do you see the intensity and determination?! hahaha I make myself laugh...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Did I pass those two much bigger red runners? <i>Of course!</i> When I set my mind on anything, I don’t give up until I accomplish it. I don’t know where the eventual placing ended because I went after other red runners after them, but the placing didn’t matter, I had passed them. I showed myself I wasn’t going to let their size and redness get in the way of making gains for the bright and beautiful. Positive thinking and determination to spread kindness and knowledge makes its way, one person at a time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtLlyjtPtak_oer53tDy3OTDAtfvAl4oZbsi-VDqpd95w6dnteRUmGlG1PoWzw8YvQQrv1weDJPE41rJT6Fhyphenhyphen3A4euNKvS3-Zx2LaaQsPk8uqndAFiNWlSoF2zyllkbwNROHAYSHxS4ss/s1600/IMG_0633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtLlyjtPtak_oer53tDy3OTDAtfvAl4oZbsi-VDqpd95w6dnteRUmGlG1PoWzw8YvQQrv1weDJPE41rJT6Fhyphenhyphen3A4euNKvS3-Zx2LaaQsPk8uqndAFiNWlSoF2zyllkbwNROHAYSHxS4ss/s320/IMG_0633.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried emulating my runner-friend's AWESOME medal pictures! His medal pictures are <i>ALWAYS</i> gorgeous!</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">Memories… Light the corner of my mind…</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">... Misty... wa-ter… cooolor-ed mem-o-r-ies… of the way we weeeeere… And, I need to stop, I’m getting cringe looks and redirection questions. My singing voice is not that bad… Not nice, Mr. Stanley… Not nice… Remember…, you’re always modeling for the mini-version of you…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Yes, Barbara, you are right. Being on UCLA’s campus last Sunday evoked your lyrics. My husband, son and I spent many hours on this campus creating memories together from 2006 to 2009. As young parents, we spent a lot of our time walking, using the Bruin shuttle, and for me running with a jogging stroller from the south side to the north side of campus. It was much quicker than the whole stroller ordeal, chasing a toddler just to get on the shuttle, plus, the shuttle made a lot of stops in between North and South. It really was much faster if I ran with the stroller. We’ve been on campus many times since those days; however, a lot of memories were sparked because of recent changes to our world and running the campus for the first time without heeled shoes and professional attire. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">From the years, 2006-2009, we witnessed and experienced many changes outside of the campus world. At the end of each day, we left our worldly, knowledge filled environment to an uncertain time. Fortunately, the last year of our almost daily visits to the campus, we exited the same loving, knowledge rich campus into the start of a world geared towards positive changes for all. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwMHQojSNq_cyxYWmPNiZ-t4AdNdIHT4TseRKdSKn9MpMqOBYu-XFkqvWdvxcAQeqggFDU-3MWxsIMi-6emkQbPkLc398ElElwo6020u9IQAKXcG6Igp-IbnWnkJqOo2kCP2dq3pilHbB/s1600/ucla+matt+graduation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwMHQojSNq_cyxYWmPNiZ-t4AdNdIHT4TseRKdSKn9MpMqOBYu-XFkqvWdvxcAQeqggFDU-3MWxsIMi-6emkQbPkLc398ElElwo6020u9IQAKXcG6Igp-IbnWnkJqOo2kCP2dq3pilHbB/s400/ucla+matt+graduation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Husband's Graduation Day- Spring 2009! Imagine running and sprinting after this adorable, curious, and adventurous little person or pushing him in a jogging stroller in dress attire. We were a fun sight-for sure!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Sadly, a few weeks ago, all of the hope and progress was threatened by grey clouds, thunderstorms, and hurricanes of darkness. However, running on that campus, surrounded by people, different people, all supportive and cheering for a phenomenal cause and organization, The Special Olympics, I was reminded of why I <i>love</i> education so much. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but, as soon as education is affordable, I am signing up for another graduate degree. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">I’m a life-long learner, but the feeling of being on a college campus, in a college classroom, engaging in intelligent discussions and conversation with like-minded individuals is addicting. Walking and running it many times when my son was younger, trying to make it on time to participant interviews when working at the Semel Institute by coordinating my schedule with my husband’s class schedule, along with chasing after an adventurous toddler, turned preschooler through the course of our time on campus required a lot of miles. But, as challenging as that was, I was always happy and hopeful while walking, running, hiking, driving miles in and around the campus, knowing I was surrounded by people who wanted a positive life for everyone. It was a major smile producer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><i> SO</i>, being on campus this past Sunday, surrounded by people, dressed in blue and red with hints of gold on both sides, cheering for and supporting the same positive cause and team, let me know that change begins with one person. One person at a time. Yes, the climate outside the campus may be different, but if I want to pursue and instill kindness and positive energy, I must begin with me. I must have the courage to accept that not everyone has experienced the beauty of a college campus, so I must share it by being a symbol of that beauty. Maybe if I shine some of the light and beauty onto those who don’t know or fear that life, maybe, just maybe, they might want to take a peak on their own. If you’ve ever truly experienced university life, truly embraced education (not, simply, a focus on GPA, grades, and future financial or professional success), and the wonders of knowledge, you know there is no way anyone cannot see the wonderment, beauty, and positive transformation true education gives to the mind and soul. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">But, it can’t be forced, like all great things in life, they must be self-driven. The only way people can become self-driven is through modeling kindness, encouragement, and love. For me, love, running, and education are key to a kind and loving mind and soul. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">I will keep learning, caring, loving… and, of course, running, until my time is up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">If, like me, you like added footage after movies or epilogues in books, here you go…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><b>Post-Race, Flag-Football match-up (UCLA vs USC)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">After the race, a friendly flag football match up took place against UCLA and USC. Each team included current students from their respective university, along with Special Olympics athletes. It's a wonderful mentoring program in which student and athlete learn from each other. As a lover of sports with a son who is also an athlete, having him join me for this race had extra significance in my parenting goals. While we have exposed him to a myriad of cultural experiences, people, and activities, we continually remind him of the importance of engaging with and experiencing life with people of different backgrounds and abilities. As a child who has excelled academically, socially, and athletically all of his life, it could become difficult for him to truly appreciate his abilities and advantages and not become entitled, so we must continually remind him to appreciate his positive life situation, but to never forgot to use his voice and position for positive. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Earlier in the school year, I blogged about the importance of instilling and reminding our children of the need to always choose kindness. Sadly, due to unexpected negative changes taking place in our country’s leadership, the need to remind our children to choose love, acceptance, and kindness is even more important. While we try to expose my son to all people, he hasn’t had much exposure to Special Olympics athletes, so when he asked to stay for the entire flag-football game, I smiled. He was impressed to see so many runners and walkers pushing themselves in ways he has never had to. Along with that, watching the football game and having an understanding of what competitive sports entails was inspiring to him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">The fact that we were one of the last to leave the event, let me know the message I wanted him to pick-up was received. While I continually teach and model kindness, acceptance, and love, sometimes the message is picked up best through self-observation and discovery. I do my part in teaching at home, but we must also provide him with opportunities to practice and experience what I teach. The teaching at home is like the “classroom” and the experiences and opportunities his dad and I expose him to serve as “field trips” needed to see the words in action.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEuSbUzUKThTiD9u7UMGf0wbuHYRGWSmoKlRn-GDXBnXmGQa4ETM-vcXugDdNR-T6j8vncyD5_auPzbJP-XNE2Wlp-O15oPm7dbh9mxzbQuQCCbZhXXZywGOXq8cSp0Z_LDbNgaf2_P5A/s1600/IMG_0638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEuSbUzUKThTiD9u7UMGf0wbuHYRGWSmoKlRn-GDXBnXmGQa4ETM-vcXugDdNR-T6j8vncyD5_auPzbJP-XNE2Wlp-O15oPm7dbh9mxzbQuQCCbZhXXZywGOXq8cSp0Z_LDbNgaf2_P5A/s320/IMG_0638.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAGsrcp6Uo7c4vgkCDTzeAcxIQOTWw9e0NVIhUnzScaRMeBtOoiyz8CqRk5dN6wHJCfg3qQjiwTHTlm4borzv6CqkCw-W-BfhJ0cupKoJQaDZyOFClfnnoWLQz9kiv7hTb6fWip2ryTxW/s1600/IMG_0641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAGsrcp6Uo7c4vgkCDTzeAcxIQOTWw9e0NVIhUnzScaRMeBtOoiyz8CqRk5dN6wHJCfg3qQjiwTHTlm4borzv6CqkCw-W-BfhJ0cupKoJQaDZyOFClfnnoWLQz9kiv7hTb6fWip2ryTxW/s320/IMG_0641.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGIrwA1yMriD7W5LBjZjk9f5jsq6QCJ-AoaYwxu4AwYGH1C2bNF47-3JaaABGprOjCqWIk5jGMUazPoAg8rm4vddvoNHxoeq62jUVasaTovVoTGNoKxQFyjdObFciyyNphVAAuTZQG9UI/s1600/IMG_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGIrwA1yMriD7W5LBjZjk9f5jsq6QCJ-AoaYwxu4AwYGH1C2bNF47-3JaaABGprOjCqWIk5jGMUazPoAg8rm4vddvoNHxoeq62jUVasaTovVoTGNoKxQFyjdObFciyyNphVAAuTZQG9UI/s320/IMG_0647.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">While I continue to learn about our world, I will ensure my son is too. My goal is that through our parenting, he gains the foundation for a future filled with as much joy as he can experience while making kindness his number one rule, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><b>Like the Avenger movies, extra, extra features… If you are the movie goers who leave after the credits, you can close my post, now, but if you wait to see if there’s extra, extra features, keep reading… </b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVVvNeQPF2BSBOZxnzzkP0JQ1UnqfA-S_wvcX7AmEM4nIrHSC7YzYBHq3zxuwgATtEh4xp0cMKZeICn9bfzeHpTJbkr6Jq3RccKv2tMNlhAMeL7NNzapdd65b7p0-cYflGVMKjr1LMEGu/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVVvNeQPF2BSBOZxnzzkP0JQ1UnqfA-S_wvcX7AmEM4nIrHSC7YzYBHq3zxuwgATtEh4xp0cMKZeICn9bfzeHpTJbkr6Jq3RccKv2tMNlhAMeL7NNzapdd65b7p0-cYflGVMKjr1LMEGu/s400/IMG_0675.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fowler Museum- We learned inside and outside the building. A lot of rolling, rumbling, and chasing happened here, outside the museum. Our lunch picnics turned into "Rolling down the sand-hills", <i>The Wiggles</i> song- his favorite band, then. Precious memories...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQCCd1vZtzQQaYUx3aeYsYsHjeKYYvCtAGSqJm6hl1MTnou-JgrLdxJh-zBa4_efFEUbLSG4Z54dKnuKmHHD2rUnAxvC7AH61OjnXW5S23KhPrBGxnGUFP5LtmNGM_h9u61XzLBMGZDDt/s1600/IMG_0678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQCCd1vZtzQQaYUx3aeYsYsHjeKYYvCtAGSqJm6hl1MTnou-JgrLdxJh-zBa4_efFEUbLSG4Z54dKnuKmHHD2rUnAxvC7AH61OjnXW5S23KhPrBGxnGUFP5LtmNGM_h9u61XzLBMGZDDt/s400/IMG_0678.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royce Hall Entrance- Gorgeous building, right? If you're a parent on campus, this is the nicest bathroom, too! Most student don't realize it's often open.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOc220mujpUi4AtvKI9F981k0ZEHWtByzdn84Re6GTWs1vCEFIIws7nAc3a-o8oMrXNDmzV0c3hKuP1YVtG_Qyf5mEd0AVdL9zfPGjOl1587qSo-w_xoupC6DGjmiNLKU7ynwJc5IERLyW/s1600/IMG_0677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOc220mujpUi4AtvKI9F981k0ZEHWtByzdn84Re6GTWs1vCEFIIws7nAc3a-o8oMrXNDmzV0c3hKuP1YVtG_Qyf5mEd0AVdL9zfPGjOl1587qSo-w_xoupC6DGjmiNLKU7ynwJc5IERLyW/s400/IMG_0677.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royce Hall- a.k.a," Dan Zanes' Concert, remember, Mommy..." each time we walked (mostly ran) near this section of campus. We took him to watch a few concerts, but the ones that stood out most to him were Dan Zanes. His 2nd favorite band, then.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; text-align: center;">As mentioned, our family spent a lot of time on this gorgeous campus during our son’s “first five”. I often waited for my husband to finish his class/es, so we could swap child –care duties. He was working full-time, off campus, attending classes full time, on campus, and I was working part-time on campus and around campus recruiting participants, conducting interviews with participants, and attending meetings for “The Women’s Project” at The Semel Institute, so it made sense to schedule our hours around each other’s schedule. Plus, we had extremely limited assistance with child care. It was a challenging time, juggling all our roles between the two of us, but in hindsight, we wouldn’t change a thing about it. We gained more than we lost from those years sharing in our juggling act of full time parenting, work, and school. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">As we waited on campus, I was given many opportunities to teach my son about his world. If you’re familiar with the campus, you know there are several museums and learning opportunities for people of all ages. The majority of my husband’s classes were around the history department building which is surrounded by a beautiful sculpture garden and the art department building, and Fowler Museum, so I was beaming with excitement to share knowledge with the adorable, little, speedy person that kept running away if I gave too much information. He was a great teacher on how to summarize with as much of the juicy information a toddler, latter preschooler could grasp. <i>Quick and age appropriate, Karina,</i> was my mantra when teaching him early in my parenting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">The Sculpture Garden</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4Jre2E8W1pOyyLQuhlb3YfOyuANsgdoJJxodJHx4-KLozFuOctyynoBWz13QSHj-xHmpksXJtRaGnKdwplwLZQ7O6Daw6BEVxNhReqBnI63soHaq-Sr736Xkb9j9ojexZDpTEP3KaS_V/s1600/IMG_0687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4Jre2E8W1pOyyLQuhlb3YfOyuANsgdoJJxodJHx4-KLozFuOctyynoBWz13QSHj-xHmpksXJtRaGnKdwplwLZQ7O6Daw6BEVxNhReqBnI63soHaq-Sr736Xkb9j9ojexZDpTEP3KaS_V/s400/IMG_0687.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjSVaQ0SF5N26ACqbsWsDu4jVfllF1seMhpGq9TayB2lJUCmevCy_Cxpvyb6wJt6V9h_7zsuQw0SGcKV5l2-YVEbL-RLJz47KPIsQj99ZnAoLfgq7X4KPB9xWDQ95YK_J_xsYj_7Ttuxj/s1600/IMG_0691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjSVaQ0SF5N26ACqbsWsDu4jVfllF1seMhpGq9TayB2lJUCmevCy_Cxpvyb6wJt6V9h_7zsuQw0SGcKV5l2-YVEbL-RLJz47KPIsQj99ZnAoLfgq7X4KPB9xWDQ95YK_J_xsYj_7Ttuxj/s320/IMG_0691.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">These two were his favorite sculptures. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwdXENKMosaSAJX1o9OlFeQsQzUv4bJ832iOhuv83jiUrriqU_yRpkCFG5ycvdXkdNt207bE1SBh53LzIHYogysXuaW9pTQM9FIXs19Umh1Z_ihIQFF5W7rJeOyUpzUVYzP6EVrThd0JP/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwdXENKMosaSAJX1o9OlFeQsQzUv4bJ832iOhuv83jiUrriqU_yRpkCFG5ycvdXkdNt207bE1SBh53LzIHYogysXuaW9pTQM9FIXs19Umh1Z_ihIQFF5W7rJeOyUpzUVYzP6EVrThd0JP/s320/IMG_0692.JPG" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6L4UVWNLlHSmInUuZfmAqwkQuXTiUaJ7YmgiWhPR1qojcAknpUAZdf1KRDTnrmpqbaOqTc8CJ9X0R0lanREU4v_4vUmv7mWE3FzA4gHOuHJ0Ciqf6qXfUVl5a2FNO82OrMrhSkEuKi4aC/s1600/IMG_0697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6L4UVWNLlHSmInUuZfmAqwkQuXTiUaJ7YmgiWhPR1qojcAknpUAZdf1KRDTnrmpqbaOqTc8CJ9X0R0lanREU4v_4vUmv7mWE3FzA4gHOuHJ0Ciqf6qXfUVl5a2FNO82OrMrhSkEuKi4aC/s320/IMG_0697.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Gee, I wonder why? Perfect opportunity to discuss nature and the human body-age appropriate, of course! But, this and many of the teaching opportunities and experiences I was able to provide for him have shaped him into the kind, mature, deep, and insightful thinker who is comfortable expressing his thoughts and feelings with us because questioning and the hunger for knowledge has been nurtured since birth. Really, since in utero because when I decided to be a mom, I adapted my thoughts, feeling and actions towards that role. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Art Department Building- These sculptures are also on display at LACMA</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vgwXUIqSMZwQP8zz7fw3IEd5R9hEKrlWpvy6_792oySsqB_ckefd7dSa1WP4qsBM1_-IdRRUQW000rlm66TVsVlEZtrPd5AWWB_mQoIem2URaAUxyLN0mYNjWqFgL5uLq0LkN_NrD2Q0/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vgwXUIqSMZwQP8zz7fw3IEd5R9hEKrlWpvy6_792oySsqB_ckefd7dSa1WP4qsBM1_-IdRRUQW000rlm66TVsVlEZtrPd5AWWB_mQoIem2URaAUxyLN0mYNjWqFgL5uLq0LkN_NrD2Q0/s400/IMG_0693.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">And, like we did all those years ago, we left the campus on Sunday, with the reminder of how we were able to overcome what was in store for us and many Americans when under leadership we didn’t agree with, but in order to make positive changes, we had to make sure our son and his generation were raised with the hunger for knowledge, life-long knowledge, and the desire to put that knowledge into practice towards kindness and love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">As we excited the campus, from the same exit we did many years ago, my husband and I had a craving for, Carnival, our favorite Lebanese restaurant in Sherman Oaks. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHQ97LvE_QgUWxqYP6wvx1aLNBk35OGkqcTMGBBrXb8x9XmWzjuw30RczydYgHlnVxLGajgkq_YeljO6WoktYSiYBZcFquQPerLxhPUf-pYd2RPcPyi9BWvAroZzP4AvttQkdjousSRQi/s1600/IMG_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHQ97LvE_QgUWxqYP6wvx1aLNBk35OGkqcTMGBBrXb8x9XmWzjuw30RczydYgHlnVxLGajgkq_YeljO6WoktYSiYBZcFquQPerLxhPUf-pYd2RPcPyi9BWvAroZzP4AvttQkdjousSRQi/s400/IMG_0707.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">A place we haven’t visited in too long since our move, but fitting on such a memory filled day. We often stopped there on crazy, busy days. Now, we stop almost every time we visit the UCLA campus. It’s not in Westwood, but it was on the way to our previous home. Our son called it, “sharma-sharma”. “Guys, are we having sharma-sharma, today?” He was right, we love their shawarma and everything else. This is one of many reasons I love America. We live in Los Angeles, California, one of the most beautiful cities and states in the country because of weather, attractions, and people. While, yes, the weather and access to the ocean, lakes, and all the myriad of universities, museums, and cultural and sporting events are a dream, the part I love most is the diversity. Living in Los Angeles, gives me the opportunity to expose and share with my son the beauty of America-it’s grand, colorful, beautiful and rich diversity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Only in America, can a mostly Mexican (with sprinkles of Spanish) woman and a man with an Irish, Italian and British background be brought together by our ancestor’s decision to immigrate to America. The blend of all those flavors, colors, and experiences produced the beautiful and kind mind and soul we are raising. Only in America, can a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, family sit inside a Lebanese restaurant owned by a lovely immigrant family bringing their talents, culture, flavors, and experiences to share with all the other myriad of cultures and people living in our beautiful city of Los Angeles, California in the United States of America.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Embrace diversity. It adds more color and flavor to all our lives… Be like the lotus flower, bloom your beauty no matter how muddy the surroundings get.</span><br />
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-70473212506919747012016-11-11T11:07:00.000-08:002016-12-20T11:53:40.001-08:00I'm a Human Being, First.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for all you need is love" src="https://www.aso.com.au/files/644809/AYNIL-ADEL-758-x350.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
post is impromptu. I had planned on taking a break from blogging and Twitter
the month of November while I worked on my NaNoWriMo novel. However, it is difficult
to fully enjoy the gift I have been giving myself every November for the last
few years when my heart is broken. It’s not shattered, I have immensely strong
glue, so I know this broken heart will be repaired. But, for now, it’s sad and
hurt. People I care about voted against me on Tuesday. That is a tough pill to
swallow when you care about them, greet them with open arms and a big heart,
only to be shocked and surprised by a low blow. I could never be a boxer, those
low blows <i>HURT! <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">No
matter how you feel about me and people like me, I care about you. It’s who I
am. I’m a human being, <i>first.</i> I understand
we all have early experiences that shape our thoughts, feelings, and actions,
but it’s not acceptable to hurt and hate kind and loving people. I have a huge
heart and have volunteered many hours to ensure that all people live lives of
the most joy they can achieve with the resources available. SO, knowing that
populations of people, I have fought for, hate people like me, feels like I’ve
lost a loved one. I feel like I’m going through the bereavement process, mourning
the loss of a society and culture, I felt was moving towards an accepting and
loving direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fortunately,
I have the choice to surround myself with positive and kind hearts, so that is what
I will do. I will continue being kind and loving. I will continue volunteering and
working hard to share and distribute the characteristic I consider most important
in human beings-kindness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Even
if you disagree with me and dislike people like me, please, please, remember, children
are watching and listening and many of them are hurting. Children are intrinsically
innocent, loving, and kind, so when they see adults thinking, speaking and
acting with anger and unkindness, it hurts their naturally caring and loving
hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Early
in the school year, I blogged about the importance of kindness and today, more
than ever, I’d like to re-share that message: <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">http://lovetolearnrun.blogspot.com/2016/08/back-to-school-reminder-be-kind-like.html</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Please,
be kind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-13622275422088680422016-10-20T21:33:00.001-07:002016-12-20T11:54:21.524-08:00NaNoWriMo- Yes, You Can Write a Novel in 30 Days!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJNQzlgfBDnledjFykH-WmGghrf9VPOkAiMOkHXpi3TdxMkgVaakEgS6b9JAWVMOlXl3YNmUPeV0Sav30MisnmpexiecCwlSWhRbnLR49ZfoPPKk1HyUlH7qyQNc3g2VZ-HbL_hp91THJ/s1600/Nanowrimo+icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJNQzlgfBDnledjFykH-WmGghrf9VPOkAiMOkHXpi3TdxMkgVaakEgS6b9JAWVMOlXl3YNmUPeV0Sav30MisnmpexiecCwlSWhRbnLR49ZfoPPKk1HyUlH7qyQNc3g2VZ-HbL_hp91THJ/s1600/Nanowrimo+icon.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
the title, professional student, existed, </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">that
</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">would be my profession. Our world has an abundance of places, things,
ideas, and concepts to explore, enjoy and experience, but only speckles of sand
in living days. While I'll never be able to experience everything on my
exhaustive list of "What I want to see and do before I die", I try to
fit in as much as I can into my carry-on bag.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
childhood, I dreamed of writing storybooks like the ones LeVar Burton and grade
school teachers read to me. After school, weekends, and holiday breaks, I
pretended to be them in my bedroom, reading to: my bedroom walls, dolls, super
hero action figures, sporting equipment, and anything else in the room. Since
my brother is a few years younger, sometimes, he, too, was my audience. But,
after hearing the same stories read again and… again… and again…, even an
adorable little boy like him, showed signs of boredom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
decided to write my own stories. Unfortunately, they were not saved. I would
love to see what I was thinking and projecting, then. I’m certain the themes
were cheesy and corny, but in my mind, I was one of the greats as I sat on my
childhood bed, hunched over, writing away like I imagined Dr. Seuss doing when
working on his craft. My single-digit-age hand bore blisters from the hours spent
writing, erasing, and re-writing my stories until they were “perfect”. At that
time, illustrations were a must in books I read and wrote, so I attempted drawing,
too. The imagination and determination inherent in children is inspiring,
sadly, often, if not nurtured, it is stored in damp corners of attics and
basements, only to be discovered when in search for something else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
few years ago, while on a search for “something else”, I found my childhood
dream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like
all great treasure boxes, there is a mixture of excitement and apprehension at what
lurks inside. I opened the lid to discover a hidden gem-my desire to write,
again. My treasure box was NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is the acronym for National
Novel Writing Month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
is the link to the website: <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/">http://nanowrimo.org/</a>,
but I will give you a summary, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
you’ve ever wanted to write a novel, do it! I have written three. Yes. </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Th-r-ee</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. November 1</span><sup style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> will be
the start of my fourth. While all are in the first phase (writers, you know this
is the easy phase), it’s an awesome feeling knowing I’ve written three novels. I’m
</span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">SO</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> cool, r-iiight? You can be just as
cool if you take a risk and decide to make this the year you write the novel knocking
at your amygdala and hippocampus, screaming and pounding</span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, write me, already!</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maybe,
one day, I’ll edit and share with you, but for now, I write them for me. I
write them because characters and inspiration in my everyday life scream and
nudge me to tell their stories. Perhaps, you’re afraid to start because of the myriad
of “what if’s” and fears? <i>I’m scared. I’m
not good enough</i>. <i>But, I’ve never
written a novel before… But, I don’t have time… But, I’m a mom. But, I’m a dad.
But, I’m working, school, life, etc., etc., and more etc.… </i>All of those thoughts
are normal and valid, but they’re mostly a subconscious fear of failure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t
allow fear to win. NaNoWriMo, provides the opportunity to write without any of
those fears, it’s like psychoanalysis, no filter, write what comes to mind. You
will probably be researching a lot, but that is a fun learning process. I know
I’ve had to research <i>a lot</i> of <i>interesting</i> information because of the direction
characters took me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Gift of Novel
Writing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For
the past few years, I have been giving myself an <i>awesome</i> </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">birthday gift- a no-guilt-writing-month. Like most parents with
several interests, I sometimes feel guilty about the time writing and running
takes up, so I often limit one or the other to avoid drowning in guilt. However,
during NaNoWriMo (Nov. 1st-Nov. 30th), I give myself a “gift certificate” to
write to my heart’s desire without </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">any </i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">guilt…
It’s </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">liberating</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I’ve never been a
fan of material gifts, except for running shoes and books, of course, so my husband
is more than happy to oblige with my only birthday request.</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have opted out of family and friend’s parties and events in order to meet my
50,000 word count without any guilt. The only thing I still refuse to forgo is
supporting my son at his activities. I write while I wait. I type away on my
phone or write on a notebook before games, in between innings, and probably
present with a down-in-the-slumps demeanor to other parents since I don’t
engage in normal conversation, but, I’m ok with that because I’ve given myself
permission to be selfish in pursuit of my passion. Supporting him <i>never </i>feels like an obligation. Watching
him play sports or participate in extracurricular activities, seeing the
benefits to his mind and body today and tomorrow could never be anything, but
something I must and <i>want to</i> witness.
It will all be gone in seconds… Remember, the hour glass doesn’t pause, ever. I
want to capture as much as I can with my mental lens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Game Over.</span></b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Back in my car… <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
soon as I’m back home, I go to town on my laptop… click-tap-click-tap-pause-click-tap-click-tap-pause.
<i>Grrrrrrrr</i> and more, <i>grrrrrrr. </i>I’m writing a novel, so only
full pots brew in my home in November. <i>Ah…</i>
the smell of freshly ground coffee beans fills my kitchen like spilled perfume.
Someone needs to bottle the scent of coffee and books. Real coffee, not the
artificial, sweetened scent type, already available. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you love coffee as much as I do, November is filled with pots and pots of the
delicious brew. It always feels like a cuddle, puts a smile on my face, and
gives me the extra kick I need to meet the 50,000 word goal. November is my
favorite month, not because I celebrate my birthday, but because I get to experience
everything I love <i>without</i> guilt:
writing, reading, researching, learning, coffee, coffee, coffee, and, there are
days when I stay up until the wee small hours of the morning while the whole
wide world is fast asleep… <i>Ha. Did you
like that Frank Sinatra song reference? </i>Sometimes, I lie awake or at my
laptop thinking about my characters and I don’t worry about counting sheep. Ha.
I know, I know. I’m a big D-O-R-K. If that wasn’t enough to make this lover of
the written word feel like a child on Christmas morning, the entire month of
November, I also <i>r-un</i>… without
G-U-I-L-T… Running is brainstorming and inspiration. Running+ coffee+
researching+ learning+ a lot of writing= a novel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">All my life, I’ve viewed and experienced the world in letters and words. However, it wasn't until college, when writing paper after paper in psychology and social sciences courses that I truly dove into my hidden love of writing. Soon after sharing my creativity and analysis of complex subjects, professors began to praise my thoughts and writing. What lover of words and knowledge doesn’t feel inspired and appreciate compliments from those already working with and researching the human mind, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">I was high school yearbook co-editor, but we all know that doesn't provide the creative outlet to write fiction. Plus, having a faculty advisor, censors a lot of what an adolescent mind truly experiences and wants to project on the pages of our documented memento of years filled with the most extreme thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions. So, I helped create a somewhat unique yearbook with the limited creativity granted, then. Again, I attempted to resurface my long lost desire to write fiction when enrolled in undergraduate English courses, but the load of all my core psychology courses, took up most of my time, limiting time to truly explore my creative side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Hence, why I love NaNoWriMo. I’m free as a bird (read to the tune of The Beatles tile song) to create without reservation. Without care. I write what surfaces. I write what I see, hear, smell, taste, feel, think, touch and anything my characters introduce. I’m open to anything and everything in the world of fictitious characters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">How Do I Start?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">That was my question my first NaNoWriMo. I had no idea where to begin. I had written short stories, but short stories and novels are different. Novels are, well, novels… My first year was the “learn as I go” year. While I don’t write any sections of my novel until November 1st, I do write down ideas. In some way, I feel like I’m cheating, but not really, because it would be a waste of imagination and creativity to ignore thoughts and ideas that pop up throughout the year. I date all thoughts and ideas. As I write my novel, I don’t follow what is written on my pages of thoughts. I love the concept of writing what comes next as it pops up in my characters’ minds, but having these thoughts and ideas provide inspiration when I reach a ditch or obstacle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">The best way to dip your toes it to check out the NaNoWriMo website: http://nanowrimo.org/how-it-works</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">You, also, get the opportunity to purchase mugs, t-shirts, etc. to motivate as you type your way to a novel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;">Here is my favorite shirt, not just in November, but throughout the year. I’m ready for a new one, this one has been washed- a lot!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnLlxY0VZt6A2AFdL2UT_S90BS3KvljQelx_AGFyKokMdawK7nA9miXgqSpWzHUd2PGjEjT74a0uPd7gDcsdfr-bRms8OHONcoTeX24KV9Q2qQSc6ut9uWnn5mbg6JXwl2XeFCfh4IblZ/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252849%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnLlxY0VZt6A2AFdL2UT_S90BS3KvljQelx_AGFyKokMdawK7nA9miXgqSpWzHUd2PGjEjT74a0uPd7gDcsdfr-bRms8OHONcoTeX24KV9Q2qQSc6ut9uWnn5mbg6JXwl2XeFCfh4IblZ/s320/FullSizeRender+%252849%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">I don't have the budget t</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">o hire a fashion model, yet, so, you get me. As an aside, if I ever post anything fashion related, you will get me, then, too. As soon as I'm a best-seller, you'll get the real deal-promise! Anyway</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; text-align: left;">, this pose</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; text-align: left;"> is an ode to one of my favorite film characters-Marla Hooch... </span></span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: "book antiqua", serif; text-align: left;">Marla, what a hitter!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdyV0uC8fl5GjLP3v47nHRWfIzbHOz-S8ZdSnzcGwjYqrsi0fBmdU82iaxItQzN05kIGgfG-aihYKSAGFZzu5GIrzSA9i77GNTr43zj2VSWgPWETFcvOWHRyzaEFLqUsXdmbGj0ZyLMrG/s1600/Marla+Hooch+posing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdyV0uC8fl5GjLP3v47nHRWfIzbHOz-S8ZdSnzcGwjYqrsi0fBmdU82iaxItQzN05kIGgfG-aihYKSAGFZzu5GIrzSA9i77GNTr43zj2VSWgPWETFcvOWHRyzaEFLqUsXdmbGj0ZyLMrG/s320/Marla+Hooch+posing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Do you notice Marla's discomfort with posed pictures?</i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">You should attempt it this November. Even if you don’t reach the minimum 50,000 word goal, a start is better than wishing and wondering… I’m telling you, it’s a lot like the euphoric feeling of running… Extreme temperatures, sleepy, and busy days force me to lace my running shoes with less enthusiasm, but once I’m pounding the trails and streets, the smile on my face and mind thank me. Give it a go. What’s the worst that could happen?</span></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-83523985626771437602016-10-07T16:41:00.000-07:002017-02-03T17:06:39.188-08:00Return to Racing Season- Perspective Reminder<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ff7TaofZUnaAmfnws2fnCcOSYEBvtMuyOHNMdt3YAqlV-iSFfRoix4Vhe1mFMfYwzswNYDUBdTftAnuYu9q22ugQiYfeBsv35vOjlSux-DDFr4itkbjKx_CwZ6CEwzXlyZmp6KXFBFg2/s1600/IMG_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ff7TaofZUnaAmfnws2fnCcOSYEBvtMuyOHNMdt3YAqlV-iSFfRoix4Vhe1mFMfYwzswNYDUBdTftAnuYu9q22ugQiYfeBsv35vOjlSux-DDFr4itkbjKx_CwZ6CEwzXlyZmp6KXFBFg2/s320/IMG_0333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Over
the weekend, I ran my first race since April 2016. While I had not planned on
blogging about my race, seeing all the pictures I wanted to add to a collage
picture to tweet, I thought I should share the pictures along with some
memorable moments and reminders.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before,
I begin my story, I must tell you were my 5k took place… I bet you’re on pins
and needles with anticipation to find out, huh? You’ll never guess… Quick, take
a second or 60 to think about it. Ok, time’s up! It was… at… are you sure
you’re ready?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hint.
One of my favorite locations in the world!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you guessed Dodger Stadium, Ding! Ding! Ding! You. Are. Co-rr-ect. I <i>LOVE</i> the Dodgers and Dodger Stadium! I
bet you didn’t know that. Ha. If you know me or follow me on Twitter, you might
say I’m obsessed and you might be a little right about that, but not unstable
obsessed, just slightly koo-koo. I try not to miss any games and when I must, I
have <i>Backstage Dodgers</i> (son and I
watch together to see all the fun that happens before, during, and after the
game), and now, Twitter, to keep me posted. Please, don’t think I spend the
entire time in front of the screen. Aside from being a Dodger fan, runner, and
writer, I’m,mostly, a mom, wife, and
trying to finish a book, so I can’t sit and watch most games in their entirety,
but on game days and if life permits, we do enjoy watching the game on TV or
Dodger Stadium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
husband and son are pretty lucky in that department because I don’t mind
sitting through nine or more innings of baseball. In fact, if we are watching
the game at Dodger Stadium, extra innings makes me giddy. More time to take in
the beauty of the environment and everything that comes with experiencing a
game at Dodger Stadium. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, watching a game
inside that magical place, is something everyone must experience. The food, alone,
will not disappoint.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now,
you know why I was excited about my 5K. Not only was I running a race after a
six month racing hiatus, but most importantly, it was at Dodger Stadium. Two of
my favorites-running and Dodgers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dodgers Foundation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like
most runners, I choose races based on several factors. For me, the primary are location
and charity. The Dodgers Foundation is a phenomenal charity providing three
pillars of support, experiences, and opportunities for underprivileged youth in
Los Angeles: sports + recreation, education + literacy, and health + wellness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
a huge believer in mind and body connection, so anytime I can contribute in helping
children develop a positive and healthy mental, emotional, physical, and social
adulthood, I must play a role-small or large.</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why did I decide to
blog about this race?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Initially,
for the pictures. But, I, also, had a few experiences, I felt were worth
sharing about running and parenting. If you follow me on Twitter or read my
blog, you know I recently moved away from my mom and siblings. As much as I
enjoy my new home and community, life is not perfect, there are downsides to
everything. Unfortunately, the move limits the time I spend with them. When we
lived a couple of miles apart, I was able to walk or hike with them, at least, a
couple times per week. Although it was only an hour or two, I loved that time
with them. I’ve tried to get them to run races with me, but I haven’t
succeeded, <i>yet</i>. However, both are
quite speedy. My brother’s fastest mile is a little over 6 minutes and my
sister usually placed when she ran 5 and 10k’s, so I know I’ll eventually
succeed in getting them back into their running shoes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My 5K Race-My
Sister’s Return to Racing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
my sister was leaving my home on Saturday afternoon, she asked what time I
would be leaving my race. My nephew and son were having a sleep over at my
house and were both attending the race, so it made sense to drive my nephew
home after the race since my sister’s home is closer to the race location than
mine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you’re a runner
and parent or familiar with children, I’m sure you’re wondering why I would host
a sleep over the night before a race. Right?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Easy.
My sister and I can’t say no to each other when we need help. She knew I had a
race the next day, but she was in a pickle and my nephew’s first choice is
always my home. Since I think of him as a son, I would want the same comforts for
him that my son receives. I can’t blame him for feeling comfortable and at home
with us. A goofy, dorky aunt that adores him and loves to cook?! I would have
loved me at his age, too. I’m like Mary Poppins minus Julie Andrews’ voice in
the film adaptation. Plus, twelve-year-olds that get along make my life easier.
Anytime, my son has a sleep over with him, I know I’ll be getting a lot of
extra writing time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Back
to the reasoning for blogging about this race…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
an uncertain tone and Lucille Ball style curled up lip, my response to my sister’s
question was “…, u-n-less…, <i>if</i>, I p-lace?
Then, I would need to wait until…” She, quickly, interrupted, “What do you mean,
<i>if</i>?! Of course, you are going to
place! You need to stop pacing yourself and just go all out! It’s only a 5K,
you run a lot more than 3.1 miles.” My husband agreed with her. They are right.
I usually under pace myself and aside from my April 2016 5K, when I wanted to
make it to the finish line as soon as nausea kicked in, I usually end races not
feeling like I gave it my all. But, I’m ok with that because like a lovely, smart, and talented runner friend reminded me this week, my primary reason for running is the “joy
of running”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
is the part were the stomach churning began…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
she walked out, onto the porch, she turned back and said, “Ok, here’s the deal.”
<i>Oh… no…,</i> I cringed. Whenever she
starts sentences like that, I know I’m not going to like what comes next. “If
you place in your age group, I will start running, again.” <i>Oh, shoot!</i> I didn’t say those words, but my expression spoke them
because she responded, “…you can totally place. You’re fast! Come on, do it! Do
it for me!” My stomach began to feel queasy and the excitement I had been
feeling, about my 5k, briefly turned into anxiety. Ok, <i>not</i> briefly, I vacillated between excited and nervous until the actual
start of the race. But, I agreed. “Ok. You said it, if I place, you are running,
again.” With a nauseous expression, I continued, “Alright… There <i>better</i> be some slow thirty somethings,
tomorrow.” She laughed, and I did, too, but my laugh was more of the nervous
type. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
and my husband have all the confidence in the world that I can accomplish and
achieve anything I set out to do, so when I saw their expressions and heard
their words showing nothing but confidence in me, I knew I couldn’t let myself
down. I know no matter the outcome, they will never feel let down, it’s me I didn’t
want to let down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My Support Group for
the Morning<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
son and nephew were a dream. They cut their usual sleepover bedtime short to
support me in the morning. If you are familiar with twelve-year-olds, you know
that going to bed earlier than midnight on a sleepover night, is not easy, but
they agreed. You see why I adore these boys?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fortunately,
the 5k race was beginning at 9am. However, since I was also picking up my bib,
we needed to leave earlier. When my alarm went off, it was still dark and seeing
their adorable faces in deep sleep made me reconsider having them join me. My
husband volunteered to stay home with them and suggested I give them the option
to sleep in. Ha. As much as he loves me, I understanding his quick suggestion.
Only runners are willing to get up before sunrise with a big grin at the
anticipation of morning racing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
thought they would choose to sleep in, but they <i>didn’t?!</i> I don’t know if it was supporting me, seeing if I would
place, or the plethora of Pokémon they imagined catching at Dodger Stadium that
motivated them to get up before sunrise, or all, but, they were ready before
me. “Sorry, honey.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally,
we see the signs that make me feel like a child seeing Disneyland signs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTcBpXhri-EKzZTMjef3C05jvvA3KswtwS6V4xMCYgNjl6gHDfSNUGv4VZ3TSrAJza1cHc_XyOO1Mn8DvIWzcfusnC_enduc2rkjdyNOGYNdOsgy0JEzjRzeJ-RDA0TmbpulOz0P1vJwZ/s1600/Stadium+Way+Freeway+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTcBpXhri-EKzZTMjef3C05jvvA3KswtwS6V4xMCYgNjl6gHDfSNUGv4VZ3TSrAJza1cHc_XyOO1Mn8DvIWzcfusnC_enduc2rkjdyNOGYNdOsgy0JEzjRzeJ-RDA0TmbpulOz0P1vJwZ/s200/Stadium+Way+Freeway+Pic.jpg" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoAqYFRWspwMkqlHPH5OXj6ipBNGMwvR2gLuwAwvAM_qzm1Gd_9ZUdUMG6kyUSewEiPU1WevdM5brR1inCk_CzM0pHVtIIFQ7StqliVBbtGvZ0uYU1c2i_kpwLlOOlq7Qg-_JcqcitWaJ/s1600/Vin+Scully+Dr+Dodger+Welcome+Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoAqYFRWspwMkqlHPH5OXj6ipBNGMwvR2gLuwAwvAM_qzm1Gd_9ZUdUMG6kyUSewEiPU1WevdM5brR1inCk_CzM0pHVtIIFQ7StqliVBbtGvZ0uYU1c2i_kpwLlOOlq7Qg-_JcqcitWaJ/s200/Vin+Scully+Dr+Dodger+Welcome+Sign.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
left sunny skies and arrived to an overcast city, but Dodger Stadium brightens
my day no matter the weather or cloud coverage. Big sigh. …Dodger Stadium…
Another, big sigh. Taking it all in. The feeling of being at that location
never gets old.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFlhb8LwBQKs1LHe1Tb20GTpai-Em6Op4-5xZINrCd5LvbY5NqsRbKR6QwrA5sWElsjoFE0Pdcah_LgQZcJTdBS2BM3Ii7DQ7ItOqEuZ2HYYLoFr5RPsr4LfjPW7eqIjzjil3DsYr4QUE/s1600/Image-1+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFlhb8LwBQKs1LHe1Tb20GTpai-Em6Op4-5xZINrCd5LvbY5NqsRbKR6QwrA5sWElsjoFE0Pdcah_LgQZcJTdBS2BM3Ii7DQ7ItOqEuZ2HYYLoFr5RPsr4LfjPW7eqIjzjil3DsYr4QUE/s320/Image-1+%25284%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78vAIRt6sKulcp2kTKLc8m7jR0JOPOtEA11KKuMeyVAaQv-gj7-HtKoPGZwFVM-B6G2SVsQv0g1Z-Rzc6XKwQiuoFGeW0Ow5ThhqlOTQMVoTsl5FQhnHMeq8s5QbCK3Mx49RrRR3IWFLp/s1600/Image-1+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78vAIRt6sKulcp2kTKLc8m7jR0JOPOtEA11KKuMeyVAaQv-gj7-HtKoPGZwFVM-B6G2SVsQv0g1Z-Rzc6XKwQiuoFGeW0Ow5ThhqlOTQMVoTsl5FQhnHMeq8s5QbCK3Mx49RrRR3IWFLp/s320/Image-1+%25283%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To the Race and…
Beyond…!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bib
pick-up was quick and easy. After pinning my bib, we joined the 10K runners’
cool-down walk inside the stadium before my race. Most runners choose the
stadium walk as a cool-down (intended purpose), but I used it as a warm-up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here are some
of the pictures snapped by my son on our pre-run stroll. I’ll post more towards the end of this post.
I had promised pictures taken by my husband and son, but I was not given the
green light by my son and nephew to post their image and those pictures
included them, so… I’ll share the pictures my husband took of me running when
we get to that section. Lucky you! (sarcastic tone).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly_1Sf2MTs4-px4Ok6NYDUkIu09thrVRFqBRZ_1-Rct41Jh9WLlT0EEpfWPTjCDrt5m2OigGol3IiPFJpOfBq_5F_ehLtLFgh-KtZKvomFA2ZctNwB2mWeq_PwsUGP7Dt3PdMyiL2GKgX/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly_1Sf2MTs4-px4Ok6NYDUkIu09thrVRFqBRZ_1-Rct41Jh9WLlT0EEpfWPTjCDrt5m2OigGol3IiPFJpOfBq_5F_ehLtLFgh-KtZKvomFA2ZctNwB2mWeq_PwsUGP7Dt3PdMyiL2GKgX/s320/IMG_0367.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHiyquIZUB-4bIe2MFkTlQhWrEi0cB65eGX8hlj-oxcxMkcTCLA7E5jSSny6btYAUmeneQyf_QRRQd65gcGYyGjZYx54VsUWaXfoGh8qqtWyvqvccVcV62PF_PibWj25UpnMlV9tCu-po/s1600/IMG_0372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHiyquIZUB-4bIe2MFkTlQhWrEi0cB65eGX8hlj-oxcxMkcTCLA7E5jSSny6btYAUmeneQyf_QRRQd65gcGYyGjZYx54VsUWaXfoGh8qqtWyvqvccVcV62PF_PibWj25UpnMlV9tCu-po/s320/IMG_0372.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3spnv7GUZE7wI7pmPIrM86-AQphQPmnA7rn5iJRc9H0xI5jbKGWE4nKr_OfZ5i4JHwnAxZOCo07F0u0P-h7GPIBd3ndDWnWSPUNO-qeXy2c3CPCC_Bs5W7ceQb8_pKOKTgh4B1iCRyIZ/s1600/IMG_0382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3spnv7GUZE7wI7pmPIrM86-AQphQPmnA7rn5iJRc9H0xI5jbKGWE4nKr_OfZ5i4JHwnAxZOCo07F0u0P-h7GPIBd3ndDWnWSPUNO-qeXy2c3CPCC_Bs5W7ceQb8_pKOKTgh4B1iCRyIZ/s320/IMG_0382.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPtKZMiDO1fNfPTiA6S1mLh0nDBq05EHjyd5ryw0nicjcJ4JsvWokAbnkD6eN1CVwTCAd4n3vOFVBeXJIBwI6LAZLh1WMIhMl2R8vaCGuZis2utDyF569fILpPXrEb66FGfpS7G1nBf-C/s1600/IMG_0381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPtKZMiDO1fNfPTiA6S1mLh0nDBq05EHjyd5ryw0nicjcJ4JsvWokAbnkD6eN1CVwTCAd4n3vOFVBeXJIBwI6LAZLh1WMIhMl2R8vaCGuZis2utDyF569fILpPXrEb66FGfpS7G1nBf-C/s320/IMG_0381.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKYa_1iZuuSVAkBNMkR1RkCW3dqculjuTOiDYdiqwTywf738x-ru84AmnCh39AIwOUk95ZTchW2xvfRD5P36wU1cYQsnx7dY429MOlUbhklyVIhXJkQe1h6OoyJJIQ2oQ7pZFSxIa-kHx/s1600/IMG_0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKYa_1iZuuSVAkBNMkR1RkCW3dqculjuTOiDYdiqwTywf738x-ru84AmnCh39AIwOUk95ZTchW2xvfRD5P36wU1cYQsnx7dY429MOlUbhklyVIhXJkQe1h6OoyJJIQ2oQ7pZFSxIa-kHx/s320/IMG_0393.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrb10-wWFHr7K9qd6xl4JzummDqCZfhIOaDD2jQ3bniFgSFvtT4F1oTBjaKaVnVTBPpZv0WM41WHDMNfV_VlRPazJ5pJv5Y6jZ7jeTTRTwTH4MqNxd4mYLdbkbXm4BRijyPQO4eV9oRPZ/s1600/IMG_0386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrb10-wWFHr7K9qd6xl4JzummDqCZfhIOaDD2jQ3bniFgSFvtT4F1oTBjaKaVnVTBPpZv0WM41WHDMNfV_VlRPazJ5pJv5Y6jZ7jeTTRTwTH4MqNxd4mYLdbkbXm4BRijyPQO4eV9oRPZ/s320/IMG_0386.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Opening
race festivities were taking place when I arrived at the starting area. There
were at least 15 minutes until start time and 10k runners were still taking
pictures with family and friends, so I stood around waiting and debating
whether to move up closer to the front or stay somewhere between the middle and
front, my comfort zone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ll
spare you details of my internal dialogue. After chatting with myself, I sent
my husband a message letting him know I had moved up to the front, next to the
DJ/MC area since he and my lovely 12 yr. olds were planning to watch me from a
different location. I really want my sister to return to the running world, so
I decided I was going all out and placing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">…
and, they’re off…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavrFEZbexQTzvP88ukNKZhISoj1BVah8F4CByfn7jo-FO90rzCZurKgDrl0llNuzi_47Cz6s1SdojgOJ2H9bmu07JsIDN9IMGE9TJl6JEn_Mk1FPrJZlmDGcgljL8P4w4QwneHT7p3mJP/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252843%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavrFEZbexQTzvP88ukNKZhISoj1BVah8F4CByfn7jo-FO90rzCZurKgDrl0llNuzi_47Cz6s1SdojgOJ2H9bmu07JsIDN9IMGE9TJl6JEn_Mk1FPrJZlmDGcgljL8P4w4QwneHT7p3mJP/s320/FullSizeRender+%252843%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
was doing awesome until about mile 2. </span><i style="font-family: "book antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Darn.
You. Hills. I do not like you! In fact, I hate you!</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I don’t hate a lot, but
I’m, finally, ok with revealing my disdain towards hills. </span><i style="font-family: "book antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Way to go, hills. Pat yourself on the back. You made it to: Karina’s
Very Short List of Things I Hate. </i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My relationship with them is incredibly
high maintenance. One week, in this case, more than two, without hill training
and I felt like I had never met them before. For me, hills are like the family
member you wish wasn’t related to you, but in order to keep civil, you
tolerate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Darn</span></i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> you, hills! I don’t
know if it was the lingering cold/stuffy nose that made me imagine more hills
added to the course, or if in fact, there were hills added, but <i>that</i> morning, was the first time I
wanted to quit a race. <i>Why do I do this
to myself? </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
feeling and thought was foreign to me. Prior to this race, I never felt anything,
but excitement during a race, regardless of distance. But, last Sunday, all I
wanted to do was quit. Of course, mom brain kicked in and I couldn’t. I
couldn’t and wouldn’t quit. Especially, when three of my favorite people in the
world were up before sunrise to support me. <i>Aurggg</i>.
I felt terrible-physically and mentally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
mental strength is usually high, but that morning, I wanted to give myself a
free pass and be ok with quitting in front of my son and nephew. The thought
lasted a nanosecond because there was no way I was going to quit. While neither
describe themselves as runners, both participate in competitive sports. Both
are talented in their respective sports, but, like all athletes, they’ve had moments
when quitting would have been the easy choice, but didn’t. They didn’t because
their parents (I’m one of them) have taught them to never give up. It’s ok to
have rough days on the field, court, or pool, but quitting is not an option.
Unless, of course, they are ill or injured, but that’s a given.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.
Darn you nose. Darn you cold. Aurgghh.</span></i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I did not want to be on that course. In case
you forgot, I was at <i>my</i> Disneyland
and I was feeling this way?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Runners Are, Well,
Simply, <i>Awesome </i>People- Super Heroes in Disguise<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you are not a runner or are a runner, but don’t have a runner friend, you <i>really</i> need to befriend one. Runners are
top notch human beings. Not all, there are unkind people in all groups, but the
majority are my-kind-of-people. Whether or not, we are friends, runners are a
supportive bunch. This was apparent just when I needed the support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Remember,
how I wanted to stop, but talked myself out of it? Well, soon after, I saw a
little boy and girl running near me. I had seen them early in the race, but I
was in my head planning an escape, so they became invisible during my internal turmoil.
However, like superheroes, they appeared out of nowhere when I stopped
mid-race. I didn’t come to a complete stop, but I stopped to walk. Shudder.
Yes, I did! Walking and running during a race is completely acceptable. <i>Hello</i>, Galloway Method, but I was not planning
on a run/walk race and I have not stopped to walk in a 5k race, so stopping was
a bid deal for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Seeing
the little boy (slightly younger than my son) and girl (about 10) who were
related in some way (similar look and interacted like siblings/cousins) run
near me, huffing and puffing, but not stopping, inspired me to overcome my
physical exhaustion. After seeing them, I picked up my feet from
walk to run. Not because I felt children were showing me up. <i>Not at all</i>. In fact, I believe children
are phenomenal observers and teachers. In my past experiences working with
children in a professional setting and with my son, nieces and nephews, I value
their thoughts, feelings, and actions with equal weight as adults. In many
instances, their thoughts, feelings and actions carry more weight because of their
honestly. Plus, valuing their thoughts, feelings and actions enhances their
thinking and confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But,
I was not feeling it. I was not me <i>at all</i>
that morning. As soon as they stopped to walk, upon approaching a hill, I felt
the exhaustion once again, and stopped two more times, very brief stops, but, I
stopped. That was <i>th-r-ee</i> stops. <i>Three</i>. During a 5k. A race I have run
several times without stopping and I stopped <i>three</i> times?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Introducing… Superhero-Runner #2… Tan, Tan, Tan, Tan…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Apparently, superheros were out in full force that morning. An awesome runner behind me wasn’t going to let one of her own go
down without a battle. I had already resumed running when this lovely woman ran
next to me and said, “you’re doing great… keep it up… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean
to huff in your face, but I just wanted to tell you that you’re doing great.” Maybe
she had seen me struggle. Maybe she had been there before. Maybe she was just
another supportive runner. Maybe she was, simply, a lovely person or a
combination of all, but I’m glad she normalized my experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
had a mini exchange as we ran towards the finish in which we both expressed not
feeling it that morning. “I ran 11 miles, yesterday,” she continued. My relaxed
laugh returned and I replied, “Yes, I know what you mean. I can run ten miles
and be ok, but right now, I feel like this race is never going to end.” We
laughed and finished. She finished ahead of me with her male friend. Meanwhile,
I was pressing on my pedal with very little fuel left in me until I heard my
husband’s voice. I had about 100 feet to the finish when I heard him cheer me
on. Upon hearing his voice, like the army men from Toy Story, I commanded my
legs, <i>let’s move, let’s move, let’s move</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you think I
placed?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Of
course not! But, I was proud of myself. I could have easily quit and justified
it because I had been sick and my cold/cough is the annoying, lingering type
that returns at the most inopportune times, weeks after the initial start. However,
my primary and most important role in life is mother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I’ve mentioned before, when I made the decision to be a mother, I made the
decision to commit to it full-time and whole heartedly. Modeling positive
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are at the core of my parenting. Reminding
myself of this while on the course, allowed my mind to push when my body wanted
to quit. No matter how old my son is, he is always watching and listening, so
my words must always match my behavior if he is to believe and trust in my
guidance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Post Finish Line<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
know this is a pretty long post, but I think this part is important and worth
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
races have post-race goodies within the expo area, some don’t. Goody stops are
exciting to most runners. What runner doesn’t like free samples of runner fuel
and hydration? It’s like trick-or-treating for runners. Since many of the
people in attendance were supporters, the goodies booths were placed within a
few feet of the finish line, bordered by metal barriers which ensured only
runners stopped at the booths. I didn’t see them because I squeezed through the
closest barrier after the finish line to meet my cheering squad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ll
admit, while I was mostly proud of myself for all that happened in my mind and
body in under 30 minutes, I was still a smidgen disappointed about not placing
in the top three in my category (30-39 females). Definitely, <i>not</i> because I had the grand desire to
hear my name called in front of thousands of people or, at that point, even,
because I knew my sister wasn’t going to be committed to return to running. <i>However</i>, I <i>was</i> bummed because my son and nephew were very excited and
confident that I could place among some of the fastest women in my age group.
Including, fresh 30’s, who could have been 29 year-olds days before the race.
Ha!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZuxtGgbgwLQmxsINOD-S1UMc78_9bPqedTcaVL8rd6E0jq2qkwezKs47miF-Ot0G_XkE35vyHwuKcvA2W2IvXhYhguExUJWEskC6ux6g8ywIMNDjCf3PW7LRNcC9U6IkUy_rb4ji1A_8/s1600/IMG_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZuxtGgbgwLQmxsINOD-S1UMc78_9bPqedTcaVL8rd6E0jq2qkwezKs47miF-Ot0G_XkE35vyHwuKcvA2W2IvXhYhguExUJWEskC6ux6g8ywIMNDjCf3PW7LRNcC9U6IkUy_rb4ji1A_8/s320/IMG_0318.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgWkjo2fO0khuqwiZ2YUCR3lc5aMcrLnGpbxQHYbrnwxIBcbo_fghAdq6b3x-yPw-CKpuaejWkQwLqypMsY7_srtV0hxXMX_xKQR2YWn_e-V-M0H2yH6Qs4cp1L4apMuHvRtPQEhoSxaT/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgWkjo2fO0khuqwiZ2YUCR3lc5aMcrLnGpbxQHYbrnwxIBcbo_fghAdq6b3x-yPw-CKpuaejWkQwLqypMsY7_srtV0hxXMX_xKQR2YWn_e-V-M0H2yH6Qs4cp1L4apMuHvRtPQEhoSxaT/s320/IMG_0320.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As
I spotted my fans, with my medal in hand, to show it to them, I felt a tiny bit
choked up because while I was worried about disappointing them, the smiles on
their mouths and eyes couldn’t be more proud. Developing tears clouded my </span>vision<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> as I walked towards them, but they didn’t see it- I was wearing my shades and
giant smile. My son greeted me in the special way he greets me </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">every</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> time he witnesses me crossing a finish
line. He walks next to me with added confidence to his already confident walk
and smile. Oh, the smile… The smile that brightens every space he enters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes,
they were proud, but they are still twelve-year-olds with an interest in statistics,
so they asked to look at the results bulletin. My husband had given them an
estimated finish time, but they wanted to see the “official” time. Ok, so, get
this, not only were they proud of me before the stats, they were impressed with
my finish?! What?! Apparently, at the time of the posting, I was 7<sup>th</sup>
in my age group. It was lovely to see them recapping my race and time in the
same manner I do about their performance on the baseball field, basketball
court, or pool. All positive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Did
you see how many people were here and you finished in that place!?” He said
more, but I don’t recall verbatim, so I can’t quote. (nephew)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Mom, and you haven’t really been running in
like, what, three weeks.” (It was 2, but it seemed like 3 to him since I
haven’t been racking up the miles like I should for my half later this month) “I think if you weren’t sick,
you would have easily placed, Mom”. “Mom, you still finished <i>way</i> ahead of most people.” (son) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
the time of posting, I was 7<sup>th</sup>, but, the official, final, placing
was 13<sup>th </sup>in my age group. A 27:01 finish with three stops is pretty
darn good. At least for me it is and as long as I’m happy, that’s all that
matters, right? But, what I’m most happy about is knowing that all my efforts
in parenting in a positive style are well worth it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
a donut and coffee stop at our favorite donut shop in our old
neighborhood, it was my turn to support my son on the baseball field. Running
at Dodger Stadium, rooting for my son and his team on the baseball field, and
Vince Scully’s final broadcast-a memorable day in my book…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Have
you ever experienced the desire to quit a race? If so, did you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">*****Wait.
I have more. I’m adding extra footage like the Marvel movies… Ha. Ha. Ha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
promised, here are the pictures my husband snapped. I zoomed past him, so this
is what he snapped at the start… He took video, but he's speaking in it and doesn't want me to share. I don't know why all he males I love dislike pictures and videos? They are all lovely and should share with the world.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3F0PeJhOTNQfHdAvJvAb5ociXfAQEO4awewQwSqDn5LzkaZBu9LnVyDdYyBo42KLLyJjjTsJKGwt2VxeT_t4LHrQhU5nlw_69Ngz9ncE7tQ6eIUFr3kMlyTD6J4SZMEkaaVFTZR5JxfK/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252844%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3F0PeJhOTNQfHdAvJvAb5ociXfAQEO4awewQwSqDn5LzkaZBu9LnVyDdYyBo42KLLyJjjTsJKGwt2VxeT_t4LHrQhU5nlw_69Ngz9ncE7tQ6eIUFr3kMlyTD6J4SZMEkaaVFTZR5JxfK/s320/FullSizeRender+%252844%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiboVVthDxtbKrbNup4zQxTh0ITMTNxEH7Tc6dc1eRLIA5GyVyPfYe4rnze8UXlcuPWmT68TDIu9Tyg2HXFnda-q5InJeA3OPctZidOiWgjWun6dM_dOfsFjW1rKISrJ_wZ1KEXeziDhOU/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252847%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiboVVthDxtbKrbNup4zQxTh0ITMTNxEH7Tc6dc1eRLIA5GyVyPfYe4rnze8UXlcuPWmT68TDIu9Tyg2HXFnda-q5InJeA3OPctZidOiWgjWun6dM_dOfsFjW1rKISrJ_wZ1KEXeziDhOU/s320/FullSizeRender+%252847%2529.jpg" width="130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtN78wxMroHfQlIXyohgbIEZAzLBQNzC7TfFjEGeJfH8q0RiJ8fcdmJXoHK0uecnofLOEQDyYIRDMMqj9qgyhsFw0btjTKEM_b0GcEOU-6yM4mjH8P9C8pmHTw4kwmPdpVRJV1zcx7CXj0/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252846%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtN78wxMroHfQlIXyohgbIEZAzLBQNzC7TfFjEGeJfH8q0RiJ8fcdmJXoHK0uecnofLOEQDyYIRDMMqj9qgyhsFw0btjTKEM_b0GcEOU-6yM4mjH8P9C8pmHTw4kwmPdpVRJV1zcx7CXj0/s320/FullSizeRender+%252846%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Apparently,
I have subconscious aspirations to be a belly dancer. That belt was adjusted
numerous times and placed under my shirt to avoid playing slip and slide,
again. It was on tight. I felt a mini-muffin develop. There was no reason it should move. However, look at my belly
peeking seconds from the start. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maybe, I need to place the bib on my shorts? Maybe, an armband? Do you wear running belts or armbands on race day? Do
you experience continual gear issues on race day?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-73625249101973391282016-09-30T14:02:00.000-07:002017-02-03T14:42:39.593-08:00Race Day Reminder-Race Photographers!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do
you ever wonder what you look like when you're running? I felt like Levar
Burton as I typed that. Do you remember him? Reading Rainbow? Yes? No? Maybe?
Anyway, I loved his show as a little girl and thank him for sparking my love of
reading.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsPfEPEYRig-ktihB8n6QawterTms9dby0n5CiyqaIWt_1-FPFBDKfpezwTJMEXdCGVlOy3OBWHfBM2Iox03eOymzgd9HkkqbC2E6XfzQITW-JwmEcj49O6sIKd24pe_XKbmWSrz4vtoa/s1600/LeVar-moustache.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsPfEPEYRig-ktihB8n6QawterTms9dby0n5CiyqaIWt_1-FPFBDKfpezwTJMEXdCGVlOy3OBWHfBM2Iox03eOymzgd9HkkqbC2E6XfzQITW-JwmEcj49O6sIKd24pe_XKbmWSrz4vtoa/s320/LeVar-moustache.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But,
back to my post. This post is related to running pictures. Runners, you know,
the lovely pictures that capture us looking our best. I decided on a blog post
instead of tweet because, well, we all know we are limited in what we can describe
and explain with that medium. I could send out multiple tweets, but I don't
want to annoy you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Honestly,
I don't get annoyed with numerous tweets from one person at once, but I've
learned that some people unfollow people who tweet too much. Ouch! A little
birdie told me he unfollowed Neil Gaiman because he tweets too much. Yes! I
know! Neil Gaiman?! If Neil Gaiman is unfollowed for too much tweeting, a “nobody”,
like me, better watch her tweet feed; otherwise, I'll be left with only a
handful of followers. Yikes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Frankly,
I would be ok with, only, having a handful of followers because I know my
personality is not for everyone. I'm like caviar- love or hate, but if you love
it, well worth it, right? Ha! I can see my family cringing at this. I admit, I
am a huge dork, but I am what I am and that’s all that I am. Ha. Pretty slick,
huh? I quoted Dr. Seuss without intention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6eMbJizmekA4eiaHdIKoG1TrgqY9Ko6EmdvZGoWPWHwpwXEbDWGq015ZZu-51YiSXIjbVgXx2wfrj5hH7zK1lpPGtajLL2nq2f8EgAKvmazxX5csWbs9O6YjajRcWqF-hN1yxy-NV3uY/s1600/Dr.+Seuss+Quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6eMbJizmekA4eiaHdIKoG1TrgqY9Ko6EmdvZGoWPWHwpwXEbDWGq015ZZu-51YiSXIjbVgXx2wfrj5hH7zK1lpPGtajLL2nq2f8EgAKvmazxX5csWbs9O6YjajRcWqF-hN1yxy-NV3uY/s320/Dr.+Seuss+Quote.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dr.
Seuss was a wise thinker. Don’t you agree? He was so right. Don’t hold back on being
you. As long as the real you is kind, you should always be you. I am a big believer
in quality over quantity with pretty much everything in my life, especially, relationships. I only want to have a relationship if it’s mutual. I love people
and genuinely care about most, so if you reciprocate love and friendship, you
have a friend in me. Ok. I’ve already admitted to being a huge dork, but did
you see what I just did right there? Yes! Toy Story! One of my favorite movies.
And, now I’m singing to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” as I type.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWlA3WQMvRvJZXkWLhB1Hf8FPgJCraRk5apuVcIlSAstUE66fJefQYxC7ksF8gOg897qlP6jfUuqJY4q9npE9QdFf1DLsqNPgPlQWB-6tuRs0Isf-A3Sp6EYdajdcxz_Y0y1FsTQTAtDK/s1600/toystory3_img10_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWlA3WQMvRvJZXkWLhB1Hf8FPgJCraRk5apuVcIlSAstUE66fJefQYxC7ksF8gOg897qlP6jfUuqJY4q9npE9QdFf1DLsqNPgPlQWB-6tuRs0Isf-A3Sp6EYdajdcxz_Y0y1FsTQTAtDK/s320/toystory3_img10_720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy4uiiy0qgA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy4uiiy0qgA</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
had to add this to my post because as I wrote this section, I searched for the
song to play it as I type. My son came in with a huge smile to see what I was
doing, thinking I was watching the movie. So, I thought I’d put a smile on your
face, too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Holy
moly! I’m completely going off course, now. My post is supposed to be about
running pictures. </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
reasoning for blogging about race running pictures is not because it relates to childhood
nostalgia, but oh well, if you like any or all of those people and characters,
I’m sure you don’t mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Why
did I want to chat away about running pictures?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
running a race on Sunday! I’m <i>so</i>
excited. My last race was in early April- Hollywood Half Marathon/10k/5k. No, I
didn’t run the half or 10k, I ran the 5k. I’m even more excited my Sunday race
is a 5k because I have not been training as well as I had planned when I signed
up for several fall races. Life, motherhood, and illness have helped in making
my training look like a pot of undesirable left overs mixed to create a meal
because you are hungry, but, too tired to go to the market to buy ingredients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have been following a half marathon training plan since I am scheduled to run a
half later next month, however, I was unable to run two important long runs.
Hopefully, now, that I have overcome my annoying cough and cold, I can get back
to racking up miles in preparation and anticipation of my half marathon. If I
don’t feel prepared well enough to PR by the end of October, I will use the
race as an opportunity to run for enjoyment only. Plus, my family will be
cheering me on and that is always fun and exciting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But,
the only thing I’m not looking forward to is the pictures I’ll receive in my in
box a few days, sometimes, a day, showing me that I look nothing like Des
Linden. I’ll admit something that goes through my mind when I run. Yes, sometimes,
when I’m feeling great, in the groove, sprinting towards the finish, I imagine
I look a lot like Ms. Linden. In case you didn’t guess, she’s my favorite
marathon runner. She exudes bad ass. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUNEig0Qkjgc8ljbgKwvj3VYE8Pvtyc8u5ksBqFTSpOk7zgtu5FevWwEslhfW4Q9TnwyOY35vNdI7k03gEWRrCiwLosy7pvHD5blrnduqnokChIbw0HziJWdv9K31WF1LFFOxEyNMfYf5/s1600/desiree-linden-olympics-620x413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUNEig0Qkjgc8ljbgKwvj3VYE8Pvtyc8u5ksBqFTSpOk7zgtu5FevWwEslhfW4Q9TnwyOY35vNdI7k03gEWRrCiwLosy7pvHD5blrnduqnokChIbw0HziJWdv9K31WF1LFFOxEyNMfYf5/s320/desiree-linden-olympics-620x413.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
previously mentioned, I’m new to social media. Aside from LinkedIn, I’m only on
Twitter. I joined a few weeks before my first marathon, LA Marathon (2/14/2016),
so it’s still very exciting for me to read the myriad of information available.
The numerous articles I can read while waiting at an appointment, son’s activities,
or anytime I’m waiting somewhere, but don’t have a book, makes me giddy. I feel
the dendrites and axons flourishing in my brain. Along with the articles, I can
engage in conversation with lovely runners, writers, parents, and many, many
more interesting and fun people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well,
once, earlier in my Twitter communication exchange, I tweeted back and forth
with two earthathon runners (a community of runners on Twitter). I won’t
mention their names in case they don’t want to be mentioned on my blog, but out
of that conversation, one of my tweets was “liked” by Des Linden. Exciting,
right?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why did such an
awesome runner like my tweet?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well,
because I’m awesome! Hahaha. I know, I know. I can see all the eye rolls. No,
that’s not why she liked my tweet, although, if you knew me in real life, you
would agree with me. I’m laughing as I type. Some of you might think I’m
awesome, the rest, not so much. I avoided social media for years, but heard
from family and friends about what is posted, so I understand that what might
be posted isn’t necessarily an exact representation of everyone, but, with me,
I’m honest to a fault, so what I post is the real me. I don’t see the purpose
in posting anything, but what is the real me. I’m on Twitter to learn and
engage with positive and kind writers, runners, book lovers, music and humor
lovers and anyone that wants to share in positive and supportive energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ok,
I’ll stop. She liked my tweet because I mentioned that as I’m running, I feel like I look like her, but when I look
at my pictures, nope. Not, Des. In reality, I look like I’m about to regurgitate
my breakfast. I never thought I had such a sour look on my face until I started
running races and saw the pictures taken by race photographers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clearly,
we aren’t up super early, running our hearts out to look glamorous, but when I
looked at this picture, the only thing I liked about it and the only reason I
would order it when I received the “this is your final chance “to buy email is because
it looks like I’m flying. Other than that, nope. I would not spend money on
pictures of me. This is the best from the feed, too, so imagine what the others
look like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjzJWHi1BltVq1FCbuGz1JbtbgU2brNRP74KNIqBbbw_Ri4FQC-KiHyRbZrDwJSIVPRdlQUUQpAnrWL_745stgRbZcaLegLbsknx4U7WNkKTWu7v0PaBKvZnwqTqhYKrjbLEwkaZWa63c/s1600/137102-1093-006h+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjzJWHi1BltVq1FCbuGz1JbtbgU2brNRP74KNIqBbbw_Ri4FQC-KiHyRbZrDwJSIVPRdlQUUQpAnrWL_745stgRbZcaLegLbsknx4U7WNkKTWu7v0PaBKvZnwqTqhYKrjbLEwkaZWa63c/s320/137102-1093-006h+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Although,
for the first time, </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 12pt;">this</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> picture
tells the story of my race morning. I look like I want to throw up because
that’s exactly what I was feeling. My running belt is climbing because I didn’t
have time to adjust it before my run, so as I ran, I kept feeling it slide and
pulling my shirt along for the ride.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Somehow,
I recorded the start time as an hour later than the 6AM start and as you can
imagine, I had prepared for a 7AM start. But, something told me to re-check the
details of the race. I listened and low and behold, I was unpleasantly
surprised to see in bold text, the start time for the 5k race as 6AM. What?!
No! How?! How, did I manage to overlook such an important detail?! I’m pretty
on the ball with <i>everything</i>,
especially, race mornings when I’m driving alone, and the parking situation is
expected to be tough. If you’ve ever run or visited Hollywood, you know what
parking is like-not an easy feat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Most
nights before a race, I find it difficult to sleep. Like most runners, I feel a
mixture of excitement and anxiety. Realizing, I almost missed the race, only
added to pre-race jitters, but relieved and glad to have listened to the
nagging voice telling me to get up and check the details of the race, again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
slept very little and when my alarm went off, I jumped out. I really did jump
out of bed because if I didn’t, I would have continued snoozing and with as sleepy
as I felt, I might have missed the race, anyway. I rushed my breakfast, drank very
little water, drowned a giant cup of coffee and poured more into a travel cup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
wanting to wake up my son so early on a morning baseball game day, off I went,
solo, towards the glitz and glamour of Hollywood… In April, it was only a few
miles from my house which means it should be a quick drive, but due to crazy
traffic in that area, most days it can be an hour or longer. When my son was
younger, we often drove to the miracle mile area (museums galore!). It was not uncommon
to idle in traffic for two hours if we left the museums after 4PM. At 5ishAM,
it took less than 25 minutes to reach the race location. <i>However</i>, the parking situation… Major <i>EEEEK.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why did I leave so
late?</span></i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
<i>What was I thinking?</i> Stomach turning,
sweaty palms. <i>I’m going to miss the race.</i>
<i>What is this person doing? Auuuurggg,
road closed? Why is the road closed, everywhere?!?!?! </i>Cars driving around
and around , all of us looking for a parking spot. Nothing. Each time I glanced
at the clock in my car, the time was getting closer and closer to 6AM and I was
<i>still</i> looking for parking spot?! Oh,
I was in panic mode. A runner missing a race because of parking?! Nooooo way!
Not me. After circling numerous times and only five minutes until 6AM, I
decided to risk getting a parking ticket and parked in the In-N-Out Burger
parking lot.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHSVN4CYqUYPMNoglyC7xOhy6kw5GhGppaUgugYs04QD9MEn2Epn6tQFooqHXywx6OgSLK-Pf1Vr8f3rafYLLQ1MyO3Zw6476XU2xJqwRegRdN3U080nuBZVkXyn_UE4O-Gfj-9LShd9O/s1600/33736458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHSVN4CYqUYPMNoglyC7xOhy6kw5GhGppaUgugYs04QD9MEn2Epn6tQFooqHXywx6OgSLK-Pf1Vr8f3rafYLLQ1MyO3Zw6476XU2xJqwRegRdN3U080nuBZVkXyn_UE4O-Gfj-9LShd9O/s320/33736458.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Aside
from three cars and an employee preparing for the day, my car was the fourth in
the lot as I sprinted to the starting area. In my thinking, I thought somehow
In-N-Out would give me a free pass and not tow my car. After all, that’s the
least they could do for one of their biggest fans. I’ve been a devoted customer
for decades and my bank statements will show it, too. Working while in college,
made it difficult to eat healthy lunches, every day. Boy, did I take advantage
of that time. My voice and order were known at the local In-N-Out Burger. It was
a mixture of feeling special and embarrassed. But, I mostly didn’t care because
I love their food and drinks. </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Plus, I
justified eating many of my lunches there by telling myself that the
ingredients were fresh and all my burgers/grilled cheese were ordered with
extra tomatoes which are filled with antioxidants. It was a protein and antioxidant
filled meal, right?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
won’t bore you with actual race details. But, I have to mention what I was
feeling and thinking seconds before reaching and crossing the finish line. Remember
my picture from this race? I’m running on the “red carpet”. I’ve never had aspirations
to be an actress, so walking/running the red carpet has never been on my bucket
list, but since the race was Hollywood themed, I had an opportunity to feel
like a <i>star! </i>Ha<i>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Probably,
a few seconds before the picture was snapped, I was thinking, <i>oh, please, please I just want to cross the
finish line and drink water. Please, please. I don’t want to throw up. Please,
please, make it a few seconds more.</i> <i>I
should have approached breakfast differently. Why did I drink so much coffee
and rush my oatmeal? Why? </i>Fortunately, I did make it. As soon as I stopped
running and had something to drink, I felt better. However, my ability to drink
didn’t happen right away. Soon after crossing the finish line, I was stopped by
another runner who asked if I would be interested in pacing. <i>Pacing? Me, a
pacer? Ok, if you think so.</i> While I wish I would have been feeling better, so I
could have inquired further, I think I presented as an unfriendly runner. All I
heard were sounds as he explained information to me because all I kept thinking
was,<i> I want to get something to drink and
get back to my car.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I took his contact information and thought I was on my way back to a ticket or
my car gone. But, no, I was stopped by a non-runner who seemed genuinely interested
in what crazy runners were doing so early on a Saturday morning. How do I
ignore someone who appeared genuinely interested in our hobby/lifestyle choice?
After a short talk, and response to his question, “…you do this for fun?!?!”, he
replied, “ok, I’ll look for you next time.” I think I might have converted a
non-runner to a future runner…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
walked into the local coffee shop for his morning coffee and I sprinted to my
car. I think stopping to chat with the young man was good karma because my car
was in the In-N-Out parking lot and there was NO parking ticket. <i>Woo-hoo!</i> Too bad it was
too early for a burger, fries, and shake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8355672356657867658" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8355672356657867658" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
case you’re wondering, no I didn’t regurgitate my breakfast. I drank water and
ate a banana in between pacer and future runner interactions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do
you like your race photos? Have you ever missed a race due to traffic, parking,
over-sleeping or another reason? What do you do if parking is difficult on race
morning and the race is starting soon? I’d love to hear your stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-3179057914952288352016-08-27T12:53:00.000-07:002016-12-20T11:56:33.222-08:00Back to School Reminder: Be Kind. Like Running, It's Good for the Mind and Body<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recently, I stumbled upon the “Scholastic News” magazine in my son’s
school “to review “papers/etc. <i>Yeeeesssss</i>. I am <i>that</i> parent. <i>Really?</i> Yes,
I really read <i>every</i> paper sent home
and e-mail from his school/sports teams/classes, etc.- verbatim. If you know me
or have read my blog posts or tweets, I’m sure you’re not surprised. Hence, one
of the many reasons I decided to mother one child. Ha! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
was so interesting about the “Scholastic News” magazine that inspired me to
write up a blog post?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
article<b><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANYA0mh754BuRz1zwvzmgdwxHZiAQvj-qWiTleWgV0IOD31ZPr-o7XrIn_1F8TsLT-9ynnc1Xa7KKad5z9DFLFydA-4uhGsKU2Zna8FklkVaU3aolM45o3JsQkWY0NrAo2Kf5tYhdLVcN/s1600/IMG_9653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANYA0mh754BuRz1zwvzmgdwxHZiAQvj-qWiTleWgV0IOD31ZPr-o7XrIn_1F8TsLT-9ynnc1Xa7KKad5z9DFLFydA-4uhGsKU2Zna8FklkVaU3aolM45o3JsQkWY0NrAo2Kf5tYhdLVcN/s320/IMG_9653.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNptkI5ECTRb9H77GbVFvZ2lXbcfwmQP9ywoXMR7E8w5FWxf9Lnqxfeig3_JIVIgxP4ym772xJr_akX9DbA-b1cQ7Wh9dVB_IksSxGa0B3_o8qrz55cw26-hTkS6RJVUIAzkqaqIA8OBJ3/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252838%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNptkI5ECTRb9H77GbVFvZ2lXbcfwmQP9ywoXMR7E8w5FWxf9Lnqxfeig3_JIVIgxP4ym772xJr_akX9DbA-b1cQ7Wh9dVB_IksSxGa0B3_o8qrz55cw26-hTkS6RJVUIAzkqaqIA8OBJ3/s320/FullSizeRender+%252838%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">At
some point or another, unfortunately, many of us have experienced bullying.
Using the word “experience” is actually not appropriate, <i>to me</i>, because I find that the word, experience, describes a positive.
I’m a <i>big</i> fan of experiences. “Experiences
over material items” is my motto. However, when googling “experience”, the
dictionary definition that first pops up is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">ex·pe·ri·ence (</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">ˌ</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">ik</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">ˈ</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">spir</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">ē</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">ə</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">ns)</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><b>Noun 1</b></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.
practical contact with and observation of facts or events. "he had already
learned his lesson by painful experience" </span></span><b style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">synonyms</b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">: involvement in, participation in, contact with, acquaintance
with, exposure to, observation of, awareness of, insight into</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">"his
first experience of business" </span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>Verb
1</b>. encounter or undergo (an event or occurrence). "the company is
experiencing difficulties"</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>synonyms</b>: undergo, encounter, meet, come into contact
with, come across, come up against, face, be faced with</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">"some
policemen experience harassment"</span></blockquote>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
you can read, “experience” is the appropriate word to preface bullying in my sentence.
However, I still prefer to use a synonym for experience such as: exposed, faced
with, came in contact with, witnessed, encountered or fell victim to… I’m weird
or interesting like that. Ha! Words carry a lot of weight for me, so there are several
words that aren’t necessarily deemed negative to others, but, to me, the usage
of certain words evokes feelings and depending on the strength of the feelings,
I choose to use them or omit them accordingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>Ok, now, that you’ve
explained, yet, another, quirk, can you stay on topic?</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ooo-key,
do-key. Upon seeing the title of the article, I was immediately intrigued and followed up my read with son, later in the day , by asking him about his thoughts on the
article. Yes, I waited. I might be involved, but I'm also self aware </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">and</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> know when and what to bring up. I waited for dinner time. Another must in our family. My </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">husband</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">and</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> I make great efforts at ensuring we have dinner </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">together</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> regularly. Along with books, meals spark conversation. Books and food provide a distraction and creates a relaxed and comforting feeling, so naturally, we are more candid. Good food </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">and</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> good </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">company</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> eases conversation- </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">humorous</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">and</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> serious. He’ll thank me for this, one day. At least, I
hope, he will find my parenting beneficial to his future. If not, I’m
definitely not doing a good job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i><b>Lucky, you, I decided to share my thoughts with you, too! Ha!</b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> I’m extremely passionate about
this topic. In fact, I decided to read the book, </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Wonder</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> by R.J. Palacio to my son this summer. Yes, </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">of course</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, I
still read to him. I’m a believer that you are </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">NEVER</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> too old to be read to. In fact, it's romantic to read with a significant other. But, this is a </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">different</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> post, so I won't go there. He he he </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
magic of the written word is enhanced when shared aloud. Plus, fluency,
vocabulary, and comprehension greatly improve when a parent/teacher/mentor/friend/peer/sibling reads with a child. Shared reading opens up dialogue, vocabulary can be
explained, and, of course, fluency and expression are enhanced by listening to
others read. Especially, if the other reader is a person with more life and
educational experiences. Most of the important issues that need to be discussed
with my son are introduced with a book. Books create the ideal segue to discuss and
inquire candidly, without shame or hesitation about some of the most difficult
and serious issues. It helps the child/person feel understood and not alone.
If a book is written about a topic or issue, it makes the reader feel heard and
not alone in their struggle or need for understanding of a particular issue.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HCGq12ZcrbO8lfyv5rP-DV_STVlNnf-hPwvFts5JAOfNRXsroSFE46K8gVo_wQYJ3h-MtIAIvoZFBeHbaFa2gu9NkdkIPPFrHnvcki2KwVhDq-1tlUAI5ykGQ0op_K39cAkX2EUgmtG7/s1600/IMG_9706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HCGq12ZcrbO8lfyv5rP-DV_STVlNnf-hPwvFts5JAOfNRXsroSFE46K8gVo_wQYJ3h-MtIAIvoZFBeHbaFa2gu9NkdkIPPFrHnvcki2KwVhDq-1tlUAI5ykGQ0op_K39cAkX2EUgmtG7/s320/IMG_9706.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Back to the topic,
Karina…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes.
Right. Back to the point of my post. Still working on staying on topic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ok.
Yes, the article. Well, as I read the article, I was pleased that my son’s teacher
shared the article with her 6</span></span><sup style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> grade class at the start of the
school year. The start of the school year is the perfect time to discuss the issue of bullying. Especially,
this generation. A generation faced with too many outlets of potential exposure
to bullying. In addition to the potential for bullying from exposure to people
who feel more confident to make demeaning and hurtful commentary behind a
screen, 6</span></span><sup style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> graders are in the most difficult stage of their
lives. As a newbie to social media, I am quickly learning this, too. But, the positives outweigh the </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">negative</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, so I will remain on Twitter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yes.
You read correctly. I know, you, like me, have heard time and time again that
adolescence is the most difficult time in </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">development for parent and child</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. However, I
disagree.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">What?! You disagree?! Lady.
How can you disagree when you don’t have an adolescent?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Easy.
I was one. Eons ago, but I have gone through all the life stages. Ok, ok, maybe not </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">all</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
the stages since I’m only in middle adulthood, but I have experienced
childhood, pre-adolescence, adolescence, and early adulthood well enough to
know which stage was the most difficult. Plus, I have studied and worked with
all age groups in a clinical, educational, research, and personal level. No. My
conclusion is not based on a </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">specific</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> study. However, it does involve scientific research
because I’m continually reading about development and can make my own
inferences based on what and who has been researched. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">While,
yes, adolescence, and all the other phases in life are challenging. Everything
in life has positives and negatives. We all understand this part of life.
However, I often find myself chatting up a storm with my sister and mom friends
about how much I feel the most challenging phase of development is between the
ages of 10-12. While, I still consider this age childhood and really I wish our
society would, too. I know. I know I have strong opinions about many issues.
And, this could really be an entire book based on my thinking and research, but
for now, I will remain on topic.</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oooookkkk, lady… Get
on with your post… Will ya?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<img alt="Image result for problem child gif tumblr" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/Pa9uomfyU3wre/giphy.gif" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ha!
Problem Child humor. One of my favorites as a school age girl. The actual line
is: “Well, hurry the hell up, will ya? I ain’t getting any younger.”, but this
is the closest I found in my google search.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, back to the
point of my post. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why do I
feel 10-12 year-olds are in the most difficult phase of their lives?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is the age, I think, they face the most disparity in mind and body changes.
While adolescence is a transition from a confusing phase in which they are
rushed much too early into adulthood. So, too, are the ages from 10-12.
However, as adolescents, the transition from childhood to adolescence has
already occurred, so the shock is lesser for them than the 10-12 year age
cohort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Witnessing
these changes, first hand, as a mom to an 11 year-old and aunt to several in
the same age group, along with my previous professional experience, I conclude
<i>this, 10-12, </i> as the time when most long-term thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are
established. As children transition into the middle-school years, there is
pressure to fit in. This is when children with older siblings learn about clicks
and societal/cultural expectations. What is cool? What isn’t? In fact, I believe
the new term for cool is “sick”. The first time I heard, “That is sick…!” I
thought "sick" meant, ill, not feeling well. But, I was quickly brought into the hip
lingo of 2016. It means cool or rad for those that lived their adolescence in
the 90’s and 80’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ha!
When living the childhood/adolescent phase, we <i>never</i> think we will forget how to act cool/rad, but I guess
becoming a parent means being the opposite of cool/rad or now, “sick”. As an
aside, I don’t like that word as a synonym for cool. It doesn’t make sense to
me. But, I guess my generation’s style/language at the time didn’t make sense
to our parent’s generation, either. It is part of the rite passage into the
world of “no longer a child, but I still want and need to be a child".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Enough with the jokes
and humor, Karina...</span></i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although,
we all know humor is a way to deal with and discuss difficult issues, I will
return to the difficult issue of bullying minus the humor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>Bullying
in the 10-12 year-old age group.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Often, and sadly, children at this stage are
feeling conflicted with their mind and body changes. They want to remain
children, but at the same time, peers, society, media, and other sources are
telling them to grow up. I wish they didn’t receive these messages at such a young
age because this is the time when they are trying to figure out what they
really like and who they are, but forced into an almost adult role confuses
them. They feel rushed to make decisions about their futures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hence,
my reasoning for reading <i>Wonder</i> with my son this summer. In addition to moving
to a new house, new community, new school district, he also began sixth grade. Fortunately,
this school district understands child development and middle school begins in
7<sup>th</sup> grade, not 6<sup>th</sup> grade like most districts follow. All
these changes can bring about a myriad of feelings, thoughts, and emotions which
is why my focus during our move was on my son’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Everything else, the unpacking, and organizing can be taken slowly because there
is no benefit in having an impeccably organized home soon after a move if the
emotions, feelings, and thoughts, primarily, those of an 11 year old are not
placed as primary focus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><i>What does this have to do with bullying?</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bullying </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">behaviors</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> are a </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">result</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> of anger, unhappiness, and low self-esteem. A confident, secure, happy child is </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">unlikely</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to engage in </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">bullying</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">behaviors</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> or seek approval. Hence, they are not likely to go along </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">with</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> the </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">crowd</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> if there is bullying taking place. And, most importantly, </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">confidence</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">and</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> self-esteem is needed for all children </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">because</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> if a child is </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">confident</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> , the response to </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">bullying</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">behaviors</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> will be </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">positive</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. A child who is </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">confident</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and secure will step up and not go along with teasing and have a plan if </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">bullying</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is taking place. We </span><u style="font-size: 14pt;">all</u><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> play a role in ending bullying. As parents, we need to remind our children that bullying is </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">NEVER </i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">acceptable. </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Along</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">with</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> teaching it's not acceptable, we should guide them and give them a plan, </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">just</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> like we give them a plan in case of an emergency (fire, earthquake, etc.) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As I've mentioned in </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">previous</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> posts, my goal is to </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">raise</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> a happy, healthy, and kind person. While those three adjectives describe my son, I </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">must</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">continue</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to nurture them, </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">especially</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, right now, at this age and with a major change like a move. I am </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">beyond</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> happy to see him </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">adjusting</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> so well </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">to</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> the move. He has formed new </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">friendships</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">and</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is greatly enjoying his time in school. Of course, like most children, he would prefer to be on long term summer </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">vacation</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, but </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">focusing</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> on his thoughts and </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">feelings</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">related</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to our move have greatly aided in his continual happy, healthy, and kind outlook on life. I'd be happy to detail how I achieved a smooth transition, but it would require several blog </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">posts</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. If I can think of a way to </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">condense</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> what I did to plan for a smooth </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">transition</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, I </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">promise</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to post. If not, maybe it will go on my list of book ideas. I can tell you this, it's not easy, but like </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">anything</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> worth </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">while</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, it took </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">dedication</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, planning, and doing what I know is best instead of what is </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">expected</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.</span></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><i>You are over thinking, lady.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
may sound extreme, but the more I spend time with my son, his peers and nephews
in this age group, the more I feel saddened by the rush to get them to the next
phase in life. There is a reason why the statement, “They have the rest of
their lives to be adults” is a cliché. It’s true! Cliches are cliches </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">because</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> there is truth to them. Childhood and its intended
innocence is being rushed much too quickly. Maybe it has always been this way
and I’m only noticing it now because so many of the people I love are going
through this life changing transitional phase, but I don’t think so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
numerous sources of media, influences, and messages at their disposal are
forcing this generation to mature much too quickly which brings me to the
reason for this post. Along with feeling pressure to mature at a rapid rate,
they are feeling and observing the messages telling them to be “sick”. Remember,
that’s their saying for hip/cool/rad. Of course, we all went through a society
and culture where image and being hip/cool/rad/sick was sold to us, too. But,
with this age group, embedding and reminding to always choose kindness is most
important right now, the start of their 5<sup>th</sup>-6<sup>th</sup> grade transitions.
I term this generation, the phone/media/all access generation because they are
exposed to technology and media on a constant. I was against smart phones for a
long time because of the freedom it takes away. Having a smart phone gives
others the expectation that you are available all the time. No longer can
children and adolescents have time to fully disconnect from their everyday
stressors. Phones, modern video game consoles, and social media make it difficult
to be “unavailable”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
there are many positives to technology and social media, the message to fit in
begins much younger for this generation. While they are trying to figure out
their mind and body changes, they are also being bombarded with messages to fit
in with what is “sick”. If they are exposed to certain messages (some not so
kind or positive) from people they admire, unkindness, and bullying can result.
Their minds are still developing, deciphering between appropriate and not
appropriate behaviors and reactions when faced or confronted with differences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
a mother to a child in this age group, there are still many instances when I am
needing to explain differences in views, ideas, cultures, societies, families,
etc. If a child doesn’t have an understanding or exposure to differences, the
natural reaction is to feel uncomfortable. What do many of us do when
uncomfortable? We feel fear which leads to reacting with fear (laughter,
miscommunication, anger). If one child laughs or feels uncomfortable when
encountering another student/s with differences, the reaction might be negative.
However, by providing our children with a foundation of the possibilities for differences
in appearance (hormones begin to play a role in physical changes and differences
in start of puberty), thinking, and abilities, they can feel prepared and ward of reactions or following reactions of others resulting from uncomfortable
and/or fearful feelings. It is also a great opportunity to explain that having uncomfortable
and fearful thoughts and feelings to what is different form their family is a
normal reaction. However, how we behave and react must be kind. Unless, of course,
the other person is doing or saying something that can hurt them or someone
else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
a parent, this is the stage of development I was fearing. Not the toddler or
teenage years,<i> this</i> age. The age that I think has a great impact on future
thoughts, feeling and actions. Of course, the early years, first five, and
really all years are important. But, this age, 10-12, has the potential to
shape a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions with greater depth. I can’t
recommend the book <i>Wonder</i> enough to spark dialogue on the issue of bullying. I
can go on and on at book length on this topic, but I’ll spare you… Unless you
are being hurt or someone else is being hurt, always choose kindness. Acts of kindness
leave me with the same feeling a six plus mile evokes. Like running, kindness
is good for the mind and body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I think this is a good message to start the school year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for be silly be honest be kind" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6d/37/1f/6d371f5544ece6b36f2f2b59c7800a8c.jpg" /></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">If we all followed this motto, life would be more like a day at Disneyland instead of driving (idling) in LA traffic. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for 405 traffic" height="202" src="https://latimesphoto.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/carmageddon-friday1.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-30190924444570634702016-08-12T23:49:00.002-07:002016-12-20T11:57:06.113-08:00"Why Can’t We Fully Enjoy Our Run? It's Our Me-Only-Time."<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Initially,
I meant to simply tweet about one of the annoyances runners, primarily, female
runners are forced to endure. However, as I tried to tweet within the limited
characters, I quickly realized that a blog post would be a better platform for
this annoying encounter. The annoying encounter I speak of occurred on my way
back home after having a lovely, endorphin filled run.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP076zgv5MceUI0uBH4LMVXCupCVazSAUhHsZvGhms9PfrJUyMjlF4lh796QavoG5nuPUG5JeUbikxce8-5K8y2G_pFhSgR_pl8BPes0bwSRLeiyrBZ2jxZVk21JAb8e3pGmP9MX0ACwLH/s1600/IMG_9347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP076zgv5MceUI0uBH4LMVXCupCVazSAUhHsZvGhms9PfrJUyMjlF4lh796QavoG5nuPUG5JeUbikxce8-5K8y2G_pFhSgR_pl8BPes0bwSRLeiyrBZ2jxZVk21JAb8e3pGmP9MX0ACwLH/s320/IMG_9347.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
I’ve mentioned in previous tweets and blog posts, I recently moved into a new
city. A city that is mostly runner/cyclist/walker friendly. I couldn’t believe the
first time I crossed a main street and was given the right of way, along with a
wave <i>and</i> believe it or not, a, wait
for it… <i>smile</i>. What?! Uh-huh, you
read correctly- a s-m-ile. Am I in Mayberry or an episode of <i>Leave It to Beaver</i>? I'm expecting to hear, "Augh, gee Wally, ..."</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Am I running in
my sleep? I must, because, I was not at all accustomed to such polite and kind
behavior from drivers in my previous neighborhood. Fortunately, for me, and all
the many runners I have seen while running, walking and exploring my new city,
I was NOT dreaming or running in my sleep. Indeed, I’m in runner/cyclist mecca.
Running and cycling paths galore?! What?! I can totally get used to </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">this</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> world.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlZioWa69rpOEQ9mAvt5XgETFnDkIdUO2sG0WXpxdh6KwK4rVikKPWALNIbSg3iBu9gNiLrsTuNxv-JZplG_1amtNXvtKuDm4kYFJb5msKXHz5UOYBi12eNMmQ232HT5nCyitvkDxgRdg/s1600/IMG_9105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlZioWa69rpOEQ9mAvt5XgETFnDkIdUO2sG0WXpxdh6KwK4rVikKPWALNIbSg3iBu9gNiLrsTuNxv-JZplG_1amtNXvtKuDm4kYFJb5msKXHz5UOYBi12eNMmQ232HT5nCyitvkDxgRdg/s320/IMG_9105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwqjkFs7mjaIhv80tDg7aDqZmx8xZhW9TdnX0z5Y7hgMSmmpn57kwdes7iBm2e18nm_z_YQ3X81GlzI0KZ_OvY8lka6Z91Ejf5-rPaNByAVTCv7GW2UnfErdPKSIAGFvBEnq03LFWDy3II/s1600/IMG_9107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwqjkFs7mjaIhv80tDg7aDqZmx8xZhW9TdnX0z5Y7hgMSmmpn57kwdes7iBm2e18nm_z_YQ3X81GlzI0KZ_OvY8lka6Z91Ejf5-rPaNByAVTCv7GW2UnfErdPKSIAGFvBEnq03LFWDy3II/s320/IMG_9107.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKOigtxVy-qZPuKUJKebHjnnLdos3gS0sYENLNg1LAOsOzq6gFh4GCJCLpK-Gtl1T653857EZKS5jCiS6rujZj7zkSOJreezEGDI8djwMA0hyphenhyphenbV8nb0ejTjODKj0AGH9wDqmwG0h9JVq0/s1600/IMG_9116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKOigtxVy-qZPuKUJKebHjnnLdos3gS0sYENLNg1LAOsOzq6gFh4GCJCLpK-Gtl1T653857EZKS5jCiS6rujZj7zkSOJreezEGDI8djwMA0hyphenhyphenbV8nb0ejTjODKj0AGH9wDqmwG0h9JVq0/s320/IMG_9116.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9Ds1Caza1bz2ix94J1AFj8TIgoKKio3Cyohj3vwrwzWECHld0P0ZDQ3sMqbFW48-hLyv1swl8-if0dsJexp0APl9nLK2vmG2ktuCoLcScjtcOFC90pBVmtmcTosZQ2ocUfy8qNnSBZO7/s1600/IMG_9124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9Ds1Caza1bz2ix94J1AFj8TIgoKKio3Cyohj3vwrwzWECHld0P0ZDQ3sMqbFW48-hLyv1swl8-if0dsJexp0APl9nLK2vmG2ktuCoLcScjtcOFC90pBVmtmcTosZQ2ocUfy8qNnSBZO7/s320/IMG_9124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCiFawdSKyqvtYIa31OHjq0YkIXku5jxUkSzANhg2DgIRY_uBQ24GlnjdiH8nrpBGhggEWhp36wyHT8T-Bv9gkBUszhPwqJ1Qr9uODP5Z9EzokKmb9dPYVreQI7inr5KGh4DnTRXy3OEZ/s1600/IMG_9106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCiFawdSKyqvtYIa31OHjq0YkIXku5jxUkSzANhg2DgIRY_uBQ24GlnjdiH8nrpBGhggEWhp36wyHT8T-Bv9gkBUszhPwqJ1Qr9uODP5Z9EzokKmb9dPYVreQI7inr5KGh4DnTRXy3OEZ/s320/IMG_9106.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
deciding on neighborhood, we initially focused on schools, only. Our reasoning
for moving were the schools, after all, great schools were way up high on our
list of importance. Thankfully, we were outbid on several of the homes in our first
neighborhood choice because that neighborhood did not have the glorious running paths
that this neighborhood possesses. After losing out on several homes, we then
looked in our new neighborhood. <i>This</i>
was the home and neighborhood that had been waiting for us and it is still the same school district. Win-win, right? I agree. It met all our
needs and much, much more than we imagined. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But,
there is no such thing as perfection. I quickly learned this while on my run…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img src="https://lovelace-media.imgix.net/uploads/519/4dcd98a0-c5a5-0132-4595-0ebc4eccb42f.gif?" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">What happened?!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well,
what else? What could possibly spoil a female runner’s run? If you guessed rude
and disrespectful commentary, you are correct, my friend. Yep. My blissful run
was interrupted by a disrespectful driver thinking in his delusional mind that
I would enjoy listening to his crude commentary on his observation of my appearance.
Unfortunately, this is a problem female runners have endured whether they are
pounding the trails and pavement or walking around in their everyday lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It's </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">saddening</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and discouraging that,
today, August 12, 2016, we are still forced to endure such degrading,
disrespectful, crude commentary and behavior. Why do I say forced to
endure? I’m 100% sure that there is no woman in this world that appreciates
disrespect, especially, from a self-hating and unkind male stranger. However,
unless, we are willing to risk further negative interaction, we endure
uncomfortable feelings whether we respond or ignore. In my younger years, I
definitely responded with strong commentary hoping to evoke uncomfortable
feelings in the men who hate and disrespect themselves so much that they feel a
need to make me and other women get a slice of their misery. I continue to </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">reference</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> males </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">because</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> the crude and </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">disrespectful</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> commentary towards me has only been inflicted by men.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">While
I still want to respond, I don’t. Why? Because, I simply want to get away from
<i>that</i> space as quickly as possible. </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Typically</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, when encountered with </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">conflict</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> while out and about, my </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">response</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">usually</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, "I'm sorry you are so unhappy." However, when the negative interactions occur between men while on a run, not responding seems to be the safest and best </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">approach</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, this never happens when I’m with
my husband, but I can’t have him at my side at all times and he’s not a runner.
Hire a bodyguard? Ha! That is totally something I would do if I had the extra
cash. Ha! Ha! Ha! I’m not joking. Sometimes, I do wish I could hire my brother
to run with me. The perfect running partner-super fast and hilarious! Pretty
ridiculous, right!? I agree. But, sometimes, it seems that’s the only way,
women can <i>fully</i> enjoy <i>all</i> their runs on streets. While I enjoy
running on hiking trails, my love for running belongs to the streets. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As a writer, running on </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">streets</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">provides</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> inspiration-along with human/non-human interactions, the sight, smells, feelings, and taste of the city are </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">everywhere</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Additionally</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, the positive interactions I have </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">experienced and witnessed</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">while</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> running the streets far outweigh the negative. I have stopped to write down ideas </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">several</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">times</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">since</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> I started </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">writing</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> the first book I plan to publish because </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">thoughts</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> overflow. It's </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">probably</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> not ideal for my pacing and time, but waiting until I </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">return</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> home is not an option. </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Thoughts</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and ideas loose rawness and vibrancy if I wait too long. As a result, I have added "quick phone writer" to my basket of skills. Ha! </span></span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I refuse to stop running the streets because men who hate themselves feel a need to share
their disdain and misery for themselves and life with me and other female
runners. Fortunately, my new neighborhood’s runner-friendly-running-paths limit
the time I spend on main streets.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Until
I come up with a better alternative, I will continue to run with my pepper
spray, phone, and vigilance because I refuse to give these men the power to ruin
my love of street running. I know that 98% of my running experiences and
interactions with males on the streets are positive, so I refuse to allow the
other 2% to take away my love of running in the beauty of the California
sunshine. Additionally, any commentary or response I give them would only
inflate their need to hate because, after all, a major reasoning for their
commentary stems from a strong need for attention (positive or negative),
self-hate, and general unhappiness. Sadly, in addition to desperately craving love and attention, what they need is education and
therapy. Perhaps, if they ran, the </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">endorphin release</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and mental clarity would be a great start to changing their mindset and outlook on life?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Have
you experienced uncomfortable interactions while on runs? If so, how did you
handle it/them? Have you ever responded to unwelcome male commentary? If so,
what was the outcome? Female runners, how do you handle unwelcome commentary/interactions with
males on your runs? Male runners, have you ever experienced the same behaviors/commentary
from women or other males? If so, how did you handle it/them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-33706843857558514252016-07-31T22:01:00.000-07:002016-12-20T11:57:49.369-08:00Inspired by you, and you, and you, and you…<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Maybe
it’s my thinking or maybe I’m onto something, or maybe it’s something
that other people also think and feel, but somehow, I feel that I’m unique. Ha! Let me
think the latter. Who doesn’t like to feel unique, right?!</span></div>
<h4>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">What am
I feeling unique about?</span></i></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
fact that when needing guidance or an answer, somehow I choose to watch a
movie, read a book, and since joining Twitter in January of this year, articles
or tweets cross my feed when I need them most. On Friday night, I, </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">finally</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, watched</span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">, Joy</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, the movie I rented on Monday. Between all the activities and
moving the last few days, I was exhausted by 8 </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">p.m.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> most days and fell asleep before I had an opportunity to start the movie. Typically, I would have returned
the movie without viewing it by the second day, but I had been wanting to watch
</span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Joy</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> since it was released in theaters
(last winter) and I had already gone several days of tacking on the rental fee,
so now, I felt like I might as well keep raising my tab until I got around to
watching it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyIhvnE9VTr2vAaS8sqZsqIWygUo3eHfiOdW03mmNYhfSkaQ2n-U8l68bT_eq9XbeSdQQYakWQuUMZk2rZlRmpOX5TEVkGigUtTwLkniQMgNQ8k87egboY74ljoMM3Y1gCXkXsX6ITulw/s1600/Joy+Movie+Image.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyIhvnE9VTr2vAaS8sqZsqIWygUo3eHfiOdW03mmNYhfSkaQ2n-U8l68bT_eq9XbeSdQQYakWQuUMZk2rZlRmpOX5TEVkGigUtTwLkniQMgNQ8k87egboY74ljoMM3Y1gCXkXsX6ITulw/s1600/Joy+Movie+Image.jpe" /></a></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fortunately,
my lovely husband, who wasn’t so hot on the idea of watching a Jennifer
Lawrence drama, initially, suggested we watch the movie together. See, why I
love the man. Not only is he hilarious, brilliant, and a fantastic father, in
addition, he is always making sacrifices for <i>my</i> joy. Ha! Honestly, no pun intended, but it is pretty funny, no?!
So, I agreed to watch it together. I had forgotten that Robert De Niro was cast
in the film, so I knew Mr. De Niro would keep him interested for longer than a
few minutes, we are both fans of his acting. I don’t know why some people
dislike Jennifer Lawrence’s acting, I think she’s great! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Initially,
I planned to watch the movie with my sister in theaters, but if you are a
mother/parent/caretaker/teacher and/or work with children in any capacity, you
know that it gets tough to make it to a movie with significant others or
friends during the holiday season. In addition, I was training for
my-first-ever-marathon, and if you’ve trained for one of those, you know that
lessens <i>any</i> free time. So, finally, Monday,
while grocery shopping, I decided I was going to treat myself to a solo movie
night with ice cream, of course! You know, from my intro why that didn’t
happen. Oh my! I-am-my-mother! She does this, she repeats herself, often in
conversation, and I just did the same. Oh-<i>no</i>!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This movie was
waiting to be viewed by me, <i>now</i>,
today, Friday, July 27, 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
I mentioned at the intro of my post, I feel that books, movies, and as recent
as January 2016, articles and tweets on Twitter seem to reach me when I need
them most. I was hesitant to join social media, but I’m happy that I made the decision
to join six months ago because I have “met” many, many wonderful people who inspire
me to continue pushing myself with my passions, primarily, writing and running.
Thank you, thank you, thank you <i>all</i>
you lovely people. Keep posting inspiring tweets!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h4>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Please,
lady, get to the point of this post, will ya!</span></i></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
I began to watch <i>Joy</i>, I knew this was
one of those movies. The ones that dig deep. Without giving away the message of
the movie or the plot, I must say that Ms. Joy inspired me. She reminded me
that I had set goals and sitting around waiting for the right moment to get back
to them was not going to work. I needed to get back to work, even if I had
many, many other obstacles and factors needing attention. I had to make room
and time for my goals, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iUsMMq_omkIKtyRMyj3Is2n91lP_oJTK9jITCZrKaZAnKcVlP0VVDXLCgjTgQz_HHjBBathydwuDLLVasEbOnjJYqR17v4VSiHpWbxDZwpFRZwmX8uOd-5Qm5rFFYCHIU6RH04ch3NWG/s1600/Joy+Image.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iUsMMq_omkIKtyRMyj3Is2n91lP_oJTK9jITCZrKaZAnKcVlP0VVDXLCgjTgQz_HHjBBathydwuDLLVasEbOnjJYqR17v4VSiHpWbxDZwpFRZwmX8uOd-5Qm5rFFYCHIU6RH04ch3NWG/s320/Joy+Image.jpe" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<h4>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bloggers, keep writing, you never know who and when you are inspiring…</span></i></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along
with the movie, I had been wanting to read posts from some of my favorite
bloggers, but like I already mentioned, busy week, meant little time to read
blogs. Well, I’m glad that I made the time to read the most recent post by Paria
Hassouri from <i>Mom On the Run Sanity</i>(
<a href="file:///C:/Users/lovetorun/Documents/momontherunsanity.com">momontherunsanity.com</a>)
because her message was the icing on the cake. I needed to read her post at
that particular moment because I was neglecting my running and writing in order
to ensure that my son transitioned well to our move. I realized that giving
myself a few hours to run and write during the transition was good for our
entire family, so I resumed running on Saturday morning, bright and early. It
felt euphoric! Both my husband and son had been encouraging me to continue running,
but somehow, like Paria’s post, and I’m sure so many other parents, I felt
guilt about taking time for my writing and running during our move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">While
I wanted to run as my training plan indicated, I, initially, paused because I
hurt my leg while on a trail run. The leg was </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">OK</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> after two days, but, <i>then</i>, I
made excuses (poor air quality, need to pack, need to paint, need to ….). I was
making excuses because I felt guilt about taking time to run instead of doing </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">everything</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> on my to-do-list. I know
better. I know that running is extremely important to mind and body health.
However, this is an example of how much our culture has ingrained guilt into
motherhood. Paria is right, not every meal has to be gourmet. Sometimes, PB
& J is great if it means fitting in a run or whatever activity brings
parents joy and stress relief. My husband has been telling me for years, “… not
every meal has to be gourmet…” Like Paria, he is, of course, correct, but there
is more meaning to my reasoning for wanting “the perfect meal” at every meal. I
will have to share that in a different post.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuorWfu50dHEd03SjotVT-7llcDt2AD95shw3hOnvtrPDEDRZ-u2Qu7pqOmL3YWlp1uRbn9rz8sXvCwV1S0ZixcGds6BuyC-jNB2JjMGb15feLm28aX2-cEM_3DbvteeTGVffrojQTryXH/s1600/Gult+image+for+Inspiring+Post.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuorWfu50dHEd03SjotVT-7llcDt2AD95shw3hOnvtrPDEDRZ-u2Qu7pqOmL3YWlp1uRbn9rz8sXvCwV1S0ZixcGds6BuyC-jNB2JjMGb15feLm28aX2-cEM_3DbvteeTGVffrojQTryXH/s1600/Gult+image+for+Inspiring+Post.jpe" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Working
from home is definitely the best match for my parenting style, however, along
with positives, there is a downside, especially during summer vacation. I often
leave my writing for late, late or early, early. With either, I’m either too
tired to wake up early and run and if I write early, then, I don’t have time to
run before the LA heat/crazy traffic times that have caused me to have several
close calls from drivers who value their time more than runner/pedestrian safety. </span></span></div>
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<img alt="Image result for please yield to pedestrian sign" src="data:image/png;base64,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" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One, in particular, was within inches of hitting me which took away from my experience
for a few weeks. I experienced a bit of anxiety anytime I went near the location
of that close encounter. But, I forced myself to continue running and little by
little I was less anxious. Fortunately, I no longer have to run past that
intersection or see that driver. A driver who instead of stopping to see if I
was </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">OK</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, yelled at me and sped off soon after yelling at me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’m
now living in a community and neighborhood where I no longer need to worry
about traffic and “reckless drivers” placing their time as more important than
safety. Now, that we are officially, moved in, I can continue putting the
oxygen mask on first. I’m beyond elated to report that with planning and dedication,
so far, so good! The transition has been as lovely as my new running paths. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">My son
</span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">l-o-v-es</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> our new home and
neighborhood! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CoAbPwcUMAE21lE.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">His only concern is being “the new kid
“at a new school. A very normal feeling. Starting a new grade or school evokes
anxiety in most children. In fact, every stage of development (middle school,
high school, college, marriage, children, divorce, death, etc., etc.) brings on
changes and new beginnings that evoke anxiety. However, after the anxiety
subsides, there is relief and growth. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhQ0ecRs7ov7c3iVgaK3_VFl7fx8SsJUqmN8jWovre0Ft702Fgw_g2f-h4Dzaj5JkK4pCHVsCh6sWikdsOyKiPZagb8bo9QJclp58AZBEJzxhpb7E0fiFvbU7z7bruNNFW_q7muLdzEd-/s1600/two+rainbows+after+storm.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhQ0ecRs7ov7c3iVgaK3_VFl7fx8SsJUqmN8jWovre0Ft702Fgw_g2f-h4Dzaj5JkK4pCHVsCh6sWikdsOyKiPZagb8bo9QJclp58AZBEJzxhpb7E0fiFvbU7z7bruNNFW_q7muLdzEd-/s320/two+rainbows+after+storm.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But, I’m not worried because he has excellent
social skills and is a social butterfly, so, I know he will make friends
quickly. Plus, we committed to having him remain in contact with his old
school/neighborhood friends.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
</span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">c-a-n-not</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> believe how quickly summer
has flown by this year… My son will be starting 6</span><sup style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> grade in less
than </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">two</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> weeks?!?! While I love,
love, love spending summer going on fun outings with him and family, his return
to school, also signals, a return to my normal writing and running hours. I
have several races planned in fall, but as soon as the school year begins, I
know I will quickly catch up to my writing and running goals without guilt.
Have you ever felt guilt about the time running takes up in your life? If so,
how did you overcome guilt?</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-87656611761991257412016-07-18T10:00:00.001-07:002016-12-20T11:58:39.390-08:00Why my son won’t ever hear me utter: I need to lose weight, I need to go on a diet, I look fat, etc.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes.
Long title, huh? I’ll try to shorten it, but for now, on to my newest though of
the week. Lately, maybe because its summer, I have been hearing the word “fat”
tossed around like lettuce in a salad. Pretty bad, I know. Since the topic popped
up, as an aside, my blog is much less formal than my professional writing, but
in keeping with the idea of a blog, I’d like to keep it to an informal
conversation with you. So, I’m speaking to you as if we were face to face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why do I say my son
won’t ever hear me utter words related to weight?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Since
before his birth, as soon as I had the thought that I wanted to be a mother, I
knew, I was going to parent to the best of my abilities (that sounded a bit
like marriage vows, huh?). When we take the vows of marriage, we are asked to
promise to: love, honor, </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">cherish</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, etc., etc.,…for as long as we both shall live.
We need a license, too. However, for parenting, there is none of that. Going
into this region entails discussing political issues which I know are a HUGE
no-no in any circle, so I won’t even take a peak in there… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJLUh15XpDY96lVt4kAAcCZOUCF_y6zBBVIbDDEucUMD-pAKFEl6VHPxLVist0HdIvP0J8buA1XOtgv5C2Wffw6E_FH5B80EflWnd3xZdniYS9wGykxMkoV1kyVJOLSCiTDu0kEDCTwKS/s1600/keep+away+sign.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJLUh15XpDY96lVt4kAAcCZOUCF_y6zBBVIbDDEucUMD-pAKFEl6VHPxLVist0HdIvP0J8buA1XOtgv5C2Wffw6E_FH5B80EflWnd3xZdniYS9wGykxMkoV1kyVJOLSCiTDu0kEDCTwKS/s1600/keep+away+sign.jpe" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
there is no official certificate or license needed to become a parent, I made
an internal commitment, my internal “certificate”. I was going to make parenting
a happy, healthy, and most importantly, kind-hearted person my goal. With my
prior knowledge in child development, psychology, and education, I was going to
put in my best efforts at ensuring that he was not bombarded with negative
messages like the rest of us. It might sound like I was aiming for a bubble
child, which initially, yes, I will admit, I was going to the extreme. But, I’m
highly self-aware, and as soon as I was headed in the direction of “chopper
parent”, I pulled back, reflected, and made adjustments to ensure that I was parenting
in a healthy manner. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">So far, so good, my little guy, not really little, but I
think in my eyes he will always be my little guy. I now understand how parents reference
their children as babies even as they enter adulthood. We have an adoration for
the little person we created that it becomes impossible to imagine that one day,
they, like us, will no longer be alive. By referring to them as “my baby” “my
little guy” my little fill in the blank, we are subconsciously denying or not
willing to accept their mortality. And, I digressed from my topic…, again! I
apologize. In blogging, I realize, I must do this in face to face
conversations. Whoops! How annoying, right?! Good thing blogging allowed me to
view this annoying trait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes,
back to the topic at hand. So far, I feel that the countering of all or most of
the messages that dent and jab at a person’s self-esteem, confidence, and
outlook on life has been beneficial to my son’s development. No, he is not a
perfect specimen. No, I did not create the ideal child. No, I did not raise a
text book child. But, the goal of ensuring that he is happy, healthy, and kind
are most definitely flourishing by always keeping to my internal commitment.
It’s definitely not easy to counter all the messages from the powerhouses of
our world, but my personality is a good match for them, for sure! Ask my family
and close friends. When I commit, I don’t give up until I reach my goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PrUbEGz19vvzS1U2FngWr8PestJkXBEQQVbSZMKNgj44PG17q65rnRj5wKN6eSfsn-iyj_6cC27W-akP_LOzUjJsVF4TtQDn6t0z0QFoU1Buhwi5cJtew0-ke9vkXkJtJF5I7xIY97ET/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PrUbEGz19vvzS1U2FngWr8PestJkXBEQQVbSZMKNgj44PG17q65rnRj5wKN6eSfsn-iyj_6cC27W-akP_LOzUjJsVF4TtQDn6t0z0QFoU1Buhwi5cJtew0-ke9vkXkJtJF5I7xIY97ET/s320/IMG_1191.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">How do I counter the
power houses?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Consistency.
Consistency is not easy. As a parent, runner, and writer, I know that to be
incredibly true. There are days when I just wish I could skip out on parenting
because my style of parenting is not easy. Like marathon training and writing
my first book, it is <i>hard work</i>. It is
fun, for sure, but before the fun can truly be appreciated, it is a steep,
steep hill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyP5dUcr1vp8mSaJ1IgMTOCGXJLEBJ4mhjRKK2foWszT6SH04qqaobwAOXurMWN6gKbZcSmtWWtTO95FDCoAR7NHJkYUk3oxclZ9qdOdPxt9beL0cLt-Tq6oLW5o57ax0-H5110NoyxiNl/s1600/Steep+Hill+Image+for+body+Image+blog+post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyP5dUcr1vp8mSaJ1IgMTOCGXJLEBJ4mhjRKK2foWszT6SH04qqaobwAOXurMWN6gKbZcSmtWWtTO95FDCoAR7NHJkYUk3oxclZ9qdOdPxt9beL0cLt-Tq6oLW5o57ax0-H5110NoyxiNl/s320/Steep+Hill+Image+for+body+Image+blog+post.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Alright, lady, enough
about steep hill analogies, how did you do it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
I said, consistency. As a woman, primarily a woman living in Los Angeles, the
messages to maintain the beauty standard of our current society are like flyers
on a windshield. Whethe</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">r </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">or not you place
yourself in the image capital of the world, the messages reach you. The
messages are everywhere. Literally, <i>e-v-e-r-y-where</i>!
Come to think of it, I think I’m going to have to make this a sequel post.
Sorry my lovely readers who prefer shorter posts, but as I write, I realize
there is a lot of content that needs to be discussed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Books<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
shall begin with my favorite material item in the world-books. I have been
reading to my son since he was in utero. Along with that, I made books, reading,
book stores, and libraries a need and want. I promise to detail how I achieved
this in a different post. One of my favorite shared activities with my son is
reading to him. I still do. However, now, that he is on the cusp of adolescence,
picture books are not his thing. Still mine, but not his. However, picture
books were the pot of gold back when he was “younger”. Ha! I laugh when I hear children
refer to themselves as “when I was younger”. I’m sure we did the same, so I
just find it endearing and adorable when I hear them use this phrase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
larger my son’s home library grew and the more we visited bookstores and libraries,
the more I realized that I needed to edit some of the language and
illustrations. Before becoming a parent, I read all picture books to nieces and
nephews verbatim, cover to cover with my animated voice and exaggerated acting.
However, as a parent, I was on the driver seat, I was shaping my son’s mind. I
was responsible for his interpretation of the messages in the books and I
didn’t agree with all of them. Sure, they all had a nice overarching message,
but embedded in the book were messages that he would pick up as acceptable if I
didn’t embellish and or omit content and information. It sounds exhausting,
right? It wasn’t. The book part of my attempts at countering jabs and dents at
self-esteem, confidence and body image was the “easy run” of my plan. To be
continued…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-53900265939324228342016-07-07T21:44:00.000-07:002016-12-20T11:59:20.533-08:00I’m Naming Myself… “The Bleacher Learning Fairy”<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLwxEYuVESRkpoTDxaEdqTJ7G7oqzS7rgyejaCeWMHfXlYcWqpIh_DJkvODILTitjuzMTg8l-8b5RIBAP6nzrrepbCvfciHDunQuOZyW8TtSjLxPlLkXvR_DOuXdzAw7Pvof803LA9yVZ/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252816%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLwxEYuVESRkpoTDxaEdqTJ7G7oqzS7rgyejaCeWMHfXlYcWqpIh_DJkvODILTitjuzMTg8l-8b5RIBAP6nzrrepbCvfciHDunQuOZyW8TtSjLxPlLkXvR_DOuXdzAw7Pvof803LA9yVZ/s320/FullSizeRender+%252816%2529.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39bV8E46ReDme9jA5jqXMvdoneeElkMOeRYvUSdJdb_WPje6SfRBgFEaF1q2vHw_7Zo2CipiXC4_lRU0pDlYKvO_MWzeLcFTML-k0ML1X3ycf_zZCAqWBSviFKUIqPKb6dCOLBrA7vxYj/s1600/IMG_6984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39bV8E46ReDme9jA5jqXMvdoneeElkMOeRYvUSdJdb_WPje6SfRBgFEaF1q2vHw_7Zo2CipiXC4_lRU0pDlYKvO_MWzeLcFTML-k0ML1X3ycf_zZCAqWBSviFKUIqPKb6dCOLBrA7vxYj/s320/IMG_6984.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
many of you know, my son plays on a "travel" baseball team. If you
aren't certain or are clueless about youth "travel" baseball,
you're in luck because I will be writing a blog post about what "travel"
baseball is and isn't'. A debunking of the myths and awareness of the
realities-positive and not so positive. I hope this future post will help
parents unsure or on the fence on this type of extra-curricular activity/sport.
I prefer to make my post detailed for parents who (like me, a few years ago) aren’t sure about allowing their child to participate in “travel” play, so, I
will post as soon as I feel the content will be helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">However,
for this post, I'm focusing on one of the joys of being a part of a "travel" baseball family. As you've learned from previous posts and tweets on Twitter, I LOVE to spread love and kindness as much as I can, and it's no
different with my son's baseball team. I truly enjoy watching these kind,
lovely, talented, and well-rounded group of almost-adolescents play and develop through a sport that I, too, LOVE! Many of them
have already turned 12- signaling their last "official" year of
childhood, but, I prefer to think that until the last boy celebrates his 12<sup>th</sup>
birthday, they are still 11, like their 11U category. I can’t pause time, but I
can use language to make it seem like I have that special power. Fortunately,
my son won’t be turning 12 until the fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Part
of being a member of a "travel" baseball family entails forming friendships
and relationships with the other families. Often, we spend more time with this
"family" than our biological families. With that, comes very similar
dynamics. Regardless of what group one enters (school, career, sports team,
dance, music, etc.), we eventually reenact our role in the same manner as our
biological family role. If you read my posts and tweets, you know that I'm a
nurturer and enjoy taking on a maternal role. Hence, it's not a surprise that
I do the same in all my groups to a degree. Primarily, groups involving my son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I'm one my son's travel team's biggest supporters. I’ve been fortunate to have
been able to attend all of his games. I don’t have the cheerleader voice, but,
I make up for it by clapping away, tapping at my leg from time to time in
annoyance when there are human errors in the part of the umpires. <i>O-k</i>... it's more like a hard tap, but that's the extent of my annoyance, and a small-tiny grumble from </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">time</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to time. I'm not perfect, I'm <i>human</i>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Additionally, I <i>always</i>
have positive commentary for my son and his teammates. At times, I'm sure they
wish I wouldn't say anything. Especially, the rough games, but, it's who I am
and I can't help but have praise and positive words for children. However, I
can see when it’s best to not say anything and I don’t. Children don't always
want praise. Sometimes, they want and should feel negative emotions and time to
reflect on their own.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I'm
sidetracking, again. I apologize, I'm still learning the ropes of the blogging
world… More about this in future posts. Back to the reasoning for <i>this</i> post. This post is related to the
role I embrace on my son's team while sitting on the bleachers or my beach chair.
While my son is an only child, some of his teammates have younger siblings. Since
I was a child, I have been a magnet for children. Ha! It's probably my inner
child peeking out to say hello and children, <i>immediately</i>, spot it. As professional as I can be, I am also a
goofy-happy-go-lucky person and naturally children appreciate an adult that can
be both an adult and child. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zUGfNyXX8oMXdzmxgby_JVIW7iwwqV1JLASdoSdKoZV701Hh_X9IfQYE6oFdmoljSflcIUUDeWBI2Ffdh6kefxqaA-25O8wDNFv0Y_7jEzLuZzw49ECS6yohJodOJa9V8xwNh-VGL-aQ/s1600/DSCF1748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zUGfNyXX8oMXdzmxgby_JVIW7iwwqV1JLASdoSdKoZV701Hh_X9IfQYE6oFdmoljSflcIUUDeWBI2Ffdh6kefxqaA-25O8wDNFv0Y_7jEzLuZzw49ECS6yohJodOJa9V8xwNh-VGL-aQ/s320/DSCF1748.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well,
one of the siblings, an incredibly talented, hilarious, and deep thinker often
sits next to me. I love chatting up a storm with her because her thinking is
incredibly deep, mature, and positive. So, this past weekend as we watched my
son and her brother battle it out for first place in Pony Baseball Sectionals,
a great idea sparked from our conversations during our time on the bleachers
cheering for her “rock star” (how she refers to her brother on the field) and
my favorite-baseball-player-of-all-time. We do “whoops” (she cheers, I clap)
while we raise the roof each time they have an at-bat! Ha! She is fun!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms51JUYYD42_wrVP7mbvEBJYbVHoQVZaPCtDQ9AYmK_b690ZT0tC2-vw13wkJLtnCNGS2KgMoyTD6y0o9pIzri_ReiTIEQgvu0tQa8IUdbL1pu4OMn9eGJ71A7J8GqwNlb05ELE0AvwO8/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252817%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms51JUYYD42_wrVP7mbvEBJYbVHoQVZaPCtDQ9AYmK_b690ZT0tC2-vw13wkJLtnCNGS2KgMoyTD6y0o9pIzri_ReiTIEQgvu0tQa8IUdbL1pu4OMn9eGJ71A7J8GqwNlb05ELE0AvwO8/s320/FullSizeRender+%252817%2529.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
commentary and messages within our conversations have a depth that is often
experienced in a social sciences college classroom. As a 7-year-old, her
thinking is only going to continue to flourish which I continually praise and
scaffold. Her mom and I laugh a lot when we hear her commentary. Like I
explained to her when she asked why I laugh at her commentary, "I laugh
because you are funny, a great thinker and sometimes I laugh when I'm amazed”.
She lit up when she heard me describe her as funny and a great thinker. As a girl
resembling a Disney character princess, she is probably used to being described
and praised for her physical appearance, first. Since the first day I met her,
I praised her mind qualities because I try not to focus on physical
attractiveness, especially with girls. I don’t want the focus to be on
appearance. They will forever be bombarded with messages telling them <i>that’s </i>what they should value and strive
for most. So, I will do my part in countering that terrible message as often as
I can. My son has definitely benefited from my continual countering of messages trying to dent confidence and self-esteem. More on that in a different post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">You’re side-tracking<i>, again</i>, lady…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yes,
yes, I am. I do apologize, I tend to do that when I feel passionate about a
subject. </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">This story, Karina!</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Ok,
where was I? Yes, now I remember, I had a </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">light-bulb</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (Ding! Ding! Ding!)idea as
we discussed the world’s greatest problems. Since I’m a writer and she shares
many interests with my son and me, I asked if she wanted to write a book. I
have previously mentioned to her, “…We need to write a book together…”But, this
weekend, I decided to actually start the book. She loved the idea and embraced it. “I
like coming to the baseball games now… You want to know why?” she asked with
her sweet voice. “Why?” I asked. “Be-cause I get to see you.” Yes, my heart
melted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">How Will We Go About
Our Book?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Summer
is my son’s favorite season. Not only because he is on summer vacation, but,
mostly because he is able to play baseball several times a week with his
baseball friends. They practice a couple days per week and play in several weekend
long tournaments. Currently, they are participating in the Pony League
All-Stars which entails weekly tournament play. Last weekend, they played for the Pony Sectionals Title (a giant banner that hangs in their home fields). After an incredibly anxiety provoking
game, they placed second when a talented hitter on the opposing team hit a walk-off </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">home run</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Mv6uSMP4DDV_ulZ5eP92bm_DesYxIvJyINyUndqcG83MVfqI7CNr2OaGkSomBW9Qr7ge0JCPBw6R-BoVaOvu7vHQw9HrLv2AR4Zr82gDlqn2AmdLMZIdBuiHADAGpNYzwmZMKDsLqmP5/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Mv6uSMP4DDV_ulZ5eP92bm_DesYxIvJyINyUndqcG83MVfqI7CNr2OaGkSomBW9Qr7ge0JCPBw6R-BoVaOvu7vHQw9HrLv2AR4Zr82gDlqn2AmdLMZIdBuiHADAGpNYzwmZMKDsLqmP5/s320/FullSizeRender+%252813%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIAJi4_B4PwpK_ffQlyaJ5lpl7YCIzultElXZegirEX9SCF-QKptO9RfRPGmPJTVbntu5egF_-EOq0dqTvJiS2ZPCDAJ9WVE7pNIihy8wHWNSvotqyo6RD2fs50_UAsSpIHDjB4qal6r4/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIAJi4_B4PwpK_ffQlyaJ5lpl7YCIzultElXZegirEX9SCF-QKptO9RfRPGmPJTVbntu5egF_-EOq0dqTvJiS2ZPCDAJ9WVE7pNIihy8wHWNSvotqyo6RD2fs50_UAsSpIHDjB4qal6r4/s320/FullSizeRender+%25289%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stop sidetracking, Karina!</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Sorry…
back to the book idea.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yes,
the book idea was started as we watched this last exciting game. I guess I can
multi-task, after all. Ha! Look at that, I just had that realization. I try to
remain mindful during most of my activities, but at times, I guess it can be </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">acceptable</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to focus on two activities simultaneously and enjoy both.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Each
time she attends a game, we will add content to her designated chapter titles. After
each section is complete, she will be adding illustrations. By the time her
brother and my son reach Cooperstown (next summer), she will have a book of her
7 year-old thought about our society and world. I saw an interest in the spoken
and written word, so what better way to nurture that fascination and wonderment
about life than writing it down. This could possibly lead her to bigger ideas
and books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">She’s a teacher and runner, too!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
you are around children, often, you know that in teaching them, we are learning,
too. With this particular 7 year-old, this concept is most definitely applicable.
Not only is she hilarious and bright, she is also a runner and dancer. Yes, a
runner! She enjoys discussing hydration, gear, speed, mileage, etc. While I’m teaching
her about writing and running, she's teaching me about the ballet world. I
took a ballet 101 class a few years ago and learned the basics, but after not
practicing the terminology and poses, I definitely need a refresher course.
However, Ms.-seven-year-old-smarty-party is giving me ballet lessons and homework.
I’ve been practicing my pirouettes and need to show her progress this weekend.
It’s fun! Not only am I teaching and learning, but I’m also getting an opportunity
to experience what having a little girl is like since I only have experience mothering
a boy. It’s a win-win. I'm off to learn more about our world...<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLTM_KP0Dsg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLTM_KP0Dsg</a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-71878194197356643362016-06-30T16:24:00.001-07:002016-12-20T11:59:54.875-08:00"Why I Use or Overuse the Word “love”?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSpBVXUjQM3TH1WLXjNUjC2DcgS4fyFVVWGFpZckSB3R2-Em6Jop1DttUnNajheoosIlndnVScmkBCTNEejwk9099TF_q-NRJWdeht83BL0aubgfBtJDj1u2vqwwpn_0vHzRcQQmfxFoN/s1600/Love+Many+Things+Van+Gogh+Image+for+Love+Blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSpBVXUjQM3TH1WLXjNUjC2DcgS4fyFVVWGFpZckSB3R2-Em6Jop1DttUnNajheoosIlndnVScmkBCTNEejwk9099TF_q-NRJWdeht83BL0aubgfBtJDj1u2vqwwpn_0vHzRcQQmfxFoN/s320/Love+Many+Things+Van+Gogh+Image+for+Love+Blog.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: large;">If
you follow me on Twitter, you know that I preface many of my tweets with “love”. "I love...", "We love...", "Love..."As a writer, I understand that it’s an overuse of the word which lessens its meaning. However, I disagree with that rule. Why? </span><i style="font-family: "book antiqua", serif; font-size: x-large;">Why</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: large;"> would</span><i style="font-family: "book antiqua", serif; font-size: x-large;"> I</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: large;"> disagree with
the thinking of great minds? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well, <i>first</i>,
I like to question and disagree with theories and ideas that don’t completely
make sense to me. Not because I want to cause conflict or for the sake of disagreeing.
I do this because questioning the greats allows me to further understand <i>my</i>
world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
I agreed with every rule of writing, I wouldn’t be writing for <i>me</i>. I would be writing to remain in the
same bubble as all writers. As a lover of the written word (see, how
quickly I use the word-ha!), I enjoy reading different voices and styles. If I
kept to <i>all</i> the rules of writing, I wouldn’t be writing in my style. I agree
that there are many rules that all writers <i>should</i> follow. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Again, as previously mentioned
in my first post, theory is the foundation, but we all have different ways of
enjoying the ice cream cone. How boring life would be if we all had to eat the
same flavor of ice cream. As much as I love (there I go, again) <i>Ben and Jerry’s</i> "Chunky Monkey",
yesterday, I chose "Chocolate Fudge Brownie" because I needed a small break from my oh-so-lovely-banana-fudge-and-walnut-creamy-delight
that makes me giggle and dance. By small, I mean <i>yesterday’s</i> market trip. As soon as the "Chocolate Fudge Brownie" container
is empty, my shopping cart will be adorned with a lovely pint of… <i>what else?!</i>... Chuuunnnky
Mon-<i>key</i>! I <i>love</i> that flavor and name!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxnQRHRCJCxYPYYDoOYmI2e5mA5rQzB0z-on240_DovuyfdKMAtKWD9RQe2oRZ_K5hStZfTi6x4xdfHdnYIlz2Pyc8kUoQVfDMRr0mUEC4x_CnIOHAZvzFvbScycgmO3TUDIuXMK0bT4a/s1600/chunky+monkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxnQRHRCJCxYPYYDoOYmI2e5mA5rQzB0z-on240_DovuyfdKMAtKWD9RQe2oRZ_K5hStZfTi6x4xdfHdnYIlz2Pyc8kUoQVfDMRr0mUEC4x_CnIOHAZvzFvbScycgmO3TUDIuXMK0bT4a/s1600/chunky+monkey.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: large;">Additionally, </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I use <i>or</i> “overuse” love, often,
because when I love something or someone, I feel <i>great passion</i> for the person, thought, idea, object, etc., so why would I use a different word? Sure, I could
use a synonym like: like, enjoy, penchant for, relish, passion, fondness, endearment,
zest for, appetite for, soft spot for, etc., etc. You probably know more, too,
and the list can go on and on and on. However, "<i>love</i>" conveys the strength of all
those synonyms. Like John Lennon and <i>The Beatles’</i> famously wrote and sang:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All you
need is love<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All you
need is love<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All you
need is love, love<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Love is
all we need<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Love,
love, love<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Love,
love, love<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Love,
love, love<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: large;">However,
some of my favorite authors and great minds of the written word agree that oftentimes
the simplest word has the most meaning. As a user </span><i style="font-family: "book antiqua", serif; font-size: x-large;">or</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: large;"> <i>over user </i>of a strong and powerful word, I couldn’t agree more
as it relates to the word “love” when addressing family and friends. Of course,
I use all the other synonyms. In fact, in my writings, I </span><i style="font-family: "book antiqua", serif; font-size: x-large;">looove</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: large;"> to use them. Ha! I make myself laugh. However, when speaking
to a friend or family member, I use love a lot because I want to convey the message
that I have a passion for life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">By “loving” many people and things, I enjoy our
world with greater zest and color. If I simply <i>liked</i> many things and only
expressed "love" for a few in order to keep to the written rule of not overusing words,
I wouldn’t be able to convey to my Twitter friends my passion for many people,
places, activities, objects, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lastly and <i>most important</i> to me,
I <i>absolutely</i> love <i>many </i>people, things, objects, experiences, etc. because the more I love
about our world, the more I learn and grow. The more I grow, the happier I make myself
and others I interact with in my personal life. Along with enriching my family
and friends’ lives with my positive and loving energy, I indirectly have an impact,
verbally and non-verbally, on the lives of others I encounter on the journey of
life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Feel free to disagree with me because we’re all entitled to enjoy or own flavor of
ice cream while sitting side by side. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-21474861403610365182016-06-25T21:16:00.000-07:002016-06-27T15:34:49.211-07:00"What's That Smell?!" Part 2<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> "What’s That Smell?!” Part 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">After
my husband and I checked the bottom of our shoes to make sure we hadn’t stepped
on “something”, my husband turns back ready to ask our son to check his shoes. <i>However</i>, the expression on our son’s face along with his right sandal’s sole spoke
volumes. Our son had stepped on dog poop… Thank you oh-so-kind-neighbor-up-the-street
who loves to irk the neighborhood by letting his dogs use our front yards as their
personal potty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sorry,
I digressed, back to the meat of my story. Naturally, our son placed his feet
on the car mat and… <i>it</i> smeared on the
floor mat!!! <i>Ugggh</i>. Remember, we were
on the freeway on our way to Camarillo, and, running late-very late at that
point! <i>What to do? What to do? </i>The knowledge that there was dog feces on my car
mat made me want to toss all contaminated objects out of my car. <i>Ugh</i>. <i>Ugh</i>. Ugh. Ugh!
Simply recalling that incident makes me feel like I need to shower. Ugh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><i>Quote from son: "Isn't it against the law to not pick up after your dog?"</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But,
I don't litter, so, I didn't. Instead, we immediately exited the freeway to take care of our
unexpected surprise. We stopped at the nearest gas station, <i>but, </i>just like an <i>I Love Lucy</i> episode, we had no luck with the water hose. The clock
was tick-tocking away and we were trying to take care of business when a man in
a vehicle approached us and asked if we were interested in buying wine?! I
won’t go into details on the extent of our conversation (would require another post),
but, as I type, I am laughing. <i>Did he not
see what we were dealing with or did he just not care?! </i>It would be like someone
coming in to ask Lucy and Ethel for a cup of sugar while they were dealing with
their bread situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pvf_3038aafvJ6rUSFrILTweCx802qdy7s62QBJf-Bj_vVX0GTiqd9nyK46aHIOmyhTY9HAiB6l3luM6h8QtfSQtP0TZ_KnXpUUW1DCZWpLaDNtLQvCPx3iyxU8BomFP6gWT1qgI_tcK/s1600/lucy+with+bread+in+oven+to+use+in+dog+poop+blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pvf_3038aafvJ6rUSFrILTweCx802qdy7s62QBJf-Bj_vVX0GTiqd9nyK46aHIOmyhTY9HAiB6l3luM6h8QtfSQtP0TZ_KnXpUUW1DCZWpLaDNtLQvCPx3iyxU8BomFP6gWT1qgI_tcK/s320/lucy+with+bread+in+oven+to+use+in+dog+poop+blog.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
issue with the hose, along with the man with no sense of empathy, had made our
delay much longer than we could handle at that moment. Our son’s game was
starting at 9 a.m., but, he needed to be at the baseball complex by </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">8 a.m. for
warm-ups, etc., so, my husband asked if I happened to have anything in my car
that would contain both our son’s sandal and the car mat until we reached the
baseball complex. I did! “Seeeee, it pays to be </span><i style="font-family: "book antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">ultra</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">-prepared” I said with a laugh as I handed him a large heavy
duty bag from my “just in case” emergency supplies. I like to tease him-he’s
fun and it keeps our marriage interesting!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">He
placed all the soiled and stinky items into the bag, tied it and asked if I had
an extra hair tie for added reinforcement. Of course, I did! A long-tressed
runner and no hair ties on hand is unheard of, right, runners?! I was a bit
grossed out at the idea of driving another 45 plus miles with that <i>lovely</i> package in tow, but, the only
other option was to toss everything in the trash. We were tired, not thinking
clearly, so, we went with the soiled items in bag option. After tossing our “gem”
in the trunk, we prepared for take- off…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmxWjykQwSq9sTy0GPkFB8Kx3I9SXY9XA4rnLs_oUbhZeyNDI1mTak7nTC_qXXARNAmTGQ-2XXoo8Icp8Qhr2ubumOgRnsIf5gopnQdK_dxKkxt9lww0b1apHTkCvZzYhW01adpERvvoR/s1600/back+to+the+future+car+image+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmxWjykQwSq9sTy0GPkFB8Kx3I9SXY9XA4rnLs_oUbhZeyNDI1mTak7nTC_qXXARNAmTGQ-2XXoo8Icp8Qhr2ubumOgRnsIf5gopnQdK_dxKkxt9lww0b1apHTkCvZzYhW01adpERvvoR/s1600/back+to+the+future+car+image+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile…
inside my car… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
rubbing my husband’s shoulder with an awkward smile and tone that made me sound
like Alexander, the character from <i>Alexander
and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day</i> book-to-movie adaptation, I
say, “Awwww, haaaappy father’s day, honey…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sccrrreeech…
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>Finally</i>.
We arrived at the ball-park. My son and husband quickly unpacked all the
baseball gear and I was off to, yet, <i>another</i>
early morning adventure-</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">the do-it-yourself car wash we spotted on our way to the baseball complex. The perfect place to power wash my floor mat and son’s sandal. Hence, that was
my destination after the quick drop-ff. How hard could that be, right?! Well, apparently,
quite the feat for </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">ME!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Giving a full
description of my experience at the –do-it-yourself car-wash would entail writing
a “Part 3”, but, I don’t want to turn my blog into mini-books, so, I’m going to
be very brief.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
felt like Lucille Ball throughout the experience. The pay machine was out of
order, on and off, but, I stayed with it because, apparently, Sunday mornings, father’s
day morning is where most of the men in Camarillo like to hang-out. <i>Every</i> stall of the multi-stall car cash
was filled with cars and some had a waiting line. Just my luck, <i>right</i>?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Summary
of my car wash experience:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
soap/water hose was a little on the koo-koo side and sprayed everything, but,
my car. Fortunately, I was able to power wash the mats and sandals before
the fun began. I was soaked with car wash soap and water. The </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">upside</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> of a </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">very</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> warm </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">California</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> day was that I was </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">wearing</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> shorts. Believe me, my water
fun didn’t go unnoticed. I had a few looks of </span></span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">what the heck is this woman doing? Doesn’t she know how to wash a car?
Weirdo!</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpgknNp501tkl0V_Ngge9sr64QGOjT3RqjIOcHf68KaAhHIA_CEQTbIAYDoRsBeLifqlDuPDF3-6OvO-r2csjjMEZP0TM1QZnVSCH3VNHNZUtRUHVRges3-Oft1EmFhgNroUDR4EDEjDk/s1600/Lucille+Ball.+all+wet.+annoyed.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpgknNp501tkl0V_Ngge9sr64QGOjT3RqjIOcHf68KaAhHIA_CEQTbIAYDoRsBeLifqlDuPDF3-6OvO-r2csjjMEZP0TM1QZnVSCH3VNHNZUtRUHVRges3-Oft1EmFhgNroUDR4EDEjDk/s320/Lucille+Ball.+all+wet.+annoyed.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
“car-dryer” was more like a giant straw that seemed to be blowing air as if a person was blowing air through a regular sized straw. The $3 car-wash cost more like $15 and my car
still looked like it had sat through rain drops.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt_tqfmKERdmGDOkIQY3LPlEEFrCfuSLx1u81bmN85mF4nErgP0IgF0AAyyQ8k0AzuGppT-MDcSfIqb_IM3LMQ_G78nq0XCvdr9TX3y6BcA13DAA0Ady54mw0RwlmBwQVMg59gQNuFReb/s1600/IMG_6462+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt_tqfmKERdmGDOkIQY3LPlEEFrCfuSLx1u81bmN85mF4nErgP0IgF0AAyyQ8k0AzuGppT-MDcSfIqb_IM3LMQ_G78nq0XCvdr9TX3y6BcA13DAA0Ady54mw0RwlmBwQVMg59gQNuFReb/s320/IMG_6462+%25281%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Thankfully,
I had my son’s Sky Zone socks which worked like a nice alternative to a towel.
I knew those would come in handy one day.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdZklq9o6HFm06Wzs5yzIui8UehTm_zeIOTZWU-8wG53an8AR0guLh514uHXjlcfkHdbhmPxmZig2NetEzPzX0ivoFPwfbSURllqDNkjgs7Ri5cMKhb3y-0gLx_uy3mwnaORGCxj_dpHG/s1600/IMG_6465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdZklq9o6HFm06Wzs5yzIui8UehTm_zeIOTZWU-8wG53an8AR0guLh514uHXjlcfkHdbhmPxmZig2NetEzPzX0ivoFPwfbSURllqDNkjgs7Ri5cMKhb3y-0gLx_uy3mwnaORGCxj_dpHG/s320/IMG_6465.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">My
son’s game was starting in 5 minutes and it was too early; otherwise, I would have
made a stop at my favorite burger eatery across the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
made it just in time to watch my son’s first at-bat. As I took this picture, my
mom friend tapped my shoulder to tell me she had arrived late, too. She loves to laugh
with me and we both had a story for each other… Ha! I love to laugh with family
and friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-76837704231186751112016-06-24T10:38:00.001-07:002016-06-25T17:58:32.573-07:00What's That Smell?!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It
was abouuut 7…? Sometime </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">after</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 6:30 a.m.,
</span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">for sure</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but I can’t recall the
exact time. The feeling of running late was in the air. We had packed </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 14pt;">my</i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> car (a.k.a the family "truck") for the
long drive to Camarillo from the Los Angeles County area. We no longer own a sport utility vehicle, so, my car is used for all the messy trips. We, <i>definitely</i>, can't treat our other car like a “truck”, so, I’m glad we were headed to a baseball
tournament and drove my car… Boy, was I ever relieved to have been in my car
when we received our unexpected surprise within minutes of departing towards
Ventura County…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1sGzI51pBq87pyi068JuNsrrBHvywT4FZVVo5ZNLNvYi_yNqRpGUPxAmI1O38HiocdQJH90BGki-FaRtaqWMQwoUCF3JbvfyTjPGo__hFU96e9_Do0l3GOzeI2o4SBpumhPAipK7nwmD/s1600/whats+that+smell+harry+potter+for+dog+poop+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1sGzI51pBq87pyi068JuNsrrBHvywT4FZVVo5ZNLNvYi_yNqRpGUPxAmI1O38HiocdQJH90BGki-FaRtaqWMQwoUCF3JbvfyTjPGo__hFU96e9_Do0l3GOzeI2o4SBpumhPAipK7nwmD/s320/whats+that+smell+harry+potter+for+dog+poop+blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
husband and I look at each other at the exact same moment, with the same awkward,
deep inhaled expression as if asking each other without speaking the words, <i>whaaat is that?</i> We look at each other a second,
a third, a fourth time and finally, with a nauseous expression, scrunched up
nose and raised right brow, I ask “Do you smell <i>skunk</i>?!” “Yyyyea, that’s it. Thhhhaaat’s what I’m smelling, too!”,
he replies with a very similar expression while looking around the car to see
where the smell is coming from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXktwE0U-xjNpeFkOjiH6gBj1QPkDJkY2J3jCS3ylVC89LlRFA5MwiqSJxVQGW3LwHjc1DHgZHmm9CsiJh1HjCobiC-NABU80XkSOpL-L12RqqvAJtPcrzOYnYbDDTHVmf4Ve-UfgzkPx/s1600/take+a+deep+breath+pic+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXktwE0U-xjNpeFkOjiH6gBj1QPkDJkY2J3jCS3ylVC89LlRFA5MwiqSJxVQGW3LwHjc1DHgZHmm9CsiJh1HjCobiC-NABU80XkSOpL-L12RqqvAJtPcrzOYnYbDDTHVmf4Ve-UfgzkPx/s1600/take+a+deep+breath+pic+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
all look outside, open our windows, take a deep breath in unison as if we had rehearsed
it, looked at each other, turned back to look at our son, who had the same
expression on his face, only much more enhanced than ours. After a few seconds
of this, we smell and see that the coast is clear because the smell dissipated
soon after we rolled down the windows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlNtbtGIyOnn-L2UCDeBw3Ks2pPTK3gZ-yps4zxM5o7e4mzvvEx-V4OCU_U-Y5opKh8yOf2J2lac83vmfZE6FpCaYiv6OhNV0-D8ZdaocJYVD1mvYfZRaUorlX4LETH_3hC3ZB3pA8lFc/s1600/back+to+the+future+running+late+pic+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlNtbtGIyOnn-L2UCDeBw3Ks2pPTK3gZ-yps4zxM5o7e4mzvvEx-V4OCU_U-Y5opKh8yOf2J2lac83vmfZE6FpCaYiv6OhNV0-D8ZdaocJYVD1mvYfZRaUorlX4LETH_3hC3ZB3pA8lFc/s1600/back+to+the+future+running+late+pic+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> “Oh, shh… Who am I kidding, my husband’s vocabulary can be quite colorful. </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Actually, his reaction was more like “oooohh sh-t!”.</span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> So…
after making his colorful commentary upon seeing the time, we both said, “…it’s
probably outside” and headed towards the freeway entrance, hoping the smell was
behind us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IvtovXorP40HLEoXRGJTyZRh1iQJGSGy4wuWdG-PVK8RlBRXiasg8I5sxftyhyphenhyphenzHb4CpVQi4gA3QkrLs_Eup8EoTZyjLFiQk1uC7VS_160bS9xv4W7kqX9_0fhuur5R5iO6jGQ28NY_k/s1600/brooklyn+nets+players+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IvtovXorP40HLEoXRGJTyZRh1iQJGSGy4wuWdG-PVK8RlBRXiasg8I5sxftyhyphenhyphenzHb4CpVQi4gA3QkrLs_Eup8EoTZyjLFiQk1uC7VS_160bS9xv4W7kqX9_0fhuur5R5iO6jGQ28NY_k/s1600/brooklyn+nets+players+for+dog+poop+blog.jpe" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nope.
Not. At. <i>All</i>. The smell went from the lingering stench a skunk emits when
startled or scared to a porter potty before a race. We were thinking up all the possibilities except the one
inside our car. One of the ideas we imagined was a dead lizard. Yes! A dead
lizard. I take credit for this one because it was a plausible thought. After
all, there are many lizards in our neighborhood and there have been times when one
has jammed inside our house or car. <i>So</i>, I thought, <i>maybe,</i> I had left a window open, a lizard jumped in, somehow breathed
its last breaths in my car and had called it quits in there. Don’t laugh. It
was a possibility. Unless, you’re laughing because you are thinking the obvious
reason for the smell, then go right ahead because you have every right to be
laughing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A
few minutes in, like less than 2, and we were feeling more than nauseous, so,
we finally did what we should have done as soon as we smelled that horrid
smell-we checked our shoes. Nope, not me. <i>Phew</i>. Not my husband. Phew, again. Our son? <i>Y-eeep</i>. The smell was behind us, alright!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To
be continued... in Part 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">***I’m pretty new to
blogging, so, I might have a few “2 part” posts, but as soon as I get the hang
of blogging, I promise to make them shorter. Well, I’m not sure I want to promise
that in case there are some posts that need Rocky, Star Wars, Indiana Jones,
Back to the Future, Bridget Jones, Toy Story, Men in Black, Spy Kids, Shrek,
Tinker Bell, super hero movies </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">sequels</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. Ha! I know. You get it. I’ll stop.
Until next time. Same bat time, same bat channel. Haha</span></span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-43679760772716336572016-06-16T16:56:00.001-07:002016-06-29T08:14:53.352-07:00"Yes Day!" Part 3 of 3<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Like Teaching, Parenting Requires Reflection and Making
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, I quickly reflected, paused and told him that, yes, it was
“Yes Day!", <i>but,</i> safety is the most important part of <i>everything. “Safety first!”</i> is what I always said to him. After
explaining the reasoning for having to say no on "Yes Day!”, he repeated, “I
know, I know, safety first, safety first" while pointing his little index finger
to show the #1. Hence, we added a rule to “Yes Day!”. We will say “yes” if the
request won’t hurt <i>him </i>or <i>anyone</i> else in the process. In doing this, we are
teaching him the tools for self-control, self-love, self-respect, empathy,
other-love, and other-respect. Qualities necessary as he progresses in his development,
primarily, as he approaches the adolescent years. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What is the point, then?</span></b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He gains a sense of control while learning to make
intelligent choices. The first "Yes Day!" was a great idea in theory; however, like many ideas in life, theory sounds ideal, but, human nature is not perfect, so we constantly need to implement and use theory as a foundation. Theory is the cone and the flavor of ice cream depends on each individual and their current life situation, so, we chose our flavor based on our life, then. Since then, our flavor is continually changing, but, the foundation remains the same-"safety first!".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today, he understands that while he would love to gorge on
sweets and “junk” food, eventually, he will feel sick and hurt himself. Each
year, he will mature and learn to make choices that allow him to enjoy life
while ensuring that his safety and other’s safety is always primary. As he
progresses in his development, there will be many instances where I won’t be at
his side and his friends will be a greater influence on his choices, so, having
this mindset of being able to enjoy himself while ensuring "safety first" will be
invaluable to him in his future. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He is human and I expect that there will be
times when he will not make the best choices, but, having a foundation and
tools to make safe and healthy choices is like always driving with a properly buckled seat belt.
He won’t have control over <i>everything</i>, but, he will be prepared and empowered with
knowledge and tools to choose the best path when roads place barriers and
detours. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-3846068795102276092016-06-15T09:28:00.000-07:002016-06-15T09:28:08.476-07:00"Yes Day!" Part 2 of 3<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Yes Day!? WWWhaat?</b><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Okay, so, you are probably asking yourself, “<i>what is this yes day all about?” </i>Right? O.K.,
I will tell you. A few years ago, I began “Yes Day!” because I was tired of
saying “<i>NO</i>” too often to things I,
too, enjoyed as a young girl (candy, ice cream, chocolate, fries, and even those
dreaded golden arches), but, as an educated mother in child development, I knew
better than to say yes as often as my son asked for these items. So, I searched
for ideas on how to make it work for all of us. Finally, one day, without intending
to find an answer, I stumbled upon the book, <i>Yes Day! </i>by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. As I browsed books
on Amazon to teach whatever important lesson I was trying to teach at the time (in
a child friendly manner-of course), I found my answer. I browsed the “look
inside feature” and immediately placed the book in my cart. Ding! Ding! Ding! I
had an idea! The book gave me a <i>brilliant</i>
Idea!!! I was beaming with excitement and called my husband at work to tell him
that I had found a solution to our son’s obsession with sweets.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>How Did I Execute My Idea?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I was going to read the book to him during his bedtime
routine of reading a handful of his selections, followed by “recap” (we share our
favorite part of the day). Upon “recap”, I would tell him that the following day
was going to be his official, first ever, “Yes Day!”. I know, I know. You are probably
thinking, “crazy woman, what are you doing?! What were you thinking?!” You are
right. In my excitement, I forgot to think through all the possibilities and
outcomes. I was focused on the sweets and excited to<i> finally</i> have a solution to a dilemma that had been plaguing our family
since “Selma Cookie” (Grandma Cookie) introduced our son to the gloriousness of
candy and ice cream. Yes, he nicknamed her “Selma Cookie”. Later, “Grandma Cookie”. Today, simply, “Grandma”. </div>
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As an aside, I love Grandma Cookie. So, if you read this post, Grandma Cookie,
I mentioned you because like most grandparents home's, your home was filled
with fun and part of the fun is sweets. I’m not judging- I completely understand
that it’s your job to be the fun home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Are you thinking, <i>this
is going to be a disaster</i>, lady? A George the Menace, Curious George day,
right? Yes. You. Are. <i>Absolutely.</i>
Right. The first annual “Yes Day!” was filled with many requests that I just couldn’t
say yes to because of safety. For example, asking to eat candy all day long (for
every meal), jumping off a high wall because he wanted to be like Curious
George, throwing rocks into the neighbor’s pool to “listen for the splash”, staying
up as long as he wanted (this one we kept, but if you’re a parent or are around
children, often, you know that this was only a few minutes to an hour later than
his regular bedtime. Their bodies are exhausted, so, naturally, they fall
asleep as soon as there is little to no activity) and there were a few more
that at the moment I can’t recall. </div>
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Fortunately, aside for sporting equipment
and his collection of Disney Cars, he didn’t have much of an interest in toys. Hence,
there were no requests for an abundance of toys. What did make me smile is that
he asked to visit the bookstore and choose three books. Each time, we visit a bookstore,
I always let him choose at least one book. At 11, I am very happy that he still chooses
the bookstore as one of his favorite places. More on books, bookstores, and how
I nurtured his love of books in a different post. To be continued...<o:p></o:p></div>
lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355672356657867658.post-62441023275243088542016-06-14T22:13:00.000-07:002016-06-15T09:30:03.073-07:00Welcome to My Blog! "Yes Day!" Part 1<div class="Publishwithline">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes Day!<o:p></o:p><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Welcome to my blog! I am thrilled to be connecting with you
through a medium that brings me joy and peace-the written word. The decision to
start a blog with my Twitter handle stems from wanting to share a tweet about a
tradition I started with my son a few years ago. However, the limited characters
allowed on Twitter wouldn’t give me the opportunity to share enough about “Yes Day!". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So, if you like my blog, you can thank this tradition and if you don’t, you can
blame the tradition. I hope to share more of my thoughts and experiences
related to my love of learning. As my handle name, @lovetolearnrun, states, I
LOVE to LEARN and RUN! If education was affordable, I would be a life-long
graduate student, earning degrees in as many fields as I could until I no
longer possessed my current analytical and critical thinking skills.
Fortunately, learning and running keeps the mind sharp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My first post is related to parenting, the role I have embraced
whole-heartedly and place as my greatest achievement. Of course, it is </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">not always</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> bliss, like all great endeavors,
there are ups and downs, </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">but,</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> having
both extremes is what makes it a well-worth journey. A journey I, initially,
imagined would be long, but, the more I explore and travel through it, the more
I want to remain in certain spots and enjoy it with all my senses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sadly, life
is not a sci-fi book or movie where I have the ability to pause the moments I
want to last longer than the few seconds I am given. While parenting takes us through
a plethora of adventures, all experiences give parent and child the opportunity
to learn and grow. I’m not certain how often I will be posting because at the moment
I am trying to complete the </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">first</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
draft of the </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">first </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">book I want to publish.
I have written a few, but, I’m not ready to publish those, yet. Like everything
I undertake and embark on, I like to take baby steps and only when ready do I
commit. But, I’m well worth the wait because when I commit- I COMMIT! </span></div>
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lovetolearnrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09050261621930717484noreply@blogger.com0