Marathon #8 and a birthday

Well, that's done. I am now 62 years old, and I covered 26.2 miles on said birthday. Oof. Who thought that might be a good idea?!?

Actually, it was a beautiful day to run. Maybe the best weather I've had for any of my 8 marathons. It was a crisp 35F at the start, and maybe got up to 50 by the time I was done. Not a cloud in the sky and only a few moments of slight breeze here and there. 

That was the good part.

I've had this Columbia City, Indiana marathon on my radar for years. It's only 30 minutes from our house, and I don't mind a 2-loop course. I do, however, mind running on an "open" course of almost entirely country roads where you're either going up or down the entire way! Ugh. It was a bit brutal. The blacktop roads are so steeply crowned, and it seemed there was soooo much traffic. I think some of it (maybe most of it) was spectators driving around. And while none of the hills were huge, they just wore on me. Of course the worst one is about mile 25 1/2 as you come back into town.

Anyway, I survived. The first look wasn't even too back. The marathoners and half marathoners started together, so there were more people. I averaged a 9:30 pace and didn't feel bad at all. However, I could tell the second time around would not be the same...

I think mile 15 was my first 10-minute mile, and somewhere around 16 or 18 or something I started walking a tenth of every mile. At 20 or 21 I started to consider having to walk in the rest of the way. I also started feeling really alone. It seemed like miles where I couldn't see anyone else, and I started to wonder if I'd missed a turn and was going to be lost on the back roads of redneck haven. I also had trouble judging whether I was going uphill or down.

I was still on track to break Oprah's 4:29 when I finally made it to mile 25, walked my tenth of a mile, but when I tried to start into a jog... it wouldn't happen. I was toast. I'm not sure how much longer I walked, but I was finally able to muster a trot when I came into town and made it across the finish line. It was right around 4 hours 33 minutes, and my watch said 25.35 miles.

My cheering section (Jane, Carrie & Anna) was relieved to see me, and I was happy to see them. There was actually a nice little crowd cheering people in at the finish. They also had water and soup, which I didn't think I would be interested in, but it tasted pretty darn good!

As far as overall health: I was fairly calm the night before and even the morning of. During the race I developed some tightness in my left calf, but never felt any knee pain, had no chafing or blisters, and really didn't feel bad at all other than just tired legs. However, as the day(s) went on, I think this is probably the sorest my legs have been after any marathon. I'm still having trouble getting up and down stairs today, and my left calf is more sore now than it was while running. I'm sure everything will be fine, and it's probably forced me to take some time off from running - which maybe isn't a bad idea. I didn't take any time off after the marathon this Spring.

As for the practical stuff: I went to bed maybe around 8:30 the night before and got up around 4:30am. Had a couple cups of coffee, and my usual pre-run breakfast of peanut butter and jelly on toast, and otherwise dinked around until we pulled out about 7am. We arrived in CC in the dark right about 7:30-ish, parked, found the porta-potties, and pretty soon Carrie & Anna joined us.

I started out wearing my gray cap, light blue T, blue Brooks jacket, gray shorts, Creeper toe socks, gloves, and the new Brooks Glycerin 20 (8 1/2) shoes. I was plenty warm with the hood up, and never really sweat too much. When I came around toward the start after the first loop I took off my jacket and gloves though, and changed into a dry long sleeve dark blue shirt. I probably could have went with a short sleeve T, but depending on the breeze and the sun I wasn't too bad either way.

I carried my 12oz water bottle and stored 3 gels for each lap. I debated whether to carry the water bottle, but am glad I did. Not only to keep the gels in, but as I feared, the water station that was 2 miles from the finish - which was there for the half - was all packed up and gone when I came around for mile 24. WHY DO PEOPLE SHUT DOWN WATER STATIONS BEFORE THE MARATHON IS DONE!!!! I don't know what in the world these people were thinking. Fortunately I'd refilled my water bottle, so I was okay, but I bet there were a few runners that really needed it. 

Anyway, I'm glad I did it. Yes, it was a challenge, but, then, I guess that's kind of the point. 

I think there were 88 marathoners, of which I came in 53rd(?). I was surprised to find out the next day that I got 2nd in my age group actually! I think there were maybe right around 100 half marathoners, and I'm not sure how many did the 5k.

One thing that I did notice was the number of women running the marathon seemed to far outnumber the men. I'm not sure if that's normal or not, but it's the first time it's stood out to me.

So, it was a nice day for a run in the country. As for the rest of my birthday, we came home, I looked at my phone for a bit, soaked in the tub for awhile, took a shower, and we went to Cork'n'Cleaver for supper and had filets, baked potato, and salad bar, with a bottle of wine. Not a bad day.

At the finish line

I got a rock

For the wynn

Meet our newest grandson: Wynn Everett. Isn't he swell?! His mama looks pretty pretty too!

We were notified yesterday morning that contractions had started (apparently about 3am). It was around 6pm when we got a text that the pushing had begun. He was then born just after 9pm last night. He weighed 6 lbs, 7 oz., and is 20 inches long. 

They were using a doula and intended for everything to take place at a birthing center. It is located right next to the hospital, and at some point they moved to the hospital - apparently so they could do some additional monitoring of some sort - and that's where the birth took place. As you can perhaps guess, we have only texted with the son up to this point and don't know a lot of details. We hope to speak by phone this afternoon.

Anyway, as far as we know, everyone is doing fine. Ricci's mom is there to help, and we hope to make a quick trip to Minneapolis at some point too.

We are pretty happy and can't wait to meet Wynn, our fourth grandchild, and third grandson. He looks awesome!

Birthday #61

Oh, hey there. Sorry about not blogging for a... week. I'm old now so things take a little longer. I guess. ;)

Anyhew, I did turn 61 last week. It was fairly uneventful. We went out to eat at the 07 where I had a $5 off coupon. The next night we then went to Nawa and there was no coupon. Saturday we had the scrumptious Tombstone frozen pizza - even though I couldn't find a Deluxe so we opted for Classic Sausage instead. Tombstone Deluxe used to be my go-to every year for my birthday.

For gifts I had already gotten myself the new Garmin Forerunner 45 GPS watch. Jane gave me two books: Faith Like A Child, by Lacy Finn Borgo, and Dopamine Nation, by Dr. Anna Lembke. Carrie got me A Different Way, by Christopher A. Hall. They were all books I had specifically asked for (2 were Renovare book club books).

As to how I feel... Meh. I wish I hadn't had the blood pressure situation over this past month (more on that later), but I think it's fairly under control now. I also wish I were a little more well-adjusted and didn't feel like such a loser so much of the time. I guess I'm doing alright though, and feel on a healthier trajectory than how I felt most of the time at my last job.

Most of my days consist of a lot of reading, some writing, running (4 days/wk) and walking, and I've just started lifting weights again a couple days a week (at my old workplace of all places!). I'm also trying to keep the house, lawn and vehicles in order, as well as meeting with a few people here and there during the week. And... I've pretty much stopped drinking alcohol, so I feel pretty good about all that. If only there was a way to turn any of those things into a way to make money I'd be set!

Actually, overall I feel pretty good. Sure, I wish some things were different, but I've got a lot to be thankful for and things could certainly be a lot worse. So I'm alright.

The boy's birthday

Today is son Isaac's birthday. 35 years old. I don't know if I ever realized before today that I am 25 years older than him, and my mom is 25 years older than me.

He and Ricci are presently getting ready to move from Atlanta, Georgia to Minneapolis, Minnesota in the next month. They have lived there 9 years and it's the longest he has lived anywhere. 

They moved to Atlanta so Isaac could get his Master of Divinity degree, then stayed for his Doctorate at Emory University/Candler. Ricci has taught and been administrator at a private k-8 school that utilizes a holistic approach to education the whole time.

Now that he's a full-fledged doctor, Isaac will be working under a 2-year post-doc fellowship through the Louisville Institute as a professor at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. She has secured a job as an English teacher at a Catholic middle school. 

It should be a fun and exciting summer for the two of them and their dogs Crosby and Tig. While we do wish they were moving closer to us, we look forward to having a new place to visit (and honestly won't really miss Atlanta ourselves). :)

We are very proud of both of them for having a dream and seeing it through. Also just for sticking with what they do. They're good people who deeply care about the world and its inhabitants. We wish them nothing but the best.

Mower trouble, robert cray, and a birthday party

It was a full weekend. Lots of good, and just a little stumble at the start...

I had a full list of things to do, and as usual on Saturday mornings, I was not much in the mindset. I finally dragged my sorry butt off the couch though, and set out to mow.

That went great until about the second or third pass. Uh, remember when I said I needed to double-check the gap on the spark plug? Well, I did that, and it was fine. However, the mower just died on me. It would run for a second, then die again. 

Well, one thing I figured out was that I put too much oil in when I changed that. However, that wasn't the problem. After some google searches it turned out to be a blocked port in the bottom cap on the carburetor. So, I tore all that apart, sprayed carb cleaner everywhere, put a new air filter on, and crossed my fingers. Several hours later the ol' girl was purring like a kitten! Whew.

Saturday night, then, we took in a Robert Cray concert at The Clyde. I love being able to see shows like this there, because it's just a couple miles from our house. And the opening act - The Todd Harrold band - is one of our favorite local bands.

This was a seated show, and I actually prefer the standing shows at The Clyde. Their seats are cheap and way close together. And by the time I got tickets we had to sit clear in back right in front of the bar. So it was cramped, and sooooo many people were talking in the back. We are a bit spoiled because the venue where we volunteer, while much smaller (400 capacity) is a way better setting for concerts. Still, it was a nice show and I'm glad we went.

Sunday we then celebrated the youngest grandchild's upcoming 9th birthday. We took the whole clan to Crazy Pinz. I believe I was the only one who hadn't been there before. Holy Cow, it's huge! They have video games, miniature golf, go-carts, laser tag, bowling, food and drinks... all inside! We did the bowling and let the kids play games, then they did this jungle gym type thing.

There was a lot of activity all in one place for this geezer, but I think we all had a good time (and pizza). By the time we got home I was too tired to go to afternoon church, and I was pretty much spent. 

It was a full, and fairly fun, weekend.

Benny's big ten

Some time ago Jane dreamed up (or learned of) this idea that for each grandchild, once they turn 10 years old, we will take them to the destination of their choice for a weekend. And it would just be us and them - so they get the spotlight all to themselves. I think it's a swell idea! 

Anna was first and she chose the zoo in Cincinnati, because she's all about animals. Ironically, Bennett also chose a city in Ohio. He is into dinosaurs, and COSI (Center of Science & Industry) in Columbus is having a big dinosaur exhibit right now. There is also a Lego store, so off to the Buckeye state we went!

Columbus is a mere 2 hours 45 minutes from Fort Wayne via route 33. It's not a bad drive at all, and the weather was fantastic for early February. We arrived Friday evening just after dark and returned home Sunday around noon.

I did a little checking and determined it would maybe be best to stay near the Easton Town Center Mall on the northeast side. There are tons of hotels, restaurants, and shopping, and that's where the Lego Store is. We could then just drive into downtown when we visited COSI. It worked out great!

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Columbus-Easton. Any of the hotels there would be fine, but this one has an indoor pool, free parking, complimentary breakfast, and is right next to Chick-Fil-A (his favorite place to eat). It was nice. I did splurge and pay an extra $10 for the "city view," and don't regret it.

Saturday morning we got up and had hotel breakfast (Mmmm, biscuits and gravy!), then headed to COSI. It was maybe 20 minutes away and traffic wasn't bad at all. We found our way right there, arriving just after it opened at 10am,  and parked in the underground garage ($10). 

Bennett wasn't much into reading all the plaques and descriptions, but he did enjoy the dinosaur bones and some of the interactive displays. We also ate lunch there, and took in the 'Dark Universe' show in the planetarium. I think he was most interested in getting to the Lego store though, so we headed there around 2 pm.

Once we looked through a zillion lego pieces and he decided on a couple things, we made our way back to the hotel. He assembled the kit he purchased fairly quickly, then wanted to go swimming. Mid-afternoon is a good time for that and there were only a couple people in the pool. I'd forgot it was a saltwater pool until I got in. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't overly warm! 

For supper Saturday night Bennett just wanted his leftovers from the previous night at Chick-fil-A, so Jane and I had the not-so-wise idea to order carryout at the Applebees down the street. Ugh. Remind me to not do that again! It wasn't going to be ready for an hour and twenty minutes, and when I arrived I stood there for ten minutes before anyone even acknowledged me. It was another five or ten before getting our food. We both ordered the top sirloin ,which I realize is not the best cut of mean, but it also shouldn't be the worst. I kid you not, I could not even eat mine! Literally!! I wasn't able to cut it with the plastic silverware we had, so I just used my hands and bit off chunks. The best I could do was chew a bite for awhile, then spit out the gristle. It was the most disgusting piece of meat I have ever had! I guess at least I didn't overeat.

Anyway, that was really the only bad part of the trip. The weather was nice, the hotel good, travel uneventful, and most importantly... Bennett seemed to enjoy himself! 

We had a good weekend and now have a year or so before the next Big Ten Birthday!!!

Turning 60 - words

One week ago today was my 60th birthday. It was a good day, actually. A really good day.

I decided I wanted to work on my birthday, because I tend to function better when I get up early, and sober... But I took off Thursday and Friday (and Monday) partly to prepare for the marathon on Saturday, but also because I love that free feeling when I get off work early in the day and know I don't have to get up early the next day!

For supper I wanted steak, and debated whether to splurge since it was my 60th or just go with what we like. I finally took the plunge and made reservations at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the building where I work. I figured it's probably the only time we'll go to a place like that. Then, totally out of the blue... that very same day... Jane's boss randomly gave her a gift card to RCS for all the extra work she'd been doing! How coincidental. So we overindulged on steak, wine, and dessert, and spent waaaaaay more than any person ought to.... But it was worth it.

As for gifts, Jane got us tickets for Buddy Guy's farewell tour when he comes to Fort Wayne in February. What I appreciated most, though, was what she wrote in the card. I am a "words" person. "Words" is my love language. What I want.... what I need.... more than anything else is to hear words about me and have people hear mine. And her writing about what she likes about me and what I'm good at meant more to me than any amount of presents ever could.

Carrie also wrote a nice card and gave me a bag of goodies: A donut, gift card, notebook, can of nuts, and $7 cash to get a beer after the marathon. :) Isaac and Ricci are bringing their gift with them when they visit later this month.

All in all, it was a very nice birthday.

As for turning 60..... Personally, I'm happy about it. There was no dread whatsoever. I feel good physically, I don't have a lot of stress in my life, and I'm okay (other than my thoughts sometimes).

I also believe I had a smidgen of divine revelation bounce into my noggin this morning. My biggest frustration is, and has been, my job. I've recently gotten a new boss and it's not going super well. I feel more left out of the loop and not a part of 'the team' than I did when there was NO boss even.... but it occurred to me: Maybe I feel frustrated because I'm trying so hard to fit into a system that I'm not supposed to fit into! I mean, the whole "be in the world but not of the world" thing. It sounds so simplistic, but I feel like a huge weight was lifted from me.

And, that's about all there is to say about that. I'm feeling pretty good, for a change. There ya have it.

The first major snow and anna is 11

We had the first significant snowfall of the season on the granddaughter's birthday this year. 

I was kind of hoping I'd be able to put the snowblower away without having to use it. No such luck. Sunday morning we got 3-4 inches of light powder. It made for easy blowing, and wasn't even terrible to run in. However, I have a feeling the ground is going to be dirty-white for another month or so. More snow is expected today.

The granddaughter was pretty excited that it snowed for her birthday though! She turned 11 Sunday, and it's hard to believe she will be driving in 5 years. Oh my! 

She spent the night with us Friday. We took her to Target to pick out a birthday present. Saturday she asked to go to the pet store to look at animals, then to Claire's for some more presents. Then we joined up with her family at the movie theater and watched Sing 2. It was good.

I don't know if she's too old for parties or they just didn't have one. Last night we went to their house and gave her the one surprise present we got her: one of those Snapchat picture books from when we took her to the Cincinnati zoo. We also got to see the giant donut she got for her birthday.

And... that's about that. It didn't seem like much of a celebration for her, and I felt bad about that. I pray it will be a good year though. This past year she played basketball for the 2nd year, played with another schools volleyball team, played Y volleyball, and seems to have come out of her shell a little more. She's growing up so fast. ...

***

"May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." - Psalm 20:4

Birthday #59

I am now 59 years old. I wish it were my 60th or something, because what significance is there to 59? I guess not everything has to be significant.

Anyway, it hasn't really registered with me. Kind of a "so what?" I'm not complainin'.

I did take the day off work yesterday. Not for any particular reason, but just because I'm sick of the place, and still dealing with this sinus/cold thing, so I just stayed home and didn't do anything. Almost literally. I guess you could say taking the day off work is my gift to myself. It was nice.

The two of us went out to eat Monday night, since I could sleep in Tuesday. We went to the Club Room for their weekly blues jam night. It was a good time. I love watching those old blues guys who can play whatever song somebody brings up.

I slept in a little - until about 7 am - then just hung around the house in my pajamas. I played games on my phone, caught up on my Illini reading, and wrote several blog posts. I spent the entire time in silence. That's a good day for me. I can only dream about another pandemic shutdown...

I had taken my car in for an oil change the night before and left it there. They called to tell me it was ready to be picked up around 3 pm, so I finally put some clothes on and went for my first jog since completing the marathon. It is 2.3 miles from our house to the shop and I ran the whole way. I was overdressed and worked up quite the sweat. When I got home I went for a 2-mile walk to eat up the rest of an hour.

My traditional birthday supper is usually a Tombstone Deluxe frozen pizza. I love them!! Jane stopped at three different grocery stores and the closest she could get was a Tombstone Supreme. It worked, but it's not the same.

Jane also got me this awesome print (pictured above) from David Hayward (Nakedpastor.com). It is his 'Christ Collage Images of Christ.' I love it too, and can't decide if I will include it on the 'Jesus Wall' or display it separately. He says of it:

"I started drawing different Images of Christ a few years ago to express the very Christian theological idea that the Spirit of Christ is manifested in the reconciliation of all things. This collage includes my 16 drawings of Christ."

So, that's about all there is to being 59 at this point. Just another day. Next year I will be 60. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. Maybe at 60 I can get out of this funk I've been in! We'll see...

***

Ecclesiastes 11:8

“Even those who live many years should take pleasure in them all.”

 

Anna and the cincinnati zoo

Jane came up with the idea awhile ago that we would offer to take each of the grandchildren somewhere for their 10th birthday. Anna's first choice was the local SPCA. We may have suggested the Cincinnati Zoo, and she thought that would be fun too. :) It is such a nice zoo, and we had such a great time!! So, 6 months after she turned 10 (randomly to the day), we finally made it.

THE TRIP

We left last Friday afternoon and actually stopped in Anna, Ohio and got some fast food for supper. It took about 3 hours to get there. We headed back home Sunday around 10:30 am. It only took 2 hours 40 minutes to get home. It's actually a pretty easy trip to Cincinnati as there really isn't much traffic other than the Dayton to Cincinnati corridor, and even that isn't bad. Anna was pretty chatty (and excited) on the way there. She slept the entire way home. :)

 

THE HOTEL

We stayed at a Hampton Inn & Suites on Vine Street near the University of Cincinnati campus. It was only 1/2 mile from the zoo, which made for a nice downhill walk there. The uphill walk back to the hotel 7 hours later seemed a tad longer. ;)

It was a pretty nice hotel. The room was good (even if we only had a view of a brick wall out our window), there was a nice (though smallish) swimming pool which Anna used every day there, and they had a great (free!) breakfast. The staff were all friendly and I have no complaints whatsoever. The pool was a necessity, and highlight, for our girl.

The only possible drawback with the hotel was the location. Yes, it was an easy walk to the zoo, but when we headed down Vine Street to find a restaurant to eat supper... well... we turned around and decided to have a pizza delivered. There were plenty of places, they just didn't look real 'inviting,' and when we saw "Topless" we figured maybe this wasn't the neighborhood to take our granddaughter.

I would not be opposed to staying at this place again, though I'd also be tempted to stay somewhere north of town where there are more 'regular' restaurants. There is plenty of free parking at the zoo and it's a pretty easy in and out.

THE ZOO

As for the zoo itself, it is one of the best in the country for a reason. It's also the botanical garden, and the plentiful shade was certainly welcome on a sunny hot July day.

Like I said, we walked from our hotel and it took less than 10 minutes. We arrived as the doors opened at 10 am, and left when they were closing down at 5 pm. It was a full, yet fun, day!

The highlight for Anna was the "Kanga Kimb." It is new this year, and I was glad Jane went with her. I cannot do heights, and with the heat, I think it would have done me in. There were a couple of others who should not have done it, as they got sick and it's not easy to get off once you're on it. I was super proud of Jane for being a trooper. There were a couple times she wasn't sure she could go on. Anna, however, thought it was a whole lotta fun!

Oh, and we also saw animals!! I think Anna could have spent all day just looking at the insects and reptiles, but she also liked the elephants, hippos, rhinos, and petting the goats most of all (I think).

Anyway, overall, I couldn't have been happier with this trip. I have a super soft spot for Anna, as she will always be the first grandchild and only girl. I was so glad everything went well. And she was so super good the whole weekend!

I remember taking our kids to the Cincinnati Zoo when they were younger, and if the boys end up not wanting to go there for their 10th, I think it would be fun to take all three of them sometime - just because.

So, it was a good weekend. I'm glad we did it, and I'm glad my lovely wife thinks of things like this. :)

Here are some pics...

 

 

***

Psalm 127:3

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.”

 

Carrie is 36; oh my!

Our lovely daughter turned 36 years old today. What in the world?!? I think I was 36 when I got done with seminary - in a program for "older" students - and started pastoring a church. I hope she's ready for the next 20-ish years to fly by!!! ;)

Actually, she's better poised to face it than I was, and I have no doubt that when she is my age she will be in a much better place.

Anyway, she has adapted well to life on the "farm" just outside Fort Wayne. They don't do any actual farming per se (I mean, you can spit to the city limits), but they are raising up the three munchkins almost to the teens, and the dog and cat, and seem pretty content where they are.

She's still working full-time as Administrative Assistant for a branch of the Y. I won't say it's the worst one in town, but it has more than it's fair share of dysfunction. Fortunately she gets to pop into my location now and then on her way to the bank or the main office!

Carrie has always carried a full heart for those in need, as well as those around her, and there's no one I would rather have on my side. I suppose she gets her intensity and sense of justice from yours truly, but fortunately gets a big dose of grace and compassion from her beautiful mother.

I'm glad she lives close by, and can't wait to see what year 36 brings for her!

***

1 Peter 3:3-4

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."

Isaac's birthday and a three-legged dog

I've got some posts to catch up with. We've been on vacation all week (more on that later), and the most notable thing to occur was son Isaac's 33rd birthday Tuesday.

I really wish we could have been there this year more than most. It sounds like it was quite the time - and not in a good way.

First off though... the boy and his bride are still living in Atlanta. He is in the process of writing his doctoral dissertation. He hopes to be done sometime this summer/fall, and then begin looking for a teaching job. I think he's mostly been busy writing chapters, trying to get some articles/papers published, applying for grants, as well as TA-ing a class at Emory here and there. Most recently I believe he TA-d a Pastoral Care class. He does have one class lined up to teach at Columbia Theological Seminary this fall (Intro to Ethics).

We continue to be quite proud of his work and accomplishments, and look forward to his book. You probably want to know what all the excitement was around his birthday though, don't you??

Well, we called the boy on his birthday, and he was in somewhat of a panic. Apparently one of their dogs (Tig) blew out it's achilles tendon. Ricci was gone, and Isaac was there by himself to try to find an emergency care facility and take the dog there. At first they were considering surgery to repair the tendon, but they were finally advised it would be best to simply amputate. I guess the recovery is much better/faster/easier and after a few days most dogs completely adapt. There's also not a great success rate with repair. So they had that done and Tig is home struggling more with the cone than the missing leg.

Anyway, I'm sure the dog will be fine, but I felt bad for Isaac because he has always been so tender-hearted, and I imagine it was a difficult time for him. So, I'm missing the Georgia Horwedels this year more than most. We seem to see them less and less anymore. I hope we can see them some this summer.

***

Numbers 6:24-26

“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”

 

Five things friday

It's Friday... and I got nothin' else...

1. Jane to Colorado

My lovely lady left this morning to visit her brother in Colorado. Another of her brothers is going along too. The Colorado brother has been in pretty poor health for some time, along with simply living a hard life. I love how diligent my wife is in reaching out to him, calling, visiting, and making sure he knows he is loved. She is so gifted in compassion. That's only one of the many reasons I love her. Btw, while she is gone, I will be fixing my usual Friday breakfast each day this weekend of fried eggs and avocado toast. She bought these special frozen hash brown squares for me too, so I will add them.

2. Pain in the... 

I've been a little racked up in pain the past couple days. This may be TMI for some of you, but I've always had this thing where, if I do too much weightlifting, an area of my groin swells up. It's the thing that attaches to my right testicle. It basically feels like someone has kicked me squarely right smack in the balls! And it doesn't matter if it's the right or left! It just hurts. All the time. It's getting better, but there has been no running or lifting for me for a couple days now. This hasn't happened to me for some time - maybe because I'd been careful not to ever lift too heavy. But lately I've been upping my egym weight. Not anymore. Nothing but a lightweight for me now, thank you.

3. Running events

I happened onto this cool endurance running event from the same guy who runs the Barkley Marathons. The article is "Big Dog's Backyard Ultra: The Toughest, Weirdest Race You've Never Heard Of." The idea is, you run this 4.16666-mile course every hour, for as many hours as you can until you're the only one left! The current record - held by a Belgian dentist - is 75 hours, or 312 miles. It's the craziest thing... and I love it!! So it has me thinking about an event I'd like to start... but I'll share that with you another day. ;) In the meantime, this is what my running trail looked like this morning. How does an inch of rain flood the rivers near my house like that? Only on the south side...

4. Draft dodger

Well, not entirely. I did watch the first round of the NFL draft last night. And might watch more tonight - only because I'll be home alone. But I just can't care about 20-somethings making millions of dollars. I can't stomach anyone making that much, actually! I read a great article the other day, "Low-Skill Workers Aren't A Problem To Be Fixed," and I'm sick of rich people. Sicker still of rich corporations who make their profits at other people's expense. Anyway, I'm not much into professional sports anymore - and it has nothing to do with the racial stuff. I am becoming more anti-capitalist every day.

5. Caleb's birthday

Speaking of days... it was the youngest grandson's 7th birthday yesterday. There was a party last weekend, but we got to see him last night while his parents went to a band thing with his big sister. We got him a couple small gifts, brought him Chick-Fil-A for supper, and let him play video games. That's pretty much all he likes to do at the moment.

So... there ya go, friends. Your week is now complete. Keep on rockin' in the free world (even if it ain't). Keep workin' for it to be.

***

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” -Ephesians 4:15

 

Jane's birthday

My lovely wife turned 57 last week. She keeps getting better every year!

We did not do too much for the special day. I got her some chocolates and coffee, and we went out for both breakfast and supper - which is quite the feat what with covid and all! We also took a nice walk in the park because the weather was beautiful all weekend (in the 50s on her birthday, and up to 63f on Sunday!).

Sunday night we went out to the Feipel farm and celebrated both Jane and Scott's birthdays with a scrumptious lasagna that Carrie made.

On her birthday we tried a new place (to us) for supper. We've always wanted to go there because we've heard good things, and it is downtown near where we both work. Nawa is a locally-owned restaurant featuring culinary influences from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia. The name literally means "new beginning" in Thai, so it was the perfect place for a birthday celebration! It did not disappoint!!

The place was nostalgically decorated with a "casual classy" feel to it, and the food was sooooo good. Jane got the Pad Thai Me Up, and I got crazy and tried the Massaman Curry. I'm not usually adventurous when it comes to food, but I LOVED it! They were even kind enough to give us a huge piece of chocolate-covered cheesecake on the house! This is a pic of my plate.

 

So, while it wasn't a very eventful day, I think she was happy enough. Now on to another year! Hopefully this will be much less eventful than the past one.

***

“Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all.” — James 1:17

 

10 years old

 

We have a 10-year-old granddaughter. How in the world did that happen?!?

Anna has two brothers, so in our family that makes her the only granddaughter and great-granddaughter. She's also the oldest of our three grandchildren, so I don't feel bad saying she is a little extra special to us. I can still remember the day she was born and looked so tiny in that great big baby carrier!

I was also reminded of this pic of her first Sunday in church. It's odd to think now how she had perfect attendance for her first however many years of life (in the church I used to pastor). I can't really even think about it anymore. That's the hardest part for me about being asked to leave and how it was handled not only with me but especially the rest of my family. Life was so different then.

Anyway, Anna is in fourth grade now. The school year started out a little rough for her - as it did for most kids - but after starting on a low dose of antidepressant/anxiety medicine she seems to be doing pretty good. She has friends, plays the trumpet in band, was on the basketball team, signed up to run track, and has developed a new passion for American Girl dolls.

She spent the night before her 10th birthday with us and we went shopping for a new winter coat for her (and hat and gloves) as well as a new hermit crab, then we picked up Taco Bell (her favorite) and took it home for supper. We watched a movie and then she fell asleep in grandma's chair.

On her birthday the rest of the family came over for breakfast. Then at noon we all went to Headwaters Park for ice skating. Her best friend, Ryne, joined us and everyone seemed to have a good time there. After that it was off to their house where we had cake and a few more people came over for a little party.

I think she had a pretty good time, and it's so nice to see her enjoying life and becoming the person she is.

 

***

"Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life." -- Proverbs 22:6

My birthday

I turned 58 on Monday. Yay. I took the day off work to celebrate. Didn't do a darn thing (other than read and play games on my phone). Here is my haul of presents...

Jane got me the box of chocolates and Neil Young's 'Decade' on cd (we used to have the album, and it is on our phones, but this is one of my favorite "greatest hits"-type collections). The Feipels got me a couple notebooks, nuts, and the kids made me cards. Long-time blogging friend, Jim, got me a notebook also. Pretty sweet!

The only real celebrating was done at the Feipel farm the day before my birthday. And I just noticed the dog's butt in this pic! Ha!

I am not feeling much of anything on this birthday. It seems everything has gone to hell, plus hobbling around in the walking boot, having no church associations or much in the way of a social life, and another year working a terrible job... I guess I'm hoping this year may turn around. Or not. 

***

Numbers 6:24-26

“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”

 

B's birthday and mom's visit

 The middle grandchild turned 8 this past Saturday. Crazy. There was a little birthday bash with a few family and friends. The pic shows him with some of his new legos, stuffed "thing", his brother and a classmate. It was a beautiful day outside, and I think the boy had a pretty good day. This year he was into Minecraft, dragons, and cash.

My mom ended up driving out by herself. She gets around pretty good for an 80+ year-old. I think the last time she was here was just before covid hit - in late February or early March - with my sister. I was a little nervous about her coming. Even though she travels all over the place and socializes quite a bit I still didn't want her coming here and getting covid. I think she really wanted Jane to look over some legal papers for her though, and there's really not much that keeps her down. Hopefully it stays that way for awhile.

Other than that there's not much to say that isn't controversial, condescending, or conspiratorial. So... we had a good visit, B had a good birthday, and it was a nice weekend all around.

***

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." (Number 6:24-26)

Carrie turns 35

Oh my gosh... my daughter is 35 years old! How in the world did that happen? I was in seminary at 35, and I thought I was so oooooold.

Anyway, life continues to be full for my lovely daughter. At the beginning of this year she officially went full-time in her job as Administrative Assistant at the Central Branch Y. I'd say she goes above and beyond, and wouldn't be surprised if she isn't running the place someday.

Not only is she now working full-time for the first time since having kids, but once the covid-19 pandemic and resulting stay-at-home order went into effect, she also became a full-time teacher to their three children while also trying to figure out how to manage this new job from home! And she still managed to keep up with her workouts and massive amounts of reading!!!

This past year also took them into a new house. They were able to purchase the house Drew's grandparent's lived in - where Drew's dad was raised. Not only did they purchase it, but they were even able to get out from under the mortgage. That's a big step for someone so young.

On top of the new job, house, responsibilities, the past year also added a new dog to the family. Boone is a mixed-breed with long-ish legs and a swell personality.

We continue to be amazed by the woman our little girl has become and couldn't be more proud to call her our daughter. She has a great big heart for justice and doing good things for others and I love her for it (as well as just being my daughter). I hope this year brings her much peace and happiness, and maybe less home-schooling responsibilities. :)

Isaac turns 32

Today is son Isaac's birthday. Geez, he's almost an old man now. Well, not really, but 32 doesn't seem that long ago! Crazy how time flies.

Anyway, I love this pic of him in his "office." I imagine this is how he spends most of his time now that he is an ABD PhD candidate. One of the advantages of this course of study/occupation is that life has not changed all that much for him during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of research, reading and writing.

He and Ricci still live in the mill house in a small suburb of Atlanta. They still have the same two dogs: Crosby and Tig. He's still driving the same Ford Focus that used to be ours.

One new thing is the addition of this swell Gibson Explorer he recently purchased! Apparently his old high school band has been playing together online (two in Michigan; one in Georgia), recording some of the original songs they wrote together. I think the boy may have splurged his stimulus money to acquire this beauty. It's probably long overdue. I can't wait to someday see, hear, and play it!

We continue to be amazed by the man he has become and couldn't be more proud to call him our son. We are also anxiously awaiting a visit from them later this month. We weren't able to make it to their house all last year, so it will be good to see them. I hope he has a happy birthday.

Caleb turns 6

The youngest of the grandchildren had a birthday Wednesday (4/29). This is the card/picture I made for him with colored pencils (I think I can say that, right?).

Apparently, he was bummed because it would have been his first time being able to celebrate his birthday at school, and... school has to take place at home now because of the covid-19 quarantine. So his parents asked if people would send him birthday cards. We each made and sent one to him.

We did go out to the farm to celebrate with the fam that evening. We picked up his request of Wendy's food for supper on the way. Drew's dad was also there. It was a nice time of seeing his cards and presents, eating fast food, and chocolate cupcakes (that were awesome!), plus just getting to hang out with other people.

We got the boy an air-propelled rocket launcher thing with three foam rockets (which B seemed to enjoy more), a Hotwheels car, and a wallet (with a couple dollars in it). Rumor has it he was hoping for $1,000. It's a start.

His parents also took one of the giant tv's from the basement and put it in his bedroom so he could play video games from his bed for the day. I went up to tell him goodbye and this is where I found him - glued to a video game.

He's a pretty sweet kid and full of life. I hope he stays that way!