Misc

The last two weeks have been really cold up here.  It even snowed the weekend before last.  Before the snowflakes started sticking, I actually got up and met friends to run 6 miles.  Mel and Bill were crazy enough to run 20 miles that morning.  I think there's a fine line between being tough and being insane and it all depends on your perspective.  Flakes were falling during the run, but the sun was peaking out and it was a beautiful day.  The snow in the photo didn't happen until after I returned from my run.  That's when I refused to go out unless someone drove over and picked me up.  Icy roads scare me.

Luckily, most of the severe weather wasn't in my neighborhood.  The roads cleared the next day.  Dixon is even acclimating to the weather, and I'm sure he keeps warm since he bounces all over the place when we're walking near people or other dogs.  I can't imagine what our walks would be like if he hasn't been going to class.  We still have a long way to go...

Dan and Bethany have a new addition to their family...a black lab retriever puppy named Neah.  Here a re the photos of her a couple days before they took her home.  She's only been home for two weeks, but I think she's already doubled in size.

 

I knew so many people with birthdays this week.  I only have photos from Bethany's party, though.  We had an instructor come over to teach us how to make a bracelet and earrings out of beads.  The name of the company is Hand Maiden Gifts, and it was a wonderful experience.  She provided all the equipment for us and she was so helpful and patient.  I don't think she knew what she was getting into with a room full of marathoners...we tend to be pretty picky and methodical.  We all wanted to plan out our strategies on our bead boards before learning any techniques.  It was pretty funny how serious the room got and how we took beading to a whole other level.  :)  She had to keep us moving, otherwise, we'd take all night to make one bracelet.  We were so focused, that even though people had low blood sugar from running that morning, no one wanted to eat dinner until the "work" was done. 

 

 

I don't know how we got into French politics, but we did.  It was a little outside of my knowledge base, but you can listen to the show at www.confabshow.com.

This weekend I attended a women's retreat at the Alderbrook Resort sponsored by Elements of Power.  The room was filled with powerful, successful women who were trying to find more balance in their lives.  The goal is to integrate feminine and masculine power, so we can enrich each aspect of our lives.  The retreat was much more intense than I imagined, but the ability to analyze our traits, behaviors, thoughts, and tendencies was deeply empowering.  Plus, the resort was beautiful, relaxing, and warm.  It was the perfect balance of restoration and training.

I'm a little behind in posting.  These photos were taken after our track workout on Tuesday, May 15th.  We celebrated Kristen's big birthday and her moving to Colorado. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.