Hannah Grace ... in photos ...

Some old favorites








Looking angelic






Looking serious






And being really happy











She just makes me smile!

Running and moving ...

I've been delinquent in blogging because I've been busy! I recently moved, not far, but to a new place. Moving can completely suck ... packing, boxes, more packing, more boxes, etc. All the phone calls to transfer your electric, gas, cable, etc. Sending a change of address to everyone who needs it; although this has become easier now that you can do most of them on-line. And then there's unpacking, let's not forget that. This can be good and bad ... it's tedious, but at least everything is clean and organized ... at least for awhile. Even the "junk" drawer in the kitchen is organized with, well, junk!

One of my favorite things about moving is finding new running routes. I have already found my favorite go to run. It takes under a hour, just shy of 7 miles. I can see it being my favorite loop, well, it already is. I have figured out how long it takes to get to the closest track. I need to work on the loop getting there as my first attempt was not enough warm-up, but found a good route home that won't kill me after a hard track workout. I'm still working on the long run, but I'll figure it out.

The other thing I like is finding my morning regulars. So far there is the guy at the bus stop. He's there every morning, coffee in hand, waiting for the bus. We exchange good mornings. Then there is the guy in the blue jacket (well, that will probably change with the seasons, but hey, I've only been here 3 weeks), that walks every morning. I catch him at different spots depending on how early, or late, I head out. I have spotted a "runner" on my favorite route. He looks to be in good shape and runs the opposite direction as me so we usually pass each other twice. I'm still taking in all the dog walkers.

The best part of my new running routes is being able to watch the sun rise over the ocean. I've seen some absolutely beautiful sunrises on my morning runs. Sometimes I just want to stop and take it in.

On a side note, I went to Boston last Monday to watch the marathon. I love the Boston Marathon. I'm not sure how many years I've watched it now, but I love watching the runners ... not as much as I love running it, but if I can't run I want to be there watching.

I want to give a big shout out to the following girls ...

Jeanne went 3:15
Laurie went 3:16 (PR for her!!)
Ann went 3:35

Hopefully I'll be back in 2011. Bring on the running season. Next up, Sugarloaf 15K ...

New chapters

I look at my life and think of it as chapters in a book. I've come to the conclusion that my life is writing a novel that may be quite lengthy, as it is already comprised of many chapters. Some chapters have begun by choice and others by necessity. Just a few that come to mind are-

When I had my first child ...
When I got married ...
When I moved away from home/family ...
When I got divorced ...
When I decided to get healthy and start running ...
When I decided to go back to grad school ...
When my kids left home ...


As I look at these chapters, I realize that perspective is a really important factor. Most of my life I have only understood by looking back, after I had experienced it. In the moment, I had little perspective. That reminds me of the saying, "Life must be lived forwards but only understood backwards." There is a lot of truth in that statement.

Some of these chapters I want to read over and over, some I want to use as a reference tool, and some I want to forget entirely. In the end, these are the chapters that make up my life. They are the experiences that have made me who I am today ... good and bad. I've learned that it is important to know the difference between the good and bad.

Someone used to say to me, "It's never to late to start your day over." Well. I believe it's never too late to start a new chapter. So, I am embarking on a new chapter now. This one by choice. I think it's going to be a good chapter ... one I may want to read over and over.