Archive for September, 2009

You Are Wonderful

September 21st, 2009

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Happy 90th birthday to Grandpa Richmond! While his birthday is actually tomorrow, we celebrated on Saturday with a friends-and-family get-together at the Benton Fire Hall. Above is a picture of Grandpa with a handful of grandchildren. It was a really fun (though exhausting) afternoon filled with food, laughter, a speech or two by totally unprepared (wink, wink) Grandpa, and a gazillion photographs (click here to see a hundred or so). And here’s one of my favorite shots of the day, a smooch between Grandma and Grandpa, who have been married since 1945!

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The title of this post is from a quote by Lady Diana Cooper:

First you are young; then you are middle-aged; then you are old; then you are wonderful.

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Posted in Family

Brought Together

September 18th, 2009

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On Wednesday night, the Gang got together at the clubhouse to celebrate our half marathon success. Above is a picture of the Gang (well, the usual suspects, anyway). And here’s a great Gilda’s-colored shot of Andrea, Cathy, and me:

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And here’s me and the man behind the curtain, Kyle!

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There are more photos in the Summer 2009 album here.

Brightroom has also posted the official race photos, and as unflattering as I think they are, I am going to be a brave girl and post a couple here. If you want to see the whole spandex-and-tech saga, go here. You’ve been warned! Here’s me on the canal path, around mile 7 (jazz hands for Linds!):

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And here’s me running all-out down the chute to the finish line:

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The title of this post is from a quote by Vincent Van Gogh:

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.

Update: Here’s a picture of the Gang from race-day morning!

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Posted in Friends, Training/Races

Fears I Know I’ve Left Behind

September 15th, 2009

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(Two posts in one day – don’t faint!) I was just sitting here watching the season premiere of The Biggest Loser (yes, I teared up within the first ten minutes), and it made me think about how big I used to be, and how far I’ve come since the days when I weighed 240 pounds and wore a size 24 pant (ha – I love the word “pant”). The contestants just faced their first challenge: running/walking a mile. They were intimidated, scared, excited, overwhelmed… all of the things I felt when I first decided, “Heck, I think I’ll try to walk a half marathon.” On that random day over two years ago, I never imagined I would someday complete five of them! So, here’s a photographic ode to what I’ve accomplished. The title of this post comes from TBL theme, “Proud”:

I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I’ve left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can’t stop me now
And you can do the same

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Posted in Entertainment, Training/Races

A Significant Experience

September 15th, 2009

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A slew of celebrities have died this year, and I didn’t feel the need to write about any of them here (even though I was a huge Charlie’s Angels fan, and of course I loved Thriller, just to name two). But when I heard Patrick Swayze lost his battle to pancreatic cancer yesterday, I wanted to post a little tribute. Of course we’ll remember him as Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing, but two of my favorite roles are from two very different movies: Darrel Curtis in The Outsiders and Miss Vida Boheme in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar. A greaser and a drag queen, and he was completely believable as both. Goodbye, “Tex”!

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The title of this post comes from a line by Miss Vida in To Wong Foo:

Oh! No one say anything frivolous for the next few moments. I am having a significant experience.

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Posted in Entertainment

3:22:18

September 14th, 2009

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Half marathon number five completed! It was a perfect day, weather-wise. Chilly at the start line, sunny but breezy on the course. A thousand times better than last year. Despite a slight panic the night before the race when the power went out in my building, I was a good girl: did little to nothing during the day, ate a ton of pasta, and got to bed early.

I had a really strong first 7-8 miles (darn this race for recording no chip times other than at the start and finish!), but then my knee started hurting, and then my hips (was probably overcompensating for the knee pain by walking funny). Still, I’m pleased as punch with my time, considering I really didn’t train consistently – or hard. Thanks, as always, to Mom, Dad, and Jennie for cheering me at the finish line, and to Linds for mile 6.5.

Everyone in the Gang did great, and so far they’ve raised over $31,000 for Gilda’s Club! Today I am one sore lady, but it’s a good sore. At least, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself as I gear up to train for the Mardi Gras Half Marathon with DH in Februrary! (Speaking of my dear friend Snoopy Huhn, check this out! Thanks for the love, DH!)

Next up, race-wise: watching (whee!) Lisa and Sarah P at the Wineglass Marathon on October 4th. Next up, non-race-wise: helping out with the Gilda’s Club bachelor auction, Grandpa Richmond’s 90th birthday party, taking a girlfriend trip to Maine with Linds, and going to New Jersey for a week for work. And somewhere in all that, I have to decorate for the best holiday of all: Halloween.

More pictures to come! Update: Photos from my friend (and Gang member who was injured and couldn’t race this year) Janet. Here’s a photo of me running down the chute to the finish line:

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And here’s one of me and Gang member Robbin. Not looking too shabby for having gone 13.1 miles!

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Posted in Family, Friends, Training/Races

Before You Try Another

September 11th, 2009

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Two days until half marathon number five! The Gang has worked hard over the past 16 weeks, and raised over $30,000 along the way! We’ll be decked out in bright red shirts and ridiculously blue hats on race day, so there’s no chance you’ll miss us. The photo above shows off the tech shirt I got when registering (white), the tech shirt I bought at the teeny expo (red), my bib, and, of course, my Gang shirt. Oh, plus Chavo for good measure. See you at the finish line!

The title of this post comes from a quote by Frank Shorter (and feels oh-so-relevant after the disaster that was my last half in Houston):

You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.

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Posted in Chavo, Training/Races

Come Find the One

September 1st, 2009

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After the marathon (12 days!), the next big event at Gilda’s Club is a bachelor auction. It’s called Find the One at One (One is a nightclub here in Rochester), and I designed the logo for the event. Last night we interviewed potential bachelors, and I can say with confidence that any single ladies who happen to read my blog are definitely going to want to buy a ticket for this event! More info here.

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Posted in Events