waiting...

como park, st paul, mn

i figured i'd update the blog a bit while i wait for mark to arrive.

he's due in sometime very late tonight, and after taking a very long nap this afternoon to get rid of a noreaster of a sinus headache, i'm not tired.

so i'll blog a bit and then keep reading. i just started 'marley & me' by john grogan. the movie hits theaters in time for that present-giving, buget-sucking holiday (ie i have barely shopped yet and am very low on cash...which equals this girl having 3 jobs..) anywho, the book is great so far, and i look forward to the film with ms. aniston & mr. wilson in it...

oh, and mark's on his way back from a tour of the northeast...vermont, massachussettes & ny..with the ensemble of rose singers...

a few pictures to share from tonight's first significant snowfall of the season. looks like it *will* be a white christmas here in the mn...first, the one on the top of this post. and then this one...


i went out for short 3 mile run after work tonight. there's about 2" on the ground now (with 2-3 " more by morning) and when it snows at night it's so quiet and light out from the reflection of the freshly fallen white stuff. love that...

over the weekend, my runner girls and i got together to celebrate mary's 56th birthday. she's run 2 marathons (i think just two) and is one classy lady! So we all got out the required 'little black dress' and went downtown to celebrate. here's a few pics from that..

mary is the front right gal..


this is allycat & i. i watched her run grandma's marathon for the first time last summer. she looked like this...



she's the SMILING one in the middle. of her first marathon. about 1/4 mile from THE. END.
did i mention she was smiling??? like for real! she has made me believe. (and she is one of the funniest and true-est people i have ever met...)

another rock solid runner girl i'll profile is my neighbor cindy. (who lives about 3 blocks from me on the same grotto street) cindy, who turns 40 in May, and thinks that milestone would be a darn fine time to *also* run her first marathon. cindy, who i rocked the TC 10 with back in October. so i am very stoked that she's willing to declare she too will run Grandma's 2009 pretty much right next to me, and likely our coach ruth as well..

it's looking like i might travel to DC in april. to see my bff gail and family, and to run this. it's supposedly very hard to get into (filled in something like 4 hours last year) but they take 12,000 to run a 10 mile race around DC during the pretty pink flowering tree season. so what a good way to blend my travel with another cool race t-shirt ;) so first we'll see if i get in (registration is next week) and 2nd we'll see if northwest airlines has a seat from my frequent flyer miles...

lots to look forward to in '09 i suppose. 2008 had lots of great things happen in my running life. there were lots of challenges along the big road of 'regular' life, what ever that is, but that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes. for the most part all things are good now, and i keep on moving on one day at a time...

so there's a post about all things random jd....as i still wait for dh to come home...

i have declared.

i will sign up, and barring any injuries or god's free will of kaboshing this plan for any reason, i WILL run the full 26.2 Grandma's Marathon on june 20, 2009 in duluth, minnesota.

am i freaked out? heck yes. i've gotten to the end of 13.1 miles pretty much staggering and feeling damn tired. so DOUBLE that? almost 5 or more hours of running? um....let's not talk about it quite yet. but if oprah, katie holmes and countless unknown novices complete marathons for the first time every year, well heck, i. can. too. i just have to work on it....and train. and train some more. and, that's right. keep on training.

and any and all friends, family or strangers who want to be there in the last 5-6 miles to help me get through it are welcome.

and if you seriously *do* want to come visit, you need to decide soon. lodging in the duluth area fills fast, and some places open reservations in january.

but first and foremost, i'm doing all i can to train my brain, along with my legs, that i *can* do this.

i absolutely can not thank enough allison, ruth, kim, karen, claudia, val and the rest of my run club teammates for helping me find my way this past year and become the runner and person i am now. And of course i thank mark from the bottom of my heart as well for supporting me along the way with my countless hours running and not being home on the opposite schedules that he sings around the country and world. i know we don't always see eye to eye on the topic of running, but i know he's proud of me...

and back to ally for a minute. THIS GIRL? she has really *really* made me believe. she keeps me grounded. she's honest. and she's run her first 3 marathons this year. grandma's being her first. and the 2nd two? within a WEEK of each other. one in san francisco, and one in wisconsin (how's that for a juxtaposition?) and she has become my role model. she? is magic. and a mere 10 months ago? we had not met. allison? you? are my runner girl hero. in true allison speak :)

peace & love through the miles...dream big. because if you do? anything is possible that you pu your mind to...
~jd

my favorite things.

oprah has a list every year.

i'm not nearly as big as oprah. i'm about as big as my frame of 6 feet ;) or as big as my audience of about 30 toddlers every week allows me to be.

but here's a few of my favorite things.

cheers ~

*woodwick candles: they crackle like a real little fire as, like the name says, the wick is wooden. nice scents too, not wholly overpowering. i'm a big fan of the 'sheer woods' flavor in the Fusion line.



*christmas lights and window boxes: i have mine all done as of today. not a lot of decor for our little home, but enough to make it feel festive ~ i have mainly all red & white lights going on, with a few more colors interspersed on our little tree ~


*snow at this time of year. especially the *first* snow of the season...and seeing it up on lake superior and then a mere days later in my own backyard is pretty great :)


*the grinch: who couldn't love cindy lou who, max and the green guy who's heart grows two sizes by the end?


*even in snow, i run. i run in these babies..: asics gel nimbus 10s. the 11s should be out in january. shoes are good for about 6 months or more depending on mileage. but i'm true to these shoes and they'll likely carry me through my first marathon next june...


so, julie andrews, i do love whiskers on kittens and big wooly mittens too, but i also love those things above in addition to many more that won't fit on the blog at the moment :)

peace and joy to the season of snow, good cheer and all of that~ jd

of all people...

to tell me i need to update my blog, it's my husband.

for someone who has his own website that he updates, oh, every *year* or so, i find this a bit ironic ;)

there's not too much to report, so i don't update the blog when the news is meager. (i post really mundane things to facebook instead...isn't that what it's for? :)

i recently started a new waitress job. yes, job #3. i also recently charged a ticket to visit Gram in maui from jan 22-feb 2. so adding one more job will help me pay off that ticket sooner than later, and will keep me busy while mark endures a crazy singing/retail season from now until early february.

the new gig does make me feel like my "new girl" crown is very much on display, but i hope i'll fit in within a few weeks and that i won't feel so freaked out..

turkey day is in a mere 5 days.

my mom is coming up to visit for the first time in 6 years.

haven't seen her in almost 2 years, which is embarrassing to admit, but it's just how it's been. fwiw, i *have* invited her up each summer to go enjoy the northern part of our state or even wisconsin, but it's never panned out.

so on wednesday, she and ron will head up hwy 61 to lutsen, and later in the day, mark and i and the 2 greyhounds will follow...our first family vacation with the dogs.

it'll be a short trip, but any time i can visit the mother lake, i am a happy girl. i don't care what date or season it is.

i love it especially when the water is 'angry'...big waves, winds, gray skies?? bring it on. it's still as beautiful to me as a calm still summer day when the clean water is a deep blue...

things i am thankful for?
*the love of my husband

*the love of my friends

*the love of family across the miles

*having a roof over my head

*a stable and wonderful career (or two)

*my furkids

*wine, coffee & running (in no particular order)

may you all have a wonderful week of giving thanks for whatever it is that makes your own world's go round...~jd