These are the pirate cookies, I made for my cutie nephew Jacob. We love playing pirates, so this was a fun birthday theme. I love being one of the ‘cool aunts’. 😻 Jacob thinks a new toy truck is like gold, which is fun! One time we had a giant Hello Kitty balloon for a birthday party, and Jacob loved it so much he could not stop giggling, it was so cute.
My favorite gifts to receive are books. I have hundreds of books, some in large boxes placed in storage. My most cherished books are from my sister’s, one of them just made me a personalized book. My grandfather gave me, Great Expectations, and wrote something nice in the front cover. For my 13th birthday, my aunt gave me Jane Austen’s entire collection, and wrote me a nice note on the inside of my special copy. For highschool graduation, my aunt gave me a book of poems. I am so happy to have had the pleasure of studying English Literature in college, had I not completed a minor of literature in highschool from starting college early, I only would have studied mathematics in college and I love reading literature. I worked too hard in math to have a career in something else, even though I love literature. My oldest sister let me borrow her copy of, Les Mis, for my bookshelf because I enjoy reading books in french too. I am better at reading and writing in french than speaking, but it is probably, because I have more opportunity to read french literature than causally speak the langauge everyday. Books are my favorite gift to receive, and I keep all of them, even the copy of, Into the Jungle, my sister gave me when I turned 16.
I think when I have my run book, I will pay for hard copies of it to give to family members and then just do an e-book version. I’ll probably do 50 hard copies, an ebook, and 100 soft copies to go to race expos or retreats if I’m lucky, the book is more of a personal accomplishment than anything. My boss does grants for people to do that kind of a thing as her side pleasure later in life, dabbling with her gave me the number idea. It can be a tremendous amount of money or really not that big of a deal, depending on the specific situation, either way having a fund to cover a project is always a plus. There are ways to do pictures at home and an e-book publication without spending money, which a lot of people choose. Set aside a few hours a week to write, and you’ll have a book before you know it. Once a book is published, there are so many competitions to enter for special awards, it’s cool. Anyone can publish an e-book for virtually zero cost. I had fun with my boss helping pick her winners and organizing events like a photo shoot. We made blueberry coffee so our photo shoot location would smell splendid, fun weekend which included playing dress up in her ginormous closet of the finest. I want my old doctors to have my structured literature for patients going through what I did, and runners too. Books are doable creations that can always help people. I have a very specific crowd and number to start out with, as everyone should. Books can be a small business for a lot of authors or grow into something unexpected, everyone’s different. For instance having my poetry published was more of an honor than a money-maker career, but it is still a big deal. That is why software things, is my real job, however I suppose working in tech can be an honor too. It’ll be a cool thing about me when it is finished, and it’s nice to have family support in making goals happen. Surely, there will be a Christmas where my stocking stuffers for everyone is the usual signed picture of me and my run book, it’ll be fun.
Just yesterday for Valentine's Day, I received a gift from my Aunt Barbie. She certainly was like a barbie doll, loving fashion, wearing the gorgeous designer clothes whilst working at Lord & Taylor all of those years. It also made me pensive about how I loved running in the cemetery next to her house until reaching the green Mother Mary statue, before my favorite series Vampire Diaries made it cool to hang out in cemeteries. So I will need to write a chapter about running through Aunt Barb's backyard, which was a cemetery in Gloversville NY. Whenever my sister and I drive to Boston or Maine, we say ‘hi’ to Aunt Barb near the Gloversville exit upon driving by. We also think of Aunt Barbie in summertime when we use frozen grapes as ice cubes in white wine, such as Dry Riesling. That backyard cemetery of Gloversville, is essentially where my running career started before hitting five years old, and it’s pretty profound. Then, it is something else to think in my town there are a lot of trails through cemeteries that our cross-country team would always run through. I do not think it is creepy, I actually think it’s nice. My grandpa’s cemetery is pretty to run through during sunset, because of the hill where there’s a gorgeous overlook, and there is a near by park. Cemeteries are holy land, making them nice running locations, or a location to leisurly walk while praying the rosary. 📿 I have matter of factly run on a lot of cemetery trails, golf courses before 6am and tracks. Those are nice controlled environments in my location to run through in addition to parks. 🌞
26 was a fabulous Birthday, it was special to have my party wine tasting at Knapp Winery! I wished for love and running a marathon within the year. Hopefully my marathon life lasts through atleast 26, the age to be a marathon runner. 🍷😻
I felt a lot of culture shock when I went to Alaska with the intention of running at altitude for four days before going to California for a wedding. My flight being canceled repeatedly made me feel more culture shoxk being with my little cousin on an Alaskan Island way longer than I had signed up for. My biggest problem was never having cell phone reception anywhere other than the house when the internet was connected. The other issue that I had was accidently crossing a boarder on running trails. Plus there were really not a lot of people to be friends with all the way out there. In the end, I wish I had not made the trip for personal reasons, but thinking if that had been just to train at altitude, camp in the Adirondacks would have made more sense. Both places do not have any cell phone reception and I always like to call people to pick me up on a run, because it makes me feel safe. I am someone who needs cell phone reception without depending on high speed internet. My advice is to make sure your phone will always work before traveling to remote locations, a lot of runners do that to train at altitude. Going from working in NY and being in college lectures to a remote location without a working phone was too much for me to experience. Would you be able to live without cell phone reception? Even in the airport in Kodiak there wasn’t cell recption for me to use a virtual ticket in my phone like every other airport I have ever been to. The Ithaca airport is small like Kodiak's, but eveything is modern and there’s internet. I was so upset it couldn’t even be funny like a Hallmark movie about going from NY to Alaska, very upsetting for me. A huge reason my boyfriend and I broke up that summer was me being stuck in Alaska on that island waiting for a flight back to civilization, it was the worst experience of my life I have to say. He thought I just stopped talking to him one day, and I was pretty mad to come back and find that out…. Then, I came home and a friend told me their cruise was not allowed to get off and walk around Kodiak because of things like cell reception not being availible, it gives us horror movie chills… I still have no idea how my mom’s family member could actually live out there, I could not last a week. On landline phones you need to punch in a code before the number to make a call, it was a shock to my brain. Four days of helping my cousin with her life turned into really damaging mine being stuck in the middle of nowhere. It was like going to another planet, I never imagined could exist in the modern world. Some of my bigger trips have made me feel like Florida is the safe place to go on a vacation. Incidently running at sea level has always been more fun for me than running at altitude. I was really vocal about these issues as soon as I came back from my trip, with the airline and actually law enforcement as well. I still feel like there should be a warning before flying somewhere with a different way of life, I would not have gone to Kodiak if I knew my phone would not work or the only hotel would not feel comfortable letting a woman have a room, I could have paid that hotel anything and they would not let me stay there alone. Where I went as an alternative to a hotel, the 'ex-family friend’ charged me twice over what they make in a week or maybe even two up there working in Kodiak, and I still feel like it sketchy letting them have that check, that trip was a living nightmare on nightmares. I would be happy to go the rest of my life literally never thinking about those old family friends post that hustle, nor my ex uncle who probably just wanted my boyfriend to break up with me and make my phone not work, because my life was too perfect before that trip. Being punished for helping my little cousin get into college off the island just a year earlier, it blew their minds. A real life game of would you rather, waiting for it to not be too foggy to fly to Anchorage. Terror Lake to Bates Motel to going out to a restaurant ordering dejourno pizza… I travel all the time and do not have those issues.
Yeah, my silver lining to a nightmare trip was altitude training, but it is scary to think my phone never worked running around those mountains. Something to think about.
All my scandals keep this blog interesting.
Lucy is a princess chihuahua!😍
I can always count on Luna for an A+++++++ marathon runner standard!!😍 The chihuahua who does it all.
MDI was hard for me the second time around, after hurting my knees, foot and wrist the spring before. My ex-boyfriend definitely let me know he didn’t understand why it took me so long, he said it wasn’t really a high elevation.😜 I found their remark outstanding, because I have run a very very elite standard half-marathon time, in a city where he lives sometimes. It should have been fun for them. He never congratulated me, so I don’t know what they wanted, because that’s as cool as long distance running can be. I’ll probably do that half again or the full and they’ll wanna talk to someone who placed two spots higher than me within thirty seconds instead, and his family will be so embarrassed. Sometimes, me and his mom speak French to eachother when he brings someone not invited to dinner and we don’t want them to understand us. I’m sorta happy we had a relationship from a young age before that adult chapter where it never ends, atleast I’m not the one trying to date him; he is only one year older than me and we both like running sneakers. I’m also happy we went to completely different schools all our lives and have zero mutual friends or professional contacts except one if I’m dabbling. So mean to me omg, he is banned from all my races and playing make believe gossip girl at Starbucks. Maybe I’ll just be a wallstreet shark post math phd, it clearly cannot be that hard, it was fun that one week I got to go work with him and wallstreet shark shadow… I don’t have the stomach for his job, I’ll be a better education or researchy personnel by thirty and thriving. If I were ever cool for running fast he destroyed that time in my life. On the other hand they are the reason I worked so hard in my homeschooling to be smart like him, like playing lacrosse with my best friend to make club. I wasted my cool running years on him, but whatever… Some people are never satisfied. 🙈🙉🙊
However, my donors and close friends loved the bracelets I made and donating to St. Jude, both privately and on the race fundraising page, especailly my Shriner uncle! 😸 Pushing myself and uncle whom is a Shriner to be the best versions of ourselves with my marathon was an awesome life decision. We made a joke about the competition, he is a generous man I have to tell you; just point to the cause you want him to help and he will do it without question. Running for something bigger than yourself is always a bonus, especially for me when I knew I would be slower post injuries. My singlet came the week after my race from a neighbors house, but atleast my black tank matches everything. I have a top drawer full of St.Jude singlets and lacrosse pinnies. There is always a way for positivity through running. 😍
My pretty little girls!!😍
This Valentine’s Day is being spent with my sister. I think my worst was two years ago, after the worst break up of my life, not because I swapped love for working as much as possible. I was working in NYC, and left my purse in my office with my phone whilst talking to my boss in her office. In that meeting, someone else in the office compromised my entire purse, from using cash, my cards and uber account to get home an hour outward… They ordered custom boxer underwear for someone special that said “Porperty of (insert be name here).” That underwear, and car parts and uber and such really added up, and started quite the conversation with not just my boss and security, but the police and every financial account related to my wallet. Atleast everything was easily traced back to her home address and such. Afterwards the girl told me that I did not have a valentine to buy custom underwear for, instead of apologizing for a felony. The worst thing was the bank wouldnt give it back, and she could not afford to give me back what she took, I pretty robbed. All of the people I could have help me before spending ten grand on a lawsuit were the worst so I just let it go to not listen to them speak in a certain tone. This was one of the most frustrating situations that I have ever encountered in my life. Hopefully, this V Day with my sister tops the one from two years ago… Never forget to lock your office door is the moral of that story. 😉 People see me coming a mile away…
