All my adoring fans (Tony!) are a little bitter since I have been completely absent from my blog since October. So,therefore, as we begin the new year, it's time to get back on that horse and "blog on" I say! I have much to talk about as we are just finishing a busy and somewhat crazy holiday season. We started December with a trip to Washington DC, so I felt it only appropriate to ruminate on that for a bit.
Mark and I spent 4 days ambling through our nation's capital. Through that we learned several things. One, it pays to join the Omni Hotels Frequent Guest Program, so you get free coffee delivered to your room every day. Two, the Metro is a great way to get around DC, and the escalators are a great way to conquer one's fear of heights and crippling vertigo. Three, no commerce is transacted in DC with the exception of stores and restaurants. What I mean is; thousands and thousands of people work in DC but they don't produce anything. They all work for the freaking government.
Everywhere you go, it's an exercise in bureaucracy. I was amazed that when we visited the Capitol building and went to the House gallery to view our lawmakers in action (I should say "inaction") We had to check our electronics to ensure we weren't taking any illegal photos of "San Fran Nan" or Barney Frank (right!). Then when we went down the hall to go to the Senate Gallery, we were directed to go downstairs and pick up our electronics, then go to the "senate security office (50 feet away) and check our electronics there. Why? So 17 more government employees can have a job.
There are two gift shops at the Capitol. They are 100 feet apart and they both carry the same items. Is this necessary?
We walked all over DC....every building was a government agency of some kind. Hundreds of them. The EPA, The ATF, The FBI, The bureau of toilet tissue. You get my point. The thing has gotten out of control. As you can imagine, Marker Parker was a hoot through this whole thing. I have a great picture of him in front of the Capitol giving the finger and a big FU to our elected officials(with a special shout out to Pelosi) His Obama jokes were great and I think he really enjoyed the trip. We were a bit concerned about the Phillipine Embassy. As we were walking by, we noticed it appeared as if the Philiipine Delegation had abrubtly moved out with now forwarding address...weird.
But, did I mention the restaurants? We had some great meals (and copious cocktails) in DC. I think the Old Ebbit Grill was probably my favorite. They make a mean dirty martini and their steaks were great. We enjoyed strolling through the Ellipse and looking at all the Christmas Trees including the big one. They had a fire pit where some poor bastard from the Park's Service had to keep loading logs to keep the tourists warm. (Although Mark was convinced that they were burning documents). Speaking of documents we went to the National Archives and had a lot of laughs recalling that Democratic doofus who stuffed the "docs in his socks." (Sandy Berger).
Finally, on the last night we were there, we had dinner at the Darlington House with some friends who recently moved to Baltimore. Dinner was great, although, Mark was having difficulty with the Obama "HOPE" paraphernalia that covered the walls. It was a lovely dinner and a great way to round out the trip.
Overall, we had a great time despite our somewhat jaded view of our government. Oh and did I mention that I was there for a business conference? But I won't bore you with the details of the Student Loan Industry. I'll save that for another blog.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Dempsey Challenge
I participated in the Inaugural "Dempsey Challenge" yesterday. Many people don't realize that Patrick Dempsey (aka Dr. McDreamy) is from Buckfield Maine and went to high school in the Lewiston area. So, when he decided to "give back to his community" he founded "The Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing" at CMMC in Lewiston. The Dempsey Challenge included several cycling events as well as a 5K race. Patrick did the 50 mile ride.....since I look ridiculous in bike shorts, I did the 5K run. (Patrick, by the way looks fantastic in bike shorts). The sky was gray and it was kind of damp and cold yesterday morning as we gathered in the staging areas for our various events. People stood around, drank coffee, ate bagels and waited for the event to begin. At about 7:45, Patrick (we're on a first name basis now) stepped up to the stage and look out at the 3500 participants and the look on his face was absolutely priceless.
I wish I could have known what was going through his mind at that moment. Pride, amazement, gratitude, all of the above probably. I think he truly was amazed at what he had started. There were teams of people in matching t-shirts. Many had a motivation...a picture of a relative who had died of cancer......a friend who was a survivor, some were survivors themselves...living to tell their tale. I choked up then, and I choke up now just thinking about it. So inspiring. The Maine State Police were 140 members strong on their team, in their matching blue shirts, running the 5k and shouting out their cheers.
The most striking group for me was "Ali's Rack Pack." A group of women all in pink t-shirts, wearing festively adorned bras on the outside of their t-shirts. A rowdy bunch who smiled from ear to ear as they headed to the start line. What I only found out later, is this group was walking in memory of their friend, sister, mother, daughter, Ali who had passed away from Breast Cancer only 3 weeks before. I am sure Ali was smiling down on them yesterday! I am in awe of their grace and determination despite what I am sure is intense grief. And I can only hope that every woman who saw these women....will heed their advice and get a mammogram!
So, I guess all I can say is.....well done Patrick! What started a small way as a way of giving back to the community, quickly became bigger than all of us. I am proud to say I raised almost $900 for the cause, which seems miniscule in contrast the the $1Million raised from the event, but as they say, every little bit counts. I am even prouder to say I will definitely be back next year. This is what life is about. It's cold, damp, tragic, inspiring, funny, grueling, rewarding and so many other things. An event like this helps you remember that.
I hope I never forget.
Jill
By the way, they had an exposition tent and many of the tables were giving away door prizes. Of course, in channeling my Nana, I signed up for every door prize and guess what I won?
FREE BOTOX. So, the next time you see me, if I look slightly surprised...it's not my mood, it's the botox. :-)
I wish I could have known what was going through his mind at that moment. Pride, amazement, gratitude, all of the above probably. I think he truly was amazed at what he had started. There were teams of people in matching t-shirts. Many had a motivation...a picture of a relative who had died of cancer......a friend who was a survivor, some were survivors themselves...living to tell their tale. I choked up then, and I choke up now just thinking about it. So inspiring. The Maine State Police were 140 members strong on their team, in their matching blue shirts, running the 5k and shouting out their cheers.
The most striking group for me was "Ali's Rack Pack." A group of women all in pink t-shirts, wearing festively adorned bras on the outside of their t-shirts. A rowdy bunch who smiled from ear to ear as they headed to the start line. What I only found out later, is this group was walking in memory of their friend, sister, mother, daughter, Ali who had passed away from Breast Cancer only 3 weeks before. I am sure Ali was smiling down on them yesterday! I am in awe of their grace and determination despite what I am sure is intense grief. And I can only hope that every woman who saw these women....will heed their advice and get a mammogram!
So, I guess all I can say is.....well done Patrick! What started a small way as a way of giving back to the community, quickly became bigger than all of us. I am proud to say I raised almost $900 for the cause, which seems miniscule in contrast the the $1Million raised from the event, but as they say, every little bit counts. I am even prouder to say I will definitely be back next year. This is what life is about. It's cold, damp, tragic, inspiring, funny, grueling, rewarding and so many other things. An event like this helps you remember that.
I hope I never forget.
Jill
By the way, they had an exposition tent and many of the tables were giving away door prizes. Of course, in channeling my Nana, I signed up for every door prize and guess what I won?
FREE BOTOX. So, the next time you see me, if I look slightly surprised...it's not my mood, it's the botox. :-)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Friendship
Mark and I have just finished up a lovely weekend with some good friends. On Saturday, we went to their house for a good old downeast lobster boil and then on Sunday, they came to our place for Lobster Bisque and steaks on the grill. Both evenings were wonderful and relaxing and filled with laughter. This particular couple are fairly new friends of ours, as we have only known them for a few years and only recently started seeing them socially. But, talk about kismet, we both have 5 year old kiddos who love to play together, and we have so much in common with them.
So this got me thinking about friendship in general and how, in our crazy hectic lives, we often don't make enough time for adult relationships. Sometimes, we are just so busy running our kids to school and soccer and play dates that we forget that we, the adults, need a social life too. And I totally understand that, for many of us, we have precious little time to spend with our cherubs, that we hate to leave them home with a babysitter on a Saturday night. I get that. That's why I say, schlep em along. I almost always invite the children when I have a couple over for dinner. Because, I know, for some people, it's the only way they will get out of the house.
We do have some friends, who, since they have had children, we rarely see. And that bums me out. I don't want to seem too judgmental here, but I feel that friendship takes work. I know that it's often easier to stay home on a Saturday night, laying on the couch cuddling with your kiddos because this type of behavior makes sure their routine isn't disrupted. And I enjoy that kind of time just as much as the next mom. But, I think, if your doing that every weekend, you are really missing the boat. Sometimes, you have to inconvenience yourself a little bit and pack up the kiddos, put on some lipstick and head over to a friends house. Or, if that's too much for you, invite em over to your place. You really should. Because, otherwise, friendships slip away and you lose touch and then someday, it might be too late to get it back. As a mom, I am simply unwilling to forgo friendship, just because I have children. I think they are even more important now and my friends help me retain some level of my sanity.
Do me a favor..today...call up a friend you haven't seen in a while and make plans to get together soon. Remember what my mom taught me many years ago....
You have to be a friend...to have a friend.
So this got me thinking about friendship in general and how, in our crazy hectic lives, we often don't make enough time for adult relationships. Sometimes, we are just so busy running our kids to school and soccer and play dates that we forget that we, the adults, need a social life too. And I totally understand that, for many of us, we have precious little time to spend with our cherubs, that we hate to leave them home with a babysitter on a Saturday night. I get that. That's why I say, schlep em along. I almost always invite the children when I have a couple over for dinner. Because, I know, for some people, it's the only way they will get out of the house.
We do have some friends, who, since they have had children, we rarely see. And that bums me out. I don't want to seem too judgmental here, but I feel that friendship takes work. I know that it's often easier to stay home on a Saturday night, laying on the couch cuddling with your kiddos because this type of behavior makes sure their routine isn't disrupted. And I enjoy that kind of time just as much as the next mom. But, I think, if your doing that every weekend, you are really missing the boat. Sometimes, you have to inconvenience yourself a little bit and pack up the kiddos, put on some lipstick and head over to a friends house. Or, if that's too much for you, invite em over to your place. You really should. Because, otherwise, friendships slip away and you lose touch and then someday, it might be too late to get it back. As a mom, I am simply unwilling to forgo friendship, just because I have children. I think they are even more important now and my friends help me retain some level of my sanity.
Do me a favor..today...call up a friend you haven't seen in a while and make plans to get together soon. Remember what my mom taught me many years ago....
You have to be a friend...to have a friend.
Monday, August 17, 2009
WEATHER
Have you ever noticed that some people are never happy with the weather? Remember back in June and July when it rained.....like...EVERYDAY? And everyone was bitching and moaning about it. "Hey, I wonder if the sun is ever going to shine again?" "It seems like it rains every day." "It's so damp, I haven't even had to put my air conditioner in the window....this sucks."
Yup, that's what we heard, day in and day out. Oh, I'll admit it, I was saying it too. Then, all of a sudden in August, the sun came out.....and how! I swear that the sun has been shining almost non-stop since August 1st. We have had almost 17 days of straight sunshine. That's a little over two weeks. And now you know what?......people are bitching about the heat. "It's so hot, I can't stand it." "I'm melting." "I wish the sun would go behind the clouds for a second just to cool things off."
Jesus people, make up your mind. It's funny, we have been waiting for this all year and then it gets here and two weeks later, we are bored with it. With football entering pre-season, alot of people are already getting excited about crisp fall days and apple pie and red wine and cider and all that stuff. Now, I love that stuff as much as the next guy, but could I please have just a few weeks of Sangria, Margaritas, Sweet Corn, Fresh Tomatoes and Sunshine before we move on to the next damn season?
I think I finally figured it out....we are a nation of people with short attention spans. We love to "look forward" to things. So much that we don't enjoy it when it gets here because we are on to the next great thing. Do me a favor. Do yourself a favor. Relax. Sit on the deck. Drink some lemonade. Play some volleyball. There will be plenty of time for Hot Toddies and Cider and Beef Stew in November. For now, drink in the sun, enjoy the heat, crank up the AC if you want to .....summer's here and it will be gone before you know it.
Yup, that's what we heard, day in and day out. Oh, I'll admit it, I was saying it too. Then, all of a sudden in August, the sun came out.....and how! I swear that the sun has been shining almost non-stop since August 1st. We have had almost 17 days of straight sunshine. That's a little over two weeks. And now you know what?......people are bitching about the heat. "It's so hot, I can't stand it." "I'm melting." "I wish the sun would go behind the clouds for a second just to cool things off."
Jesus people, make up your mind. It's funny, we have been waiting for this all year and then it gets here and two weeks later, we are bored with it. With football entering pre-season, alot of people are already getting excited about crisp fall days and apple pie and red wine and cider and all that stuff. Now, I love that stuff as much as the next guy, but could I please have just a few weeks of Sangria, Margaritas, Sweet Corn, Fresh Tomatoes and Sunshine before we move on to the next damn season?
I think I finally figured it out....we are a nation of people with short attention spans. We love to "look forward" to things. So much that we don't enjoy it when it gets here because we are on to the next great thing. Do me a favor. Do yourself a favor. Relax. Sit on the deck. Drink some lemonade. Play some volleyball. There will be plenty of time for Hot Toddies and Cider and Beef Stew in November. For now, drink in the sun, enjoy the heat, crank up the AC if you want to .....summer's here and it will be gone before you know it.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
FORTY! (i even spelled it right)
Well, here I am....it's my birthday and I am now......40 years old! And you know what? I feel freaking fantastic. I have a fresh manicure, pedicure, eyebrow wax.....I feel like a hundred dollars. All day, I have received warm thoughts and messages from friends far and wide wishing me a happy birthday. How great is that!?! I went out to lunch at the Sea Dog with Matty P. and we had fun putting together his new Lego Pirate Raft (It's my birthday and he gets a present-go figure). I came home and worked in the yard for a few hours and now I just cracked the cork on a lovely Pinot Grigio. A good friend is coming over shortly to help me celebrate my 40th birthday happy hour. It's all good. So, the day I have been dreading is here and it ain't half bad. A friend at work got me this book, it's called "How not to look old." She did it as a goof, but I must tell you, I love it. Since I started reading it I have switched lipstick colors, reconsidered bangs and had my eyebrows shaped differently. How handy! I am always amazed at the thoughtfulness of others. A dear old friend who I haven't seen in years because she lives far away sent me the most amazing care package. It included a big ol wine glass (we all know I can use that) a "Seventeen" magazine (you're never too old for boyfriend tips) and a Super Leopard Print Snuggie Deluxe....aka the WTF blanket. This little package made my day. Not merely for the contents, but more for the warmth and caring that went into it. It's amazing because this woman changed my life when I had the honor of working for her because she was truly one of the greatest leaders I have ever encountered, but now today, so many years later, she still continues to make an impact on me. Thank you Jody, you are still an Amazing Woman and great friend. Another great friend got me this book called, "Run Like a Girl, Igniting the spark for your next great adventure." It is beautiful and perfect and such a thoughtful gift, I get all Vklempt just reading it.
So, to all of you who I have been whining to about my 40th birthday for months and months....sorry. It's actually not bad at all. I feel great....my boobs are still in the right place....I still have the greatest husband in the world who loves me unconditionally....I still have the best friends anyone could ever ask for....I have a strong faith in god.....and a truly blessed life. I am looking forward to the next 40 years. I hope you all come along with me for the ride on my "next great adventure."
J
So, to all of you who I have been whining to about my 40th birthday for months and months....sorry. It's actually not bad at all. I feel great....my boobs are still in the right place....I still have the greatest husband in the world who loves me unconditionally....I still have the best friends anyone could ever ask for....I have a strong faith in god.....and a truly blessed life. I am looking forward to the next 40 years. I hope you all come along with me for the ride on my "next great adventure."
J
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Saying Goodbye
My heart is breaking. Right this very second, it feels as if it has been ripped into small pieces. We just said goodbye to our 14 year old daughter. She is moving to Oklahoma to live with her mother. (I am her step-mom). We have known this day was coming for months now and we had plenty of time to prepare, but that doesn't change the fact that, this morning, I am devastated. We are devastated. We all know that someday, we will say goodbye to our children and send them out in to the world, I just didn't think it would be this soon. There's so much I still have to say, so much to teach her and tell her. There are so many hugs that I am missing already. Cuddles and the soft sound of her saying, "I love you" from down the hallway. God I am going to miss that.
It's not like we are saying goodbye forever, she will be back for Thanksgiving break and Christmas Break and Summer Vacation, but that gives me little solace right now. It's hard to imagine life at Parker's Nest without her. I am sure we will adjust and adapt and find ways to connect with her via email and phone and facebook, whatever it takes. But for right now...none of that gives me much peace. I just wanted that plane to turn around and bring her back right this very second. That's not going to happen though. And that's why my heart is breaking. and that's all I have to say about that.
It's not like we are saying goodbye forever, she will be back for Thanksgiving break and Christmas Break and Summer Vacation, but that gives me little solace right now. It's hard to imagine life at Parker's Nest without her. I am sure we will adjust and adapt and find ways to connect with her via email and phone and facebook, whatever it takes. But for right now...none of that gives me much peace. I just wanted that plane to turn around and bring her back right this very second. That's not going to happen though. And that's why my heart is breaking. and that's all I have to say about that.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Beach 2 Beacon Redux...
I am laying on my bed right now.....5 days before my 40th birthday. I have a frozen bottle of water at the end of the bed icing my heel and I have a huge bag of "Party Ice" resting on my right hip and I feel fantastic. I just ran my 4th Beach 2 Beacon 10K this morning. On 5 hours sleep. Ya see, I took our 14 year old daughter to see Taylor Swift last night at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. We left Boston at about 10:00 PM, got back to the hotel in Scarborough at Midnight. I fell asleep at 1:00 and I was up at 6:00 AM this morning to get ready for the race.
I finished this year's race with my worst 10k time ever....1:10:59. I still feel marvelous about it. Let me run down the morning's events and maybe you will understand where I am coming from.
It was a warm (ok, hot) August morning. When I got to the start, I was very discombobulated and somewhat foggy due to my lack of sleep. Usually, I get there really early, do a warm up run and ton of stretches. I had time for none of that this morning. I got there, met up with my friend Leslie and immediately got in the portapotty line. 20 minutes later, it was 5 minutes to eight and we had to start queueing up. The gun goes off, we walk for about 500 yards because there are so many runners, but finally we start running. I felt pretty good to start off but somewhere after mile one....a dreadful ache started building in my right hip. It's been happening on and off lately so this is nothing new. So , I sent Leslie ahead and I started walking. Now, the young immature 39 year old me wanted to keep running, damn the pain to hell. The smart, more mature 40 year old me....decided not to be stupid and to take it easy. After about 1/4 mile, I started jogging again, nice and easy, and it felt....ok. Not great, but ok.
Now, did I mention it was hot.......like Africa Hot. Fortunately the good people of Cape Elizabeth like to cheer on us B2B runners and spray us with their garden hoses. BEAUTIFUL!
As I continued to chug along at a penguin's pace ( a little shout out to Mr. Bingham) I started this great, positive conversation with myself. "Jill, you're gonna be 40 in 5 days and you are out on the road, listening to the pounding of your own feet on the pavement as you finish your 4th 10K and your 8th race this summer!" I felt like a Rock Star. I would look to the side of the road and some great spectator would say something like, "You're awesome Jill (my name is on my bib)"
So.....I ground it out.....and it was probably the most rewarding race I have ever run. I realized that all that crap about "woe is me, I am turning 40" is just crap. Being 40 just means I am a little older, a little wiser and not afraid to come in 4,965th out of 5,600 runners. Who cares where I finished....the bottom line is.....I finished.
Now, let's not kid ourselves...I am really sore right now and I likely will be even more achy tomorrow. But that's just a nice reminder...of my accomplishment.
So let's look back to when I started this blog last Thanksgiving. All jammed up about turning 40 years old. Vowing to train for a half marathon and lose weight in the process before I turn 40. I am not ashamed to tell you that I haven't (yet) run the 1/2 Marathon. I am also not ashamed to tell you that I haven't lost much weight either. But I did "Run to Fourty" (note I mispelled fourty on purpose) and I feel great. And I am going to keep running to my next birthday and the next and the next. I am a runner. I run like a girl. And that feels freaking fantastic!
I finished this year's race with my worst 10k time ever....1:10:59. I still feel marvelous about it. Let me run down the morning's events and maybe you will understand where I am coming from.
It was a warm (ok, hot) August morning. When I got to the start, I was very discombobulated and somewhat foggy due to my lack of sleep. Usually, I get there really early, do a warm up run and ton of stretches. I had time for none of that this morning. I got there, met up with my friend Leslie and immediately got in the portapotty line. 20 minutes later, it was 5 minutes to eight and we had to start queueing up. The gun goes off, we walk for about 500 yards because there are so many runners, but finally we start running. I felt pretty good to start off but somewhere after mile one....a dreadful ache started building in my right hip. It's been happening on and off lately so this is nothing new. So , I sent Leslie ahead and I started walking. Now, the young immature 39 year old me wanted to keep running, damn the pain to hell. The smart, more mature 40 year old me....decided not to be stupid and to take it easy. After about 1/4 mile, I started jogging again, nice and easy, and it felt....ok. Not great, but ok.
Now, did I mention it was hot.......like Africa Hot. Fortunately the good people of Cape Elizabeth like to cheer on us B2B runners and spray us with their garden hoses. BEAUTIFUL!
As I continued to chug along at a penguin's pace ( a little shout out to Mr. Bingham) I started this great, positive conversation with myself. "Jill, you're gonna be 40 in 5 days and you are out on the road, listening to the pounding of your own feet on the pavement as you finish your 4th 10K and your 8th race this summer!" I felt like a Rock Star. I would look to the side of the road and some great spectator would say something like, "You're awesome Jill (my name is on my bib)"
So.....I ground it out.....and it was probably the most rewarding race I have ever run. I realized that all that crap about "woe is me, I am turning 40" is just crap. Being 40 just means I am a little older, a little wiser and not afraid to come in 4,965th out of 5,600 runners. Who cares where I finished....the bottom line is.....I finished.
Now, let's not kid ourselves...I am really sore right now and I likely will be even more achy tomorrow. But that's just a nice reminder...of my accomplishment.
So let's look back to when I started this blog last Thanksgiving. All jammed up about turning 40 years old. Vowing to train for a half marathon and lose weight in the process before I turn 40. I am not ashamed to tell you that I haven't (yet) run the 1/2 Marathon. I am also not ashamed to tell you that I haven't lost much weight either. But I did "Run to Fourty" (note I mispelled fourty on purpose) and I feel great. And I am going to keep running to my next birthday and the next and the next. I am a runner. I run like a girl. And that feels freaking fantastic!
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