May 12th 2013 05:21:58 pm

Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms out there, but especially my mom, who, let’s face it, is really the best.

I don’t know if Mom will be thrilled with the photo I chose this year… but I’ve already shared many of my other favorites here, here, and here. Now that I am actually older than my mom was in most of these photos, friends keep saying how alike we look… which I don’t mind at all.

No Comments » Categories: Family, holidays

Feb 15th 2013 12:40:10 pm

Someone very kind and special to me passed away last week.

I was lucky to have known Travis’ grandmother, Vicky Johnson, for nearly half of my life… and I will miss her for the rest of it.

Vicky was always sweet to me. Remarkably so. One small example: When I transferred to Graceland University my freshman year of college, she sent me a long, hand-written letter describing her experiences there in the 1940s. I was touched then, but now, in retrospect, that gesture seems incredibly kind and welcoming. I was just some 19-year-old girl dating her grandson then. She had no way to know if we’d last… or maybe she did.

Vicky made me feel loved. I hope I did the same for her.

Vicky painted the flowers you see above. She was very crafty and I have kept all of the handmade greeting cards she sent over the last few years.

Travis and I are on our way to California for VIcky’s funeral tomorrow. It will be good to see family.

1 Comment » Categories: Family, Feeling Sad

Jan 2nd 2013 07:12:45 pm

2013! Let’s do this! But first, let’s look back on 2012. Here are some of the highlights:

• I attended Alt Summit in Salt Lake City.
• I turned 31.
• I ran the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at DisneyLand with Chelsea.
• I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans with my brother Seth.
• I went to a taping of the Wendy Williams Show.
• I reviewed a bunch of delicious, new, Brooklyn restaurants: Mile End, Fort Reno, Talde, Pok Pok NY, and Brooklyn Crab.
• I ran the San Diego Marathon 12 years after the first time I ran it in 2000.
• I went camping with friends at Mongaup Pond.
• I took a bunch of jump shots with friends at The Color Run.
• I participated in the 200-mile Reach the Beach relay with The Warriors!
• Dad came to run a 10k in NYC with me.
• I got a personal record at the Staten Island Half Marathon.
• I had fun at the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco.
• I survived Hurricane Sandy.
• I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in my fastest time yet!
• I hosted Thanksgiving.
• I traveled home for Christmas.
• I attended an awesome New Year’s Eve Prom party!

There was a lot of running in 2012… we’ll see if I can keep it going this year.

What were your 2012 highlights?

No Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Family, Friends, running

Dec 24th 2012 01:15:15 pm

Happy Christmas Eve!

The plan was to be in Kansas City right now… but holiday chaos acts in mysterious ways.

We were involuntarily bumped from our flight last night. So, we got ourselves back to our place for one more night in BK. We will be back at the airport later today. Not great, but Delta airlines was actually quite generous in their apology, so we are taking the Christmas delay in stride.

Chaos and all, I am excited to spend time with my family this week. I hope everyone has a magical night and a wonderful holiday!

1 Comment » Categories: Christmas, Crusher, Family, Feeling Happy, holidays, Trips

Dec 18th 2012 11:03:28 am

Holidays of yore…

Holiday parties…

Holiday runs…

I am really looking forward to our holiday trip this year. I can’t wait to relax with family and check out of the real world for a while.

What are your holiday plans?

1 Comment » Categories: Christmas, Family, holidays

Nov 9th 2012 11:10:28 am

It is my mom’s birthday today… Happy birthday, Mom!!

The photo above is from 1980 — I think — isn’t she beautiful?

As is becoming my blog birthday tradition, I’ve compiled some fun facts about my mom… enjoy!

Top Ten Fun Facts about my Mom:

1. She was born third out of six children. I have a lot of cousins!
2. She has four children. But I was her first!
3. She absolutely loves animals, especially her Pomeranian, Queequeg.
4. Her favorite food is ice cream.
5. She was a skilled and truly impressive homemaker and mother. She led us in crafts, took us on nature hikes, made us three incredibly healthy meals a day (I can’t even imagine how many carrot chips she cut!), read to us, did laundry EVERY SINGLE DAY, hosted parties, made awesome pancakes, chicken fingers, and spaghetti, trusted us, loved us, and somehow also managed to sew elaborate Halloween costumes, like this one. Wow. The older I get, the more and more impressed I am with everything she accomplished.
6. She had a crush on Launchpad McQuack. (We watched a lot of DuckTales — woo oo — at our house.)
7. She is very open minded. She likes everything from fine literature and foreign films to Twilight and American Idol… and everything in between!
8. She has never missed an episode of Saturday Night Live. She has also never stayed awake through a full episode of Saturday Night Live.
9. For a few years she worked as the cashier at the middle school lunch room. It was her favorite job because she loved the kids. She memorized all of their names.
10. She is without a doubt the best mother in the world. That is a fact. (She would occasionally whisper in each of her children’s ears that they were her favorite. Though it may not seem possible, I think she meant it every time.)

Do you know my mom? Add more fun facts about her in the comments!

7 Comments » Categories: Birthday, Family

Oct 24th 2012 02:02:56 pm

I know, I know… I’ve run a lot of races this year. But our trip to San Francisco last weekend was more for fun than for fast race times. Travis and I decided on the trip earlier this year when our sister Chelsea joined Team In Training in Kansas City to train for the Nike Women’s Marathon.

It was Chelsea’s first full marathon and we were excited to be there for it. She was great. Travis ran around the course cheering, and I was so pleased to get to run with Chelsea and her friend Amelia for a few minutes at mile 25. Like nearly all first timers, the exhaustion at the end of the race shocked her, but she was very strong and made it to the end without any trouble! Such a fun accomplishment and so exhilarating! Congrats, Chels!

I only ran the Half Marathon. Since I had raced the Staten Island Half the week before (and got a surprisingly speedy time) and am gearing up for the NYC Marathon as my main race this season, I planned to just have a ton of fun on the Nike Women’s course. My plan worked out even better than I had hoped!!

I ran with my friends and TNT teammates, Pam and Cynthia Narozny. Pam and Cynthia have a strong connection to the TNT cause. Their mother, Carolann, passed away after a 3 year battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1997. Our trip to SF corresponded with what would have been Carolann’s 59th birthday and we ran in memory and honor of her.

The three of us had a wild time on the course. We took photos at every mile marker, filmed some video, posed with a Telletubby, took time out for a few additional fitness moves, lamented our non-existent view of the Golden Gate Bridge, danced to “Call Me Maybe,” acted tough for our coaches, and ultimately, got our Tiffany necklaces at the finish line.

I definitely set a Personal Record at Nike Women’s… a Personal Record for fun!!

See all the photos from SF in my Flickr Set.

4 Comments » Categories: Family, running, Team In Training, Trips

Sep 26th 2012 04:55:53 pm

So many fun weekends in a row! On Friday, my dad came to New York to run the Run 10 Feed 10 race with me on Sunday. Dad has taken up running recently and has already completed a bunch of 5Ks and 10Ks. I’m very impressed with his progress.

We didn’t have time to do too much sight seeing, but we managed to hit up L&B Spumoni Garden, Rockefeller Center, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Times Square, the Brooklyn Museum, Franny’s, and The Chocolate Room.

The race itself was an out-and-back 10K on the West Side Highway. It was well organized and a lot of fun. In his recap, Dad says that I pushed him to go faster than he was used to, but I didn’t intend to. He was strong and steady and didn’t express any distress. It was a great Sunday recovery run for me and I was happy to have a running buddy. It was a lot of fun. And as is the tradition, we had a delicious brunch afterward. Perfect!

You can see more photos from our weekend together on Flickr.

3 Comments » Categories: Family, New York, running

Jul 15th 2012 06:03:45 pm

It has been a BIG summer. It is only half over, but I feel like I have already packed it as full as possible with fun adventures. Including…

Lake Placid

The weekend after I completed the San Diego marathon, Travis and I piled in a van with a few of our friends and drove upstate to cheer on our teammates in the Lake Placid full and half marathons. It was a quick, one-night trip, but we had a great time dancing on the side of the road and eating Purple Cows at Stewies. View the full photo set.

Heather’s Wedding

My cousin Heather was married on June 15th in Rhode Island. The event was beautiful and I had a great time running the cliffs in Newport, visiting with my cousins, and dancing at the reception. View the full photo set.

Mom & Dad visit NY

After the wedding, mom and dad traveled with us by train to New York City. We had three fun days of eating pizza, donuts, visiting the Tenement Museum, and exploring the Cloisters. View the full photo set.

Camping at Mongaup Pond

At the end of June, my friends Joel and Casey planned an awesome upstate camping trip. We had a great, relaxing long weekend of putting up tents, swimming in the pond, making S’mores, and getting shushed by the park rangers for laughing too much. Such a great time. I hope to do it again before the summer ends. View the full photo set.

Fourth of July

The Wednesday holiday started with a seven mile run to Coney Island, a dip in the ocean, Nathan’s hot dogs, and the Cyclone roller coaster. An epic Brooklyn morning. In the evening we had some friends over to watch fireworks from our roof. View the full photo set.

Boilermaker 15k

While Travis was in Kansas City going to the All Star game with his dad, I went on one more quick, impromptu road trip upstate to run the Boilermaker 15k in Utica. The race is a huge small town event and it was amazing. The whole town came out to cheer and there were popsicles and beer and music. I recommend it. View the full photo set.

More and more running

Travis and I are a month into our Fall season with Team in Training, and like usual, we are having a great time. Running has nearly taken over my life, but I couldn’t be happier. My training is going very well (so far) this season. I feel strong. I have ambitious goals. I hope to never stop. View the full photo set.

In between all of this fun, I’ve been working hard on Swap-bot and doing a large amount of volunteer work for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am definitely staying busy. What have you been up to this summer?

3 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Exercise, Family, Feeling Happy, Friends, holidays, New York, running, Trips

Jun 1st 2012 05:32:34 am

Woah. 30. This is a big time birthday for my younger brother, Seth! How in the world can those two little pumpkins now be in their thirties?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Top Ten Seth Fun Facts:

1. He is an environmental engineer working in Little Rock, AR.
2. He spent two years in Kenya with the Peace Corps where he taught high school and became certified in scuba diving.
3. He likes to cook and experiments with many unique dishes, like savory oatmeal with tuna.
4. He is easy and fun to travel with, which I think is the mark of a good person and a good friend. We had a great time traveling to Mardi Gras together in February.
5. He owns an original 1979 Obi-Wan Kenobi figurine.
6. Crusher thinks he is the coolest.
7. He loves nature and hiking. He climbs Pinnacle Mountain at least once nearly every weekend.
8. Facts submitted by Travis: he is an eagle scout, he has a cool car (Toyota Prius), he likes the outdoors, he knows everything about every movie.
9. He loves comedy and stand-up comedians. Hearing Seth laugh uncontrollably is one of the best sounds in the world!
10. He is funny, kind, generous, and one of the best brothers in the world!

I love you, Seth! You are one of my most favorite people in the world!

2 Comments » Categories: Birthday, Family