Birthday - Hawaiian Style

This is what 48 looks like!

I spent 8 days and 7 nights on the Big Island of Hawaii for my birthday. Paradise! The weather was expected to be gray and raining the entire time, but we lucked out! It was 90 and sunny at least part of every day we were there. We hiked the lava fields, saw the glowing lava at sunset, played in the pools and on the water slides, tested the water on paddle boards, ran a 5k, and I had several beverages with umbrellas! It was a great vacation and a great way to celebrate my birthday!

47 is out with a splash!

Can't wait to see what this next year has in store for me!

Kona 5K



Tiara for my B-Day!



Spring Races

The spring was full of some race challenges. I was really sick with bronchitis for several weeks early this year, but even after being only about 70% recovered, I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K with my friends Teresa and Blair on March 1st. It was a long 9.3 miles. For the first time in my race history, I actually had to stop and walk one of the hills. I wasn't happy with my finish time, but was happy that I didn't quit and finished the entire 9.3 miles.

In April, I ran the Seattle Seahawks 12K. This time Mark and Blair joined me. This was Mark's first official running race (in years). He and I stayed together the entire race. He claims I threw him into the fence at the finish line, but I just passed the woman in front of me and did, in fact, beat Mark across the finish line. It was fun to do together and my time was faster than last year's Seahawks 12K.




 
For the 2nd year in a row, I joined Team UBS to run the Susan G Komen Race for a Cure 5K. This is a fun event with my co-workers that is rounded out by a delicious brunch at Paseo's following the race. Kaitlyn joined me for this event, although she didn't run, she was the support team, holding all of our stuff, and even watching one of my co-workers little boys while we ran. She's such a good sport!

There was also the Strip on the Strip 5K in Vegas (see previous post) and the Brooks Trailrun 10K in May. The 10K was awful, I really wasn't in shape to run 6.2 miles and my time showed it. I have another 10k in July, but not sure I'll fair much better then. The weather has been exceptionally warm, which is my excuse for not getting my butt out there to run!

VEGAS BABY!

Took a weekend trip to Vegas with my girlfriend Aimee. The goal was to run the Strip On The Strip 5k race. I was successful in my attempt, which was pretty amazing since I went to bed after midnight on Friday night, after a little "vegas activity" and got up at 6:15 a.m. to head to the race. My time wasn't great, but I finished and got the medal, which is all that really counts.

Ended up celebrating as a Divorced Diva over the weekend, which wasn't originally the plan, but the timing worked out perfectly.
Did lots of walking and shopping, and drinking (duh, it's Vegas!). Came home with a new cocktail dress, jewelry, coffee mug, personalized M&Ms, and the all important Divorced Diva sash! Oddly, I didn't do much gambling, which based on my Visa bill when i got back, was a wise choice! :)
Michael, the bartender at Paris where we stayed, knew exactly how to make my Mimosa! He was ever so entertaining to visit, which we did on a few occassions!
I saw my first Vegas show - Le' Rev at the Wynn. It was AMAZING! I've never seen such amazing athletes. It was incredible and well worth the $125 ticket price.
After the show, we went to the Bourbon Room bar at the Venitian, where I literally got picked up by a Marine. There is a picture to prove it! It was such a fun night of dancing! I have blisters on my toes to prove it! We closed the bar at 5 a.m. and were the last to leave, which we finally realized when the music stopped and no one else was around. Finally made it back to my room at 7 a.m. Sunday morning. Too bad we had to be checked out of our room by 11:00! The night, and a trip to Vegas, wouldn't have been complete without some creepy French dude propositioning me in the casino a little before 7 a.m. Of course, I was sitting there in a cocktail dress with my shoes in my hand, I must have made a sight! :)
It was a great trip and exactly what the doctor ordered!

Life is Messy and Suprising!

Life is Messy and Surprising!! After almost 15 years together, Tim and I finally agreed that our relationship was making both of us miserable. Life is too short to be unhappy all the time! We filed for divorce in November. I stayed busy with Kaitlyn's wedding and my running. Having just ended a long term relationship, I wasn't really looking for a new relationship. I hoped to date and learn how to interact with the opposite sex again (when they aren't my husband). Apparently, God had another plan for me. He put this amazingly sweet man named Mark in my life. At first glance, I didn't think anything would come of this, other than a few dates and maybe a new friendship. Well, I was wrong! When we are together, it feels so easy and comfortable, like we've been together for 20 years, not 6 weeks. We spent a great weekend away for Valentine's Day. It was so relaxing and enjoyable. I have no idea what the long term future holds, but for now I am extremely happy and extremely grateful for the blessings in my life.

 

 

First Kiss!

She's Married!

Pre-wedding toast!

 My baby girl got married!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Johnson!

It was an amazing day! I had the most beautiful and happy bride on my hands.

My 4 crazy kids!

The happy (and adorable) couple!

Mother of the bride with her lovely niece and loving cousin!

And that makes 3! Three Half Marathons in 2014!

When I decided to run my first half marathon in January of this year, never, ever, ever, did I dream I would ever run a 2nd one, much less 2 more!

Last weekend I traveled to Las Vegas with 3 of my girlfriends to run the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon with 40,000 of our closest friends!
There is a lot of stress in my life right now and I wasn't even sure the day before the race that I could pull this one off. I had trained for the race, but not as well as I had trained for the race in Seattle in June. My head is always my worst enemy, second guessing myself and getting stuck in all the crap I am emotionally dealing with these days. As most of you know, I am one determined lady! So, the morning of the race I was nervous, but I was going to give it my best shot! It was really cold and windy, but there is something about running down the Las Vegas strip at night with all the lights that is kind of invigorating. I felt pretty good through the first 8 miles, and even where the wheels typically come off at mile 10, I was holding in there. By mile 11, I was really tired, but I knew I was close to the finish. My time was also on track to finish ahead of my Seattle time. I pushed ahead and did indeed finish this 3rd half marathon in my fastest time yet.

I am extremely proud of myself that I could accomplish this! Just two and a half years ago, I couldn't run around the block!

It was an amazing weekend with some amazing women! I am truly blessed to call these women my friends! It's just an added bonus that we are all crazy enough to run these races!

2nd Half Marathon in 2014

 Saturday I did something that I never would have dreamed possible 2 short years ago...I finished my 2nd Half Marathon in 2014. That's 13.1 miles, not once, but twice!
In January, I ran the Rock & Roll Half Marathon in Phoenix, AZ with my friend Christa. I picked that race for my first one since it was supposed to be really flat and easy. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done and was so freaking proud of myself for crossing that finish line. I had a time in my head that I wanted to finish, but unfortunately, I missed that goal by 2 minutes. I was bummed.
Well this last weekend I tackled it again. This time it was the Seattle Rock & Roll Half Marathon. Those of you that know Seattle meant there were going to be some hills in this race, which there were. The race itself was much better than the one in AZ, but again, once you hit Mile #10, it gets really challenging. There is a battle in my head between the side of my brain that wants me to stop and the side of my brain that refuses to let me stop. Even with the hills, I finished the Seattle race 4 minutes faster than I did the AZ race, beating my goal time.
I can't believe how far I've come in the past 27 months. When I started this journey I weighed 50 pounds more than I do now and I couldn't run down the block. I've now run over 1200 miles in the last 2 years and I've run 15 5Ks, 2 10Ks, a 12k, a 15k, and 2 Half Marathons. Every time I'm training for one of these races, after I finish, and especially when I'm out there running it, I swear I'm never going to do it again. Then a funny thing happens a few days later, I go looking for the next challenge. I think I'm over Half Marathons, but I do like the look of those pretty medals. My friends keep asking me to do another one, so who knows what the future brings. I wouldn't have thought it would bring the last 2, so I better be open to anything coming down the road!

Cousins Visit!

Seattle Wheel
Derek, Tim, Christina, Craig, Charlie, Rose,
 Derek, Shelby, Trever, Kaitlyn

Last weekend we had a memorial service for my sister. Although the occasion was sad, the good part was that my niece and 3 nephews came back to WA! Other than my trip to Indy when my sister died a couple of months ago, I hadn't seen the kids in years. I don't think Kaitlyn had seen them in about 8 years. The kids are awesome, especially under the crappy circumstances they've been living in. It was just like old times when all the kids were little, they just aren't little anymore! :)
Kaitlyn had a blast with her cousins. They were here for a week and all of them spent as much time as possible together. One afternoon we headed to Seattle and put them all on the Big Seattle Wheel.
I wish they lived closer!

10k #2 - The Shore Run

The weekend I ran in my 2nd 10K. The Shore Run runs along Lake Washington from Seward Park under I-90 to Madison Park. The route is lovely, with the exception of the 3 hills, the one at the 5 mile mark is the WORST!
I was trying to beat my last 10k time and finish in under an hour. Unfortunately, I missed that goal by 8 freaking seconds! I did beat my last 10k time, but I finished in 60:08. Still, it was 49 seconds faster than my first 10k.
I am now retired from races for the summer. It's time for boating season, BBQs, and fun runs, without the stress and time of preparing and running in a race.
Rest assured, I'll be back at it in the Fall. :)

Run Like a Mother

Mother's Day 2013 ~ Doesn't everyone's Mother's Day start off with a quick 5K run? Mine did! My friend, who has a 22 month old and is 22 weeks pregnant, celebrated her Mother's Day with me at Run Like a Mother in Magnuson Park. I've run with Teresa twice before, and both times she beat me. Yesterday, however was my day! I beat her by a whopping 46 seconds. Heck, I'll take it. So, she's 5+ months pregnant, that worked in my favor! I had my best time yet at 27:30. Awesome! I think the course was a bit short, but even so, it was my fastest time. I finished 9th in my age bracket of 44 women and 85th overall in the pack of 423. Tim and Kaitlyn both got up early to support me in my run.  After the run, the 3 of us headed to Starbucks for some much earned caffeine and breakfast sandwiches. Later my Mom came over for steaks on the grill and family game time.

\

Goodbye Big Sis!

Teresa Jean Ferrel
September 9, 1965 - April 21, 2013

No farewell words were spoken.
No time to say goodbye.
You were gone before we knew it,
and only God knows why.

May you finally be in peace!

Say "Hi" to Dad and Darlene for me!

Kirkland Shamrock Run

Last Saturday my friend Teresa and I ran the Kirkland Shamrock Run 5K. For someone who is 14 weeks pregnant, just moved the weekend before, and has an 18 month old toddler at home, it was AMAZING for her to get up on a Saturday morning and run with me.

The weather was pretty mild. There was a slight wind, but the big wind and rain didn't start until after the run, thankfully!
The run through downtown Kirkland was UPHILL for the first 2 miles. I'm not kidding. It was BRUTAL! The last mile was downhill, but too late to make up enough time for me to get another PR. I was only 1 minute off my PR time, but those hill killed my time.
Teresa finished 1 1/2 minutes before me. Not bad considering that the last time we ran together she finished almost 10 minutes before me! I've gotten better and her being pregnant worked in my favor! :)
After the run, "the baby" was hungry! Worked for me! We went to Hector's for breakfast - and a Mimosa for me! All in all, it was a great morning with a good friend and a little exercise!

Before the race at the "famous" Kirkland Cow & Dog statue.

The only photo during the run we are both in. Teresa passed me up this hill and I didn't see her again until the finish!
 

Belles of the Ball

The Belles! Paulette, Christa & Kris

Rainier Yacht Club Commodore's Ball - I can't believe I went to a Ball! It was actually really fun, like a grown up Prom, except drinking was legal! We had a great time with our friends.

Grown Up Prom Photo
Paulette, Ryan, Christa, Leo, Kris & Tim

Off to the Ball - Self Portrait!

A New Boat!

WHY? Because Tim wanted one! Seriously, that's the only reason. There was no need for us to get a bigger boat. Tim found a "great deal" on a Repo and decided it was his Dream Boat. Whatever! Me, being the good wife, went along with it and let him buy it. The only problem was that we were buying a new boat before we sold our old boat. That made me more than a little nervous! Thankfully, our old boat sold within a few weeks. Whew! The new boat, as a repo, needs some TLC. Tim has to keep reminding me as I am cleaning other people's dirt (and it is DIRTY!) that I am making $20,000+ in equity by cleaning it. That seems to be logical to me!
Her name is Scoring Points. I heard it was back luck to change a boat's name, so we are leaving it as is. She is a 1999 Sea Ray 400 Sedan Bridge. She is about 45 feet overall in length, has 2 staterooms and 2 heads (that's a bathroom in boat lingo!). There's even an electric pull out couch in the salon (living room) so we can technically sleep 6.
Our first boat adventure is scheduled for next month for the Daffodill Festival in Tacoma. Just wonder how much its going to cost us in gasoline to go through the lakes, the locks and to Tacoma and back. I'm frightened to even think about it!!!