Obsessions

On June 4, 2017 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Writing1 Comment

Obsessions, everyone has a few. They may be mild or they may be extreme. Mine fall somewhere in the middle. I call them “my crazies”. People may say they don’t have obsessions, but I don’t believe it. Even Superman has Lois Lane. If you must have crazies, pick something you enjoy.

My current crazy is easy to recognize. Visit any of my social media accounts where threads of running related anecdotes litter the posts. Most days between 4:30 PM and 6:30 PM, I’m dressed in spandex and Asics running shoes ready to exercise.

My number one addiction is running. I find it social, meditative and energizing. It can be a much-needed tension reliever and in my group, filled with laughter. We have christened ourselves, the fun group.

As a young naïve employee, I smirked watching my 50+ co-workers lace their Keds ready to spend the lunch break in a brisk walk. I lounged inside, enjoying the air conditioning. If I walked, I never wore tennis shoes and a dress!

Well, how silly was that? Who cares what I wear during a lunch walk? If they do, that’s their problem not mine. My mature self knows better. Most days I eat, then slip a favorite pair of athletic shoes on anxious feet, anticipating spending half an hour in the fresh air and sunshine.

My younger clueless self missed much enjoyment, choosing safety behind the glass while she could have meandered through the tree lined paths on the other side of the pane.

This current obsession has enjoyed a longer life span than former ones. With 18 marathons, over 20 half marathons and countless 5 and 10 K runs completed, I hope this one doesn’t end. And there I go again, letting crazy spill out.

If I run 100 marathons when I’m eighty, that’s my crazy. Well not that I’m 80 but I will be someday. I resolve to be diverse in choosing topics to tweet, post or blog, but for today, here is one more on my current obsession.

Never say Never……

On February 24, 2016 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Friends, WritingLeave a comment

Everyone is guilty of saying I will never… I’ve begun many sentences with it myself.

A few of my favorites are:

“I will never wear tennis shoes with a dress just to get in a walk during my work day.” This one I do often!
“I will never be one of those parents/grandparents who…, well lots of things.” There are too many of these to list.
And, “I will never run 13.1 miles!” This time I don’t mind being proven wrong.

In 2001, my husband signed up for and trained for the 3M half marathon. I thought he was crazy to even consider it, but I knew he would finish it once he’d committed.

He trained for several months and never missed a scheduled run. We lived in the Texas panhandle and rain, sleet or snow never kept him from completing a training run. He is much more disciplined than me. When we met, I was a runner, and he a cyclist. I jogged occasional laps on the track and around the neighborhood; he rode for 60 miles on the weekend. I learned to ride but rode only once or twice a year. He fell in love with running.

So before sunrise early February 4, 2001, I dropped my husband at the start line. I ate breakfast and headed downtown to watch him finish. Runners crossed the finish line celebrating their victories. I turned to my friend and vowed, “I could never run 13 miles and why would anyone want to run that far?”

Fifteen years later, having completed 15 half marathons and 17 full marathons, I stood in the predawn chill ready to run the 3M half marathon. As I waited along with 5400+ runners, I shivered in the cool morning breeze and remembered that declaration. I could never have envisioned myself running more than 2-3 miles at a time back then.

On this day, I was running with my good friend, Shirley and our goal was simply to finish. Shirley has lost over one hundred pounds and is determined to keep it off. She ran her first half marathon in San Antonio in December 2015 and as we crossed the finish line, she asked, “When’s the next one?” So here we are lining up to make the trek from North Austin to the State Capitol downtown. Shirley trained for the run using the run/walk method. In San Antonio, we ran one minute and walked one minute throughout the course. Our plan today was to do the same.

When we crossed the start line, we were both running strong. As the alarm sounded for our walk break, Shirley said, “I’m feeling good. I want to keep going.” So we kept going. Eleven minutes later I looked up and saw the first mile sign. Pointing to the sign I asked, “Have you ever run a mile without a break?”

When she answered no, I replied, “Well now you have!” Both our eyes were glistening when we passed the one-mile mark.

At mile 7, we waited in line for a “porta potty”. That stop cost us 10 minutes but sometimes you have to listen to mother nature!

As we ran through the University of Texas I was in front of Shirley. Suddenly, I heard a group of runners singing. Shirley was talking to a nearby runner and mentioned it was her birthday the next day. A spontaneous rendition of Happy Birthday rang out as we passed by the UT stadium.

We completed the course and shaved 10 minutes off our San Antonio time. Even with the delay of our bathroom break we were faster. Amazing!

First thing Monday morning Shirley was standing at my desk with a handful of ½ marathon flyers, asking “Which one is next?”

So while we decide on the next one, we’ve already signed up for 3M 2017!

It’s the Little things

On November 18, 2015November 21, 2015 By DGThomaIn Friends, MusingsLeave a comment

Today a very nice thing happened. As I sat at the desk, crunching numbers, someone stepped to the door and tapped on the frame. I glanced up and shared a smile with the pleasant young lady framed in the doorway.

She said, “I was nearby for a meeting and couldn’t leave without stopping by to tell you how much I appreciate you.” She related how much she enjoyed working with me and how helpful and patient I had always been.

Basking in the praise, I responded, “Thank you so much! I appreciate it, but…. What is your name?” “Danielle,” she said and memories surfaced. To be fair, the last time I saw her, she had sported a short blond bob instead of the red hair that now skimmed her shoulders.

For the next five minutes she sang my praises and bestowed far more accolades than I deserved. I don’t think I ever went out of my way to help her. I just did my job.

Danielle takes time to say “Thank you” for things most take for granted.

Passing it on…

You’ve Got Mail and oh so much more……

On November 11, 2015 By DGThomaIn Family, Friends, Writing2 Comments

An article landed in my inbox this week. A man was reminiscing about an old lamp that sat in the living room of his childhood home. He held a finial, the decorative top piece that keeps the shade in place, in his hand. A smile bloomed on my face, immediately understanding how he felt. I’ve stood in antique shops and thrift stores cradling an object in my hand, lost in a cherished memory.

I enjoy my treasures. As I walk thru my front door I am greeted by an abundance of artifacts. Artifacts from my husband’s childhood in Yugoslavia rest companionably near my grandfather’s carpenter square. A picture painted by Yugoslavian artist, Jovan Obican hangs adjacent to a hand drawn painting of a rooster my sister created for me. An antique hand held mixer rests on the kitchen window sill.

These things and many others fill my home with memories. They make my house a home and ground me in the roots of my heredity.

And then……

Another article popped up in my inbox today. It proclaimed our houses are filled with things that should be immediately thrown out. The article touted the danger of the germs swimming around us. Immediately I envisioned microorganisms crawling through my cabinets, over my floors and on all my possessions. The article mentioned treasured mementos and things you keep out of guilt. Their advice? Toss them! And extra buttons? Get rid of them. You will never use them anyway.

Feeling guilty for enjoying my treasures and more than a little grossed out, I thought about divesting myself of everything except basic essentials. It really would make it much easier to clean and dust. And that button box does have tons of one of a kind antique buttons I will never use. 20151109_201039

But I would also give up the comfort of snuggling into my antique wingback chair, my grandmother’s handmade quilt across my lap, reading a book discovered in my last thrift store perusal. No thank you. I think I’m okay with things just as they are germs, dust and all.

Rainy Days and Halloween……

On November 4, 2015November 7, 2015 By DGThomaIn Food, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Writing1 Comment

I decided a few weeks before Halloween to throw a party for my staff. They love celebrating and most of them enjoy dressing up for Halloween. I sent an invitation for 2:00 PM Friday, October 30th promising punch, cookies and a costume contest.

Immediately I went into hyper mode in an effort to plan the perfect party. We’d have a variety of Halloween themed punches, the perfect baked, decorated cookies and lots of decorations.

I spent the next couple of weeks making lists and jotting notes. I searched for the best cookies, polling everyone for opinions. I surfed the web and combed Pinterest for ghoulish recipes.

Settling on wormy orange punch, witches brew and blood (orange) punch, I purchased cauldrons, ladles, spider webs and more. On Thursday night, I worked late but still managed to pick up fresh vegetables, fruit and a few other last minute supplies. I made sure we had enough to feed an army even though I only needed enough for 15 people. I enlisted help from family, picking up the cookies, baking treats, making dip and putting up with my insanity.

Over the course of the week, I brought supplies and decorations to the office to minimize chaos on Friday. All of Austin and the surrounding areas woke up to a deluge of rain on Friday, October 30th. Relieved that most of the party paraphernalia was already stored at my office, we loaded the car with the final touches and began the hour long commute.

Five miles from the house, I realized that the frozen juice cubes for the punch were still in the freezer. Since the National Weather Center had issued flood warnings, it didn’t seem realistic to return home for ice cubes. At about mile 10 I discovered the fruit tray and the vegetable tray were also at home in the refrigerator along with the vegetable dip. No problem. I would just call my son and see if he would bring it in around lunch. Surely the sun would be out by then.

At mile 20, the radio informed us that there was a confirmed tornado on the ground about 30 miles away and the rain wasn’t expected to end anytime soon. I wasn’t going to ask anyone to get out in this mess. No problem. I’d just walk across the street for frozen fruit to drop in the punch and we could live without the vegetables.

At work, reports of flooding replaced any thoughts of the party while I tried to get in touch with any employees not already at work. Now I was trying to contact my son to be sure he was paying attention to the rapidly changing weather conditions.

At 8:45 AM, I received an ‘Extreme Alert’ via my phone:

“Tornado Warning in this area til 9:15 AM CDT. Take shelter now.”

Well, herding hundreds of costumed people down three flights of stairs to the bottom of the parking garage quickly became priority. We are all fine and the storm passed without significant damage for us and I realized that we had everything we needed.

When 2:00 PM finally arrived, it was still raining. The party was fun and everyone was relieved to forget about storms for just a little while.

Rainbows and Lollipops

On October 28, 2015 By DGThomaIn Friends, Musings, Writing2 Comments

Normally, I am happy and contented and suffer only occasional bouts of frustration. I mean, we all have to deal with reality checks at times.

I spend more than a little effort trying to do the right thing because I believe karma can be powerful, both good and bad. Generally good triumphs over evil and doing the right thing pays off. Of course, not always.

Let’s face it, sometimes when you bend to smell the flowers, you get a nose covered in fertilizer. The past few weeks have really been busy and everything has been overly complicated. It’s that time of year when numerous projects are wrapping up, while others are just beginning. Everything and everyone has been clamoring for my attention (at least from my totally unbiased perspective). But as a co-worker said, “Sometimes you’ve got to laugh and keep on going.”

We’ve been working long hours…..

Returning home late from the office.

As you can see, I’m definitely not getting enough sunshine!

I thought I was internalizing my grumpiness pretty well, but I may not have been as successful as I thought.

A good friend stopped by my office with a gift. She said this can be for now or later, you decide. Well of course I chose to open it immediately. It was a present after all. What was inside, made me smile and tear up a little. Underneath a plump stuffed gray elephant lay a book, titled, “You’re Here for a Reason”, by Nancy Tillman.

I’m very fortunate to have a caring and generous friend to remind me what is important. The rest of the story……

My friend is very close to her great nieces. They were out shopping and she has bought me gifts before when they were with her. They are all between 4 – 8 years old. They showed her the book and said, “If someone is having a really bad day, this is the bestest book to read.” Of course she bought it immediately and that is why it ended up on my desk last night.

I will cherish it always and any time I’m feeling down, I think I know just what I want to read.

Boot camp is back!

On September 30, 2015October 1, 2015 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Friends3 Comments

Hooray! I think…..

Previously, we had a boot camp class at my office after work. We worked out downstairs in the courtyard. I loved the convenience; especially on days I had to go back to work after the workout.

It enabled me to take a break and still get work done. A little over a year ago, we lost our trainer. When he left, we had trouble finding someone who would come to our location. We couldn’t to keep enough people interested to make it worth their while. Interest fizzled.

But a few weeks ago, we got word that a new coach had been found for boot camp. After a flash of excitement, I immediately remembered how long it had been since I did a real workout, with a coach pushing me to my limits.

Class began on Thursday night with six people, which was promising for a first class. I soon realized how unprepared I was for the workout. We began with jumping jacks for 1 minute. I thought, “this isn’t too bad”, but as we transitioned to kicking our feet front to back and hands moving side to side I faltered. Coordination has never been my strong point. I tried not to fall on my face, as I did some semblance of throwing feed to chickens while stomping out a tap dance with my feet! We immediately moved on to squats which weren’t too bad, but as we transitioned to mountain climbers, I had forgotten how much fun they could be. I mean a plank is a ton of fun by itself, but throwing in some quick movements, pulling alternating knees forward, sort of like laying down while running, well that’s just peachy.

My abs were on fire, which I guess means I was doing something right! Knowing I had really accomplished something close to a miracle, I sucked down a gallon of water in anticipation of more fun.

At least every time we finished a set, I knew we were hacking minutes off the hour.

Back to my mat, I arrived in time for Coach Travis to call out, “It’s time for groiners and then we’ll add groiners with a twist.” Oh my! I didn’t want to know what this was going to be.

Surviving groiners, straight leg marches and follow the leader, I was huffing and puffing. Travis was our leader and we ran through obstacles, around the building and up three flights of stairs where we finally got to stop and stretch. That was great until Travis said, “Move to the rail and put your foot on the top rail.” Right! My foot found its way close to top, hovering dangerously on the third rail while I tried to keep from falling over.

After some wonderful (yes that’s sarcasm you hear) stretching, Travis instructed us to hurry back down to grab some water. “The faster you get down the more time you have to drink your water,” floated after us as we trooped “quickly” away.

I sipped water and trudged back toward my mat to collapse, relieved that hour would soon be over, as Travis shouted “Warmup is over! Let’s get started on the workout.”

What???

Friday, I woke, proud that I wasn’t too sore. At least I wasn’t sore until I sat up in bed and my abs complained. Then walking up the stairs, my calves reminded me they were a little bit sore as well. As the day wore on, I found lots more spots that reminded me I had worked out.

Tuesday evening, found me back at boot camp with nine other hopefuls. Ready to accomplish miracles with my poor tired muscles I prepared to start. Encouraged that I talked myself into coming back, I gamely tackled new exercises, got eliminated in the second round of the fitness challenge, but still felt successful. Ron and I totally represented in the medicine ball toss and finished more reps than anyone else. Baby steps, small victories. There’s always Thursday night!

Jack and Jill

On July 29, 2015July 31, 2015 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted4 Comments

fell down a hill….

Saturday morning, 4:30 AM and my eyes are open. What’s wrong with this picture? In the background, I hear the faint sound of the music from the alarm. Grudgingly my feet hit the floor and I am semi-vertical. To avoid the extreme Texas heat, our weekly running group meets at 5:45 AM for a 6:00 AM run. We have to be in the car before 5:00 AM to arrive on time.

Pulling on my running clothes and grabbing a bagel for breakfast, my husband and I made it out the door and were on the road by 4:50 AM. For some reason, I just didn’t feel like showing up, but shrugged it off. I mean after all who would want to get up at 4:45 AM on their day off to go for a long run!

Driving through Manor, TX at 5:00 AM, the last thing either of us wanted to see were flashing red and blue lights. A very nice man in uniform introduced himself as a county sheriff, and informed us our right headlight was out. With a warning ticket in hand, I asked Ron if he was sure he didn’t just want to go back home and go to bed. He just grinned at me and pulled back into traffic.

We actually made it on time and headed for a quick bio break at the restrooms provided by our running group. As we walked toward them we were warned, someone had forgotten to lock them the prior night and they were so soiled they were virtually unusable. Great!

Undeterred, we each found our running mates and lined up in the pre-dawn muggy heat, ready to do a 6 mile run. I was scheduled for 14 miles for the day, so I was looking forward to an extra 8 miles after the group run.

We all synchronized our watches and set off, settling into an easy rhythm. The first few miles went by pretty fast although there were a lot of uphills. I told my coach I was ready for some downhills. Pretty soon, every downhill someone would call out, “Here’s a downhill for Deanna!” Around mile 4, we turned down a particularly hilly road where the slopes were quite a bit steeper. I was enjoying an especially steep downhill, feeling like I was riding a Radio Flyer red wagon. My right shoe hit a patch of gravel and suddenly I knew I was going down. I’ve run a lot of years and have never fallen, but it was happening!

My right hand hit the asphalt first followed by my elbow, hip and knee. As I slid a few feet down the hill, I managed to avoid hitting my head or tumbling head over heels. Completely mortified, I tried to jump up as blood dripped from my right palm and elbow. Everyone gathered round and offered assistance as they returned my possessions. Some one had my phone, another runner had found my Jawbone and someone else returned my water. Everything had flown along with me and been scattered when I hit the pavement.

After the shock wore off, I walked a few blocks and decided I was not significantly injured and finished my run. I actually caught back up with part of my group and finished.

This afternoon I still had swelling and bruising from my wrist to my elbow, so I ducked into an urgent care center for x-rays and a tetanus shot. Good news – nothing is broken, only sprained. The only down side is a splint and a late blog post.

Not too bad after all!

A Change of Plans…

On July 8, 2015 By DGThomaIn Family, Food, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Travel, Writing5 Comments

July 4, 2015… Well it actually started July 2^nd.

When my Dad called to say he wanted to come for a visit, we decided to rent a cabin for a couple of nights at the lake. Knowing the cabins would fill quickly over the 4^th of July, we made reservations months ago. My dad loves to fish, which is obvious from his nickname “Fishhook”. We made sure to get a waterfront cabin so he could fish as much as he wanted. I’m not a fan of water and I don’t have the heart to go fishing, but Dad loves it!

In anticipation of our time together, we postponed our Father’s Day celebration. We decided to celebrate Father’s day and my birthday together. (my birthday falls on the 6^th of July).

My daughter, Kat planned to swing by and pick up the boys, (my grandson’s) and my Dad. They all live about six hours away and although Dad is perfectly capable of driving here himself, at 82 I hate for him to be on the road.

We reserved the cabin for Thursday night and Friday night. We planned to drive to Corpus to see my older sister Saturday morning. She and I share a birthday even though we are three years apart. My Dad wanted to visit both of us on our birthday. Rarely do she and I have an opportunity to spend time together and it’s been years since Dad was able to join us on our birthday.

As often happens, our plans went awry. The boys had rehearsals for their community theater production and couldn’t get away. Dad lost his critter sitter and didn’t want to leave his dogs. He was also feeling a bit under the weather.

We thought about cancelling the trip and just gathering at home, but decided against it. The cabin was only 20 minutes or so from our house, but tucked away among the trees and nestled on the bank of the lake made it feel worlds apart.

We left for the cabin on Thursday, picking up my goddaughter, Dez and my son, Rich on the way. Dez, loves to fish and had eagerly anticipated fishing with my Dad. Rich on the other hand has never really enjoyed fishing as much as his sister does. My daughter was bringing her fishing gear and planned to arrive Thursday evening. She and Dez would be our fisherwomen for the weekend.

The cabin was very basic. It had five beds, an air conditioner and a trail leading to a shared shower and restroom facility. It also had a beautiful view of the lake, fresh air, an outdoor grill and a picnic table.

During the weekend we played games, rented a canoe, ate too much food and created unbelievable memories. My son discovered an enjoyment of fishing (much to his surprise), my daughter discovered a slug in her tennis shoe and a June bug in her swimsuit cover-up and my granddaughter, Jilly discovered a beetle in her nightshirt.

I discovered the delight of sitting in the middle of a canoe, lightly rowing and watching my Kat and Dez cast their lines. We laughed so hard trying to launch the canoe we almost didn’t get in the water. Even when the wind picked up and the rain fell, we laughed and fished and rowed.

Father’s Day was celebrated on Thursday night. We celebrated my birthday on Friday night, with Kat and Jilly surprised me with a cake and everyone sang happy birthday.

Saturday morning we were supposed to leave by noon but no one was ready to leave. Anticipating failure, but deciding to try anyway, my husband went to see if we could stay another night. Our cabin was already booked but the one next door was available. Rather than make us move, they switched the other guests next door. After a wonderful breakfast and lunch, my husband and I went to pick up a fresh bundle of firewood from the front office. When we arrived, they let us know the family that was originally booked in our cabin was insisting that we move and give them our cabin.

Since our reservation had been impromptu and it seemed to be important to the other family, we willing agreed to move. I rushed into the cabin to interrupt the current game in process and let everyone know we were moving. We had 5 beds stripped, suitcases moved, dishes and food transitioned and all our outdoor gear moved in about 15 minutes. By the time the new guests arrived we were already seated in our chairs next door planning our dinner meal.

I decided that if we ever have to go on the run or leave in a hurry, we definitely have the skills! Slightly sunburned, a few pounds heavier and a heart full of sunshine, we went our separate ways. It was a wonderfully fulfilling weekend with many stories left to tell…. Like the raccoon and the hotdogs and the snake in the reeds…. All stories for another day.

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad!

On May 6, 2015 By DGThomaIn Family, Food, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Writing3 Comments

Last Saturday I had three things on my “must do” list.

Make homemade ginger ale
Make some peppermint sugar soap bars
Make some French Toast to use up some day old French bread slices

Sounds easy enough. I didn’t have any other obligations or specific plans. Saturday morning I decided to go the resale shop in search of a used crock pot or sauce pan to use for the soap making. I thought I may as well look for a new soap mold since I was out and about anyway. I found a small crockpot at Goodwill and a silicone ice tray at T. J. Maxx that would work great. Score! On the way back to the house we drove passed a Baskin Robbins and it just sounded so good! So yes, I diverted again and it was delicious!

Finally back home, it was 4:00 PM and I was about to start making the ginger ale. Then I got an invitation to go to the theatre and watch the Avengers. Hmm…. What to do?

Okay, so I did hesitate briefly but not long. Avengers won out of course. I organized the supplies and then headed for the shower to get ready for my movie date. I did watch a video on how to make a box out of cardstock on my way to the movies, so I was somewhat productive.

I vowed to finish at least one of my projects when I returned home after the movie. Nope, never happened. By the time we arrived back home, it was after 9:30 PM and my thoughts were filled with mutants. The last thing I wanted to do was stay up late and be creative.

Up at 5:30 AM on Sunday, I started the ginger ale first. Water boiling, ginger root peeled and lemons juiced, I was off to a good start.

While the ginger mixture simmered, I pulled out my soap supplies and added the melt and pour pieces to my new “old” crockpot. I lined up the sugar, essential oils, coconut oil etc. Woohoo! Things were coming together.

Time to start on the French toast. Naturally I decided to try a new recipe. After I beat the eggs and milk together, I stirred in the warm honey. (I had to warm the honey, because it had thickened too much to pour.) The honey clumped as soon as it hit the cold egg and cream mixture. Oops, not what I intended.

As I pondered the best way to handle the honey, I noticed my soap mixture was melted and it was time to start mixing it together to pour into the molds. There was no way I could finish the French toast in time for breakfast and get the soap into molds at the same time. I turned the soap off so I could finish the French toast. I warmed the mixture slightly, beat it with a fork to incorporate the honey and then promptly added chopped, frozen cherry pieces to the mix for flavor. I really should have realized the cold cherries would solidify the honey, but, well I didn’t.

Just in case the toast wasn’t edible, I quickly mixed up some pancakes as well. Breakfast was ready, everyone was up and pancakes disappeared much faster than the toast.

After breakfast, I poured the ginger ale into mason jars and refrigerated for later. After cleaning up and putting everything else away I finally made it back to my soap. Unfortunately, melting the soap base and then allowing it to cool and set made it difficult to reheat and melt. I spent most of the afternoon trying to salvage the soap. I finally got it all mixed, oils added and poured into the molds. The soap didn’t look anything like the picture, but it set well, smelled nice and was pretty when packed in my handmade white box!