Tag: family

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon – Part 1

On By DGThomaIn Musings, Travel, Writing1 Comment

A lot of people think running marathons is absolutely crazy and some days I agree.
Other days, it keeps me sane. My husband and I normally run one or two marathons a
year. I may run or I may walk, but there is something about completing a 26.2
mile course that makes me think I can do anything.

However, my dedication to running this past year has been almost nonexistent. I was
sidelined with some health issues for a while and had difficulty regaining my motivation to restart my training.

Nevertheless, when my husband suggested we should run the Seattle Rock and Roll
Marathon in June, I decided to give it a shot. Seattle would be
marathon number 16 for me and the first for Washington State. I was hoping
registering to run 26.2 miles would motivate me and maybe it did, just a bit. We
registered for the marathon, made flight arrangements and reserved our hotel. The big “C”, (commitment) did get me out of bed on weekends. I managed to get in some runs with
my running group and even a few runs on the treadmill.

These shoes were made for marathons

Finally marathon weekend arrived and we headed to the airport for our evening flight.  The marathon was scheduled for Saturday, but we were hoping to maximize our relaxation time and minimize any last minute stress by leaving on Thursday.

Our trip started out a little rocky.  When we pulled up to our regular car park, we were stopped at the gate by a very nice young man.  “Reservation?” he asked.  Of course we didn’t make a reservation.  In response to our “No”, he replied, “Sorry, we are completely full.”  Well, a bump in the road, but nothing major, right?  We headed for the airport in search of terminal parking.  Still on schedule, we arrived at the airport and discovered that due to construction, all parking was full except the overflow parking lot.  Off we went to find a space in overflow parking which was out in the middle of nowhere.   Fortunately, we were able to find (uncovered) parking quickly,  catch a bus back to the terminal,  and finally make it through security.

Knowing we would arrive late in Seattle, we grabbed some food and made it to our gate with a little time to spare. Hoping the rest of the trip would be uneventful, we boarded on time and with the exception of the crazy lady on the plane (but that’s another story!  Planes, misgivings and singing), we had a pleasant trip.

When we landed we exited the plane, made our way through the chaos of airport security and retrieved our luggage.  Discovering our hotel didn’t provide a shuttle, we opted to rent a car.  Dragging our bags behind us, we followed the rental car signs to reach the rental counter and negotiated a vehicle.  Finally, worn out, we headed to our hotel.

Checking into our hotel turned out to be the best part of the day.  It was late when we arrived, but the night manager was awesome.  He was already working with a guest, so there was a small wait to check in.  It was almost midnight, but the manager was upbeat, smiling and apologetic, even though the wait was only a few extra minutes.  We even scored free parking!

The hotel was a suite with two bedrooms, a kitchenette and a separate living room area.  Much more space than we needed, but staying there for four days was wonderful.   The Space Needle was one block from our hotel and could be seen from the window.  Everything we needed was within walking distance.Seattle Space Needle

After a great night’s sleep, Friday morning, we headed to the Seattle Health & Fitness Expo.  The expo was a huge market where exhibitors offer free samples, showcase the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health & nutritional information and more.  We walked a block to the Seattle Center Monorail station and rode the monorail to Westlake Center where we caught a bus to Century Field Event Center for packet pickup. (shirts, race bibs, timing chip, etc.).

We spent several hours wandering around the expo before leaving a few dollars lighter, juggling our packets and multiple purchases.  Weary and hungry we went in search of lunch before heading back to the hotel to relax and prepare for our early morning event on Saturday.  More on the Seattle trip next post……..

The Uninvited Visitor

On By DGThomaIn Animal Stories, Family, Writing1 Comment

This past weekend, my granddaughter moved into her first apartment. She graduated from high school in May and will be attending college in the fall. Her granddad and I drove 10 hours to deliver furniture and household items to furnish her new apartment. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time together and to be a part of setting up her new life.
We cleaned, bought, organized and decorated. The weekend was full of “remember when” and lots of laughter.
After several hugs and goodbyes,  we headed home and my daughter and granddaughter went to move one final small load before calling it a day. As they returned to the apartment with their arms loaded, they struggled to unlock the door without dropping everything. As the door swung open a blur of color flew past their feet into the apartment.


This little guy ran in and plopped down in the middle of the floor. Thank goodness I was
well down the road before I saw this picture! He is so very cute! As my husband put it, “he really knows how to work a room!” My granddaughter isn’t allowed pets, so my daughter quickly scooped up the uninvited guest and hurried him to her car.
I should take a minute to explain that my daughter currently resides with four cats. They are all rescues or strays that have found their way into her home. As soon as she walked into her home, her husband started shaking his head. She assured him it was only temporary and that she was taking the cat to the vet to be checked for a chip. She took the picture above to put on a found cat flyer.
The cat had no chip of course and the complex said the previous owners didn’t have a cat. The kitten has been at my daughter’s house two days while they look for his people….. to no avail. Now I’m thinking this is a pretty smart little guy. In a multi building complex with hundreds of tenants, he manages to walk into the apartment that is inhabited by cat people. Sort of like, of all the gin joints in the world…. Well you get the picture.
My daughter says her husband was a “Goner” when she walked through the door. The cat is at the vet being checked and treated. A flyer never went up, as the vet said he was probably a stray and had not been cared for very well. A name debate is under way, but for now we’ll just say Ollie has a new home with lots of cat toys, lots of square feet to roam, plenty of sunshine and four siblings, two girls and two boys. We think he is the tie breaker male.

Stepping into the Past

On By DGThomaIn WritingLeave a comment
Photo courtesy of Barclay Gibson Photography
Photo courtesy of Barclay Gibson Photography

When I was a child, my mother would pick us up from school every Thursday and we would drive into Wichita Falls, TX to pick up my father’s paycheck.  There were five of us children, four of us lined up across the backseat while my oldest sister got to ride in the front.  Back then, we weren’t aware that seat belts would save our lives and probably save my mother’s sanity.

Occasionally, my mother would surprise us and pull into the Gibson’s Discount Center parking lot in downtown Wichita Falls.  What a treat it was to walk the aisles and discover what wonderful new things had found their way to the shelves since we last visited.  We never made many purchases, but the pure enjoyment of just wandering the aisles was more than enough entertainment.

Finding the Gibson’s Discount Center in Weatherford last weekend awakened the excitement of a childhood adventure.  As I opened the door to Gibson’s in Weatherford, Texas I was instantly eager to explore.  Although the Gibson’s in Weatherford is affiliated with Ace and not quite the same concept as the Gibson’s from my childhood, I still felt a delicious sense of adventure wandering up and down the aisles.  I love the old metal nail bins where you buy one nail or one hundred and you pay by the pound instead of per each.  Even though I didn’t need any nails, I was really tempted to pick some up.  I know that you can find most anything on the internet and I often do my shopping online, but I hope we never completely lose the brick and mortar locations.  It’s a wonderful sense of joy to pick up merchandise and actually hold it in your hands before purchase.

The things I actually purchased, (some tea and an elephant figurine) weren’t particularly unique or rare.  What I really walked away with was a welcome remembrance of a childhood adventure.  The purchases were simply a thank you to the store owners for keeping the store open and allowing me 45 minutes of pleasure, walking the aisles.