Revisions

Has anyone else had to come to grips with how much gray hair you actually have in the last few weeks? NO? Just me? Ok. I needed some color before we even went into shelter in place but a move, a job in Boston and then a complete shutdown of all no-essential services (Um that depends on who you ask) thwarted my getting into Kay’s chair in FiDI. SO here I am, easily 3 weeks past due and oh hey look at all those grays! The funny thing is it depends on where I part my hair as to how much presents itself. I have a lovely little patch right on the top of my head just past my hairline. So there will be no trendy mid parts in my foreseeable future. But if I go just a bit off center to the left you can barely see them. Although I am getting more and more around the temple, ear area so there is that.      I don’t even so much mind my grays. Yes it signals that I am not “young” anymore, well not in the 20-30 years young, but it doesn’t make me feel OLD. I like how I feel when I’v...

It's coming. Slowly but surely. Waking from a long slumber to bloom brightly once again.  Who else looks forward to sitting together at tables like these?

This is basically my two faces of running. Super happy, having a great time, enjoying every minute and gutting it out through the hard miles, having a great time, enjoying every minute. Just because it's hard doesn't mean you can't enjoy the moment. Sometimes the hard is the best part. You can surprise yourself. I read a quote today that said "your body is in better shape than your mind thinks." It's so true. Your mind will tell you to quit long before your body really needs to quit. Isn't that true in life as well. How about today you tell your mind to SHHHHHHH and just go for it, whatever that is for you.⁠⠀

Haaaaa I wrote this in September and apparently forgot I had tried to get into the NY marathon last year. Well I didn't forget but I didn't get in so I let it simmer for a few more months. And now it's the end of February and I'm 5 weeks away from Paris. WOW! I've been training and reading about training and doing lots of recovering because.....50. But PARIS IS 5 WEEKS AWAY!!! I'm getting so excited!!  "I'm turning 50 this year. It's such a weird statement to make because I don't feel half a century old. Not even on my tough days do I feel almost 50. But it's a milestone birthday so naturally I have people asking me "what are you doing for your 50th?" I've gone back and forth between a big party in NYC with family and friends to trips to Morocco and Italy and everywhere in between. The only problem is that my birthday is on December 29th and this is the first year in 49 that  being born on that day has caused me stress. ...

     It's been 10 year since I ran my first and only marathon. I was barely a year off a major foot surgery and hardly running at all but I thought it was a good idea to sign up with Team In Training and just go for it. I thought my best friend who was also my trainer at the time was going to kill me when I told her because she had had to listen to me whine and complain about my slow recovery and general mental drama over not being back to 100% for the last 10 months. Running is in my blood. It makes me sane. I do not do well when I am not capable of running. Being a slacker and choosing not to run is a whole other story but being physically unable to lace up and get out my head for awhile is torture for me (and probably most of the people around me). But all that to say I did it! I ran 26.2 miles in San Francisco in the fall of 2009 and it was amazing. An experience that completely changed me as a person. I was stronger than I'd ever been mentally and physically. I had s...

We had one more stop before our tour with David ended. He drove us out to VeraCruz to have lunch on the beach. VeraCruz is one of the beaches we used to go when I was a kid. Dad and I would draw letters in the sand with sticks because the tides are so crazy there. You can get up to an 18 foot tide change so you end up with a lot of real estate to play on at the right time of day. Just don't get caught when the tide comes in or you may have to swim. No swimming that day. Just fresh fish, fresh shrimp and cold Balboas! Me and Mom back in Da Day!  Dad and I drawing my name in the sand.  This is what it looks like now. Pretty much the same.  Papa Gar enjoying one last whole Corvina! He's Happier! The infamous (to us) Hibiscus photo. I was just smelling it for a photo and mom said "take your hand away," so I took a big sniff and voila! Hibiscus Nose! We attempted reenactment but it just didn't work out that well.  ...

This was the most surreal hour and a half of the whole trip. We made our way out to Howard Air Force Base (which is no longer an AFB) and found our old house. Just looking at the photos I get emotional all over again. Not that I broke down crying or anything but it was really weird standing in a place that holds so many memories.  Here is me freaking out that we found it!!! Our old Street! Coffey Avenue! Exploring the old digs!  This stairwell led up to the door in the kitchen. It was a little creepy so I just filmed from where I was.  :-/ I don't do creepy. Here we are in front of 60A Coffey Ave!    That "hill" behind my mom seemed so much bigger when we lived there. I remember my dog running down it and tripping, which led to a head over heels tumble that still makes me laugh when I think of it. And that fence used to be a favorite spot for three toed sloths to hang out.  ...

                           Our last day was really busy. We reverted back to our trip standard of seeing thee things a day and blew right past it to finish off our visit! Next stop was Ancon Hill or  Cerro Ancon . You take a narrow, windy road up 654 feet to the top of the hill and are rewarded with sweeping 360 degree views of the city. And believe me, mom needed a reward after that little car ride. I asked her if she was having flashbacks of the trip home from Panama where we drove through Central America and all I heard was a weak little grunt in response. Mama does not like windy, little mountain roads. But wow it was  beautiful.  The view up the Canal Views of Santa Ana and Casco Viejo Me, doing what I do!  The Bridge of the Americas The Panamanian Flag atop Cerro Ancon The views of Panama City A lot of the residences are being bought u...

The next stop on our last day was the produce market. Mom didn't remember coming here but David thought it would be a fun place to see.  I was in serious search of a mango since it seems we were too early for mango season, so the odds of me picking one off a tree like I did as a kid were slim to, oh wait not even slim. They were zero. But this was like winning the lottery. It was astonishing! I mean, I know a good farmers market, but I have to say this place puts Union Square's market to shame. Even in the summer. Now I get that a lot of it has to do with the customer being markets and not necessarily consumers but come on. Do you see the volume? I was blown away. I mean seriously, how darling is this guy! Loved the Panamanian People, and I did get two mangos from him.    This guy called us over and asked (in Spanish of course) if we wanted to try his pineapple. Uh, Of course! So he proceeded to expertly carve away the bottom an...