family

I am Grateful

April 10, 2013 · by Debbie · 17 Comments

I know the title sounds like a dish at Cafe Gratitude, but it is exactly how I am feeling right now. I am grateful.

The husband of one of my co-workers died unexpectedly last week. I had never met him, but she is about my age, active, smart, a busy woman who takes care of her grandchildren in addition to her full time job.

My friends, Amy and Jeff, are still dealing with Jeff’s brain cancer, the effects of chemo, keeping things as “normal” as possible for the children, and all the other challenges that are now a part of their lives. And yet they are two of the most positive people that I know. If you want a taste of their joy in life, check out their facebook page.

I sometimes get caught up in the small annoyances, inconveniences, and discomforts in my world, and forget how lucky that I am. So, to give myself a smack on the head a la Gibbs, I need to take a moment to reflect about everything that is good in my life.

I go to bed every night with a full stomach, in my comfy bed, in the home that I own.

I’ve been married to my best friend for 13 years. Actually today, as I write this, is the 17th anniversary of our first date. Yes, we both remember that.

I have the job of my dreams. I help people get and stay healthy, prolong their lives, feel better. What could be better?

My body is strong and healthy. I am able to run, ride, lift weights, then get up and do it again the next day.

I have two wonderful sons, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and of course, my grandson Samuel.

I also have a great step-son, his gorgeous wife, and darling twin grandsons, Cash and Dane.

My small (but growing) family includes my lovely niece, my amazing sister and her husband, and many cousins (including Marcia and Michelle who read my blog).

I have my dogs. Penny, who is my running partner; Sydney, my 12 year old blind cattledog; Goldie, also handicapped, with a compressed disk; Lily and Olivia, who we rescued off the streets several years ago, and Buddy, Alan’s running partner, who wandered to our house and never left.

I am grateful for this blog. It gives me an outlet for my thoughts, rewarding opportunities, and what I think of as a record of my memories. Without the blog, I wouldn’t have you, the people who read, comment, and share the words I write. I think of you as friends and you have made my world brighter.

What are grateful for?

Filed Under: Graditude, La Quinta · Tagged: family, Fitness, grateful, gratitude, Health, love

The Weekend: Running, Eating (#Vegan), Family and Easter. In San Diego.

March 31, 2013 · by Debbie · 17 Comments

My weekly training recap post will be up tomorrow. Week 10! I had way too much going on this weekend to write. I did have a great long run, which I’ll tell you all about tomorrow. In the meantime, here is what kept me from writing, in (mostly) pictures.

It was a beautiful (but a little chilly) day in Encinitas when we arrived around noon. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we headed to Moonlight Beach. We sat, looked at the ocean, admired the new construction (they’re building a new snack bar/restroom complex), then we headed to lunch at the Roxy. I had a great falafel pita, and while we were there realized that it was almost a year to the day that my son, Nathan, and daughter-in-law, Sarah, made their big announcement while we had dinner at the Roxy. After lunch we did a little shopping (any one else think about MizFit when looking at those dolls?), then checked in. We made it back to the beach for a lovely sunset.

For dinner, we headed to Native Foods. As you know, it’s my favorite restaurant and I’m so happy that the Encinitas location opened a few months ago. It was a beautiful evening, so Alan and I sat on the patio (next to a heater..it was a little chilly), and enjoyed our food. Bistro Steak Sandwich for me, Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger for Alan. We both had apple pie for dessert. Remember, in spite of the names, everything is free of animal products at Native Foods.

On Sunday morning, I had a 12 miler on the schedule. I decided to cut it back to 10 miles, because of our Easter plans, but I felt so good I ended up running 11 miles. Another beautiful day. I felt so great on the run that I wished that it was race day! I was really pleased that I ran mile 10, which is a pretty good uphill stretch from Cardiff to Encinitas, at race pace. Hurray for me!

After the run, we got a little dressed up and headed south to San Diego. We had big plans, but we stopped beforehand for a few photos. We were on Shelter Island, which is just across the harbor from downtown. Oh, the top photo is actually a statue of a surfer that is in Cardiff. It gets a lot of kidding for the pose and people tend to dress it up for the holidays.

Here’s the main reason we were in San Diego! To see my grandson, Samuel.

And his parents of course. And Sarah’s family. We were invited to Easter Brunch at the Bali Hai on Shelter Island. That is Samuel’s other grandma in the photo above. And Alan finally had a chance to feed Samuel. He’s four months old now, very happy, active, and has been sleeping through the night for about two months! He was a little off his schedule today, but, as you can see, he finally crashed out in his daddy’s arms.

More family shots from brunch today. Check out the view from our table at the Bali Hai. Beautiful, isn’t it?

How was your holiday weekend? Did you get to spend some time with family and friends?

Filed Under: Easter, Encinitas, Family, Grandsons · Tagged: Bali Hai, easter, Encinitas, family, grandson, native foods, running, Vegan

It Wasn’t All Bad: The Good Part of the Weekend

January 23, 2013 · by Debbie · 28 Comments

As you know, I spent last weekend in San Diego while my sister Lisa and I took care of arrangements for my aunt. While it was sad and stressful, I will say that it wasn’t all bad. Here are some of the good parts of the weekend.

When Alan and I spent the previous weekend in San Diego, we stayed at a hotel. I didn’t want to do that again, and I was husband-less this time, so I asked my son if I could stay and sleep on his couch. You know that that means!

Grandson Time!

I spent two nights, so I got to spend some quality time with Samuel. This was my second weekend visiting in a row, so he was really responding to my voice and face. He is smiling regularly now and seems like he’s almost ready to burst into laughter. Time goes fast, and children grow even faster I think. He’ll be eight weeks old by the time you read this!

#1 Giants fan. “What do you mean Barry Bonds won’t go to the Hall of Fame?”

Running

The previous weekend, when we were trying to get my aunt’s things moved into storage, I didn’t eat right, sleep well, or do any running at all. I was so stressed out and I’m sure that no exercise had a lot to do with it. I was determined not to let that happen again. I made sure to pack running gear for two days, plus I took a short run before I left for San Diego on Friday morning. My original plan was to run from my son’s house, but when I found out that my brother-in-law, Bill, would be in town, I made a running date with him. So early Saturday morning he picked me up and we drove to Mission Beach, where we met up with a friend of his for a run along the coast.

Bill and his friend, Miles, were both in the Marines, in Iraq together. They are both younger than I (Miles by about 20+years!). So I was happy that I was able to keep up with them on the run, even though I know that they slowed down considerably for me. We ran six miles, I averaged about nine minutes per mile, and I held on until the last mile when the boys started getting faster and faster. Still, I was pleased with the run. I feel like it gives me a starting point for what I can run right now when I push myself and I can incorporate that into my half marathon training plan (the one I have yet to create!).

Sunday, Bill picked me up again and we headed back to the same place. He wanted to run longer, but I decided to stick with six miles, that being the longest I’ve run for a while. After the first mile, Bill ran his own pace, as did I, falling back into ~~sluggish~~ recovery mode. I finished first, thank goodness, while Bill ran 11 miles at a pretty good pace and finished 30 minutes or so after I did. It was such a gorgeous day, I just enjoyed the beautiful weather while I waited.

I give you January in San Diego.

Food

Eating was something else I skimped on the previous weekend. Not this time. As I pulled into town (after a quick stop at Road Runner Sports), I decided to check out Evolution Fast Food, a vegan restaurant downtown. Their concept is a drive-thru burger joint that is 100% free of animal products! I have actually tried a few of the items that they send out to supermarkets like Whole Foods and Clark’s Nutrition Center, and I was looking forward to visiting the actual restaurant. Interestingly, when I plugged the address into my GPS, the directions it gave me were the same as if I was heading to my Aunt Lois’ apartment! Turns out, she lived only a mile away.

I ordered the South of the Border Burger, with their made-in-house bean patty. And fries, of course. It was very good. They have a little patio area in back if you choose to eat at the restaurant.

There is also a Whole Foods near Lois’ apartment, so I stocked up with some prepared food to bring with me to my son’s house. Oh, and a bottle of wine, too. Believe it or not, I didn’t take pictures of any of that.

Saturday night we all went out to dinner. My son, Nathan, and my daughter-in-law, Sarah, who both follow Paleo diets, me, the vegan, my brother-in-law, Bill, who ordered gluten-free, and my sister, Lisa, who just ate like a normal person. We chose to go to Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza, which has options for all of us. Sarah and I shared a vegan, vegetable pizza with a gluten-free crust. It was really very good.

On Sunday, after Lisa and I spent hours going through my aunt’s possessions, I realized as I started the two hour drive home that I had not eaten since breakfast (very unusual for me since I usually hit a sugar low long before I’m actually hungry). I decided to wait until I got to Temecula, where there is a little restaurant called the Earth Bistro that specializes in fresh, organic food, and has several vegan items on the menu. I was so hungry that my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I order a hummus and flatbread platter for an appetizer, and a portobello burger for my entree. Both were excellent.

Yes, I was so hungry I couldn’t wait to take a picture.

And finally, the best part of the weekend was the time I was able to spend with my family. I missed Alan of course, but to be with my sister and Bill, who live in Texas, was wonderful. Also it was fun to stay with Nathan and Sarah and I always treasure the time I spend with them.

Sorry for the picture quality, taken in a dark restaurant.

And of course, Samuel, who doesn’t have a restaurant photo because he slept the entire time we were there! But I’m sure I can dig up at least one other picture! .

Knowing that I would be gone for three days, I brought my “good” computer (as opposed to my slow-poke netbook), fully intending to get some writing done. I did not turn it on once. I don’t regret that at all (though it led to some serious catching up on Monday). The good part of the weekend was really, really good.

It’s hard to beat San Diego (or La Quinta) weather right now. How is the weather in your neck of the woods? What was the best thing that you ate last weekend (yes, I know it’s Thursday, but I’m sure you can remember)?