2010 Half Marathon #2

On May 30th I took on the challenge of running half marathon #2 of the year. Forecasts had been predicting a very warm day and I had just worked three 12 hour shifts in the last four days...so energy and enthusiasm were a bit low. However when I woke up on race day to a sunny, but cooler than expected morning I was pumped. I was determined to finish the race and just have FUN!

(Starting line)

The course was beautiful and for the most part was pretty flat. It started in South Boston, ran along the Charles River to just beyond Harvard, and eventually took us around the Boston Commons and back into South Boston. C and I decided to stick together the entire race. We made the commitment to go at the pace of the slowest person. There were moments where I was dragging that C pulled me along, and vice versa. Running next to someone definitely helps. At the end of the race C and I joined up with a couple of her coworkers to celebrate with some food and beer at the Atlantic Beer Garden. One would have thought I had learned my lesson about sunscreen on my beach day...but alas I came home looking very much like a lobster.

(Tired feet)
2 down......

May 25th: First Beach Day :)

Having a day off of class and beautiful weather, a couple friends and I went to Gloucester, MA for our first beach day of the season. The water was a bit chilly, but it was a nice relief from the sun. And of course as luck would have it I came home with a painful sunburn. Lesson learned...I need to reapply sunscreen earlier.


(The town of Gloucester)

I Can't Believe It Was Almost A Year...

...a year since I last saw my friend N! The last time I saw N was Memorial Day weekend last year when a small group of us went to see her in D.C. And what an amazing trip that was! But a year without seeing my good friend was too much! We finally found a long weekend for N to come up to see Boston and more importantly to see me ;)





The weekend was full of touring Boston (Newbury St, Copley Square, Boston Commons, Beacon Hill, walking the full Freedom Trail, a meal at Oleana, etc...) and catching up. I have always felt that no matter how much time lapses between seeing each other, everything feels comfortable and we can pick up right where we left off. And in this spirit I think one of the best parts of the weekend was our heart to heart in the park. N an I spent a long time siting and contemplating life. I cannot even begin to thank N for being such an amazing friend! I am so glad I got to see her and show her a part of my life in Boston.

Volunteer Park Photo Adventure

A random sampling of photos:

Home Sweet Home (May 7-8)

It's been a stressful year so far. Tackling this accelerated nursing program has been quite exhausting. And then add on top of it the emotional roller coaster of a family loss and overwhelming memories of my dad. Needless to say I was in desperate need of a break and a little time with my mom and good friends.

So on a whim (and after some encouragement from J and Z to come home for a concert) I purchased a plane ticket for a short weekend home. Kind of crazy (especially given that I had an exam on the following Monday)...but it was well worth it!

I spent Friday day with my mom. She of course spoiled me with 2 new pairs of shoes. And a wonderful lunch at the Pike Place Market. It was so refreshing to talk with her face to face. The time difference and our busy schedules can make communicating rather difficult. I met up with Z for a quick catch up before heading off to dinner, drinks, and the Kate Nash concert with J, E, and H.



The concert was a ton of fun. Albeit the concert was late to start, Kate Nash provided a great show.



Saturday started out with a lovely breakfast with my dear friends from high school, J and N. We had a lot of catching up to do. But by the end of breakfast I think we were feeling relatively caught up on each other's lives. Breakfast was followed by a beautiful day at Qwest Field with J for the Sounders game. So glad it was at least a beautiful day because we got creamed. LA beat us 4-0. Ouch!



Saturday evening was then spent on a photography adventure with Z. We explored Volunteer Park and day dreamed about the amazing times we will have on our road trip in August. (See next entry for pictures.)

Unfortunately school was calling me back to the East coast for a psychology exam on Monday. It was a quick trip but it was so nice to see my mom and a few really good friends. I am so thankful to have these individuals are in my life! You guys are amazing and I thank you for all your wonderful support!