I Had No Idea!

Recently my friend Donnie posted how many miles he's run (about 500) and ridden (about 1300) in the last year. I was pretty impressed. I started wondering how many *I* had run/walked in the last year...and why had I never thought of checking.

Well, I checked tonight. And guess what? I have run/walked 606.76 miles in the last 365 days!!! Unbelievable! Of course, some was walking (probably 30%) and there was no other exercise except for pilates, but I'm still pretty darn proud. That's probably about 550 more miles that I ran a few years ago.

I tried to check from 6/09-6/10 to compare, but I didn't get my watch until August of 09. From August '09 to August '10, I ran 402 miles. So the trend is definitely increasing...

Confessions of an Anglophile

Ok, maybe not so much an anglophile, but rather a lover of royal weddings, particularly British ones. Why? It’s hard to put a finger in it exactly, but I think it started on July 29th, 1981, the day my father (a self-proclaimed history buff) woke my sister and me up at 4am to watch Charles and Di get married. “An historical event” he proclaimed.
Wow. What an event that was. I was instantly sucked in. Was it my British blood? My Episcopalian upbringing and its ties to the Anglican Church of England? Not sure, but probably just a great story of a young girl, only 6 or 7 years older than myself, who got to be a princess. Cool clothes, great jewelry and eventually a dysfunctional marriage. *Sigh* Not such a great life after all.
As for my girls, I’m trying to get them enthused (and it is working!). Why? Not because I want them to marry a prince (dear God, no thank you). It’s because it’s an historical event. Just like when I dragged them to hear Hillary Clinton speak in South Bend, Indiana. They reluctantly went, but complained most of the time (ok, maybe it was a downer because they just came back from choosing a puppy and really, what can compare to that?) Despite your political preferences, she was and is a figure in history and they will likely remember that event for the rest of their lives.
The other day, I was watching a replay of Charles and Di’s wedding. Guess what? My family (including my husband who thinks I’m ridiculous along with every other husband) all became interested. “Who’s that?” “What’s wrong with him?” “How old was the Queen then?” Thankfully, I could answer all these questions for my curious crowd. It’s kind of like my theory about strawberry daiquiris: most men will not admit in public that they drink them, but ALL men are willing to enjoy them in the privacy of their own home, or my home for that matter.

The Power of Being a Mom

Last night my youngest just couldn't sleep. Let me just say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, so I do have some sympathy for her. She's never been a good sleeper from day one, but now that she's 9, it's not too often that we have trouble.
It seems that allergies have kicked in, and she has a tickle in her throat that causes her all sorts of grief. She would come into our room, crying because she couldn't sleep, begging me to lay with her. Realizing that things would go nowhere fast if I didn't, I tried to placate her by laying next to her for a while. Of course we, as parents, have all played this game. It only works when you are there, and as soon as you leave, sleep is again elusive. There were a few rounds of this last night.
As I weighed this, I realized, why not sleep there all night? She and I may never get to sleep otherwise, and she's got a comfortable queen sized bed. So I packed up my cell phone/alarm, water and pillow and moved in. And you know what? The moment, and I mean the MOMENT I got settled, she was instantly asleep. I guess when she realized I was there to stay, she finally relaxed. That, I say, is the power of being a mom.

Captiva

My hubby and I had the good fortune to escape the cold and kids for a long weekend. Due to a particularly nasty winter, I was looking for someplace warm that wasn't too far away. The verdict: Captiva Island.
Captiva is a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, near Ft. Myers. It’s just beyond a better known island, Sanibel. I used to visit Sanibel as a kid while staying with my grandparents in Cape Coral. It’s well known for some of the best shelling anywhere.
Captiva is much smaller and less populated. Since you have to drive through Sanibel (low speed limits and no stoplights) to get there, it takes about an hour from the RSW airport even though it’s only about 35 miles away.
I chose a resort, South Seas Island Resort at the end of Captiva. It’s a large resort with a variety of housing options including hotel rooms, condos, houses, etc. The resort is huge, it takes up the last 2.5 miles of the island. There is a light blue trolley that runs most of the day and night that guest can use. Also, we rented bikes for $5/day which were awesome for getting around in the resort and out into town. You can get to just about any place on the island with a bike.
We saw an amazing sunset while sipping cocktails on the beach and watching the dolphins swim. We ran, biked and walked for exercise. We went on a kayak trip with a nature guide and saw and learned so much about the island and the natural residents. We paddled near the dolphins before they came into the harbor to play. And *gasp*, I was fascinated by many types of really interesting birds (especially the brown pelicans that would dive straight down in the water to catch fish), and not one of them tried to poke out my eyes! Alan saw manatees, which often hang out in the harbor during warmer weather. We enjoyed warm breezes, turquoise blue water and powder white sand.
The town of Captiva is a quaint beach town with good restaurants and little shops. It is surrounded by beach shacks and mansions alike. While we love Hatteras more than almost any beach town, this is a really nice alternative for the cold months of the year. It even has a small taste of Hawaii (minus the volcanoes and whales) with a fraction of the cost and travel time. Hell, anyplace that you see dolphins EVERY day is a place worth going.

(And for those of you who are counting…the shower at the resort was impressive. It was at least 6’2” and the water pressure was extraordinary.)

Culinary Tour Anyone?

Last weekend, our good friend Kerry came to visit us in NC for the first time. He's a west coaster, former classmate of my husband's, groomsman in our wedding and all around great guy. I do believe this was his first trip to NC, so I thought we'd show him what it's all about. In a relatively short span of time (o.k., I admit, it was only about 24 hours), we introduced him to:

1. Cheerwine

2. Hush puppies

3. Shrimp and grits (Crook's, of course)

4. my homemade biscuit cinnamon rolls

5. Five Guys Burgers

6. Locopops
in addition to mountain biking, a tour of the oldest public university in the US, and a little more college basketball than he's used to.

Of course, I didn't immediately come to know all these things upon my arrival in NC 12 years ago, but I'm much more well versed now on the culinary pleasures of living in this state. For that, I have some great NC friends to thank, some native, some not.

Anyone else want to come visit?

Could it really be fall?

Today I did a few things that I haven't done for a very long time...

1. Run on the treadmill. While it's been a long, hot summer, I haven't needed to run on the treadmill until today. All this rain is a welcome friend but it's a little soggy out there. Kudos to the Chapel Hill Carrboro Y for the awesome new treadmills-with personal TV/radio and ipod docks. Sweet.
2. Wear long pants on my day off.
3. Wear long sleeves.
4. Wear a RAINCOAT
5. Get a hot coffee. Decaf, nonfat latte from Starbucks. Sweet nectar of the gods, so happy to taste you again.


I'm ready for fall.

Pet Peeve du Jour

One of my big pet peeves is email addresses for folks who work in corporations. Specifically, the middle initial. Most of them go like this;
jeandersen "@" blahblahblah dot com.
My problem is that I don't usually enter the full entry in my address book for people whose email addresses are their names. So when I try to find them, I suddenly have to remember their middle initial or I end up scrolling through dozens of "M"s (or whatever) to find the person. Waste. Of. Time. Just use something else (like the full name or a number after the name). Make my life easier, please. I'm just sayin'.