the Honolulu Marathon results

 (photo courtesy of Star Bulletin)

I did it!!  At my goal time too!!  Look at the crowd.  Yes, it was that crowded.  Over 27,000 people.  I placed 13,679 - so I made it within the top half!  And notice, not all the people are running.  LOTS of people walk. (lots of people shuffle and drag themselves too)  If I can do it - YOU can do it too.  You just need to train for it.  The training is so much better than the actual race.  Wearing the finishers shirt is the BEST.

My clock time was 6:59:40, but my chip time was 6:32:29 - which is what counts.  Because it took us 27 minutes to just get to the starting line.  Us slow folks who are honest are grouped in the very back and you shuffle and stand and shuffle and stand until you finally make it to the start.

I won't talk about the port-o-potties, they were disgusting.  Almost lost my cookies the two times I took a break.  Let's just say, yes, ladies CAN use urinals when push comes to shove.  <wretch>

We all got soaked from the downpours that happened before and during the beginning of the race.  So, we had trench foot.  I was terrified of blisters.  Thank goodness for technology.  I called up Gary and he met me at mile 22 with dry socks.  I had my spare shoes at the hotel, so he couldn't get them.  I ended up with blisters on 7 of my toes, but very manageable.  During the race I was ready to call the doc for toe amputation.  LOL! After the race, we practically had to stop suddenly, because the field was soupy mud.  Delicately picking your way is very dangerous.  I almost passed out twice.  I needed to MOVE.  My legs seized up and had extremely bad pain on the top of my right foot.  I think it was a tendon problem.  It took me about an hour to walk the mile to my hotel!  I'm all fine now.  Just a little sore and stiff.

There were quite a few people dressed up in crazy costumes.  One guy did the whole race backwards!  (I passed him)  I saw a couple of blind people being led.  We have a picture of one and I noticed that the girl leading him didn't have a bib.  Was she not registered??  She deserved credit for that!  I saw one girl pushing a very, very old lady in a regular wheelchair.  One lady worecapris, a straw hat, makeup, and carried a purse.  LOL!

I'll post pictures when I get a good one.  The ones Gary took I look like a maniac.  Crazy smile on my face.  I was determined to have fun.  I grumbled a lot at the beginning (due to the slowness), and gave myself a little kick in the rear that this was my long awaited event and dang it I was going to enjoy it.  So I changed my 'tude.  Hooted at the well-wishers, cheered at the big mile markers, sang with my mp3 player, and mugged for every camera I saw.  Shaka brah!

what a week - moving and marathon news

2 MORE DAYS TO THE MARATHON!!  WOO-HOO!

I've got my bib.  I need to pack.  I need to put gas in the car.  I need to freak out.  I need to get a decent night's sleep.

I'll need to throw up if I get any more excited.

I picked up the packet yesterday.  As I was on the road, in front of Ala Moana park, I saw the no parking signs propped up ready for the weekend.  Then I looked to my left and saw the orange street signs stacked up waiting for the race.  I started crying.  What a sap.  But finally we are approaching the moment I've been training for for a year.  It's my "take that!" to cancer.  Komen race didn't phase me, but this, I'm gonna be a basket case when I cross that finish line.

******************************************************************

Where are we moving next??  Good question.  Last week the placement officer gave Gary a list of jobs.  Gary suggested to him staying, but he seemed reluctant since he had someone picked for it already.  So Monday Gary told him we choose the JAG school in Charlottesville.  Seemed okay.  Told the boys and got them on board and excited about it.  We even had a lead on a house.  But, as per typical of our military experience, they informed us yesterday where we were actually going to be.  We're staying!

This is good.  It actually took me getting my brain focused on moving to realize how much I actually would miss it here.  I've been teary all weekend.  And now, we are staying!  THat's great!

windy again!

I was looking through my archives to find out when it happened last year - it was January.  We are having a major wind storm again.  Just like last year.  Except, according to the (overreacting) news people, it's the worst ever!!  LOL!  It really was bad last night.  I didn't sleep a wink.  All the windows were closed in our house, but you know how airtight these houses are (not).  The verticle blinds in our room banged all night long.  I finally figured out how to rig them to not bang and after 2:30 I finally fell asleep.  This morning when Gary was going to leave, he called to me.  The garage door had been bent inwards.  Just by the wind.  Nothing had slammed against it!  It's cracked down the center and it takes a couple of people to get it to go up or down.  So I made Gary move the car out before he left, just in case the thing decides to fall.  We have an octopus tree that I've been wanting to call the landlord to come prune - well, nature pruned that sucker!  And, only 3 oranges fell off our orange tree.  Now THAT made me laugh.  I was certain that the tree would be bare, and the neighbors would be angry.  The tree has at least a hundred oranges on it. 

All in all, we fared well.  But school has been cancelled for today.  Lots of roads are closed.  Right now it is very calm, but they say more wind is to come.

Last night I was at my cooking class - I took desserts this time.  And the power went out on us.  We were expecting it and raced to make our desserts.  We made a ton!  It was so dark in the classrooms.  Some ladies actually had little flashlights in their purses!  i flipped open my cell phone to get a little bit of light.  They eventually sent some people from the office with flashlights to escort us to our cars.  This morning I read online that a palm frond had slammed into a power line, cutting out power for 1600 homes.   The neighborhood we live in has all underground cables - very chi-chi.

We have no television service, but the cable is working for the internet.  Weird.  I don't expect all this power to last all day, so I'm going to shower now. 

my dream - freudian?

Not one of THOSE dreams!

It was one of those dreams that the feeling sticks with you all day.  I dreamed that tada! suddenly I was pregnant and in the hospital ready to give birth to twins.  I know it was a dream because my tummy was little and I was eagerly anticipating labor to begin.  I was actually disappointed that I wasn't feeling anything yet. 

Also, at some other point in the dream, I yelled out the F word (not in the context of labor).  I clamped my hands over my mouth but no one heard me.

One of my friends in the vortex told me that it was definitely about the marathon.  I'm very frustrated over being in the taper period before the marathon and anxious for the race to begin.  That's  true.  Maybe she's also telling me that she's sick of hearing me yap on and on about the marathon.  LOL!

Um, and NO, I'm not pregnant!  No chance of that!

history - exciting??

I've never liked history in school.  My most disliked subject.  Dates and conflicts and names -memorized.  Dry, dull and boring.  Hate it.  (please take note history teachers)

Until this study of Daniel.

History in the context of prophecy fullfilled - kinda mindblowing!  Especially the detail and all the drama in how it came to be.  And what it means.

Over the course of this study, I have become thoroughly convinced that we (as a people of the human race) are robbing ourselves of some serious wisdom by Jews and Christians being so separate.  This has been revealing itself to me little by little over the past year.  As a Gentile, I know little to nothing about Judiaism (even how to spell it), apart from what is read in the Bible.  And that itself is difficult to understand, not being raised in the culture.  Reading the words and understanding the meaning complete with the nuances are two different things.  (who knew that when Christ talked about his yoke being light he just might not be painting a word picture about an oxen yoke?)

Oh how I mourn this!  How rich Bible study would be if we could come together!!

This particular Bible study makes this clear because the prophecy in the book alternates with it's relevancy to Israel specifically and to the world in general.  It's so fascinating!  And startling.  I've gotten a lesson as to the background of chanukah (sp?) from the historical and prophetic standpoints.  Previously, this has been a mysterious Jewish holiday - very secret and exclusive.  Well, it's a mystery no more.  (I've already over used the words exciting and fascinating - and I don't want to offend anyone by making it sound like good fiction instead of the serious reality that it was)

I'm learning all about the Ptolemies and Seleucids and Greece and Rome and Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon...  Don't ask me about dates, and my grasp on the names are tentative at best.  But I'm coming out of this study smarter than when I entered it.

I'm looking forward to the day, at the end of this world as we know it, when Jew and Christian come together.  Once we get to gabbing, it'll be one great big Aha moment.

(disclaimer - These are my own personal thoughts.  Please don't bash me!)

no longer blushing... (crazy venting)

I had my appointment with my plastic surgeon today.  I asked him about my neighbor, the new plastic surgeon at the hospital.  No.  My PS will not be abandoning me.  Whew!  Of course, we got into a discussion of who lived where.  He lives not far from me.  At least he doesn't live next door!!  It seems there are quite a few doctors in our neighborhood.  Anyway, the upshot is, my next door neighbor will NOT be seeing me naked!  Woo-hoo!  (now, if my neighbor were the janitor, then he'd already have seen me naked - you know how those things go...)  just kidding...

So, I don't have a surgery date yet, but am getting one soon for after the new year.  I got the requisite booklet talking about silicone implants.  Of course they have to bring up the scary stuff, however slight the risks are. 

I must say, over time I've become accustomed to my recon side.  No, it's not perfect, but it's not bad.  However, I still avoid bathing suit and bra shopping.  THAT has not improved.  And therefore, that's why I'm going through with the surgery.  (I want those surf lessons)

I tried to talk about all this with Gary.  He just won't give me an opinion!!  So frustrating.  He just wants me to be happy.  I told him I'd be happy if he gave me an honest opinion...  I'm sure he doesn't want to hurt my feelings.  But, according to him, if he were me, well, he didn't say it directly, but he wouldn't have done a thing.  What he did say was, "you're talking to a person who's afraid to get knee surgery".  Yep.  Talking to the wrong person.  I'm not afraid of surgery - I can't be!   I've had too much to be afraid.  HE still has his tonsils for crying out loud!  He was born pretty.  He just doesn't understand...

Gotta go pick up the boys at school.

I'm so mad at myself!

I could just kick myself from here to China!

I had made a hotel reservation for the weekend of the marathon, but for the life of me I cannot find the paperwork.  I made online reservations.  And I know I would have printed out the confirmation number.  I thought there would have been some sort of email confirmation, but if there was, I did not save it.  grrrrrr.  I cannot even remember which hotel I finally settled on.

Unbelievable.

I'm not this irresponsible.  Disorganized, yes, irresponsible, no.

And I'm embarrassed to say that I've done a frantic search and am just now thinking that I need to pray about it.  That should have been my first response.  Well, it's bedtime, everyone else is in bed, so I can't continue to search.  Good time to pray.

Meanwhile, I have lovely thoughts of Thanksgiving dinner dancing through my head.  We are going to a friend's house for the big meal and we discussed today who was going to bring what.  I hope I didn't impose myself on her because she made the comment that she thought I was bringing  a lot.  I'm only bringing 3 things - plus my whole family!!  (and 2 hungry sailors will be there) I'm doing the traditional green bean casserole (yum!), a cranberry thing, and a pie.  Easy peasy.  And it will save her some refrigerator and oven space.  Her oven is as small as mine.