Fall 2009 Indian Princess Camp-out

Fall 2009 Indian Princess Campout
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

About a month ago Miri and I joined the YMCA Adventure Guides (Indian Princesses) program, thanks to Allan's help (Miri's PopPop). Miri's mom (Stefie) and her dad, Allan, had done the 4 year father/daughter program many moons ago and now it's Miri's turn with me! Miri even excitedly took on her mom's name from way back when and is going to be known as "Morning Star". For various reasons I decided to go with "North Star" since 1) I'm one of Miri's guiding lights (part of what the program is about), 2) I grew up in Canada, the great white north, 3) Similar name with Miri, and 4) The first hockey game I ever saw in person and have memory of is that of the Calgary Flames vs. the Minnesota North Stars. I remember those green jerseys being smashed into the glass in front of me. :)

A week or so after joining we had our first tribal meeting and a couple weekends after that we had our first bi-yearly nations camp-out with all the area's tribes. We were off to a fast start! This past Oct 17th was that camp-out and I thought I'd share some pictures, videos and a quick account of how it all went down...

A bunch of us met in west Little Rock Saturday morning to drive down in a caravan. The camp-out was going to be held at Camp Yorktown Bay on Lake Ouachita. We first made a pit-stop at Does in Hot Springs for lunch and had a good time with the princesses at one table wreaking havoc on the saltine crackers, and the fathers at another table getting to know one another.



Once we were fueled up we reformed our caravan and headed for camp. Thanks to town traffic, I wound up in front, but I wasn't the one who knew were to go! Luckily I had the camp dialed up on my BlackBerry's GPS and Miri watched our progress and directed me where to go from the back seat. It wasn't all that hard since I got regular updates like "We're still on the purple road Daddy!" and "Turn right NOW!". :)



At the camp, we came to find the best place for our tents! Other tribes where using the motel, cabins or tent camping in a soccer field. We really lucked out with a tucked away scenic spot that was a 5-10 minute walk from the main camp. with some help from the princesses, the fathers started unpacking the cars and went to it setting up the tents...



It was a 2 tiered site with three tents up in "the heights" (probably double the value per square footage) and five tents down below in a semi circle around the campfire...



Those in the heights even had quick access to our luxurious facilities...



With the setup complete, we got to sit down for a break and talk while the princesses got to know each other better by running and playing around, and they even started a jack-o-lantern...



Andy, our chief, headed out for a meeting of the chiefs leaving us with the task of coming up with a name for our tribe. The front runners so far had been "Dancing With Daughters" and "Ozark something". While the dads were wracking our brains over various ideas, the princesses were running around, darting in and out of tents, and otherwise having a great time. At some point one of the tents in the heights was pulsating with screams of pleasure and I just said, "How 'bout Screaming Princesses?". ...and it stuck! We then had our tribe name and it also had a nice tone of warrior strength.

After grilling hamburgers and hot-dogs we all then headed down to camp at sundown for the gathering of the nation and the induction of the new tribes. The event was kicked off with a story of Keeto, a fireball in the sky to start a large bonfire, and some fireworks. Each tribe was recognized with a shot of a firecracker adorned arrow into the lake and the new tribes were introduces by their member names in front of the rest. It was entertaining and there were quite a few laughs, including a different version of the song Bingo...



and a different version of Old McDonald that featured every tribe name and their own sound to make (naturally ours was to scream)...



Once the group event was over, the Screaming Princesses then made our trek back to the campsite for some s'mores around the campfire. Soon enough, Miri was down and, like dominoes, the rest of the princesses soon followed.



The temperature dipped down to around 38F that night but Miri and I stayed warm and toasty. So did everyone else, especially those with tent warmers! :)

After some conversation the Dads soon followed their daughters one by one and the whole tribe was soon out. In the morning the girls were quick to gravitate to the morning fire to warm up...



and, as usual for kids, were quick to achieve that state of alertness and infinite energy.



Conversely, it took quite a bit of time, and coffee, for the Dads to get halfway there...



We were all treated to some beautiful morning scenery out on the lake. I tried to capture it with my camera but couldn't do it justice. There was a feel to it that a camera can't get and I wish I could have just sat there for a while to soak it in, but we were quick to finish breakfast, pack up, and head out to camp for the morning nation service.



The service wasn't as packed as the nighttime gathering, but there was quite a few of us to enjoy it, and the last moments together.



After we finished cleaning up our campsite and putting out the fire, all with the help of the princesses, we then said our last see-you-later's after a few last minutes of play time. Miri and I left looking forward to our next tribal meeting and perhaps some more camping with our tribe alone before the spring nation camp-out. We had a great time!

Janelle Cabin Trip 2009

Janelle Visit 2009
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

Janelle (my sister) made it down from Canada for a visit over Labor Day weekend this year! It had been a year since I had briefly visited with her and a few years since Miri last saw her. Janelle will always hold a special place in Miri's life since she had flown down to DC shortly after Miri was born and took care of her for 4 months. We were all excited to get a chance to visit and thought it would be fun to spend the weekend at the cabin... so we did! :)

After an hour and a half of just trying to get out of Little Rock in crazy traffic, we finally broke free and made our way up to the cabin. We got there with enough time to unpack, set up our sleeping areas and enjoy a few minutes on the porch. After some time winding down on the porch we went in for Miri's bedtime. She got to have her Aunt Janelly sing her bedtime song that night!



With Miri down, Janelle and I set up some lamps and torches around the porch and Janelle opened a bottle of Argentinian wine. From the town of Los Cardos, it was a really good Malbec. (Mendoza Argentina Dona Paula) We enjoyed the rest of the evening while sipping away at this great wine and having a great visit.



Somewhere around one in the morning we decided it was best to get some sleep so we made our way upstairs and went to bed. Miri woke up a little faster than we did so after stumbling down the stairs I got some coffee going to help Janelle and I finish the "waking up" process. This was also the first time that some fine imported Tim Horton's coffee has ever been brewed in the cabin. It was delicious! (Thanks for smuggling it into the country Janelle!) We also pepped up some of our mugs with a little irish cream too... ;)



Stefie had made a bunch of those Gold Classic Chocolate Chip pancakes for us and we warmed those up on the stove and had a fantastic, quickly prepared breakfast with some fresh fruit. (Thanks Stef!) Now that we were awake and aware, Janelle got to see what the Cabin surroundings are like in the daytime.





We quickly decided that Janelle needed to experience Blanchard Springs Caverns... One of Miri's favourite things to do at the cabin! So we headed out on the gravel road to make the 5-10 minute drive there. Along the way we noticed that the trees were just starting to give a hint of fall colors and Janelle hopped out of the car to take a picture of the beautiful scenery.





Then, a little further along the road she noticed something else and hopped out to take a picture of it too...





While we were talking about the last picture the gravel road got really bumpy and Miri was so cute and funny with her shaky voice that I backed up some, and had Janelle take a video of her singing the alphabet song on the bumpy road.



We finally made it to the caverns, took the tour and Janelle got to experience the beauty of that underground world.



After the tour was over, we then headed back to the Cabin for a snack and a game of Phase-10.



Then we headed into Mountain View for a late lunch / early dinner and get some supplies. We showed Janelle the town square and got to hear a little blue grass music being played. After that, it was back to the cabin to enjoy the last of the daylight. We decided to spend most of that time playing around at the creek. So off we went...



The creek was higher, faster and cooler than just a few weeks before, so we didn't go swimming. :) It was just beautiful there though and we had fun skipping rocks and wondering around.



Without them knowing it... I caught Janelle and Miri on video with 10x zoom. Just a moment at the creek...



Before leaving I thought of the Inukshuk that was on a shirt that Dad and Cecille gave Miri so I suggested that we make one of our own too. The first one at Roasting Ear Creek!



I also managed to get a video of it's construction too...



After our fun at the creek, we headed back to the cabin for a dinner time snack and enjoy the last of the light on the porch. It was cooler this night so I also got a fire going in the stove. Once Miri was down, Janelle and I reprised our wine and conversation evening of the night before. This time the bottle was an Australian Shiraz. (Yellow Label - S. Australia Shiraz 2007) Two great wines in a row and two great evenings in a row...



The next morning we got up, had breakfast, packed up, cleaned and lingered around for a while before heading back. Yet another fantastic cabin trip in the books! And it was great having Janelle there! :)

Labour Day 2009 at the Cabin

Cabin Slumbies
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

I'm a little behind on getting this done, but here it goes! Labour Day Weekend 2009 could not have been more fun. Miri and I headed up to the cabin and Rob and his daughters (Miri's cousins), Isabell and Olivia, headed down from Kansas City to meet us. Miri had such a great time with her cousins, we all did together actually, that we hope it won't be too long before we can do it again!



Miri and I made it to the cabin about 20 minutes before sundown and 5 minutes before heavy rain. There was lightning all around the area and was quite beautiful. After unlocking the place I quickly came to realize that there was no power! Since I knew rain was about to hit I just quickly unloaded the car before figuring out what was going on. By the time the car was unloaded the rain started to come down and the understanding of the lack of power to the cabin sunk in to Miri. She asked me what are we going to do with some panic in her voice. I just told her that it doesn't matter if we end up with no power because it'll be like we're camping in a tent, the only difference is that we'll be in the cabin instead! She was immediatly at ease with all smiles and started to walk around the porch doing her own thing. I messed with the breaker box for a while just to check out the situation, then set up our beds upstairs so we'd be ready for bedtime. I got Miri into her pajamas then we settled on to a porch swing with her in my lap and watched the last 5 minutes of sunlight. We just swung there for almost an hour, enjoying the sound of the rain, watching the sunlight go away, seeing the stars starting to pop out, and talked about anything/everything. At some point I decided it was time for bed as our conversation died down and she had a heavy head on my shoulder, so I said "Betdime!". As we got up, I realized that there were beams of light coming out of the windows and open doors (we had been swinging on the side of the cabin that had no windows). We had power back! Anyway, I put Miri down for bed, lit some lanterns and sat out on the porch. About 2 hours later, Rob and the girls finally tore into the driveway and came to a sliding halt... ok, they didn't come in that fast, but they did bring an uninvited and unwilling guest!



Poor frog didn't really get to enjoy the long weekend. He actually punched a hole through the front grill of Rob's car! :) Anyway, the girls went straight upstairs to bed and Rob and I sat out on the porch 'till after one in the morning. A great way to kick off the weekend for me. I always like hanging out with that guy.

In the morning, with the cousins up, Rob made some fantastic chocolate-chocolate-chip-chocolate-milk-chocolate waffles. I think it had some chocolate in it. We really lucked out in that we got to have this delecacy two mornings in a row!



Because I procrastinated so well in writing this report up, and because I'm really crunched on time, I'm going to quickly go over what we did during out time there and it'll probably be out of order.

On both Saturday and Sunday we went swimming in the creek. It was cold but we managed. It was also up to my neck in a couple of places. We all had a lot of fun there even though horse flies were taking filet-sized bites of skin from us...



On both Saturday night and Sunday night the cousins bunked together on two beds pushed together for their slumber parties. Miri absolutly loved this!



Olivia proved to be a culinary arts master and made some great heart shaped sandwiches for lunch one day.



Rob and the girls have never seen Blanchard Springs Caverns. So Miri took us there and guided us around. Since she knows the caverns so well now, it seems like she could lead a group with her knowledge.



On the final night, we had a camp fire and made s'mores. No way we couldn't!



I enjoyed every night sitting out on the porch, drinking coffee and passing time with Rob. The cousins had a great time together. It was a perfect trip! The cousins made an entry in the guest book while Rob and I packed up and cleaned the cabin. We did one last breakfast toghether in 56 then hit the road. We're hopeing for another group trip as soon as possible!

Florida '09!

P8093041
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

Rather than do a writeup about the awesome Florida Vacation that Miri and I just had, I will take the lazy route and just cute & paste the 6 emails I sent while we were down there. :)

Florida - Day 1

Water Park + Beach + Pool + Playing With Cousins + Eggplant Parmesan + Smirnoff Ice = I'm Going To Bed Now.

It was a fantastic first day.

2 videos from my mom's camera. Her camera does not do sound so if you want sound call my cell and I'll make sound effects for you while you watch the videos...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cqgI9e-69o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeJT8JUFH88

Plenty of pictures:
My flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl
Mom's flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81988723@N00/

Many more photos and videos not uploaded and many more to come I'm sure. :)

love,
Jason

Florida - Day 2

Today wasn't quite as jam packed as yesterday, but it also wasn't a sleeper either!

Miri and I started off the day by dropping off Grandma at work, getting her settled into the start of her work day, then went back "home" and visited with Great Grandma Fournier. After lunch, Bugs and I went to Sugar Sand Park to ride the carousel and visit the Science Exploratorium. From there we headed back to Grandma's work and head for Deerfield Beach to try the public beach (more sand there then at Castle Reef). We had fun in the water, and on the beach, then finished up the day eating dinner and video conferencing with Aunt Janelle. Miri's now sleeping in a coma and I will be next.
(I feel like I'm forgetting something in there... but oh well)

love to all,
Jason (& Miri)

Pic of the Day:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/3787625388/

3 videos from yesterday that I finally uploaded from my camera. Since my camera has sound you all can stop calling me for sound effects. (Video's were from the pool at Castle Reef)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptzi6laLLJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPUdp2o1qcc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV0oKk8izlI

Today's video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnCqjPrOMoY

Today's Slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/show/

Florida - Day 3

We toned down the outside activities for today but still had a great one with some special moments. We got up in the morning and stopped by BestBuy to get a new computer for Grandma's work. Turned out the store didn't open for another hour so we went to Einstein's Bagels for some lox and bagel (my favourite breakfast!). Miri then came up with a new version which she completely wolfed down... it was a cranberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese and lox on top! She was so quick at eating it, and I was too preoccupied with my one delicious, and more sensible, regular lox and bagel that I never got to try a bite of hers. (Special Lox Picture) Once our breakfast was gone we then went and picked up the computer and network printer for Grandma's office. As I was getting that all set up, Miri got into working and helping out at the store and therefore became Bras N Things youngest employee. She really got into it and enjoyed it! (Pic1 Pic2) For lunch we were treated to vegetable low mein by the store's owner, and family friend, Laura. (Lunch) The biggest surprise was at the end of the work day when Miri actually received her very first paycheck! She's actually on the store's payroll now. :) (Paycheck!) After our successful work day (yep, I got the computers and network printer playing nice) we headed home for a cookout at Grandmas. Paul, Great Grandma Fournier, Great Aunt Irene and Great Uncle Erick came over and joined us. Miri made another fantastic guacamole too. After dinner Miri and Grandma walked over to the new community playground to get some play in before bedtime. Another fun day finished off down in Florida!

Hope you all are doing well!
love,
Jason & Miri


Pic of the Day:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/3790126808/

Today's Slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/show/with/3791007508/

Today's Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/archives/date-posted/2009/08/04/

Playground Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ug_mhk3F8Y

Florida - Day 4

Another great day leaving me ready for bed... We're really enjoying it down here! After dropping Mom off at her work, which Miri also now calls her "place of work", Mir and I then headed back to Mom's to meet up with Great Grandma Fournier. A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, my grandma owned and operated her own salon. Long after that, whenever my sister and I would make our summer trips to Florida, we'd end up getting a haircut done by our grandmother. In keeping with that Florida tradition, Miri got her haircut done by her Great Grandmother! With a nice haircut complete, we then made some errands and followed that up with a little down time at the house. Before we knew it, it was time to go rescue Mom from work! From Miri's place of work, we then headed on over to Castle Reef and Miri immediately put on the most amazing swimming clinic yet! She was swimming with her face in the water, taking some breaths on the go, trying to dive, swimming under water by four inches, pushing off the pool floor with her feet, and trying to float on her back... all in about an hour of swim time. We'll be spending a couple of nights at Castle Reef this weekend so she'll be getting all kinds of swim time yet! With hunger building we then went to the sushi restaurant where I had my first taste of sushi ever 10 years ago, and it was as amazing now as it was then. The sushi boat had me thinking of Miri's Mimi and Popop and how they'd probably agree that this unassuming strip-mall sushi joint would be an impossible step up in quality from Mt. Fuji or Gina's. So far, whenever I get back to Florida I always manage to get back there at least once. Oh... and this was Miri's second visit... we had been in the same booth over a year and a half ago. She ate the sushi up as usual... :)

Hope all is well and take care!
love,
Jason & Miri

Pic of the Day:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/3794065532/

Today's Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvXv3kWdhcY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOL8uJam-SE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ9NbBq5u8U

Today's Slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/show/with/3794265138/

Today's Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/archives/date-posted/2009/08/05/

Florida - Friday

I went to bed before sending this out yesterday so here's a quick update this morning:
Paul took me out to shoot 9 holes of golf and I was wonderfully horrible at it. While we were golfing, Miri and Grandma went and had apedicure. We then finished the morning at Paul's pool. After a lunch of Broccoli Rhabe, Mom, Miri and I headed out shopping then back at Mom's place. We then headed over to Mom's pool and Miri then showed me how she can now dive to the bottom of the pool to retrieve dive rings!
Anyway, today we're off to Castle Reef for a couple of nights by the beach. I probably won't get another email out until Monday. We'll be doing a lot of beaching, pool swimming, and hopefully early morning baby sea turtle protecting and helping... (They hatch around now.)

love,
Jason & Miri

Pic of the Day:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/3799234467/

Friday's Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSDynVLDE9I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGGpb2AiQIY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_tggaRI7NQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3l7sN7frMs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j4ogt0O2gk

Friday's Slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/show/with/3800196502/

Friday's Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/archives/date-posted/2009/08/07/

Florida - Wrap up

This is it. Tomorrow we fly back to Little Rock. Either that or Mom will be flying back with Miri and doing computer programming and I will stay behind as a new bra fitter at BrasNThings. I'm going to think about it...

Anyway, we spent the last couple of nights on the beach at Castle Reef. Cousin JoAnn and her daughter, our cousin, Cristine drove down from Jacksonville to spend the time with us. JoAnn, being as awesome as she always is, had made a couple of my family favourites and they were perfect. The first night we had Carne Machada and the second night was a feast that included some fantasticEmpanadas. As a matter of fact, the Carne Machada was so good that the dogs (Chalupa and Louie) finished off the leftovers... Then again, Louie also ate Mom's flip flops, so I don't know what that means.

On Saturday and Sunday we spent about 6 hours in the pool on each day. Taking breaks from the pool by going in the ocean. :) We also spend another accumulated 3 hours of applying sunscreen!
(Pretty much an hourly ritual. Well, we did try to avoid the sun during the worst part of the day.)

Miri's swimming really took off during this time. You'll see in one of the videos that she can now swim the width of the pool. As a matter of fact, in the video she does it without her goggles or mask on and with her head above water... much harder than when she started off with her mask and swimming faster with her face in the water. A lot went on. We ate watermelon and Miri had her first Pina Colada. Mom got pushed in the pool and I kicked Cristine's butt in a splash contest. Miri taught Cristine how to hang from a tree and we got buzzed about 10 times by a crazy blimp. We did not luck out with the baby sea turtles though as they weren't quite ready to dig out and head for the ocean. Maybe next time we'll get to help them.

Oh, almost forgot... On Sunday Laura and Paul joined us to celebrate Mom's birthday with presents ice cream cake and spatula licking.

That's it for this trip!
love,
Jason & Miri

Pic of the Weekend:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/3807594339/

Weekend Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSxRYrfisxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1dSPg_lC5s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzxS9KwX9Hg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YDqtWJJ934
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SOPtU7i-Jc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urUHIqCYSNE

Weekend Slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/show/with/3808621563/

Weekend Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/archives/date-posted/2009/08/10/

All Florida pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwwl/tags/florida/

2009 Little Rock Dino Dash 5k

finishers
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

The Arkansas Meuseum of Discovery held their 10th annual Dino Dash 5k this last Saturday (May 30th, 2009). This was HIGHLY anticipated by Miri as she's been wanting to be in a race ever since I ran my first one last March (the Little Rock Half Marathon). Luckily she just met the minimum age requirement by turning 5 at the start of April, and to add even more to the excitement, my Mom (Grandma) was visiting and would join us! Since I went through a few months of "When are we going to run the Dino Dash?" my excitement really built up too, especially since I had such a great experience with the half marathon.



We got up early and, with a small breakfast in the car, made our way downtown ahead of the 8am start time. Once there, we pinned our numbers on chests and went for a walk to stretch out legs and figure out where the actual starting line was.



As people gathered we ran into others we knew and talked some while the starting time ticked closer and closer. Miri got a little sunscreen in her right eye and it started tearing up. She was getting sad over it as the sting was getting worse and while I was finishing helping her out the race started!



Miri's reaction was immediate... Off she went! For the first 3 blocks or so all I heard from her was constant giggling and laughter. She was LOVING it! Her race was finally here!



I would say she ran the first 1/8th of the whole race without stopping! From our weekend runs she had remembered the trick of running slow to run far and she kept at it. We then went into a walking and running pattern at her direction. She'd walk for a while then say "That's enough!" or "Let's go!" and take off again at a not-all-out pace. She really knew not to wear herself out with all out running! She also knew that she was in charge and could walk all we wanted in this race. So we were just having fun. And Grandma managed to keep up with us too (and take some great pictures!).



About 1/4 of the way through we hit the waterstation that serves runners in both directions. We got some to drink and Miri then continued on running! She was slowly starting to take some more walking breaks and the breaks were taking longer too. It didn't matter though, we were talking lots about racing, how fun it was, and talking with other racers about pretty much anything else. We continued and the next thing we saw up ahead was the state capitol and the turnaround point.



At this point Miri met another girl and started talking a bunch. They became instant running friends and stuck together most of the way back. They had a great time and would wait for the other if one of them got too far ahead. It was cool to be a part of that.



Once we hit the waterstation again (at the 3/4 mark) we stopped to hydrate and lingered for a moment. Rather than charging off we walked on for a while. It was getting tiring and the sun was starting to get higher in the sky. It was around then that Miri said matter of factly, "Daddy, I think I'll run the 1k next time." :) It was pretty cute. She said she was having fun and would run 5k again but wants to run 1k's for a while instead. All that mattered to me was that she was having fun with her first race and she was. I also thought that it was pretty cool that she was running her first 5k at 5 years old. It was also my first 5k and my Mom's (Grandma's) as well. We were all having a good time with it!



As we got closer to finishing Miri starting getting high five's from the police that we'd pass in the intersections. I also then notices that we were in the back as there was a police car a block or so behind us marking the end of the race and letting traffic get back to normal. Then, when Miri saw the finish line a couple blocks away and around a corner, she stormed off at her fastest pace of the race and completed her first 5k with a strong finish!



We all did it! And since this was my first official 5k race, my 5k PR is the same as Miri's at 57:07. I may not run another 5k for a while so it stays that way. :)



After the finish, we swapped out our running shoes and walked around the finish area. First, we got some poweraid, orange slices and banana halves.



Grandma was "finished" and I was feeling good but hot from the sun. Miri still had energy! (How do kids do that?) So off she went bouncing around in one of those kids play areas and celebrated her first race!



Miri finished off the celebrations with a finishers medal and an ice cream sandwich. Now that's how it always should be! :) We had a great time and it's an experience none of us will forget. Most of us came out of it with more motivation but Mom declared her retirement from racing soon afterwards. Miri says she wants to do 1k's before another 5k, and I'm looking forward to my first full marathon. I think Grandma would do it again if asked by a certain little someone... ;) (our official results - Miri actually did a second better than I)



PS: This is a picture of an older woman who passed us at about the 2/3 mark. Sure it's funny to get passed by someone so old, but I really found her to be inspiring as she ran by (and didn't walk once). That's where I want to be at that age!

2009 Little Rock Half Marathon

Running the Half Marathon
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

This was my first official race ever. I guess you could say that I jumped in the deep end, or at least half way to the deep end. I didn't run the full marathon, just the half, but what a half it was. The Little Rock Marathon has been an ongoing event since 2003 (2 years before I moved here) and the city and volunteers put on one heck of an event. The huge number of volunteers, and their eagerness to help, was hugely felt every step of the way. From picking up my race pakcet the day before, to all of the water stations and finish line helpers, I felt that it really put the city in a positive light for the out-of-towners. The half marathon course (2) also showcased the city to the runners as it swung us by many of the city's landmarks. The full marathon course added a few more... maybe I'll see those next year. ;)

I had got back into running a little last September with the guys at my new job and took a while to run 2 miles without walking. At Christmas I starting running more regularly and on January 13th, I went ahead and signed up for the March 15th race. I was motivated by the guys at work, the feeling of getting back into shape, and the registration for my first race ever. Next thing I knew, my weekly milage was hitting 23, way to fast of an increase and with a poor stride, I developed some pain in my right knee. I held back for a week, the pain went away and I got back to it... but slowly. Mosty due to my schedule, I never did get to run as often as I liked, nor did I get to make a run that was over 5 miles (my log). I knew I wasn't as prepared as I could be for the race, but it didn't matter. I was just excited for the experience and I had no idea at all what that experience would be like.

On race day I got down there at 7 so I could mentally ease into the 8am start time... and make sure I had a chance to go to the potty. I found my starting corral which was C. I was assigned C becuase when I registered I entered that my predicted finishing time would be 2:15:00 (that's 2 hours and 15 minutes). Boy was I stupid... I then realized that there was no way I was going to make that time. I was dreaming of 2:30:00 but truly expecting about 3:00:00 or more. I should have been in corral D. But oh well, my race bib said C so that's where I was. I felt like a mule standing in a herd of race horses.

I reviewed my mental strategy. Go slow, even uncomfortably slow, for the first 2 miles then ease into a pace that matched what I had been running. Once past 5 miles, my longest run yet, I'd "listen" to my body and slow down as needed. If I had to walk some in the last half, I would. Ignore that little voice in my head that said "Never walk! You must finish it without walking!". And last but not least, ENJOY this whole experience! And that's what hit me right there, the excitement of it all. I was way happy and the gun hadn't even gone off yet! There I was, in running gear, with a race bib on that had my name and the number 3154. I was surrounded by other runners and a lot of more experienced ones. The Kenyans where taking warm up laps around the corral and seemed to be effortlessly floating by at double my running pace. All of this just simply amazed me. I was ready and I didn't care what the outcome would be. It was already worth the entry fee at that point.

Then the gun went off!!! Well, there was no gun, more of an electronic "beep", but away we went none the less. The near shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, the sound of all the shoes hitting the pavement, the crossing of the start line, the sight of a huge mob snaking it's way through the first few turns... I was soaking it all in and moving with the race horses next to me. Next thing I knew, a mile and a half had passed and we were heading over the river for North Little Rock. I also realized that I hadn't stuck to my game plan at all and I was keeping up with those race horses! Ooops, better slow down. I said slow down. SLOW DOWN!!!! ...my legs weren't getting the message. I was very conscious of my pace, but I just couldn't slow down. Somewhere around 2 and a half miles I gave up. No, I didn't give up running, I gave up trying to slow down. I decided to just enjoy the moment and go with it. I knew it would mean that I'd most likely be walking a bunch in the second half, but I made the choice to not run a smart race. I was then going to run a race where I gave it my all at every moment, rather than plan ahead and pace myself correctly. I told myself that there will be future races and I can run those the smart way, but this was my first race. I didn't have to be smart, just enjoy it. Besides, I'd have an easier time PR-ing (making a personal record) on a furture race if I burned out on this one!

Anyway, at mile 5 we were heading back over the bridge and back into downtown Little Rock. On I went, heading towards 6 miles and the 10k mark just after that (6.2 miles). As I approached the 10k mark there were sensors on the road to read our timing chips attached to our shoes and a digital clock on the side. I saw the number 59 and had to take another look. 59 mintues at the 10k mark?!?!? Holy cow, I hadn't thought I'd break an hour on a 10k until later this year with further training... but there it was. 59:04 at the 10k mark AND WHILE I WAS RUNNING A HALF MARATHON! I knew for sure that my pace was fast. I also knew that was just shy of the half way mark for my whole race... I just had to do it all over again. I was feeling that my heart was certainly working hard, but overall I was good physically and I was feeling REALLY good mentally. It was about then that I noticed a guy running with balloons that had 4:15 marked on them. He was the pacer for the full marathon, so if you wanted to finish the full in 4 hours and 15 mintues, you can run with him. A 4:15:00 full marathon wasn't something I had to think about yet, I only had to run half that, but I stuck with him because he reperesented a pace that I didn't think I'd be running. On I went, following those ballons like a donkey following a carrot on a stick.

We headed back towards downtown and made a left on capitol st. Off in the distance was the state capitol building. It was perfectly framed by the street and I couldn't stop looking at the view. It is the only state capitol that is built as the federal capitol in DC, but to a smaller scale. I thought it was a perfectly planned course at that point. I also forgot the course map in my head, and the number of miles I had run at that point. I wondered why were making a left off of capitol st. and heading AWAY from the direction of the finish line. I saw the mile marker for 9 and that snapped my back to reality. Over 4 more miles to go? Wow! I was still at it though, and still with those 4:15 balloons. I grabbed some gatorade on the fly again and also grabbed some energy gel to get some fuel.

As we headed back over interstate 630 again, a slight hill finally started to feel like it was more than it was. At about mile 10 we took a right at the governer's mantion and another slight hill. That's where I had to say bye bye to my 4:15 balloons and my pace slowed some. I was finally starting to really feel it in my feet and knees, but I also loved that feeling. I wanted to feel some kind of an extreem challange of a half marathon and I was finally getting that wish. I knew that a physically tough feeling would increase the satisfaction of accomplishing what I was accomplishing. With every step, my feet felt like they were being pounded by a sledgehammer on the bottom, but I knew it was mind over matter and I also knew there was no stopping me. Besides, I had already put the 13.1 sticker on my car the day before. I had no choice but to keep running and the little voice I wanted to ignore wasn't ignoreable... I was not going to walk any part of those 13.1 miles no matter what!



As we headed for mile 12 I knew that those sledgehammers were not going to stop me. It was a slow downhill to the river, then a right to go under the Peobody Hotel and on to the finish line. Despite the "pain", I was in a zone, and a good one at that. At some point I finally caught a glimpse of the finish line and my pace and excitement picked up. There were tons of people lining the sides of the course here cheering us all on. (All throughout the race there were people here and there cheering and kids that I'd give high five to as I'd run past.) Nearing the finish line I could see the clock... and I could not believe my eyes. 2:13:50??? for real? I gave it the last push over the line and stopped to a slow walk. I did it. I still can't believe my time too... 2 hours and 13 minutes!. (all results)

The volunteers kept us worn out folks moving along. They clipped off my timing chip, gave me water, got a finishing medal, wrapped me in foil to stay warm, given a banana and my picture was taken. After that I got to enjoy some live music in the athletes village, get more water, eat yogurt, chocolate milk and a beer to celebrate.

The whole experience was absolutely amazing. I can't wait for my next race!

Jason


PS: Next up is the Dino Dash 5k with Miri who just turned 5!

Aunt Suze and Uncle Richie

4435 Aunt & Uncle w Miri
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

A couple of weeks ago Aunt Suze and Uncle Richie stopped by for a visit. It was absolutely great having them here and also my first house guests at my new apartment. On the weekend we went up with Miri to the cabin for a couple of nights. We toured the Blanchard Springs Caverns and poked around Mountain View. I've been so busy since that I never got to write up something about the visit so I'm just putting up this quick blurb. If you click on this picture you'll see a whole bunch of pics on flickr from that visit. I can't wait until they come back again!

The Car

The Front
Originally uploaded by jwwl.

On Saturday I picked up my new car. It's a 2008 Chevy Malibu and in pretty good condition. I'm actually surprised how much I'm liking it and about the features it has even though it's not deluxe. I hope this car will stick around for at least 5-10 years!