Boston, Baby!

Day 5 - Fenway Park

This is the ultimate day that we've been waiting for, going to Fenway Park and watch the Redsox game. This was also the reason for Kelli actually coming to Boston with us.... so there is a lot of pressure riding on this day.

It started with meeting at Fenway early afternoon to sign up for the ball park tour. We got there a couple minutes late, so we had to sign up for the tour an hour later at 3 pm. So what to do while we wait? Go to the Redsox team store? Okay! We spent a good amount of time before the tour there and I would say I spent most of my Boston money there. And anything Redsox is totally worth it!

After the store it was time for the tour, time to enter Fenway Park! It was an incredible moment! The tour was great and we were in Fenway. Such a beautiful stadium with so much history!

Right after the tour we headed across the street to "Boston Beer Works" and had such a great meal!! I got the garden burger and sweet potato fries. Best garden burger I have ever had, no doubt about it and the sweet potatoes, again, probably the best I've ever had. I also order a blueberry ale and also, delicious! We tried to hang out in the restaurant as long as possible, but the line and crowd began to grow, so we felt bad keeping a table.

Then, it was game time! We went into the park about an hour before game time and basically watched batting practices. Kelli and I made our way down to the field so all we had to do if we really wanted was to reach down over the fence and touch Fenway dirt right next to the Redsox bullpen. Those weren't our seats, but we got to experience for a few minutes what it might be like to have those seats.... some day we will.

This is what happened at the game: We got a grand slam, a couple home runs, Papelbon pitched (my favorite player), went into extra innings - the 12th, and we won! Everything about that game was perfect! AND our seats were sooooo awesome. I'm going to have to be rich and famous to ever get seats better than that. We also got the needed experience of having obnoxious people in front of us that we got in a tiff with.

All in all. Fenway Park is perfect. And I will always love the redsox.

Day 4

Today was a long but great day! It started out with a 8 mile run along a beautiful bike path and then followed with a day in Boston!

Kelli and I got to live the Bostonian life by traveling via bus and subway. This was actually my first time on a city bus! Very big moment for me. So we get into town and got some food and then headed to the New England aquarium. The aquarium was packed and cost way more than we would like - kelli, 2nd failed trip to an aquarium... So then we decided to take a trolley tour through the freedom trail, again too expensive. So we used what God gave us and walked the trail. We ended up walking over 6 miles for sure. Our feet were tired and poor Kelli wore flip flops and got some bad blisters. But the freedom trail had a lot me cool parts to it, and also some boring parts... But my favorites were the Old North Church and the Bunker Hill Memorial. However you had to walk up the memorial 297 steps to get to the top. Our legs were shaking!! So painfully funny.

After we finished our 6 hour adventure in Boston we headed home, had so grilled dinner and watched the RedSox finally who a game!! Tomorrow is our day at fenway, so it was a good pump up for tomorrow! McDonald, thank you for hopefully light a fire in the team.

Tomorrow should be another great day in downtown Boston and to THE fenway park!!!

Day 3

Marathon Day!

I finally got a good nights rest! Hurray! Probably about 7 hours, go me! After we woke up, Kelli and I followed my Uncle John in a caravan to the spot where we would be watching the marathon. I don't remember exactly the places we were driving through, but probably one of the prettiest drives I have ever taken. We decided it's not as green as Oregon, but it has a lot more earth tones to it that make up a beautiful palette of colors. It has you greens, oranges, browns, yellows, whites, blues. So natural. Everyday day I spend here is just one more day of motivation to come out here and live some day.

So, after the beautiful drive, we made it to our spot on the marathon course. It was right after they hit the half marathon, right before mile 14. So, at that point most people were feeling pretty good. We got to see the elite men and women go by surrounded by police and then the whole swarm of over 27000 people followed behind them! I was getting updates on the runners times every 5000 meters, so I would know when they hit the half marathon. And once they hit the half marathon it became a where's waldo in a marathon. There are just so many people out there that you're eyes become tired trying to look for people you know. But it's so worth it!! We didn't miss anyone. We got to see my uncle Chris come by first, then my friend Jeff Masterson, a couple of my dads running buddies, my dad and then sue! Kelli got to run a few steps with my dad as she gave him a water bottle, so basically, Kelli ran the Boston Marathon. In between seeing people we knew and after everyone passes, we still stayed on the course and cheered on everyone else. When someone ran by with an oregon shirt, Kelli and I would erupt with loudness! And there were a lot of people who put their name on their shirt, so we could cheer them on by name. It was so fun to be apart of that! Next marathon we go to, we're having a contest to see how many acknowledgments we can get from the runners - whether a wave, a point, or a thank you. People running are so nice and thankful that you're out there cheering that it makes it so fun for us! Anyway, everyone finished. My dad was hurting a little, but he surpassed his expectation of finishing the race! I'm so proud of him!

The marathon took up a good amount of the day, so after we headed to my uncles house and my uncle who didn't run the marathon went for a run with me while Kelli rode the bike. Word to the wise - Boston, not a bike friendly town... Then we had some pizza for dinner, returned the rental car and lounged around so the marathoners didn't have to move. And we ate ice cream.

Another great day with great experiences!

Oh, and today I decided I want to be a marathoner.... Who ever thought I would say those words. But it looks sooo fun. Have you tiring, exhausting, and dumb.... but fun.

Day 2

Life goal number one: live in Boston.

What a day! We started it off right with the 5k race. I wore my Oregon duck shirt for a little home pride and got a lot of cheers for Oregon during the race, I'm fact someone cheered "ducks fly together" to me! So great. For those of you who don't know. I have been struggling with an injury since my first race and didn't get to run for 2 weeks, just the eliptical during that time. This week leading up to the race I got to go on about 5 easy runs total... needless to say my dreams of beating my personal best and getting at least top ten were out the window. Getting on that start line I had few expectations. They had dropped to wanting to finish, hopefully finishing under 20 minutes (thinking likely high 19's) and maybe top 20 if I'm lucky. But mostly, I'm in Boston so just have fun. Well my friends, cross training does pay off! I did beat my personal best, ran an 18:39 and got 9th place for the women (out of roughly 2400) and 1st for my age group!! No idea how I did it, but I had so much fun doing it!!!! Kelli was also in the race, didn't feel too hot but still beat her personal best by 3 seconds! It was just too much fun. Someone who saw my shirt asked "you didn't come all the way out here for the 5k, did you??", and that was not my full intention coming over here, but now I would do it again just for that!!

The rest of the day was pretty low key. After the race we stopped by Niketown asked the guys working there where the nearest coffee was(for kelli) and I learned my life goal number two: marry a Boston boy! Oh my attraction to the accent and personalities! I don't know why, but I like it! I'd go to a stahbucks with them any day! :)

After that we went home, showered, ate and watched some of the redsox game. Then went back to Nike, I won a cowbell and all of us girls bought Boston Nike gear! Then we headed to my other uncles house, ate dinner and played trivial pursuit. My team won!!! I never win that game because my brother and dad cheat I'm pretty sure and know all the answers. But not this time! And my dad and uncle were on the other team... times are a changing! I also got to see some cousins I haven't seen from 3 to 10 years. It's a fun little family reunion for me, sorry kelli...but really you're apart of the family now too.

Anyway, onto day 3 tomorrow. Marathon!! And a few more days closer to fenway park!

First day in Boston!

Woke up 530 west time, felt great, went for a run in Boston, went to pick up race number, b
ate food in edowntown Boston, walked to the greatest sports arena on earth, went to dinner, had sweet potato pasta, and watched the redsox while at dinner screaming at the tv as well as everyone else. Awesome day! Race tomorrow!

Opening Day

I have now watched this video 4 times and it just gets better and better. A) I love the movie Miracle, that speech gets me every time I watch it and B) On opening day for the Red Sox! I wish I could have been in the park that day!

I will have to apologize because the majority of my posts to come will include the red sox or boston because it just so happens that I am leaving for Boston in 1 week and 2 days!!!! And in exactly 2 weeks I will be in THE Fenway Park watching the Red Sox!! Yikes, so excited!!

Papelbon

“I think there couldn’t have been any better situation for me to go out there and prove that, yeah, I took a hit on the chin last year, but it happens in this game,” Papelbon said. “And I’m back for vengeance.”

Love him.

3rd Annual Coastaversary

I realized the other day that my first real blog was written about the 2nd annual coastaversary! Go me and keeping up with my blog!

The very beginning of spring break (for those in school) Emily and I headed to our spot for our spring break reunion and 4th weekend in a row of traveling together somewhere. Very fun adventure. 3 years ago we hide a girl scouts tin full of easter candy, matches, a pencil and 2 pieces of paper with both of our "futures" on it...

(Now the candy is dissolved, matches are useless, but pencil and paper perfect condition!)

Still there through sun and rain and still holds true.

After we experienced our "future", we went on a run down this awesome gravel road along side a beautiful river. And the past 2 years when we've gone, it's the time when I'm injured so Emily would run by herself... not this time!

After the run, we explored the beach and took some awesome pictures!

Then of course we had to fuel up on the best saltines around! I think I have consumed more saltines at Mo's than anywhere else combine. They just have them sitting at the table, so why not eat free saltines. They also produce the best grill cheese sandwiches around!

And of course we headed across the street to BJ's ice cream and I got 4 samples and a junior 2 scoops (and I wonder why I have such trouble losing weight...) But that topped it off and we headed back to Eugene with another successful Coastaversary under out belt!

Kelli is 24 and loves it

Kelli Maks, my roommate, turns 24.

First the day started with me setting my alarm for midnight and then I had a boot next to my bed that I grabbed and threw against her wall and yelled happy birthday. Apparently she yelled thank you back, but I think I feel back asleep before the boot hit the ground....

Then we actually woke up that morning and while she was in the shower, I ran into her room and waited for her to yell happy birthday again and give her presents! We now having matching water bottles, but different in out favorite color!

After that we ate cereal in front of the tv and watch Hannah Montana (I was more attached than she was) then got ready for church. As we saw people at church I made it a point to tell everyone that it was her birthday which then lead to a wonderful lunch with great company at Mucho Gusto. Kelli, Me and guys, hmmmm....

After that we headed home and I started on a cake recipe we found at borders but were too cheap to buy the book so Kelli pretended to read me a book as I took out my camera and took pictures of the recipe... oops. Anyway, I made the cake as Kelli watched basketball. I failed on the first attempt of the cake, so I made a second one that looked much better, but I still had no idea if it would be good or not. Put the cake away and then different people came over and we headed to the birthday dinner place, Cornicopia. Enjoyed great food and great company again.

(Kelli's burger was essential raw, so she had to send it back)

(We didn't make it in the group shot, so we had our own)

And then more friends came over for cake and laughter!

(It turned out delicious! I want to make it again)

(24 candles including the one on the side - she got them all)

(So cute it hurts)

It turned into a wonderful day and in the words of Kelli, one more year until she's half way to thirty! That birthday will be BIG. I'm already planning it. Half way to thirty! You're invited. March 28, 2011.

Love you Kelli. Glad we're number 1's! And thanks Suzie and Dan!

First Race Back!

So, I lived the moment. I got back on that track, I toed the line, the gun went off, and I ran.

And it did not disappoint. I felt good, I went out strong, I enjoyed every minute of it, and it all just felt so right. I can finally tell anyone with so much confidence that my shortcomings and persistence over the last 5 years was so well worth it. I'm on cloud nine and am so in love with running.

And thanks to the Heather Spinney Fan Club, you guys rock my world! :)

(This is my me and my mom. She couldn't be there, so my friend made a cardboard cut-out of her so she could be there for me)

Oregon Preview, March 20, 2010, 1500 - 4:52.40

Like Riding A Bike

Potential Count Down: First race in 4 days!

The word has not been official if I've been accepted into the Oregon Preview meet yet or not, but we're assuming that's the case. And if that really is the case, oh wow. I'm trying to look at it as if it's like riding a bike. I haven't gotten on the bike in over 4 years now, so I'm just praying that when I step to that line to race, it will come back to me just like riding a bike. I just have to remember to put on my helmet so I'm ready for anything, so if I crash I can bounce back up and try again. I'm ready for anything and long as it's something.

With the count down means preparing in every way with out actually running the race. That means SPIKES! I just got my first pair of spikes since I bought some my junior year of high school - 6 years ago... And I feel like I'm floating in them! Seriously, I'm pretty sure I could literally fly when I wear them. The Matumbo's, the spikes, are in fact the lightest pair of "shoes" out there. 3 ounces(for a size 10 and mine are 6.5)!! It feels like I am bare foot with traction!

So, I'm preparing mentally, I'm running more than ever, and I got my spikes! Now, I just have to get into the meet and then fly.

(PS: my spikes have to have a name... so if anyone has any good ideas, let me know!)

A Happy Lose

I love sweets. And I have had this thought that if I cut all sweets out of my diet my running would be so much better and I would feel so much better about myself. In the winter, I find that actually to hold more true, but as we approach spring all I want is pie and something to hit that craving... so I caved, I ate pie and ice cream. But this is what it comes down to. I'm not proving anything by going so long without sweets and it's more about control and portion than all or nothing. I don't need to sacrifice everything good for one goal, but just be mindful. I like to go to extremes and that's not what it's about. It's a big lesson of self control and hard work with a nice pay off. If I want to be a good runner, I'm not going to fail because I ate a piece of pie, a whole pie, yes, failure, but being smart is just a difficult as trying to avoid it at all.

So, I'm back on sweets (winter we'll revisit), but I'm happy with my decision. :)

Mr Irish

I just got to witness some of the kids I have coached since they first entered high school come full bloom. Watching them grow has been a huge blessing and it's no understatement when I say they are one of the biggest parts of who I am today. They are my heros. They have pulled me through some incredibly hard times and some amazingly joyous times.

Three of the boys (the three that ran with me in the Turkey Stuffer!) got chosen to participate in the annual senior boys pageant, Mr. Irish. It's a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network, so they spend 3 months doing fundraisers and raising money up until today, the pageant, where they stand on stage, do some dances, show off their talent, thank their mothers, and answer some questions. At the end of the night there are ten winners with one crowned Mr. Irish. None of my boys got that title, but holy moly, how many times can you try to make a girl cry. I'm so proud of those boys and the people they've grown up to be.

Justin

Caleb

Todd

Also, there has to be other people who run the whole show, because let's be honest, 10 boys trying to do everything themselves.... That's why they have coordinators and head coordinators, the senior girls. And one of favorite girls that I have coached was the co-head coordinator. She's come a long way and blossomed into something truly incredible. She is a true inspiration.

Taylor

Everything Closes at 5

Saturday, beautiful skies, clouds rolling in, what to do? Adventure to the Oregon Coast! There were 5 of us who wanted to hang out so we met at neutral place and thought long and hard about what to do. I threw out going to the Newport Aquarium thinking it was a long shot, but everyone liked the idea! So we jumped in the car and Kelli, Emily, Winston, Jimmy and I were on our way!!! We left probably around 2:45 pm with no care or worry about time or anything else. So we headed to Florence and up to Newport. Beautiful drive with great company and music! We finally showed up at the aquarium right around 5:05.... turns out as we're walking in there's a big sign saying it closes at 5. Fail.

While we stood together in group pity we heard loud cheering and screaming, so of course we gravitated towards the joyous sounds to see big white tents, police men on horses, and lots of people. We met a drunk guy who filled us in that is was the Annual Wine and Seafood Festival! Alright, next adventure. We go to join the party only to find out they close the party at 5. Fail.

So we move on to go to dinner at Moe's in Florence. We get in the car and pull out of the parking lot and all of a sudden police lights behind us. Fail. The cop was awesome though. Winston was driving and the cop says to him that he pulled him over becasue he failed to completely stop at the stop sign, "actually you failed real good, you didn't even stop at all", so funny! Winston had no idea about the stop sign and Kelli filled the cop in about our trip thus far and Emily and I talked to him about his gun. He left us with a verbal warning and left us to continue on our adventure with another story under the belt.

We're heading back to Florence as the sun is setting, so we pull over and go play on the beach, take jumping pictures and enjoy the very little sunset between the clouds. So fun.

We continue. We make it now to Devil's Churn, the sun is down, and we watch the waves crash into the rocks for a few minutes and take some pictures.

Finally, food. We make it to Moes, eat sooo many crackers and Kelli and I enjoyed the grilled cheese while the others didn't so much enjoy the clam chowder. After a long day of great adventures we headed home and had great conversation that pried into our lives and got to know each other a little bit better. And Kelli fell asleep.

She walks like a chihuahua.

So I have been home from Southern California now for about 5 days, and it feels as if I never even went, or if I did it was months ago. I'm not okay with that. Clearly that just means my trip was not long enough...

I just wanted to give a few highlights of the trip:

1) The sun and sunsets.

2) My cousin, Breianne, and I went to the San Diego Zoo. Best animals: baby panda and sun bear!

3) We went to the Wild Animal Park (we like animals...) Best animal: 10 day old Elephant!!

5) Shopping, eating and watching the Olympics everyday with Brieanne.

6) I don't have a picture of it, but the best fruit pie ever that my Aunt Barbara made as my last sweet until my birthday (June 3rd)!

All together, I love my family, I love Carlsbad as my home, and my Grandma is by far one of the strongest people I know and is continually in my prayers.

My Second Home.

Airport Delay

Well, I'm on my way to visit my Grandmother in Carlsbad but first flight of the day was delayed and so I'm sitting in the airport in Eugene waiting. So why not blog? This one is dedicated to the I guess pretty cool roommates. We've had some pretty great times together lately and I just had to share. I couldn't really ask for 2 better roommates/friends.

We need to workout in the pool - so of course my roommate has a digital waterproof camera and working out turning into an underwater photo shoot.

Julie, Kelli, Me

Long story short, I was not really around for Julie's birthday in October, so I threw her another birthday full of mimosas, a great restaurant, blindfoldedness, and a basketball game. So fun!

Kelli, Julie, Me

The basketball game. A) Oregon woman won by 1 point!! B)Julie was chosen for the timeout basketball shooting (lay-up, free throw, and 3 pointer). Missed the 3 point but still got our whole section a coupon for a great restaurant. Go her!

Julie, Kelli, Me

Okay, so the one in the middle is not my roommate, but still a really great friend and teammate, but Julie was here as well. This was at the Riley's house, some great friends and mentors of ours, during the super bowl. Highlight was playing football during half time. Great friends, food and football - you can never go wrong with those 3!

Kelli, Emily, Me

This was actually on Valentines Day. Right after church we hit the matinee, only 5 dollars!! We went and saw the movie called Valentines Day. Online I had read terrible reviews, but I thought it was soo good, and everyone I have talked to thought the same thing.... so don't believe critics - Great movie and great cast!

Kelli, Me, Julie

This is missing one roommate (well technically 2...) because she was sicky but Julie and I headed to a place called the David Minor Theater. Awesome place! We went and saw The Hurt Locker. It's a small theater with a couple couches and they serve beer and food from a restaurant from across the street. So we each had a drink and shared a plate of spicing hot, but delicious french fries and watch a great (but kind of plotless) movie.

Julie and Me

So those are the adventures of my life within the past two weeks with a couple great people.

2 thumbs up.