Mouse in the house

This is what we come home regularly to find and it cracks me up. I don't know why, but the cats love bringing all their toys to the water bowl...and many times the mice are swimming/drowning in the water. And yes, Tom has rigged up a rope tied to the wall by a hook because the cats thought it was so fun to play in the water and pull the whole thing over...which was fun to walk in in the middle of the night! So yah, lots of wet mice around this place!

Cherry Blossoms

Tom and I went to see the Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin tonight. They are sooo pretty, like puffs of pink and white cotton all over the trees.

The Tidal Basin, a big lake of water, is surrounded by the trees and it's awesome.

Washington Monument poking out in the back to remind us we're in DC.

The happy couple out for an evening stroll...with a million other people. It's supposed to rain tonight though and they're meant to be in peak bloom now, so I didn't want to miss seeing it one last time. It was worth the walk!

Back in Business

Well folks, I'm back in the business of delivering babies again. Over the last few weeks I've been sorting things out at the hospital to work one day a weekend. My first day back was Sunday and it was so nice. I LOVE working with women and families at such an important time. It's such fantastic work and I am so happy to be back in it again. It's only going to be until we leave, so I know taking an extra job, which it is, won't get too overwhelming because I know for sure there is an end to it. Anyhow, just wanted to say how excited I am to be involved in Labor & Delivery again!!

My mom

This is my mom on Lago Atitlan, heading to a little village across the lake. Looks like she's doing all right to me!!

What a race!

Thomas did so good today, I can't even say it all! He has been training and trying to be 3:10 in a marathon for quite awhile now, but something always happens (weather, cramps, hills, etc) to get in the way of that. But not today!!! He finished in, well, you can see to the right his time. What an exciting finish...I was screaming for probably 1/2 a mile of his last bit. People around me asked "is that yours then?" to which I got so excited. Anyhow, he is soo very happy with it and really proud that it finally went exactly as he wanted after lots of hard work. And look at those Marine-ready arm muscles celebrating the finish line! We're going to Famous Dave's later as a special request from Mr. Marathon for some real BBQ food. I thought this photo was worthy of its own post, but look below for some more photos.

National Capitol Marathon

All ready at the start line
And he's off...
Coming down the home stretch with a huge smile for the finish
What a finish!!!
Tom's "I'm so pleased" face :)

Showing of his new Bling

Happy 25th Birthday

We celebrated Tom's 1/4 century birthday today. Waking up to sausages, toast, and presents in bed, he had a good start. Shortly followed by family phone calls, he was ready for the day. We partied with Star Wars in the evening.

He made a special request for Carrot Cake this year, and thankfully I remembered to put flour in it this time...works a lot better that way!

25 candles to blow out, what a year!

Basil enjoyed the cake too...maybe that's why he gets sick???

Happy Birthday, Thomas!!!

Mr B.

Just a little update since I've had some questions:

+Basil is doing great...he's back to his old self. Not really sure what was wrong except that he threw up copious amounts, enough for a small child, and was super tired all day. I'm happy he's all better though, it was a little scary for me.

+My mom is doing GREAT and loving Guatemala. She's studying hard and talking a lot and really settling into it all. She's headed to the lake with her new friend this weekend and looking forward to getting out of the city for a bit. I've been able to talk with her a few times and she sounds excellent. 4 more weeks and she'll be back home.

+My dad seems to be getting by just fine. I get regular updates about what TV dinner he'll be having, but I love it! I only wish we were closer so we could make dinners a little more exciting for him! 4 more weeks and he'll be back to normal!

Sonic goodness

We got to have lots of Sonic while at the beach; haven't had that since Phoenix which feels like forever ago!

Sore

So no one ever told me if I run faster I would hurt more the day after. I'm having trouble with everything that requires movement of my legs...sitting, standing, bathing, walking, going to the bathroom, you name it! Oh well, it's supposed to get better in a few days, or so they say. Here's me with all my loot and Thomas is very jealous. We're heading back from the beach today and have Tom's marathon on Saturday, so that's the next main event! Looking forward to seeing how my little kitty Basil is doing as we had to leave him a day after being really sick. Hopefully he hasn't left surprises for us to clean up all over the apt., cause that sure is fun. We just left piles of food for them and a clean litter box, so we'll see what's left for us to do when we get back.

Shamrock 1/2 Marathon

This was just before mile 3...only 10 to go!

All done and ready to play on the beach, well kind of.

What everybody needs after a long race...Killians Irish Red sponsored it, so of course were there with keg after keg. Can you believe there was a 4 beer limit? What a rule!

What really happened to the beer (took the photo so my dad would believe it...it's 10:30 a.m. by the way)

The view from our hotel balcony...that's the finish line and party tent.

Well, I did it! The Shamrock 1/2 marathon is over. It was a lovely run, well, once I finished. Really though, it was great running by the ocean, through the streets, and then finishing on the boardwalk. I somehow managed to lop off 22 minutes off my other 1/2 marathon (Tucson) for a finish time of 2:02:05. That did put me in at #1601 out of 3864 people, so I'm happy with it all. I got a better medal that Thomas has ever had, plus a nice shirt, and to top it all off, a hat! My dad set his alarm for 3:15 a.m. to call and say good luck (6:15 here)...what a dad, can you believe it! We celebrated the run by having Sonic for lunch, the best drive-in fast food that we always had in Phoenix, but can't find anywhere else but the beach here. I know, fast food isn't the best way to finish a race, but I opted for the safer side with some chicken (oh, and tator tots which I HAD to have!) Now I've had a nap and a bath and am ready to wander around and find some saltwater taffy and ice cream.

During nap time, with the love of Excel, Tom worked out the following which got me excited:

69.2%: amount of women 25-29 that I beat

72.1%: amount of women over all that I beat

58.6%: amount of overall people I beat

Blessings

Congratulations to Jenny and Justin Weatherford with their little new one, Madeline Grace who was born on Sunday. She looks so sweet and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing her. Good job Jenny, and we'll see you soon!

Sick Kitty

Everyone say a little prayer for Basil, he's been throwing up all day. I hope he's all right, but can't help but worry. I guess I didn't realize how attached I was to him, good grief!

Burke Lake 12K

And just when you thought there couldn't be anymore...Tom did a 12K race today...the third year in a row that he's been able to do this one. Such a fantastic day for it, the weather this weekend has been amazing. I guess it's supposed to cool down again, but it's been so great. The cats have had fun playing on the porch and we've enjoyed the windows and doors open. Spring is on its way!

My mom in Guatemala

My mom arrived safe and sound yesterday in Guatemala and will be there for the next 6 weeks! She seems to be doing well, just settling in and getting to know the city today. This is her in Central Park. She's staying with my host family, which I am sooo excited about because they really are the best. Tomorrow is her first day of classes and I can't wait to hear all about it. What a brave little mommy I have! My dad made it through his first day just fine, enjoying Age of Empires and Salisbury Steak TV dinners!

Dewey Decimal System

So I've been meaning to write about my adventures in the Georgetown Library. Wanting to know more about Doctors Without Borders, I found their suggested reading list online. The problem was that most of the paper they suggested were in a book with lots of articles, so no use in buying the thing. Tom suggested going to the library at Georgetown one night while he had class. Enter the Dewey Decimal System. I was at once transported back to Mrs. McGough's 5th grade library class where we had to look up books in the card catalog and then to the shelves. UHF came into play as I remembered Conan the Librarian questioning, "Do you know the Dewey Decimal System?". Much to my relief, I did. What fun I had pouring through rows and rows and floor after floor of books. It's been far too long since my last visit to a library, the internet being much to blame. So I got my books, all 9 of them, and then remembered why the internet was often so useful...they are HEAVY! Good old Tom carried them home for me, but I just had to pass on the joys of using the Dewey Decimal System, although not with a card catalog, it was still well worth the trip. Thanks Conan. I'll just make sure to get them back on time as not to get sliced in half.