80 miles, 8 runners....

River to River Relay....from the Mississippi to the Ohio River in a little over 10 hours. Dreaded it going in, was severely undertrained. Got a lucky break...my first leg (of three) was cancelled due to a mud slide. But it was a FANTASTIC day. Will do it again, and complete all three legs. Hopefully next year.

Me, Me and more Me....



Thats Kentucky behind us...



Me being a little cocky...should have saved the energy for the HILLS



Drive it like it's RENTED!!!




Good times. Reminded AGAIN was a blessing it is to be able to move my body.

Ha! And one last picture from the Green Dress Run. The guy on my left is from Wisconsin...and the one in the middle is a LAWYER here in STL. He got his dress online from some squaredancing outfitter. SO FUNNY.



And that statue behind us? Lewis and Clark I think, but regardless, by the next weekend it was completely under water up to the outstretched arm.

The one where cocktail hour should have started at 9am

There's a chance it could snow tomorrow in the Lou. I couldn't take it so I booked a flight to Ft. Lauderdale. [heh. I wish I had that rockstar life] The reality is I have training there all day saturday and managed to extend my free flight a few days to play in the sun. HOWEVER....

As required by my job, I am to attend training this Saturday. So their travel agency sent me confimation of my e-ticket about 10 days ago and I was reminded to CARRY ALL TRAVEL DOCUMENTS WHILE traveling. Which I did being the anal, clock watcher-planner that I am. On those papers were THREE different phone numbers should I have any questions. Perfect.

I get to the airport at the buttcrack of dawn and stand in line at curbside check-in. A very pleasant gentleman greeted me at took my eticket confirmation and ID. He clacks at his computer and pauses, and says, "You need a paper ticket. I'll walk you in to the counter so you can be first in line." WONDERFUL. If this happens to you? NOT A GOOD SIGN. And on top of that, the back of my head is still burning where the 600 people who were also in line at the buttcrack of dawn were staring at the chick who just butted in line. So, JOY [ironic name for the cheerful airline counter people, no?] does her little clack routine and says, "Your reservation is here but you don't have a ticket". I must have looked a little homicidal because she said, "I see some phone numbers here, you'll have to call them to take care of this for you. OR you'll have to purchase a ticket." Good times. So I get on the phone and proceed to leave very FIRM messages at all three phone numbers. Something along the lines of.. "I'm traveling as a guest to YOUR training seminar today and I was just told I don't have a ticket. Despite having a confirmed e-ticket that apparently NO ONE ACTUALLY PAID FOR so I need someone to call me RIGHT NOW."

Gah.

And the security line is now winding it's way out the door and across the river. So, I bought a ticket. And left another firm message. And buying a one way ticket that late in the game also buys you upclose and personal time with the TSA folks. Not only did I have to get yanked out of line, they also patted me down [without even dinner or a movie first!] and swiped my shoes, phone and laptop, checking for explosives. Now, I've never been around explosives as far as I know but I was sure, the way my morning was going, that I probably came into contact with some somehow. But no, the slightly squishy, frazzled minivan driving mom came up clean.

I was putting my shoes back on when my phone rang. It was the travel agent. I thought it best to let it go to voicemail at that point and that's when I wondered if 9am was too early to drink tequila directly out of the bottle.

And the whole time I kept thinking...I'm so glad I'm not flying American....

And I made it. At 3:35pm I was playing in the ocean. And I was even wearing a bikini. Which NONE of you will ever be witness to. But I'm never going to see any of THOSE folks again. My apologies to their eyeballs.

Life is tough, but with the sun on my face and drops of sea water drying on my skin, it could be a lot worse.

Rambling much?

Hey.

A mere 8 hours south of here, I think I've heard Atlanta is having some sort of drought. Sign me up. It has done NOTHING but piss from the sky and then, for effect, the wind picks up and makes me cuss and shake my fist at the sky. Like a crazy person, I talk to the weather. And also to traffic. But lately, mostly just the weather. The cute little weatherperson from South Dakota that I watch on channel 5 has completely run out of rain jokes. It ain't pretty.

[I really shouldn't complain, at least I'm not bailing out my basement like some folks down here, but seriously, they call it a FLOOD PLAIN for a reason]

But. There is promise of sun this weekend. I will be watching short, noisy people play soccer and softball. I should be playing kickball [yup, in a RAINBOW league::snort::] and while all the games have been rained out or it was high tide in the outfield or some such, we did practice in balmy 34 degree temps and I was sore for a week. And I really don't remember my heart threatening to explode out of my chest while running the bases on the playground many years ago.

I think I'm ready to shed the wet, grey, threadbare blanket of melancholy I've been foolishly dragging around all winter. I thought by now I would have figured out what was making it such a persistant companion but I haven't. Maybe I never will. Just recently, for fleeting moments, I feel it sliding off my shoulders in anticipation of the sun warming the chill out of my bones. It will feel like heaven.

Mom made a spur of the moment visit and much fun is planned in the months ahead. I have many blessings and much to look forward to. I trust that life will unfold as it should.

I hope the signs of spring fill your world with sunshine and HOPE!