Mulberry Street

I guess we've been up to various things in the past months. I found the evidence in the form of photos. Genevieve has become more and more independent. When she wants to do something herself she exclaims, "Gebbie do it!" Helping clean the bathroom Climbing under the dining room table in an attempt to sit with Bisous Dumping out and playing with hundreds of tiny hair elastics Playing ballerina in a nightgown Alisha made long ago Playing in the backyard Post nap Showing off her smiling eyes Giving Bisous a kitty treat, a new favorite past time Helping Daddy make rolls Wearing Daddy's helmet Sliding down on her tummy Improvising and using a bucket as a hat

Distance: 10 miles Time: 1:29:07 Place: 1207 (out of 4049) I did it. I ran 10 miles for the first time in my life on April 26, 2009. I realize, that for those of you half and full marathoners out there, 10 miles is just a drop in the bucket during training runs. From my humble beginnings as a sprinter, however, 10 miles is significant. The other considerable fact is that I had a great race and felt good the entire length of the course. It doesn't matter how long you've been running, you still have bad running days periodically. It was nice that a good running day coincided with race day. Despite the heat wave that hit NoVA I ran some of my fastest mile splits since high school (7:57). Eric was a great support during training and the actual race. The course was spectator friendly so I insisted Eric watch me sweat it out as much as possible. He tossed Genevieve into the trailer and pulled her behind his bike. This allowed him to meet me every few miles. It meant a lot to me to se...

We arrived as happy and content as possible: without naps and already exhausted from the heat. The azaleas were absolutely breathtaking. I dreamed about re-doing my wedding reception here, along the landscaped paths and bursting blossoms. Being at the arboretum reinforced how much I enjoy living in this area. The scenery was well worth enduring the heat for a few hours. Did you know how many different azalea varieties existed? I didn’t. There were big ones and little ones, orange ones, pink ones, purple ones, and even multicolored ones. Nature has a way of jumping out at you once in awhile to make sure you appreciate what it has to offer. The kids, apparently, weren’t having enough fun. So, Rosie decided to take a quick swim with the goldfish in a nearby pond. Unfortunately, neither Alison nor I were able to get a picture of her in the water. But, we got a few shots of the aftermath: The impromptu change of clothes in the midd...

I just got home from the library. Whenever I go to the library I read through the various titles on the used book shelves. And why not? The books are a steal - only 50 cents for paperbacks and 2 dollars for hardcovers. Someday I'll make a really good find. Well, tonight there on the bookshelves next to John Grisham and Nora Roberts paperbacks was The Better Home & Garden's Microwave Cookbook . I'm afraid I didn't skim through it so unfortunately I can't tell you what microwave recipes you're missing out on. I can tell you that it is still on the shelf at the Oakton Library. Do you want me to pick it up for you?

I was on my last two miles of a six mile training run. A young father, with his two young children, called out, "Watch out for that jogger." I looked around and discovered he was actually talking about me. "Jogger" how insulting. I had already run four miles, (key word here being "run") how dare he call me a jogger. Then I realized that I wasn't far from jogging and actually could be described as "shuffling." My stride was far from fully engaged. My footfalls were hard. My breathing was a tad labored. My knees were beginning their inevitable complaints. My pace was slow. My body was tired. Embarrassed by this epiphany, I reflected on my running career, so to speak. I've been running since I was 10 years old (or so - that's a guesstimate). I set a record for the mile in grade school. I ran the 100 meter dash. I won lots of medals from track meets during junior high and high school. I set a record for the 400 meter dash at good old F.H....

Genevieve has really taken to dress-up and pretty things in the past few weeks. When we open her closet she'll point to one of her Sunday dresses and say, "pritty dresss." She also discovered a bracelet, just her size, and wore it all day. Thanks to her daddy, she likes to dance like the Ballerina in her jewelry box. After she dons a new dress she'll spin around and dance like the pros. I will admit that it is fun to dress her up, especially with her new spring wardrobe. Easter dress Remember the Asian Festival we went to last fall? Well, Genevieve now fits into the dress we picked up there and she is a doll! A new summer dress Genevieve is excited to show off. The next pictures illustrate how she spins around like a "reena" or ballerina.

So Daddy didn't miss out on the egg-hunt-fun, Eric hid eggs for Genevieve again on Easter morning. He underestimated her speed and said afterwards, "I should have hid more eggs." This time we filled the eggs with rice cakes, dried fruit, gold fish and only a few jelly beans. Sneaky huh. Easter Bunny The eggs we dyed ourselves. We sent Genevieve off to play to prevent her from drinking the juice-like-dye.