Nos. 1 - 7

Let's do this! 2020 was a HUGE year for reading (thanks, COVID!). Let's see what I can do in 2021 :) 

No. 1 - The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street by Karen White:

No. 2 - The Healer by Dee Henderson:

No. 3 - True Courage by Dee Henderson:

No. 4 - Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi:

No. 5 - An Unlikely Journey by Julian Castro:

No. 6 - Closest I've Come by Fred Aceves:

No. 7 - Taken by Dee Henderson:

:)

It could have been my dad

CW: Depression, OCD, mental illness, unexpected death, suicide, police violence

Wednesday, Tigard police were called to an apartment complex less than a mile from my home. Jacob Macduff's roommate says he was having a mental-health crisis, and she called for help. Reportedly, Jacob had been struggling for some time, and police were aware of the situation. 

Police reported that he was armed with a knife and wouldn't leave his car. They said they tried to arrest Jacob and ended up fatally shooting him.

OK - here's where I'm going to get really personal.

Three years ago, my own father was suffering a mental-health crisis. He'd been in a downward spiral, his depression and OCD becoming too much to handle. The recent death of his father, with whom he had a very complicated relationship, played a big role.

Dad's situation played out differently from Jacob's, but I can't help but wonder what could have happened.

My dad took an overdose of his medication, ending his life. We believe it was unintentional. (more about his illness)

But what if, in taking that medication, he'd become agitated? What if he'd become confused? What if he'd become belligerent? What if he'd become violent? What if he'd become a perceived danger to himself or to Mom?

What if Mom had come home and found him in crisis? A situation she couldn't handle on her own? 

She would have called 911. And instead of sending a mental-health crisis team, police officers would have responded. Because that's how it works.

And what happens when those officers don't know how to handle that agitation, confusion, belligerence, violence, or threat of potential danger?

It's absolutely not a stretch to say that my dad could easily have ended up like Jacob. And that's not OK.

We desperately need to change our policing system and our response to people in crisis.

Happy Birthday, Brad!!!!

Happy 45th Birthday, Brad!!! 🎉🎂

Brad is a quiet (unless you get him on the right subject), deep thinker with incredible passion for social justice, learning new things, pushing his body, and being outside in nature. His analytical mind helps him solve puzzles at work, at home, in activism, and in nature. He's also hilarious!

His heart is most happy in the mountains, but he also loves to veg with Netflix. Also, eating.😂🍔 Balance 😁

I can't imagine having another partner in this crazy adventure we call life. 

Here's to so many more adventures - big, small, and everything in between 💖

 💖

Holiday Half (12/12/20)

Virtual races didn't float my boat this year. I didn't feel like spending money to run - by myself - around my own neighborhood. Personally, medals don't motivate my running.

I got an email from The Giant Race, which I've run twice in San Francisco. I briefly contemplated whether that would be worth it - the swag was pretty great, and it's a special race for me and my family. But then I clicked on the "register" button and saw the half marathon was around $150!!!!!!!! Um.... I can buy a really nice SF Giants buff from a lot less than that. The big draw of The Giant Race is you run along the bay and then finish on the field where the Giants play. THAT'S worth $150 - not a virtual race.

I digress...

I got the emails about the annual Foot Traffic Holiday Half and decided it was the one 2020 race I would pay for. The swag was excellent, it supported a local running company, and it was only $40. They always do a great job, and I assumed the virtual race would be no different.

The half marathon gave me some outside motivation to train through the fall. I did each training run with purpose and finished each long run with a fast mile.

Packet pickup was quick, easy, and safe with a whole week's worth of days available.  

The race window was Dec. 13-27, but because Sunday Dec. 13 was supposed to be really yucky weather, I cheated and did my race the day before.

It was cold and dark when I hit the road at 6:45 a.m. - but it was like this when I finished 2 hours later:

Perfect!

I pushed a bit harder than in my training runs but definitely wasn't aiming for a PR. I did manage to drop the pace for my final mile. 

Also, I was participating in a holiday walk/run scavenger hunt for work, and the only item left on my list was a photo of a decorated public statue or monument. In previous years, someone had climbed a metal spire in a Tualatin park and placed a Santa hat on top. So I changed my entire route to run past that statue. No Santa hat. 

Then I ran around the Tualatin Commons... no decorations on any of the statues.

Then I ran around the Nyberg shopping center... no decorations on any of the statues. 

It would have definitely been worth it had I finished my list, but instead, I wasted time and energy running around Tualatin. Bummer.

But I'm happy with my 2:12:32 finish - a 10:04 average. Half marathon No. 36 in the books!

I got cleaned up and had to wear my medal and race shirt around the house:

It was a bit early for burgers when I finished, but later I refueled with a Beyond Burger, fries, and a Dr Pepper. SO good!

Look at the swag! So cute!

Hopefully we'll get to do some in-person races in 2021 - but only if it's safe :)

A Year of Hiking: 41 - 52

At the beginning of 2020, I set out to complete the 52 Hike Challenge. Like all of you, I had no idea what the year had in store. I was off to a great start, but then distancing restrictions quickly made hiking less safe.

Still, I finished my 52 trails with time to spare. Here are my final outings:

No. 41 - Blue Box Trail, Sept. 5:

No. 42 - Frog Lake Buttes, Sept. 6: 

Frog Lake:

No. 43 - Coffenbury Lake, Sept. 19:

No. 44 - Delaura Dune Trail, Sept. 20:

No. 45 - Gales Creek, Sept. 27:

No. 46 - Bear Lake, Indian Heaven, Oct. 2:

No. 47 - Lemei Trail, Oct. 3: 

No. 48 - East Crater Trail, Oct. 4:

No. 49 - Crown Zellerbach Trail, Oct. 17:

No. 50 - Larch Mountain, Nov. 8 - in a surprise snowstorm :)

No. 51 - Kilchis Point Reserve, Dec. 19:

No. 52 - Two Rivers Peninsula, Dec. 19:

Bonus No. 53 - Cathedral Park/St. Johns, Dec. 28:

I loved this challenge because, while the "rules" allow for the same trail hiked more than once, I made myself explore new places and trails. It was a great excuse to see new places. Can't wait to get out more in 2021!