Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Nos. 97 - 106

WHAT A YEAR for reading! I wrapped up 2020 with 106 books! Some were purely entertainment, and others were life-changing reads.

No. 97 - Cremas, Christmas Cookies and Crooks by Harper Lin:


No. 98 - The Truth Seeker by Dee Henderson:

No. 99 - The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro:

No. 100 - Mischief in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon:

No. 101 - Missing in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon:



No. 102 - Kingdom of the Blind by Louis Penny:


No. 103 - Malice in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon:


No. 104 - Dear Justyce by Nic Stone:

No. 105 -  Radley Balko's Rise of the Warrior Cop - The Militarization of America's Police Forces:


No. 106 - The Protector by Dee Henderson:

With just two days left in the year, I think this is it. I'm calling it 📖

😁

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Monday, November 30, 2020

Nos. 90 - 96

The year is wrapping up nicely! COVID is horrible, but it's given me an opportunity to read more than ever before!

No. 90 - Ellie Alexander's Nothing Bundt Trouble:

No. 91 - Keigo Higashino's Newcomer: 
No. 92 - Louise Penny's A Great Reckoning:

No. 93 - Greg Kincaid's Noelle: 

No. 94 - Louise Penny's Glass Houses:

No. 95 - Yule be Dead by Lorraine Bartlett:


No. 96 - Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier:

One month to go! :)

Monday, November 2, 2020

Youth group Halloween trauma

I've always loved Halloween. As a kid, I loved dressing up and eating candy. Duh. 

My parents were always 100% supportive - indulging my creative whims by letting me decorate the house, make a haunted porch to scare neighbor kids, play scary music out the window, and wear whatever costume I wanted.

For reasons I no longer remember, I decided one year to be a Pepsi Free can. I covered tagboard with red butcher paper and rolled it into a cylinder with holes on the side for my arms. I colored the logo on the front, and it was AWESOME! (really strange for an elementary-aged kid, but awesome!) I think I even included a UPC code.

(I know my mom still has this somewhere in her storage!)

We always visited my grandparents' and great grandparents' houses - to show off our costumes and to get more candy.

One time, Eryn and I were punk rockers (this was the 1980s!). And yes, I AM playing a keytar I made out of tagboard!

I love dressing up as an adult, too! And between races and working in a high school with spirit days, I have lots of opportunities - not just Halloween!

These hot dogs have seen a few races and costume kickboxing events:
Rock climbers:
Band nerds forever:

This past Halloween weekend, my heart was happy seeing neighborhood kiddos in costume - as well as pictures on Facebook and IG. Organized by a couple moms, our neighborhood set up safe, distant driveway candy distribution. It was so fun to sit in the driveway with our firepit and watch the dinosaurs, monsters, witches, Spidermans, football players, and more stop by for treats.

But my own Halloween nostalgia includes some trauma - from my youth group. 

One year, they held some sort of event where we could wear costumes. OF COURSE I was going to dress up - I wouldn't pass up the chance! But the one thing I really remember is showing up in my witch costume and being ridiculed by the youth pastor. I was 100% made to feel that I was wrong and out of place and inappropriate. Mind you, I think my costume was a long black dress and a pointy hat - maybe black hair paint under. I wasn't carrying dead animal parts or anything like that. It was really tame.

So, 30 years later, I still remember how embarrassing it was and the feeling of being questioned and singled out and being made to feel evil. Just because I was playing dress up. On a holiday where you're supposed to dress up. At a party where we were encouraged to dress up. 

I had no idea it wasn't "OK" to be a witch on Halloween.

My youth pastor was young (like they so often are), and I know we, as humans, can grow and change our viewpoints as we age. I just looked him up on Facebook. He's now the lead pastor at a church in another state. His page has several reactionary, political-type posts. Seems like he's the same guy who shamed me when I was a teen playing dress up.

I'm so sad that this memory floats to the surface every year. I'm fortunate that I've finally found a faith community that reflects my own beliefs and ethics. I'm certain I would be welcomed in whatever costume or clothing I wore! And I'm beyond glad that my parents have always supported my creativity and encouraged my imagination. 🎃💀

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Nos. 81 - 89

Another month, another bunch of books! Can't stop, won't stop :)

No. 81 - They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall:


No. 82 - The Long Way Home by Louise Penny:
This was my favorite of this series so far - so much suspense!

No. 83 - From BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor:



No. 84 - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino:

No. 85 - All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson:

No. 86 - 4th of July by James Patterson:

No. 87 - The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward:


No. 88 - Our Time is Now by Stacey Abrams:

Very good information about voter suppression!

No. 89 - The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny:

Well, that was a good month! COVID is good for something.

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Happy October!

 

Anyone else totally lost any sense of time since the pandemic started? How can it be October???


Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Nos. 74 - 80

With school getting under way, my reading slowed a bit this month. But I'm still cruising along!

No. 74 - Louise Penny's A Trick of the Light:


No. 75 - Nic Stone's Jackpot:

No. 76 - Transgender History by Susan Stryker:


No. 77 - Malice by Keigo Higashino:

No. 78 - With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo:


No. 79 - Louise Penny's How the Light Gets In:
This book, the ninth in the series, was the best! So much suspense! 

No. 80 - Janet Mock's memoir, Redefining Realness:
:)

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Wildwood 25K (7/6/20)

Way back in the winter...

After I talked myself into signing up for the April Silver Falls Trail Challenge half marathon, which would have been my longest trail race by almost 7 miles, I decided to push it further and do a 25K in July.

Brad's been interested in trying an ultra marathon (anything longer than a regular marathon at 26.2 miles) and was eyeing the Mt. Hood 50 in the Timothy Lake area. He decided to train for the 50K (31 miles), and I signed up for the 25K (15.5 miles).

So my plan was to take a short step back after the April race and then ramp back up to 25K by July 12.

BUT... COVID shut it all down in March. I continued to train for my April half and completed it solo around town.

Not knowing how long the restrictions would stay in place, I stuck with my plan for July, hoping the race would go on. But instead of spending my long runs and hill repeats in the woods, I stayed on city streets and my treadmill. 

The race was officially canceled in May, but my training continued, and I loosely planned to run it solo on the Wildwood Trail in Portland's Forest Park.

I had decided to train to 14 miles, but I was feeling antsy and ready to be done. So with a solid 13-mile training run under my belt, and then back-to-back runs of 10 and 8 (along with good weekly mileage and lots of cross training), I decided I was ready.

COVID safety on the trail was a priority, so I chose July 6. I figured crowds would be light the Monday after the holiday weekend with Friday being the day off. 

I got up at 4:30 am, Brad drove me to the 53rd trail head, and I was on the Wildwood by 6 am. 

Ready to get this done:
The temp was about 50 degrees, and the sun was just lighting up the forest. Perfection.

I started with my earbuds in but with my audio book off, planning to turn it on once I got going. But I was waking up birds as I ran along the trail and thought it safest to take out my earbuds so I could be fully alert to the rustling in the brush around me. I never put them back in, choosing instead to listen to the trail and to my body the entire time.

Brad was waiting about halfway to cheer me on - and provide a couple swigs of water, a dry Buff, and some encouragement: 

I felt strong and ready to tackle the remaining 7ish miles.

My Monday-after-a-holiday gamble paid off, and I didn't see another sole until mile 10 - and then, I saw just 3 people total in 15 miles. 

My plan all along was to walk the hills when needed and cruise along when I could. The Wildwood Trail is very rolling, so that plan worked well. 

With about 2 miles to go, I had to dig deep. I started talking to myself, literally reminding myself that I was strong and that I could do it! "OK - I got this. Let's finish this out!"

But just minutes later, I rounded a corner and suddenly the parking lot was in front of me. 

My finish photo is awesome because someone crashed into the parking lot right then, and I turned to look. Gravel was flying - it was exciting :)
ALL DONE! (Or was I??)
The Wildwood (and Forest Park in general) is notorious for GPS problems because of the forest canopy, many, many canyons/drainages, and - I assume - the fact that the trail goes along the north side of the mountain range. 

So my watch said I had 2 miles to go. But I had double checked the mileage on the official Forest Park map and on two different online maps. It tricked my brain a bit, but we decided I was right, and I had run 15+ miles.

Happy trail runner:
Being my first 25K, and with all the weirdness of my training cycle, my only goals were to finish, run strong, and enjoy being out in the woods. Check, check, and CHECK! ✔

I finished in 3 hours flat - an 11:40 average. I'm super happy with that.

I refueled with a Beyond Burger, fries, and a Dr Pepper from Carl's Jr.! 😋
This year has been full of disappointment and cancellations for everyone. I'm definitely mourning the losses. But I'm also choosing to focus on what I do have control over and what I can do. And while my running doesn't look the same as if we weren't in a pandemic, I can still do it - I can still move my body for my physical and mental health. 

I am proud that I decided to take on this 25K challenge and that I followed through and completed it, despite unexpected and less-than-ideal conditions. 💪

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Nos. 62 - 73

August reading roundup...

No. 62 - In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware:
No. 63 - A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny:
Finished in a hammock at Timothy Lake!

No. 64 - Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas:

No. 65 - The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware:

No. 66 - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks:
Fascinating!

No. 67 - The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware:


No. 68 - The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny: 

No. 69 - The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson:

No. 70 - How We Get Free, edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor:

No. 71 - Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware:


No. 72 - Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson:

No. 73 - Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny:
:)