Around the Bend

October has been a fast month.  Our little family has been moving at a rapid pace, getting-in the travel and outdoors that we will soon not be able to enjoy once the winter weather truly takes hold of the land.  Snow flurries have visited our afternoons a few times, reminding us that we are not immune to the changing of the seasons.

Last week, Kim and I left the girls with Granny in South Bend and headed up to Grand Rapids, Michigan.  This year, I skipped the Chicago Marathon and opted to run a smaller venue in Michigan.  The city of Grand Rapids is beautiful, and reminds me a lot of my hometown of Juneau.  There is a lot of activity, with people biking and running and just moving outside.  The city seems built for movement, which was great considering I needed to run a marathon.  The actual marathon was great, although I did not come close to a PR time.  The course was stunning, and the spirit of the event was very positive and it is always uplifting to see people participating in an event where they are reaching their goals and hard work is paying-off.

Now the leaves are in constant free-fall and our breath shows itself during the day, too.  Pumpkins are on the doorsteps of many houses, and traces of ghosts and goblins are in the windows throughout the neighborhood.

The girls are taking the fall season in stride.  They do not like the extra layers of clothes and jackets, but a chilly trip to the park is never out of the question.  Now we set our sights on Thanksgiving and the winter holidays after that.  As the winter approaches, thoughts of friends and family keep us warm.

Apples, Fog, and Sunsets

Violet in the apple orchard

Audrey making her picks!

Last week we traveled to somewhere in Indiana and visited an apple orchard.  I was hesitant to participate, to say the least, as part of the Bears game would be missed.  Being raised in Alaska, there is still something about being in the Midwest that I find unusual.  The idea of tractor rides and picking apples is so wholesome that I am surprised when I catch myself really enjoying the experience.  The farm petting zoo is a treat for everyone.  Having a chance to see and interact with animals anywhere is an important part of life.  Violet was fascinated by the miniature pigs and getting to scratch a goat behind the ears.  Audrey got her ya-yas out running through the hay maze and checking out the tractors.  I was amazed by he rows and rows of apple trees.  The fields were so massive that tractors pulled large trailers of people to the different sections of the orchard so they could pick different types of apples.  I found myself strolling through the orchard, mesmerized by the sheer volume of apples, enjoying the moment of watching my daughters play under trees and picking apples to munch on while laughing in the sun.  At the end of the day, we arrived home full, and happy...satisfied with the entire experience.  I managed to watch a few minutes of the Bears getting beaten like a rug, and ended-up turning off the game and taking a nap, which was apparently what the Bears decided to do, too.

Sisters on the Moo-Choo Train

The weather has been turning, and we find ourselves in muggy, warm weather during the day, and cool evenings with a slight breeze.  I am wearing a light jacket in the mornings on my way to work to cut the chill.  On my runs it takes a little while to get warm, and I am no longer worried about heat getting the best of my hydration.  The marathon in Grand Rapids, Michigan is just over two weeks away, and I am getting excited to run in a new state and experience this highly-recommended race.  My knees have been telling me to ease-up, and I have been tapering my training to adjust to my body, but it is still great to get my runs in and feel that sense of accomplishment.

Violet peeking out the window

The warm days have been creating fog in the mornings, and some mist in the evenings.  Recently my best friend's father passed away, and a couple other people I have known have also died.  This, along with my own aging, have caused me to pause and reflect on life a lot lately.  There are so many things I hope to accomplish, and there are a seemingly infinite number of questions that I may never have answered.  I believe life to be a lot like running through the fog, only being able to see where you are, knowing a little about where I've been, and not quite able to see too far ahead.  I know that I have lived a blessed, great life.  I owe a lot of that to my family and friends, and I am trying to make good decisions that are positive and help me become a better person.  I try to do my very best to recognize the moment I am in, as we don't know what will happen in the next.  I know where I want to run, and the map is in my mind, but if I look too far ahead, I make missteps and risk an injury.  To wrap-up my cliche about running and life, I just want to say that I have so much love for my family and friends, and I hope that whenever it is my time to run off into the fog, I hope that people know that.

Violet playing house

The fog disappears during sunsets and sunrises.  The light piercing the horizon cuts through the mist and shows me the way home.  The sunrise and sunset reminds me that time is limited on this spinning sphere we call Earth.  Every day is a gift, and whether we go to an apple orchard, on a run, or sit and watch a football game, we are making choices of how we spend our time here, and while I don't always use my time wisely, I do my best to navigate through the fog and make it long enough to enjoy the sunset at the end of each day.

Violet

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