Friday

Today is Friday (I love Friday). 

Today I volunteered in Mr. B's class and watched

him ace his spelling test - so smart! 

Today I played army with him - surprisingly fun! 

(his army totally destroyed my army)

Today Beeb cheered with the big cheerleaders during half-time at

the high school football game - adorable!

Today I am so happy to be a mom!

(as usual - in case you thought this was uncommon)

On Friday We Climbed a Mountain

A few months back my friend Jeff contacted me about joining a group he was organizing (most of them from St. Louis, MO) to climb Mt. St. Helens.  AH and I jumped at the chance to join in.  Previously I have climbed this mountain 5 times, though the last time was over 13 years ago, and I was eager to see how the landscape had changed.  For AH it was the final mountain that he needed to summit for him to be able to say that he has climbed all the volcanic peaks in Washington (I tease him that he saved the easiest for last). 

We met up on Thursday night with Jeff and his group for a late dinner at my favorite pizza parlor (Pizza Pete's) in Castle Rock, WA.  It was fun to finally meet everyone and get a sense of who they were and a better sense of their fun personalities.  It was a really outstanding group of people. 

Friday morning we headed out a little later than intended but it worked out to our advantage.  During the night a bit of clouds and rain came in and it took most of the morning to burn off.  We came across several groups of climbers along the trail who had turned back before reaching the top because it was incredibly cold, windy and the visibility was very poor (due to the heavy clouds in the AM). 

The Fearless Climbers

(now we just have to climb 5,000 feet in 5 miles)

My friend Jeff.



AH and I at the base of the boulder field we would be climbing.

Me at the beginning of the boulders (I already need a break!).

The long trek though the boulders.

Mid-way up the boulder field the clouds started to disperse and a view of the valley below is becoming visible.

AH and Brad taking a quick break (at this point our group had broken into two - we wouldn't end up really seeing the others the rest of the climb).

AH and I in the clouds.

There is something magical about looking round and seeing that you are high above the clouds. 

The last section is made up of sand and ash.  It was not as bad as I remember but still a tough section to complete with a very steep incline.

 From the top looking back to what we had just accomplished.  I love this view!

The new dome of the mountain is much larger/higher than my last visit.

Looking to the right of the new dome (Mt. Rainier in the distance). The steep drop off on the left is where the mountain blew out in 1980.

Looking to the left of the new dome. 

AH and I - see I really did make it.

From the top we could see Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood.  We were only able to catch glimpses of Mt. Adams on the descent due to heavy clouds around it most of the day.

A gorgeous view of Spirit Lake and Mt. Rainier.

 

When you reach the top you a literally standing on the ledge looking down into the new crater dome.  It's an amazing feeling seeing the power of nature up close and personal this way.

If only I could have done this the entire way down!

 AH on a ledge of the boulders during our descent. 

A closer shot.

We made it to the bottom of the boulders.  My legs and feet were protesting greatly at this point so I traded my hiking boots for my super comfy tennis shoes for the remaining hike through the trees back to the car (2 miles). 

To my disappointment we weren't able to wait for the rest of our group to descend.  It was a 4 hour drive home for us and we needed to be on our way to relieve our babysitter near the time I told her that we would be back.  I really missed congratulating everyone on completing this tough climb; I would have loved to have heard their perspectives.  I am really proud that they all toughed it out and made it to the top - that is quite an accomplishment!

Running

I have always hated running. . . really hated it with a passion.  I’m more of a sprinter type and not so much an endurance runner.  Unfortunately as an adult there just aren’t a lot of sprint running clubs so I gave in and started running short distances a little over a year and a half ago when my neighbor and I decided to run a 5k – regrettably we trained independently.  I have had to rework my thinking around distance running and realize that, for me, it is more about distance and less about time, especially when conditioning my body to run any sort of distance for the first time in my life. 

I trained successfully for months but it was lonely; I could never seem to find a consistent running partner.  Last summer I ended up only running a handful of times but played Ultimate Frisbee once a week and that seemed to be enough to make the occasional 5K fun run possible, although I knew I wasn’t doing enough to maintain a good weight or cardio health. 

In the spring of this year our Stake put on a free 5k fun run.  I invited my neighbor (same one as previously mentioned) to come do the run and she and I ended up running it together.  At this point I hadn’t run in over 5 months, due to some foot pain, and was actually very surprised that I completed the course without walking.  Granted, by the end of the run I was seeing stars and my legs truly wanted to give out – but I did it.  It was then that she and I realized we could actually run together a few times a week.  It only took us over a year to come to this realization . . . doh!

Here it is, several months later, and she and I run 3 to 4 times a week together for usually 3.5 miles each run.  I don’t think I could go back to running by myself; I’m just not that motivated.  We enjoy a half hour of sharing thoughts and ideas while simultaneously motivating each other to push a little harder or go a little farther – which is especially helpful on days when energy levels are lagging.  It has been really nice and has strengthened our friendship tenfold. 

As a result of more time spent running than ever before there are two things that I recognize that I knew before but didn’t really “know” before.  First, sleep really affects my energy level and second, food does the same thing.  I really feel (and I mean “really feel”) the difference in my ability to have a good run (good run is defined as “feeling revived and energized at the end of the run”) vs. feeling sluggish the entire run and exhausted by the end.  This has been the most powerful motivator for me, personally, to eat the very best foods and get a good night’s rest.  Prior to this I haven't physically felt how sleep and food combine to give me more energy, but that probably indicates how little I had consistently exerted myself in the past.

This morning I got up at 6:30am (of my own free will, be amazed – this is surely not normal behavior) to ensure that I would have time to eat a good breakfast well before my 8am run with my buddy.  It is a beautiful September morning, cool and crisp with full sun.  It was glorious to be out basking in this pre-fall splendor and, surprisingly (at least to me), really loving to run.

School Grump

My usually sweet sweet Mr. B has started off this new school year in a most exemplary way; he's had a perfect behavior chart 3 days in a row!!! 

Unfortunately it appears that being on his very best behavior at school is sucking him dry of all cheerfulness and agreeability.   By the time he gets home he is cantankerous, disagreeable, difficult, unfriendly (insert all other synonyms), etc. 

I am really looking toward the near future when his body and mind have readjusted to the strains of school and he comes home acting relatively normal again.