Purging Emails!

Ah......so I have gotten a BIT behind on emails....my sincere apologies to those of you who I missed important correspondence with! oops! Well, as I am sure many of you can understand, I have gotten busy with life, and well-my emails have lacked importance in the list. Well it's almost a new year--and that reminded me: Last year, my new year's resolution was to keep my inbox to a MINIMUM....like as soon as I read and respond to an email, I delete or file it.

I as doing SO well until June when I started my new job last year. Somehow I just got busy doing marathon training, working, flying, keeping track of Chris, traveling....and the list goes on. So here I am...almost back to a new year....and had some time on my hands...SO...I decided: What better time to PURGE my inbox?

I regrettably admit I had over 700 emails ! (I know-you are speechless !...so am I!)

NOW: 23

: - )

So it's not the zero I was hoping for, but a few of those I need to take care of at home...so I will settle with that for now,

PS: THIS DOES NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO FORWARD ME THINGS JUST TO FILL UP MY INBOX! Please be green and help me not get bogged down in garbage : )

So, whatever each of your new years resolutions may be...I hope that you continue to work on them...even if it does take you until the end of the year to finish it!

Happy New Years to All!

2 Year Anniversary

It is amazing how quickly time goes! Just a short two years ago, we were in Wichita, KS getting married and celebrating the beginning of our new life together with our families and friends. Today, it seems like just yesterday (aw--mush mush, right!?) Well, I don't want to be too mushy, but it is wonderful being with your best friend every day, living out our own adventures.

Who knows what the next year will bring, but it's looking good so far!
Happy Anniversary, Darling.

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone! Wherever you are in the world, I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

We are enjoying good food and good company. While we will not be able to visit all our friends and family during this holiday, we hope that each of you have a safe, fun holiday.

UPDATE:
Chris starts training January 4, 2010!! We will keep you posted on all the excitement with that : )

Calm Evening

Tonight I got to eat Chinese food. YUM! (Chris flew to Wichita for dinner with a student, so I got to treat myself with some delicious food--that he is not so fond of!)

It has been an interesting day. Finals are over (Chris and I both did well in our classes--yay--even that dreaded research proposal-we both got "A"'s on !) Work is slowing down-well flying is anyway-the office job for me is going to start trickling down here in the next few days too.

I even had time to do a bit of light shopping and errand running this afternoon. Oh-and of course...that quilt...speaking of--I better get on that....I have 1 week to complete it...!

Over and out,
Robin

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the day known across the US as "Black Friday." (I have not done my research to learn WHY it's called Black Friday...but I'm sure that one of you know!--please enighten me) I am NOT taking part of the crazy rush. In fact, we're staying at our favorite bed and breakfast: the Bonar Suites (no folks, you can't google that...it's my sister's in-laws.) We always enjoy the great food and catching up with everyone while we are here.

Bobby Ann (Erik's Mom) made some of the most wonderful dishes, including one of my favorites--which I call cornbread casserole. (It has corn...some other delicious stuff...but looks like cornbread. I'm not quite sure how to describe the delicousness...but it's just darn good.) Chris enjoyed the Ham, Turkey, and potatoes. (good ole country boy--he likes the meat and potatoes...his mom must have raised him right!)

We enjoyed the time with family and especially getting to sleep in, with nothing in-particular to do today. It has been an enjoyable trip.

This is not our first Thanksgiving for this year, nor will it be our last. The previous weekend, we were in Leoti, KS to celebrate our 1st Turkey Day for this holiday season. Like many times, our schedule did NOT go as planned (which drives my sister CRAZY). I like to call it "weather." Last weekend Chris and I were to fly to Leoti-each with our own students. Well, we woke up to a foggy morning and low visibility. What ?! Where did the sun go!? So, after a change of plans and weather delay, we decided for my student and I not to fly (our airplane was not something I would take into the clouds)--and I sat backseat in Chris' airplane. It all worked out, but we were just delayed in departure.

Luckily for us...the Laws' were just about ready to eat when we arrived! We dug into the delicous turkey and side dishes....and Chris even saved room for some of that chocolate pie I wrote about in the last post. Oh-but I stand corrected-he eats 1/4 of the pie at a time....followed by the rest of it throughout the day! (Chris ONLY had 1 piece last week though...he was too full of the other food to eat more!)

Tomorrow and Sunday we look forward to a Thanksgiving meal each day--with our friends as we travel back to Stillwater, OK. Ah I love the holidays--good food, good people, and great memories.

Happy Holidays!

(PS: to all you Christmas people....you can NOW start playing Christmas music and put up the tree!)

Friday Frenzy

Today has been interesting. I was up late last night with the OSU football game--which we barely squeaked by winning--but we did end up winning-so that is a great way to end our collage football watching career. Afte the game was over, we went home. I had a scholarship application I had to finish. Unfortunately, I had to tweak a few more thing before sending it off in the mail today. Those "few" more things brought me into the wee hours of the morning by the time I was finished tweaking them all. I think those hours around midnight go quicker than the rest of the day....no...?

The good thing about being up that late is there is no traffic, it is QUIET in the apartment complex, and no one calls to distract me! (Don't get any ideas-my usual bedtime is 10pm and I look forward to going back to that!) Oh, and I got to send Paul emails...as at midnight or after, it's already mid-day where he is. The bad thing about being up that late is I got little sleep and am needing a nap (because I got up early to go to the gym--my new work out for post-marathon recovery. So fa, my legs, arms, abs have been sore....tomorrow's forecast is looking like quads--as today's torture was lunges....! ok-so it's not really torture if I put myself up to it, but it's sure hard being sore after running for several months and thinking I was in "shape" and then I find that there are muscles I haven't used in a long time) .

I did get everything done and the scholarship applications are all sent off in the mail, thanks to my wonderful friends who were able to write letters of recommendation and send them to me.(Thanks again!!) So now we will wait and see....I'm applying for 2 scholarships from Women in Aviation-one for my ATP and the other to attend a leadership conference. I don't know what the other applicants have in store, but I think I have a shot at at least one of them : ) We will have to see.

Other than that, this weekend is looking promising:
We have Thanksgiving in Leoti tomorrow for lunch and we will be back that evening sometime. I am looking forward to the good food and company. Best of all, Chris and I are each flying there with our students...so we are getting to fly AND see family--two of our favorite things. Oh-well-Chris would add that he gets to eat CHOCOLATE PIE. (That is if Chris can get it before Terry takes a slice!)

**the chocolate pie thing I may never understand-but basically a "Laws Slice" of pie is usually around 1/2 the pie. SO-when we make chocolate pudding pie at home, I make sure to have my own ration already set aside so that Chris can have his "slice" also : )

Love you Chris!

Congrats Mom--Mikols Snow Contest Winner!

Congrats to my mom! She is the proud winner of the 2009 Mikols Snow Competition. I don't have all the rules in front of me, but here are the basics:

1. It MUST snow in Wichita, KS at our home address on the east side of town
2. Snow is NOT sleet, hail, etc
3. If it is in question of whether it was actually snow, there must be a majority vote to decide.

That's the basics.
There is also a "pot of gold" to go along with this competition--but you do not have to "bet" if you do not want to. Neither mom nor I bet with $ this year, so the $ will go to the next closest person. (My financial expert--chris--and I discussed whether or not to "invest" in the small pot of gold...since I have won only once in about 10 or 12 years...we decided it was not a good investment. Guess it would have been this year! oh well...there's always next year!)

Might I add that I just missed winning this year by oh...less than 4 hours! Mom's time "expired" at noon yesterday....and mine began at that time. But if I were to lose to anyone, I am glad that it was my dear mother, who is a very deserving winner, as she had not yet won.

I will have to take a photo of the plaque at Christmas time when she receives it from Santa. (Yes, folks, there is a plaque!)

Thanks to each of you for keeping your eyes outside for me yesterday. I was trusting that you all would help me decide if it was infact snow, should I have to cast a vote!

Until then,
Robin

Monday Morning....Brrrrr!

Well, folks.....today might be the day. If you live in Wichita, KS--specifically on the EAST side of town, listen up:

If it snows TODAY by NOON, my mom will be the winner of the annual Mikols snow competition. However, if it snows at noon or after, I'm the winner! (well I don't remember exactly when my time is up, but I'm sure the judges will let me know) If mom wins, it will be an epic moment...as she is the only Mikols to not have her name on the plaque. (Yes, folks, there is a plaque...we take it seriously : )

East siders of the Wichita area, keep your eyes peeled for those white snowflakes.
So, good luck mom!!

Towards the end of last week, we had a friend of ours, Josh, come through to visit. It was nice to see him and catch up. He was on his way to Texas for a Guard weekend and we are thrilled he was able to swing by on his way through. After Josh departed, we had another set of visitors arrive on Saturday morning.

My parents came to see us and arrived just in time for lunch. It was nice to actually have a weekend in town and be able to be at the house. We watched K-State football Saturday afternoon (yeah....the kitty cats couldn't make a touchdown but man they could kick some field goals!). Saturday night we went to the OSU football game--quite a bit better results than the afternoon KSU game.

Sunday morning we woke up and had some good ole pancakes, bacon, and eggs. We even got to use the truck and airplane cut out Theresa gave us. Mom wanted half a pancake and somehow asking for "half a truck" doesn't sound right! We enjoyed the weekend and having some relaxing family time was a nice change of pace.

Clean House : - )

It seems like FOREVER since we have really been home. With the traveling to people's weddings, family events, and other events, we have been busy busy busy.

So yesterday Chris and I took the time to give our house the cleaning it needed from us neglecting it with our busy lives. It is amazing how nice it looks with just a little tender loving care and good ole cleaning. I even mopped the floors! (BUT--I held off on vacuuming until daytime--it was getting late last night and I didn't want to upset our downstairs neighbors.)

We finally caught up on laundry, cleaned the office, living room, kitchen. It's nice to be in a clean place. I even brought out the ole Pledge dusting spray--I prefer the lemon scent. (Ah-Clint-you would be proud! Although...I do NOT wake up on Saturday morning anxious to clean like you used to! No vacuuming for me THAT early!)

Now....if we can only keep it clean!

Happy Un-Birthday November Folks!

Yesterday was my supervisor's birthday...or so I thought. Nothing says surprise like surprise...right....? So, the girls and I made muffins, cupcakes, and brought ice cream to celebrate for the day. Just after 8 am, I put together a printed off banner that says "Happy Birthday." Ah, how nice this will be.

So the boss comes out of his office...and is like...what are all the treats for? We say--for YOUR birthday!!
Boss: uh...it's not my birthday.
Us: oh, now don't be shy-we made this all to celebrate it : - )
Boss: No, really-it's on November 20.
Us: ....................................oh.........................well....we wanted to celebrate early! (right?!)

**So....I guess "I pulled a Robin" ! (This is the phrase I use when I do something silly)**

Well we had fun none the less and enjoyed the treats for breakfast and an afternoon snack. I guess it's better that we celebrated early than late...but I don't know how I mixed up the birthday....oh well-what can you do now? Now I just have to figure out what we are going to do for his REAL birthday!

So-to all you November birthdays, Happy Birthday (early or late....because we celebrated them ALL yesterday!)

Free Time...What is THAT?

It seems like we have been running a million miles a minute!

This afternoon I had a student cancellation, so that gave me the inevitable: FREE TIME

What do I do? I don't have THAT planned into my schedule! So, I got my run in, caught up on some emails, cleaned the house a bit...I guess that's what free time is...a chance to do the things you want. Hmm...what a concept--I think I should plan more of that into my day.

: )

What a nice way to spend a few hours this afternoon. Now it's off to dinner with some friends. What a perfect afternoon.

New Job

In case you have not heard, I have a new job. I will be flying the 757 for Omni Air International out of Tulsa. I will be a first officer flying international all over the world. I am excited.

Pic of the 757.


Chris

Marathon: Quick Overview & Results; 1 of 2

On Saturday, October 17, 2009 I began my 1st marathon. Just over 4 hours later, I completed it.

With the constant support of my family and friends, I completed the most exciting, lengthy, yet rewarding race I have ever run. I cannot thank each of you enough for your support as I trained and competed in this race.

My "bib" number is 986. I was SO excited when I saw my name printed on the green bib! Of all the races I have run, I have never had my NAME printed on my race number. I was SO excited. While Chris did not understand my enthusiasm, I assured him that when I was delirious after about 20 miles, having my name on my bib would be a good thing : )

My "unofficial" results, according to the KC Marathon website is:
Time: 4:09:58
Overall Place: 670 (out of 1557 total participants who completed the marathon)
Mile Pace: 9:33

I am pretty darn proud of myself! I had a few goals for this race, including:
1. To FINISH (hopefully run the entire race) ----COMPLETED
2. Goal Time: 9 minute mile pace--making entire race about 4 hours--Nearly Did It! (missed it in the last few miles! drat!)

Post Race Thoughts:

I don't know my exact train of thought when the race was over, but it went something like this:

I COMPLETED A MARATHON! (sigh of relief!)
Hey-I beat the 4 hour 10 minute mark!
Woah! That WAS a long race.
Maybe marathoners ARE crazy. Nah! I'm done!
Glad it's over.
Although---I feel remarkably good. Maybe I should do a bit of a cool down?
Water?
T-shirts?
Medal?
Cool.
Where do I go?
Where are the balloons and my family? (Chris was holding a handful of helium balloons throughout the race so that I could easily spot where my supporters were!!)
Oh-hey-There's Alyssa and Whitney
Hmm...my legs are kind of sore--I need to stretch.
AH-FOOD!

: - D

It was not long after that I saw Chris, my parents, his parents, and a few of our friends. I am sure glad that Whitney and Alyssa (friends of mine from high school) found me because after the race, while I was feeling remarkably good, I had no idea where I should go to reunite with my fam/friends. It was not long before we found them all. I was greeted with smiles, hugs and many congratulations. Thank you again!!!

After I warmed up and chatted with family for a bit, we departed for the "Bonar Suites." (This is the name I like to call my sister's inlaws' house. Her inlaws' names are Bobby Ann (Erik's Mom) and Vern (Erik's Dad)) Vern has already gone down to Arizona, where he and Bobby Ann "winter" because it's too darn cold here ! Must be nice to chase that sunshine and warm weather when the snow and cold begin here in the midwest. Bobby Ann was still in town during my marathon and she was more than hospitable to house Chris and I during our stay in the KC area.

We headed back to the Bonar Suites so that I could clean up and take a much needed nap. While I rested, Chris and his parents as well as my parents visited and relaxed. When I awoke, I was HUNGRY! I downed some pasta to hold me over until the bbq with our friends.

Around 4 pm we met with a number of friends. Both of our parents FINALLY got to meet some of our KC friends as well as some of our college friends they have not seen in a long time. We had one of the best times we have had in a long time. I hobbled over to greet our friends as they pulled up--but it was SO wonderful to see them all! Our friend, Nick, ran the 1/2 marathon that day as well, so we talked about the race and when we each hit "the wall." We also got to visit with Tricia and her husband Clayton, two of my dear friends from college. We chatted with some family/friends of mine (the Ponnuru's) from Wichita--who now live/work in the KC area. They even brought their two beautiful daughters, who were SO adorable! We were also excited to have our dear friend, Cheri, come to the bbq. She is so much fun to fly with and we miss her dearly!

Despite my slow-moving self and the aches and pains, the day could not have been more perfect. I think Chris and I both said it was one of the most fun days we have had in a long time. The support was overwhealmingly wonderful, not to mention the quality time we got to spend with our friends and family. At the end of the day, I was sad it was all over. I didn't know how such a wonderful day could end so quickly.

And the answer to the question I keep getting:
Would I ever do another marathon?

On October 17th, I said I was unsure.
Today: I can undoubtably say: not anytime soon--but maybe one day again.

After putting in over 4 months of training, it was well worth the training--but very time consuming. For now, I will stick with the shorter runs (that is 1/2 marathons or less!) I will remain optimistic that when I do another marathon, I will have gaines valuable knowledge about training/support--both of which are immensely important to a race like this.

So--Mr. Larson...I don't know if I will be shooting for Boston...but the next marathon I run will be one big party!

Until then,
~Robin the runner

Run, Eat, Eat, Eat, Run Eat, Eat, Eat,Run!!!

The last several months of training have been....indescribable. How does one put into words something that I have been looking forward to for SO long?

In high school, a teammate of mine from cross country took her senior year off to run a marathon with her mom. Additionally, my coach ran a marathon--and my teammates and I went to cheer him on. This past spring, Chris and I went to Boston to watch Heath run his 1st Boston Marathon. That was it--I had decided-THIS is the year for MY marathon. And I was going to make it my birthday present to myself. My loving husband was right behind me--Chris gave me a pair of running shoes and a pedometer! He's the BEST! He even went through the trouble to help me plan out some of my long runs...what a great coach/teammate!

I cannot be more thankful for the support of Chris, as well as our friends and family. Thanks to each of you for your constant support and encouragement every step of the way.

**There are text/email updates and I told one of my students about it--and I told him that he would be able to get updates on my progress throughout the race. He jokingly said-So it will text me when you get admitted to the hospital--with your room number and everything?! haha. Thanks ! I appreciate the good humor of my student and their support and sacrifice to have a flexible schedule in order to allow me to run and train for this marathon.**

Also, Chris had one more race present for me...another NEW pair of shoes! So I will be sporting some shnazzy blue Adidas shoes! (don't worry Heath-I did break my new shoes in!)

Where in the WORLD is Christopher Robin?!

These past few months have been just CRAZY BUSY! Where have we been? What have we been up to? Let's start off from today and work backwards:

**this upcoming weekend is my marathon--which I have been training for since the beginning of June! Yikes!

Last weekend, we went on a road trip to Indiana to visit some good friends of ours. It was supposed to be a "airplane" trip, but as luck would have it, there was a storm system that moved through. So, we decided to play it safe and suffer through the 12 hour drive there. However, the trip was WELL worth it! We got to stop through Joplin, MO. on the way through and visit another friend. It was such a fun trip and it was nice to get to see friends. On the way home, we stopped through Perryville, MO to visit Chris' Grandparents. Conveniently, we also got to see his brother Jeremy and (Jeremy's FIANCE) Ashley. I also got to meet Aunt Billie. Here is a picture of the crew below:

The previous weekend was Heath and Kristine's wedding. We had a great time celebrating with our dear friends. Heath went to school with Chris and I. Kristine is a close family/friend of my family, so it was an all out party with our close friends/family!! We got to see a number of K-State alumni. Here is a picture of the lovely couple and my darling husband and I:

The previous weekend was a blessed weekend at home--AMAZING!-- Oh-and I had a student pass his private pilot check ride. That was SO exciting because he has been working SO hard to complete this and it was so rewarding to see him succeed.

The weekend before THAT-Chris went to Reno, Nevada for the Annual Reno Air Races. One of the clubs on campus is called the Flying Aggies. Chris and other Flying Aggies road tripped the 33 hour drive there and the 27 hour ride home. I got constant updates about the Hoover Dam, driving through Vegas--oh-and my favorite was when I called and heard the amazing Bzzzzrrrrmmmmmm! That was the sound of the quick race planes zipping in and out of pylons, going roughly 500+mph at 50 feet above the ground! (that is a bit different than the type of air racing that I did....this was a pylon race, compared to my cross country air race)

Before that was football games, as well as a fantastic camping trip with the Laws crew. We went camping over Labor day. The "crew" consisted of Chris' parents, sister, brother and (at the time his girlfriend!!) Ashley. My sister came out for smores one night and it was a great opportunity to hang out and enjoy the beautiful, silent scenery before life got crazy busy.

Buzz Lightyear in SPACE!

See this website and scroll down to the video with Buzz Lightyear.

My younger brother sent this to me ...Thanks!! it's great!!

It is that time of year again.

It is that wonderful time of the year again. College Football season starts today.

Go K-State!



Chris

Robin's Trip to San Diego: Part 1 of 2

On the way back to Stillwater, Oklahoma on Sunday August 2nd, Chris dropped me off in Wichita, KS so that I could fly out to San Diego, California in order to drive back to Oklahoma with my younger brother, Paul.

Ecstatic to spend the Monday morning traveling through airports and around aviation, I was excited to take a trip on the “big planes.” Here’s a pic of us just taking off from Wichita:


Little did I know that this particular Monday morning, I would have the pleasure of seeing a good friend and colleague, also departing for Denver, at the Wichita airport. It was none other than our K-State pilot friend and Marathon runner: Heath! He wasn’t sure if he would make our flight, as he was “jump seating” over to Denver. Lucky him, he got to sit in the cockpit and made the flight! : )

*When we arrived in Denver, Heath was kind enough to show me around the airport on my lay over and also escort me to my departure gate. What top-notch service!*



It was not too long before starting to see mountains:


And some pretty clouds (Which is my most memorable part of airline flights. I remember my first airplane ride-and the big clouds! I think at age 6, I was hooked, even though I did not know it yet.)


And, I’m not sure, but I think this MAY be the Grand Canyon we flew over??



And soon we arrived in Denver, Colorado-known for its unique airport:


And here is whom I came to see: PAUL!!!!


Paul toured me around the area for a bit and showed me the coast : )




He took me out for a picnic lunch (some delicious local food) of fish taco’s and what I like to call “American Burritos.” The fish tacos were SO delicious. Lightly breaded fish with some fresh tomatoes, cilantro, lime….and some type of homemade taco shell. Oh, and the American Burritos were a collaboration of a soft shell which housed some sautéed meat, French fries, cheese…and I’m not sure what else, but it was delicious. What a great picnic lunch.

After our picnic by the water, we were off. I enjoyed the signs, like this one below-a combo of California and Mexico--"Calexico":


It was not too long before we met our good friends: The Border Patrol.

NO I didn’t do anything wrong—they just have lots of checkpoints on the way out of California. Each station asks: what is your residency. At the first stop, I looked at Paul, thinking "are they kidding? Is this a trick question?"

ANSWER: United States.
I just wonder what they have to do if you said anything but U.S.? As we are born and raised here, I was not in any hurry to find out nor did I want to cause any trouble!


And here, my friends, you can see the Mexico Border--that black fence off there past the "sand mountains" as I like to call them:


After several hours in the car, we stopped for the night near Flagstaff, Arizona. Next stop-The Grand Canyon. While this is a detour from the route home, we think it was well worth the trouble.

More to come on an upcoming post.

Here's a pic from driving to the Grand Canyon bright and early the next morning:

Clint's Quilt Update

Oh Clint, you are sometimes MORE impatient than I am : o ) But I guess Santa's Elves have to work all year to get all those toys done for the Christmas holiday...so this little Elf is hard at work to make that Christmas deadline too. You can tell Clint has been giving me a hard time, as last night I got a text message saying:

4 months and 10 days left. Tick tock tick tock.

Haha. Thanks Clint.

Well, If anyone knows the "Mikols" in me, that would be the Polish half of me, you know that I cannot do things the easy way. SO-I have to leave a bit of my own artistic touch in each of my masterpieces I create. The design I am using for this quilt is based on a design I saw in a book. However, I wanted a BIGGER quilt...so with the help of a friend of mine, we extrapolated the dimensions and ta-da! We designed a bigger, better quilt--Robin style!

Well, for those of you as anxious as he is to see this long-awaited quilt in progress. Here are a few pictures.

Me working hard. Notice the stack of blocks to the right of this picture *(my left). These will all be sewn together and made into a large quilt. Yikes! If I'm going to make my deadline, I better get to sewing!



And an up-close view of the quilt blocks which incorporate the Crown Royal bags that Clint wanted make into a quilt:


So there's the "sneak peek!" So now this elf is going back to work : )

2009 Fair

So, as promised, here I am updating about the fair a few weeks ago.

We ended up driving this year. Yikes...long drive, but totally worth it to spend quality time with family. We even dropped in to Wichita to pick up our long awaited wedding album! yay!

Here's a pic of the sunset that night:


We got in late on Thursday night, but had a good drive. Chris, being the gentleman that he is-wanted to drive so that I could fall asleep (like I always do on a long drive). Being stubborn, I managed to stay awake (although, I didn't tell him how nice it was to be away from the city lights and see ALL those stars! It is so beautiful when you can see that far in the country. So, I guess it was a combo of me being stubborn and my own selfishness of taking in the beautiful evening sky!) We even got to town early enough to catch the last 30-45 minutes of the fair that night.

We got to sleep in on Friday, July 31st. That is a rarity any more. I could not believe how amazing it was to actually have a good night's sleep (after b-sitting for the 2 year old all week and getting woken up at around 3am.) After we woke up, we spent the day around town, taking in the sidewalk sales and checking out Leoti's new quilt shop. I was SO excited to get to FINALLY go after Carol has been talking about the new quilt shop for awhile now. It is really quite cool. There are SO many fabric options! AND...I have my eyes set on my next quilting project...but I have to finish Clint's first....! However, we are planning on being out in the Leoti area around the holidays, so maybe I can get my fabric and start it up then...hmmm...

Anyway-

On Saturday morning I had a LONG run. (20 miles!) My goal was to try to get up early enough to finish my run by the time the parade started. I MADE IT! I woke up at 6ish and hit the road. I was so thrilled!!! I made a 9-minute mile time for the entire 20 miles! I must say that running out in the middle of nowhere is kinda nice....you don't really know exactly how far you have run because there is nothing but mile markers out there....not much else. AND....it's FLAT! Here in Oklahoma, there are some hills, which is good traning for my marathon...but it was nice to have a nice, flat run for that distance.

At the parade, I sat eating my can of peaches, sipping on some water, and watching the horses, cars, semi's, and floats roll by. I was a bit sore, so I talked Theresa and Chris into running and getting the candy : ). Oh, and I did get to meet the rest of Chris' Great Aunts and Uncles from Illinois. I knew a few of them from visiting my brother, Paul, but now I know the whole bunch.

After the parade, I took a nap : ). A few hours later, we went to the fair grounds, had lunch, and ran the "muffin tin toss". This is one of the games that you toss 3 baseballs into a set of muffin tins. If your baseball lands in a muffin spot that is colored, you win a cool hat. Here is Chris, working hard:



After our shift at the muffin tin toss, we went and rode some rides. This is one of my favorites:


It was such a beautiful and enjoyable day. Here are a few more pictures from the trip:

This is Chris and Terry working hard on the Ferris Wheel:







Here is a video of a number of the rides. (I some how missed the little cars that go around...I don't know how, but I did! sorry!!)

**you should be able to "fast forward" through the round up, as that one goes on for a few minutes, but there are still other rides after that, so don't miss those!**




On Sunday, we had to head home. Sad to have left so soon, but we'll be back in no time!

Office Mania

It seems like one day all is bliss, then the next..... DRAMA!



As many of you know, I changed jobs on June 1st to work as a Graduate Assistant for the Facilities Manager. As my job is slowly evolving into a handful of tasks, I am gradually figuring out exactly how to keep things rolling from day to day. Since I only work 20 hours per week, I have been working on the transition from full time to part time, as well as the division of tasks, managing a group of workers, and dealing with things that are completely out of my control. A day in the life of Robin. Yikes!



So after I get back from California with my younger brother, I learn that our secretary put in her 2 weeks notice and is moving to another position on campus....YIKES for ME!



While I was not prepared to have my co-worker quit and the floodgates open the week school starts, I guess there's no better way than to learn but than by just jumping in head first. I guess this just helps me prioritize more and plan better, right?!



With the facilities office in extreme transition, I think this change is coming at the right time. While the transition from a full-time coworker to JUST ROBIN and the boss man will be a hard one, it should be good until there is a replacement to help carry the load. The next few months should be interesting, but a great learning experience. I guess this is how all "self-run" businesses are at some point, right? All seems like it's going to fail, but it will turn out fine, right? I guess we'll have to wait and see.



So, when I get overwhealmed, I think of this video, and remember how small each of us are, and how peacful the beauty of the Earth is.



Here's a video I took while at the Grand Canyon:

August...ALREADY!?

WHERE have the last few weeks gone?!?
No-Seriously-where?

As Chris always says-where time always goes-duh! (HAHA, Thanks honey.)

I have not posted in awhile, but will do my best to recollect what we've been up to for the past few weeks:

The last week of July (or so) Chris and I got to play "parents" for a few days. We have a friend who has a 2 year old and we watched him for a few days while they were out of town. Despite Chris' love of kids, he was unable to watch the kiddo with me, as Chris came down with a rash : ( We think the rash came from their dog-but who knows for sure. Chris was miserable...even so much that he cancelled a few days of flying and considered not going home for the fair! But-the Good Lord was watching over him and the rash cleared up, with some help of modern medacine.

I jokingly told Chris if he didn't want to watch kiddo, he didn't have to go through the trouble of getting a rash and be so miserable.!!! ...needless to say, he gave me that "now why would I do a thing like THAT" look. haha. love you darlin'!

While I did enjoy b-sitting kiddo, Chris did get to have dinner with us a few times-at our house, away from said dog. We enjoyed the week and were glad to have kiddo's mom and dad come home, so I could get a sound night's sleep (without being woken up for dirty diapers : )

The last few days of July were spent at the Annual Leoti Fair. (Which of course, will have its OWN post : )

Then on Monday, August 3rd, I flew out to San Diego, California on the Airlines to drive back to the midwest with my younger brother, Paul.

More to come on both of those events.

Other than that, Chris and I finished out summer classes, both making top marks in all summer courses : )

The past few days have been somewhat relaxing. We re-arranged our office at home, which is FINALLY looking amazing! Now Chris has his perfect office space, and I my own sewing space --yet still enough room for a gues when our friends/family come to visit.

With our office re-arranged and some of our final boxes unpacked, I was able to get out my long-lost quilting project! yay! This year's project is to finish a Crown Royal Quilt for my good friend/college buddy, Clint. Yes-Christmas is my deadline....so ...... I better stop slackin!

More to come soon.

Fly Me to the Moon!

Today is the 40th Anniversary of the U.S. landing on the Moon!

See this link for some more pictures.

So why was it SO important to get to the Moon? Because, duh, we (the U.S.) had to be THE best and beat the Russians there. When the space race began years ago, there was the idea to not only go to space, but one day be living there. Who knows, maybe some day we will vacation to the Moon and even Mars?

Recently, I finished reading the book October Sky. While this has been my FAVORITE movie for years, I had never read the book (originally published as Rocket Boys). After accomplishing this long-coming goal, I sat on my hammock and thought about the book, space, and my place in this universe. (how deep, I know!) I guess sometimes you don't know why you are drawn to certain things, like space or the Moon, but somehow, when I look up at the sky at night, I know-like Homer Hickam, that there is something bigger out there that I am supposed to do. Just what it is, I don't know yet. But, maybe I will one day soon.

I think a cool job would be to be involved in what I would like to call "space tourism." My idea is that a pilot (ahem...like myself : ) would fly individuals on a trip around the world-up to orbit, around, and then back down on some type of airplane/shuttle/device. While this may sound a bit like a Jetsons Cartoon, I think it's a nice dream. Who knows...maybe one day it will come true. I just think it would be amazing to go up and experience zero-gravity, along with a "vessel" full of tourists:

"This is Captain Robin. Your trip today will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience where you will travel beyond the Earth's atmosphere. You will experience being weightless and the beauty only discovered by the depths of space."

Who knows, maybe we could even have a "real" Space Camp! : )

Until then, I'll keep dreaming and looking up at the stars, trying to find my place there among them.

Apollo 11

To celebrate the the 40th anniversary (July 20, 1969) of Apollo 11 landing on the moon, NASA has released some restored video of the event. I think it looks pretty cool.

Here is a story about the video and the wise planing of our government. It turns out the NASA taped over the the original tape because of budget cuts in the 1980's

Here is the site of the newly restored, from copies, film.

Looks pretty good to me.

P.S. Neil Armstrong is a Phi Delt too.

Blissful Morning?

Today I survived another run : ) Yes...survived....

I am training for the Kansas City Marathon on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Running a marathon has been a goal of mine since high school. So-this is the year! With much encouragement from many of my running buddies (and wonderful husband-who often helps me "plot out" my long runs), training is going well.

I must admit...after today's run...I am a bit sore-my knees are achy and those 3 flights of stairs up to our apartment seemed ENDLESS. Today's mileage was a whoppin 16! This is by far the furthest I have EVER run...which is pretty exciting.

I don't know if I will be an avid marathoner after my first one...but after today's run I was thinking:
Thank the good Lord! I survived!

Yet in the back of my mind...I was thinking: If today were the race, I'd have 10.2 more miles to go! eik!

So...I continue to take one day at a time, one step at a time, and one mile at a time.

4th of July (belated post)

This is a picture of some flowers my Godparents brought over to my mom for the 4th.

How Festive!

Time is going SO quickly! It was just over a week ago now...yet the 4th feels like just yesterday.

Chris and I went to Wichita for the4th of July. While it MAY sound a bit early, we worked on the Christmas presents for my parents. As many parents can tell you, they usually have what they want by the time they are "parents of college kids." SO what do you give them for Christmas? (besides of course, the usual--coffee beans for dad and tea for mom?)

So....as I have been an avid reader of Better Homes and Gardens...I thought....what if we re-did their bathrooms for their Christmas present? I was stoked to get to do this....and mom and dad seemed pretty excited too.

So, the process began...what do they like...what do they NOT like...
I soon learned that while they are soul mates, their tastes can differ...so I found some compromises and in the end, I think the project turned out well. : ) Here are a few pictures from the extravaganza:

This is Chris being my handy man...yes...he even helped quite a bit with the project : )

This is before any painting had been done.

And this is After:
Ta-Da!

I must say, I am quite proud of the result. While I am still looking for a shower curtain (I have the color picked out, but still need to locate it or some fabric...hmm...for another day I suppose), the rest of the work is completed. I also love the new artwork in the "girls" bathroom upstairs. A friend of mine made this *COOL* collage-decoupage thingy from magazine cut outs...so of course...I have been looking for a good excuse to try my hand at the same idea for some interesting artwork to hang up. Here is an "up close" image of the artwork. Mom and I had a fun time looking for pictures (well, mom was actually reading-I was just flipping the pages in the magazines).



We also did the same scheme to my brothers' bathroom downstairs.
While this was our Christmas present to my parents...dad did lend a hand in assisting putting up the shelves in Carl's Bathroom (Thanks Dad!).

I think it looks GREAT!

(Hey Paul-if you are reading this-I bet you will LOVE the new improvements : )

In addition to this bathroom project, I even got to finish a "clothspin apron" for Karen. Here is a pic of mom showing it off:

The point of this apron is to put your clothes pins in it as you go out to hang up the laundry to dry. Karen just installed a clothes line so she was all jazzed when she talked me into making this for her. : )

Oh, and of course, back to the 4th of July festivities! We had some friends over on Friday, as well as Saturday. We enjoyed hanging out with friends and family over the extended weekend. One of my favorite treats from being home was getting to eat some yummy lemon cake made by my Godparents : ) Doesn't it look delicious? YUM! It was....I think I ate my fare share : )


And a quick snapshot of some friends that were over:

On the left is our friend, Jeremy, my Godfather Jim, and Grandpa Benny : )

We all had a great time and enjoyed the good company. Where my parent's house is located is not far from a local country club where they have a "big" firework display-you know the ones that shoot up in the air? After watching that display, Carl had a great firework show for us as well. Jeremy and our friend Heath, Chris and Carl all lit up fireworks and looked like they were having a good time. I did my usual, sparklers and "ground blooms" that just spin around on the ground. Mom, Dad, and the neighbors watched as the boys lit up the display Carl had accumulated.

Thanks everyone for a fun, safe, and enjoyable 4th.

Yesterday's Sunset

Good evening my dear friends!!!

It is SUCH a gorgeous evening, I decided to take a bit of time and lay on the hammock, read my latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and listen to some Kenny G as I watch the sun set.

Look how beautiful it is:

Now...if I only had my sister's wide angle lens....?! (I couldn't help it-this was just such a beautiful sunset)

While Chris is off gallivanting across the skies with a student, I am enjoying a quiet evening at home. I have gotten to enjoy one of the most wonderful and memorable weeks in a long time.

As many of you know, this past week was the annual Air Race Classic competition. We had a team from K-State Salina compete. While they did not win the race, they did well. They ended up 19 out of 32 teams and 5^th out of 7 collegiate teams. I am SO proud of them!

Not only did they get the opportunity of a lifetime, they gained valuable friendships and experiences that will forever change the way they fly. Air racing to me has been the pivot point of my aviation career, where I learned the most about both myself as a pilot and gained the confidence I needed as an instructor (and those of you who have instructed know that each flight with a student is an adventure!). I had countless memories and good times. Each one of them is priceless and has helped mold me into the pilot I am today.

This post is just a small tribute to the countless air racers across history, starting way back with the first “poweder puff derby” through 2009.

Thanks especially to the person who first inspired me to race, Carole Dawson.

Additionally, many thanks to the air race ladies from 2006 who helped make my first race so memorable. I have and will always hold a special place in my heart for the air race, those that competed, and the countless individuals that helped along the way.

So this evening as I fall asleep, I will be dreaming of my next race and also for a safe return to all those that raced this year.

Lunch with some Air Racers!

Today I had the privilege to have lunch with ARC 2009 Team # 16!! I was just leaving the office for lunch with my friend Lisa-when Chris texted me:

An Air Race Team just landed and is taxiing in

!!!!!

I nearly jumped out of my car. I was so excited! Lisa and I headed to the Stillwater terminal to find our new friends. We arrived and scoped out the area...no racers.... : (

But these ladies were just in the rest room : ) aha! (I should have known!) They had been flying all morning from Iowa and stopped to refuel, use the restroom, get some chow, and head off again.

I introduced myself and my friend, Lisa, and how I was related to the race (I was helping the K-State team and was a previous air race competitor) Luckily for me, there was some weather just south of Oklahoma City and the ladies agreed to have lunch with us. Just MY lucky day!

I have been following the racers all week and it was such a honor and privilege to take these ladies out to lunch. Chris was able to join us and we all had a nice time. It turns out that I had raced with one of these ladies before-! In 2007-the year the race was to Canada, one of these ladies was racing that year. It was also the year we were disqualified, but a race is a race, and it was a blast anyway.

These ladies finished the race successfully and had a good time. They are en route to Texas this afternoon. Well, maybe-I think they are going to Oklahoma City and hanging out there until the weather passes...but either way-Texas is their final destination.

Thanks ladies for such a wonderful surprise. : ) What a wonderful lunch!

Space Food?

This morning over my breakfast of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, I decided to flip on the TV and check some weather...but got distracted with the NASA channel-who would have thought-me get distracted with NASA?!

Today's edition was talking about space food and what the astronauts eat and how the scientists decide what to send up and also about how far food technology has come in the last few decades. It was really interesting to watch. The astronauts actually go to the food lab and sample a number of foods to pick out a personalized menu so that the astronauts can enjoy what they are eating in space. Kinda cool. However, I would hate to pick an item like orange juice to have every day for breakfast...and then get to space and not like it. See next paragraph to explain this more.

The show also discussed how there is a fluid shift and sometimes people have different food preferences in space. They discussed how to make up for that is to provide a variety of foods and also offer hot sauce and stuff like that. I just kept thinking-I wonder if i would be able to eat hot sauce in space?! (as I can hardly stand most hot foods, that would be a feat to eat tobasco sauce in space-and not blink twice!)

Who knows...maybe my taste buds just need a few orbits to be able to handle hot foods?!

Combines...combines...combines!!!

Here's what I miss seeing on a regular basis:



Last weekend, Chris and I had the privilege of going to harvest with his dad's friends who all used to "custom harvest" together. Terry harvested with this crew for 4 years. While I am not a harvester myself, I could see how much fun he had with the crew, as these were some of the best times he had, not to mention he met Carol during this time. The group Terry worked with would harvest from Texas and travel to Canada, cutting crops for farmers.

I don't think I have ever seen a combine-ok-well not in "real" life-but I had the opportunity to DRIVE a combine!!! This was pretty exciting for a person who has never really spent much time working on a farm.

Here's Chris, myself and Terry in the combine:



I have only heard stories of "the good ole days" of custom harvesting, and it was a pleasure to have FINALLY met the people of these stories. When Chris and I travel to England some time, we will get to visit them more and have a good people to stay with.


From left to right:
Robin, Theresa, Carol, Terry, Chris, Charlie, Robert (the Laws call him Bert)




PS: I have made a link to this on the right, but here is the link to the K-State girls' Air Race Classic blog:
K-State ARC Blog

You can also click on the right side of my blogger links-and see it there as well : )

Air Race Classic 2009...!

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

As many of you know, I am an avid Air Race Classic fan and previous competitor. This year, I have the distinct privilege to be the “updater” for the Kansas State University Salina team! So-I will probably be slacking on this blog, but please stay updated on the status of the team via their blog at:
KSUS-AIR-RACE-CLASSIC-TEAM

Also, see the current race route:
AirRaceClassic2009

Chris and I may get the opportunity to harvest….so if we do, look forward to my first harvest experience!

Happy Birthday Chris! (Yesterday)

Life has been SO busy that I didn't even have a chance to brag on Chris on his birthday! (although his mom did write a nice blog post about it!!)

Yesterday was Chris' Birthday and it was a good one. Despite my best efforts, he did find out about almost all of the surprises I was trying to do for him for his birthday! Being the good husband he is, he was only doing what I told him to-and cleaned off the table for dinner-and found a receipt with items that included:
hen
brownies

Need I say more? He found out that I was going to bake him brownies and make chicken and noodles. DRAT! grr! If he weren't such a good guy and so meticulous about receipts! I should have known!

Needless to say, he did not find out about the Phi Delta Theta picture that I attained, courtesy of our friend, Delton. This pic was of the "founding fathers" of the Salina, KS chapter. It is really a nice pic that I was able to copy/reprint and I even got it framed. So, after all my efforts, at least I did get to surprise him on SOMETHING!

We even had a small party at the flight center for him-I took brownies and the secretary out there brought ice cream. : ) It was good to see him smiling and feeling so special-as I don't get to spoil him all that often.

At the end of the day, I did make chicken and noodles...not QUITE as good as either his mom's or Delton's....but not bad for trying a new recipe...that measures ingredients in a way that I have never measured before (Chris said it's "precise" as it was handed down from his grandma!). There was one part of the noodle recipe that said something to the effect of:
If dough feels too wet, add flour-but not too much

oh-and my favorite part was something about measuring the milk-like 2 and 1/2 shells of milk per egg.

I have never measured quite like that before, but estimated and called it good...I guess that's the "good ole way" to measure?!

I bet I will have to try the recipe a few more times before I get it right...but don't get your hopes up!! It's awefully HOT outside for chicken N noodles on a weekly basis!

Well, dinner did end up ok and was in fact pretty tasty. We had a few friends over and enjoyed the evening with good food and good company.

Happy Birthday Chris!!!

Going Cross-Eyed Today

Today seems like the end to a VERY long week...I don't know what made it SO long...but maybe just waking up early today did the trick?

Today we had "grandparents-U" where grandparents (I think they were all alumni) and their grandkids came to the university and participated with different departments-kind of like a camp. Chris and I were up with the sun and off to the airport for flights. Like most days where there was a "plan" to go on a flight...the weather decided to creep in. A storm was brewing and lingering just north of Stillwater. Luckily for us, we all got out of town before the big ghost of a storm "slimed" us with rain, hail, lightning, and thunder. However, we all returned to the news that there was around tennis ball sized hail...! (and nearly all of us had hail damage on our vehicles!)

On the positive side of things, we did get about 1/2 the fleet of planes out before the hail hit...so that means 1/2 of the fleet IS dent free from hail! Lucky us!

Other than that exciting news, we got a call from "grandpa" Willis the other night-Chris' gpa. SO-since I have been slacking on the blog lately, I thought I'd send a quick update.

Tomorrow is a baby shower for a dear friend of mine. I am SO excited about the present I am giving her...! But I will not reveal the present until AFTER the shower! But it is SWEET! Ah the fun memories!

Well, over and out-they are shutting the office down and I think that is my cue to get outa here!

Thanks for the MANY birthday wishes!

Yesterday was my birthday!~!~! Thanks to each of you for the many birthday wishes I received!!

In addition to my birthday, it was also the first day of my new job. I went from being a full time secratary to a part time employee. My new title is: Graduate Assistant to the Facilities Manager. YAY! Now what does that mean?(I have no idea-but it will sure be fun to find out!!) Well, ok-so I kind-of know what I will be doing...but it will just take a few weeks to settle into the position and figure out where we want to go from where we are at now.

Last semester I had a course on quality management-including it's principles as well as several different tools used in quality. On a short note, quality is all about making a quality product-and striving to get the product perfect every time to a given set of standards. That is one version of the definition. The part that I think is most facinating is using different processes to make a product-but simplifying the process it takes to make a product---creating a process with less error-or fewer mistakes.

So basically-I have my mission of daily tasks-and from the little I know now in my new job, I get to refine this current process and change it in any way that is reasonable to make the process more efficient, and essentially easier to use. I am excited as I LOVE to create things and figure things out. So I look forward to the daily challenges that await me.

Additionally, while I am starting a new job, Chris is doing some "administrative hours" at the flight center-where he gets to assist them with the programs and tweaking them to make them even better. I know he's excited about the whole project and challenges that lie ahead there as well.

The First of Many Last Days

Today is Friday. It is also the "first of many last days," as I will call it. Today is the last day of my current job, and also the first of many last days. I have had a range of jobs in my short years of employment experience, ranging from babysitting to camp counselor to customer service, flight instructing, and restaurant working. I have enjoyed most of them-from their quirky moments to the nail biting times. Mainly, I have been able to look back on each one and see how far I have come in the time I had been in each position.

In my most recent job as an Administrative Assistant, I have gained (really expanded upon) priceless people skills, office skills, as well as the balance of maintaining a certain level of "crazy" yet sanity when nothing is going right. I have met a number of people who have and will continue to be beneficial in our lives, as well as the ones that have come in and faded away as I have grown stronger roots here at Oklahoma State.

The office threw me a "Birthday/Going Away Party" today. The group bought ice cream cakes (yummy!!) and my replacement, Kelly, made cookies and tasty ham rollup thingies (you know those tortillas with cream cheese, some seasonings and ham all rolled up?! yum!). It was more than I expected, as I am really not going FAR-just across the street to my new position as "Graduate Assistant to the Facilities Manager". However, it was a wonderful time and I really appreciated Delton rounding up the group to give me a farewell. They even got ME birthday gifts!!! WOW! Several wrote me nice notes and cards and Delton got a nice black notebook-you know those ones that the "big wigs" always have at meetings with the legal paper pads and pens...? They look really official. I told Delton-"I'm like a BIG kid!"

While I am still working at Oklahoma State, the short chapter of my Admin Assistant days are now closed. I still will drop in and have coffee now and then...and of course come by to say hello. I couldn't help but wonder what the future holds...and how many more "first of many last days" there will be.

So Cheers, my friends, and Happy Friday to you all!

Biggest Loser Season 7

For those of you who are not big "TV-watchers", today's post is a reflection on the TV show "Biggest Loser".

This show is about people who are overweight and selected to go to "the ranch" (a work-out place/resort)to lose the weight the individuals have been struggling with. With obesity being an ongoing problem in America, this show is a BIG hit. No pun intended! hehe.

Each season, there is a group of people from across the country selected to go on the show, aired on national TV. The season is usually around 4-ish months long, but naturally, they only show one week on campus at a time, so us viewers get to see it all a bit delayed.

I began watching this show religiously over the past year or so. It's not so much that I enjoy seeing people be "tortured" by their trainers, but I enjoy watching people genuinely change their lives for the better. I also think that it is quite empowering to see "real" people tell their stories. There are SO many people across the nation who want to lose weight, but "don't know how." My assessment from watching this show is two things:
1. YOU have to decide you want to make the change.
2. YOU HAVE TO DO IT AND STICK WITH IT!

SO, feel free to read the story below-enjoy!

Click to read full story:
Biggest Loser Winner!

Robin VS the Copy Machine

Final Score:

Copy Machine: 65
Robin 0

This afternoon was an adventure. I ventured over to Iba, a building just across the street and diagonal to the building I work in. I needed to make around 700 copies of a form for students for check out. So, like any person would do, I went to the copy room. From the moment I stepped in there, little did I know that I was in for a battle.

I started the copies and visited with a few people while the copies were being made. When I walked back into the copy room, the copier had stopped. I glanced at the tray, and not even 100 were done. I saw that there was a jam. Oh-no big deal, I thought. So I un-jam section 2 of the copier and it whizzes back into copy mode. *phew! I thought-got it!*

A few minutes later, the copier stopped-again. What?! i JUST fixed it-surely it's not the same thing...oh it was. So I soon got into a rhythm of every 12 papers or so, the copier would stop, give a double, consecutive beep three times (for a total of 6 beeps), then I would un-jam section 2, close the door and the vicious cycle would resume. A couple of times i got anxious to fix the jam and caused a bigger jam, including sections 3, 3b, 4, 5...etc. SO i soon learned that if i just waited for all 6 beeps to go before i opened the side door, i would save myself time and not cause a bigger paper jam.

I thought-this is going to be a LONG process for some copies.

After coercing the copy machine to making all my copies, I was off to the safety of my building. I am thankful that there are copy machines, but disappointed that the technology was not as efficient as i would have liked.

On another note-the things I was making copies for was for the students who are moving out. YAY! Students go home and my office gets quiet!! yay! Well, kinda good, kinda bad. I am sad that it will be so quiet...I might have enough time to keep up with facebook this summer! yikes! I WILL be bored!

Until next time, be ware of the copy machines...they are ferocious!
~Robin

Farewell Boston

On Tuesday, we were happy to sleep in, but sad to depart and end our vacation. We were also happy to not have to ride the subway everywhere around town. And here's one last pic of the subway: )



We were able to have lunch with Larry and Gloria before we left. They were our gracious bed and breakfast hotel, and we look forward to visiting them again.
Here's a picture of them:



Thanks again!! Until next time, Boston-farewell!

Work

This is the President of OSU learning about where I work.

OSU Link

Our FIRST Marathon

Ok, so we did not actually RUN this marathon, but by the time the day was over, I think we walked at LEAST a half marathon!

We were up bright and early, working on a way to ensure that we would get to cheer on Heath and see him at least a couple of times across the course. The marathon began at 10:00 am. Lovely Kristine, Chris, and I headed to the bus/subway to start migrating toward the proper stop. Unfortunately, the bus we were wanting did not come : ( But that actually ended up being a good thing, as with the massive number of onlookers, we would never have gotten where we wanted to go. SO we made a quick back up plan and hopped on another bus to the subway system.

We were fortunate enough to get on the first sardine-packed subway train. phew! It was seriously WALL-TO-WALL with people-I mean there were around 23,000 individuals competing in the marathon, not to mention the THOUSANDS of onlookers and locals who were there that day too. It took about an hour for us to get to our first viewing point, but we were thinking of Heath right as the marathon was getting ready to start:

(pic of Chris' watch about 5 til the start of the race)




We arrived at our destination, cow bells and camera's at hand. Chris had signed up for a text message update for when Heath crossed certain checkpoints in the race. This message would tell us Heath's pace at the 6 mile point. We would also receive updates at the 10K, 1/2 way, 30 K and Finish line. Unfortunately, we did not receive Heath's first update, so we were not 100 % sure where he was at on the course or what his mile time was.

These are pictures of the "power gel" the runners would eat for energy along the course. Check out that TUB of it!



And all the flavors!




BUT it was not too long before we saw him trotting up the hill, running past us.

Heath (the blond, lanky fellow) was suited up in his unforgettable "America Shorts" and a red t-shirt/tank top. Chris took a video of when we saw Heath run by:



He looked like he was determined and going strong. YAY! but there were SO many people, that he did not see us at that stop. "Oh just you wait"-I thought- He will hear us at the next stop!! And he did : )

Here's another video-this one is actually really good- he had around 1/2 a mile or less (I think) left-so he was doing all he could just to make it to the finish.




AND with a final time of 3:03:05 Heath finished his FIRST BOSTON MARATHON! Here's his final stats:
Pace: 6:58 minute miles
Place: 1673rd OVERALL!
**23,162 total individuals started the race.**

That's a sweet finish-especially for a 1st timer!
(I would like to take a special time to note that Heath was just UNDER an hour behind the 1st place winner-the Ethiopian, Deriba Merga, whose time was 2:08:32 )
CLOSE but no cigar! : )

Chris was reading an article about the marathon as we were waiting on Heath to recover, and the article stated that this year's marathon was slower than the pace of the past years. IN FACT- we are impressed with Heath's finish, as he made a NEW personal best...AND he qualified for NEXT YEAR'S BOSTON MARATHON by his time at this year's race! GO HEATH! Who knows, maybe we will be back there next year...?!

Here are some pictures from the day:

Here we are before the day started, waiting for the bus.



Here we are on the train going between stops after the first time we saw Heath



And of course the runner himself with his fan club.