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Do Me . . . Well, Actually, Someone Else . . . a Favor This Week
Posted Saturday, December 17, 2011, at 10:35 AMNo, I'm not going to ask you to drop a few dollars in a bell-ringer's bucket or donate toys or food to a worthy organization. My request is a bit different; in fact, you may be a bit uncomfortable as you begin reading. I ask, though, that you read the entire entry (no, that's not the favor)... -
Seasons Greetings from The Lou
Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011, at 10:48 PM5For 20+ years I swore I'd never write a Christmas letter. But for this first-in-over-a-year blog entry, I thought a 2011-recap post might be an easy way to get back into the swing of things. So here goes! I moved into my new home in January, went to a conference in Minneapolis in May, attended a 2nd conference in June just outside New York, taught 2 summer school courses, spent a week in Florida with the kids in July, and returned to school in mid-August. ... -
Two New Experiences in a Day -- Not Too Shabby!
Posted Sunday, October 24, 2010, at 10:26 PMSaturday was an interesting day. I joined a Meet-up Group a month or so ago but hadn't been able to make it to any of their events before then. The plan was to meet at the local Cracker Barrel, so at 9:20 a.m. I pulled into the parking lot, checked my lip gloss, squared my shoulders, and got out of the car to meet 5 other ladies for an outing to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in downtown St. Louis... -
Thoughts on United Way Goal
Posted Friday, August 27, 2010, at 7:13 PM6I don't know about everyone else, but I was a bit confused by the article (nicely written, by the way) about the new United Way fundraising goal. Typically, the goal for the new year is higher than the one for the previous one. This year, however, the opposite is true. Simple enough; I can understand that... -
Family & Friends, Racing and Rugby
Posted Wednesday, April 14, 2010, at 1:28 PMWhat a weekend! In the space of 28 hours this past weekend, I got to spend lots of time with people who are very important to me, and I did three things I've never done before. Saturday morning, my good friend Allison and I participated in the 5k walk portion of the 2010 "Fight Back" event sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Road Runners. ... -
Two Days to Race Day!
Posted Friday, April 9, 2010, at 12:07 PM1I posted several weeks ago that my daughter and I had signed up to walk a 1/2 marathon in St. Louis. Ready or not, the race is this Sunday. I can't speak for my daughter, but I know I didn't train as I should have. I tried to follow the recommended schedule, but between some really bad weather and the lack of indoor walking facility near my home, there were days I didn't walk. ... -
Shades of Karl Marx!
Posted Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at 5:34 PM10Earlier today, Senator Max Baucus (D - Montana) stated that the "healthcare bill" is "an income shift, it is a shift, a leveling to help lower income middle income Americans." He went on to say, "[t]oo often, much of late, the last couple three years the mal-distribution of income in America is gone up way too much, the wealthy are getting way, way too wealthy, and the middle income class is left behind. ... -
One Step at a Time -- Part V: It's Official -- I Hate Hills
Posted Monday, March 8, 2010, at 7:43 PMThe good news is that yesterday I walked just under 1/2 of a 1/2 marathon, and I walked it in pretty good time. Five other ladies and I walked 6 miles in 1 hour 34 minutes, which is a 16-minute/mile pace. Not bad for a middle-aged lady who started training just over 2 weeks ago... -
Walk for a Good Cause
Posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at 6:24 PMI am so proud of my daughter! Jennifer somehow found about the Relay for Life that is coming up on April 24, paid for the team registration fee out of her own pocket, and has begun contacting people via Facebook to recruit team members. I've been in such a fog lately that I didn't even know about the event, so I'm so glad she was on the ball and took care of it... -
Eating My Words
Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 3:18 PM8I'm not too proud to admit when I'm wrong, as I'm about to prove. I've always liked dogs much more than cats, and the few times we ended up with a cat, I basically tolerated them because a) they belonged to the kids and the kids really loved them, and b) they (the cats, not the kids) lived outside... -
One Step at a Time -- Part IV: First Long Day
Posted Monday, February 22, 2010, at 12:32 PMI have officially begun training to walk my first half marathon. The plan is to walk for 60 minutes each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and to do my "long walk" on Sunday. I had hoped to start training on a Tuesday, so I could build up to a long day, but it didn't work out that way... -
One Step at a Time -- Part III and a twist!
Posted Friday, February 19, 2010, at 10:19 AM2Well, it seems I spoke too soon in Part I of this "series" about walking a 5K. I wrote then that "unfortunately" the 1/2 marathon was sold out, so Jennifer and I signed up for the 5K. A few days ago, Jennifer texted me and informed that the event coordinators had opened additional spots in the ½ marathon and that she thought we should upgrade to that event... -
One Step at a Time -- Part II
Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010, at 4:02 PM2Once my daughter and I signed up for the 5K walk at St. Louis Go, we quickly realized that the tennis shoes we currently own are woefully inadequate for this type of event. I don't know the specifics about Jennifer's, but my tennis shoes are at least 5 years old and are general-wear Nikeswith considerable. My good friend Allison suggested Jennifer and I visit Fleet Feet, a St. Louis store that specializes in shoes, apparel, and equipment for runners & walkers... -
One Step at a Time -- Part I
Posted Monday, February 15, 2010, at 1:48 PM7Except for a brief period my freshman year in college when a friend bullied (to be fair, she remembers it as "encouraged") me to run with her every morning, I have never jogged. The whole process is unappealing to me -- even the word "jog" conjures up a not-so-pleasant image. Think about it. What do you picture going on inside your body when you hear that word?... -
High School Football Thoughts
Posted Wednesday, November 11, 2009, at 3:03 PMA couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I attended the Cape Central - Jackson football game. It was an interesting evening, to say the least. We arrived at Houk (umbrella in hand, thank goodness) about 20 minutes before kick-off, so I had plenty of time to engage in one of my favorite "public place" activities -- people watching. ... -
A Change in Perspective
Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009, at 3:17 PM(I originally wrote this entry back in early July but didn't post it at the time. The last few days have been a bit difficult, so I posted this as a reminder to myself that perspective is crucial during a difficult time.) Last week, a miracle happened at our house. ... -
Thank You
Posted Tuesday, October 13, 2009, at 4:02 PM2The following is a post I recently made to my late husband's Caring Bridge website. I am posting it here in hopes of reaching people who may not have read it there. Several people have emailed, asking for an update on how we are doing, and I promise I will post a longer update tomorrow. For now, though, I want to post a letter to the editor I've submitted to the Southeast Missourian... -
So Vick is an Eagle Now
Posted Friday, August 14, 2009, at 7:22 PM11As a huge football fan who loves the NFL and who also loves animals, I've been both intrigued and horrified by the entire Vick story. I don't really think there's much new to say on the situation, but I figure I'll go ahead and weigh in anyway. First of all, what Vick did -- the torture & killing of dogs in the most unimaginable ways & the dogfighting -- is, at the very least, horrendous... -
Life's Twists & Turns
Posted Saturday, August 1, 2009, at 4:43 PM15"Life's not fair." I wish I had a dollar for every time my dad said that, in response to a no-doubt whiney "That's not fair" I uttered as a result of one or another of life's twists I didn't care for. Dad was right. Life isn't fair, and sometimes it's a good thing it's not, because I know I certainly have been blessed with far more than I could ever deserve. Sometimes, though, what has come my way has been less than desirable... -
Good Intentions but No Excuses
Posted Thursday, July 30, 2009, at 11:00 AMI've had good intentions all summer to sit down and write more regularly, but you know what they say about good intentions! For the most part, I've spent the summer working and spending time with my husband and our son & daughter (both home for the summer). It's been a very relaxed summer, for the most part, but it's drawing to a close...
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