Back To Business

It was a great weekend, but it's time to get stuff done at home. My goal for this year is to get rid of a lot of unneeded stuff - you know, Marie Kondo and all. And I have a lot of stuff.

Today's job was to attempt to clean off my desk. There's a lot of stuff on and in and around my desk. I think the only way to get started is to get a shovel and go at it.

I did manage to call Lazy Boy to get them started on figuring out what's wrong with the power recliner. Of course, it's a process, so we'll see how long that takes.

I also managed to call Massage Envy and get a massage scheduled (I have too many that I haven't used, so this is a start).

Last night I replaced the handle on Steve's toilet, so I'm counting that as something done today.

I managed to wade through a lot of old emails and cut my inbox in at least half.

I paid some bills that are due this week - that's sobering enough for a Monday.

And I might even have something figured out for dinner tonight - but I don't want to get too ahead of myself!!

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Blessings today include: catching up on blog posts from June 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, July 1, 2, 3, 4, 21; Amazon subscription delivery; Princess weekend planning

Race Day - For Some, Anyway ...

Today was the Donna 26.2 (or 13.1), of which I did neither. It was fully covered on one of the local stations, so I watched some of it. I kinda wished I was in the middle of it, but also knew that it just didn't work out this year. Hopefully next year will be better (and Southwest will return their later afternoon flight).

Anyhow, after packing up our stuff and loading the car, Steve and I decided to go have some breakfast. The actual start of the race is very close to our hotel, but by the time we headed out, everyone was pretty much gone. Of course, our first thought was going to Metro Diner for breakfast. But as we drove up, we noticed many people waiting outside. So we decided to breakfast elsewhere. And after a looky-look on the internet, we discovered that on the weekends, Barbara Jean's (where we had dinner with Kitty) serves breakfast.

We pulled up and saw that while there were several cars in the parking lot, there wasn't a line, so we went inside. Today we decided to eat outside (Barbara Jean's is situated on a causeway) on the deck. It was a little cool, but not too cool to sit outside. We even got to see a couple of boats putter past. We studied the menu and I got the giant biscuit filled with egg and shrimp sausage (a first for me) with cheese grits and Steve ordered eggs with pot roast hash. To say the least, it was delicious. We then were entertained by the foursome that came and sat at the table next to us. An adult couple about our age, their son, and his girlfriend/fiance/wife. The dad wanted to order from the lunch menu, and when the server said that was not going to happen, he seemed to think that he could order it anyway. He was not allowed to. They hem-hawed over their order until I thought their server was going to toss all four of them in the water, but they finally chose their food. And then talked about buying a boat.

We left them with that discussion and headed to the airport. Our flight arrived, we boarded, and soon were home again. It was a great trip. We ate a lot of good food, had a couple of good races, and Steve played some good golf. But it's still nice to be back home!

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Blessings today include: watching the race on the television; breakfast at Barbara Jean's and the finicky foursome; safe, smooth flight home

Back On The Road - Sorta Kinda ...

Today was the day for the Donna 10K and 5K. Since my training has been nonexistent to say the least, I was still a bit apprehensive. But I knew I had to at least try, and so I did. And somehow gotterdun.

The 10K started at 8:00am. Steve hadn't entered it, so we drove downtown and he waited for me to finish. While my time wasn't stellar (is it ever?), I did manage to finish. My knees? Well, let's just say they made it through. By the time I finished, there were about 15 minutes until the 5K started - just enough time for my knees and legs to stiffen up, which led to an even less stellar 5K. But I managed to finish it, too. Steve meanwhile, was registered and finished the 5K, way ahead of me. By the end of the 5K, the temp was in the 70s - a bit warm for me and pretty much wiped me out. As soon as we got back to the hotel, I pretty much dove into bed under the covers. Steve took a quick shower and headed out for golf.

A couple hours later, after a recovery nap and a nice shower and some chocolate milk and Girl Scout Thin Mints, I had recovered enough to head out for some lunch. And yes, it was Metro Diner. Mainly because it was a "quick walk" (maybe for other people, not so much for me) from the hotel. Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting at the table, awaiting my Gram D's Big Fish Sandwich (okay, so it wasn't Uncle Ed's - I knew it was some family member). It was delightful and just right for the day. A leisurely 15 minute amble back returned me to my current favorite place, la bed.

One interesting thing happened at lunch. When the waitress brought the bill, I added a tip to it. As I was getting ready to go, the thought occurred to me that I had overtipped - big time. I looked at the completed bill, and yes I had overtipped. How much? Let's just say more than 20%. I generally am a generous tipper, but even this was over the top. So why did I do it? Even I can do simple math. I thought about it on the walk back (yes, I left the tip as it was) and here's what I know. I wrote down the tip that was in my head. And I truly believe that was the tip that God wanted that person to have. I don't know why - I just know that it was meant to be. Sometimes God uses us to show His love to others. And those times are truly the best times!

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Today's blessings include: finishing the 10K and 5K and all the nice folks along the route: having a nice bed to collapse into after a warm, exerting morning; Girl Scout thin mints; Gram's sandwich at the Metro Diner; texting with family and friends; gifts that finally got delivered

Metro Diner - Take Two

First, let's attend to business. Yes, I am on a roll - day two of blogging. Let's hope it keeps pace. Which, if it's on par with my race pace, does not bode well.  Oh well, whatevs. Anyhow, I am still hoping to catch up. And just so you know (and have realized for the last nine months), that makes a total of 220 missing blog posts. I know exactly how many, because I went back and made a list. And while I do like my lists, this one is a doozy (and is actually two pages long).  Anyhow, I did manage to catch up on a few - from last May. They are mostly photos (as many of the catch-ups will be), and the blessings I list will not be representative of that actual day, but I'm trying.

So, let's get on with today. Steve left early for some golf, He got back around 11:00, so we had time for some lunch before his business call. And since Metro Diner was just down the street, we went there again. And therein I made my mistake. Not the going there, but the wrong choice of food, which was the Charleston Shrimp and Grits. I've had it several times before and enjoyed it.

I kept thinking about Uncle Ed's Fish Sandwich. But it wasn't highlighted in green as one of "the specials," and so I went with the pressure (from myself) and instead went with the shrimp and grits. Was it good? Yes, but not as good as I wanted, mainly because I didn't choose what I really wanted.

And therein lies one of my food issues - choosing what I think I should choose instead of what I want. Lesson learned. I hope.

After lunch and Steve's business call, we went down to the race expo to pick up our race stuff. Since I am not going to do the half marathon on Sunday, I decided to ask to see if I could do the "virtual" half marathon and still be counted as a streaker (that means I have done every race every year since the first one). The lady at the runner relations said the virtual race (that means you can do the half marathon on your own whenever and wherever in the next month and report back to them your info) would open again on Monday, and I could enter it, do it, and my streaker streak would remain intact. Yay!!

By now, it was time for an afternoon nap while Steve went to Stein Mart to see Kitty and purchase some stuff. He got back in time for his nap, waking just in time for us to pick up Kitty and head for dinner.

Which was NOT at Metro Diner!! (It was at Barbara Jean's and I had fried shrimp, which was just fine, thank you!!).

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Today's blessings include: sleeping in; catching up on blog posts May 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30; lunch at Metro Diner; picking up race stuff and hearing the virtual news; texting with family; dinner with Kitty 

Moving On ...

As in, moving on past the obvious. Or rather the obvious lack of ...

Anyhoo, today Steve and I are headed to Jacksonville for the annual 26.2 With Donna Breast Cancer Marathon. And no, as usual, I am not doing the marathon. I registered for the 5K, 10K, and half marathon. And to be clear, I haven't done a half marathon since last April. And in case, you haven't been in the loop, a series of knee issues have been causing a lot of problems.

In January, I did the 5K at Disney and opted out of the 10K (which you would know, had I blogged about it). I had already decided not to do that half marathon, which ended up being cancelled anyway (and if I ever catch up, I shall tell you about that). I did manage to hobble through the Castaway Cay 5K. And since then, I have only been doing a little of this and that.

Which brings us to this weekend. My knees have been doing some better. Still not 100%, but I am hopeful that things are on the upswing. I thought if there was a weekend to get back on the half-marathon wagon, this would be it. Why? Because at this race, the half marathoners have the same amount of time as the marathoners to finish the course. Which means I could do a 30-minute mile. Which sounded doable.

Until I looked at our flight home and though otherwise. Southwest offers only one nonstop back to Nashville from Jacksonville, which is at 1:50pm. The race starts at 7:30am. I asked Steve what time we would need to leave for the airport (keep in mind Steve is a "get there early" type flyer), and he said around noonish. Which, when I did the math, would mean I needed to do a regular (which is still slow as molasses) half-marathon time for me in order to get back to the hotel and get ready to head out the door by noonish. So in other words, the half is out for me. We will still do the 5K and 10K (hopefully) on Saturday.

So anyway, after a quick and safe flight from Nashville, we arrived in Jacksonville around 12:30pm, grabbed the bags (including Steve's golf bag) and headed for the hotel. We decided to stop for lunch before checking in and before Steve headed out for golf. When we come here, we always like to eat at Metro Diner. We usually go to the one closer to downtown, but this time we decided to try the one close (as in within walking distance) from the hotel. I usually get the Charleston Shrimp and Grits. This time while looking on the menu, I saw this - The Vortex Burger. I saw no photo, but was intrigued by the description:

Half pound of Angus beef burger topped with lettuce slaw (shredded lettuce, chopped pickle and mayo) in between two grilled cheese sandwiches stuffed with American cheese, ripe tomatoes and our own cherrywood smoked bacon. Served with your favorite side.

Needless to say, I HAD to try it. And so I did. I made a pretty good dent in it, impossible to consume it all. And it was delicious! Once we had checked into our room and Steve left for golf, I promptly went into a Vortex-induced nap. Perfect!

And so here we are in Jacksonville. Steve has several tee times, we'll see Kitty (Steve's sister), pick up our race stuff at the expo, and wog a couple of races on Saturday.

And maybe have time for some shrimp and grits after all ...

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Today's blessings include: packing my stuff; safe flight to Jacksonville (although no beverage service due to a slightly lumpy ride); nice rental car; vortex lunch at Metro Diner; seeing Kitty at Stein Mart; dinner at Chic Fil A; solid night's sleep