Woa! Minnesota by storm!

Oh - my word.

I honestly CAN'T remember the last time it's been this long between blog posts. Seriously. But then again, that's life - and we all live it from one time to another. And not that I'm 'whooping' it up with the best of 'em....but I did squeak out a quick trip to St. Paul to visit the folks and attend a Suzuki Music Seminar.

But I digress....

A few things of note this past week:

*Midwest Humidity. Yes, it does amazing things for the skin, but oh man...running or (even walking - ahem) can get HOT. I stopped for water at Black Bear Crossings on Como Lake, and I think the manager was slightly concerned when he saw my sweaty state. Suddenly the May Grey/June Gloom along the coast doesn't seem so bad.

*Sleeping with the windows open and waking to the sound of chirping birds. Awesome - I LOVE it. In California - while we could sleep with our windows open - for security purposes we choose not to. I thought our noise machine did a good job of capturing "Northern Loons". I was wrong.
*Running outside and NOT being fearful of being eaten by mountain lions. Yes, people make fun of me and yes, I think I have a (slightly) irrational fear of being consumed while training. Still - the "scariest" animal I saw was a snapping turtle. And even then, I gave him/her a lift across the road.
And on that note....

*Swimming open water with friends and NOT BEING FEARFUL OF BEING EATEN BY A SHARK. Last Wednesday morning I rediscovered how much I love open water swimming. And boy - let me tell you: it's helpful when you're convinced that every stroke won't be your last.Thanks Steve for the photo!!

And while we're on the swimming theme....

*Swimming at the Y with Julia and co. on Friday morning. Initially I was HAPPY that I wasn't tagging along for the 10 X 100 descend, followed by a dessert of 1000 time trial. Ugh. For some reason, I didn't think it right that my 5th swim since pneumonia should entail such torture. But then during the third set of a 400 IM, suddenly that 1000 TT didn't look so bad. Never has it been more true - that my butterfly was a butterflop.
*Spending time with old friends, new friends, neighbors, more neighbors - and yet feeling sad because there were MORE people that I wanted to see/meet up with...but just didn't have the time.

*Waking up to the sun streaming through the windows, rather than to an alarm. (And yes, it was still stupidly early. Coming from the West Coast, 5:20 am when I left for my Thursday run was, um...stupid). But I didn't have any other time I could actually do the darned thing - and in the end, I loved it.
*Chocolate Vitamin Chews. One word: yum!

*St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concert (featuring Joshua Bell). I was so excited I took a picture before they even walked on stage. Brilliant performance and lots of fun!
*Sushi with Mom. Again: Yum!
*My favorite new shirt that reads: Minnesota is the new California. I was out having lunch with a girlfriend whose husband flies with Nathaniel - and she happened to be up here at the same time. Anyway...she spotted the shirt first, but we just HAD to each get one. Yes, it's a little dorky that we nearly match each other...and the sales associates laughed when we posed in the store with our finds. But there you go... two Minnesota girls who live in California.
*A friend to keep me company while I'm away from Nathaniel. Apparently there's a new sheriff in town.
*Coffee and breakfast with Julia post-swim. Dude: I earned it. 4100 yards later (half of which was IM) and I was ravenous. Had there been a House Monster within close proximity, even it would not have been safe. But seriously - one of the things I really look forward to whenever I visit home, is seeing Julia. Thanks for the great times my friend!
*When Nathaniel DID call - this is how we communicated. Yes, his flight schedule was weird (flying nights + 2 hour West Coast time difference will most definitely mess up your spouse's sleep schedule...). Honestly, though - I didn't mind the 2 am wake-up call. (And yes, I was trying to Facebook chat, skype, and work the cell phone at the same time. You would too...it was either VERY late or VERY early. Take your pick...)
Downtown St. Paul at night, post SPCO and Joshua Bell Concert... magic, if I do say so myself...
Sunday I'm headed back to San Diego - to the girls and Nathaniel...but for this last night, I'll enjoy sushi with my folks, wine on the backyard patio, and great conversations all around.