Doheny Blues Festival 2013...

I look forward to the Doheny Blues Festival every year.  Dad and I have been going now for 7 years.  We have different folks joining us or not joining us each year but Dad and I are the stalwarts.  I would never be able to afford to go, but Dad always treats.  He spoils his little girl!

This year I was a little worried because he threw his back out a few weeks ago.  He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it.  I was crushed.  It just wouldn't be the same without him there.  Thankfully he was able to make it, a little gingerly, but able.  He would have to pretty much be bed bound to not come to this festival that we love so much.

So, this year we went on Sat and T joined us for the VIP experience.  We got there at our usual early time to park our chairs in the growing line before the doors open.  Even though we have VIP and are let in a bit before the GA, there is still another level ahead of us and you have to grab your spot in the VIP section as well.  So we parked it, visited with our neighbors, people watched, drank our coffee and chilled.

Since Dad was down in the back and I would be carrying all of his stuff, we assigned T the job of getting in and getting our spot.  We had a bit of a scare at 1st because Dad realized he couldn't sit in his chair.  When he got up I thought we were going to be going back home he was in so much pain.  He tried out my chair and it worked better.  So we traded.  FYI - his chair is weird and uncomfortable.  Time to re-invest.   I digress...T did a great job getting our spot.  Here was our view:

Once we got settled we got our one shot of the 3 of us.  I love it!

Sunblock applied, our spot set up, we had about an hour to kill before the 1st band - so we headed out for grub.  Dad and I got some yummy burgers and T got herself a sandwich.  Dad decided not to drink this year since he was going to be taking some pain meds so T grabbed herself a beer and I hit the Wine Lounge.  One of the other things I like about this festival is they have wine.  It's decent wine too!  The drawback is the glass is like shot size it seems and is way overpriced, but still.  Wine.

Then on our way back to our spot we of course got our Doheny Blues staple:

1st up on the mainstage was Lynwood Slim and Friends.  He hails from California and when he picked up a harmonica in his teens he found his calling.  A Blues man was born.  He had a voice like Elvis and put on a great set.  The brass section in his band was great and of course my favorite - the stand up bass was awesome.  He even whipped out a flute at one point!



Also check out the sea of chairs!  I love the way it looks out here for Blues on the Beach!!



Now usually we wander over to the 2nd stage and check out parts of the other bands, but this year no one really caught our fancy so in between sets we found ourselves checking out the vendors, eating, etc.  T and I between here and there found a great little vendor called TeaTime.  The gals were giving out samples of these drinks.  They were glass bottles of water that when you twist the top, the tea shoots out into the bottle.  That way your tea is always fresh.  They had Pomegranate/Acai, Citrus/Mint and Peach/Ginger.  They were so good!!!  She gave us free chapstick and said if we buy a bottle at the beverage stand we get a free tank.  Um, hello?  You know what a nerd I am for free shit - so bam - I have a Tea Time tank.

Next up on the stage was Jimmie Vaughan and the Tilt a Whirl Band with Lou Ann Barton.  He's got a huge amount of album variety.  The bio even mentions that he doesn't believe in too much of a good thing! They were fantastic.  A mix of blues and swing and rock and roll.  He also had an amazing brass section.  My favorite was the trombone player.  You don't see many trombone solos out there and this guy was incredible!!!  Lou Ann came out to sing a few songs and although she was a woman of no expression, her voice was a perfect grumbly low bluesy voice.  She was terrific.  There were a whole mess of musicians up there and they put on a great set!

At this point I think we went for round 2 of food.  I got me some Pad Thai this time!  It was actually pretty good!  More wine of course as well!  Now was our 2 favorites coming up and we headed back with anticipation.  The Tedeschi Trucks Band is phenomenal.  Susan Tedeschi has a voice that sounds like Janis Joplin, Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt made a love child.  When she talks she has this adorable little girl voice but when she sings - Holy Shit.  She's brilliant.  She also shreds on the guitar!  That's right folks - a chick who shreds on the guitar!  Derek Trucks is a guitar god.  He plays that thing like it's an extension of his body.  Well - these two were amazing as solo artists but a few years back they married and formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band.  That's right.  Two ridiculously talented people merged and made one big ass brilliant band.  And they did not disappoint.  I didn't take many pictures of the last two sets because I was so enthralled by the performances.  The Tedeschi Trucks has a huge band - I think there was about 11 of them and they all got their moment.  The stand out for me (aside from Derek and Susan of course) was this guy that shredded on the flute.  That's right - Shredded ON A FLUTE! Not only that - the dude skatted at the same time!!!!  It was absolutely amazing to watch.  They had a longer set since they were one of the bigger artists and it wasn't enough time.  I wish I could have watched them for another hour.  Just brilliant.

Now over on the 2nd stage I heard a bit of Mark Hummel's Blue Harp Blowout and they sounded pretty incredible.  I do regret not getting over there to see their set, but I have the name in mind and plan to keep and eye out for them.  We got some more food, this time I got myself a chicken/mozzarella/basil/tomato crepe.  YUM!!!  More wine of course and we hung out for awhile. 

Some more pics for your viewing pleasure:

We took one last wander around, dad bought me a tye dye dress!  Squeeall!  We bundled up for the night shift and anxiously awaited the headliner.  Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper.  Now - I have seen Ben Harper live before.  I saw him perform at Coachella.  He was amazing.  I am familiar with Charlie Musselwhite but have never seen him live, I just know he kills it on the harmonica.  When I heard that these two got together and made an album I about died.  My dad wasn't familiar with either but did some research before we went and was quite excited to see them perform.  T is a HUGE Ben Harper fan so needless to say we were all on the edge of our seats.  One thing I will say that I was disappointed in was the amount of people that left before they went on.  I know probably not as many are familiar with Ben Harper, but they sure missed out.  I felt bad for the performers but it certainly made for a more intimate performance for us.  They began.  Oh. My. God.  I don't think I can ever put into worlds the brilliance of this performance.  Ben Harper played I don't know how many different guitars throughout the set including a slide guitar and his voice.  Oh his voice.  And Charlie!!!  Charlie Musselwhite is seriously the best harmonica player in the world!  I could not get over how he made that instrument sound.  Their performance was beyond brilliant.  My dad said it perfectly at after their first couple of songs - "If you look up Blues in the dictionary you will see this show".  They were just phenomenal.  You felt every note that came off that stage.  It was if they were singing directly to each and every one of us and stroking our soul with sound.  The encore set was as good if not better than the main set.  The last song actually brought me to tears because the way Charlie played that harmonica and the way Ben felt every note that came out of his mouth.  My God.  It was epic.  I could have listened to them all night. 

As always this festival did not disappoint.  Every year it seems to surpass my expectations.  The Blues is not dead my friends.  It is alive and well. 

People ask me all the time what my favorite music is, knowing what a big music fan I am, and I always answer with - "I don't really have a favorite, I just like good music" but I have to say, I've been misleading because Blues is my favorite.  There is just something about the Blues.  I only have a couple of friends that I know truly love the blues and of course my dad and I'm always surprised more people don't listen to it more.  I don't know how to explain it but Blues just gets in you.  Gets in your soul and swirls around a bit.  You feel them. Taste them.  Know them.  The world is a better place with music that is for damn sure.

Thank you to my dad for raising me with such an appreciation for music and for always spoiling me rotten on one of my favorite days every year.  I love you!





 









ROC Race 2013...

A year or so ago, a handful of us signed up for our favorite race - The Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge otherwise known as ROC Race.  They didn't have one the year before and Del Mar was the only SoCal event for 2013 - it was super cheap that early to sign up so we did.  Low and behold a week before we raced they announced a race in Irvine.  Oh well.

Our team was Team Riley.  A friend of my brother's was going to race with us and asked if we could do a team in her honor.  This little Riley is his niece who is only a bit over a year old and has a very severe case of meningitis.  She has spent most of her little life in the hospital.  They thought it would be neat to have a team in her honor.  They are UCI fans - hence the colors.  D plans on blowing up a big team picture and giving them a framed copy.  Hopefully we can bring a bit of light their way.

This friend ended up having to back out, but our other buddy Art joined up.  D, Holly, Court and her friend Jennifer, my brother and I rounded out the team.  I was so excited to actually do a race with Shane since we had never actually done one together yet.  Hero Rush was going to be our 1st, but my medical mishap last year kept me out of that one.  D decided it would be a good idea for us to all share a hotel down there since it was a bit of a drive, so 5 of us crashed together.  It ended up being a nice little adventure.  We had some drinks in the bar the night before, caught up on each other’s lives, chatted and laughed then walked across the street the next morning to race.  Could not have been more convenient.
When we got to the race we wandered around and took some photos.  Here is a great one of our team pre-race:

Race began.  They do waves in hour segments, but only release about 75 or so peeps at a time as to help with the back up at obstacles.  They have an MC who had the whole "Dick in a Box" theme going on and it was fun seeing all the different costumes.  Off we finally went through the starting gate where the horses usually go - kinda cool.

Art and Jennifer pretty much took off since they are strong runners, D and Holly were at a slow jog and Court was going back and forth between the girls and Shane and I.  Shane had an injury, so about a mile of nagging him to stop hurting himself worse and just hang out with his sister he finally gave in.  I walked too fast for him actually, so I slowed my walk and we did a very chill pace.  The sibling rivalry came in at one point which I'll get to, but all in good fun!  I was just stoked to be pacing with my bro.

1st obstacle was Tunnel Vision.  Basically a big pipe you crawl uphill through.  It had purple carpet. 
2nd was one of my favorites - 40 bounces to freedom.  These were giant platforms that you jumped off of onto trampolines.  You bounced across then tried to jump up onto the next platform.  They had about 4 of these.  SO AWESOME!  Most people didn't quite make it when they jumped and either ended up crawling up or having a volunteer help them up.  Not yours truly.  I was having so much fun I landed on every platform like a ninja!  With, of course, was followed with a battle cry.  You then slid down a firemen pole at the end.

3rd obstacle - Mt. ROCmore.  Basically a muddy hill that you used rope to climb up.  I killed it.
4th obstacle was Concrete Standores.  About 10 or so concrete walls you hopped or crawled over.  This is where the rivalry began.  So as we approached I turned to Shane and said "Watch your sister kick ass!"  I was so excited for Shane to actually see me kill it on something because I swear he thinks I’m full of it, so while most of the people were crawling over I started hopping over at a good speed.  All of a sudden here comes Shane doing the same thing trying to pass me.  It turned into a race and we finished at the same time.  Court was dying laughing at the spectacle we made but it was so fun!
5th obstacle was Up and Over - a big wood wall you had to scale.  Shane and I tackled it in a race and he flew over.  I was one my way but kicked the poor volunteer in the face and felt so bad I didn't quite make it.  He was fine, but I felt like a dork.
6th obstacle was Cool Runnings.  Basically a ride at a water park.  You grabbed an inner tube, ran up a hill then slid down.  D got a few shots on her Go Pro after shouting at us all to go down at the same time.  So fun!
Here I am in the middle coming down:

And then here I am crashing to the side:



7th obstacle was Eye of the Tiger - running over mud hills - lame.
8th obstacle was Aqua Drag - another water one.  You ran full speed at this giant blow up slip & slide thing and a volunteer was there with a hose.  Chick got me right in the face.  I heard her laughing as I sailed past her.  Super fun but Shane and I realized that sunglasses are a bitch in a race with water.
9th obstacle - Belly Flop.  This was a huge inflatable slide (not the giant one) that you were supposed to leap off belly first.  We hit it with gusto but it was dirty/sandy and it wasn't wet.  Let's just say I got a nice set of scratches all down my body.  Not cool.
10th obstacle - Tarzan Swing.  This was just what you think - swing across on a rope.  Fun times but I had a horrible grip and slid down the rope.  Hung tight though!
11th obstacle - Gorilla Bars.  Here is my chance to prove myself again.  Last time I did this race I was only one in our group to make it across.  I saw D drop, then Holly drop, then Court.  Shane and I hit it and both sailed across.  I was so excited I was jumping up and down and shouting with joy that I forgot to high five the giant dude in a Gorilla suit standing on the end.  Probably missed a nice photo op.  Damn.  Art, Jennifer, Shane and I were the ones that made it across.
12 obstacle - Tightrope Traverse - You schooch across a rope and have a rope above you to hold.  Like a tightrope but you have something to hold onto.  Nailed it.
13 obstacle - Tire Mile.  This is where Jami got hurt.  There seemed to be way more tires than I've ever seen and Shane and I hit them in full competition mode.  As he passed me I tried to compensate and my knee said "Oh HELL NO".  The familiar sharp pain shot up my body and I felt the knee go.  I went down.  One of the volunteers was running to me, but I got up and kept going nodding that I was ok.  I went down again just as Shane finished, turned around to rub it in that he beat me and saw me getting up in pain.  "I'm fine" I said.  But I knew that was it.  I'm used to it so it was all good, but all my weight is now on my left leg.  I tried to hide the pain in my face as I felt my knee swelling up in my brace but the crew knew I screwed it up.  Ah well. 
14th obstacle was the World’s Largest Moon Bounce.  I was heartbroken I couldn't go leaping across as originally planned but that didn't stop me from hopping across with my good leg!  I actually beat Shane!  Apparently he did a Superman dive behind me that had D in stiches.  Damn - another photo op missed!
15th obstacle was the Wrecking Ball.  Art and Jennifer had waited for us because there was a backup now at this obstacle and the last one so they figured why not wait and we all finish together.  Super cool.  Now - the Wrecking Ball.  Barely anyone made it across this one.  There were barrel like things hooked together that you ran across and 2 giant red balls swinging at you at the same time.  If you fall you fall in water.  Very WipeOut-esk.  The balls don't hurt but they look scary.  I didn't see anyone make it across and I found out later that only like 10% of people actually made it.  I was determined to be the girl that makes it!  As I started to dart across I had a burst of confidence "I'm actually going to ..." SPLASH.  Nope.  D and I actually went down at the same time.  I found out from the others everyone had that initial moment of "I might actually make it" but alas no.  The barrels moved, were wet and muddy - I don't know how the hell anyone could make it.  But super fun nonetheless.  Below is the professional pic I bought.  It looks like I may make it!





The last obstacle was the World’s Largest Inflatable Slide.  This thing was huge.  I want to say it was about 2 stories high.  2 people went at a time and Shane and I decided to do it together so maybe we could blow up the pic for our folks.  It took me a while to find but I found it and bought it.  I love love love this picture!

The finish line is at the end of the slide so we all cheered and shrieked and high fived.  Here is our finished shot:

We got our bags, hit the changing tent and got our beers:

After that we wandered around getting our free tchotchkes where we could, getting some food and checking out the vendors.  We took an awesome shot in front of the ROC sign and of course Shane and I shot our usual self portrait sib shot.  There was also an awesome painted up fire truck in front of the Foam party we forgot to do...



I also want to mention that the volunteers for this race were RAD.  They were constantly cheering you on, messing with you, helping you, and just having a great time.  It was so very cool!

This race is still my favorite.  It's not a race for runners, it's a race for people who just want to act like kids again.  This race actually has a majority of non-runners and it's so fun to see all the types of folks and all the different costumes.  We had a blast as always and it looks like a friend surprised me by paying my way in July for the one here.  SO - I'll be doing this again in two months!  HA HA!! 

Love it.

21 Day Meditation Challenge...

Look at me!
3 blogs pretty close together eh?

I have been meaning to write about this but as with anyone, life happens.

A few weeks ago - pretty much the Month of March - I did the Oprah/Deepak Chopra 21 Day Meditation Challenge.  I had seen a couple of my friends share the link on FB and when I looked into it, it sounded pretty cool.  It was free and I'm always looking to improve my body, mind and soul.  I also have more time on my hands so I figured - why not!

I did quite well too.  I only missed maybe 2 nights, but actually made them up at different times.  What it basically was, was you signed into your account and Oprah yapped for a minute then Deepak Chopra comes on.  He then talks about whatever subject is that day.  These ranged from diet to exercise to soul searching to kindness to all sorts of things.  There would be the phrase of the day, the yogi/meditation and then what the meditation means or symbolizes.  I wrote them all down each day, so I do have record of them.  Then Deepak would begin a guided meditation with you with trippy yogi music playing in the background.  He would then talk briefly, getting you "centered" then leave you be with the music and your own meditation.  A soft gong would ring about 10 minutes later, he spoke for a few more seconds then you were done.  Afterwards there was a little daily journal you could fill out.  I missed the deadline to print this out, but I don't recall writing anything too deep.

I really found myself enjoying these.  There were nights I didn't want to do it, but more often than not I would happily dive in.  I always did mine at night before bed.  I would have my face washed, PJ's on and ready to crash. I would  then pop on my laptop, throw a hankerchief over it to dull the glow and curl up on the couch in the best criss-cross position I could muster with my screwy hip and angry knee. 

I am not a good meditator.  I'm sure you all find this shocking.  My mind wanders a mile a minute and having 2 cats doesn't help.  (One night Tweaks leaped up on my shoulder scaring the shit out of me and giving me a mild heartattack.  Needless to say my meditation was shot that night).  I also found I always seemed to try this when Disneyland was shooting off it's fireworks.  My new place - LOUD.

But - I did my best.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a few nights where I actually got into a pretty decent calm.  Those were the nights that the meditation actually seemed too short.  It was like "Damn - I was just getting there!'  This gives me hope though that I may actually be able to pull this off once in awhile.

What did I learn?  Not too much, but I did find I seemed to sleep better at night.  I also have decided I want to try to incorporate meditation into my life on a more regular basis.  I know I won't do it every night, Hell, I haven't even tried once since the challenge ended but I'm going too, tonight, and I'm going to try some different methods.  I have an album on my ipod that a yogi friend of mind loves and it's yoga like music.  So I want to try and just sit in silence with that music and see if I can do this.  I'm not sure it will help but I'm confident it will do something.

I was pleased to hear one of my friends who did it is still doing it.  She said she has found she's calmer and more focused in life.  One of the days had this mantra: My little changes amount to big benefits.  The meditation is Ram, Ram, Ram which was one of my favorites.  That mantra has really stuck with me lately.  I've been keeping up with my metas or affirmations in the shower in the mornings, I'm trying to eat better - no diet - just small changes, I'm keeping active and trying to do things I enjoy, not that I HAVE to do.  Nothing major - all small.  I am noticing little differences.  I want to start noticing big changes and I think I will if I keep trying new things.  I really want to find my balance and live a life of perfect health!

SO - in conclusion - I'm really glad I did it.  I truly do believe if you sit in silence, whether meditating or not, but just chill for a little bit, once a day - you will be happier.

Baseball...

I love sports.

I do.

I used to play them.  I'm still very active.  I'd like to say I'm not that competitive of a person, but that would be a lie.  I will admit I'm not as angry/competitive as I used to be, but I still am quite competitive.  Usually with myself.  This happens when I watch sports as well.  I forget this is the case until I go to a game.

Like last week.

My dear friend Tully had fancy baseball tickets from his company.  He invited a couple that are good friends of his and me.  The gal had to back out last minute so we invited our friend Dave who is an avid Angels fan.  Now, I am a Cubbie fan 1st.  I know.  But it's a hard fact.  I'm an Angels fan 2nd.  I'm not one of those sports fans who watches them on TV all the time.  I keep abreast of my favorite teams and how they are doing, but that's about it.  BUT, I do love a good live sporting event.  So I was so excited to go and have such awesome seats.

We arrived early and when we walked into the Diamond Club I squealed with excitement.  The boys were laughing at me the whole time, but I am never quiet about my excitement.  Our seats were fucking amazing.  I have never had such awesome seats for a ballgame.  I didn't even need my glasses.  Take a look at this:

I was so friggin excited!!!!  So we got to our seats quite early and had a waiter!!!  That's right - a dude actually served us!  I ordered a wine, which was actually good wine, and a giant hot dog (which I promptly regretted later) and of course some peanuts.  I'm mean what's a ballgame without peanuts!  Now, I admit, this is not the way I usually watch baseball.  I actually am annoyed with Angels stadium because there's a waterfall and weird sponsorships everywhere and little girls shooting T-shirts, etc.  My experience at Wrigley Field years ago was a real baseball experience and my favorite to date.  But - it's nice to see how the 1% live once in a while.  So, I savored every second.  Here was our crew:  Me and the boys.  I'd also like to point out the hilarious little photo bombing girl in the back:

The game got underway after many sponsorship plus and I found myself getting super invested.  There were a couple of old guys behind me - an Angels and A's fan, so it was hilarious to listen to the 2 of them all night.  Sadly the Angels played like shit.  I didn't know who the pitcher was but was heartbroken it wasn't the cute one!  Le sigh.  He sucked.  As did the kid that replaced him later.  Harris (don't recall the 1st name) who played shortstop was awful.  He missed so many easy balls that he should have had.  I found myself screaming from my seat and getting quite angry.  Oooooohhhh, that's right - I'm competitive!  The boy were cracking up at me the entire time.  I'm so glad I can still always entertain.  There was also a short fellow who you think would run fast, but no.  Every time he hit, he got out at 1st base.  I turned to David and shouted.  "Why is he running so slowly!!!!!?” 

Anywhoo - this was me the whole game.

Some interesting happenings - a foul ball got hit and came over the net - right at us.  Normally I would try to catch it, but after the whole June incident I found myself diving for cover while everyone around me jumped for the ball.  It bounced off Ed's hand and into the hands of the jackasses next to us who were only there for 2 innings.

Another foul ball ricocheted off the level above us, then off the wall in front and slammed into a poor woman's face.  Blood spurted from her mouth and security came running down.  Poor lady.  She seemed to be ok, and more mortified by the spectacle being made.  I about died when a kid who looked to be about 15 years old showed up with an oxygen tank.  "Just get the poor women some ice!" I shouted.  I watched her sign her life away (I guess that's a big ol deal now a days) and then she was ok.  The funnier thing - the gal who was singing the take me out to the ballgame song ended up standing in front of the poor face women.  Here's the camera guy and the singer and the poor bloodied woman just trying to go unnoticed.  I couldn't help but laugh.  All the crap happening outside the game was way more interesting than the game itself.

The Angels were slaughtered but deserved it.  And I was reminded how much of a sports fan I really am.  I had so much fun and just absolutely love watching a live game, no matter what sport - nothing beats live!!! 





Warrior Dash 2013

3rd year down.
This time the race meant something completely different.


April 6th, 2013.  Here it was again.  The Warrior Dash.  The race that started our kick into signing up for all kinds of random 5K's that have some sort of interesting element to them, usually obstacles.  Our usual crew: Tully, Julie, Court, D and I were in and a newbie this year named Holly.

The girls drove together and Tully and I headed out together.  6:30 Sat morning, Tully arrived at my door and off we went with a rather large mug of coffee.  We flew there with no traffic.  I found that I was a little nervous this time.  Tully assured me that I would kick my usual ass and to remember to take it easy.  I still found that my stomach was a bit jittery than normal.  We arrived way to early and it was way too cold, and we found ourselves milling around the area since the check in had not yet opened. It seemed the Dash crew didn't quite have it together. 

We finally were able to check in, they had my birthday wrong, sent me to information where no one was and I was starting to get a bit annoyed.  Finally a surfer like chick showed up, got it squared away and we were ready to go.  We found the girls and took advantage of the no one around to snap some photos at the Warrior Dash sign.  This proved to be a brilliant idea since after the race the line was never more than at least 30 deep.  Back to our cars to shed our warm clothes, drop off our goodies and get in gear.



We gathered at the starting line, start stretching and prepping Holly and I found myself getting nervous and excited.  An interesting encounter happened when Julie asked who was running with who.  (Tully and Julie are amazing runners and always kill it and meet us after).  D stated her and the other 2 were staying together which put me alone.  I was perfectly fine with this since the race meant a lot more to me than they realized.  The man revved us up and the fire was shot up and off we went.  I did my usual - trot until my knee swells and the pain starts to shoot up my leg.  This works out well since there is always a big group at the start and eventually weens off. I always trot to the right and start my power walk when my knee begins to go.  I've come to terms with the fact that most people will pass me at this point, but funny enough I usually pass them later on.

Once my power walk began, and most people had passed me up, I set in to my usual pace.  The girls passed me up but I met back up with them on the 1st few obstacles.  For awhile we were playing the game of, they pass me on the course, I pass them on the obstacles.  The 1st few obstacles I honestly don't remember, but I do remember the one I lost the girls on.  There were mud hills then you drop into water, then up a mud hill, drop into water, etc.  Four times.  Great.  Water already.  So in I go.  Yet I realize no one is able to climb up the mud hill.  It's like scrambling in one place.  The guy in front of me swished aside and said "You try".  It wasn't happening.  So, we mosied over to the side where you could grab the lip and help yourself over.  Once I figured that out I passed up a bunch of people and onto my pace again.

Here's the thing.  I am not a runner.  Mostly due to my knee injury but even if I didn't have that, I'm no runner.   But - I'm strong.  I will smoke you on the obstacles :)  So, when I popped out of the water and started up my power walk pace again, this is where I started to pass people.  The 3 girls also never caught back up with me.  I was a little surprised but also secretly stoked.  Look at me go!  So - I was now totally alone.  Off I went.  Loving every second.

Next we came to a balance beam like obstacle.  I was surprised to see so many people inching along.  It wasn't that thin.  I hopped on the empty one and sailed across.  Next up was a cargo net thing you walked under.  Now, it was a bit of a bitch by yourself, but a darling little gal and me teamed up and powered right through. 

That was awesome.  Next up was another balance beam like obstacle.  Sailed past everyone.  Now - my moment of triumph was when I approached the rope wall.  It was a big wall with ropes that you had to climb up, then you climbed down the other side.  Using only the rope.  There were about 8 across so I stood down by the 1st one and was surprised to see so many people struggling.  Was it hard? I wondered?  Am I not seeing something?  I thought.  I also noticed a few marine looking guys having issues.  So, I grabbed my rope and up I went like a monkey.  I heard a bunch of people yelling "Look at the pink girl go!!!" (I was wearing a hot pink tank).  I beamed with pride then scaled down the other side.  One of the marine fellows was on the ground and stopped me.  "Do you rock climb?" he asked.  "No" I laughed.  "You are all just a bunch of pussies!"  He roared and his friends laughed.  It was awesome.  And off my little power walk went.  Then it hit me.  The pressure in my head.  I stopped.  Held it.  Rubbed it.  I'm ok.  I'm ok.  But, that was a scary little moment.  Ease up Jami.

Later on they passed me and shouted "Yay!  It's the hard core pink girl!!!"  I felt like a million dollars.  Then I walked what seemed like forever with no obstacles.  I realized I had passed up a bunch of people and they hadn't passed me back up. I found myself chuckling chanting "Slow and steady wins the race!"  Along the course was a random photographer.  So I liked the pic and I bought it.  Yes.  I am a dork.

Then I found myself rounding the bin where the lake is.  I saw the big water slide that I loved last year, but as I got closer realized you walked up it, not slid down it.  Um ok.  That was lame.  I also noticed there were no lake obstacles at all.  WTF?!  Then I saw the fire and the finish line up ahead.  Man.  I was super disappointed this year in the obstacles.  There were barely any and they really weren't all that challenging.  Oh well.  So, I power walked towards the fire.  



Here it comes.  I thought.  My moment.  My jumping over the fire.  My triumph over conquering the hemorrhage.  Of surviving.  I started to get nervous again.  As I approached the fire my body ignited.  I was so excited. So happy.  So grateful to be here.  To be doing this again.  I was beaming when I approached the fire.  I saw the photographers and laughed out loud and shouted out with excitement as I made the leap!

It was amazing.  Then came the mud.  I dove in like usual, ready to power through it, and bam.  Halt.  The mud was thicker than it's ever been.  There was actually a tractor scooping out some of it as we went through it which was random, but it was nuts!  People were panicking, getting stuck, sinking, it was gnarly.  Some people actually had to get pulled out because they were freaking out so much.  The guys in front of me kept stopping and getting stuck which would make me sink.  I started to panic slightly thinking I'm never going to get through this.  I noticed no one was in the middle.  I knew why because there was nothing to grab on to.  Dare I?  I did.  I went into the middle and powered past everyone.  It was a bit scary and really intense, but I did it.  I dragged myself out and literally dragged myself across the finish line.  The picture succession is hilarious. If they weren't so expensive I would have bought them all.  You basically watched me exhausted dragging across the finish, notice the camera, start to look up and finish with the one I did buy:



As the guy medaled me, I shouted "Fucking Mud!!!!"  The guy roared.  Tully and Julie were waiting for me and praising me on how amazing I did.  How they were just chatting and Julie spotted my tank and shrieked "Holy shit there she is!"  Once I caught my breath I looked up at Tully. He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled.  "You did it!".  I started to cry.  Julie embraced me and it was all over.  I tried to hold back the tears but there was no way.  I  felt amazing.  I did it.  I'm back.  And I'm back almost full bore.  The emotions running through me at that moment are indescribable. 

I headed off to the lake to rinse off while Tully and Julie waited for the others.  When I lay down in the water I floated for a moment and smiled up into the universe.  I did it.  Walking out I ran into the girls coming down.  "I'm so proud of you!!!" Court shouted.  The tears started to return.

We all parted back to our cars to change and couldn't stop smiling.  I fucking did it.

We all met back up in the beer garden, laughing, sharing stories and drinking beer.  Well - I drank Gatorade.  Holly did great.  Tully ended up being 1st in his age group and 20th overall.  There were a total of about 5,000 runners.  He was 20th.  Yes.  He is bad ass.  Julie placed 8th in our age group and 48th over all.  Again.  BAD.  ASS.  I actually completed the race in 51 minutes and placed 1,175 over all.  That's right.  Top 20%!!!!!!!!  It was also a bit over 3 miles.  Julie figured it to be closer to 4.  When we found out our times Tully turned to me and said "You're not only back, your killing it darling!"  I couldn't believe it.

It felt so good.  So good to be back here.  Conquering this.  Sharing it with the people I love.  Coming back to this is just amazing.  I've signed up for a bunch more this year, and can't wait for all of them.  Although in general the Warrior Dash this year was a bit of a let down - it doesn't matter.  What it meant to me was I'm back.  I survived and I kicked it's fucking ass.  Grateful doesn't even begin to describe it.

That's right I survived.
Fuck yeah.

Good Friday...

Today is Good Friday.  And it is just that.  Good.



I have the day off and figured why not visit my old friend the BlogSpot.  I realize I haven't been blogging as much as I used to, but I've also figured I've been doing a bunch of other stuff that you readers don't know about. 



Are there readers?

I wonder that sometimes.  Who out there is reading my pointless ramblings on the internet.  I of course know a few, my faithful friends, who seem to like to read my silliness.  My dad used too, but I think my horrific grammar has turned him away.  Sadly I write like I talk.  Punctuation?  Paragraphs?  Unnecessary.  I'm also a horrible speller.  My favorite word I miss spell is forward.  I usually leave out the 1st r.  ALL THE TIME.  Because that's how I say it. Ha!  Anywhoo...I'm rambling.



Notice I'm trying to make more paragraphs?  I went to a grammar workshop the other day and although it was more focused towards business writing, not blogging, I figured I'd try to improve here.  We'll see how long that lasts.  Sorry dad :)



So - an update on what I've been doing and how I've been feeling post hemorrhage.  That's how I like to refer to things now.  Pre hemorrhage and post hemorrhage.  Since I have officially become a cliché and my perspective on life has completely changed, I figure why not?  It's an interesting place this post hemorrhage.  It's happier.  More relaxed.  More grateful.  More open to trying new things.  Oh and by the way - did I mention I'm blogging on my spankin new laptop?  It's a shift (Windows 8, Office 2000 something in the future) but it's mine.  Thank you again daddy! 



Let's start with my fitness.  I haven't stopped.  I love it.  Boxing Burn Mon/Wed/Sat.  Bowling Tuesdays and Zumba Fridays.  I'm usually on a hike or a walk with a friend Sunday mornings and my new pad is a good walk from the Orange Circle and the local Saturday morning Farmers Market.  I love it.  I still have to be careful due to the tumor (more on that later) but I would say I'm pretty much back full speed.  The difference now, though, is I'm not obsessed.  I work out to feel good, not to look good.  Yes - I really do want this damn muffin top to move along, but it's just not the same.  Every work out I do, I think to myself, "I am so lucky and grateful that I am able to do this."  Because I am.  I recovered like a champ.  It really does seem forever ago that I was laid up, and crying, and recovering, and wondering if the pain in my back and head would ever go away, and yearning to be outside in the summertime, and feeling so guilty and embarrassed that friends had to bring me food and come visit me while I was in bed flinching at every move.  That's over.  I've also signed up for 4 races and excited for them all.  Warrior Dash in a week, ROC race in May, Run for your Lives (as a zombie) in Sept and Rugged Maniac in Oct.  I'm not going to lie - I'm a bit nervous for Warrior Dash. This will be my 1st race back, but finishing it will now have a whole new meaning I think.



Next up we have the mind.  I'm doing the Deepak Chopra 21 day meditation challenge.  I'll do a separate blog on that later, but I'm enjoying it.  I also say my "metas" every morning and am trying to bring more acts of kindness into my regular routine.  I've also sparked up an awesome ongoing dialogue with an amazing friend of mine about faith.  More on that later as well.  Still working out how I feel about that one, but I am actually getting somewhere I think.



Lastly - food.  This one is tough.  I consider myself a pretty healthy eater for the most part.  I don't drink soda, don't eat fast food, limit my sweets, etc.  But the lingering muffin top makes me question that there's still something I'm missing.  I've always hated vegetables.  I put kale or spinach in my smoothies to get some sort of green in my diet, but that has always been a toughie.  Well - for some reason, I seem to me more willing to try stuff.  Again - I chalk it up to post hemorrhage.  My friend Cesar, who makes me dinner sometimes, God love him, got me to eat cauliflower.  Now - I'll eat cauliflower if it's cold and I can dip it in ranch or something.  Well, he did something do it that made it like mashed potatoes and it had garlic (love) and onion (love) and it was amazing!!!!  I also have another friend of mine, who is a phenomenal cook and has started a new business with her hubs that makes organic healthy food for you to pick up weekly.  And there's a drop off in Orange!!!!!  So, once I realized how easy it actually was - pick out however many or less meals you want, order online, mail them a check, bam - healthy food available for pick up just down the street.  She even got me to eat brussel sprouts!!!!!!  www.bitemekitchen.com is the place.  I advise you check them out.  Another funny thing, I hate broccoli.  We went to lunch yesterday for a co-workers birthday and there was broccoli in my wok chicken thing I ordered.  Guess what - I ATE IT!  It had enough sauce on it that it was yummy!!!  So - who knows - I may eat my vegetables regularly yet.  My next step is cutting back on my carbs, which is tough because I love me some bread and pasta, but I'm going to try.  But, again, I'm not obsessed.  I love food and I will always enjoy it.  But I seem to be finding healthier ways too do so, which is awesome.



So here we are.  I've had to adjust my life slightly due to the schwanoma.  Little bastard.  I still have random nausea attacks that we THINK is positional, but not sure.  So I try to be careful.  I'm so friggin aware of how I turn my head, stand up, bend over, what I watch on TV shaky wise, ANYTHING that I think may set it off.  So all you folks trying to be more aware of your body - wait till you have something that will knock you on your ass unexpectedly and it's fascinating how aware you become.  I'm not one for meds, but I finally landed at my primary doctor to get something to try when one of these attacks happen.  It's an anti-nausea drug of sorts that hopefully will help curtail when one of these happen.  They don't happen often, so that is the blessing, but I'm hoping I'm more prepared now if one comes.  Next January will be another MRI to see what is next.  But in the meantime I have a new approach now on hand if one of these happens.  Well in my purse anyway.



So there it is in a nutshell.  I'm also journaling a bit a night, treating myself to a pedi now and then, loving my new little pad, soaking up time with loved ones, just enjoying life.  Still waiting for that fabulous man to show up, but he will.  I know it.  I'm still seeing hearts ;)



It's weird when your outlook changes, I move slower, enjoy moments more, get angry less, smile easily and laugh a lot.  I thought my life was already like that before, and it was a bit, I was on a path that was going in that direction, but I've landed there now.  I feel my purpose in life is to make people laugh, to smile and hopefully inspire.  Bizarre ya?  But cool.