H is for...

Hat Trick?

Here I am, about to cross the finish line at the Sun Run for the third year in a row. We started about half an hour after that clock in the background started. It was all walking this year, due to a sore hip, but I had good fun with my friend, who took this picture. We stopped for photos all along the way - here I am in the middle of the Burrard Street Bridge.

This is my favourite part of the run. This is normally a busy route in an out of downtown, and you wouldn't dream of walking up the middle of it. They close it completely for the run (the Cambie Street Bridge, just before the finish line, is still open for traffic in one direction, so it's not as fun). Plus, the view from this bridge is beautiful - out over English Bay.

When we stopped to take this photo, we could feel the bridge shaking under all the walking and running footsteps making their way over. It was quite an exciting feeling.

I finished 42,272nd, out of about 44,600 who finished. But as 59,179 signed up for the race, that means there were nearly 15,000 more who either didn't start or didn't finish. Which makes me quite pleased to have accomplished both three times.

G is for...

Golden Ears

These are recycled photos, in the spirit of just jumping back in. Golden Ears is my mountain. I can see it from almost everywhere in the town where I live. I can see it from the upstairs windows in my house. I like to watch the sun rise and set, reflected on my mountain. I especially love it when it's clear and sunny, capped in snow, as above.

But I also love it when it's rising out of the fog, grey and mysterious.

I used to joke that the mountains are nice, but they block the view. They still block the view of the sky most of the time, but I don't seem to mind.

We occasionally camp on (or nearer to) the side of the mountain, and it's a lovely park. I've never quite figured out how to see my mountain when I'm there, though. I'd much rather have it off in the distance, decorating my view.

C is for...

Catching up? Well, actually, as I should be up to H, and I know if I try to catch up I'll just keep procrastinating, I've decided to take Flylady's advice, and just jump in where I am. Well, almost. I had something in mind for G, so I'll just step back a couple of days.

This is the funniest thing I've seen all week

Seriously.

B is for...

Balance.

Balance between work and family, kids and husband, personal life and family life, are all things I struggle with these days. The main struggle for me is work and family. I spent a long time at home with my kids, and entered the work force late. Now that I have it, I love my work very much; people tell me I'm "one of the lucky ones" to really enjoy my job. But it's the kind of job that can take up as much time as you're willing to give it. Even when I leave it at the office, I'm often mulling something over in the back of my mind. I have dreamt about client issues and often wake up on the weekends thinking about things I need to do at work. So it definitely takes some effort to balance this job with my personal and family lives.

We're entering our busy season now, and for the third year in a row I'm taking the InTraining clinic for the Vancouver Sun Run. This is a big part of staying balanced for me during busy season, and I think it's one of the ways I get through these few months without a mental breakdown. The clinic sessions take place Sunday mornings, but I need to do two runs during the week in order to keep up with the program and progress to the final 10K run in April. That means I have to really be committed to getting those two runs in, and make sure that I take time out for them.

Another big reason this clinic helps me get through busy season is my friends. During my first clinic I was introduced to a handful of women who were meeting twice a week to do those runs, and I was invited to join them. Now for the first time in a long time, I have good girl friends. We have a book club, we drink wine, go to movies, and are planning a spa weekend away. It's so nice to have friends that are just generally there to support each other. This is a big help in keeping me balanced.

And of course my family is always there for me. I have a very supportive husband, who recognizes that I love my job and that it has its very busy periods, and who chauffers the kids in the evenings, starts supper on weeknights, and does the laundry on weekends. Without him I couldn't make those thrice-weekly runs, or get together with the girls on weekends. The balance wouldn't exist without that support underneath.

Balance is something I think about a lot during this time of year, and I hope that I'm achieving it in some measure. There are plenty of people at my office who are just killing time until they get their letters before moving on. But I still want to stick with it. So I think I must be doing something right.

How smart are you?

Am-I-Dumb.com - Intelligence Test

A is for...

Amy

My lovely older daughter. As you can see she is a very charming girl. Amy is a born performer, loves to create and talk and play. She's smarter than she thinks she is and can be very passionate about certain things - like becoming a vet. She's a lovely dancer. This photo is from a football game we went to this fall. (The mustache was for prostate cancer awareness.)

I think she's amazing, artistic, and absolutely fabulous.