Running and Coffee

Speed work Wednesday night.

 

Run with Bruno Thursday before our trip

Saturday morning I wasn't expecting to be home for the long run.  I still didn't make it in time for the group run as I stayed in bed until the dogs made me get up.  But once they had been walked I headed to Green Lakes to do my run solo.  It sucked big time.  I forgot my earbuds so no music or distraction.  It was pretty warm and humid and I had a really hard time motivating myself to keep moving.  I took more extra walk breaks with no one there to see me! :P But I did it. 2 loops around the lakes.

Afterward I treated myself to a cold brew from Serendipity on my way to the grocery store.

I did not run on Sunday but drank way too much coffee instead.  I was in a mood and having a day. I went out shopping in the afternoon to pick up some of the last minute craft supplies for VBS this week. I decided I would reward myself with a trip to Barnes and Noble when I was done.

Once back home I curled up with dogs and my new book when Mikayla facetimed to tell us her news. I was feeling a bit overly emotional after that and ended up going to my sister's for a while.  She made me another iced coffee while I snuggled my littlest nephew and we chatted.

Monday!  The boys were in a hurry for their walk.

It was very warm and humid and the run was BLAH! But we got out there.  Bruno even slowed down before we made it back up our hill.  

On the upside I finally met our neighbor across the street as she was outside trimming her tree.  They moved in last fall sometime, she seems very nice.

The creek is pretty high and fast with all the rain so Bruno was sad I wouldn't let him go in.

I'm a little bummed I'm going to have to miss this week's speed session tomorrow night.  But will attempt the workout myself in the morning.

She engaged!

This weekend Mikayla and Dylan were in Buffalo, visiting friends and to see the show Dear Evan Hansen. While they were there Dylan popped the question and our girl came home engaged!

 

Forked Lake Trip...

Ah, the long weekend.  Did not end up exactly how we planned.  But still good.

Thursday morning we play 9 holes of golf- I'd say 2 parts fun and 1 part frustrating.  I definitely need lots more practice!

We came home and packed up for our camping trip.  We made it to Forked Lake without incident.  Rhett commented once we arrived and got the boat in the water that he had never seen the lake so low.  Therefore we had to be a bit cautious of rocks.  We loaded up the boat and motored out to our campsite, where we discovered there was no dock- so unloading was a bit of a challenge but we did it.

I was feeling very grumbly and hungry and tired by this point. 

Still it was stunningly beautiful.  Once the tent was up we ate some snacks and got the fire started to make chicken for our dinner.

After dinner we went out on the boat for some reading and fishing.

Absolute bliss right here.

We sat at the campfire for a while waiting for the stars to come out before we turned in for the night.

Morning view.

When I got up in the morning Rhett informed me that lots of rain was forecasted for the evening and Saturday.  We decided camping in a monsoon was not worth it and would head home in the afternoon.

But first more boat time. 

So long Forked Lake...

We got home early afternoon and our boys were ecstatic to see us home!

catching up

Saturday was our first long run with the group. I was, of course, very apprehensive since I wasn't really sure what to expect.

The workout was a 90 minute run.  We ended up doing 8 min run/2 min walk. Which was good.  It felt hard, sometimes incredibly hard.  But we did it.  Running with the trainer definitely pushed me to run harder and longer than I would have on my own. I felt pretty good and pretty proud after.

Today's run was just sucky. But I did it I guess. I went to bed in a mood. Woke up in a mood. Running did not help. My legs felt tired and tight. But we put in the minimum 30 minutes.

Yesterday's was okay and we saw this gorgeous gal in the park.  She was super close to us and she and Bruno just kinda stared at each other inquisitively.  She seemed reluctant to move on and watched as we headed down the trail.  I think she was really enjoying whatever she was munching for breakfast and wasn't willing to leave.

Mikayla and Dylan adopted a pup on Saturday.  His name is Murphy and he is very sweet.

 I finished A Man Called Ove on Saturday afternoon.  I ended up loving it, it was a little slow getting into but a really great story. 

Now I am read The Covenant of Water on my Kindle. Oprah's Book Club selection this month, plus its on MMD SRG this year.  Over 700 pages, a great choice for a kindle read since then I don't have to hold a massive hard cover. Thus far I am really enjoying the story.  It begins in India in 1900, when a young girl, 12, marries a widower with a 2 year old son.  

We are going on camping trip this week so I am anticipating sitting by the lake and reading for 4 days! 😍

May Reading

I've fallen behind on my book reviews again. Here we are halfway through June and I'm still trying to scrape together my May recap here.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn    5/2    (print/library)★★★

I wanted to love this book way more than I did.  I heard about it on MMD and then happened to see it on one of our B&N trips and it peaked my interest again.  I did not want to pay for a hardcover and ended up getting it from the library.  It was ok but I thought it would be way funnier and some parts were just crass just for the sake of it which I find annoying.  Its the story of 4 now retired hit ladies who are now marks themselves.  

It just failed to live up to the hype for me.

As Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers    5/4    (audio/hoopla)★★★★

I'm not sure what brought this to my currently reading at this time other than it has been ages since I finished the first two books in the series and wanted closure.  This time I opted for the audio version which I very much enjoyed.  This book tells the story of Atretes, the gladiator we meet in the first book.  He has earned his freedom in the arena and seeks to be reunited with his infant son and return home to Germania.  

Don’t trust in your own strength. None of us is strong in him or herself. It’s the Lord who upholds us.

 

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams    5/4    (Kindle/library)★★★★★

This is one of my favorite books this year so far! Funnily enough I tried to read it back in December and couldn't even get through the first chapter.  This time I devoured it.  The story of two non-readers who strike up an unlikely friendship as they both discover a love for reading. Makesh a widowed seeking to find comfort after his wife's death a year ago and also connect with his bookworm granddaughter. Aleisha is a reluctantly working at the library for the summer when she discovers a book list tucked in the back of a returned book.  She begins recommending the books on the list to Makesh and reading them herself.  This story deals with grief, loss, mental illness, family and suicide. Heartwarming and heartrending by turn.

I hope it can be an escape, a bit of respite, for you too. Sometimes, books just take us away for a little while, and return us to our place with a new perspective.

He didn’t like being there. Because being there reminded him of Naina, of how he was only half a person without her.

It was strange, the idea that this book wasn't just for him, it was for everyone. All these people who had taken it out before him, people who would take it out after him. Every reader, unknowingly connected in some small way.

Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox    5/11    (print/own)★★★★★

This was a reread of this book for book club and I loved it just as much the 2nd time around. A sweeping family story spanning 3 generations. Heart warming, about secrets and the power of letting go, forgiveness and new beginnings.

Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin    5/13    (print/library)

This one has been on my list for a while. I finally read it to preview it for book club this month.  It is so good.  Hard but good.  It starts out with a pretty hard to read chapter but the overall story is worth it.  It involves, child abuse, foster care, death. Finding family, healing. I read this really quickly, couldn't put it down.  

You take the bad with the good, Rise up through it. Live in the mist of it. It's the bad that lets you know ho good the good really is. Don't let the bad leave you thinking like there ain't any good. There is, and lots of it, too.

“You can put your boots in the oven, but that doesn't make them biscuits. - You can say whatever you want about something, but that doesn't change what it is.”

“Scientists say that these things evolved this way over millions of years." He shook his head. "That's a bunch of bunk. I don't think an animal can just all-of-a-sudden decide it wants to make light grow out it's butt. What kind of nonsense is that? Animals don't make light." He pointed to the stars. "God does that. I don't know why or how, but I'm pretty sure it's not chance. It's not some haphazard thing he does in his spare time."

He looked at me, and his expression changed from one of wonder to seriousness, to absolute convicton. "Chase, I don't believe in chance." He held up the jar. "This is not chance, neither are the stars."....."And neither are you. So, if your mind is telling you that God slipped up and might have made one giant mistake when it comes to you, you remember the firefly's butt.”

 Happy Place by Emily Henry 5/20    (print/own)★★★★

A mother's day gift from my girls.  I was eagerly awaiting this book coming out. Emily Henry has become one of my favorite authors.  A lot of this book was torturous wondering if Harriet and Wyn were ever going to get together,  The ending did indeed leave me in a happy place though.  It wasn't at all what I was expecting going in.  About forgiveness and learning to communicate and friends becoming family. Standing up for yourself and what you truly want and need.

I sit on the edge of the bed, feeling the loneliness swell, not knowing whether it's pressing against me from the outside or growing from within. either way, it's inescapable, my oldest companion.

He's become my best friend the way the others did. Bit by bit, sand passing through an hour glass so slowly, it's impossible to pin down the moment it happens. When suddenly, more of my heart belongs to him than doesn't, and I know I'll never get a single grain back.

Things change, but we stretch and grow and make room for one another.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver    5/23    (Kindle/library)

I'm still thinking about this book and also still not sure how I feel about it.  Yet I almost feel like I need to read it again to really get it. It is darker than what I usually read, and a long book. The story deals with life in rural Appalachia. Some of the characters are endearing some are hateful. It follows the life of Damian, nicknamed Demon. His story is hard to read. From poverty, abuse & mistreatment, drugs and death. So many things were heartbreaking to read.  And yet he is so resilient, rising above circumstances, always fighting for a better life.

I told her nobody ever asked me that question before, about growing up and what I wanted to be, so I didn’t know. Mainly, still alive.

 At the time, I thought my life couldn’t get any worse. Here’s some advice: Don’t ever think that.

I put my face to the window so nobody would see, if I tore up. Was this me now, for life? Taking up space where people wished I wasn’t? Once on a time I was something, and then I turned, like sour milk. The dead junkie’s kid. A rotten little piece of American pie that everybody wishes could just be, you know. Removed.

Peace is a Practice by Morgan Harper Nichols    5/25    (Kindle/own)

I purchased this after seeing it on kindle deals, since it was on my TBR list and MMD 2022 Summer Reading Guide.  I previously read All Along You Were Blooming by this author, which I loved and have gifted to a few people.  I didn't agree with everything in this book but very much enjoyed it.  I gleaned a few nuggets here and there.

We don’t have to figure it out all at once to know we are free. Free to approach each day being present with every breath we breathe, every word we speak. We have the opportunity to sow seeds of life and water them daily. We can practice peace.

That seems to be a common thread in these Jesus stories . . . walking around and just being with people first.

I can’t help but notice that we as humans don’t spend much time listening to others’ stories, walking alongside them, and allowing for slow healing.

The Secrets of Adley Creek by Layla Reed    5/26    (Kindle/own)

This was a free Kindle book I acquired awhile back.  When I first started reading it I thought it was a Christian fiction book.  While it was mostly "clean" that was not the case.  It takes place in rural Minnesota in the late 1920's.  A widowed young woman discovers after her husband's death that he was involved in making and selling moonshine illegally.  She has to decide if she will follow in his footsteps to survive herself, as well as her sister in law and young nephew. 

A lot of questionable things happen in this book. But  I did find myself sucked into the story.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown    5/27    (audio/library)★★★★

This was the May selection of Peanut Blossoms Book Club. I started it knowing absolutely nothing about the book.  I was delighted to hear the familiar voice of Julia Whelan, one of my favorites narrators. I ended up loving this book despite many why I am listening to this and what is the point of this story type moments.

"Two wildly different women--one a grifter, the other an heiress--are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page".

It definitely became a case of who is scamming who and is anyone who they really seem?  I became heavily invested in the lives of these two young women, a twisty tale of revenge.

When you're documenting everything you do, you stop living life for yourself and start living it as a performance for others. You're never in the actual moment, just the response to the moment.

Nothing is ever as pure as it seems at first glance; there is always something more complicated to be found when you peel back the unmarred surface of pretty things.

There is no one path in life that is set before you, I’m starting to realize; no one is making your decisions for you.

Total:  10  2023:  40

Kindle/Ebook: 4    Print: 4   Audio: 2

Library: 6   Owned: 4   Borrowed: 0

Unread Shelf: 1     Purchased: 4

Faith-based: 4/10

How I'm doing on my 50 states challenge....slowly making progress- looking for rec's on any states I haven't hit yet, I have added Kansas and Kentucky so far in June.