So many birthdays!

 Friday Ryan came over for dinner and we celebrated his 21st birthday!

Such a weird feeling having kids in their 20s!

Saturday I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to a bookclub meeting.  My friend invited me to this group.  Its mostly on facebook but they are trying to have in person meetings with the local people.

I did not particularly enjoy the book- although it was a page turner for sure! A dark psychological thriller that involved a kidnapped child and blizzard.

My friend Kristina gave us all little goodie bags with Halloween candy, stickers and bookmarks.  It was hard and awkward for me, but I'm happy I went.  It was also in a new to me coffee shop, so that was fun.

I have already finished next month's book- The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟) and loved it! I am looking forward to that book discussion. 😉  Maybe I'll make some notes ahead so I have some talking points. Perhaps someday I'll learn how to talk to people. :P

I went over to my best friends house for their pumpkin carving party.  Even though I did not bring any kids or carve a pumpkin.  It felt good just to sit in her kitchen again and chat.  It's been far too long.

Sunday! We celebrated October birthdays! We now have 7 on the Nemitz side of the Fam.

It was pretty fun time.  Lots of laughter. 💖  I'm so thankful for this family I was blessed enough to be born into.

Just because- the boys all snuggled up as the mister was getting ready for church.

I've got dinner in the slow cooker for dinner and feeling pretty happy about it.  I've ben doing awful lately with meal planning and prep so I feel pretty accomplished this morning!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Loop the Lake Race Recap!

Sunday Morning was our half marathon! I did not take many pictures because it was raining.  I was worried about my phone, it seemed like it was staying fairly dry in my pocket so I pretty much left it there.  

Our race weekend started on Saturday, my brother in law Rich was running the 5K along with his cousin Maddy and his uncle Carmen. I went to the race to spectate and pick up my packet for the next day.  It was so fun and whet my appetite for our run!  I love race weekends. 

I was super happy and excited Rhett was able to come to this race with me.  Its the first time he has come to a half and my heart was overflowing with thankfulness he was there! 💖

Sadly this is the only picture I have including him from Sunday 😂  But he was there and that's all that matters.

I was very worried about being cold.  The weather predicted high 40s for Sunday morning.  I agonized over what to wear. I finally made a decision right before bed (when my sister texted me to see if I was ready) and refused to let myself think about it any longer.  My black capris (because pockets), short sleeve, long sleeve. 

I did add a headband in the morning because I thought my ear would get cold... it was the right choice.  It also helped soak up the rain/sweat.  I honestly did not believe it was going to rain.  

It did, on and off, light and hard. The. Whole. Time.  

But running in the rain doesn't bother me.  Once I'm out there- I kinda like it.  My only concern was for my phone.  I was pretty comfortable the whole time and only got chilled on the drive home about 10 minutes from home in spite of heated seats and the heat going full blast.  

I was pretty anxious driving to the race but thankful it was pretty easy to get to and plenty of parking. (Parking can be a deal breaker for me 😅). 

I pulled in and saw a rainbow!

Becca was already there and Laura and Rich were ten minutes or so away.  

Our friend's husband was also the race announcer so that was pretty fun. 

Stole this from his FB page 😂

Rich's cousin Luke was running the FULL marathon- two loops around the lake.  We all stood at the start line to cheer and send him off!

Then it was our turn! 

The sun was out for a brief moment as we crossed the start line, it blinded me as we came around the curve so I didn't see our family as we started but I knew they were there!

The start was pretty congested but we loped along.  I stopped at the first water stop, because I was afraid I'd regret it if I didn't.  Laura kept going at the point.  For a while I could see her pink shirt and green hat bobbing ahead.

The only picture I took on the course

Most of the race was on the pathway around lake through the parks but at the end of the lake we had to run on the road. Becca told me as we were running by the mall she was planning to run with me the whole time, I laughed and said yeah, I was starting to get that idea so we trekked on.  For a while I was a step or two behind her which made chatting hard but once we hit the mall we ran more side by side.   Which helped with the quiet but it was still sooooo quiet.  Nothing compared to the crowds and cheers and music of our beloved Pittsburgh.  Or even the Syracuse Half.

The stretch on the parkway was so long! It felt like the longest road in the world! 

As we slogged along the parkway nearing the park, about mile 6, we may have been walking at this point I don't remember- we saw two familiar shaped runners coming towards us... It was our coaches from Miles and Macros- Jared and Lauren!  We picked up the pace as they neared us.  Jared snapped some pics and they asked how we were feeling.  Pretty ok was my laughing response, as well as can be expected.  They ran with us to the park and then until we saw our cheer squad by the Salt Museum.  This was my favorite part of the whole race.  Seeing Rhett on the course cheering for me totally put it over the top!  It was all definitely a boost I needed as we were near the halfway point.

I was surprised that I felt pretty decent.  

Mile 8 I started thinking about a hot shower and curling up with my book in bed!

Mile 9 ish- I was hungry and started thinking about ordering pizza for lunch (spoiler alert- I DID!)

I was so happy once we were back on the other side of the lake- just a 5K left to go! It felt like we were almost there! My hips and feet were hurting but I felt happy and strong.  I knew I was meeting my goal which was just to finish happy and not mad.

Mile 11 was a lot of this...

But we were getting so close! I also knew I was so close to hitting a PR- it felt within reach!  But then getting back up to the amphitheater proved to have a few hills... 😅  We were  in the final half mile or so and it all seemed so quiet still- where the heck was the finish line and why couldn't we hear it?! Becca said she could hear the bass- I listened hard and thought I could hear it.  A few more minutes/moments. I'm not sure at this point and I could finally hear music and Dave (the race announcer).  We came around the final bend and could finally see people and hear cheering.  I started looking for Rhett and Laura and nearly burst into tears when I saw them. 

I felt so triumphant crossing that finish line!

Now- at the finish my watch told me I had a new record.  According to my watch my time was 2:48:51 (an 8 second PR).  My official time is 2:49:35. sooooo I don't know...do I count it or not? 

Regardless I am happy and proud and in spite of a headache was on a runner's high the rest of the day. (And maybe the next one too).  I'm so excited for my next two races in November!

Shout out from Miles and Macros...

Next two races: Come run with me! 

Trail Run on Veteran's Day.

Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving! I have wanted to do this one for YEARS! I finally just signed up.  AND Mikayla signed up to do it too this weekend- I am SO EXCITED about this!!

25 Years and counting!

Friday was our 25 wedding anniversary! 

Rhett got me this sweet Precious Moments figurine.  

We had planed a weekend getaway to the Finger Lakes.  The weather was a little cold a dreary but we had  lovely time.  We stayed at this Air Bnb in Penn Yan.  It was cozy and peaceful.

Saturday morning Rhett made breakfast and we took our time enjoying breakfast and coffee.

We visited a few wineries and breweries.

We had lunch by the lake and enjoyed watching the various waterfowl.

The rain stopped in the afternoon and we sat here for a while enjoying the meager sunshine and the view of the lake.

We spent a little time relaxing back at the Air Bnb and then went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.  It was delicious. 

Sunday morning we made breakfast, packed up and headed for home.  It was such a lovely weekend together.  I'm so thankful for this time together. 💖

September Books

The Late Mrs Willoughby by Claudia Grey    9/3 (Kindle/library)

A summer book club pick for the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club. I enjoyed it well enough.  A mystery set in the world of Jane Austen's novels. I had a little trouble keeping all the characters straight at first.  It's also the 2nd in the series- so maybe reading the first book would have helped a little with that.  I was annoyed with the ending a little as it was left open ended but I suppose that is because there are more books to come.  The murder was solved and I was surprised by how it all played out in the end.  I must say though it seemed I was at in the last 5-10% for a really long time.  I was beginning to wonder if the book would ever end!

I thoroughly enjoyed the author talk on MMD book club.

Marianne felt the last of the heaviness drop away from her. How wonderful, to discover that love could continue to grow and deepen over time, that it was no mere mirage of courtship, but a journey two took together, never ceasing.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett    9/4 (audio/library)★★★★

Another from MMD SRG.  I picked this one up almost solely because Meryl Streep reads the audio book.  I was not disappointed. 

A family, pandemic novel.  Set on a cherry farm in Michigan, three grown daughters return home during the pandemic as the world shuts down and helps bring in the cherry harvest.  The mother is telling the story of the summer she was Emily in Our Town and stared with Duke- who later became a famous actor.  Most of the story is in the past leading up to how she did not become a famous actress but a cherry farmer instead.

When I go down the hall and find Maisie and Nell asleep in their twin beds, I see them both as they are and as they were: grown women and little girls.

There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go? Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened, while the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else. Memories are then replaced by different joys and larger sorrows, and unbelievably, those things get knocked aside as well, until one morning you’re picking cherries with your three grown daughters and your husband goes by on the Gator and you are positive that this is all you’ve ever wanted in the world.

Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny 9/6    (print/library)★★★

The story of two women botanist in 1938.  It was a slow read and some parts were a little tedious. I very much enjoyed the actual snippets from journals and letters.  It was very interesting over all. I also loved the photos in the book.

Daughter of Eden: Eve's Story by Jill Eileen Smith    9/13    (print/own)

This book appealed to me the second I saw it.  I just love reading biblical fiction. It makes the people of the Bible seem so much more real.  Reminding me that they were real people. Just. Like. Me.  So I picked this one for our September book club selection for church.  I really enjoyed it. Told mainly from Eve's perspective, sometimes Adam, briefly from Cain's and later on Enoch.

Have you ever wonder what it must have been like for Eve. One of the first two beings ever created.  To have walked and talked with God and then been cast out of the garden. I think this book did a great job of helping us imagine what might have been.  Eve's longings for the garden and God.  Also how God does not abandon or leave us to our sin, even while letting us suffer the consequences of our choices.

True Biz by Sara Novic    9/15    (Kindle/library)★★★

This book takes place in a Deaf boarding school in Ohio. It was fascinating to read. Coincidently our church is starting an ASL class next week so it was even more interesting in light of that.  The story is told from the prospective of February- the headmistress of the school, hearing but the child of Deaf parents.  Charlie, the new girl in school, a Deaf child of hearing parents. Austin, a student who comes from a family who on his mother's side has a heritage of Deafness, his father is hearing and the exception and met Austin's mother because he is a ASL interpreter. 

I was a little sad and disheartened by the prevalence of drugs, alcohol and sex with the teenagers.

I also thought the ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying.  I am looking forward to watching the author talk on MMD book club.

It’s not scary to her, her mother said. She doesn’t know any better. She was right, to a point. What scared Charlie more was her mother talking about her like she wasn’t there at all.

Being motherless was different than being fatherless. It was primal, the archetype for human suffering, like losing the North Star.

Scientists called the period from ages zero to five the “critical window,” within which a child had to gain fluency in at least one language, any language, or risk permanent cognitive damage.

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle    9/18    (print/library)★★★

From the MMD SRG- I was super excited to read this book.  The first few chapters really grabbed me.  Then the middle lagged a little. Plus I set it aside to read other things.   But over all it was a neat story.  Jess is clearing out her mother's house after her death.  She finds herself unable to give up a battered set of encyclopedias from her childhood and stumbles across this collection of ordinary treasures that various people have been unable to throw away. 

Looking back, I don’t think there was ever a point where I officially gave up on my dreams; instead I think it happened gradually, as these things do, so that I barely noticed the shift in my thinking.

...even the path of least resistance leads somewhere, and not necessarily to the place you want to end up.

The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck    9/20     (kindle/library)★★★★

Rachel Hauck is an automatic read for me.  I haven't conquered all her backlist yet but I have loved every one I have read.  I waited all summer for this library hold to come in! I didn't really know what it was a bout going.  It follows 4 friends in their last summer before college as counselors at a summer camp in Oklahoma in 1977.  There is some kind of falling out as evidenced in the chapters set 20 years later in 1997. One thing I love about this author's books is she always seems to show how Jesus peruses his lost children bringing them home.

If you feel lost, go back to the last place you felt found.

If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook    9/25    (Kindle/library)★

I did not enjoy this book. I read it because it was on the MMD SRG but it was just upsetting to me. Family drama, messy relationships, marriage imploding. Selfishness. No hope. It just made me sad. Jennifer's storyline in particular. 💔

After the previous book I leaned into Christian fiction a little more feeling the need for something a little more uplifting.

The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jamie Jo Wright    9/29    (Kindle/library)★★★★

This book surprised me and I found it rather delightful.  I'm not usually one for spooky stories but I follow the author on Instagram because of the author below.  And so I finally decided to give one of her books a try. Dual timeline set in a small Wisconsin town.  Misty Wayfair is told to be a ghost haunting the town both in the early time line and the current one.  Family secrets abound. Characters are a bit flawed- as all humans are.  I enjoyed the faith easily woven through out without feeling like the author was preaching at you.

Creamy goodness swirled in the Costa Rican blend, and as she lifted the pottery mug to her lips, Heidi wondered briefly if Heaven might be a little bit like this.

Heidi bent to give Rüger a healthy rubdown, relishing the feel of his longer hair, the warmth of his body. Yes, a dog might be just another creature to some, but Heidi could understand why they played such a vital role in people’s lives. They were your friend—unconditionally.

You are created to be an image of your Creator, my dear. That is a great honor. To be designed as Thea Reed, and signed by the mark of the Artist himself. You are a work of genius. But until you know that, your name, your roots, your past, and your future will be what you chase after. Like a leaf that blows in the wind. I would bid you all the best in catching it, only, if you do, it won’t satisfy. You will still wonder who Thea Reed is, long after your primary questions have been answered.

Positively Penelope by Pepper Basham    9/30    (audio/library)★★★★

A fun light rom-com.  The 2nd in the series and I may have enjoyed it even more.  Although it may just be because I have grown to love the characters so much!  This one features the younger, bubbly, musical loving cousin Penelope.  She is doing an internship at a theater on a (fictional) island off Scotland.

The ending was perfection for me.  One thing that jumped out and stuck with me is that Penelope says just because she chooses to be joyful- doesn't mean it comes easily or doesn't know heartache.  That she has to intentionally choose to be joyful each day.

The third book in the series come out next year featuring her brother Luke and I can not wait for it!

Total: 10  2023: 75

Kindle/Ebook: 5   Print: 3  Audio:  2

Library: 9  Owned: 1   Borrowed: 

Unread Shelf: 0    Purchased: 5

purchased books

Reading Across America