Bleeech

Today was one of those days that well...could have been better. Rich worked super, duper late and was basically gone for 12 hours. So no time together....again. Ryan has digressed in his potty training (my strategy to get back on track this morning miserably backfired). A person we deeply care about found himself in a very rough situation. My grandmother's care is requiring a lot more of everyone's time than we'd anticipated and I have a 'fun' morning planned with her tomorrow squiring her around town. Me feeding at the trough for the 123,243rd day in a row. Nothing life altering, but all very frustrating. Whenever this happens, I remind myself that this stress (because I very easily absorb other people's distress, it's just my nature) is the very small price to pay of having others in your life. And so with that being said, I don't want to end the day feeling irritable. Things I feel happy about right now:

• Making Rich a smoothie once he got home instead of making him feel guilty for coming home so late.


• Having a garage sale this weekend...no more junk around the house!


• My temporarily clean house (we had a playdate this AM and I was forced to tidy).


• Rich just paid his last tuition payment yesterday.


• Costco's organic acai berry juice...delicious and nutritious!


• My face is 95% peeled. No more scary face (for now anyway)!


• Rain. It's raining outside right now. Free water for all the plants...yay.


• Caterpillars that turn into butterflies. Awesome, endlessly beautiful metamorphosis to witness.


• Music school. My son loves it so much, and so now, so do I.


• Playdates with my awesome fellow mommies...Mel, Heidi, Joey, Tessa, they all rock.


• My work out buddy Yuri...our walks are my free therapy.


• My large family and our commune/cult. I am never, ever lonely or bored. It's a gift.


• Ryan continues to make me laugh and smile each day, regardless of what else is going on in the world.


• Dreams and hope.


• Going on my 1st Mother-Son bonding trip in April!


• Planning a sleepover for my three boys at the condo...sleeping bags, popcorn, movies and swimming! Who says sleepovers are only for girls?


• Ryan (ha ha ha ha) danced like a butterfly at music school yesterday. It made me want to die of laughter. I can't wait to blackmail him with the video I took when he's 16.


• I'm going to go back to boot camp in 2 days. My booty needs some punishment.

Okay. I feel a little better. Not to mention sleepier now that the sleeping pill I took is starting to kick in. Off to take a hot shower, suck my thumb (hey, it works for Ryan) and go to bed curled up with my new People magazine. Life is looking better already.

Rich's Hauoli la hanau celebration!

Sometimes communal living is just awesome.... Because I knew we would be tired from camping and cleaning up on Sunday, my plan was to make some pizzas and a cake for Rich's birthday dinner. Simple, right? However, my sister in law had other ideas. She roasted some pumpkin, fried up some vegetable and shrimp tempura, and served up some garlic chicken my brother had made. Deeeelicious. A little better than pizza. :-)

I didn't have much time to make a cake...so I made a giant cupcake instead!

In our house, we have to let each little boy take a turn blowing out the candles so there isn't a fight. Keni got a little crazy on his turn...so the birthday boy had to tell him to take it down a notch so he wouldn't spray the cupcake with his saliva.

It's become a family tradition to let them stick their fingers in the frosting too!

Meet our future Shriner...Ryan.

And if there's ever a future klan that celebrates diversity and likes the color green...Keni has his hat ready.

At the end of the night, I suggested that the birthday boy try to carry all three boys...and he did it!

A few other non-party related photos...

Everytime Ryan drinks acai berry juice (I got it to make smoothies, who knew he would like it straight?), he gets a heavy dark purple/brownish moustache. It's kinda scary.

Check out the mohawk action he gets at night!

Ryan loves, loves, loves to watch the 3D TV at Costco everytime we go there.

I think that face is much more entertaining than the TV. :-)

Camping Club Trip #3 - Kohanaiki!!!

Every March, for the past three years, the Camping Club comes to life (we're in the process of obtaining some Members Only jackets). In 2009, we camped at Namakani Paio/Volcanoes National Park, and in 2010 , we camped at Kalopa State Park. But this year, we tackled a whole new frontier- beach camping. Specifically- Kohanaiki...aka Pine Trees. Believe it or not, even though we live on an island surrounded by water, this beach is the ONLY place you can legally camp at in North Kona. We couldn't go on the first day of permitted camping (a Friday) because Rich had to work, so we knew it would be a bit of gamble to go there on Saturday morning and still get a permit. However, because it was not Labor Day, the Fourth of July or New Years (the busiest camping days of the year), we were not only lucky enough to get a permit...we also got a prime spot! Driving in (you need 4WD due to a certain section in the road), we were surprised at how many other campers were there...there was a sea of tents. In the popular area(s) near the bay, it looked like a little tent village. You could hear the reggae pounding and see dozens of surfers in the water. You could also see roughly 90% of Kona's truck population parked along the water. :-) And since we're like the deep south when it comes to owning trucks, that's a lot of trucks. We chose to drive nearly all the way in since less people go there, and were stoked to get a very quiet, fairly level, sandy area beneath a canopy of trees as our camp base. Our two Cub Scouts (and Ryan!) "helped" Rich set up the tent. I was suprised that camping on a beach seemed to require half the stuff we pack to go camping in cabins, especially since we had to haul all the gear there like a tent, table, chairs, a food cooler, a water cooler, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, ropes, tarps, propane stove, dishes, lanterns, flashlights, sunscreen, etc. And of course (always essential at any beach camping trip)- the clothes line and pins for drying off the towels, rash guards, swim trunks, etc. . I think the best moment of any camping trip is once you're finished setting up camp and can step back and look at your temporary, new digs. I always feel a little like the Swiss Family Robinson's once we're done. :-) On my wish list for 2012's camping trip (because I think I want to return to the beach!):

• A 6-person (since I have three growing boys) instant pop-up tent. They're kinda pricey, but the ones I'm looking at are tall enough for you to stand up in, and dummy-proof (I'm sure I'll test that) to set up.


• An outdoor shower. Nothing too fancy...I'd just love to be able to rinse off each night. If I could do this, I swear, we'd attempt two nights! Mama just neeeeds her nightly bath. ;-) Any suggestions?

Ryan loved hanging out in a tent, he even took his regular nap in there without complaint. And because it was soooo windy yesterday, it was never hot inside.

Once base camp was set up, we took off for a hike (guided by my dad, the beach hiker extraordinare) with the three boys and Rich. We made it all the way over to the nearby Kaloko Honokohau fishponds.

Riki found a sea urchin shell, which meant many priceless photo ops for the boys.

Someone needed no lesson in how to get into the spirit of camping, Hawaiian style!

It's a bird, it's a plane...it's a washed up jellyfish! I buried it in the sand (though without ceremony) since I was worried someone would step on it and get stung...probably irrational on my part. :-)

This was all three boys first time camping on a beach...

Not to mention their first time camping in a tent too, so they were super hyper.

Kohanaiki is a diving and surfing beach...the shoreline does have white sand, but it's very rocky and swimming is not ideal. Thankfully, the Furuto family (and I'm sure, many other locals) has had a looooong tradition of creating our own safe, little, private ponds for the keiki, and even better, of having my father do all the heavy lifting/moving of rocks in order to do so. :-)

Needless to say, Ryan appreciated the newly created pond, and was able to, as he puts, it- "surf" in it. Right near the pond, my mother and I wandered through the tidepools so we could create a little 'beach aquarium' for Ryan- two little fish, two sea cucumbers, and three hermit crabs.

Just because you're roughing it doesn't mean you should miss out on storytime, or arts and crafts with Grandma (she brought all of the above...to go camping). There was airplane making, collage making, cookie decorating, etc. Once an early childhood educator, always an early childhood educator!

This is the pond Grandpa Furuto created for the kids...just 20 feet from our campsite. You could roll out of sleeping bag straight down into the pond if you so desired.

The larger little bay about 80 feet from our campsite...also pretty safe, except during high tide, when I could easily see Ryan getting sucked out by the waves.

Ryan spotted my mother's hat, threw it on and told us he was a cowboy.

Even though it was very quiet (except for the crashing waves of course) and you could see the stars for miles, I think all the adults had a rough night of sleep between the cold, occasional drizzle and kicking kid(s). Poor Riki woke up (he chose to sleep outside of the tent with grandpa) covered with bite(s) all over his face and ears! I think he had about 25+ bites...and I can't figure out what bit him. They definitely weren't mosquito bites, nor did they look like ant bites (he also said they didn't itch). I worried that they might be flea or sand flies, but I'm not sure. Poor kid. It does make me think twice about outdoor camping though. :-(

It's funny, I want to be the outdoors type, but at heart, I'm really not. The entire time I was there, I kept thinking...this is nice, but I'd really rather be at the W. ;-) I do this every year for the three boys...so that they're able to have the type of outdoor camping experiences all kids should have. It's also a gentle reminder not to take our life indoors for granted. And in hindsight, it probably wasn't the best timing to sleep so close to crashing waves so soon after a tsunami. I must admit, there were a few nerve wracking, irrational moments. ;-)

But all in all? I'm so glad we went. It was a lot of hard work, but it was also relaxing and so worth it. Just looking at the pictures make me want to go back already. And in about 364 days...we will. :-)

Look who got tatted!!!!

Someone got his first tattoo today, and was more than happy to show off for the camera...

Who says this kid doesn't have a photogenic smile? ;-)

If all those skinny models strutting in Paris were to use this exact smile, I'm pretty sure a lot more clothes would be flying off the shelves.

26.2 Part II (just pics)

Just got a few more pics of race day from my mom's camera!

My little cheerleader ringing away for mommy!

The ground was wet and there were puddles everywhere, but the rain stopped right before we ran. So I never felt so much as a drop (well, except for the four gallons that came out of my pores for five hours). :-) Always very attractive.

The fans. The paparazzi. :-)

Getting one of many, many pep talks that day from my coach...who always found the sweetest possible way(s) to basically tell me, "Suck it up and man up!"

My two boys jogging alongside me (in failed attempt to inject some happiness in my weakened, sad, little heart).

Post-race Furuto family huddle!

26.2

Holy guacamole. What. a. race. Hardest...ever. But not for the reasons I ever would have imagined. But more on that later.

The journey to my third 26.2 started off on Saturday morning when we headed out to the other side of the island (Hilo) for a day of fun with Ryan. We stopped at the halfway point in cool, windy Waimea so Riz could run around and play, but he kept protesting from the backseat, "I don't want to stop! I really want to see Uncle JJ in Hilo!" That is...until he actually saw the playground. Then he was good to stop. :-)

Once we got to Hilo, I picked up my race packet from the expo (& bought an early "reward" shirt from Big Island Running Co. to wear on race day) and was able to get an early check in so Ryan could take a nap in the "special hotel bed" we always make for him in hotels (we used to do this as kids for my youngest brother JJ). Unfortunately, because Ryan is half white, he has officially outgrown this set up (Asian kids can usually continue this comfortably until we're about thirteen).

Since it was raining (it's Hilo after all...), we decided to take Ryan to the mall so he could ride his beloved merry go round (remember, as rinky dink as Hilo's mall is...we don't have one at all, so this is still plenty of FUN for the country bumpkins). But it was broken, so we used roughly 643 quarters on the other rides and at the arcade instead.

Ry's favorite was the chopper (with no propeller anymore...not ghetto at all) that went up and down about 4-feet in the air.

Later that evening we ate a Hilo institution (Ken's!) so I could grub on macadamia nut pancakes with guava syrup- light, but carb-filled. When Rich took this photo, Lynne reached over and hugged JJ...and then I heard a little voice pipe up, "I can do that too!" and felt his arms wrap around me. Say it with me now...aaaaawww.

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So the day thus far, had been perfect. But it took a turn for the worse at about 8:30pm, when I climbed into bed. I had taken two Benadryl and a long, hot shower to help me fall asleep, but my mind was having none of that. Instead of feeling like I had nothing to lose the next day as I had hoped (since I hadn't trained well and am 3+ years older & 10+ lbs. heavier than my last marathon), I was terrified of sucking a**. My stomach was flip flopping and I was practically cold sweating in fear. And so I laid there, hour after hour ...until about 1:30am, when I finally started to get tired, but then Ryan (who was sleeping next to me) started to flip and flop compulsively for an hour straight. I got so upset from his kicking me in the face and shoulder every 10 minutes that my mom heard me and took him into their bed. So at about 3am, I finally drifted off...and then woke up at 4am to get ready. So I got exactly one HOUR of sleep.

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Needless to say, I was exhausted. Anytime I have sleep deprivation, I suffer from severe nausea. So I felt like puking from the minute I woke up, and had to force myself to gag down my banana and Clif bar for breakfast in the bus. I have to admit that adrenaline and excitement helped balance out the nausea, because at the start of the race I still felt pumped and ready to rock and roll. It was at mile 10 that I started to feel the lack of sleep and had to walk a little. I hadn't anticipated needing to walk until miles 18 or 20, so this was a very bad sign indeed. In fact, even though I was in better shape for this year's Hilo run, I ran the half in 2:20, ten minutes slower than last year's 2:09 finish.

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I was so exhausted by mile 13 that for the first time in my life, I truly thought I was going to have to DNF (did not finish) a race. All I wanted to do was sit down on the side of the road in the cold, wet grass, curl up into a ball and fall asleep. I used every mind game I could to keep going- that soldiers have to go battle, often with no sleep. That Ironman triathletes are ten times more exhausted and they don't quit. That I could not disappoint the people who had come to see me run in a marathon for the first time (my parents, Ryan and JJ). And so I figured I had to trudge on, even if I had to walk the rest of the race. Throughout the first 15 miles of the race I was constantly weighing the pros and cons of dropping out, or finishing in 6+ hours, and I didn't know which would be more embarrassing, so I figured I'd keep going until I either puked uncontrollably, or passed out- in which case, it would be okay for me to quit and 'not my fault.'

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Everytime I saw Rich (and he was there for me like clockwork, every 2 miles from mile 10 on), I kept wailing to him that I felt sick, that I was gagging and mini-puking in my mouth from the nausea, that I honestly didn't think I could finish and that he should prepare everyone for the fact that I might have to quit...but he would have none of it. He calmly told me he would be there every step of the race for me (a big promise considering he was shuttling the whole family around...taking photos at every stop...and I was moving at the speed of molasses with 3 hours of race still left to go).

Here I am at mile 11...rocking my new running shirt, but sooooo ready to walk off the course and weep from exhaustion. I have never, ever in a training run or marathon felt so badly at this point in a run. I kept telling myself that my caffeine would kick in, that I would get my second wind, that I would find my stride...and while I don't think it ever happenned, it was worth holding on to.

Rich took over 70 shots of me that day, I kept about...oh...6. Most of them showcase some pretty miserable facial expressions, or my wet, diaper like shorts (from the humidity and water I kept dumping on my head) that kept hiking up to expose a great expanse of milky, white chubby thigh, etc.

In every race, there are always those runners that motivatate others. Usually they're elderly or disabled. But these these two (father and son, or grandfather and son) were the most amazing of the day. This little boy, which by my estimation, was between 6-8 years old, ran 26.2 miles for Japan. How unbelievable is that? He's now one more of the many reasons we're going to contribute to Japan every month for as long as we can.

This marathon has a limit of 300 runners. So this is a rare shot of me running with other people (you bet I made sure to pick a shot where they were behind me). The first half of the course you're running with the half marathoners (another 300 race cap limit), so you're never alone. However, the second part of the race course is in the boonies on little side roads where I found myself eerily, completely alone on a number of occasions. The second half was as flat as a pancake for the most part, but run mostly on a slant on the side of the road...painful after awhile. And the last four of 6 miles were run with a mild uphill grade. Cruel. Just cruel. :-)

Ryan patiently endured the 3+ hours of cheering for mommy. He rang bells for me and everyone around me so that after awhile, everyone knew my cheering crowd. Every so often he would insist on running too! At one point he even held my hand and ran a few yards with me. :-)

Even though the second half of the course is very isolated, it's also very beautiful since about 6+ miles of it is on the water. Another unrelated positive of this race for me, is that because I was so exhausted and miserable from start to end, I never felt myself hit the wall like in races past. ;-) I felt as tired at mile 22 as I was at mile 16, but I did better than I thought I would and crossed the tape in 5:15, well under the 5:30 goal I'd set for myself. I finished 127 out of the 300 marathon runners, which is awesome, because I've never placed in the top 300 of any marathon before! :-)

The lady next to me committed the ultimate finish line faux paus. She pulled off to the side to grab her child (not permitted), then cut right in front of me and pushed me off to the side so I had to finish a second behind her. :-( I deleted all the photos of me at the finish because you can see how shocked I am that she ran me out of the chute trying to cut in front of me.

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The minute I stopped moving in the finisher chute to get my medal and lei (from girls in ti-leaf hula skirts no less!), I felt my quads start to cramp up. And unlike other marathons, my breathing became even MORE labored once I'd stopped moving. This made me even more nauseous. Rich said I had over exerted myself and that my body was overcompensating. So for probably 30-45 minutes after the run, I could barely walk or slow down my breathing, which made me feel like puking even more. Still, I was motivated to hustle back to the hotel before check-out so I could take a quick shower, so it forced me to keep moving even though all I wanted to do was puke. All the way home I had a puke bag on my lap (I was so convinced I was going to hurl the entire ride home, aka flight to New York 2010), but was fine. I couldn't eat a thing until about 4 hours after the race, but my legs stopped locking up around 6pm last night and I feel fine today. There's a little stiffness here and there, but I'm no longer walking funny or feeling like death warmed over. It's surreal to me that I was in that much misery yesterday, but today I'm walking around, feeding Ryan, getting ready to go to the bank and post office, etc. Yesterday mid-race I honestly thought I'd be in the hospital right now, hooked up to an IV bag and taking anti-nausea medication. :-)

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All the way home I swore over and over that I would never do another marathon, that three was plenty...that it takes too much training...that I'm too old...that the half is much healthier... But...ah.............ha ha...I'm already thinking about switching my half in June to a full. You know, since I'm already sorta in shape and it's only three months away. :-) Mostly I just want to get a good night's sleep and avenge my horrendous performance in Hilo. But I don't know yet...I'll have to talk it over with Rich and see what he thinks since he bears so much of the brunt of my long runs, race day event coverage, etc. :-) '

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There's just something about a marathon that forces you to be the strongest, toughest person you can be. To keep your body in motion for 4-5 hours even though all you want to do is stop...it takes a mental and physical perserverence that I've yet to find anywhere else in my life. Even though this marathon was nearly 40 minutes slower than my first, in some ways, it was more rewarding just because of how much harder it was for me.

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So I take all that stuff back about never wanting to do another...I think I do want to do another. Even if I am slow. :-)

Spring Break Fever...

Whew...one more day of Spring Break. I *think* I can handle it. But of course, I've saved the most exhausting day for last (beach trip with three boys...solo)! I've spent more time watching the three boys all by myself in one week than I probably ever have before. So although I definitely felt like a single mom of three (who at times, prayed for hearing loss), it was fun. Ryan loves it, I love it, the boys love it. It's awesome.

Someone is rockin' the big boy undies! It's a bit premature, but it's super cute.

Today I took the three amigos to see Great Grandma before taking them to a park...

...and then to Burger King (Keni & Riki picked it) for lunch. It was Ryan's first time ever, and my first trip in probably over ten years. He was very excited to order a juice box. Why? Because he kept pointing at it and saying, "PBS Kids! PBS Kids!" So they must be a sponsor. Guess advertising does work. :-(

The post dinner walk around town checking out the tsunami damage

Later in the day, after Ryan took a three (please don't hate me) hour power nap, we hit up our favorite place to eat (Bubba's ba-by!) so we could celebrate Rich's successful defending of his thesis this morning. He passed! So he's only one semester away from graduating! Yaaaay!

My clingy little boy watching the beautiful Kona sunset...