Stuck in a rut

I'm in the middle of training (week 12 of 19) and have noticed that I've definitely fallen into a rut.  On hill work day, I do exactly 10 hill repetitions (never more).  I've never run more than 10 miles on my medium run.  There is still no short run.  And I've skipped my second weekly weights workout for the last 3 weeks.  I also just realized that surprise, surprise...I haven't posted my weekly training schedule for the past three weeks.

It's getting a lot harder to convince myself that I'm a champ 'just for getting out there,' and becoming much more obvious that really, I'm just a lazy, undisciplined fool. The last time I half-a**ed trained for an event (who can forget my one-day a week training schedule for the Hilo Marathon) I sorely, sorely regretted it. And yet, each week, I do the bare minimum of my already bare minimum workout plan.

And to make matters even worse...guess who also ruined two batches of peppermint brownies tonight? Who  knew that the candy canes I painstakingly crushed with my rolling pin would melt into the brownies and make them soggy and taste like toothpaste? (Probably most bakers...but that's besides the point.)

So to summarize- I am a slow, lazy runner.  And I can't bake. (I know, right?  I have a terrible life.)

;-)  So I'm not sure sitting around boo-hooing my lack of ambition or natural talent is the best use of my time. For one thing, I know that on race day (forget the baking for now), so much of it is mental. Regardless of my lackluster training and effort(s), I don't want to stand at the starting line feeling like a miserable, out of shape loser. There's no benefit to that (even if it is partly true).  I have to focus on what I have done, which if pressed to come up with a few things, would be:

• I am at least doing the long runs.  This weekend is a 24-miler, a terrifying distance, but one I'm super pumped to conquer.  I've never run so far without aid stations, so it will be a challenge figuring out how to store all the gels I'll need that day on my body, not to mention mapping out my run to ensure that I hydrate properly.  
• I have lost 3.5 lbs. since I began training in mid-September (without trying).  I've also kept off 4.5 pounds I lost a few months earlier on my first official diet in years.  No matter how lazy I am, I'm 8 pounds lighter than I was earlier this year, which means I'm a meaner, leaner Jolener. 

As for the baking, I was able to address the soggy mess and not have to waste it all-  I ate three pieces.  While watching Kourtney & Kim Take New York.  Who says I'm a loser?

Baking with my boy

Today we played hooky from music class to bake some chocolate chip cookies f or daddy to take to work (and psst...all those toys piled up in the background?  Not ours!  Promise.  I would never buy my kid that many toys!)

My little helper mixing away!  And he only stole 2-3 chocolate chips out of the bowl (that were covered in raw egg and sugar...here's hoping he's salmonella-free in the morning)!

All packaged up and ready for delivery!

Moku Nui Excursion

We had to pick up an appliance on the other side of the island on Sunday, which gave us the perfect excuse to spend the day in Hilo.  A planned 8-9 hour day was packed with so much fun for Ryan that it ended up becoming a 13-hour day trip instead- a romp off Saddle Road, a trip to the zoo and park, lunch at Ken's, a late afternoon nap at Uncle JJ's, and finally rides, games, prizes at the arcade, and dinner...

For me, the best part of the day was the zoo garden.  The first time we visited the zoo,  I fell in love with it...and today was more of the same love fest!

Love how the orchids grow wild on the trees...

Nothing says tropical rain forest like a sea of bromeliads soaking up the rain water...

More bromeliads growing on a fallen hapu tree...

Ryan following the peacocks

My dad caught a butterfly for Ryan and gently placed him in Ryan's hands...he loved it!

I've done some fun things in my life, but I can't say I've ever held a content little butterfly in the palm of my hand.   Chalk one up for Ry!

Nothing is more fun than a day spent with his grandparents!  So glad we moved back to the 'aina so he can experience days like this every single week of his life.

Our wee three

We found a little section in the back of the zoo with little headstones bearing kind words (Aloha 'Ia Oe E Kahea = Goodbye Kahea) for animals who have passed...loved it.

The new playground at the zoo is pretty awesome!

The highlight of the day?  Riding the exact same little chugger we rode in Maui at the mall so many times!  Ryan was enthralled.

Saying goodnight and goodbye to his Uncle JJ with what we call his famous "Opihi hug" (the opihi is a limpet that sticks so firmly to rocks that's its almost impossible to rip off without a knife).

From Hau'oli La Ho'omakika'i to Mele Kalikimaka!

I'm pretty sure the day after Thanksgiving is the official day to deck the halls, so we did. (Don't want to piss off Santa.)  You gotta love decorating with a toddler...ten times the fun and laughter.  The evidence:

First Ryan helped hang the lights...

Then he hung 90% of the ornaments on about 5% of the branches (before daddy helped spread them out a little).

And finally...our little elf dutifully posed for a few pics (shorts were clearly optional).

Today was also Black Friday, and I'll admit I did hit Macy's (who in Kailua Kona can resist a good Macy's sale?), but it wasn't until close to 10am, and I didn't get to see anyone get a black eye.  :-(  So I'm not sure if that qualifies as Black Friday shopping...does this mean I lose my Chinese Card?  If it helps, I also stopped at KMart afterward for a collapsible cooler (yes, I am that cool) that was nearly half off.

Here are a few other photos taken recently by Rich's new phone...

A bit blurry, but Ryan loves riding cousin Keni around the pool!  (And mommy loves it when he straps on those goggles.)

The other day he picked up a stick (from a broken kite), the trailer of a toy truck, and said, "Look!  I'm playing the violin!"  Melted my heart.

Hau'oli La Ho'omakika'i

There are many, many things to be thankful for on this beautiful day, but today goes down as one of my most (unexpected) proudest mama moments ever.  This morning we got up bright and early for the 7th Annual Wobble & Gobble (a fun family tradition) on our beloved Walua Road trail.  Even though we didn't do a thing to prep Ryan for the race (such as forewarning him that he would run, or taking him out to run beforehand), we figured we'd let him have some fun in the 1-mile race. So I fully expected that after running only a few hundred yards that Ryan would stop to walk, crouch down to pick up bugs and throw rocks, and then ask to be carried the rest of the way.  I projected a finish time for Ryan of somewhere in the 40-minute range, and settled down near the finish line for a long winter's nap.  ;-)

And they're off!!!  All race distances start at the same time, so this is about 290 runners on the trail (sadly, this is the only kind of view of the field that I get...the kind from waaaay in the back)!

So I was super duper shocked when I saw my little guy come tearing down the trail in less than half that time!  But then I cringed when about 50 yards from the finish line I saw him pitch forward, tumble and conk his head on the pavement!  Daddy picked him up, dusted off his bloody knee, held him for a minute while he cried...but then once he heard me hollering at him, he immediately climbed down and ran in with tears and exhilaration in his eyes.

Look at him go!  Bloodied knee and all!  Special thanks to his 6-person entourage/support team of Kenichi, Daddy, Uncle JJ, Aunty Lynne, Aunty Mika & Grandma Janice for encouraging him the whole time...you guys rock!  Extra turkey & pie for all of you!

Ryan and Coach Kenichi post-race proudly modeling their finisher medals!

A few more special thank you's to Jason & Melissa Braswell, owners of Big Island Running Company & sponsors of the race (that's Melissa Braswell on the left), and adorable, unbelievably cute Makena for giving Ryan a huge encouraging hug mid-race and for presenting him with his medal afterward.  Maybe Mama Noriko will agree to an omiai kekkon (Japanese arranged marriage) with us?  Please?

I was a little bummed that I didn't get to see Ryan during the race (I was manning the refreshment table), but I won't deny that I'm amazed, proud and happy to have learned that my (normally very chill, pretty lazy) little boy has some fire in the belly!  What an amazing, unexpected gift on an already bountiful day.

As soon as we got home, it was time to start cooking our share of the Thanksgiving feast (stuffing, pumpkin pie and homemade blueberry mochi (...you know, just like the Pilgrims once ate)!

Thankfully, we had two expert little sous Chefs to help us swirl the blueberries in!

We'll cap off the Thanksgiving festivities with an evening dip in the pool with most of the family.  And for those of you thinking it's far too cold to be swimming at night, you're right.  It is.  I bet it will dip down to about 79 later today, so we'll definitely be shivering!  ;-)

Three Thanksgivings with Ry

We've been lucky to have celebrated three Thanksgiving holidays with Ryan so far...

Ryan's 1st Thanksgiving...he celebrated with carrots and applesauce.  

Ryan's 2nd Thanksgiving...he kept me company on an early morning 6.4 mile run at the Wobble & Gobble...

Ryan's 3rd Thanksgiving...waiting in a long line at Macy's during a pre-Black Friday sale!

Our 4th Thanksgiving with Ryan will be a repeat of our 2nd with him. We're planning on spending the morning at the Big Island Running Company's 7th Annual Wobble & Gobble runs.  Only this year, Ryan will be running  instead of us (he doesn't know it yet)!  :-)  If you're in town...come on by and walk or run!  It's at 7am on Walua Road, no entry fee required...but donations to the Hawaii Island Food Bank will be gratefully accepted by the BIRC team.

Thoughts on a run...

Today I ran the Queen Ka'ahumanu Triathlon Club's 30k race (thank you organizers and volunteers!), and am so excited to report that I finished in the Top 15 runners for my distance!!!  (Out of 16 participants).  :-)  Technically, I finished 12th.  But saying "Top 15" sounds a lot better than "fourth from the last."

I think because I had fairly decent 18 & 20-mile runs (not speedy of course, but not excruciating either), I assumed that this morning's 22-miler would go the same way...whoops.  It took me 3:28 to run 18.6 miles.

Good Lord.

I had thought with the aid stations and added pressure of running with others that I would run about 10-minute mile(s) and finish in roughly 3 hours.  But somehow, I ran 11:20-minute miles.  Yikes. To be fair, I did take two potty breaks, but they were probably only a minute each (since the county seems to think toilet paper is optional and saved me the additional wiping time).  ;-)  Sorry if that's too much information, heh heh.

While I never really hit my stride or felt great out there today (it was kinda warm and humid), I was still surprised by my performance and a little upset.  But I desperately wanted to end the run on a positive note, so even though all I wanted to do after the race was go home- I forced myself to hit the running path so I could run/walk the additional 3.5 miles I needed to complete 22-miles.  I was in such pain that I was barely able to mince along (but was gratefully aided by the quick beat of the 8-9 loud Tahitian drummers pounding away for some Tahitian hula dancers nearby).  Every time I slowly looped around them on the path I kept expecting to see heavily tattooed Tahitian warriors holding spears swoop down from the trees...it was so beautifully awesome and surreal (childhood flashbacks of my own brief Tahitian hula lessons) definitely helped get me through the run.

At the moment, I'm laying in bed with Ryan fast asleep next to me.  I finished running three full hours ago and my poor, horrifically tanned legs (thank you, compression socks!) are still aching, tender and sore...  Today's run definitely took a lot out of me, and the thought of running, or even walking NINE more miles uphill after that (since the ultra is 31) sounded worse than being water boarded.  So I still have quite a ways to go folks...quite a ways to go.  The thing that these really long runs do to me that I always forget until I do one, is that they so deeply exhaust me that all I can think about is how I don't want to do them anymore...but I know that I have to and want to, because they make me so much physically and psychologically stronger.  They strip away all the b.s.and force me to forget everything in the world other than just crawling and limping my way to the finish.

So today's run was a GREAT reminder for me to not set a time goal for the ultra.  Because at the end of that run, I will be fighting to just stay upright and make it to the finish line.  I have even given myself permission (try not to laugh because I'm being dead serious here) to collapse at the finish line...which I always feel like doing after a marathon, but pride prevents me from doing so.  :-)  I know I'll be totally embarrassed if I do, but I doubt I'll care because it will feel sooooo damned good.

Onward and upward (even if I'm limping),
Jolene

Things that make me smile right now

• Getting some early Christmas toy shopping & gift wrapping done for my nephews...love that we get to celebrate Christmas so early with them (since they go to Japan for the holidays).  It's like we get to celebrate twice!
• And along those lines, still being able to buy a few small Christmas presents for Ryan right under his nose!  Even with him sitting right next to them in the cart, completely innocent and clueless...  I tell him they're for other kids birthdays...and he buys it!  :-)  
• My new running mama friend...love getting to chat about running and all the gory stuff that non-runners probably find just odd (pre-run, during and post-run bowel movements, the prolonged life cycle of a dying toenail, sodium intake, etc.)
• My brothers...one helped my son get dressed this morning & read to him since I was running late (Jon), one helped Rich with the yard work at our house this afternoon (Joel), and one made me laugh this evening, even from 2,500 miles away (Joey).  What would I do without them?  (I mean aside from inheriting everything...which is admittedly hard to top...).
• Lasers...they restored my eyesight almost 3 years ago, and have now zapped away the worst of the evidence of my 37 years of sun worshiping.  (It took seven painful treatments, but ta-da!  I am officially slightly less Dalmatian looking!)
• Our faithful, long suffering Realtor, Sue...she scored a huge one for Team R & J a few days ago.  Needless to say, I now have one very healthy, pink kidney up for auction!  I'd previously been saving it for my brother Joey (the one with a fondness for the drink), but it's now up for grabs to the highest bidder, or a bidder who can paint and/or lay new carpet and tile.  
• The huge ripening bunch of apple bananas in our front yard (that I've been liberally sharing with the birds).  
• That running ten miles mid-week is no longer as exhausting as it used to be.  Yes, after 8-9 weeks...I've finally crossed that threshold!  Please note that I am not any faster or lighter...just less tired once I'm done!

Our little geek

Ryan at the AT&T store earlier this week...

Somebody wants an iPhone like daddy's and/or a tablet!  (Somebody isn't going to get either until he gets himself a J-O-B.)

Ultra Training Week #9

Week #9

Weights -þ þ 

Walk - þ (6 mile walk)

Hills/Sprints- þ (10 200-yard hills)

Med. Run- þ (10 miles)

Long Run-þ (11 miles)

What I've learned:

• Another very lackluster week of 'training,' devoid of even a long run to feel good about.  Ugh.  Thankfully this weekend offers something fun to look forward to...the Queen Ka'ahumanu Triathlon Club is offering a 10, 20 & 30k run this Sunday down at Old A's at7am.  I'll be running the 30k (18.6 miles) and then doing another 3.5 miles right after that so I can get in my long run (22 miles).  It will be a special treat to be able to do my long run with (and by 'with,' I obviously mean 'behind') other people, and with the added benefit of aid stations and shade (along Ali'i Dr).
• Even though I'm just going through the motions right now with very little 'push' or improvement...I am still happy I'm doing it.  I know it's a kind of a cop out from feeling the kind of guilt or embarrassment that I probably should from doing such minimal training, but I never started this training to crush the run or take out the competition. I started training to have a goal that wasn't focused on weight, and that would improve my physical and emotional health.  And on that front, I am succeeding because I am in better shape than I was a few months ago, and as a side benefit, I think I've lost 2 pounds even though I'm eating more (from the increased workouts).  Sweetness.
• Another side benefit is that I am no longer as intimidated by hills.  I can't say I'm faster on them or love them, but I don't have to walk up as many of them either.  :-)  The most I've climbed in a day is about 500 feet (in elevation), and while that's an almost laughable amount against the 4,000 we'll climb on race day, it's still 500 feet more than I could have trudged up two months ago.  So again...improving.
• I had an impulsive fantasy a few days ago.  I wanted to do the Honolulu Marathon (early next month) as a last minute training run.  I've always wanted to do the race, and since I'm in decent shape to do it, I thought...why not?  I'll fly out the day before, take the bus into town, crash someone's living room that night, then fly back a few hours after race... The airfare was pricey, but reasonable for last minute- $80 going over, $130 coming home...so about $230 R/T with tax/fees.  But then I saw that the race entry fee was now something like $230.  Yikes.  That's almost $10 per mile...and should I really have to pay that much $ so I can lose another 2-3 toenails?  My heart sank, but the practical, thrifty side of me took over, and I decided that it's not gonna happen this year (or sadly, next year either since we're going to be on a trip that Nov).   Someday though...someday.  :-)

Best night...ever!

Tonight was the Kona Coffee Festival Parade...and the three boys got to march in it and help pass out treats to kids.

Needless to say, they were all very excited.  :-)

Keni & Riki were little rock stars, hurriedly handing out candy to every child in sight.  My little guy, on the other hand...despite loudly promising to be friendly, was...not.  ;-)  I think he passed out about ten pieces all night, but took about a solid 1 minute to hand out each piece.  Sooo...

...much of the parade was like this- Ryan and I running to catch up with the rest of the group!

After we finished, we still got to watch more than 3/4 of the parade with the boys before heading to Bubba Gump's for a celebratory dinner to cap off the most enjoyable night ever.     

My favorite entry of the night was also the last one in the parade...the one of the Buddhists chanting and dancing.  It reminded me of our years in Japan and love for going to parades/festivals.

The 'rents in the city

Hanging out in the city by the bay with Joey

I keep getting these hysterical photos & videos from my brother of my parents doing fun stuff in San Fran (the trip was a thank you gift from my husband for the endless, year-round babysitting that we get). Unfortunately, because Joey was the photographer (and likely the instigator) of certain photos, I cannot post ALL of them (I would hate to see my father charged with his first misdemeanor in his sixties).

They were supposed to go to see the redwoods in Sequoia National Forest today, but somehow my father managed to convince/reroute them to Reno so they could hit the slots (& games at Circus Circus) instead...I no longer wonder where I get my shallowness and ADD from.  ;-)

My Dad & Mom playing in the snow...please note that they're both wearing new matching North Face jackets from Joey (since we all know that no true Hawaiian owns such silliness.  :-)

Ultra Training Week #8

Week #8

Weights -þ þ (though both were very short, lackluster sessions)

Walk - þ (6 mile walk)

Hills/Sprints- þ (10 200-yard hills)

Med. Run- þ (10 miles)

Long Run-þ (20 miles)

What I've learned:

• During my last long run two weeks ago, I decided to reward/myself by taking a break to stretch at each mileage marker after mile 16.  This really seemed to help keep my energy level up, so I decided to do it again during today's 20-miler, and whaddaya know...it worked again.  :-)  So while my run sure wasn't fast (today's run took me 4 hours...eek), it felt surprisingly good for the distance I covered.  
• It also helped to remind myself that there is no reason to dread/fear the long runs...and that they don't automatically have to be painful.  Instead, I try to focus on how lucky I am to have the opportunity to even do them- that I have someone to watch Ryan, great year round weather (hot and humid yes, but not snowy or icy either) and two legs that work. It's all a bit cheesy and elementary, but it still helps.  
• It's time to switch out my shoes.  :-(  My knees have been aching during the runs lately.  Initially I thought it was because of the increasingly longer runs, but then I realized it was probably time to change out my shoes.  I couldn't for the life of me remember when I first started using my current pair (but they still looked and felt new...), so a few hours ago I carefully inspected some pictures from the half I ran back in June.  I was pretty shocked to see that I'm still wearing the same running shoes from over four months ago.  And since I know I didn't start using them right before the race, I'm pretty sure they're closer to 5-6 months old.  Thankfully, I don't run a lot (I calculated that I've probably only run about 350 miles in them) but since I'm not exactly a featherweight...it's time.  
• It's always tough getting rid of a pair of running shoes.  Every time I see an old picture of me running, I immediately zero in on the shoe, then sigh and think to myself, "Aww...I miss those shoes!"  Please tell me I'm not alone on this one, runners...
• I'm six weeks away from my first (of two) marathon distance training run...and I've decided that despite it being pretty flat, that I'm going to run the Kona Marathon/Ironman Championship race course.  This way I'll have something new/different to look forward to, as well as have a trial/practice run for the actual race I hope to be running in June.

While I was out pounding the pavement this morning, here's what my boys were up to...

Rich and Ryan joined Keni & Riki at the Kona Coffee Festival's UCC Kona Coffee picking competition!

They also had a shaved ice stand (which they all enjoyed) and a bouncy house there, which the three cousins had all to themselves for about 20 minutes.  :-)

Then it was time to cheer on the competitors...here's Keni picking the red cherries during his age group!

And on Saturday, our family joined the two boys again at their karate competition!  Both boys competed in the kata & sparring competitions...super fun to watch how awesome they are!!!  Not sure what Ryan loved more- cheering for his cousins or eating a huge spam musubi.  It is a tough one...

Couldn't resist snapping this picture of Ryan on Friday waiting in our dentist's lobby with his Thomas laptop.  What a focused multi-tasker!  ;-)

A few good reads

I've read a number of good books recently that are worth mentioning-

The Girl's Guide To Homelessness (Brianna Karp) - though not traditionally homeless (she did have an old RV), Karp is a great writer that brings empathy to the growing homeless population.  She also does something (camping Wal Mart parking lots) that Rich and I did back in '02 on a trip across the US, so I admit it makes me somewhat sentimental.  Say what you will about the corporate beast, but if you're on a tight budget, have a car and need a safe place to crash...Sam Walton opens his arms to you, embraces you, and invites you to pick up a bottle of shampoo and some Cheesy Poofs while you're there.

Escape (Carolyn Jessop) - The TV show Sister Wives (TLC) has my inner historian on overdrive wanting to learn more about polygamy.  The family on the show, however, is a rare example of adults who truly choose to live a polygamist lifestyle.  Carolyn Jessop's account in Escape is sadly, probably a far more common experience.  Jessop details her life as part of FLDS cult headed by Warren Jeff's (you may remember the raid on the Yearning for Zion compound), and the rampant forced marriages, underage sexual abuse, powerless females, etc.   It's sickening, captivating and really blows the lid of one of the country's most secretive sects.  

Honolulu (Alan Brennert) - If you're into modern Hawaiian history, this is the most enjoyable book on the islands I've read in years.  Brennert has another book from a similar time period (Molokai), but I wasn't nearly as fond of it because of the overwhelming hardship/sadness of the period covered (lepers banished to the island of Moloka'i).  It's a rare great read about life in the islands...

Dreams of Joy (Lisa See) - I'm always a sucker for a book around the period of the Cultural Revolution.  If you read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (highly, highly recommended)...you'll like Dreams of Joy, but it doesn't have quite the draw of Shanghai Girls.

Little Princes (Conor Grennan) - Conor Grennan founded an orphanage in Nepal after finding out about children taken from their families. Poor peasant families were told that their children would be taken away from the perils of civil unrest (for a price of course) and given an education, but were instead heartlessly dumped into orphanages.  After reading this book, all I could think about was leaving Kona and heading straight to Nepal.  PS- I tried.  No one at the Little Princes emailed me back.  :-(

Hearing Birds Fly: A Nomadic Year in Mongolia (Louisa Waugh) - I am always a huge fan of books that take place in modern day Asia...and was pleasantly surprised to find one taking place in Ulaan Baatar.  Again, very nostalgic for me as the author takes the Trans Siberian through the same cities as we did back in '00, but falls in love in the harsh landscape of the Gobi desert.  It definitely makes me want to go back and spend a few nights in a ger, but I admit that rampant dust, a lack of a warm shower and the very thought of eating oily lamb around the fire is not likely to inspire me to extend my stay.

Sugar Nation: The Hidden Truth Behind America's Deadliest Habit & the Simple Way to Beat It (Jeff O'Connell) - About once or twice a year, I find a book that shocks and inspires me to go raw-food-vegan-organic-hippie-farmer overnight.  Then I smell a hamburger and never make it past buying a few seed packets.  Nonetheless, unlike most books I've read (which tend to focus around the meat industry and make the case for vegetarian diets) this one focuses on sugar.  I wish there were sodium counterpart written, or even a chapter on it...since it is another weakness of mine/America's.

Sidenote: I understand that the web and electronic tablets/readers are slowing eroding the newspaper and bookstore industries...and likely one day (whimper) libraries too.  I'm conflicted about this.  Interestingly enough, research has been done on the energy used to print a book vs. creating an electronic reader, and unless you read regularly- books are supposedly safer for the environment (and if recycled, perhaps more so).  I would have thought readers would be greener, hands down.  Still, I know the change to electronic books is coming...but cannot imagine a month going by without my excitedly exiting the library with a towering stack of books to read.  I am...the 8.403122% that regularly uses my public library (catchy, right?), and I'm going to occupy it in protest until we library funds are restored (or until dinnertime, whichever comes first).

Fore!

Since I know my younger brother only checks my blog about once every three years...I figure its safe to post this even though his birthday party isn't until tomorrow night.  :-)

While I was out walking, my two boys started the cake baking...

Seriously, how cute is this?

And thanks to tons of help from Rich...we finished the cake in record time (3 hours)!  Since JJ has been spending a lot of time on the golf course recently (for work), I wanted to make him a golfing cake.  It's an uphill par-3 for those of you care.   ;-)

Our little tiger

Last night Ryan met up with a few of his friends to go trick or treating in Pualani Estates.  I have never in my life seen so many cars/people in one place.  It looked like Disneyland!  I'd heard it was a great subdivision to visit for Halloween, but I had no idea how insane it would be.  Huge thanks to all the folks in that community who made it so special for us!

Ryan and I met this neat hippie who offered to pull him around all night, so we brought him home with us.  :-)  Ryan LOVED trick or treating.  He kept asking for "More and more and more!" as the night went on.  Trust me, if we hadn't finally dragged him home, he'd still be out there.  :-)

The best part of the night!  Sorting out everyone's favorites to bag and share with others!