The latest

The weeks are flying by! It feels like we have had something 'big' to do every weekend, and will remain that way until we leave in Nov. Camping...cottage stays...birthdays (my mom, Riki, Joel and my dad are all within five weeks of one another)...our final garage sale...pumpkin carving, a Halloween bonanza...our trip...and then the holidays. Lots to do, and a wonderful distraction from the monotony of work/sleep/repeat.

Here's a rundown of our last month or so...

We went camping! (Well, I sort of went camping. I came back home to sleep! Ha ha!) But we made sure Ry and his friends had a great change to hang out for a few days.

We are changing things up in our bedrooms. By 'we' I mean Ryan is doing everything in his room, and I am nagging him to keep it cleaned up and decent (it is NOT most days). In our room, we also had a minor facelift, but I haven't captured it on film yet. It's a similar vibe to Ryan's room though.

Ryan went on his furthest run ever- from our house to Costco, a distance of about 8-8.5 miles. The best part is, he typically only runs between 3-5 miles once a week (on his day off from volleyball/karate). So on this day, once we hit town about 5 miles in, I asked how he felt. He said fine, so I suggested we just keep going another 3 miles and was game! We finished in the darkness, but it was fun getting to see him achieve something cool.

I taped up all my race bibs in the garage...some were falling off, and I was thinking of taking a pic to remember them by, and then pulling them all down (since I'd donated all my medals trying to purge clutter). But when it came down to it, I just couldn't do it. 

Once I get over my PF, I hope to run a few more races. I realized I don't want to throw in the towel just yet. I may be chunkier, older, and injured...but I still want to run far again.

The craziest dream I have is to run 50 miles once I turn 50. The reality is that it won't be fast, but it'll be another notch on my ultra running belt, as I have done a 50k twice, but never a 50-miler.

So if I can get over this 2-year bout of PF (my Achilles tendonitis was about the same amount of time), I can start training for that. I have time...as I'm 'only' 47.

My JOCD is in full effect- and I reorganized the pantry. Is it a sign of an illness, or enviable? I say both. 

My mom celebrated her 71st trip around the sun with a two-night stay at the legendary Lava Lava Beach Club Cottages, thanks to the generous owners. And best of all, some of the family were able to go out and celebrate with them! We shared a sunset dinner with hula with them on night #1. Magical no matter how long you've lived here!

My poor son was officially confirmed to have allergies to shellfish and mollusks (like his mother). Since I'm allergic, we've been very careful to have only had him try shrimp a couple of times. On or around try #3 or 4, he complained of an itchy mouth. I took him in for allergy testing and lord have mercy- he reacted within seconds to every single pin prick of exposure. Needless to say, he will not be having oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster, crab, squid, scallops, mussels, etc. in his lifetime. And like me, he's not bummed about it one bit. Let's be honest- these creatures all look like rodents/alien species. NOT a loss.

I just hope I haven't passed on any of the other funky allergies, asthma, hives, etc. :-( So far, this poor kid has inherited some of my food allergies and motion sickness. Not uber promising.

With case numbers back under control on the Big Island, Rich and Ry made their second post-COVID trek to a movie. I have yet to see one. Per Ryan, the movie was 'okay' but the popcorn was a win (he really is MY son!) and made it worth it. Truly sad to see how brutal COVID has been on theatres...I hope they survive!

We are trip planning again! We last traveled exactly two years ago, in Nov of 2020 to Cambodia. Our next trip, in Feb of 2020, to Croatia and France, was cancelled. We opted not to return to Croatia at the moment (although at some point, we will), and will be headed to western Europe instead- Scotland and Ireland. Three days in Edinburgh, then another 3-4 days driving around the rest of the country (mostly to the Scottish Highlands/Loch Ness area. Then a quick flight to Dublin for three days, followed by 4-5 days driving up to Belfast, then down to the Cliffs of Moher and Ring of Kerry. So we'll have a nice urban experience, followed by remote windswept countryside, narrow two-lane roads. 

I am over the moon excited to get off the rock, but also a bit bittersweet, in that my parents won't be able to join us on this jaunt just yet. My mom has been unsteady on her feet for half this pandemic, and despite many tests, PT and exams, they are unsure why she is off balance. My dad doesn't feel safe having her travel for that reason and COVID...so we are hopeful things improve on our next trip. I have promised her, no matter what, at least one more trip to Japan...even if we have to push her in a wheelchair and carry her down into the train stations (and we will have to do that). But it will be worth it!