Marathon Monday!!!

It's here, it's here, it's here!!! The coveted marathon!! One of the best, most historic, most amazing marathons in the United States, and I was in Boston for it this year!!! It was amazing. I have seen some pretty amazing running events in my life, this one was especially unique and different than anything I had seen before. Track races are different to watch (anyone reading this who doesn't run, quit rolling your eyes...) because the excitement is all right there in front of you to watch. Even though during the marathon I only got to see a short section of it, in the 30 seconds you see the runners, it is a true testament to the endurance of the sport, the effort, the hard work, and the spirit of running. I got up early to make sure I was all packed to go home. I met up with Stephanie to grab an early morning mimosa... which after the cover charge (the bar is right along the course) and the drink, it ended up costing $14... but it was still worth it! We sat and watched army units who walked the course in their full gear with 60 pound packs pound their way along the course. It was amazing. People were chanting "USA...USA...USA..." as they went by. Then the elite runners came flying past. The leader looked really tired, but the second place woman looked strong and in a position to make up the minute gap between first and second place (she ended up coming very close - within 1 second, but ended up second).

Soon after the women, I got to see the elite men... including Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Hall.

My first real job interview.... over the phone

On Friday, April 16, 2010, I had my first official real job interview, over the phone...! I received an e-mail earlier in the week saying a position had opened up at Forest Ridge in Bellevue. Having been raised by two wonderful parents who taught me always to call and write thank-you notes, as soon as I received the e-mail asking me to participate in a phone interview I called the Head of the Middle School. The outcome of the conversation was that they wanted to move my interview ahead so that if necessary they could fly me out to Seattle for an interview!

I hung up, with a looming interview for the coming Friday.... Hoping I could WOW them with my personality, good looks (too bad they couldn't see me), and stunning intellect, I set off to conquer every possible interview question known to mankind.

Friday came around, slowly but surely, and I felt prepared and ready to take on the world. Ok, maybe not that quite dramatic, but you get the point. After a great 45 minute phone interview, the conversation ended with me being asked to fly home to meet with them personally! Holy smokes! I had become ok with the understanding that I wouldn't be going home until the middle of May, and now I was actually flying home, free of charge, in less than 3 days! Yikessss!

I packed my bags, laid out my best clothes, accidentally drove to New Hampshire when I was really trying to go a town just north of Boston to get my evidence binder from my supervisor... yes, it's a true story - my sense of direction failed me, which is rare, and I set off for the West Coast Best Coast (again, this is true).

I flew in late Monday night and my own bed was AMAZING. I got to play with the cutest little Leila, hang with the family, go for a run around Greenlake, get my haircut (a bigger deal than it may appear at first sight), see Jacquelyn... and oh yes, I was there for an interview.

I was oddly calm, yet secretly my stomach was in knots. I was quietly nervous, but I also felt fairly confident. I was teaching about resources in Latin America and designed a lesson to focus on Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Long story short, I loved the school and left feeling as though I absolutely rocked the interview. Apparently they thought so too, because a mere 6 days later I got a phone call telling me I landed the job! My first real job, at an incredible school, and in Seattle! Amazing! I couldn't be more excited, and I feel like it is absolutely the right place for me to be right now. The best part is, I will get to coach! Even though it is a small school with not much of a running team, it will be great to see what I can piece together!

Late Thursday night I begrudgingly headed back to Boston.... I had 2 weeks left of teaching to power through and two weeks left of classes... Lovely. The upside? Andrew and Courtney were flying in the next night to spend the weekend in Boston with yours truly :)

Easter Weekend

Alright, so.... I am a bit behind in the blogging world, but it's hard keeping up with the craziness of life that has been going on. Get excited, sit back, relax, and enjoy some (hopefully entertaining reads).

Easter weekend took me back to Martha's Vineyard. It was a MUCH needed break from school and a MUCH needed break from the world of Boston. Before I can begin the events of the weekend, I think it is essential to explain the week prior...

A student in one of my sections had recently been having several issues with outbursts of anger, frustration, and disrespect (read as: he was being a complete punk). One day in class, he was being the most annoying creature ever. He was tapping his pen, drawing in his book, slamming his chair, moving his desk, blah blah blah. I told him an exuberant number of times to STOP. No, no, no, that would be too simple. He chose instead to stick his face in his book while reading and play drums on his desk. After class I told him the next day he would only receive one warning and then get a JUG. This was much to his dislike and he clearly had no problem telling me so... mister smarty pants mouthed off to me, but whatever, I was over it. Clearly, however, he was definitely NOT.

The next day in class, he would not sit down. He was arguing with his "friend" Harry over who sat where. I said to them "you little brats, work out your issues later, sit down, and shut up". Ok, so maybe it didn't happen quite like that, but I wish it had. Bottom line, he still would not listen, so I warned him, he turned, yelled "WHAT? That's so unfair, this is bull", threw his book at my feet, turned around, and according to everyone else's understanding, but luckily not heard to my little ears, said "F***ing B**ch"... Awesome. Glad I could help. The kid got suspended.

That being said, I took off on Thursday afternoon for Martha's Vineyard. The sun was shining, the weekend was supposed to be glorious, and I had a backpack full of work that I could finally sit down to work on. I had an awesome time, again, with Colleen and her family. We sat outside in the sun, had lunch outside, I went for some runs, I had my traditional night at the bars with her son.... awkward. I am beginning to feel out of place in the bars we go to. I dress for the fancy bars that I want to go to downtown, where the boys where button-ups and boat shoes. That's more my type. As evidenced by my clothes consisting of: a J-Crew ruffled shirt, a sweater, and my Tory Burch shoes.... hmmmm... Didn't find any of this at the bar we were at. And, don't worry, for all you out there wondering, I did indeed get to be the designated driver, yet again.

All in all, it was a fun, relaxing weekend. Beautiful weather, good company, and I got lots of work done, surprisingly. I can't wait to take Mom there in May! The shopping downtown looks amazing!!!

Building an Arc....

The great flood seems to have come again. Who knew 2010 would be the year for the East Coast to flood away. I am currently seeking donations of wood, money, and food to build a necessary boat to stay afloat and dry during this weather. Well.... at least a decent, wind-durable, dry, user-friendly, extra large, umbrella would do alright, I guess.

All jokes aside, Boston is really flooding people. The streets are flooding, as in the sides of the road are gushing water, cars are spewing it ten feet in the air when they drive through it. The parks are water logged, as in they are now ponds for the ducks to swim in - sorry, no more spring league baseball kids, we are starting a swimming pool club at the park instead. The street drains and man holes have become over taken by water.... too much to handle, so there is only one place for the water to go... up. Old Faithful has now relocated to the Boston streets.... come one and all to see it spew... go to any major intersection, bring rain boots, a rain coat, a water proof camera, and a working umbrella (see notes on umbrella requirements above).

You might as well soap up, shampoo your hair, and walk outside for your shower. After my run tonight, my feet were prune-y from being inside my "shoes turned lakes".... I had to wring my clothes out dry in the bathtub, I had to fill my shoes with newspaper... My windows are leaking water from all angles, the apartment main door is dripping constantly - thus drenching and soaking the carpet (this is a separate story to mention what a lovely, fantastic, user-friendly, clean, and up-beat, apartment building I live in... NOT). Every time I leave to go walk outside, you think one would learn after the first time that the door holds water and when you open it, that water splashes all over you... nope, definitely haven't caught on yet. Every single darn time I open the door it dumps all over me... too bad no one is here to laugh at me... OH BROTHER.

Walking to the gym this morning I was wearing long pants, running shoes, a long sleeve shirt, and a rain coat. I had a bag packed with extra clothes and socks because I knew it would be wet... But, the bag was going to soak through, so I had to put the backpack on, then my rain coat. It looked like I was pregnant out my back... fashion loses all statement when it rains like this... there is simply nothing you can do to prevent yourself from looking like a wet, soaking wet, soaking soaking wet dog when you go outside... even the hood can't protect you. It was not a pretty day for me.

Mother... I owe you one. The rain boots may, just may have been a worthy purchase...

Here's to some dry weather... (they say it's supposed to last until Tuesday morning, and then rumor has it, the sun might actually make an appearance... I'll let you know, but until then, STAY DRY.)

Martha's Vineyard

This week was mid-winter break at the high school, so I decided to treat myself to a little vacation. My mom's close childhood friend from Yakima moved out to Martha's Vineyard almost 35 years ago and still lives there. I have heard amazing things about the island and how beautiful it is, so I decided to head over that way for a long weekend to stay with Colleen and her family. Getting there was surprisingly easy and thankfully it didn't take too long, however, the journey was certainly not without entertainment. The easiest and most efficient way to get to Martha's Vineyard is to take the bus from South Station in downtown Boston. Taking the "T" downtown with bags has never been my most favorite part of traveling, as experienced through numerous trips to the airport, but I must say, my time spent at South Station took the cake on this trip for its absurdity. From the South Station "T" stop, you have to walk underground to the train station, which is fairly nice and clean, then you walk through the train station, to the back, reject land, through all the construction supplies, to the spot known as the bus depot. Oh... the bus depot. I was traveling on a bus known as Peter Pan/Bonanza Bus lines... but to get to that ticketing office you past all the other bus companies, including, but not limited to; Lucky Star Bus, Bolt Bus, and my personal favorite, Fung Wah, yes, I said, Fung Wah Bus Company. It is rumored to smell like fish inside... hmmm.

As I waited for my bus to arrive, I set my bags down on a bench next to this lady - mistake number 1. As she proceeded to eat her greasy McDonald's hamburger, I noticed her large stack of bags that were not packed very well as clothes were protruding out of the zippers like pieces of seaweed, not to mention the large, black, yard waster bag that was full of clothes. She came up to me after she finished eating and said "Would you like to finish my french fries? I don't want them anymore"... ummmm NO LADY, but thanks??? Gross. I think I have a sign attached to my forehead that screams tell me about yourself... I would love to hear all about what your life is about because that always seems to happen to me; this time was no exception. She was wearing light wash 1984 style jeans which were smashed into her bright, red, ugly, suede boots, and worst of all, when she stood up to stretch, her pants were not only unzipped, but also unbuttoned - probably the result of that nasty, fattening hamburger she had just eaten - not to mention the crop top she was wearing at age 45. blahhhhhh. Needless to say, she was a total nut.

After a relatively, short and easy bus ride (1 hour 45 min), I took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. The ferry departed from Woods Hole (located on Cape Cod), one of the most well known oceanographic institutes in the world. The water, the coast, and the ferry ride were beautiful! Martha's Vineyard is only about 100 sq. miles - so it is very accessible all the way around - we drove the whole island in just a few hours. Also, an interesting side note, it is shaped like a cowboy hat, here is a map of the island: (Colleen lives in Vineyard Haven on the upper North-east(ish) side)

Here are also some pictures:

The harbor at Woods Hole, on Cape Cod - where the ferry leaves from

Looking at Woods Hole - Lighthouse on the Cape

On the ferry

Looking back at the "West Chop" from the ferry boat

Colleen and her younger son Darren met me on the other side - it was so exciting to finally meet them. They were so nice and welcoming to me. Their house was beautiful - it is located in Vineyard Haven, one of 6 towns on the island. It is on the northern side of the island, right by a small lake that connects right to the ocean. It was such a beautiful area. Their home felt like a real home - by that I mean, I felt like I could just relax and sit on the couch, watch tv, and be comfortable. It was so nice to escape the school scene for a little while.

The three of them, Colleen, Shaun, and Darren, took me on a tour of the island - we went to every town, and every corner, saw every lighthouse, and every beach. The island is absolutely amazing and beautiful - not to mention the amazing, gorgeous homes that are there, and their famous inhabitants; such as the homes of Carly Simon, Walter Cronkite, Jackie Onassis, The Douglas family (of McDonald-Douglas airplanes), the CEO of JetBlue, numerous television, movie stars, politicians, and producers. It was unbelievable. The amount of land that people own is insane. Land is very valuable there (duhhh) and there are many farms and agricultural spaces, surprisingly, there are not that many homes, and the homes that exist are very spread out for the most part. It was really quite quaint. The island in the winter is quite calm and mellow, as only about 20,000 residents live there, yet in the summer it has quite a different feeling - much more crowded to say the least.

Two of my favorite towns were the historic town of Edgartown - it is a very traditional town, with almost all white or Cape Cod style homes (faded-grey shingle homes.... that are lovely), and the fishing village of Menemsha. In Edgartown, the streets are beautiful, the homes are amazing, nothing gaudy, the storefronts are so cute, and there is a little 3 car ferry that takes about 5 minutes to reach the infamous inlet of Chappaquidick - the site of the Ted Kennedy crash years ago. Colleen told me that several years ago when Gramma came to visit she thought the bridge where the crash occurred was so unique that she actually broke off a piece of the wood to take home... hmmm. oh gramma! Menemsha is a fishing village of the northern side of the island that has a beautiful beach and the cutest harbor for fishing boats!

The view from Walter Cronkite's home in Edgartown - we snuck onto the property... he also has a building on his property that was built in the 1870s that was built strictly as a bowling alley - it is a long skinny building with an old fashioned alley in it

Walter Cronkite's home in Edgartown

The cute little fishing town of Menemsha and Menemsha Beach - these are the lobster boats

Colleen and I at Menemsha Beach

Looking East on Menemsha Beach

Menemsha Beach - the beach faces NW looking straight at the Elizabeth Islands

We also saw the famous cliffs of Aquinnah, which have continue to erode farther and farther back each year because of the water, wind, and rain. They are beautiful cliffs, however, and the lighthouse has been preserved - they move it back periodically as well. The lighthouses are something else - they are so interesting to see! The north and the south shores of the island are very, very different. One has colder water and a rocky coast (the north), while the south has warmer water (at least in the summer) and a beautiful, sandy beach. The south shore seemed more like the ocean - it gets the water right from the Atlantic - whereas the north shore gets the water and cold wind from the Northeastern coast of the US. The south shore was amazing - with it being winter and no one there, the beach was empty. Just sand all around you, waves hitting the shore, and a beautiful, sunny day. It was incredible. So pretty.

Looking south towards the South beach from the Aquinnah Clay Cliffs

The Aquinnah clay cliffs (you can see the erosion) - looking NW towards the Elizabeth Islands and Cape Cod)

South beach

South beach

South beach

Looking east towards Chappaquiddick from South beach

The south beach looking west - beautiful sandy beach!

And then the North side....

Lambert's Cove

Colleen on Lambert's Cove

Lambert's Cove

Lambert's Cove - on the North side of the Island

Lambert's Cove

View from Lambert's Cove

View from Vineyard Haven

Here are a few others from Oak Bluffs:

The light house in Oak Bluffs

These homes are known as the gingerbread homes....

The campgrounds in Oak Bluffs - these houses all look like dollhouses and they were built on an old campground - the owners own the houses, but not the land - it is owned by a Methodist group. You used to have to be Methodist to live there.

I didn't want the weekend to end, but after enjoying my time there, watching the Olympics, seeing the island, experiencing the nightlife - a story in and of itself - purchasing a super cute sweatshirt, and enjoying some home cooked food (not to mention A LOT of chocolate chip cookies), I had to make the trek back to Boston. I can guarantee you, though, that I will be going back soon :)

Colleen and her sons were such incredible people. They were so hospitable to me and I had such a wonderful time. It was so nice to finally meet them (at least that I can remember) and to hear her tell stories of she and mom growing up. I am planning on going back again soon this spring, and even better, Mom is going to come and visit and I can't wait for her to see Colleen and the island - it is a place that Mom will LOVE.

February Snow

While the weather has certainly been cold lately, I have been slightly disappointed by the lack of snow. Last week, school was cancelled on Wednesday in anticipation of a major snowstorm that was supposed to hit Boston... only the snow never came. (Not complaining though - I enjoyed the day off of school) I wasn't holding out much hope when the weatherman said snow was supposed to hit Boston on Tuesday (yesterday), except I awoke yesterday to a dusting of snow on the ground and some serious snow still falling. I quickly went for a run before the ground was too covered to get a good run in, and it was so pretty outside (minus the pelting snow that was hitting my face because of the wind). Throughout the morning the snow just kept coming... the sidewalks were slowly disappearing and it was coming down hard and fast. I had to venture to the post-office yesterday, and all I can say, is it was a good thing I had some red rain boots!! It was really pretty outside and I think overall there was about 4 inches. Not as much as I thought there would be, but a good enough amount!

The parking lot outside my apartment building...

There was one sad, traumatic moment yesterday despite the beautiful snow. A few years back I bought the CUTEST orange stripped umbrella at Banana Republic on sale in San Diego when I was there visiting Kelly. The umbrella has served me well and been a trusty partner through the treacherous rain storms that flash out of nowhere. I was also so proud of my little orange umbrella because it never flipped inside out in the wind... it was a great little guy. Then, two weeks ago, my first Monday back, we had the most obnoxious, dreadful, and insane rain storm. It was windy, rainy, and made for some miserable weather. Poor little orange struggled in the storm and had a few problems - but I didn't think the problems were extensive until yesterday when I went to use trusty orange in the snow.... I opened it up, and look what I was left with :( It was a sad day... and now I need a new umbrella!!

Last night, I did get the opportunity to go meet Don Delisi for dinner in Cambridge. He is in Boston for the day and flew in last night. I was a little nervous his flight might get cancelled because of the snow, but he made it in, and I took the bus to meet him at a great little Tex-Mex restaurant, Border Cafe. It was so fun to see him and he is so great to talk to!! This weekend I am off to Martha's Vineyard to stay with Colleen Patrick, Mom's friend from Yakima. I am really excited to go and I will post pictures when I get back on Sunday!

Boston Indoor Games!

Every year there are two, big, well-known indoor track meets (besides that national and the world meets) on the professional running circuit. The first is the Milrose Games, which take place in New York City, and the second meet is the Boston Indoor Games, right here in Boston (duh...). The meet is located at a facility called the Reggie Lewis Center, on the campus of Roxbury Community College. This year, the meet in Boston was on February 6, 2010... and I was lucky enough to get to go. My friend Katharine, who I run with sometimes work with at Boston College High School, got 2 tickets for us to go.... I was really excited!

Having only really been to one indoor facility, the Dempsey Indoor at the University of Washington, it was really interesting and exciting to see another indoor meet. This particular track is raised, 200 meters, and the curves are banked. Although I am definitely a little bias, the distance events seemed to be the highlight of the meet. They were certainly expected to be the most exciting, especially as Bernard Lagat (the gold medalist in the 2004 Athens Olympics in both the 1500 m and the 5000 m - the only individual to ever double and win gold in both events) had announced that he was going to attempt to break the American Indoor Record in the 5000 m (13:18). The facility has a really exciting atmosphere, and because all the events happen in such a small space, the place feels crowded and really energetic, not to mention the stands were right on the edge of the track - you were so close to the action!! Because of the short track, the 60 m sprints take place on the infield.

(On a side note... the athlete in pink is Ginny Powell, she is a graduate of Rainier Beach High School in Seattle - she runs the hurdles)

The sprint races were really exciting to watch, especially the 400 m and the 200 m, which were run on the track, but because of the short, intensity of the track, footing and timing was of the essence for these athletes.... one wrong step and you were toast. Several athletes got tripped up and the races were very physical.

The distance races included the women's 1000 m, with athletes such as Anna (Willard) Pierce, a 2008 Olympian, the men's mile, with Nick Willis, an New Zealander (Olympian) who won, the women's 3000 m, with Shannon Rowbury, also an Olympian (she ran at the UW invite just this past weekend also)...

The girl in pink is Shannon Rowbury.... (in case you care....) :)

And the men's and women's 5000 m. The men's 5000 m was perhaps the most exciting race of the night. The race was headlined by Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp (U of O graduate and Olympic athlete in 2008). Galen Rupp had the previous American Indoor Record, which he set last year.

Here are some pictures from before the gun went off....

The race started out really slow and for the first 3 k they were off American record pace by about 5 seconds. Then, about 3.5 k the race go SO exciting... Galen Rupp surged to the front and pushed the pace. About 4.5 k Bernard overtook the lead and pushed for the win. It was such an exciting race and the crowd was going nuts. Lagat took the win in 13:11 and Galen was 4th in 13:14 - both were under the old American Indoor Record!!!

One of Mom's favorite runners is Bernard Lagat, so I decided that I would try to get his autograph as he was leaving the track. Since the stands were crowded, it made for an interesting scenario trying to get down to go to the edge of the track to wait for him.... I decided to jump over the railing, which was right in front of us, only to have one leg fall straight into a garbage can... classy.

I did in fact get his autograph - I was one of the first people to get it, and I did in fact also donate my blue sharpie to the cause....

Here are some pictures from the race...

This is when Galen took the lead...

To top off the evening, as we were leaving the stadium at the end of the night, Bernard Lagat was doing some interviews on the field, and he came over to the end of the track to high five some people.... me being ambitious asked him for a picture... he was so friendly and a really nice guy. He is so incredibly talented and he is one of the greatest American distance runners in recent history.