Team Awesome!

This post is a shout-out to my running club, formally known as Team Awesome. 

Team Awesome's origins date from January of 2011, when Amanda and I (strangers at that time) ended up throwing a baby shower for mutual friends of ours (Jake, Mike and William, we miss you!  Come visit Pittsburgh!). 

At some point in the party planning, Amanda and I realized that we were both hoping to run the Pittsburgh Marathon that year, and that our running pace was similar.  We planned on getting together to do some of our longer training runs together, because everyone knows that there's nothing to motivate you to to get your bumpkiss out of bed to go running at 8 am on a (VERY) chilly Sunday morning like knowing that someone is also getting their bumpkiss out of bed and will be waiting on you to get there and run too. 

I had convinced Diego to run with me and train for the marathon in support of Steel City Greyhounds that year.  Since adopting Mugen from SCG, I had become more and more involved with Steel City in their volunteer efforts.  I would often take my boys to meet-and-greets at PetCo or on Walnut Street, and volunteered in the Home & Garden Show as well.  They are such good diplomats of the breed!  So I had that extra motivation to get me out to train for the race as well.  My donors were counting on me to finish!!!

During one of our first training runs together, Amanda brought her friend Katelyn.  Amanda and Katelyn had actually met each other during the Marathon the previous year while each of them was struggling to finish.  They ended up running side by side when they were both struggling through the most difficult part of the race and at the finish, they exchanged contact information and continued to get together for training runs. 

The four of us really clicked, and we ended up spending the rest of the winter getting ready for the race together. 

During that very snowy winter, Diego and I found ourselves really looking forward to those weekly training runs, when we would get to see Katelyn and Amanda, exchange stories of the week, try new sports nutrition, and feel the burn together!  We began to refer to ourselves as a group with the name Team Awesome, because we always felt so awesome when we were hanging out!  As we continued to run together, we each took on various roles in team management and leadership, each according to our different personalities.  I became the vice president of hydration, because I always came with my water belt strapped on.  Katelyn is the VP of sports nutrition (i.e. CANDY CONSUMPTION!), because she would always bring new snacks for us to try.  She is personally responsible for my addiction to sports beans (jelly bellies artfully packaged so that healthy people will buy and consume them).  Diego is the VP of entertainment, because he spends all week saving up crazy stories, news reports, books he's read and funny things that happened to him, to keep us all engaged even during the toughest parts of our runs.  And Amanda is the VP of navigation.  She basically tells us where to run and we follow like sheep.   She is VERY organized and knows lots of great routes around the city and through the parks.  She is the anchor that keeps us all from floating away!  Here's a photo of us at the marathon expo - don't we all look so fit???

With team awesome's help, Diego and I managed to finish the marathon.  Here's a video we took at mile 18, thanking all our generous donors.  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=688705177189&set=vb.4813256&type=2&theater.  Thanks also to my sister Kimmy for her awesome videography skills and for being the captain of the world's best cheer team (with Mugen and Winston)!

This is Diego and I "slappin' da bass" at mile 21, courtesy of very good friend Mark Roberts who ran us in to the finish.

Team Awesome remained leader-less until early 2012, when we finally elected our president.  We had thrown around various options for the preceding year, but never found someone we could settle on unanimously.  Candidates included Barack Obama, Chuck Norris, Angelina Jolie and Jesus, but at the end of the day they were all too unimpressive.  Then Diego, as part of his weekly entertainment series, told us about a planet that was essentially one solid chunk of diamond.  I mean, literally, one solid 14 bazillion carat diamond, just floating out there in outer space.  This diamond planet has the advantage of being gender-neutral, universal and totally, cosmically bad-ass.  So in late January 2012, we unanimously voted that the diamond planet would be the President of Team Awesome.

Our (un)official sponsor is PowerThirst, a make-believe sports beverage that will make your sweat glow so you can throw SWEET RAVE PARTIES and make 400 BABIES who will run like KENYANS!  You'll be uncomfortably energetic!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs.

If you're especially thirsty, check out PowerThirst 2.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-3qncy5Qfk  Unacceptable! You'll win at running, arson, weddings, art, irony!!!!!!!!  TOP SCORE!

We continued to train together after the marathon.  Here are some fun pics of us running together:

February 2012

Montour Trail Run Half Marathon September 2011

We dream of making our very own Team Awesome PowerThirst video, only we are still saving up for the explosives that would require.  We can fill miles worth of conversation brainstorming for new flavor names though.  This past winter and spring have been very busy for Team Awesome, with traveling, pregnancy and some injuries getting in the way of our running addiction, so we have not been doing a lot of running together lately, but we did have a team reunion dinner recently to catch up.  Here's a picture!

Team Awesome truly lives up to their name.  They have all signed on to run the Pittsburgh Marathon next year with me in support of Steel City Greyhounds, in honor of Winston.  So we have a lot of work to do to get ready for next May!!!  They are super-excited for the arrival of the Dragon, who will add more testosterone to the balance (PREPOSTERONE!)  And my Aunt Kitty, Uncle Dave and their gang all pitched in to get Diego and I this super-duper running stroller!  We are all ready to get back onto the horse once he makes his tiny arrival! 

I would also like to thank from the bottom of my heart these other folks who have promised to run for Steel City next year, either the marathon or half marathon:  Oriana Hunter, Kimberly Loux, Alex Parilli, Ana Quintana, and Patty Souza.  You are all champs!  You can do it!  Together we will make Winston proud!

Team Awesome always has room for new members!  (That is if you feel you're up to the hazing process required for admission).  And, if any of you readers out there feels inclined (or a tad crazy), the contact person is Korryn Mozisek; to sign up as a member of the Steel City Greyhound charity marathon team email her at:  scgmarathonteam@gmail.com.

Don't do it for me!  Don't do it for Team Awesome!  Don't even do it for Winston!  Do it for YOU!  You'll feel like a rocket ship made out of BICEPS!

Mugen and Winston in the swimming pool at the end of summer greyhound pool party - August 2010

Walking for Curesearch

Today I am writing about my friends Martina, Emilia, Gaby and Javier Barreiro.  In April of 2011, Martina was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.  She was 14 months old at the time.  The past 15 months have been a challenging time for the Barreiro family.  Martina has undergone two major surgeries, had multiple indwelling catheters placed and has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy.  Despite all the trials, the side effects, the worry, the appointments, she and family have continued to remain amazingly upbeat, positive and energetic.  And, miraculously, all signs of her cancer have disappeared.  She underwent her last chemotherapy in July.

On August 25th, she and her family will be participating in a 5-kilometer walk for Curesearch, a foundation that funds and supports research to diagnose, treat and prevent children's cancers.  Diego, Mugen, the dragon and I will also be walking to support Martina's team.  Please consider a small donation in support of us!  Check out this website to donate.  Click on donate to a person on the right hand side and enter my name, which will take you to my donation page.  Or click on donate to a team and enter Martina's Happy Feet.

http://www.curesearchwalk.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1022699&lis=0&kntae1022699=F9C42AE5886045D8AE4FE395B8CBEE66


I'm considering this the first of my training opportunities for the marathon.  Of course, I can't begin training seriously until after the baby is born.  But I'm trying to keep up my stamina, despite being pretty tired and pretty darn big.  I'm 33 weeks along now, and we had another ultrasound.  The dragon is currently weighing in at just under 6 pounds, still > 95 percentile.  Oh boy.  I almost choked on my gum when the ultrasound tech told me that.

Still, I'm trying to get to at least one prenatal yoga class each week, and also trying to get into the swimming pool, where the extra weight melts away and I can swim laps and feel like my old self again (almost).  And I've been getting on the exercise bike, though Diego has forbidden me from getting on an actual bike because he's afraid I'll crash (such a worrywart!).

Here's a recent pic of me getting ready to go to the gym!

32 1/2 weeks

The good news is that everything looks healthy, we got to see his little heart beating again, and saw his abdomen expand and contract as his diaphragm moves while he practices trying to breathe.  Way to go, little dragon!!!

This past two weeks work has been somewhat slow, so I have had more time to think about and miss Winston.  On Wednesday, when I got home from work, I found this on the kitchen countertop.  Our vet had called us and asked us to come pick it up.  One of the vet techs there made it for us.  It is a beautiful tile mosaic of Winston's name.  We couldn't believe how thoughtful this gesture was.

Winston made an impression on everyone with whom he had contact.  The outpouring of love we experienced when we lost him was more a function of who he was than anything we have ever been or done.    This outpouring has been ongoing.  Everyone who met him loved Winston....what was there not to love?  Here's a picture of the discharge instructions we got for him once after he had his teeth cleaned.  This still makes me laugh!

Winston was a special soul.  When he was good (most of the time) he was VERY, very good, and when he was bad....well, he was AWFUL!  Just like the nursery rhyme.  But we adored him because of it.  I still don't quite understand how that complex, beautiful soul could be...just gone.  And it still surprises me how much it hurts to think about it.  Being faced with death head-on, it launches me into that existential mental swamp of questions - what does it all mean, where does it go, is this really it?  His body was failing him, but we felt his soul there, up until the last second.  What is this thing we use the word "soul" to describe?

Believe me, I realize I'm not the first person to struggle with these questions.  Many more intelligent and famous people have done this before me and come up with various and sundry esoteric non-answers.  Seize the day! is probably what is all comes down to.

This is my moment.  Right now is my reality.  Today my reality consists of my side porch, with the sun peaking in and out of the clouds and a cool breeze blowing across my shoulders, listening to my favorite Pandora station, with my remaining baby, who is never bad.  He loves to hang out on the porch and listen to the cicadas and crickets and birds and watch the butterflies visit our neighbor's flower bushes.  The dragon is sleeping, for now.  Diego's going to grill burgers.  I'm feeling pretty fortunate right now, and pretty satisfied with my current reality....

Mugen on the porch

You're a good boy Mugen, we love you so much!!!

The grillmaster at work!!!

Sweet Home Alabama

This weekend Diego and I took a road trip.  We drove the "mascota" (pet in Spanish, in reference to our Audi TT) down South, a 12 hour drive from Pittsburgh on Friday.  Since Diego went back to school, we had sold the car to my Dad.  It was a nice long drive, and due to an unscheduled detour (oops, the navigator fell asleep!), we got to take the Kentucky Bluegrass Parkway, see a lot of beautiful horse farms and back country corn fields and eat at Cracker Barrel.  Oh, those country corn muffins!  Bless my clogged arteries!

When we turned onto 565-W heading towards Huntsville, we were welcomed home with a rising harvest moon, enormous and rust colored, sitting just above the cotton field horizon with three stringy wisps of clouds floating past it. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it to post here.  I knew we were in the South again.

When we got home, we found my parents, my sister and her good friends Katrin, Dave and Ellie watching the Olympics in my parents' basement.  They may or may not have been approximately 2 sheets to the wind at this time, and yes, Ellie, there was definitely cheese.  It's always good to be home in Huntsville!

The real purpose of going home for the weekend was to attend a baby shower hosted in part by my sister, my mom and some very good friends from my parents' church.  The baby shower was Saturday afternoon, and it was so wonderful to see all my and my parents' church friends, my mom's birthday club group and even some of my old high school friends!  We played a couple of fun baby shower games, ate a delicious meal and opened what seemed like a million presents and cards, wishing us many years of happiness with our new baby.  We felt so fortunate to have such loving and generous friends and family to share our joy with us!  What a fun time we had!  Here are some baby shower pics (thanks Ellie for being paparazzi, Katrin for organizing the mountain of gifts and Kimmy for transcribing like a champ!)

Mrs. Provancha made many of the beautiful Noah's ark-themed decorations by hand.

The gift table (before anyone had even arrived yet!)

Mrs. Wick, Mrs. Mueller, Chrissy Provancha and Louise Provancha Brooks

Kathy Seidler Enberg, Mary Seidler, Karen Rodriguez, Katie Rodriguez Wardman, Ann Wardman, Lin Seidler

Cindy Aulds and Missy Aulds Grayson

Libbie and Elissa Hicks, Vickie Eversmeyer, Kim and Cathy Meeks, Kathy Ontiveros

Mrs. Palm, Mrs. Wingo, Mrs. Shergy, Mrs. Reynolds

Mrs. Reiger, Mrs. Jensen, Mrs. Fakes, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Dana, Mrs. Skrenes

Auntie Kimmy's going to take this one home to practice - she failed the nursery rhyme game!

A selection of some beautiful handmade things by talented members of our church.

Mom and me

That night after the baby shower, we headed back to the house to meet back up with the boys, and take stock of the generosity of all our friends and family.  Truly we have been blessed to be associated with such generous and talented people.  We are so fortunate.  Here are some pics of the time we spent together, including some of the lovely things we received at the shower.

Dave

Katrin, Ellie and Dad

Mom, me and Kimmy - I think at this point the conversation might have turned towards the benefits of epidural anesthesia during labor.

This is Katrin's impression of her shock at discovering this quilt was handmade!

Diego's favorite shower gift - the monkey with the devil scream.

Auntie Kimmy is going to be such a good influence on the little dragon!

Dave - looks like promising daddy material!

One of Dad's favorite places to be!  Mmmmm....mouthwatering teriyaki steak.

A ladybug decided he wanted to say Hi! to the dragon.  

The next day as we got ready to go, we took some family pics in my parents' driveway.  It's always sad to leave sweet home Alabama.

Have you ever seen two more excited first time grandparents-to-be???

I miss Huntsville.  The pace of life is slower there.  There are no car horns (you would think).  The people are gentle.  There is always an attempt made to be polite and pleasant.  People make you feel like you are part of their family.  Maybe we will get back there some day for good... but if not, I want to carry the spirit of Huntsville in my heart with me forever, the spirit of hospitality, of gathering people close over taco dip and chicken salad, of fanning yourself with a church bulletin while you sip sweet tea or lemonade over ice and talk about how all those teenage youth group boys you were so worried about have grown up into fine young men, and maybe we shouldn't have been so worried after all.  Huntsville reminds me to be gracious, patient, generous, loving, tolerant.  No matter where I go in this world, I want to take Huntsville with me and share it with all the poor lost souls out there.