Just too funny to be mad

Have you ever had one of those moments where you really want to be mad at your kids because in all reality they just made your life more complicated? But then you realize that the situation and what has actually transpired makes you laugh, and not just a chuckle but that deep down laugh that makes your really sore abs from yesterday's enthusiastic workout really start to hurt again? Yeah. I had one of those moments tonight.
I was sitting with Ricki helping her with her volunteer grading work for Brigen's teacher (not sure how that works) when I heard the scamper of small feet dash across our bedroom directly overhead. Weird because I know all the kids were asleep. Deciding it would be wise to investigate I took a stroll up the stairs just in time to see Krevan dash across the landing and into his bedroom. Now you should know that Krevan has sleeping issues like me and sometimes he simply wakes up. I followed him into his room and noticed that he had what looked to be a death grip on his ... Ahem ... nether-regions. Now it isn't altogether unusual fir him to wake up late and need to use the bathroom. But something strange was afoot and I still wasn't sure what he was doing running around the upstairs. Sometimes Krevan just does things ... And I'm not always entertained by them. So I ask him "Kre, buddy, do you need to go potty?" he turns, looks at me and I realize something. His eyes are wide and he has this really cute not quite there look in his eyes tinged with a mild panic. "Yes" he says so I get into motion. Two quick steps and I'm in the bathroom, the nightlight is on and the toilet seat is up. But no Krevan. Confused I step back out of the bathroom and Krevan is not in the hallway nor is he in his room. I immediately head back to my bedroom since that is where I Belfast him in the first place but I notice him standing in the guest bedroom. Huh? Now he is using what looks to be a sort of tourniquet technique. Well beyond the pee-dance stage instinct has kicked in and Kre is doing everything he can to stop the flow. Unfortunately is just isn't enough. I ask him again "Kre, you need to use the bathroom?" and that is when I hear the sound. A kind of saturated fabric dripping. I grab Kre run him to the bathroom and set him in front of the toilet because clearly his navigational systems were not booting up correctly. I figured his pants were a lost cause so I head to his room for clean undies and pants. When I get back to the bathroom my overly keen senses detect something amiss. Kre is still in the bathroom, the toilet seat is up and Kre looks to be still. He turns his head and I realize that the engine has not been started. Cute kid, he's just still in la-la land. Which would explain why he hadn't bothered to drop his pants. He had to pee, I told him to pee - he was just being a good soldier, albeit a bit comatose. Now standing in the results of too few processors running and a direct order from Dad to pee Krevan gave me that look. Just step back and take it all in. Krevan, pants fully drawn, toilet seat up and the makings of our own water park. Sigh. All I could do was laugh. Poor kid. Now he is safe back in a warm bed with dry clothes and probably won't even remember it in the morning. And all I can think about his big blue eyes, vacant of expression staring back at me with that "what?" look.

Griswolds we are not ...

We didn't go crazy, but plan to add on a bit next year. The kids love the lights and our neighborhood does quite a bit of decorating so the boys are glad that theirs isn't the only house without lights. I'm thinking about building a star for our outside tree. It sadly looks as if someone decapitated the top foot of it and I think a star would help. When we get it done I'll post a new picture.

Miscommunication At Its Best

I've been meaning to tell this story for a while. For his birthday Brig really wanted to get a lava lamp. Grandma and Grandpa Angus sent him one (pictured below) and he loved it. He couldn't wait to turn it on and watch the manic happen. Of course anyone who has owned a lava lamp knows that it takes several hours to heat up and work as it should.
So for the first time we set it up the evening of his party. Occasionally he and his guests would storm the stairs and check it out. But, those visits were few and far between. He failed to really catch the process of the lamp heating up. Well, a night or two later I was sitting on the couch after what felt like a very long day. Needless to say I was tired. Brig was in bed and we had switched on the light just when he went to bed. While sitting on the couch I hear someone moving quickly upstairs and the trampling down the stairs. Brig bursts onto the scene of my relaxation and in a panic stricken voice tells me that something very bad has happened. "My lava lamp blew up!" it was both panic and despair wrenching his little heart and it was pure panic that drove me to hurtle the couch and sprint up stairs. I was envisioning broken glass, spilled hot fluids and possible fire hazards. I feel I'm pretty strong running up stairs but let me tell you I think I cleared the staircase in two steps. Much to my relief I found the lamp intact and in the condition you see below. Brig had seen lava lamps start and when they were going, but not in-between. Well when the lamp first starts the heavy material is in a block at the bottom. As it starts to heat up is basically melts and for a short time looks like this. Then it breaks up and starts flowing. I told Brig this while at the same time trying to shut down the million year old instinct of pure adrenaline pulsing through my veins in the case of emergency. Now every night he looks forward to the lamp "exploding" and tries to pick out shapes in it. Good times.

Our Little Climber

It is funny how each child tends to gravitate to their own activities. For instance, we are sitting at Kre's soccer practice where he is busily engaged in throwing the dirt clods left over from the aeration that has just been performed on the lawn. Brig is doing something similar, lobbing clods as far as he can - only occasionally hitting people. Keelyn on the other hand is single-mindedly practicing her hanging strength. She's been at this for about 15 minutes.

My Hot Ladies

Just thought I'd share a bit of the beauty in my life.

Why I Run

Why do I run? I'm asked this question even more often than "How do you run that far?" but not quite as often as I hear "I get tired driving that far" or some derivation thereof. So, I've always felt some sense of obligation to answer the question. I have never felt that I've really found a satisfactory answer for people who ask the question or really, for myself. But like so many things I keep doing it because I know it is good for me, I enjoy it and because someday I will discover a fulfilling answer. Today may be that day. And it is simple - as good things should be. I run because while I run I can see my own potential and it is always positive. I have never been on a run and thought to myself "Bard, you're going nowhere." I'm always going somewhere when I'm running. And I always see where I can go when I'm running. It is a meditation where I always see myself achieving something great. Finishing a race, achieving something in my personal life, doing something good in a relationship, fulfilling a life goal - you get the idea. Always good, even if it is only that I'm continuing to make forward progress when all the forces are against me. Running is the fermentation dish where good thoughts and self actualization breed. So run, spend time running easy enough to think good thoughts and see yourself going places.

Still Funny

Several years ago, when I first started my commute to Washington for work, I often found myself exploring new trails to run around Sammamish, Issaquah, and Redmond. On one particular day I was enjoying the warmth of a sunny day and the soft dirt that makes up most of their densely wooded trails when I was suddenly and without provocation attacked by a malicious - bloodthirsty owl. It is a funny story. However, ever since the incident whenever the Halloween decorations come out I find myself eating off the owl plate. Ricki smiles (and chuckles) every time and I do mean every time she hands it to me. I don't get a choice of plates, no matter what - I get the owl plate.

I hope the owl still laughs about it.

32 Years/32 Miles

I have started what some would consider simply an act of lunacy. On my birthday I run my years of age in miles. This year was by far the most difficult, but not just because it is one mile longer than last year. For some reason this year I simply have not been running the long mileage that I have in past years. Still, I really wanted to maintain the tradition. So I set out early Tuesday morning with clear expectations to finish. The run itself is a celebration of life and all of the possibilities. This years run seemed to embody my life as a whole. The run was difficult to start but pure stubbornness kept me going. Some miles seemed to fly by in a blur while some miles seemed to last forever. Uphill sections slowed me to a crawl and I got to cruise a few downhill sections. There were scenic overlooks where I stopped to enjoy the view and hot pavement where I simply kept running. There were a few points where I stopped to consider just what the heck I was doing and a few places where family members helped me keep going. It seems to me that running is a lot like life and long runs emphasize the similarities. So this week I'm continuing the journey, both in life and in my running. I hope anyone reading this gets to celebrate life with enthusiasm.

Mountain Time - Tour de Lakes

Today a good friend and I took off to the mountains to enjoy the amazing trails that are so close by. We ran the Tour de Lakes, a beautiful loop through a section of Rocky Mountain National Park. We hit the loop counter-clockwise seeing Bierstadt Lake, Cub Lake, Fern Lake, Fern Falls, Odessa Lake, Grace Falls, and Bear Lake. From there it was just a short hop back to Bierstadt and the trail head. It started dry but we ended up running through about two hours of rain. It didn't really bother me being July, but of course, as it was my first trip of the year into the high mountains I didn't bring my jacket. Duh. So I spent some time wet but eventually the clouds broke and we enjoyed the sunshine and some amazing views. The mountains were fantastic, flowers were out, and water was high. The falls were all raging, and we were nearly run off the trail by a moose. What a day. A bit over 15 miles, nearly 4k feet of climbing with about the same of decent. I've added some technical information so you can see the route and elevation plus some pictures. This is why I live in Colorado.

Lunchtime break in Colorado. A little warm, but fantastic trail running.