Cheryl Brings Home The Bling In The Reeds Lake Run.

What a day.   There is much to chat about so pull up a chair and pour a beer.   Preferably a J.D. Dundee's Honey Brown like I currently am drinking.   It's going to be an exciting ride.





So,  Cheryl ran the Reed's Lake Run today.   I should say Run(s),   because she ran a 5 K followed by a 10 K.   Supposedly there was not going to be a finisher's medal for this race, so if Cheryl wanted to get something for the trophy wall, she had to win an age group award.  And that was going to be tough!  Because there were quite a few decent runners at these two races.    The Best she had hoped for was third place in the 10K,  given last year's results.

So,  with a little bit of determination,   we headed out this morning and prepared for war!   Or I should say:   A really uncertain, hard race.    Cheryl's Family was going to catch us for the 10 K, but the 5K stared too early.   Cheryl and I were on our own.   I should note that the first thing I noticed on the way to the start line were the Kenyans in the Superfly Nike shoes!

  The competition was going to be tough! Any race Kenyans show up for means you can kiss the first couple of slots goodbye.  Luckily,  there were only 2 females in the mix.   And they might not have been in Cheryl's age group.



As the race progressed,  I managed to catch her at several points along the route.   She was doing well and seemed o be near the front, though there were certainly a number of women ahead of her (including the two Kenyans!)  I raced towards the finish line.



Upon finishing,  she discovered that there was, indeed, a Finisher's Medal.   She was very excited.   at this same time,  we linked up with her family and chatted about the 5K and all the little things that happened.   Turns out,   she had missed a new PR for the 5K by only a 10 seconds!  She was fairly confident she was going to get some type of age group award.

About an hour after the 5K started,  the 10K was supposed to kick off.   This time, I had a small Cheering Squad to help me motivate Cheryl on.    She though there was a high probability that she would not do as well  running the 10K after running the 5K so fast.   We all braced for her to crash and burn on the longer distance after burning up all her energy earlier.   But we were wrong....

No only did she perform well,   she finished near the time to actually win another age group award.   She was very excited as we cheered her on  near the finish line.

After finishing and gathering her second Finisher's Medal,   Cheryl checked out the results from the 5K.   Turns out she had, indeed, won an age group award.    Second place!   Second only to "Super Girl"   The female who won all the awards last year.

After killing a little more time,  they posted the 10K results and Cheryl discovered she had won another age group award!   This time  FIRST PLACE!    Turns out, "Super Girl" had won the overall Master's and Cheryl went from second place to first place.   Again,   she was second only to "Super Girl"  but this time she won the first place in her age group because "Super Girl" got promoted!   Hey!   First place is still a win in my book...


So,   With the 4 medals  ( 4 MEDALS!) ,  we linked up with the Fam at the only logical place to celebrate such  an awesome performance:  Krispy Kreme Donuts!

Cheryl was practically drooling and licking the glass as the freshly made donuts rolled by.   To get in the festive spirit,   we donned on the Krispy Kreme Hats.   The entire Fam join in on the fun.  We shared stories and did all that "family stuff" that families do after the Oldest daughter wins 4 Medals. ( 4 MEDALS!)  and then we headed off to the next mark.

After a shower and change of clothes,  we headed to Andy and Tonya's for some video games and  kitten play time.   ( Sorry,  no pictures. but those cats are so friendly and fun.)  and then back to Cheryl's Parents. 

A cookout,  swapping of the stories,   wrestling with the "Smart TV",  and general catching up of events pretty much sums up the remainder of the day.   There were lawn darts,  Nerf footballs, Burned s'mores, Burned Burgers,  and room temperature food.   Overall:  a great time!   And best of all,  Cheryl won 4 Medals.  ( 4 MEDALS!) to add to her "Most Awesome Wife and Oldest Daughter That Runs" wall.  I can't wait to display them and tell everyone I know, including the total strangers I encounter in the HyVee later.    I'm sure they will be impressed.

So that is all from Michigan.   We not only cleared the hurdle of running the races and entertaining the Fam,   we also are bringing home 4 Medals.  (4 MEDALS!)  when we thought there was a possibility,   nay,  a high PROBABILITY, that we may come home with nothing.   But Cheryl pulled through and won  us fame, fortune, and the highly prized  recognitions that she so richly  deserves.  Chery's Dad says it's because she is "Iowa Corn Fed"    Like eating a cob of corn will make all the difference... Who knows?  Perhaps there is something in the water of Iowa... But chances are that will NOT improve your run.   It could also be the shoes,  but there were a number of other people wearing the shoes today,  and Cheryl still managed to beat them all!   Yeah!

Well,  the Beer is gone and I'm exhausted!  Time to wrap this up and get some shut-eye.   There will be a long drive tomorrow, and I really want to be alert for the drive home.   Thanks for stopping in and hopefully everyone is having an equally Awesome Weekend.    See ya then!

Crossing The Mid-west For Races. Happy Summer Solstice.

Greetings from Michigan!   Yes...  Michigan.   Pure, refined, Michigan.   You might remember that we left (fled) this state about 9 years ago and I once vowed never to return...yet here I am.   So much for vows and stuff.  ( I also made a vow of silence once,   that didn't last very long either.)

Ok,  Enough of the comedic drama.  We have certainly been here before and lived to tell the tale.   But what could possibly bring us here at this time of year this time?    Family?  Money?   Fame?   Stupidity?  Well,  none of the above....  We are here for Cheryl to race.   ( Or the stupidity reason in a semi-different form....)



Actually,  two races!   She has a 5K in the early morning, followed by a 10K immediately after (about an hour after the 5K starts.... Better Hurry walkers!)    We crossed three states and braved dangerous highways just so Cheryl can run a 5+10 K  Talk about a huge ego!  Will she stop at nothing for her quest to run?



The Packet pickup was in the wealthy and wonderful Reeds Lake middle school.  It's a nice section of Grand Rapids if you ever want to check it out.   Here,   Pictures from Monet's paintings can still be found to be real.   Check out the Sailboats on Reeds Lake.

The race is going to start early tomorrow.   And we are an hour behind Michigan time... so that means we will have to get up even earlier than what we are used to.   Not to mention it is currently 9:30 P.M. and we have to get some Shut-eye and wash off some of this road dust before the big event.    So...I should make this a quick post and save the rest for Tomorrow. 

Before signing off,   we did visit the fam while we were here.  I guess Family is one of the other reasons for the visit.... But it was secondary!  ( just kidding...jus kidding...  kind of.   Maybe. You should really as Cheryl about that one.)   We had a good walk and a good talk.   Sometimes it is fun catching up on things.    They will be there tomorrow.. Maybe.   You will have to ask them about that one.
 So I'll be signing off and give you the results tomorrow.  See ya then!

Painting The Iowa Sky.

70% chance.   Good thing we finished
our bike ride. 

Just before the rain. 

 Yesterday,  there was a 70% chance of rain.   And it did!   Luckily,  we had just completed our run before the downpour.   And then it rained on and off pretty much the entire rest of the day.   Sometimes getting rather noisy with the thunder and wind and stuff. 

Attempting a pic on the
ride. 

But after the rain had died down....  just before sunset,   The Iowa Sky turns to Fire! 

Around 8:30 PM.   The Sky turns to fire!   

I think the Correct color is
"Misty Dawn" 

The clouds reflect odd shades.

That is a very simple way to describe the colors.   The truth is that it is a color somewhere between purple and fuschia.   And everything in your yard that you thought was a certain color,  now turns to an odd shade of pink or purple.   It is very difficult to capture on a camera unless you fixphoto the picture.   I found that flooding the picture to the max with color gets as close as it appears to our eyes.

The fading light shows off a Rainbow. 

Cheryl watches the sun set with Hiro. 

So I had to snap several dozen pictures trying to make sure I could focus in the dim and dying light, while also hoping to capture that awesome color.   This happens several times before here in Iowa.  Normally on an overcast summer day when the sun dips below the clouds just before sunset.   My guess is the clouds reflect the red light and mess with the wavelength of the beam... Causing the strange and awesome color variations.  Also it actually brightens up the outside moments before total darkness.   A wonderfully strange phenomenon.  There was even a rainbow!

Sunny, but not too warm. 

Cheryl on the Run. 

Other than that,   we did run Cheryl's 7 miles and visited the farmer's Market in Iowa City.   Not much Produce there yet, but it certainly seemed busy.  Mostly crafters and bakers at the moment.   I made sure to grab my favorite eggrolls from the Eggroll King.   (They are the best!)

Checking out the Parade of Pride-ness. 

Speaking of "Rainbows",  in case you are not aware,  I guess this is "Pride Month"   Where we are celebrating people's sexual orientation and their ability to dress up in confusing attire.  Iowa City, being all things accepting, was having a "Rainbow Parade/Fair"   in the downtown area.   Being so close to the event, we decided to check it out.  I wanted to see what the "Rainbow Comunity" had to offer in the form of crafties.

Uh, No thanks.   We are just here for the Food.

Imagine my disappointment when there were a number of booths but they offered nothing for sale!   What kind of Fair is this?   Each tent has a couple of people sitting at a table reading books.   My guess is that they were registering people to join various "clubs" in the community.  Being rather anti-social and unaffiliated,   we decided to pass on the literature and secret handshakes.  I did find it funny that it managed to begin raining on the parade while we were there.   You can't have a rainbow without rain, after all.

Getting the Bike Selfie right. 

All done,   Things are a little Hazy now. 

So that is all.  Cool weather has followed the storms,  along with humidity.   At 65 degrees,  the air is rather cool if you do not work out in it.   We have been trying to enjoy our last few days before the next Pearson project begins, and that calls for lots of cat time, floor time, and, if Cheryl is in a baking mood....  Lots of Cookie time.   Thanks for stopping in.

When The Paper Tears....

My initial Idea. 

My first several hours of Folding. 

As everyone knows,  there are times during Origami when the paper tears. Many times it is the paper that is too weak for the model,   Or it it the Model that is too complicated for the paper.   Then again, it could be that you were in a rush and did not perform the fold carefully enough to prevent the tear...  Let us call this: Human Error.

Folding the scales. 

Similar to fish,  only more Dragon...

Whatever the reason or cause,   you are now dealing with a model that has a gaping hole in the middle of it and it looks unsightly.    And it is most likely that it has happened late in the game....  When you already have three or more hours of your valuable and precious time invested into it.   Here are a few of my sure-fire ways to deal with this demoralizing problem.

Uh.... Oops.   ( breath) @$#%@^@&

First!   In a loud and angry voice,  let out a few expletives.  This is very important.   It tells the world and everyone in the surrounding area that you are experiencing a tragic event.  They most likely will not help you,  nor could they if they were willing... But you will feel better knowing that all that initial pressure is no longer building up inside you.   And everyone in the immediate area knows it.

Most of them are only 4 letters long! 

Personally,  I use four letter words.   These are handy and easy to spell.   And I find that simple words provide the biggest impact with conveying a message.  That message:  "Oops!  I just tore my paper!"   Followed by your choice of l four letter words.    Go crazy!   Get creative!  It doesn't have to make any sense or even form real sentances.  (Most of the time,  Mine don't.) But that is Ok.   It's your moment to shine.

A balanced life. 

No wonder!  This paper is junk!

Second,   With the pressure now off,  you can  think about what has just happened and discuss with yourself (Because after step one, you are the only one left in the area.)  how it happened.   What ever you do,  do not blame yourself!    This would suggest responsibility and ownership of the problem.  And no one wants to own up to sucking at Origami. My own initial first response is to blame the paper.   Paper is ALWAYS the first problem.   You can never find the right paper and if you had the right stuff,  this would have never happened.

Let me think about mine..

Is this right?   Something seems
a little off here. 

Third,  Pause for a second and contemplate all the productive things you could have done with the now wasted time you spent on this model.  And don't stop there!   Think about all that time over the course of your life!  That  you have dedicated to an art form that is essentially worthless to humanity as a whole.   It helps you focus on the bigger picture and the things that have meaning in life... and How how you are not doing those things.

Similar to folding an Origami Dragon. 

But with less heat, and more stress.

And finally: Can you fix it?    Well of course not!   Don't be silly!   This is a one way trip on a Tight Rope  over a Volcano.  One mistake and  it is all over.   Once the paper is torn,  the only thing to do is crumple it up and start over.    Or give it up and try something that provides meaning and self worth.

Maybe I should find a new hobby? 

Wouldn' that be nice... 

Sorry if you thought this was going to be a "How to Fix it" post.   It's not.   It is a rant  on how I have not been able to fold anything for the last three days.   I consider Origami a curse for me.  I seem to be unable to improve past a certain point and it is frustrating.  And yet.... I can't seem to give it up.   Like a Drug, I guess.   But without the euphoria. Perhaps someday they will create a machine that produces Origami and I will no longer have to fold anything.  Or they could make paper that will not tear when you are in  one of those "non-folding" moods.