The Holy

This year, the 10th anniversary of the massacre at Virginia Tech fell on Easter Sunday. I'm sure this fact made for a heavy weekend for those who lost loved ones in the attack. They held the yearly 3.2 for 32 on Holy Saturday. I ran it in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Each year, it was a pilgrimage for me. It was holy because of the togetherness with the Virginia Tech community, who gathered both to honor the victims and to celebrate Hokie life. And, it was holy because every year I shocked myself by being able to do it. In 2014 when I did the first one I had not been running since before I had Miles. So every year it's a testimony to life and to triumph over fear.

This year, obviously, I'm not able to run with the community in Blacksburg. But in Pueblo, I am running more than I ever did in Blacksburg, so there was no question I was going to do the 3.2 for 32 this year, even on Mountain Time. I registered and everything. Maybe next year I'll figure out how to get a tee shirt. 

I snapped this shot while I was running on CSU-P's campus.

I had some Thoughts about Holy Saturday and grief and time after the run.

Typical Miles at age 7. Pushing his long hair out of his face, wearing a dress/jumper, and studying a huge astronomy book.

In 2014 and 2015, when I ran the 3.2 for 32, I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day, because I had no confidence I'd have any energy left after such a feat. This year, we had an Easter Egg hunt and a piano lesson to attend. 
They were such an amazing team! Adele had a breakdown when the "go" command was given. She doesn't do well with high-pressure situations when everyone is yelling "go" (see her performance at the 50 yard dash last month). But Miles came to her rescue and took her by the hand and led her, as she wept, and pointed out each egg for her to pick up. He then did his own age bracket's egg hunt and got such an astounding number of eggs that he had no problem sharing a third of them with his sister. Sometimes he can be a really swell kid.                          

And then suddenly, it was Easter Morning and we were trying to get some family pictures... we really need to teach Koopa to take photos. 

I really really missed my Easter vigil. Holy Saturday evening Miles and I walked to a Catholic church at the end of our street for the lighting of the New Fire and the Great Vigil. It was lovely and gorgeous, but I miss doing this with my own church community. Also, I like dawn services.

Still, if I lost that, my replacement gift is being in the choir and getting to sing John Rutter's Anus Dei for Good Friday and the Hallelujah Chorus on Easter.

My other gift was being able to be warm on Easter Sunday.

Miles took this one.

They decorate the Good Friday cross on Easter Morning. I love this tradition!

I was praying for some extra joy, because Good Friday and Holy Saturday I felt really weighed down. Probably I was just exhausted from all the extra choir practice.

Anyway, I got more than I asked for. Easter was golden and overflowing with Alleluia.

And now it's nearly May. Now we have six more weeks of the school year. I'm applying for jobs for next year and I'm back to regular running. Hooray for Eastertide!

April Fools

April 1 made 11 years since our wedding.  April 5 made 15 years together. That's most of our adult lives, people. Celebrating and dating can be challenging when you have kids, don't employ a nanny, and don't live anywhere near family. The trick is to make little things go a long way. 

I painted these letters for Jon for this last very tight-budget Christmas (which, frankly, most of them have been) as an affirmation: we're still saying yes to each other and to life.

April the 4th brought an absurd amount of snow (given the date) as well as my first snow day! I absolutely did not see that one coming. But I needed a rest. We even got one more sledding session in, and the dog got one more frolic in the snow. Koopa finds snow so thrilling; it's a joy to watch. 

Jon had just built this garden the day before. Fortunately, he had the sense to hold off on planting!

We got our one more snow! Better late than never.

Unless it had been May or June, then it's really better never. 

The snow was gone by the end of a very sunny Wednesday. 

Saturday, April 8 was a gift. Two ladies from church (mother and daughter) spent the day with the kids so Jon and I could have a day to ourselves. We needed it badly! We've maybe had three or four evenings to ourselves since we moved out here, but no days. There was not a detailed plan; we basically turned our car northwest, toward the mountains, and started driving.

First stop: Cañon City, and a short hike on Skyline Drive.

While on the hike, we saw real live dinosaur footprints! Check them out:

These were supposedly dinos similar to triceratops going for a stroll in some mud. Maybe heading for the Great Valley?

Also, this used to be oceanfront property, apparently. There isn't much obvious memory of this in the landscape, though.

We followed the Arkansas River, next. Once I caught a glimpse of the snow-covered Sangre de Cristos towering over the drier brown mountains in the foreground, I felt I needed to get to them. 

It was so exciting to be able to be impulsive together! We had missed this. 

Well after a lot of tantalizing glimpses and then hills that would rear up and block our view, we finally got to those white tops. It was worth it! The landscape thrills one just to look at it. 

We ate lunch at a cute Mexican restaurant in Salida...

...and walked by the river. This was one of the rare anniversary celebrations in which I was not cold!! 

Salida is an extremely cute town. We hope to bring the kids this summer. But what a joy to be able to explore it, just the two of us. We can make these little experiences go a very long way.

On the way back east: a Bighorn Sheep sighting!

The views were stunning. Pictures do not do them justice. You'll just have to come see us, reader!
 

The last stop we made before returning to Pueblo at dinner time was to the Dakota Hot Springs in Penrose! I MUST return to those place. I've already come to depend on magnesium soaks for their therapeutic calming effects. We felt so calm and mellow after an hour in that pool; I swear the effects lasted for days. But we couldn't take even one picture; cameras are not allowed in the spring because.... it was a clothing optional day!

Yes there were nudies, no we were not among them, no it didn't bother us at all. We just got a really delicious soak. I could really stand to be back there just now.

God bless Colorado. 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

Love and Roller Skates

This year marks the longest we've gone without visiting Rochester (or Maryland, for that matter), and the only other time since we were married that we missed these trips over the holidays was the year Adele was born. It's not been easy, especially since Leah and Matthew welcomed Mariel in December and I wasn't able to meet her. To our great joy, Leah and Matthew and the kids were all able to come out our way! Of course, officially they were visiting Leah's mom and brother in Denver, but they were awesome and adventurous enough to drive down to Pueblo to see our new home. You can imagine how thrilled we were at this event! 

We went up to Denver first to see them and to enjoy Joel & Bri's hospitality (& amazing fish tacos!!). And I got to hold my precious new niece, at last.

What joy.

I really need to insist on more pictures with everyone in them!

Leah decided that, given the unseasonably cold weather we were having, what she really wanted to do in Pueblo more than anything else was go roller-skating at our rink. Apparently, tragically, Rochester now has a shortage of affordable roller rinks? Anyway, I thoroughly approved of her choice. We agreed that though we often differ in our tastes and preferences, about the important stuff, like roller skating, we are totally in tune. 

We helped the kids for a bit, and then got the little ones the roller walkers and let them figure it out. 

 

I adore a good roller rink. There is nothing like cheesy music and lights while you whiz around the smooth floor; I feel like a kid again there. In a good way. 
 

Adele's second time saw an enormous improvement!

Leah & I got some quality time in. I needed this day! I don't realize how lonely I often am until I get company.
 

Back home, we got more time for Mariel adoring before they had to head back to Denver.
 

She loved the new book we gave her! Mariel has excellent taste and is clearly very intelligent.
 

The older kiddos played a jolly round of Mario Party. It's so fantastic to live in a house where there's room for guests. I still can't believe I get to live here.

A quick frolic outside and they were off, leaving us really looking forward to our summer visit.

This team goes way back:

So does this one.

2 Ls forever!!
 

They left something behind, a generous loan from Amma (my aunt, Leah's mom). We're having such fun with this! 

I'm grateful to be so refreshed as I go back to daily subbing. But summer's starting to seem both very close and very  attractive...