Somerville Memorial Day Parade

For the past 3 years I missed the Somerville Parade because I found out about it when it was over. We finally made it to the parade this year; Berkeley's first parade.

Berkey and I had a blast at the parade, they handed out flags and bead necklaces, they threw out lots of candy and he even got a card from a friendly clown named Rocky.
The parade had all things Berkey loves such as drums, cars, jeeps, fire trucks, Harley's, cop cars, and more drums. He couldn't get enough of all the marching bands.
There was also some things that Berkeley really didn't like, such as these nice young men firing their guns or loud honks from big trucks. He really wasn't a big fan of the loud noises at all.

There were so many awesome old cars and fun things to see.

We met up with our neighbor Bob, who adores Berkeley and Berkeley feels the same way about him. I just love Bob, he is the best neighbor anyone could EVER ask for!

We had a really great time at the parade!
We can't wait for the Bunker Hill Day Parade in just 2 weeks.

Boston Run to Remember 1/2 Marathon

Somehow my friend Kelly convinced me to sign up to run another 1/2 Marathon with her. You would have thought I had learned my lesson by now, but it seems I am a glutton for punishment.
Introducing TEAM KETCHUP & MUSTARD!
Our 6:15 a.m. pre race photo

I was a bit nervous about the run this go around as I trained a much shorter amount of time, and I was sick and unable to run for 2 weeks just 3 weeks before the big race. I decided to give my all and see what happened. I am just lucky to have such an awesome running partner, I am not sure I would have finished the race without her constant encouragement! Love you Kel!!
The race was beautiful as it ran through historic downtown Boston and then along the Charles River with the city of Boston in the background.

This picture is taken at mile 8 and we were still feeling pretty good. I really start to feel the burn around mile 11; those last 2 miles were KILLER for me this go around.

I thought this would be a good time of year to run a 1/2 marathon. It wouldn't be freezing like the last 1/2, but it wouldn't be too hot either (so I thought). We somehow went from 40 degree weather and raining every day to this week which has been incredibly humid and 70's.
The weather seemed nice at 8 am when we started the race, but 1/2 mile in I new it was trouble as the humidity was out of control; we soon found out it was 72 and 85% humidity. We were quickly drenched with sweat from head to toe; at one point my eye were burning so bad from the sweat, but there was nothing I could do about it as I had no dry spots on any of my clothing. I drank about 5 water bottles of fluid along the way to keep hydrated as I knew I was sweating way more than usual. Others did not stay as hydrated and around mile 9 they started dropping like flies. We saw at least 5 people either on stretchers or receiving IV fluids. It was really crazy and pretty scary.
As I was running, I was quickly talking myself out of running a marathon. So Marathon Runners out there, how on earth do you run 13.1 miles after you hit the 13.1 mark? I was so completely sore and exhausted after 13, it doesn't seem possible to run double that without dying.

Another successful run!

Mama

My mother is very spectacular! She really has a truly amazing story. She was a young girl of just 17 when she found out she was going to be a mama. I cannot imagine getting such news at such an innocent and self discovering time. Although not an easy decision, she wanted to be a mother even at that young age. She gave birth to me a short time later and worked hard to make sure I had what I needed, including all the love in the world. It wasn't until I was older that I could fully appreciate the sacrifice she made to chose me over her. I know the road was not easy and she was lucky to have a lot of support. Throughout it all she stuck with it and never gave up on me. I am so grateful for this woman who has always taught me about giving and loving others. She is a rock and I love her so much!

Recently I found out that the soap opera, ALL MY CHILDREN, was being cancelled. I was so sad as that "soap" was one that my mom and I used to watch growing up. I remember watching all the ABC soaps in her room with her in the summers. She would be cleaning during commercials and then we would watch with anticipation to see what crazy drama would unfold next. Would Dixie and Tadd end up together? Was Haily really Adams daughter? Who was being brought back from the dead?

On Sundays the local country station here plays "old school" country songs until noon. I often turn it on to hear what they are playing. The other day I heard a song by Tanya Tucker, which instantly brought me back to my childhood. My mom would put in her Tanya Tucker tape and blast it through out the house. We would sing it at the top of lungs like it was just part of our daily routine. I have to say my love affair with country music started at a young age thanks to my mama.

Other early memories I have of me and my mom are:
1. Watching Dirty Dancing and rewinding the last scene at least 10 times and watching it over and over again.
2. All the Christmas presents she bought for family or friends who didn't have anything.
3. Riding in her old white Volkswagen bug freezing to death in the winter, so she could drop me off at the babysitters before she went to work. Back in those days seat belts seemed optional as I would curl up in a ball in the back seat with all my blankets.

I love my mama so much and miss her each day! I am lucky to get to talk to her on an almost daily basis so we can share our ups and downs with each other.

Mama, you are truly an amazing woman and I love ya for it! Happy Mother's Day!