My last check-in was the week of Memorial Day.  Obviously, I haven’t done a good job of keeping my blog up to date.  I’m struggling now with where to begin.  Earlier in the week my friend Amy wrote to make sure I was okay.  I assured her that there was no cause for alarm.  During the past two weeks I have:

• Flown to San Francisco for a crazy fun (but too short) weekend with Adam
• Giggled with friends at a girls-only movie party
• Celebrated the same-day birthdays of Adam and Erin (a friend) in Lucha Libre style
• Experienced the wonder of the ocean through the wide eyes of our “adopted” African family
• Become a year older
• Run a  5k
• Waited in line for burgers at Hodads
  
• Gotten soaked at Sea World

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Memorial Day at Torrey Pines – it doesn’t get much better than this.

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The five year old mind can be a mystery at times. Case in point:

Paul: In school we talked about people who help other people.

I raised my hand and said, “Mexican soldiers.”

Mom: What were some of the other answers?

Paul: Nurses, doctors, firefighters…

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In October 2007 I ran the half-marathon portion of the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon.  When I took a running break afterward, I wasn’t expecting that my next run would be almost two years later.  I could probably come up with a million excuses as to why I stopped running – the cold Michigan winter in 2007, moving to California in the summer of 2008, adjusting to San Diego and being intimidated by the hills in my new neighborhood, returning to work after six years of being a stay at home mom, and on and on.  Like I said, lots of excuses.  But for whatever reason, it took until last month to see if I could redeem myself as a runner.

On Sunday I proved to myself that I still have what it takes.  After hearing about the Navy’s 23rd Original Bay Bridge Run/Walk from a friend, I signed myself up (just in time too – the event sold out quickly).  The Bay Bridge Run/Walk is a four mile course over the Coronado Bay Bridge.  The event raises funds for Navy Quality of Life Programs.

Sunday morning was perfect for a running event.  The race didn’t start until eight but I drove myself downtown early to find a good parking spot.  Plus, I had a lot of nervous energy and excitement and couldn’t wait to start.  It was a perfect morning for a run despite (or maybe because of) it being overcast with a few on and off drizzles.  My time was 48 minutes and 20 seconds.  I had to laugh at myself because it seems like no matter what I do, I can’t break past that 12-minute mile.

As I walked toward the ferry to cross the bay and return to my car, I couldn’t help but think that it had been a perfect day.  I’m already looking forward to my next run – the Aflac Iron Girl 5k on June 7th (my birthday).  I’ve even recruited some friends to run with me.

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Megan turned eight on Tuesday.  Here she is with her “Shamu” cake which she requested over the weekend.  Megan is all about Shamu right now.  No surprise here, she requested that we spend her birthday at SeaWorld.  Living in San Diego has it’s advantages.  Adam had taken the kids over spring break but this was my first visit – what a treat.  Adam and I picked the kids up after school (they have a half day every Tuesday) and we spent the afternoon going to shows and playing on the kiddie rides at the park.

We went to the Dolphin Show (and got soaked sitting in the second row of the “Splash Zone” – Megan’s request), the Sea Lion Show and of course, the Shamu Show.  We fed fish to the seals and bravely walked the tunnel of sharks.  The park closed at six, but we made the most of our short time there.  The best part is that our tickets allow us to return as often as we want until the end of the year.  We decided to save the water rides for a warmer day.  After getting soaked at the Dolphin Show, we were all freezing.

Happy Birthday Megan!

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As a child, my most beloved possession was my tooth fairy pillow.  I still have it, carefully packaged away to preserve it’s frayed edges.  One year my parents staged a tooth fairy visit so convincing that I truly believed that I was going to be a tooth fairy someday.  That said, Adam and I have never carried on the tooth fairy tradition with our kids.  We enjoy playing make-believe with Megan and Paul but we have never acted as though the tooth fairy were real (we apply the same approach to Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny).

Last Friday Megan lost a bottom tooth.  Right before bed she confided, “I’m testing the tooth fairy tonight.  I put my tooth under my pillow to see what will happen.”  “Oh really,” I thought, “now what should I do?”  Megan also told me that she had been reading tooth fairy books at school that day.  Curiosity had taken a hold of her!

Instead of crushing Megan’s spirit I made the decision to play tooth fairy.  We talked about what might happen and after discussing the going rate (Megan suggested $100.00…I suggested $.25) I tucked Megan and Paul  into bed.  A few hours later I tip-toed into Megan’s room and replaced her tooth with two shiny quarters.  I placed her tooth safely into the pouch of a stuffed animal tooth fairy pillow which was sitting on Megan’s desk.

Megan woke up the next morning with a huge grin on her face.  While she didn’t say anything at first, it was clear that she had checked for her tooth and found the quarters.  A few hours passed before Megan declared, “Mom, the tooth fairy is real.”  Paul quickly seized the opportunity to add his two cents.  “The tooth fairy isn’t real,” he said, “I took your tooth and put money under your pillow.”

Keep in mind that Megan sleeps in a loft bed.  Paul would have had to climb the loft ladder and crawl across Megan – without waking her up.  “Really,” asked Megan, “If it was you, where is my tooth?”  Without skipping a beat, Paul told Megan exactly where the tooth was hidden.  He and Megan ran to her room to see if he were right.

“I guess Paul is the tooth fairy,” Megan laughed.

Case closed.

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I spent my first Mother’s Day recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, the day after Megan’s birth in May 2001.  That was my best Mother’s Day gift ever.  Mother’s Day is typically low key at our house.  Today was no exception although I have to say that it was a solid  day all around.

After church we continued our Sunday afternoon tradition of chilling at the beach; I choose Coronado beach.  Traffic over the bridge was horrible.  We had forgotten about the nearby Air Bull Air Races.  Thankfully the air races were viewable from the other side of the island and our beach was not crowded.  I spent the afternoon jumping waves, searching for sand dollars, building sand castles, and happily ignoring the lack of groceries and messy rooms at the house.  We were even treated to two sets of F/A-18’s flying overhead in formation as they prepared to land at the Naval Base Coronado.  I know nothing about planes or the military, but I do know that F/A-18’s whooshing over my head are cool!

My big Mother’s Day adventure was on Thursday night when I attended a local National Mom’s Nite Out event at Seaport Village.  I was brave because I went solo.  I may have been the only person to attend solo but I quickly met two other attendees who let me sit with them.  We got along well despite a few moments of awkward silence here and there.  I was excited to be attending my first “mom blogger” social.  It was also my first girl’s only night since moving San Diego.  I’ve decided that I need more of these kinds of nights out!

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Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day – the Friday before Mother’s Day which President Reagan set apart in 1984 as a day to recognize and honor military spouses.  I am not a military spouse but I am joining others in saluting those who are.  Take for example my friend Alicia.  Her blog gives me a glimpse of what it means to be a present day military spouse.  Alicia’s Navy husband has been deployed in a classified location since January 2009.  Alicia writes about being a military wife and mom at Experiencing Every Moment.  Part of the job, or not, the military lifestyle is not without sacrifice on the part of the spouse.

I recently had another peek at the life of a military spouse when Sourcebooks sent me a review copy of The Military Wives’ Cookbook:

The Military Wives’ Cookbook is a collection of recipes, anecdotal stories, and vintage photographs tracing the history and unique contributions of American military wives.  Beginning with an Independence Tea Party featuring the foods served by the women of Edenton, North Carolina, at a party on October 25, 1774, it recreates the scenes and foods that recount the stories of the commitments and sacrifice that military wives have given the nation for more than two hundred years.

A little bit of background about me is that I love cookbooks.  I’m one of those kitchen nerds who checks out cookbooks from the library for fun.  So I eagerly agreed to get my hands on a brand new cookbook.  What I hadn’t counted on was how much I would get wrapped up in the stories and photographs accompanying the recipes.  (Perhaps I would have gotten better grades in high school had there been recipes included in my history books.)  Many of the recipes in The Military Wives’ Cookbook have historical significance while others are tried and true recipes that have been passed from family to family (or military base to military base) over the years.

Another thing that I liked about the cookbook is that it is divided into a “menu” style layout with six sections (useful for entertaining).  The six sections are:

• Teas and Coffees
• Buffets, Brunches, and Lunches
• A Taste of Home: Dinner Family Style
• Alfresco Dining
• Over There: An International Affair,
• Home for the Holidays and Other Celebrations

With over 300 pages of recipes and inspirational stories, my opinion is that The Military Wives’ Cookbook is an excellent resource for dinner and more!

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