Life on the Runn...

Much before we realized how cold it could actually be on November 23rd, Jenna and I decided we should sign up for another race.  Jenna chose the Stache Dash 5K, and I thought it was an awesome suggestion.  Aside from the fact that our registration would support prostate cancer research, a cause near and dear to some near-and-dear-to-us family members, one of whom is also Jenna's dad, Skip, we would get to sport some silly facial hair for the day. Despite the four days prior to the run being warm and most sunny, it was a very cold one Saturday morning.  I certainly appreciated the sunshine, and I know it did help, but the gusty winds and 20 degree temps meant both Jenna and I had low expectations for ourselves.  We hoped, simply, not to blow away and finish the run. Before the run, everyone met at my house and layered up.  We also spent time going through the collection of stick-on mustaches I procured courtesy of Amazon.com to determine which would be the best...

Last Saturday was one of those days, the kind where everything falls so nicely into place that you wish every day could be just like it. It certainly helped that Brian was home for the weekend and that we had no set plans...we were total grown ups and decided we would do whatever we wanted.  That included a morning run (which was horribly soggy and not my favorite of all times), a trip to the climbing gym (where we got to see a bunch of gym pals and got to climb a whole bunch), a stop at REI (hey, I have a birthday list to work on and only a few days to get it done -- next year's list has already been requested with a June deadline) and a magnificent dinner at Tulip. You may recall that last winter Brian and I travelled to Turkey for what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.  I could spend hours and hours talking about the trip, but focusing specifically on the cuisine, I wasn't sure what to expect going into the trip. It turned out that Turkish food and Amy tota...

Today, on Veterans Day, I am ever so appreciative of the many people I know, and those I don't, who have chosen to selflessly serve their country.  Being away from my own spouse like I am, I cannot imagine the difficulty in facing a prolonged separation and an uncertain future.  That truly is the ultimate sacrifice.  I also cannot pass up this opportunity to talk about and give thanks to two very special men, my grandpas! While Grandpa Navarrete is no longer with us, he is certainly always in all of our thoughts and hearts.  He made friends with everyone he met, as was evident by the long line of people who came to pay their respects when he passed.  My "little Grandpa" was a central figure in my life.  He was at every school event, including Grandparents' Day lunches and recorder concerts.  He let me help him cook and taught Brian and me how to cheat at Uno. He let us ride on his lap on the giant tractor and he always made sure we laughed and knew w...

This past weekend was full of celebration -- the festivities began Saturday night we the Runnells cousins celebrated all things Annie! We began the night at Big Mouth Frog's, which provided us with opportunities for all sorts of strange, frog-inspired pictures and $5 martinis!! Uncle Jeff and his pals even joined us for a bit.  A woman selling roses came through, and as you can see from the photo below, Uncle Jeff decided the birthday girl needed a birthday rose. When it was time for BMF to close for the evening, we were only just getting started, thought that may not have been our best life-choice.  We decided to make use of our responsible drivers, and we headed down the street to Ray and Dot's.  Aside from the giant Marquette banner and the girl in PJs, it was perfectly fun. So, here's to Annie, the last Runnells cousin to turn the big 2-1 for a good long while! I hope you had a blast.  I know I did, and if for a second, I thought more fun could have been ha...

Nope, it's not my big 2-9 (those days are gone, sadly).  It's another Unti who is celebrating a special day. BD and AJ And while he likes to remind me of all sorts of wonderful things, like the fact that I'm undeniably short, I'm too pale to pass as Mexican and the fact that I haven't given him the opportunity to be an uncle yet, I think the past 29 years of having this guy as my sidekick (though maybe I'm actually his) have been pretty fantastic. Ask Mom and Dad, and they will tell you two things -- we always joked about being only children, and we always seemed to find ourselves in trouble...together. I wouldn't trade my brother for anything in the whole-wide world.  He's one of my very best pals, he's as fiercely protective of me as I am of him, and having him around meant I was never alone.  I know I'll never forget that stupid stuffed badger, the hole in the living room wall or the broken side-view mirror, to name a few of our les...