It's been a while so here's an update on the past few months. I might take the time to add some pictures eventually, but since this is 4 months worth of updates I wouldn't get too hopeful if I were you. Maybe Ben will help. :)
In April we took Patriot's day off to catch some re-enactment activities & the Boston marathon. In Lexington we learned that Jackson does NOT like gun fire (British Red Coat or MA Regulars), but he braved the noise to take on the challenge of making friends with every person in the crowd. He's such a glutton for attention.
The Boston Marathon was awesome. I had never seen the elite finishers before and it was Ben's first time there at all. I told everyone I was going to see history because I thought a US runner could win either the Men's or Women's race. Ben & I were there before the men started & kept updated via Twitter on the status of the elite runners as we waited for them on Boylston (within 200 m of the finish...awesome!). The wheelchair racers started coming in shortly after we arrived so we had the occasional competitor to cheer for as we waited anxiously for the first runners to come in. Every elite finish was down to the last few hundred yards for all categories.
We saw some of our favorite runners (Kara Goucher & Ryan Hall), record finishing times for overall & US, nearly a 1st place finish for the US women (Desiree Davila...from the Hanson Brooks Distance Project based out of Rochester Hills, MI), and Joan Benoit Samuelson passed within inches of us for her sub-3hr finish (at age 53). Pretty impressive, both her time and the fact that I could have reached out and touched a running legend. I may have gotten tackled by race authorities if I had, but, consequences aside, I could have touched her if I chose to. Then we moved further away from the finish to help Pete, my best bud from the UP, cheer for some of his friends. He never has time off from Brigham & Women's at this point in his residency so it was a lot of fun to see him. There were no US winners this year, but we did see history with all the close finishes & record times. There was even an unofficial record for the fastest marathon ever that day.
The Detroit Tigers came to town in May & we managed to get tickest to both games. The first was miserable, but the tickets were free from one of Ben's friends from work so we couldn't complain. I heard the announcers had called it "fog" in the air, but trust me it was a heavy, steady mist punctuated by moments of pouring rain. Awesome. It must be nice sitting in the press box. Game 2 as much better weather & we got to go with our friends Beau & Michelle who we actually spoke to even though they were cheering for the enemy. The Tigers barely lost both games (boo) but it was still a good time.
Ben & I ran a couple races in the spring. The best one was the Run To Home Base at Fenway Park. After the run we got to wander all over the park & warning track to get the pictures you never have time to take at a game or during the park tour (including some you never have the opportunity to take...ever). Plus it was for a great cause. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a very fun and unique run, any Red Sox or baseball fans, or anyone looking for a good charity to support. I would definitely do it again if we weren't moving away.
We also ran the Run to Remember which honors MA police who lost their lives serving. That run was terrible. It was incredibly hot/humid & there wasn't enough water stations for the distance. I was running with my friend Abby & I actually was on the lookout for a store (money in hand) to duck inside and buy her some water because I thought she was going to pass out. If you ever think about running it, just do the 5 mile race. They aren't set up to support a half-marathon. This is the 2nd time we tried the race & they failed miserably in the support department. Too bad, it's a good cause & a nice half-marathon route. They just have horrible support & event execution.
The Run to Remember was during Nick & Christina's visit to Boston. We took an extra long weekend to show them all the Boston sites. Well, we tried to show them everything, but we had a great time seeing a few new things & showing them some of the Boston must-see's. By the time we got to Sunday's run, they knew their way around enough to self-navigate to Harvard for some site seeing (where they actually saw Ben & his friend Carmen run by) & then meet us at Faneuil Hall for some lunch, one last Boston Brick Red beer and so Nick could get yet another cup of clam chowder (pronounced ChodAAAHHHH by Nick).
June was our summer vacation. We made the 14 hour drive to Macomb, spent a full day hanging with the Wolak's, then headed Les Cheneaux for the Bourque reunion. A lot of fun was had as always including a trip to Tahquamenon (since Ben had never been to the upper falls), Mackinac Island with Jackson (who again tried to make friends with everyone...except the horses), some kayaking, and discovery of possibly the most fun "board" game in existence (telestrations). Then we went back to Macomb for 4th of July weekend & hung out at Ben's brother John's new house for a barbecue. We also managed to catch Jeff, from the farm Ben used to work on, and Ben's friends Steve, Nick & Christina in those few days. All of that plus squeezing in a Tiger's game with Ben's dad, where at least one person must have had a heat stroke, and a trip to Ernie Harwell Park (the site of the old Tiger Stadium and roughly maintained original field). Of course, there were also birthday celebrations for Ben at both stops in MI.
Then came my birthday, which was generally uneventful overall but was mostly just relaxing...between preparations for our house repairs. The past 2 weeks we've been living on our porch & upstairs while most of our 1st floor and master bedroom had some repairs done. They should be done today or early next week. Maybe.
Next up: figuring out how to sell a house so we can make the trek to California. We'll be there by Thanksgiving if all goes as planned. That should mean a few weeks to hang out with Ryan and Katie as we move in and they move out.
We are not-so-secretly hoping Ryan & Katie will end up there for 3-4 more years...not that I won't be happy for them if they get to head to Florida.
I think those are all the highlights, but I probably missed something.
