Sound To Narrows

I'm registered for my next race! June 11th I will be running the 5K at Sound To Narrows!

I don't want to say I'm lazy, but I'm much more motivated to get my training runs in when I'm registered for a race...part of the reason why I like doing a race a month.

That way I'm always motivated to run!

Good News

I found out this morning that our attorney received the much needed paperwork to proceed with the adoption!

We were worried for a bit that it was not going to happen, but it looks like everything is falling into place.

In just over a month our life will be turned upside down in the most wonderful way possible!

I can't wait!

P.S. There are a few people I have not been able to tell in person, but I have left you messages to call me. Sorry if you are getting the good news here before getting your voice mail's telling you to call me. :)

Sore Legs

I have resigned myself to the fact that sore legs are going to be a part of my life every day. Between running, Zumba, and Tracy Anderson they are sore All The Time!



But I'm ok with it. It means they are capable of supporting me in all the fun and exciting challenges I take on, and I'm thankful for that!



I'm especially thankful that I can wear shorts and mini skirts still and feel good about it, so bring on the soreness! I can handle it and so can my legs!

Quick Weekend Update

Friday Night: B-Day dinner with Mark...yummy sushi! Saturday: Started with a kick ass Zumba class and then helped set up everything for the Relay For Life of Lakewood Auction! Then went back in the evening for dinner and bidding on items. Best item won...A ride in a 58 Corvette to Sonics in Puyallup to and from my house. Mark won that for me! I am so excited for a nice warm summer day to go for my ride!!! Sunday: Ran a ton of errands, snuck in a 3.02 mile run and took Grace and Kiera to the park to play for a few hours while Bob and Michelle had softball practice. Highlight - I got to try out one of my run skirts and I LOVE it!!!

Jury Duty Day 2

Sorry about the spacing issues on the blog! I'm not typing it that way, but it is posting that way. Jury Duty Day 2 4/12 There was a shocking discovery with the first witness today, this a gang related shooting.The judge and the attorney's never mentioned that during jury selection. Not that it makes a difference, but it added a whole other dimension to the case and testimony. Now not only are we struggling to keep track of the three cars involved, the 10 people involved and in which car they were in, but now there are "street" names to keep track of and gang affiliation as well. What was already a complicated case became much more so. Understanding the street terms the witnesses were using was challenging at times and keeping track of lies vs truth, because they kept contradicting their own testimony and each other. We heard from two witnesses, both gang members and both involved in the shooting before lunch. Their testimony left me seriously worried about our ability as a jury to come to any logical conclusions at all. Apparently the prosecutor felt the same way, because about an hour after we came back from lunch we learned that the prosecutor offered a plea and the defendant accepted it. Turns out that the second witness testified totally the opposite of what the prosecution was expecting, and totally built the case for the defense in his testimony. The prosecutor did not feel like we would rule in his favor, so opted to offer a plea. The nuts and bolts of the case, car #1 with 4 guys in it shot at car #2 with the defendant in it. The defendant had stolen a chain from one of the guys in car #1. There was also car #3 that was used as the spotter car to let car #1 know where car #2 was so they could shoot at it. Well after car #1 shoots it drives off and now car #2 and #3 end up crossing paths. The defendant in car #2 shoots at car #3 and kills the driver. There were two stipulations that we were instructed to accept as truth in this case: -1 The defendant did shoot and kill the driver of car #3 -2 The defendant was illegally in possession of a firearm The prosecution was saying it was murder, the defense was saying it was self defense based on the fact that the main shooter in car #1 had been harassing the defendant all week and threatening to kill his family, and car #1 had opened fire on the defendant. After the plea was agreed to both attorney's spoke with us and let us know that there had already been 4 trials charging and convicting the 4 shooters in car #1. The main shooter from car #1 had testified in all 4 trails, even his own, with the same story. So when he showed up in court today, with a totally different story it threw the prosecution for a loop. Both attorneys are speculating that the main shooter from car #1, who is going to prison for a very long time, changed his story to protect some key gang members so that they don't come after him on the inside. It scared me to hear about this "alternate" existence that takes place just under the surface of "normal" life. The Friendly Duck and the 54th Street Bar are not far from a bar a group of us went to not that long ago, and until today I had zero idea that this area of town was gang central. Of course I know there is gang activity, but it was still unsettling to be reminded of just how close it is to our every day existence. I will never understand the mentality that goes along with gang life, and the violent way they think. The whole shooting started over a chain, a stupid gold chain that someone took and the person they took it from wanted it back. The attorneys told us we had a look at gang life today that most non-members don't get to see, and honestly it scared the shit out of me. At the same time when the prosecutor shared the story of one of the witnesses it made me feel bad that he was raised in the situation he was...some children really don't stand a chance. It doesn't make what they do ok, but at least I can sort of understand how they end up in a gang, with people they mistaken for family that cares about them. This whole experience has been eye opening on so many levels. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to serve on a jury and see the justice system in action. I had a lot of misconceptions as to how it works. I learned there are a lot of grey areas and very few things are clear cut. I still don’t know how to reconcile fact, which is what the prosecution wants you to consider, with human emotion and understanding, which is what the defense is counting on. I’m still very torn as to what conclusion I would have come to...thankfully that decision was taken out of my hands.

Jury Duty Day 1

Pre-Post Note - This case was projected to last until the 19th. But this afternoon a plea was agreed to and the trail ended early. I still have a LOT of thoughts from what happened today that I will type up and share in tomorrows post. Some of you know that I have been serving Jury Duty 4/7-4/19. I spent my first whole day in the jury selection process and was picked for a murder trial. We were given firm instructions not to speak about the case, watch any news or read any newspaper articles about the case. So I decided that in order to not go crazy I would blog about it, the only catch is I can't post any of my thoughts until after the trial is done. But, at least I feel better if I clear my head and "leave" my thoughts, worries, observations, and frustrations somewhere so they don't pile up in my head. Now that the trial is over I can share my Jury Duty Experience. Over the next several days I will share my thoughts and feelings from my time in court. I'm not sure what will come out of this, but I decided to post these as are, not edited at all from how I was feeling at the time I typed them. Day 1 of trial April 9th:

I was hoping I would get on a "good" case, but never associated that with a Murder case! I feel a huge sense of responsibility to pay attention and get this right! So many people are impacted by the decision we as a jury make. The victims family wants justice, the defendant wants us to believe it was self-defence and his family does not want to see him go to prison. All the officers, detectives, forensic investigators and other law enforcement personnel want to see justice served. The prosecuting attorney wants us to see things his way and of course the defense attorney wants to convince us there was no crime at all. There seem to be a lot of people depending on us to do what is "right".

The funny thing is I can see that whats right actually has very little to do with it. I doesn't even come down to if he did it or not, he has already admitted he shot and killed the guy, it comes down to if the prosecutor can prove a point beyond a shadow of a doubt. His point being it was cold-blooded murder. The defense does not even have to prove it was self-defense. The burden is on the prosecutor to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was pre-meditated, cold-blooded murder. If he doesn't do that, regardless of it being true of not, we have to find the defendant not guilty. That was an eye opening realization to come to as we were being read our instructions and told how things work by the judge. Sitting in court I can't help but wonder what is going through the defendants mind as he listens to all these other people talk about him, his intentions, his life, the facts as they see them. Some of these people are his friends, some are not. I just wonder what he is thinking. Most of all I wonder what he thinks when he, as a young black man, looks at the jury of his "peers", because we are by and large not his peers. There is one black man on the jury the rest of us are white, and most of us have good jobs, live in good areas, and have never been in trouble with the law. It's not that we are better than him, we just don't live the same sort of life that he does.

Hearing about his life and the week long incident of fights and threats against the defendant and his family made me realize that I in no way can relate to what his life is like. I don't know what it's like to live in the "hood" and to have to "fight" for your life every day. I don't know what it's like to have someone tell me they know where my Mom lives and they are going to kill her. And, more importantly I don't know how I would respond if those things were part of my life. Would I do the same thing? I own a gun, so that would indicate that yes I would defend myself and those I love. But, I know pulling the trigger and killing another living being is something that would be difficult beyond belief. Ultimately my emotions and feelings are irrelevant. It comes down to the charges and if the prosecutor can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that murder was committed. Cold. Hard. Facts. That's it. No emotion, no sympathizing, just the facts. I keep telling myself that over and over and hope that when it comes time to deliberate it is crystal clear what our decision should be.

Y Run For Kids 5K

Michelle and I ran our 3rd 5K today. The Y Run For Kids raises money for after school and late night programs and helps pay membership fees for kids that would not otherwise be able to be part of the Y. I came into this race with very mixed feelings due to how horrible the last race was. However, we were both pleasantly surprised at how great this race went from start to finish! Plus I was excited about the fact that the race shirts were Brooks Sport Tech shirts in black with silver print on them. I am really excited to have a nice running shirt that matches all of my running gear! The nice shirts explain the highest registration fee I have paid yet, but it's totally worth it all the way around. I think I have finally figured out my food issues. I had oatmeal at 6:30 am (race was at 8:30) and half a cliff bar at 8am. No issues whatsoever and I felt like I was well fueled through the entire race. We learned after the last race that while we can keep up a fast pace it is not necessarily the best idea for us at this point. So we opted to start in the middle of the pack and take our time. I have to say I like starting in the middle and passing people much better than starting at the front and being passed! Our first mile was around 12 minutes, second was 11 and some change and 3rd was under 10 1/2 and that last part between 3 and the finish line we were able to really pick it up. Once we could see the finish line (well before the 3 mile mark) we gradually started running harder and harder and felt really good when we crossed the line. I had debated using the Runkeeper program during the run because if it was a rough race knowing our times and mileage can be discouraging if you are struggling, I didn't want to feel like I had gone 2 miles when it was really only 1.2. However, I went ahead and used it, and it was actually really helpful. Michelle and I now know what pace feels good for us and we know we can even speed it up a bit and still feel good. I have no idea what our finishing time was as I didn't look at the clock when we crossed because we started in the middle of the pack it took us about 60 to 90 seconds to get to the start lines and the clock starts on the gun, timing chips start when you cross the line. If I had to make a guess I would say we are around the 30 to 32 minute mark, but official times will be posted on Monday so I will check then. One of the things I loved about this race was the encouragement all along the course. There were volunteers at every mile marker yelling your time to you and encouraging you to keep going. Today is also the Daffodil Parade on Pacific and most of the run took place on the parade route so all the daffodil court, float participants, and spectators were yelling and cheering for us the entire way. There was even a float with a band that played for us. It was a fun atmosphere and really helped us keep going. Once again Thank You to Michelle! The fist pounds and high fives are what keep me going girl! Thank you once again to Dad for the running gear! The Under Armor leggings are amazing...I love the fit and how they work with me not against me! Also, I need to give a shout out to Osha my massage therapist. We did a 4 mile run Tuesday night and while I felt good I had a lot of pain in my shins and Achilles tendon. Thankfully I had a massage Thursday night and she focused on my legs the entire time. I did not have a single twinge of pain in my shins or Achilles tendons today...Thank You for that!! I don't have another race now until Sound To Narrows the 2nd weekend in June. My plan is to work on increasing my distance and hill climbs. I'm getting to the point that I feel so good at the end of the races and when we do longer training runs am feeling great by mile 4, that I want to make the jump to 10K. I'm still going to make the next few races 5K's, just to make sure I have all the ins and outs figured out and work out any other issues I may need to figure out, but 10K's are around the corner I can feel it!

Running Casualty

I have had my first vanity related casualty...my toe ring. It's from Toe Jam in Hawaii and I have had it for 14 ish years. It is a real ring, not an adjustable one, and pure silver. I'm sad I have had to take it off, but after our run today it had dug in to my toe and was on the verge of becoming an open sore. So, I broke out the Windex and took it off. First time in all the years I have worn it, through hiking, running, classes at the Y, walks on the beach barefoot etc...that I have ever felt it, the fit has been so perfect that I NEVER feel it, but today I felt it. Safe to say that it will not be going back on my toe any time soon...if ever. Ok maybe when I'm on vacation and not doing any serious running. Sort of feels like I have taken a step towards being a "real" runner.

Perfect Day

I have had the perfect day today. I woke up on Bob and Michelle's couch to Grace and Kiera smiling at me and giving hugs, watched Tangled while Bob made all of us breakfast, came home to a clean house and have been chillen on the couch watching movies all day with a break to chat with Lesley. Thank you to Michelle for organizing a night out with friends last night for my birthday and thank you to both you and Bob for wine tasting, dinner, and the cupcakes! I had a blast, am tired today, but it was so worth it! Actually it would be a perfect day if Mark was home with me, but he is still having fun on his road trip with Josh. Can't wait to see him Wednesday. This is the longest we have been apart ever!

Running...Rain

Running in the rain SUCKS! I'm SICK of it! It's a phase I know...if I want to run in W WA I have to be willing to deal with rain...but this week it has gotten to me. Probably doesn't help that I'm getting over being sick and trying to train for the next 5K that is only 7 days away. Ok enough of the ranting. I will suck it up and deal.