I LOVE > wait for it...

TANGO! I don't just Love tango. I LOVE Tango!

I'll admit that it took a little prodding by a friend to get me to sign up for a tango dance class but all it took was one class and I was hooked. I smile the entire class and when the class is over I smile all the way home.

I never expected to enjoy dancing tango as much as I do. Going into it I felt I would be a fish out of water. I watched a few Youtube videos that had me a bit freaked out. Quite a bit freaked out really.

I'm not really sure what it is about this dance but I can't get enough. I love the music. I love the people. I even love the attire. Tonight I wore heels for the first time. Yes, you read right. Me in heels. I haven't worn heels since I was a bridesmaid over 10 years ago. It is easy to say that heels are a bit out of character for me which is exactly why I LOVE tango as much as I do. I get to be a different me and it feels good and it's fun. Yes, my feet do hurt after 2 hours of dancing in heels but the pleasure so outweighs the pain.

This Should Not Come As A Surprise...

I'm crazy> it's true. I've considered myself crazy for a variety of reasons in the past and I've now added one more. I've turned into one of those crazy people that enjoys running. Well, I've always enjoyed running short distances and have for nearly 15 years. It is running long distances that I consider to be crazy. About 3 years ago I decided on a whim to train for a 1/2 marathon. Problem was that I got mono about 4 weeks prior to the race. So that ended my first period of running craziness.

Then along came my friend Iowa and we started running together on a weekly basis. She suggested running the 5&3/4 Trinidad to Clam Beach "fun run" in February of this year. I ran it with her and had mixed feelings about the "fun" part. Mostly due to the fact that for some reason I was really nervous about running my first race which had me feeling really sick prior to and during the race. Iowa assured me that everyone gets nervous before their first race and that the next one will be easier and "funner." How could I refuse?

So today I ran 9.3 miles in the Redwood Wild Rivers Run along the Smith River. It was a perfect, sunny spring day on the northcoast. The route went along the South Fork of the Smith River and through old growth redwoods. White petaled trilliums dotted the ancient landscape as we ran and ran and ran and ran. At the three mile marker a nice gentleman sat in a sunny spot on a bridge playing his banjo. Reminded me of Kermit the Frog!

Anyways, we did it! Yes, I'm pleased with myself which brings me back to the point about being crazy. Running races is seriously crazy. You get nervous for no reason and yet you're choosing to do it. You run so long that your feet start to hurt and if you really push it your legs start to feel like rubber at the end. And yet, each time I run I only want to run more. It is addicting.

Like most things in my life I'm going with the flow of it all. Before this race was even over Iowa was plugging the idea of the Avenue of the Giants 1/2 Marathon coming up in 6 weeks. Not sure if I want to do it or not. Time will tell. But for today I will bask in the bliss of being a crazy runner.

A Lovely Spring Visit...

A lovely spring equinox day in many ways.

First, the weather couldn't be much better. While at the dunes/beach this morning it was so pleasant I was in short sleeves. The ocean was brilliantly calm and I felt so thankful to live and work in such a beautiful environment.

Even better than the sunny beach was getting to see my friend Fireman and meet his wife and son. Fireman and I went to HSU together and haven't seen each other in 8 years. It didn't seem like much had changed, except Arcata, according to Fireman. Mini Fireman had just turned one and enjoyed his first experience at the Arcata Plaza. And Kelly... well, she suggested getting coffee at 2pm in the afternoon and I knew right away that I was gonna like her. And I did.