happy olympics day!

The only thing that would make this opening-ceremonies-day more awesome would be if I were watching it with my fellow Olympics nerd, Junie!

xoxo.

what i've been up to...

 Hi friends! Yesterday you heard about our wonderful and challenging trip from Oregon to Texas. Well, the day after we got to Texas, I flew to Indiana to photograph and write about the NAIA National Track Meet, where I'm rooting on my awesome Sea Lions from Point Loma!! It's so great to see old friends, and it makes me wish I was still competing with them!

  The weather has been pretty rough. Thunderstorms, tornado warnings, etc. 

But, as always, the Sea Lions impress rain or shine! 

Also, thank you for your wonderful and encouraging comments yesterday. It is so great to know that I am not alone in this journey! I appreciate all of you, and the opportunity to share what's on my heart every once in a while. 

Xoxo.

[You can see more photos here]

phew!

woo-wee! landon and i hosted our first middle school track meet today (well, our first track meet in general) and i'm happy to announce that it was a success! yours truly was the clerk of the course, keeping those kids in line and the meet running smoothly. we were grateful for wonderful weather, which made it lots of fun! here's to track and field!

xoxo

track's where it's at [i know, i know, never end a sentence with a preposition].

Me, performing my favorite duty as "media" at one of our track meets last year.
Photo by Ang.

whenever we get weather alert emails at work, there's a little disclaimer at the top that says "please disregard this email if it does not apply to you," to remove any responsibility for the annoyance they might cause. i feel like this post needs a similar opening: please disregard this post if you find it less than interesting.

today felt like spring for the first time. for one thing, the sun was shining when i drove to work this morning, which is quite a rarity. but it felt like spring mostly because track started. not plnu track. no sunsets, broken records or coach arvin in shorts. instead jr. highers, freezing cold weather and coach katie. as in me. i'm helping landon [aka head coach] by coaching the hurdles for the local jr. high team. and even though it isn't point loma, it was wonderful to be on a track, and to say "runners on your mark," and to feel like there are a lot of good moments to come. 

and a final word for all my fellow trackies straight from the man himself:

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE." -coach arvin

xoxo.

i'm going back...

to short hair today. can't wait.

[this is me, after racing an 800. that's about what you feel like by the end.]

xoxo.

a must read.

if you've got some time on your hands today, check out this incredible story about a youth soccer team made up of child refugees from around the world. i just discovered it while reading the best american sports writing 2009.

if you don't have time to read the full story, here are two clips about the team that aired on the today show:

sunday lovin: tracktown.

being as lebanon is, shall we say, limited, in weekend activity options, landon and i headed down to eugene for the day. we started by visiting my dear friend maryn's church, and then grabbed lunch and headed to skinner butte park for a little picnic.

we walked around eugene, visited shops, and then took the infamous pilgrimage. 

to hayward.

it was quiet--silent, really--when we walked in. and i felt as though i had walked into an art museum. that silent, slow-walking, taking-it-all-in feeling. 

that sense that things have happened here. big things.

[sidenote: i ran here twice in high school, but rest assured no big things happened when i ran. just for the record]

and so we sat. for a good long while. no running, no cheering, no magic happening today. we just sat and enjoyed the quiet breeze and the smell of track and field.

it was a good day.

xoxo.

happy saturday.

lebanon sunset.

i hate to repeat myself, but i love fall. pretty golden sunsets, cool mornings and cross country meets.

landon started a middle school cross country team here, and we took them to trask this morning. they loved it, and so did i.

nice to be on the other side of the line this time.

sunday lovin: frontyard wiffleball

frontyard wiffleball is a long-standing tradition in my family. i remember playing it nearly every day one summer with my brother [yes, it is possible to play wiffleball with only 2 people].

we took some hitting practice last night, and mom showed off her wind up...

i even made contact a few times myself!

love this game, love my family!