Much Deserved Pedicure at Speedy Spa

A quick update on my never ending toe issues...I finished the marathon on Sunday with no damage to my recent toenail removal and managed to cross the finish line with zero blisters. My tootsies actually ended up being the least of my issues and while struggling with the heat (my enemy), I thought about how my friend, Elizabeth thought that thinking about a pedicure in the last few miles might make the miles go by easier. Honestly, I needed a whole lot more than the thought of a pedicure appointment in the last few miles, but we both did it. We finished another marathon and our feet definitely deserved the royal treatment at Speedy Spa.

The owner, Claire greeted us on the porch and was happy to see us, we were happy that there was only one step to climb. Speedy Spa has such a fun vibe to it and is a great place to go with girlfriends for spa treatments.

Elizabeth came away from the marathon with a couple bruised toenails, so Laura gave her feet some needed tlc.

Elizabeth decided to cover up her already purplish toe nails with a rosy pink. I asked her what the paint color was called and she said, "Baguette Me Not." I responded confused with, "like as in a french baguette?"

Um yeah, you can tell I'm not too girly because baguette diamond was not even a thought of mine.

I went with something a little less feminine and had my nails painted, "Hot and Spicy."

I guess I was partial to the name since I really haven't been able to cool down since the race and well... y'all know I'm a little spicy.

We left Speedy Spa feeling great and it made me think I should start rewarding myself more often, marathon or not. Thanks Speedy Spa!

Running For Reading

As I recently mentioned, this round of marathon training has been slower than usual. I am okay with that, but I'm starting to see habits forming. As I begin to know more and more of you within the community, I find myself breaking stride and stopping to chat.

I might be in the middle of a 15 mile run trying to crest a hill and catch up to you while you are walking your dog, so I stop and walk with you and chat. Then another 30 minutes goes by and find myself on a tour of a property that I often admire. Sometimes I stop running because I finally see a fellow knitting group friend outside weeding after having heard through the grapevine that she had been in the hospital. Maybe my pace slows because I have a question about a cool sign on the side of a barn or finally get to meet the owner and learn the names of the dogs that chase me up the hill from within their electric fence.

These last few months of running have made me really appreciate all the waves and big smiles I get from those of you in your vehicles passing by. I don't even know most of your names, but I thank all of you for getting me through those dark, cold mornings. I am so lucky to be able to run safely in such a wonderful community and for that I am racing for the Wells Memorial Library at the Vermont City Marathon on May 29th and hope that I can raise funds for what I believe is an important organization that brings people in our community together. It also helps that the library is sometimes on my running route and I can always stop in, fill up my water bottles and fuel up with some candy.

I have 26.2 miles to run, so whether it's 10 cents or 10 dollars a mile, please consider making a pledge to support the Wells Memorial Library. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below with your email address or you can send your donation to: Wells Memorial Library, PO Box 57, Upper Jay, NY 12987.

Thank You!

Missing Porch

Do you know what it's like to come home after work and see that your porch has gone missing?

Um yeah, gone. Drew had timed it to so he could be secretly sitting in his car to see my expression when I pulled into the driveway. Yes, my mouth dropped. Now, the funny thing here is that I did not panic. Does this mean I'm starting to get used to these outrageous surprises?

I have to admit, when I came home one day to a cedar tree cut down without any previous discussion, I was mad. I thought it gave us some privacy and I loved being in bed and looking out at the birds in the tree. He did not have the same love for the cedar. Now, in place of the cedar tree we have a cauldron that he secretly purchased and dragged around the house leaving a trail.

Full disclosure here, I now love that the cedar tree is gone. Sitting around it with friends while a fire is going is one of my favorite activities.

Secret projects are something that I suppose I'm getting used to. Tearing up kitchen floors before I've wrapped my head around the idea of refinishing it and introducing saloon doors to me before I had fully investigated all the styles does frustrate me immensely, but it always turns out for the best.

But, back to this porch destruction thing... remember when our cat had gone missing this winter? We realized that the only place she could have gone in two feet of snow was under the porch. Drew was very close to tearing up the entire porch and mud room floor to rescue her. Luckily, she escaped on her own and came back in one piece, but we did not want it to happen again.

We had discussed the potential project of redoing the porch, but once again he went ahead without my knowledge and began demolition. He discovered the hole that Bella had fallen in.

I discovered that I would not have any stairs going into my home. My friend Elizabeth, the next morning discovered she could not drop something off to us. She called and said, "I don't mean to alarm you, but it appears as if your porch has been stolen." Yes I am well aware of the porch situation, nothing was stolen, it's called having a handy husband.

Aha Moment #1271, It's Not a Grenade

I know that with any marathon training, you will have your ups and downs. Mostly, this time around, I have had my share of downs. It was a long winter with lots of snow, then came the rain and flooding, and another surgery with a toenail removal.

Last week, still on the mend, my mother and I hit the gym so I could get on the bike. It was awful. To me, there is nothing worse than being stuck inside an overheated, poorly ventilated room trying to crank it out on a bike. So, I stopped. We were putting our shoes on and my mother said, "When is the last date to decide if you will defer the race?" The guy sitting next to me overheard and asked what race I was doing. Turns out he is doing the same one and that he has been injured also. He told me that after having a grenade thrown at his head in Iraq and learning he had cancer shortly after, the doctors told him he might never walk again.

Um okay, I guess the angry, open wound on my big toe isn't so bad after all. It was a lesson from a stranger at the exact right time. This whole week I was in pain, I kept saying, "It's not a grenade in my head. It's not a grenade. It's not a grenade."

Yesterday, I stopped being a wimp and went for my last long run. After toughing it through the dark, dreary months, Mother Nature rewarded me with budding trees and green pastures.

The snow banks and freezing temperatures became a distant memory. Spring had finally arrived and my toe screamed, "Let's do this thing!" So, if you see me at mile 22 bonking my brains out, just say, "It's not a grenade."

Through the Ausable

When I saw the one lane road sign ahead, I was prepared to see some water on the road. I never imagined it meant I would be driving through the Ausable River as opposed to along the Ausable.

Yikes!

Wild Water

Water. Lots and lots of water. That was the scene today.

After a heavy rainstorm last night, we woke to the sound of the river's rushing water from atop our little knoll. We knew it had to be wild. Fields were flooded and so were the roads.

The roads surrounding us were closed and so we decided to stay put for a bit and take care of a little flooding of our own.

Cascading Waterfall From Basement Pump

We made good use of the basement water given to us and hosed off our metal garden chairs and washed off our muddy "gardening" shoes after digging in the dirt this afternoon.

I'm definitely not complaining because you know what? It wasn't SNOW and April's showers will bring May flowers! Am I jinxing myself by writing that it is finally feeling like Spring? Exhale.

Grocery Store War

The recent excitement in Lake Placid has been the opening of Hannaford in the old Grand Union location. This has created some buzz because now Price Chopper has some competition and it's even on the same side of town.

Recently I went grocery shopping at Aldi and bragged to everyone about how I bought the bulk of our groceries for a week and it only cost 40-some dollars compared to the usual $90 at Price Chopper. However, Aldi doesn't have everything I need and I always end up going to a few different stores to complete my list.

I was interested to see how the prices compared between Hannaford and Price Chopper and so I began my investigation.

Hannaford VS. Price Chopper

I selected three random items to compare.

1. Toilet Paper - Charmin, 6 pack, Ultra Strong Mega Roll

Hannaford wins! On sale, $5.99. Regular price, $7.49

Price Chopper - Regular Price, $7.99

2. Frozen Pizza - Freschetta, Naturally Rising, Four Cheese Medley

Hannaford Wins! Regular Price, $5.69

Price Chopper - Regular Price, $7.79

3. Beer - Budweiser, 6 pack

Tie!

Hannaford and Price Chopper - Regular Price, $5.99

After this investigation, it was clear that Hannaford was the winner based on prices. Of course when you want real savings, you need to shop around for the best deal and that might mean going to both. The savings off gas from Sunoco with your Price Chopper Advantage Card is

worth gold right now, but a couple dollars off on gas could also be saved on a frozen pizza from Hannaford.

I am not a paid employee of Hannaford and their complimentary gifts of Sparkling Soda and Belgian Chocolate didn't determine the winner, but it certainly made my day.