Saturday, August 29, 2009

Tomato Tart

I may not have been a responsible gardener this year but thankfully I have friends that took their duty seriously. And I'm reaping the benefits! Good friends are invaluable, especially when they have extra tomatoes because there is nothing like a tomato tart made with fresh off the vine tomatoes.


I did contribute the fresh basil:


Finely chopped with garlic:


They are beautiful:


Pretty little tart:


The masterpiece:


***I used Kraft mayo with olive oil and the result was just as good as using full fat mayo.


Bon appetit!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

No Fashion Diva

I wear what is comfortable, always. Because if I don't I feel as if my skin is screaming at me. Usually this isn't a problem, we don't go anywhere fancy and I don't feel as though I need to dress well to take the children out and about, but today I'm being interviewed, about running, thank goodness. I can confidently wear running attire and be at ease at the same time. I just couldn't decide which race to promote by wearing "their" t-shirt.

When I first found out about the opportunity I immediately envisioned myself in the new sleek Legend t-shirt I earned in August, I could even slyly drink some coffee during the interview out of the mug I won. The Legend is one of my favorite runs of all time, the course, the people, the post-race giant muffins. They deserve a bit of publicity but then I wondered if too many people found about it the atmosphere next year might be ruined by torrents of road racers coming to steal my mug away from me!


Then I felt guilty, I should promote my local town and their race, Chesaning needs all the help it can get, but the shirts are cheap (although nicely designed) and my tattoos are fully visible underneath the material. I wasn't looking to promote "biker trash" running so I tossed that plan aside. And really, I meant to contact someone about this last year, runners would much rather pay a few extra dollars for a quality t-shirt that they can wear as opposed to something that needs to be layered. We don't ask for much: good course, mile markers with splits, decent t-shirts and edible post-race food.


The final possibilty was this past weekend's Crim shirt. There is nothing to not like about this race except the lack of available restrooms for those pre-race jitters. The Crim is a community event as is evident by the hordes of people that come out in suport of Flint and the runners that make this race the show that it is. My shirt is special this year with autographs from Joan Benoit Samuelson and Anne Audain. I'm wearing it as I type and I'll be sporting it as I talk about my committment to fitness and the sport of running.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Summer Bounty

Our garden is a sad sight but my race t-shirt collection is growing wildly. I hope they can sustain us over the winter months! I've toed the line at: Dexter to Ann Arbor 1/2 marathon, The Legend 10 mile trail run (Enter if you dare!), Curwood Festival 10k in Owosso (On my birthday!), Chesaning Showboat River Run, New Lothop Car Show 5k, the Churchill Classic 10k in Cheboygan on a whim because the race I really wanted to run was full, and the Crim.



This weekend was the 33rd running of the Crim where I was able to meet runner extraordinaire Joan Benoit Samuelson and had her sign a slew of items for me including this poster of her at the 1984 Olympics where she won the gold medal in the first ever women's marathon. My heart sped up a little when I saw her, not like when I'm near the finish line but more like when I get super good news. It was really her, in the flesh! Being a "non front of the pack runner" there are rarely opportunities to talk to the greats in our sport. We just know they run fast as we stare in awe of their times and look further down the list to find ours. She was not impressed to meet Mechelle, runner and mother of 4. My feelings aren't hurt, she didn't care about Joel Feick, the channel 12 news reporter, either. Maybe she was tired or sick (although she ran 6 minute miles at the race) or maybe sick and tired of the attention. She is still my hero, bad expo day or not.

She tells me to "Run in good health."
If she only knew the road blocks thrown my way the past two years. I had tears in my eyes as we started the race because it was difficult to believe that I was actually there and running. It would be so easy to quit, to give into the struggles, but I don't. I keep lacing em' up and wearing em' down.


Anne Audain was at the expo too, sharing a booth with Joan. An inspiration to women, runners and those with hurdles to leap over. She was extremely friendly and I wish we would have invited her to eat Chinese with us!

Thanks Joan, you better believe I will "Run on!"



Sunday, August 9, 2009

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

A Formal Introduction

I haven't formally introduced the newest family member so here she is in all her glory! It is often said that owning a vizsla is a way of life, they are velcro dogs, and that sentiment couldn't be truer. Having Fergie has been like adding another small child to our family, only one that grows really fast and picks up bad habits quicker than lightning (As I found out the other day when the library contacted me regarding a chewed up book). Vizslas aren't for everyone, but after being without Buchta for 8 months we know that our life is not complete without our piece of velcro.

She drops,

and flops,

and rolls.

Her first trip to "big water":

Thinking she may sneak a bit of buchtie:


*Kudos to her wonderful breeder, Sue Branch of Stonepoint Kennels, for creating our little wonder.

Monday, August 3, 2009