Last Sunday I completed #15 on my 30 Before 30 list — Walk Bloomsday. OMG. So. Much. Fun.

At the last minute I realized Bloomsday was only a week and a half away so I had to pay a late fee and scramble for a walking partner. Brian was not interested in walking without a having done SOME training beforehand, so I begged my friend Ashley to go with me. It was her very first time and I’m glad she let me share it with her.

Bloomsday is a 12K run held the first Sunday of May right here in little ol’ Spokane, WA. It started in 1977 and has 40,000 to 60,000 runners EVERY YEAR. After an 11 year absence I wasn’t sure what to expect. The biggest change was the addition of a chip on our race number to track each runner’s exact start and finish time as well as time their ascent up Doomsday Hill. Best thing ever. The start was much less stressful and frantic since we weren’t in such a hurry to get started. I am really far out of the running world, so this probably isn’t new technology at all, but I’m totally impressed.

Ashley and I ended the race giggling over the finish line as we sprinted to beat each other. She beat me by a hair, but the chips in our bibs told a different story. We tied with a time of 1:51:50 (nicely within our “goal” of not breaking 2 hours). Not my best time, but most definitely not my worst. We had such a blast, we’ve decided to become running partners and I might have accidentally agreed to do a half marathon with her by the end of the year. What have I started?

The scene: Little M and I are sitting at the kitchen counter after he gets home from school. I’m showing him some new clothes I got him earlier in the day. I hold up one of the shirts.

Amanda: You see what’s on your shirt? It’s a pirate ship!

Little M: A toilet chip?

Amanda: No, a pirate ship.

Little M: A parrot chit?

Amanda: No Honey, it’s a pirate ship.

Little M: Oh!

I’m so glad he likes making me giggle, because I couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried.

Little M is talking so much. He asks to be excused after meals (sometimes). He says please and thank you (most of the time). He dreams up conversations, interactions, and battles between his toys (Buzz vs Zurg, snake vs basketball hoop). He lives to identify letters and counts anything and everything (his current personal record without any assistance is 36).  He’s started to notice the difference between girls’ and boys’ bodies (the stories I could tell if I didn’t mind his future embarrassment). He cracks us up all the time (sometimes it’s even on purpose). He’s been introduced to knock, knock jokes at school, but has yet to fully understand how to tell them (which makes it all the funnier).

He also uses his newfound vocabulary to tease me, tell on his brother, or beg mercilessly to watch one more episode of Sesame Street. He whines, talks-back, begs, and yells. Then, he wakes up from a nap, rolls over, smiles and says “Oh Mommy, I love you.” Ugh. I just like that kid so damn much.

After.

(Before)

The Spokane River hit flood stage on Friday so taking a walk at Riverfront Park to see the falls was a no-brainer. It doesn’t matter how many times I visit that damn place, I fall in love all over again. We are so lucky to have such an amazing park and waterfalls right in the heart of our city. When Brian and I still worked together downtown, we would walk in the park over lunch or after work. It was in that park overlooking the falls that Brian got down on one knee and asked me to torment him for life just six short years ago. Riverfront Park is one of my happy places.

Our niece Alex was visiting from Bellingham and the boys fell in love all over again. I first met Alex when she was 10 and I was impressed by her kindness and the caring attitude she had towards her siblings. She has grown into a thoughtful and compassionate young woman. Brian and I are so proud.

My baby sis is finishing her sophomore year in college and preparing to move into her very first apartment. There are golden, important, pivotal moments in life and this is one of them. I’m so excited for her.

Sunday evening, my cousin married her perfect match and Grrr thought it was all very boring. But his idea of a good time was laughing at his reflection in the parking lot, so don’t believe a word he says. Weddings are fun and this one was extra special. Seeing two people so unabashedly in love isn’t as common as it should be. Alyson and Brandon positively glow in their affection for each other and if Grrr knew how rare that is, he would have been taking notes. With a little luck and a lot of patience, he too could find someone to make him jump for joy at the thought of saying “I do!” That’s the sort of thing a mom thinks about when she brings her baby to a wedding.*

*It’s a good distraction from the sour puss baby-face and inopportune poopy diaper. Seriously. Babies have the worst manners.