A Happy Place

Paddling around the Tidal Basin

While running has not been the focus lately of my life - only 25 miles logged last week, life has been good.  I'm at the tail end of "summer vacation" before I head off to Santa Cruz on Sunday to work at my beloved summer camp for 7 weeks.
I got good health news.  Last December, I finally got my bloodwork numbers for Celiac Disease out of the 100s, and to a 98, which is still really high.  At this point, I need to get it done every six months until there is significant improvement.  I made a few changes to my diet - knocked out some labeled seasonings and stepping things up at restaurants.  That is such a strange thing ordering at restaurants - being insistent about verifying that they understand the importance of having an uncontaminated area for cooking my food.  Anyways, I got my results back last week - 68!  I knocked 30 points off, which was the largest improvement I've made so far!  I still need to get down to about 20, but I was really happy with the big jump.

Me, my dad, and my grandpa at the Iwo Jima Memorial

I went to DC for a long weekend - my now second home.  I moved to DC to start grad school in 2008, and I don't think I ever thought it would be my home.  But each year I've been there, I've fallen more and more in love with the city.  I realize now that I have created my own life there- that's where I started running, ran 3 of my 6 marathons there, and have had my entire graduate career there - it is a great place.

One of my favorite spots of DC

So, I went for a long weekend trip there.  My grandfather, a WWII vet (stationed in England), got to participate in one of the Honor Flight trips, and my dad was his guardian.  We met up with them at the Iwo Jima Memorial - a place where I've only been before at the end of the Marine Corps Marathon!  It was nice to be able to see them on the trip.  My grandpa said the trip was one of the best weekends of his life.

Sweet 16th Birthday - 2002

I also celebrated a birthday - 26!  I though 25 sounded like the grown up age, but 26 definitely is.  It was a great day.  We went paddle-boating on the Tidal Basin - near the Jefferson Memorial.  So pretty! This is also a great place for running!  It is definitely one of my favorite places in DC.

On the Georgetown Waterfront

I also found this - from my sweet 16 party 10 years ago.  Still lucky to be friends with a lot of the girls in the picture - some are still my closest girl friends in the world.


I also got to spend it with someone special (if you had been reading into the "we" - that's who).  Not going into the details (identity hidden to protect the wonderful), but he's a great guy who made the day very special.  
So, I've started out 26 on a terrific note.  I am running a 5k with my mom on Saturday and flying out to California on Saturday.  Happy places/peaks/highs, whatever you call them - they are here right now.  Many reasons to be smiling.