Thursday, July 12, 2012

Beach Bums

Oh Yikes!  I’ve been a bad blogger!  Apparently vacation mode changed my routine a bit and I kept forgetting to put all my doings into words.  So today I’m catching up while embracing the view I have at this table, the sounds of the ocean sneaking through the screen door, this cup of coffee, and the joys of memories this week has exposed.  I’ve always been a bit of a toes in the sand beach girl.

Mom had been asking me (with the help of mammaw/papaw Nelson) to come to the beach with them for awhile, but I of course indecisive and always worrying about something kept putting off the decision until the day of departure J  We left in the middle of the night/early morning to tackle the journey to the beach with Mom, Kelly, Andy, and Myself.  It was obvious from the start we missed dad’s packing skills…We got everything in the van but organization wasn’t a factor.  Dad could pack a house into a van; it must be a trait he had to acquire having 4 women packing whenever we went anyplace. 

This week has been a celebration I suppose of caregivers.  Mom, Kelly, and Andy have the day to day duties of helping with the care giving needs for dad.  I think through the struggle of this disease it’s sometimes easy to not fully understand the daily demands that fall within a caregivers day to day operations and it’s something I know me as well as others can easily not fully grasp what that actually takes.  So today we’ll honor all the caregivers J  Dad has been with a program through Hospice this week that helps provide a few days for a caregiver within the program to be able to go on vacation, and I understand just how important it’s been for them this week.  We laughed as it didn’t take but a few minutes for a nurse helping there to already know who dad was.  I can honestly say I’m certain that man has never met a stranger or been at a place someone didn’t know him.  Carter and Sophie have been entertaining papaw with visits with Tara and Troy, and we get updates from Becki, Gary, Denny, Kay, Mammaw & Pappaw Nelson sneaking in for some visits.  We’ve been giving dad all the updates of this week’s activities including of course the most important….were we’ve eaten for his interest.  I told dad yesterday we are lucky we are allowed back into any of the “All you can Eat Buffett” restaurants, they’ve either put us on the “not allowed list” or dad has probably already put them out of businessJ
Kelly, Mom, Me
We grew up coming to Nags Head, NC as kids and as a family.  Maybe that’s why it’s always been a favorite of mine due to the memories.  This week has been full of reminiscing and laughs of the stories we’ve had here.  It’s been I suppose what they call “good medicine” for the situation we are all in battling this disease that can stem bitterness.  Every day on my runs here…I think about my runs here with dad.  We aren’t staying in the same place many of those runs took place, but the smell of the ocean reminds me of me begging in my own head…”Please dad…make that turn movement where it means you are ready to turn around and I can turn around too” …or when upon turn around the back of the Ben Franklin store means we are finally almost back to the condo.  J 
It has been nice to switch up my running routine, some runs in the morning and new scenery, but most of all, and the sounds of the ocean J   Since I am due for a long training update I better get to it:
July 4th (Wednesday)- HOT…. Oh wait that was the story of that week J  I did the usual road run just checking in on a few of the neighbors making sure everyone’s power was back on and alright J  Ran about 40 minutes.
July 5th (Thursday)-  Today was a fun run!  Went to the Arts and Crafts Fair and got to meet up with Steven Nutter who was working a booth there with his dad and we planned on a run after close of the fair.  We ran out through Cedar Lakes with one of his cross country runners for about 50 minutes with some up & down hills.  It was a nice pace with lots of remember when laughs including telling his runner how old we were getting compared to high school pace days J  Then it was nice to talk to Randy and catch up with them as they were a 2nd family to us growing up.
July 6th (Friday)- It was an off day (the training log told me to) J
July 7th (Saturday)- WELCOME TO THE BEACH!!!!  Ahhh the sun and the sound and the waves of ocean… and heat…don’t forget the heat J  Ran about 45 minutes checking out the new neighborhood and our neighbors for the week.

July 8th (Sunday)- Ran about 40 minutes going the other direction today to see everything new there was to see.
July 9th (Monday)- Rain Rain go away J  Ran just 20 minutes today…wanted to do something…but I think the laziness of the day started to sneak up on me.

July 10th (Tuesday)- The workout said Hill Repeats or 40-45 easy run….seeing as my scenery doesn’t present a hill option I supposed I would embrace the 40 minute run today J  It wasn’t as hot and a little bit easier to breathe without so much of the humidity today.
July 11th (Wednesday)- Ran 36 minutes….it was going to be 40 but apparently I ran back faster and even tried to loop around to add a few minutes.
Dad would always tease about running so he can eat whatever he wanted…but especially on vacation week and I’ve found myself thinking that a lot this week just for laughs.  Everytime someone asks where we are eating tomorrow we all start laughing.  This week has been good for the sole….I think for more reasons than I can find the words to describe.
The view from one of our Favorite Resturants Growing up: Fishermans Wharf
I hate to leave…but this view now has the sun sneaking through the rainy clouds we’ve had and I’m not certain my attention will last much longer while I see a great spot to sit my chair for the day J  I’ve got a new notebook to work on for a list of to do’s and planning for the next step in our Team Spangler for Team Fox….so many of these memories give more reasons to continue this battle for a cure.  I’d give anything to have our dad here with us eating all he can eat…and knowing he’d want to go fishing off the Piers I’ve found myself running by every day.