A Walk Down Memory Lane

My time in DC was short, but very sweet. What was supposed to be a long weekend for the Marine Corps Marathon with some sightseeing and such, turned out to be a much shorter weekend due to Hurricane Sandy, with a bit of reminiscing in what was once a favorite neighborhood of mine with a special friend.

If you're reading this and you know my DC history/story, then you know why it's a very special place for me. What I will say publicly is I have no regrets of my time and emotions spent there. Everything happens for a reason. As I grow older, I believe that more and more.

When I registered for this marathon back in April, I had no intention of seeing my old friend, nor of even stepping foot into the old neighborhood. The plan was to stay with someone else, somewhere else, but life circumstances changed all that. Perhaps God had more of a hand in changing it than just 'life circumstances.' Regardless, I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Night before the marathon is stressful all in its own right. This particular night before the marathon was probably one of the best I've ever had.

In retrospect, I definitely stayed up much later than is suggested. However, I'm often too wound up to get to sleep early, and I was in DC. There was no way I could rest without spending some time out and about.
And we did just that ... Out of the apartment and into Adam's Morgan is how the night was spent. I rode the Metro for the first time this weekend, which was great, and we enjoyed Sushi for my pre-race dinner. After we finished eating, laughing and being silly, we headed into the old neighborhood. As soon as I was able to get my bearings, a flood of memories and emotions completely took over me. Now that I think of it, I'm sure I looked as though I was walking around in a daze. I was taking it all in, though. The memories, stores, restaurants, places and faces that at one point in time were like a second home to me. It all became familiar once again and gave a strong tug at my heart. I definitely held back tears along the walk. It was all so beautiful and filled me filled with emotions; happy, sad, funny, excited, anxious, etc. I was elated to be in a place that had once made me smile to no end, and see all the beautiful architecture of an area that I loved while I was there. Simply put, it was the best Saturday night I have had in a very long time.

Time spent with my friend was much sweeter than expected. After not seeing someone for four years, it can go one of two ways: it can seem strained and uncomfortable, or you can spend some time catching up and pick up like you just saw each other a week ago. After some time well spent catching up, we seemed to pick up where we left off, meaning we laughed a lot, joked and poked fun here and there, had some serious talks, but nothing stressful, and simply enjoyed each other's company. At least I did. I suppose I shouldn't speak for other people. Again, I must reiterate that I am glad the weekend turned out the way it did. Even if the happiness & fun times were momentary, it was well deserved and I wouldn't change a thing of the way it all played out.

I think it's accurate to say DC will forever hold a special place in my heart. I'm thankful for all that I experienced while I spent time there, the good as well as the bad, because you can't have one without the other, and we have to learn and grow from each experience life sends our way. I'm particularly thankful for my friend. I thank God for his life & for bringing us into each other's lives. I have truly been blessed with beautiful people along my life, and I will forever be thankful to God.

Marine Corps Marathon

Marathon #6 is behind me, thank God. Without His strength, I could not have gotten through it.

What a weekend it has been! With hurricane Sandy approaching, everyone has been up in arms about everything. For a moment, I actually wondered if the marathon was going to be canceled. Thankfully it wasn't, and we completed the run, as planned!

This was not an easy run by any means. Not sure why. I suppose no marathon is easy, correct? 26.2 miles of running, which equates to four plus hours of running for most people, is mentally challenging and physically defeating. After about a month or two of running the long runs with Leon, we decided we would run the marathon together. I wouldn't have thought to do otherwise. We helped each other through most of the long runs, and we ran well together, so I didn't think we would run marathon separately, nor did I want to. Having a partner/friend to run with helps immensely.

Leon and I ran well for the first twenty miles. There were some moments along the course that we needed to slow down or stop and get water, regroup, etc. We definitely helped each other through some walls, we had the usual laughs along the way, and conversations about this or that, but at mile 21 we separated. Leon was having a hard time and discomfort because of his sneakers, and I was having my own hard time due to blisters on my toes, and the stopping and starting up again. We decided it was best to separate so we could each get through the remainder of the marathon as each of us needed to. Leon did some walking and running until the end to compensate for the pain he was feeling, and I just ran as quickly as my body would take me, which wasn't too quickly, by the way. After mile 19, I got no more water, and just continued along the way. Stopping and starting became too painful, therefore I knew I had to keep moving. I did make one last stop before the finish line, though ... There was a food stop that had Dunkin' Donuts munchkins! I forgot to mention that in a fit, I threw my coveted snack pack away at mile 2. Really? Really! So, anywhere I found a food stop along the course that had something I would enjoy, I certainly made a quick stop for something! I am a hungry runner!

All in all, I loved this race. I have a particular love for DC, so that in itself made this run very special to me. I also love destination marathons. They give me a reason to take a short road trip, get out of town and visit a new city for a few days, if nothing else. The memories of this marathon & weekend will be fresh for a long time to come.

Project Moving :: Completed!

To say the last two and a half months have been 'easy' would be completely untrue.

Combine the beginning of the school year with marathon training; then throw in buying a co-op just for extra fun and you have a person who almost kept it together to the end. Days and weeks of endless emails to and from my mortgage broker and lawyer, dodging calls from my former landlord, and regular every day incidents never seemed to end, and kept me quite stressed out. Thankfully, many friends and family were by my side to see/hear me through the entire ordeal. That was such a help and I won't soon forget it.

From closing day to moving weekend/day, there was no stopping me. I closed, shopped, packed, packed, packed, moved things, returned things, let my mom handle moving day, and pretty much did everything in reverse order after that. The help I received with packing, purging, moving, and even the occasional melt down was truly amazing.

Now, the task is to get the remaining boxes unpacked and out of my apartment. It's coming along, one box at a time. I have NOTHING hung on the walls yet, and I'm not happy about that. However, in time my apartment will come together and it will feel like home. Pictures of the progress will be posted here and there. The ones below are just a beginning of what I hope will become a beautiful 'Jess' apartment. The wallpaper in the kitchen HAS to go, but will stay for now. Money is necessary for such 'fun' projects.

If I could put a word to the feeling I have right now, it would be blessed. God is way too good to me. I'm not exactly sure why, but I do thank Him.