As most of you know, I lived in Boston for almost four years, and Marathon Monday was one of my favorite days of the entire year while I was up there. It was a day when everyone in the city came together to celebrate the athletic achievements of those running the Marathon. From the elite, world-class runners to the people running for charity, it was always an inspiring sight to witness.
Today I was saddened to hear about the bombings that took place at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It's hard to understand why anyone would want to harm this special event, and because of their senseless actions, it would be easy to view the Marathon and my memories of it as somehow "tainted" from now on.
But I choose not to.
Instead I choose to remember cheering on the athletics running past me at the eighth mile of the race in Natick, clapping until my hands went numb.
I choose to remember little girls holding out their hands to runners, hoping to give and receive high fives.
I choose to remember searching for the Texans in the crowd of runners so I could give them a personal cheer of encouragement.
I choose to remember being so inspired by the elite runners that I attempted a little run on the way back to my apartment in Natick.
I choose to remember a father who pushes his son in the race each year.
So I don't really care who they finally discover committed this atrocity. It could be a right-wing wacko, left-wing wacko, domestic terrorist, or international terrorist. You can't take the Marathon and my good memories of it away.
I'm praying for all the people of Boston tonight. The city and its people are strong, and I know they will recover from this — and come out on the other side even better. Godspeed, Massachusetts. Godspeed.
Project 365 | Week 15
Good evening, everyone! It was a rather ordinary week around here, but I did have some fun this weekend. On Saturday, I went shopping down south and stopped by the "You're my butter half" mural for the first time. Today I tried P. Terry's for the first time (yum!) and went to the Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve to see the peacocks. It was amazing how completely tame the peacocks were, especially as several little kids got very, very close.
This week I also took my 100th picture of the year, which in my opinion, is an important milestone for Project 365.
This week I also took my 100th picture of the year, which in my opinion, is an important milestone for Project 365.
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| 98/365: Sammy took my reading chair on Monday night, so I had the couch. |
Easter in Pictures
I was so excited to spend Easter weekend at home with my family in Henderson. I drove home Thursday evening after work and didn't start back for Austin until after lunch on Monday. Over those few days, Mom and I went to Canton and explored the Azalea Trail in Tyler, the whole family dyed Easter eggs at the farm, and we all went to church on Easter Sunday. Perhaps the most meaningful part of my weekend was visiting the Bonfire Memorial at Texas A&M on Monday. I was able to see the pillar that honored Jamie Hand, and it was definitely worth the trip to College Station (even if I spent most of my time in the town worried that I would be called out for the Longhorn emblem on my car).
And as promised, a few pictures...
And as promised, a few pictures...
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| Texas wildflowers |
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| In Rust We Trust |
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| The whole world |
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| Pyrex and more Pyrex |
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| Beautiful quilts |
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| The original Duck Dynasty? |
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| Hydrangeas |
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| Corn dog stand |
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| Box of sticks |
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| Pink azaleas |
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| White azaleas |
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| Tyler's Azalea Trail |
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| Sweet kitty |
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| Dyeing eggs at the farm |
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| Blue egg |
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| Unimpressed with egg dyeing |
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| Bonfire Memorial |
Project 365 | Week 14
Happy Monday, everyone! It was a busy, unusual week for me — I took Monday off from work, spent Thursday at home when the internet was down at work, and enjoyed spending Sunday evening with my parents. Here's my week in pictures:
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| 91/365: Bonfire Memorial at Texas A&M University |
March 2013 Round-Up
Happy April Fool's Day! It's time for my March round-up.
What I Read...
About My Monthly Round-Ups
At the end of each month, I take a look back and write a post about the month's highlights, as well as what I read and watched. To see all of my round-up posts, visit this page.
What I Read...
- Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys: This book told the story of the woman in the attic from Jane Eyre. It was interesting in spots, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: The only way to describe this book is WOW. There was so much going on that it's hard to describe the story without giving too much away. I'm glad I was finally able to read it after putting my name on the library waiting list a few months ago.
- The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult: This book was a departure for Picoult, but I enjoyed it because it focused on the story of a Holocaust survivor. As often happens with stories that switch between the past and present, I found the older story more compelling. It was still a great book, and I'm glad I was able to finish it this past weekend.
- Oz the Great and Powerful: It was okay, but I like the original Wizard of Oz (and Wicked) more.
- Admission: I was surprised this movie wasn't any funnier since Tina Fey and Paul Rudd were in it. I did like one character quoting the prologue to The Canterbury Tales, though — it brought me back to senior English for a moment.
- I watched a few older movies on TV: West Side Story and Pride and Prejudice (1940).
- I caught some of the World Figure Skating Championships on my laptop. One of the internet feeds was from England, and it was fun to hear the commentators describe the action ("What a cracker!").
- DVDs: I finished the second season of Felicity this month. I also watched half of When Harry Met Sally before the DVD stopped working.
- TV: Castle, Grey's Anatomy, DWTS, some March Madness, Brady Bunch reruns on TVLand
- Having my mom spend a weekend with me in Austin. We shopped, worked on several projects around the apartment, and visited the food carts on South Congress.
- Spotting the first wildflowers blooming around Austin.
- Meeting Michelle's new puppy Eva.
- Spending Easter weekend at home with my family. We packed a lot in the last few days — a trip to Canton, egg-dyeing at the farm, introducing Handy and Max, Easter dinner, and more.
- Seeing Meryl Davis and Charlie White win their second world title in ice dance (in Canada, no less.) I was also happy Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold skated well enough to earn the U.S. women three spots for the Olympics.
- Getting ready for church in less than 20 minutes when I overslept for our early bells performance the morning after the time change. I can get ready quickly if I put my mind to it.
- Seeing the ground covered with hail from an overnight storm. It really did look like snow.
- Working out in my fun new work-out shoes.
About My Monthly Round-Ups
At the end of each month, I take a look back and write a post about the month's highlights, as well as what I read and watched. To see all of my round-up posts, visit this page.
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