Sunday, November 4
Sarah's birthday, part 2
I had to share this picture taken by our friend Kelly Thayer. It captures the most memorable part of Sarah's birthday, as eight of us attempted to spell S-A-R-A-H with our bodies (unfortunately, I drew the short straw and attempted to form an S with less than moderate success). Sarah wooed the crowd by slipping into the splits at the last second. She can do it all!
Marathon training
The Philadelphia Marathon is in two weeks. Yikes.
Last weekend, we did what most marathon-ers say is the hardest run: 21 miles in a non-race situation. Sarah and I were out at her parents' house near Pittsburgh. We managed to find a nice, flat bike course through the beautiful hills and colorful trees of Western Pennsylvania. The run went amazing well, except that we made the mistake of poor hydration. Since we were what some might call the "boondocks", there weren't many water faucets to be found. We stopped at a town on our way home, but it wasn't quite enough. I had to do a walk/slow jog combo for the last three miles, and Sarah was more than understanding and comforting for me. I scarfed down a few funny-tasting apples in her car after we got back. Unfortunately, I puked them back up a half hour later. Besides that, it was probably our best run we'd had yet. Sarah and I both felt strong, and we managed to run 21 miles in less than 3 1/2 hours (I forget our exact time, however).
Today we ran a 2PM race with mostly other students run students. It was a simple loop around the Schuylkill River. What was surprising about it was that since there weren't many people in the race, Sarah and I both received medals for our age group! We arrived at the finish line at the same time (Sarah technically crossed a split-second ahead of me). Sarah got a 3rd place medal, and I got a 2nd place one. What's crazy is that I've never run in a race expecting to win or even get anything. So, it was a nice surprise.
The last two weeks before the marathon are supposed to be tapered--running less so your body is at peak capacity for the 26.2 miles. We're both nervously excited about it, and it seems that the students share our feelings. Since the course is long, we're looking for people to help cheer us on! If you're interested, please come!!! We'll be running from 7AM until probably noonish.
Last weekend, we did what most marathon-ers say is the hardest run: 21 miles in a non-race situation. Sarah and I were out at her parents' house near Pittsburgh. We managed to find a nice, flat bike course through the beautiful hills and colorful trees of Western Pennsylvania. The run went amazing well, except that we made the mistake of poor hydration. Since we were what some might call the "boondocks", there weren't many water faucets to be found. We stopped at a town on our way home, but it wasn't quite enough. I had to do a walk/slow jog combo for the last three miles, and Sarah was more than understanding and comforting for me. I scarfed down a few funny-tasting apples in her car after we got back. Unfortunately, I puked them back up a half hour later. Besides that, it was probably our best run we'd had yet. Sarah and I both felt strong, and we managed to run 21 miles in less than 3 1/2 hours (I forget our exact time, however).
Today we ran a 2PM race with mostly other students run students. It was a simple loop around the Schuylkill River. What was surprising about it was that since there weren't many people in the race, Sarah and I both received medals for our age group! We arrived at the finish line at the same time (Sarah technically crossed a split-second ahead of me). Sarah got a 3rd place medal, and I got a 2nd place one. What's crazy is that I've never run in a race expecting to win or even get anything. So, it was a nice surprise.
The last two weeks before the marathon are supposed to be tapered--running less so your body is at peak capacity for the 26.2 miles. We're both nervously excited about it, and it seems that the students share our feelings. Since the course is long, we're looking for people to help cheer us on! If you're interested, please come!!! We'll be running from 7AM until probably noonish.
Friday, November 2
Soccer game
Yesterday, Mrs. McGreevy (4th grade teacher) and I attended one of our school's soccer games. A few of my 5th graders are on the team, which goes up to 8th grade. Unfortunately, we lost, but one of my students scored one of the two goals!!! Here are some snapshots from the event:
Another student with a soccer player's younger brother.
Two of my students.
Another student with a soccer player's younger brother.
Two excited teachers.
Tuesday, October 30
Sarah's birthday party
Yesterday we celebrated Sarah's 24th birthday party in style--on her deck! It was her first true birthday party in her life. A bunch of people came out, and we enjoyed delicious food with a beautiful view of the evening Philadelphia skyline. Here's a picture of some of the gang who made it last night. If you haven't wished Sarah a happy birthday, it's never too late!
Monday, October 22
Right or left brained?
This site has a fascinating optical illusion. Which way is the dancer spinning? But it's not really an illusion--it's a test to see if you are right or left-brained. What's crazy is that Sarah and I watched it at the same time and saw two completely opposite things. If I look at it for a minute, it seems to switch on me! Check it out!
Deplorable statistics
This link courtesy of Jason Monstrolla. It tells of a recent survey that ranks Philadelphia as the home of the "least attractive" people in the United States. Obviously the votes were counted before Sarah moved here in 2005...
Sunday, October 14
Updates
Yeah, it's been a while. I'd like to provide a full update on what's transpired since my last posting, but unfortunately, I don't have the time for such luxuries. Know that I want to, however!
My marathon training with Sarah continues. The cooler weather has made for the initial mile to be unpleasant, but my sweat pores are much less active when the temperature is below 80 degrees! This morning we ran for almost 17 miles before church (our time was about 2:50). I'd say it was our best yet. We have a 20 mile run scheduled for October 28--the day before Sarah's 24th birthday! That will be our longest before the marathon. Most of our friends who have done a marathon before tell us that these long runs are the hardest, since you aren't in a race or anything yet. Today felt really good as we did it, however. We brought our iPods, but didn't allow ourselves to use them until the final 4 miles, which worked well as a distraction when our bodies were starting to feel it. In hindsight, perhaps the Sunday morning run wasn't the wisest decision, since we struggled to stand up for singing, communion, and greeting... Still, there are few feelings that compare with the satisfaction of knowing that you gave it all you've got. I expect to sleep very well tonight.
Sarah and I made a trip down to Washington DC to visit Walter and Lydia Nelson in their DC home. They were married in April, and we hadn't made it down there to visit them. Lydia's birthday made for a good excuse, and we enjoyed our visit immensely. It no longer seems weird to visit married friends. Even though it was our first time seeing their new home, it seemed right that they were married. I like that.
School has been going pretty well. What's keeping it from going really well is the amount of time I spend there. I'm generally the first one there and the last one to leave. Recently, it's been kind of a 7AM-7PM day. I try to do most of my work at school because I found myself having trouble sleeping when I worked on homework or planning at home. I'm working on separating school from life, and unfortunately, the emotional element has been tough to overcome.
We have parent/teacher conferences this week, which makes me feel excited and nervous. I have only observed my student teaching conferences, and since nobody came to the computer room last year, that's my only experience with them. Parent communication is a big component for me (our class website has every day's homework and news on it as well as private online grades so parents know what their students are getting). I'd like to get better at calling parents with good news, so this week after students presented their state project, I called home to let the parents know how well their child did with the assignment. Let's hope it pays off!
This weekend, Sarah and I hung out with her roommate Michelle and her boyfriend Will. We had a great time in the country surrounding Philadelphia--visiting her family, picking apples, touring Victory brewery, and going on a haunted hayride. The apple picking felt a little cheap: the place was crawling with people, the apple pickins were slim, and it made me feel even more strongly about how much I like Cranes Orchard.
Time for me to put some finishing touches on the week's lessons. I'll post more soon!
My marathon training with Sarah continues. The cooler weather has made for the initial mile to be unpleasant, but my sweat pores are much less active when the temperature is below 80 degrees! This morning we ran for almost 17 miles before church (our time was about 2:50). I'd say it was our best yet. We have a 20 mile run scheduled for October 28--the day before Sarah's 24th birthday! That will be our longest before the marathon. Most of our friends who have done a marathon before tell us that these long runs are the hardest, since you aren't in a race or anything yet. Today felt really good as we did it, however. We brought our iPods, but didn't allow ourselves to use them until the final 4 miles, which worked well as a distraction when our bodies were starting to feel it. In hindsight, perhaps the Sunday morning run wasn't the wisest decision, since we struggled to stand up for singing, communion, and greeting... Still, there are few feelings that compare with the satisfaction of knowing that you gave it all you've got. I expect to sleep very well tonight.
Sarah and I made a trip down to Washington DC to visit Walter and Lydia Nelson in their DC home. They were married in April, and we hadn't made it down there to visit them. Lydia's birthday made for a good excuse, and we enjoyed our visit immensely. It no longer seems weird to visit married friends. Even though it was our first time seeing their new home, it seemed right that they were married. I like that.
School has been going pretty well. What's keeping it from going really well is the amount of time I spend there. I'm generally the first one there and the last one to leave. Recently, it's been kind of a 7AM-7PM day. I try to do most of my work at school because I found myself having trouble sleeping when I worked on homework or planning at home. I'm working on separating school from life, and unfortunately, the emotional element has been tough to overcome.
We have parent/teacher conferences this week, which makes me feel excited and nervous. I have only observed my student teaching conferences, and since nobody came to the computer room last year, that's my only experience with them. Parent communication is a big component for me (our class website has every day's homework and news on it as well as private online grades so parents know what their students are getting). I'd like to get better at calling parents with good news, so this week after students presented their state project, I called home to let the parents know how well their child did with the assignment. Let's hope it pays off!
This weekend, Sarah and I hung out with her roommate Michelle and her boyfriend Will. We had a great time in the country surrounding Philadelphia--visiting her family, picking apples, touring Victory brewery, and going on a haunted hayride. The apple picking felt a little cheap: the place was crawling with people, the apple pickins were slim, and it made me feel even more strongly about how much I like Cranes Orchard.
Time for me to put some finishing touches on the week's lessons. I'll post more soon!
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