Fun and Good Times

Finally we can breathe a big sigh of relief – spring is here and we don’t have to shovel any snow for a little while (hopefully I didn’t just jinx all of us…). I’m super happy to see and experience spring’s arrival. I really tried to embrace winter, but frankly it was a long and cold winter – the skate skiing and snowshoe running helped but really, I’d be happy with spring and summer all year round… Okay now that my little weather rant is out of the way, let’s get to the fun and good stuff.

Lately the fun and good stuff has included:

Bike riding: yes, I missed my bike so much. I realized during one of my first rides of the season that I love riding my bike. I feel comfortable and natural on it. It fits me and I fit it. This year my bike riding is at a much more relaxed and steady pace – I’m not bound by a training plan, rather I’m just riding based on a “how I feel plan” – so far so good.
Trail running: I’ve been doing a lot (well, a lot for me) of trail running lately. I’m trying to slowly build up my endurance, strength and trail running skills in preparation for the Ultimate XC at the end of June. I’ve been exploring some fun new-to-me trails and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. I’ve lucked out to have some great running partners which keeps the running interesting and entertaining – sometimes it seems like we’re laughing harder than we are running!
Birthday celebration: my birthday has come and gone and it was a very good one. I was lucky to celebrate with my favourite guy and some very good friends. I had a relaxing day filled with trail running, chocolate, the Sunday New York Times, bike riding and a very nice dinner with good and special folks.
New niece: my wee little niece was born on March 25th. Merryn Lilly Thomas is a beauty of a little girl who is being showered with love and attention from her mom, dad and most wonderfully from her big brother Henry (all of four years old). My heart melts when I see my nephew sing songs to Merryn when she is crying. And now for some reason I feel this strange urge to buy every pink baby item I see… Yes, being an aunt is pretty darn awesome.
Back deck: my dad built us a back deck last summer. What a treat it is to walk out onto the deck in the morning and enjoy my backyard. So very happy to have this addition. Old Murphy is pretty happy with the deck as well.
Health: slowly but surely I’m starting to feel like my old self. My energy levels are getting back to normal and I just feel good. Still a long way to go to 100% but I believe it is slow and steady that wins this race. So far the new medicine is working out well. The iron infusions will soon start to make a big difference in my energy levels.
Good friends: there is nothing like good friends to help you through tough spots and to remind you what friendship really is about.
Favourite guy: little known fact that this year, we’ll have been married for 10 years and together for 20…. this is pretty huge and I’m so darn lucky to have this man in my life.
Old Murphy: the Murphster is getting up there in age – 19 now. But he is still trucking along. He patrols the backyard, tries to escape down our driveway, wakes us (okay me) up at 5 a.m for food, and chases the laser pointer around like a 19 month old kitten.

Yes, so this pretty much sums up life as of late. I’m feeling very lucky and fortunate these days. I’m pretty confident that this 42nd year will be full of super fun and good stuff.

Here’s a few of my favourite photos from the weekend that wrap up this post nicely: