Grandma is still completely lucid and in fact, is quick to snap back with one-liners that can erupt an entire room into laughter. Unfortunately, she has weakened a bit physically and we finally convinced her that perhaps she was old enough to use a walker and have a Life Alert (help! I've fallen and I can't get up!) subscription. The first hour we were at her house we got her all set up with her new 'toys'. It was sad at first until we saw how much happier she seemed to be scooting around the house with her walker.
But I digress, the weekend was really fun and full of an appropriate amount of celebration in her presence. And a little extra for the 'kids'. cheers
Friday, Adam had to go to his favorite Salina establishment: The Cozy Inn. They've sold little onion-y slider-sized burgers since 1922 and are a must-stop on every visit. Or 3 times, if you are my obsessed husband. That's right, he at Cozy burgers on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday.
We spent the rest of Friday afternoon visiting with Grandma and then giving her a brief respite while we shopping at the DAV and a couple of antique stores. In the early evening, she and my mom and aunt and uncle went to a wake of a dear friend while the kids stayed back home and sampled some local brews. It definintely felt a bit strange to be drinking beer in Grandma's living room while she was dealing with death, but in retrospect, I suppose the best way to deal with death is to live life.
The group convened at Carlos O'Kelly's for some Tex-Mex and margaritas (notice a theme?). Grandma seemed to be happy to out of the house and we sat at the table for quite some time afterwards talking and catching up. And emptying glasses....
Once we got to the hotel, me, my brother, and my sister and her boyfriend hung out for awhile longer drinking 1 more beer before bed. (If you are counting my lushness--the number is only 3 for Friday night.)
When I got up at 8am on Saturday morning, I debated on going for a run. I thought we were supposed to be ready to leave at 9:30am to begin the festivities. However, by the time I realized I actually had had enough time to run, it was too late. Oh well. I wasn't feeling great anyway with the beers/margarita, getting up at 5am, and eating nothing but delicious garbage the previous day.
We went to Brookville Hotel in Abilene for Grandma's birthday lunch. A couple of my mom's cousins met us and the group had a nice meal at one of Grandma's favorite places.
After lunch, we went back to Grandma's for more visiting and perhaps, a little napping. It was a wonderfully slow afternoon of just relaxing. My sister and I went out in the early evening to run errands. We were searching for Obama and Romney chia pets (seen at the local Kmart), a gluten-free dinner option for my sister, and Cherry Mashes. We found Romney chia pets and a tacos for her dinner.
Everyone else had Cozy burgers and later, we sipped on lime sherbert punch (some cups spiked with champagne) while enjoying Grandma's birthday cake again. Grandma looked pretty tired around 8pm, so the group let her rest. The kids reconvened in my brother's hotel room. We had a great time playing card games with M&M 'chips' and polishing off the beer. Lush count: 3 drinks.
Sunday morning, I was ready for my run. It was coooooold outside, but I was determined. I had in my head I would run 7-10 miles, depending on how I felt. I wore capris (probably should have worn pants, but I survived), a short sleeve, a long-sleeve, and gloves. The temps were in the upper 20s when I started out, but it was WINDY. 13* with the wind chill according to my weather app. Eek!
I ran north through a commercial district into the winds when I began. For about 2 miles, I tried to get my body and blood moving. Once I reached the residential section, I finally started to feel good and the houses blocked some of the wind. I got 'lost' for about 2 miles along some residential streets--a near impossibility when practically all the streets are on a grid. Once I found my way back to a familiar thoroughfare, I realized that I just needed to run one more mile north to make my run 10 miles. So I made the loop along my 'usual' route (I normally stay at Grandma's, but the group was too big this time).
I looped back on a much more familiar course though and ended up back at the hotel with just over 9 miles. And like any neurotic runner, I couldn't just stop at 9.1 miles. I ran past the hotel for another .45 miles and then came back for an even 10 miles.
I barely looked at my Garmin except to judge my distances and was surprised that I had a true progressive run with each mile faster than the last. I knew the last mile was fast because I was freezing my you-know-what off!!!! 8:11, 8:04, 8:01, 7:58, 7:57, 7:55, 7:45, 7:42, 7:40, 7:25.
After a really long and hot shower, we joined the family at grandma's for one final meal of Cozy burgers, leftover Brookville chicken, and of course, more birthday cake. Yup, my body was officially hating me yesterday afternoon....
My weekend by the numbers:
Cozy burgers: 12
Miles ran: 10
Pieces of fried chicken: 6
Alcoholic beverages: 6
Pieces of birthday cake: 3
Too bad I had to come back to reality today!!!!!
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