A Note from Marian

It has been awhile since I have written on Wayne's blog and that is just as well. Today is a bittersweet day in this whole saga of Wayne's post retirement events (and I include my sweet dog, Bailey). Backing up a bit, last October 1 I started a 3 week stay at home vacation which was heaven. Then when I "returned" to work, I was asked to stay home and work on some projects. "Would that be okay?" they asked. It was an answer to a prayer I hadn't even prayed! It was a gift and a blessing from God who knows what I want and need more than I do. Anyway, I enjoyed 5 months working from home but Wayne wasn't always exactly thrilled about it. He thought they could easily strike the line item on the budget that was me. Well they didn't and then he retired and well, you know what happened after that. It was such a blessing be able to work from home and be here to do the things Wayne couldn't do and for his healing and all that stuff. (I also had help, and you know who you are!!) But 2 weeks ago, when my sweet friend and co worker, Casey, gave birth 2 months early (all is good there!), I had to come in and resume her duties which used to be my old duties...(it's all a very complicated situation) I was sad to give up such a good thing but knew I couldn't complain. So I have been adjusting to being back in the office and it has been good. I have a great boss and we have new management and I am so much happier there. But enough about me!!! (this is what I hate about blogs...) What I am getting to is that today marks the first day of Wayne going back to work--real work...I am kind of bummed about it because he finally got to feel a little retired the last couple of weeks and now he has to work. Not that it is a bad thing because we are grateful for the privelege of working, but there were some goals and now they will just take longer. The whole time he was off he felt like he was on sick time. He is actually doing fine considering he isn't in Europe. There is enough other fun stuff to keep him occupied. Not that it compares, mind you, but Wayne's life is hardly boring. For instance, worrying about ash getting into the house for a day and a half was a project for him to consume himself with (he is a real neat nick for those of you who don't know but don't get me started on that). Hannah even said, "If dad wasn't here, you'd be letting ash get all over the house." I don't know how I earned such a bad rap. Just because I live with the King of Clean doesn't make me a slob. But I know and accept I pale in comparison. And so be it. I can live with that. So today Wayne begins half time which in addition to his rehab makes almost FT being out of the house M-Th. I have the day off today for Sewards Day and tomorrow poor Bailey (where all of this comes full circle from the first sentence) will be out in the cold for the first time in 6 months without someone home to spoil his little springer self!!

Below is a yesterday picture of our yard with the ash and today is the after picture with new snow. It looks all innocent as if nothing happened...yet I know not only is there ash underneath but also all the leaf piles that I couldn't pick up before the first snow. Last fall, while Wayne was off running his last marathon (for now) he left me home to contend with the end of autumn and the simulaneous beginning of winter in one afternoon. It was the first and only time I raked and shoveled in the same day.

There she blows!

Soon after January 28, the day I arrived home from the hospital, the U.S. Geological Survey started issuing alerts that Mt. Redoubt may be ready to erupt. Mt. Redoubt is about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage. Well, last weekend it finally erupted and deposited ash north and west of Anchorage...that was until today.

The latest eruption around 3:30 pm deposited ash in the Anchorage Bowl area.

The fresh snow we received over the last three days is now covered with with ash...a strange gray hue covers everything.

Check out the cool info about the eruption and Mt. Redoubt at

http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php

Antarctica Marathon Photos

My friend Anna, a fellow 2002 Athens marathoner, who lives in Southern California completed the Antarctica Marathon this month...hooray! Like many of you fellow marathoners, traveling to Antarctica and running its marathon would be a dream. To help us along with our dreaming, Anna posted some of her trip photos...check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/anna_mangini/

It's lovely here in Rome!

Oh how I wish I could have actually said it for real! The Rome Marathon was run today and instead of giving you a report about how I did running it, I'm reporting that we received 5 more inches of snow today in Anchorage and I'm depressed about missing the marathon and the rest of my "Trampathon" through Italy, Paris, and Vienna. I was sure as hell determined to do something, ANYTHING to help take my mind off what I was missing today. So, after attending an early mass at my church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, I headed to Anchorage's indoor running track at The Dome (see link), the site where I had been training for the "Trampathon" and where it fell apart due to my heart problems. The last time I ran at the Dome (actually the last time I ran before my January 13 operation) was on December 30, 2008: I ran 4 miles that day and it was marred with dizziness and lightheadedness. After dressing out I slowly walked onto the track and was overcome with emotions: I was determined to run "Rome" today no matter what. As I trotted around the track in the far outside lane, other runners much, much, much faster than I passed me in lanes 1 and 2. However, that didn't bother me because I was out there in my element "running Rome". With each lap I imagined the Roman street scenes I was sure to have seen along the way. After 2 miles, I walked one cool-down lap and called it quits. There was no finish line in the Colosseum to cross, no medals handed out, and no bottle of Italian wine to chug afterwards with my fellow marathoners. There was only the screaming sounds of soccer players on the infield and the stale smell of the men's locker room.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not moping around the house everyday feeling sorry for myself (although Marian might have something to say about that). I realize that not being in Europe on my retirement trip has given me an interesting opportunity to experience "what if." What if I had been in Europe the past few days? Well, I would have missed a nice lunch with a dear friend that I worked with at the Minerals Management Service; missed a spirited meeting with the Huffman O'Malley Community Council; missed a few brews with a golfing buddy; missed a fantastic dinner hosted by close friends and hearing the touring adventures of a couple who spent Spring Break in Italy and Greece; missed a lovely walk with our dog Bailey and friends on a beautiful frozen lake; and missed a date with my daughter Hannah to see the musical "Annie" performed by a national touring company. So you see, I'm working on putting things into perspective.

But then there is my good buddy David. David and I were hoping to cross paths in Italy while I was there also. Well, he is there...in Rome...and I'm not. He is my eyes and ears and I'm experiencing Rome through his emails to me...check out his latest...

hi wayne,
thanks so much for your email. as i am travelling alone, it is great to be in touch with friends back home. although i just had a lovely conversation and italian lesson with henry at the front desk. he is italian, but his dad was working in el paso and he was born there. he is 40 and his first baby is due may 1! he seems very excited! it is so cute to see him tear up at the prospect. what a glorious day! this is really an amazing city. i am so glad that i decided to come back. i tallied it up, this is my 8th visit to italy, 5th to rome, and this is the second time i have spent two weeks in the capitol.

today was the Rome marathon!! i wanted to get some photos and video clips of the action, and boy did i! today was a beautiful day, so the race could not have had better weather. the finish line was at the Colosseum, i caught the first, second and third place finishers of the disabled competitors, the men and the women. all the first five finishers were from Kenya, both men and women, not the disabled, first there went to an Italian. the whole thing was done i classic Italian fashion, seemingly chaotic! but it was managed chaos, at least from a spectators point of view. it was glorious, glorious!!

from there i wandered around the palantine hill, over the river for lunch in trastevere (literally means the other side of the tiber river.) the restaurant was terrific. i had eaten there with caroline and maryellen four years ago. still as popular as ever. sunday in lasagna day, it was out of this world!!! and is served as the primi piatti, for secondi i had the lamb a la cacciatora, i would describe it as braised in olive oil with rosemary! heaven! the contorni was chard, i guess, hard to say, but yummy. with dessert, wine, water and bread it came to 27 euros! what a deal.

from there i spent the afternoon wandering and wandering, once around the island in the river, isola di tiburtina. then to all my favorite hot spots, campo di fiori, piazza navona, panteon, and back again. another meal, wine and pizza, it was a grand, i would say a perfect, day.

ok...enough already. i hope your recovery is proceeding well. tomorrow i hope to be off to the amalfi for a day overlooking the med. warmer today, in fact, i was over dressed, oh well.
love ya tons!!! ciao bella, baci baci, dac

Tomorrow is another cardiac rehab day and I must say, the three days a week sessions are doing wonders for me. Hal and his staff monitor our work outs carefully and provide lots of motivation. There are about 12 people in my rehab class and every week someone seems to "graduate" out of it (Graduation seems to occur when the insurance coverage ends!).

I enjoy the weight training but it always makes my chest sore...I may have to get that checked out by Dr. Misbach this week.

I always make sure to get at least 30 minutes on the treadmill. So far my pace is about 4.3 mph at a 2%-to-3% grade. I also try to get some time on the elliptical trainer. I went 40 minutes one day and my butt was sore for two days! Hey, I think I now know how to get my lost butt back!

One final thought via a quote:

If at first you don't succeed, you are running about average.

M.H. Aldeson

When in Rome, do what the Romans do ... ciao bella, baci baci, dac!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Great timing...I'm feeling great these days, it's St. Patrick's Day, and tomorrow I would have been flying to Europe to begin my six week trip to Europe...boo on that last point! So, it seems natural to celebrate "green day" with a few brews with my friends (Jon, me, Neal, Stewart, Brian and another Wayne).

Reilly's bar was packed with folks claiming Irish blood...it was a blast. Lots and lots of Guinness, a shot of whisky, Irish dancers, bag pipes, drummers, and plenty of corn beef sandwiches.

Had to call an early evening because of tomorrow morning's scheduled sonogram of my heart (the first since the January 13 operation) and cardiac rehab session. Cheers!

Thanks for standing by me.

My friend Lois sent me this link to a song that was recorded/taped by coordinating performances from around the world...very cool! I'm dedicating it to all those who stood by me and my family during the difficult past two months.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Kick back and listen to it with the speakers turned up!

P.S. Rumor has it that my wife Marian will be returning to this blog soon to make a"guest" entry and she has a lot to say - - translated - - making fun of me!

Busy as a bee! That's a good thing!

I'm way behind in updating my blog, but for good reasons. Each day I'm getting better which means I'm doing lots of stuff to fill my time...details and photos will be posted soon. However, here are some hints...Minnesota relatives visiting, champagne snowfalls, alpine glow sunsets, Fur Rendezvous winter festival, Running with the Reindeer, pizza and beer, doctor appointments, cardiac rehab sessions, and "sort of" starting part time work back at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Take care, Wayne