Parting Shots,

Here we are, Donna, Dixie and Johnette in front, Kristine, Lonnie, and Dawn in the back.

Early Monday morning every one is up and packing and getting ready to leave. Lonnie and Kristine are leaving first, driving back to Chicago. They have to be there in time to get their little ones from school.

Dawn and I are driving back to KC and Johnette and Dixie are so lucky to hitch a ride with us to the Airport.

It's kind of sad, we have had a great weekend but our good friend Debbie Powell was missing. And the time just flew by then here it is time to say goodbye again.

It's hard to believe I have such great friends that I have known for 34 years, how is that even possible, I still don't feel that old. Well actually today every time I stand up I do feel that old.

It's been fun, good times, ladies.

I'll have more photos when I get my film back, yes, I still do film. I don't want to go digital.

A Clear Day

What a day for a race, the sky is clear, the air is crisp and I am so excited. We had a great, big breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then gathered our gear, met up with Dawn and her girls and we were off.

It really isn't fair that they put the start line 6 blocks away, then you have to walk back from the start line to where your time station is. Well if I start that far back, it would take me 20 minutes just to get to the start line, I'll already be shot. So we just stop and wait with the fast runners. Soon enough they have started the race, and we're moving. I'm walking, yes, I'm walking, I want to run, but I refrain. I know it will be a long day, so I need to pace myself.

We all start together, Johnette, and Dixie and I. This is just the coolest thing, to be in a huge crowd like this. After about a half mile, Johnette has dropped behind, and we are still moving strong. Finally there is the first mile marker, and I find that I am going about 20 minutes per mile. That is really good for me. But about this time, Dixie is stepping off, and I am left in the dust. It is a long time before people stop passing me. I see Lonnie and Kristine as they pass me by, and there is Dawn coming back from the first loop. But it's alright, just keep going.

Well I think maybe I'm last, so I decided to pass some people. I have to run to do it, but once done, they aren't getting by me again. It was a long day, well, not really but it sure felt like it, and there were times, I just didn't know if I could make it. But not finishing just wasn't in my plan for the day, so I just kept moving.

Dixie finished before any of us, before Lonnie and Kristine, before me, and she is the oldest. You see it doesn't matter where you are when you start. Just start. Dixie's time was 4:07. That is just amazing to me. What a trooper. And she didn't even look winded.

I finished in 4:29. I wanted to be done under 4:30, so I just made it.

Our little friend Johnette just couldn't make it, though she tried. She did about 61/2 miles. She had a lot of obstacles, and being sick was not any help.

The funniest thing about all of this, at about mile 9 I began to think of how long a walk it had been from our hotel to the starting line, and knowing that the finish line was in the same place, well,,,,,,,,,,,,,I was so bummed that when this race is over, I still have to walk 7 blocks back to the hotel, MERCY!!! how will I make it.

We did though, and we all got into a nice cold bath, that was torture. Then I got into bed and me and my heating pad were a couple for the rest of the day. My oh, my will I ever be able to walk normally again????

Meanwhile, back at the Hilton

Dawn had finished her bike ride, 100 miles trying to keep pace with a bunch of guys, not so easy for a woman to do. We met up with her and her friends Lonnie and Kristine. They are old friends of hers from college, and now live in Chicago with their families.

It was fun meeting Kristine and seeing Lonnie again.

Our threesome headed upstairs, changed and went to the pool for a relaxing soak in the jacuzzi, and Dixie went off to the sauna. Well the jacuzzi felt great, but it wasn't so relaxing since there were a dozen or more kids, and I mean little kids running and jumping around. Don't their parents know spas aren't good for little ones? Oh, well.

Back to the room and getting ready for bed, I just about fall asleep and this loud noise wakes me up. It is the alarm clock and it says it's 4:30, but I have my doubts. No use, gotta get ready to roll, IT'S RACE DAY.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday

Yikes, I woke up this morning, actually I haven't slept well this whole time, with a bit of a knot in my stomach. Tomorrow is the big race.

The day was absolutely gorgeous, cool, but very, very pretty. Yesterday while exploring Dixie and I found a Panera Bread about two blocks away, we decided to leave Johnette in bed and go out for breakfast. It was nice to sit in a quiet place for a while, chat and catch up on what has been going on with each other. Dixie has had some health problems, but I really admire her strength to get out and do something new like a Half Marathon.

We took breakfast back to the sickie, and wow, she was up. We decided to head for FOREST PARK, the zoo and other lovely spots. But first we had to visit UNION STATION, I just wanted to explore it, and I thought it would be a good place to add to my collection of FARKEL sets.

We walked the 8 or 9 blocks with a few stops along the way for some people to rest, or take pictures or something. It was really fun looking around at the old building it is just a beautiful place.

We actually walked all around the place, then we got lucky and I found not one but two different St Louis FARKEL games. Yahoooooo.

We decided to find some lunch, and where else would we go, we went to HARD ROCK Cafe. The food was great and we sat on the patio since it was such a pretty day, but it was pretty cool, almost chilly out there.

We started back for the hotel, since we had spent the whole afternoon at the Station, but we stopped of at the FUDGE FACTORY first just in case any one wanted some chocolate later.

Never having made it to the park, we walked back to the hotel on a different street, now we were in a huge crowd, going our way, but they weren't going to a ball game, they were going to the last Hockey game of the season. We walked by the arena, and I actually thought it would be fun to go to a game, but the feeling passed rather quickly.

Friday in St. Louis

Well we awoke Friday morning to more gray drizzle, it wasn't as cold, but it didn't look at all promising. Johnette was not feeling better, actually she was worse, and we started thinking walk-in clinic, ER, something.

Not feeling very adventurous, we went downstairs to the hotel dining room and much to our surprise and delight they serve a wonderful, albeit pricey breakfast buffet. It was great, especially those Belgian waffles.

We are all up and at 'em now, so off we go to the Hyatt hotel, a block or two away, to pick up our race packs, bibs, and T shirts. They had a nice Health and Fitness Expo, with lots of free goodies. My favorite were the Jelly Belly jellybeans with caffeine and other energy boosting stuff. Plus they were tasty, I would use these for my race.

We decided that Johnette should lie down, Dixie had gotten her some medicine and she was really dragging.

Meanwhile Dixie and I went to Macy's and then checked out the area eating establishments looking toward a nice dinner. We discovered that there was another Card's game that evening, and that everything would be really crowded until the game started. So we went back, got Johnette out of bed and sat in the lobby by the lovely fireplace, and played FARKLE. This is the most fun dice game. While playing our game, who do we see? Why it's Dawn! Good thing we were planted in the lobby. I helped her unload her car with her gear and her bike. She is riding 100 miles on Saturday and then running the marathon on Sunday, this is all part of her training for the IRON MAN in June.

We made friends with several members of the hotel staff, Jeff the general manager was very nice to us, he joined us for a while and chatted about the area. Brandon is the hotel food and beverage manager, he was really funny and nice, and helpful in directing us to a great little Italian restaurant about two blocks away. CHARLIE GITTO'S was great, they weren't terribly crowded and the food was wonderful. Unfortunately the portions were huge, so it was a bit of a waste, but wow, the food was great.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Well, what a trip! Thursday April 3, started out as a very gloomy and overcast day. Our son, Bill, picked me up to go to the airport, I was sure that I would not get out due to cloud cover, but we actually took off on time. That dear ones is about all that went well that day.
I got to St. Louis in about an hour. My girls were there waiting at the gate, they had arrived about an hour ahead of me. We hugged and laughed and headed for the baggage claim, and ground transportation. Dixie tried to hijack a 'SEGWAY' ( not sure of the spelling there) from a uniformed police man. She was turned down.
Baggage too, came off without a hitch, another unusually bright spot.
By now it's pouring out side and we are waiting for the Shuttle to come and pick us up for the ride downtown and to our hotel. We waited, getting cold, still waited getting colder, by the way Johnette isn't feeling well, she has a cold, and shouldn't be out in this miserable wet weather.
So, we mosey, trailing our luggage back inside to call the dispatcher, again and see what is causing the delay. They tell us about 20 minutes, and they'll have someone there to pick us up.
Well, about 40 minutes later a van arrives, but it is full and can not take us, but, we are told another will be along in about 5 minutes. Twenty minutes later Dixie declares with authority, we are taking the METRO LINK. So here we go, trailing our luggage through the garage, and up the ramp, and into the elevator that takes you to the train's platform. Did I mention it was pouring down rain? I had a small umbrella, but no one else did.
Arriving on the platform we figure out how to purchase our ticket, and as we do this, here comes a train, but we aren't ready and they don't wait, so we watch sadly as our refuge from the cold and rain pulls out of the station warning us that the doors are closing.
Finally another train comes we get on and are whisked away through the city and we can finally sit down.
We aren't altogether sure of where to get off, but decide the BUSCH STADIUM stop is the one. Oh my goodness, the doors open and there is such a crush of people wanting to get on that we are sure we won't get off, but Donna just pushed on through and we made it. It seems that a CARDINALS game had just let out, talk about timing.
We trailed our luggage again a couple of blocks, now it's only a tiny drizzle, to our beautiful Hilton hotel, we are allowed to check right in and proceed to our lovely, cozy room.
After unpacking and hanging things up to dryout, we decide we are starving and head for the hotel dining room where we enjoy a suprisingly nice meal.
We are happy now, and the girls are tired, so we head back up stairs, and the girls climb into bed. Donna can't sleep, it's 9:30 people, I can't go to bed at 9:30. So there I sit in a darkened hotel room with two sleeping and snoring friends, I'm still awake, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.