Run, Mojo, Run

What a busy weekend!First, Mojo and the littles went away for the last Friday and Saturday of Spring Break. They journeyed down to the Oregon Coast and had a wonderful time, seeing elk, tufted puffins and giant octopus and sharks (at the Aquarium in Newport), a bobcat, and the usual beautiful coastal scenery.They ate enormous pancakes at Camp 18, ice cream in Tillamook, played in the dunes, and hiked in the woods. The kiddos were so jazzed they couldn't wait to tell me everything about it when they got home, falling through the door in a damp flurry of small hugging arms and excited babble.Oh, and they dimed their mommy off for getting stopped in Rockaway Beach at the speedtrap I would happily have told her about if I'd known she was going to speed through it...

I had a lovely sort of weekend of my own. Without anyone to distract me, either delightfully or busily, I spent a quiet night at home, reading, and watched a very silly romantic movie with Lucy Liu as the heroine (who was surprisingly sweet and affecting, really...) and an early night. Got up early Saturday and did some silent yoga in the dawn-gray house, enjoyed coffee and some international soccer, repaired the basement overhead socket, did all the dishes, laundry, swept and mopped, took a load to the Goodwill and another to the dump, grocery shopped, and returned to sit and rad some more (I'm busy with two good histories at the moment; Goodwin's "Team of Rivals" and Alastair Horne's "To Lose A Battle" on the fall of France, 1940.

It was good to see my family again late Saturday. But, I have to admit, it was a nice quiet time to myself Friday evening and Saturday morning...So with everyone home, Sunday we got up early and went north across the River so that Mojo and the kiddos could run in the "Third Annual Fort Vancouver Run". Mojo, who has been running for exercise lately, ran in the 6K, Peep in the 1K, and little Missy in the kiddie "fun run".It was a nasty, cold, rainy day, but everyone dressed warmly, and we were all excited either by the prospect of racing or the excitement of seeing our family run. Everyone agreed that, no matter how fast (or slow) they were, everyone ran faster than Daddy. Daddy growled that his knees were now bone-on-bone and that he'd gladly have taken everyone else a mile down Ardennes Street at a six-minute pace twenty years ago. That impressed nobody.In the first race Mojo was nothing short of spectacular; 6k in 37 minutes, 152 out of 315, seventh in her age group (out of 27), solid 10 minute miles in her very first competitive run.She got a good start, ran smoothly, and ended with a good kick down to the line. Yay, Mojo-Mommy!The Peep was next, and he, too, got a good start but well back in the pack, but pushed up and kept a good pace, passing several bigger kids on the way. He fist-bumped Fred the Fred Meyer Bear on the way across the finish, and was thoroughly proud of himself.Little Miss HATED Fred (she said "I liked it except for Fred Bear's hairy little paw!")and she ducked away from him at the start - the weisenheimer running things at the start house had the bright idea of starting the tinies by having Fred tap them on the head! - and took off down the little sprint around the parking lot.She finished in the middle of the pack but was very pleased with her effort and loves her little finisher's medal.We went and celebrated with dim sum, and ice cream, and came home very tired and happy.So it was really a busy, lovely weekend; hope yours was, too.