Happy Birthday, Dad!!
Today marks a GREAT day…it’s my dad’s birthday! For those of you who don’t know, I have the best parents (ever)…I will fight you on that! My dad turns the ripe young age of 63 today, and since I’m not home to celebrate with him, we celebrated this past weekend when I was home. Since my dad is really hard to buy for (what dad isn’t?), I went with the staple idea and took him to a Cubs game for his birthday!
Of course, my dad, being the person that he is, said, “Oh, well maybe I’ll root for Cincinnati…” Probably a better idea since the Reds won…it’s hard to win when you don’t score any runs. “The Cubs were quite anemic today,” reported my father.
Some pictures:
Dad and me at the Bean in Chicago!
Post-Boston Marathon!
Matching Cubs shirts!
fun facts about my dad
- He’s an architect, mainly designing laboratories and university buildings, all over the US and in Canada!
- Between being an architect and having traveled a lot, he makes a great tour guide.
- He hates eggs.
- He can fix (or attempt to fix) most things, which is why I call him when anything breaks (or when I have no clue how to check the oil in my car…or put air in the tires).
- He knows the most random facts…and I have no idea how! That being said, Jeopardy is still not his forte.
- He sends me newspaper clippings that remind him of me. 
How awesome is your dad? Probably not as awesome as mine, but tell me a fun fact about him anyway!
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Running is not something my dad and I share in common, but he does come out to many of my marathons, usually wearing a yellow or orange shirt so I spot him in the crowd first before he spots me! Too funny. Anyway, running has been interesting these past two days…yesterday I was about ready to give up on running, while today was fabulous! The difference? About twenty degrees.
Yesterday, I slept late (oops?) and was going to skip my run altogether since it was super hot and I didn’t feel too great, but at 12:15 I decided I might as well just squeeze it in…I can run four miles any day! Well, yes, I can, but at 12:15 when it’s 95 degrees and humid, it’s just not going to be pretty.
Wednesday, August 11
4.03 miles in 32:26, avg pace of 8:03
I was drenched in sweat and ended up drinking Gatorade (which I rarely drink) when I got home because I felt like I needed it. It’s funny how sometimes I feel like I can rock eight miles in 95 degree heat, but four miles seems like forever on other days.
My running clothes are so gross.
Running today was another story…I woke up to gray skies and a little bit of a drizzle, which made for a lovely run! The temperature dropped to about 75 degrees, and while it’s still humid as can be, running with a slight spitting of rain and no sun made for a really enjoyable run. I hate the feeling of sweat dripping down my forearms (it feels so weird!), but otherwise the run flew by…gotta love it.
Thursday, August 12
7.1 miles in 55:52, avg pace of 7:52
August 12th?? Since when is it mid-August? Time is FLYIN’!
Enjoy your time with your dad … and mom. You are a good daughter to love them as you do. Your pictures are heartwarming.
My dad passed away two years ago. I have never had time to grieve his death with all the other family issues I currently have. I miss him a lot. He used to love to watch me race, from winning races to getting my butt kicked, he always loved to be proud of his son.
I love your stories Susan. They are from the heart.
Happy Birthday to your Dad! You’re very luck to have such great parents.
My father passed away a couple years ago, but he was not in my life much…was in prison for manslaughter at one point, and suffered from a lot of delusions/PTSD from Vietnam.
sigh. parents.