My grandmother was very ill and had just gotten back from the hospital, which was the original reason I went out there- to a small town called Placerville, CA. She ended up passing away the day I arrived back to CT, and the entire trip was filled with emotions and ups and downs. My grandma was one of the most special people I've ever known, she gave everything she had to others, shared a dedicated marriage for 67 years to my grandpa (still living), and raised my mommy- one of the other most special people ever. It was really hard to see her in such a different state of being than I ever had, but she is in a more peaceful place now.
In between visits to grandma, I managed to get to Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, and Los Angeles. It was my first venture to Napa Valley, and it was fantastic. I met my sister and her husband there, along with his parents (celebrating 40 years of marriage!); they're all Napa "regulars" so they showed me the ropes. It was everything I thought it would be and more. I'd definitely enjoy spending a few more days there in the future.
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| We may or may not have pulled over to take touristy photos with this. |
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| One of the many beautiful views |
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| An awesome sign at a winery where you could fill in a blank if you so choose |
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| View from where we stayed |
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| Wine and lots of it |
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| Sister selfies while sipping vino |
Lake Tahoe is and always has been my favorite place on earth. It is an hour away from Placerville, where I was staying, so my friend Nicole drove up from LA, picked me up, and we went to Tahoe. We stayed in a fantastic little hotel, met the most incredible group of people, hiked, swam, ate, drank, laughed, star gazed, and enjoyed the scenery. Every single time I leave Tahoe, I think, "why don't I live here?", and once again, that feeling has hit me.
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| Pulled on the side of the road for the first views of Emerald Bay |
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| Nicole and I at Emerald Bay |
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| At dinner one night… how can you not love this place... |
After three days in Tahoe, Nicole and I set out on the road to LA. It took us about 7 1/2 hours and lots and lots of Hanson Pandora to get there. Once we arrived, we had a bite to eat with Nicole's boyfriend Jonathan- who happens to be one of my best friends from college. He lives with another good friend of mine, Dan. We were able to meet up with a few other friends the next night- it was really nice to see everyone, and made me miss the college days!
I left from LAX to come home on Wednesday morning, only to have my flight delayed, then canceled. Somehow I ended up spending the night in Charlotte, NC, and finally getting back to CT on Thursday evening. I was registered for a race on Thursday evening, but I just could not muster up the energy to race.
Now----> onto my runs in California. THEY WERE SO HARD. I definitely did not get in 6 runs like I had planned, but I did my best. Placerville is the most hilly place I have EVER been to, and it was literally uphill both ways, every time. It was really challenging and awesome, and a nice change of pace to the flat CT routes I've been running. The altitude is much higher, like 7,000 ft., where as CT is basically sea level. I initially thought that this would make my runs easier, but afterwards, I felt as though it did nothing positive for me. In Tahoe, we did some hiking/"trail running" that was also very hilly.
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| It doesn't look intimidating, but this hill went on for a solid half mile and was much steeper than it appears |
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| My post running breakfast each morning |
If I learned anything on this trip, it's that things don't always go according to plan, and you must accept that. I planned to run at least six days out of the ten I was there, but life got in the way. I'm known to panic and freak out of things don't go the way I expect them to, and this was a huge awakening that put everything into perspective. I want to focus on the important in things in life, spend time with the ones I love, see the places that I feel best in, and experience everything this world has to offer- and if that means I have to miss a run or two, so be it.
What has been happening with you the past two weeks?
Have you ever had an awakening or epiphany like I did? How do you normally handle life when it doesn't go according to plan?
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