Where the Streets Have No Name

I dropped the ball on Music Monday last week, so I had to make right by all of my readers (wait, are you guys still there...is this thing on?).

And so, I present to you U2 and a song about running, because that's what I did this weekend.

The boyfriend and I ran a trail 5k this weekend in Elysian Park in LA.  Here are a few of my thoughts about the whole thing:

1. The location was amazing.  We could see directly into Dodger Stadium from across the freeway.  It looked empty and sadly forlorn.

2. We almost couldn't find the race.  The start/finish was in a remote part of the park that was really difficult to find (made worse by the bad Google directions that the race had posted on their website).  People were literally driving circles around the park because there weren't any signs directing us to the right spot.

3. This is the second time this race was put on.  I expected a small turn-out and a little disorganization, and was disappointed when the race started 25 minutes late.  By that time, I had done a warm-up, had cooled down from the warm-up and started to get hungry.

4.  Switchbacks in the sun.  That's all I have to say.

5. My mind was really strong during this race.  It didn't turn on me, probably because I kept saying, "It's only 3 miles...heck, 3 miles is nothing."

6. My body felt pretty good.  Nothing hindered my performance, which is all I really ask for anymore these days.  My time was pretty decent, considering there were some hills.  Of course, I couldn't catch the girls in pink sports bras and shorty shorts.  Oh, and the guy who won the race in 14:41 should probably be tested for steroids.  What a beast!

7. I was the first female to cross the line in Vibrams.  And you know what that means? I got a free pair of Vibrams!  I was pretty stoked.

8. He wouldn't want me to tell anyone, but I beat the boy.  The best part of the race, though, was at the end when, even though I had gone across the finish line first, he came over and hugged me and told me how proud he was of me.  "I've got a badass girlfriend" were the exact words. :) 

9. It was refreshing to run a 5k after a few 10k's.  While racing can be fun, for me it's a time to really see how my body handles the "stress" and pushes through.  And of course, to give me a little confidence boost that I'm not totally out of shape.

If Heaven Wasn't so Far Away

As I was driving home the other day, I heard this song on the radio and it made me think of my grandpa.

My grandpa, Jose Vigil, was never able to see any of his granddaughters graduate from high school, much less college.  He won't get to watch any of us get married or have babies.  He was barely a tangible presence in my younger cousin's life, as he died when she was still young; she has a few memories of him, but not too many.  My sister and I were lucky enough to have a solid childhood of experiences with him.

• Going to the shed to get the air compressor to pump up the old, worn-out-to-the-point-where-the-leather-was-smooth basketball.
• Drinking from the outside water spigot.
• Going tubing down the small stream on their property.  We'd enter the property, hop into the bed of the truck (the only place we could ride in the bed), and drive up to the stream.  There, we'd cruise down the stream for a bit, but usually it was too cold to stay in too long.  Once it was lunchtime, my grandma would feed us Vienna Sausages & potted meat on saltine crackers.  We'd drink it down with the barrel juice drinks (you know the kind).  Those were sweet, sweet times when life was wrapped up in that one afternoon.  Nothing could get better than that.
• Riding horses.
• Playing in the hay loft (which was usually cut short by my sneezes and runny noses...dang allergies).
• Watching baseball on TV with the sound off (the announcers never said anything worth anything).
• Making carne seca (beef jerky)...a little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper.

Remembering these times with Grumpy makes me smile and warms my insides.  Here's a little prayer up to you, Grampito:

We all miss you so much down here.  The family is not the same without you and while we somehow figured out how to on in your absence, there is definitely a big void.  I was lucky enough to grow up with you in my life.  I worry that Nieves' memories of you are brief & fuzzy - I wish she could have known & loved you like Pilar, Sierra & I did.

Gramita is doing ok.  Things are getting harder for her - maintaining the house and land, taking care of the animals, worrying about all of us ... please help her to stay strong and not give up.  Because without her ... I don't know what this family would do.

I think that you would be proud of the people your granddaughters have grown up to be.  Pilar is so bright and talented and with focus, could do so many things.  Sierra is a very smart girl who finds interest in new, surprising things.  She has huge potential now as she graduates from high school - I hope that she sees her potential as we do.  And then there's Nieves, who is probably the most caring, sensitive, loving child I know.  She is the definition of sweetness and I can't wait to see who she grows up to be.

Grumpy, I hope you are proud of me.  I've stumbled sometimes and I have tried my hardest to be a good person.  Please continue to watch over me and guide me to do what is right.

Wide Open Spaces

"Tear down some two-lane country
Who knows
Get lost and get right with my soul
Makes me wanna take
Makes me wanna take a back road."

These are the lyrics to Rodney Atkins' "Take a Back Road" song.  It speaks straight to my being, especially lately.

I've been super homesick.

Not only for my family and house, but for dirt roads and wide open spaces and amazing sunsets and chilly mornings and the coo of the mourning dove that always woke me up in high school.  I miss driving by rows and rows of corn and passing trucks piled high with potatoes.  I want to smell "the farm" smell and feel the backyard grass between my toes.  I want to be able to drive down main street and not get cut off.  I want time to slow down to a comfortable meander and not feel rushed by the person tailgating me.

What I really crave, though, is to run on something other than pavement.  I want to cut through the quaking Aspens on a trail that is barely wide enough for me to fit on.  I want to feel a slight breeze and hear it rustle the golden leaves.  I want to suddenly come upon a rabbit or a bird perched on a fallen tree.

I realized that I am constantly on man-made surfaces and in man-made buildings. Sure, getting from point A to point B without having to take side roads is great, but I'm pretty sure that 6-lane highways are in no way natural.  I want nature back.

"So sick and tired of this interstate system
I need a curve and wide-a-twistin'
Dusty path to nowhere
With the wind blowing through my baby's hair"