Two years

Although I'm certainly not as prolific - especially in the photography department - as many other bloggers, one of the things that keeps me coming back is that it's fun to have a record of how our lives have changed through the years.  When you're a kid, every year is so different - different class, different friends, different activities - but as an adult, things all start to blend together.  Is 2012 really any different than 2010 or 2008?  Yesterday, for the third year in a row, we spent a Saturday in late July/early August at the Sugar Maple Music Festival southwest of town.  Last year I wrote about how things had changed (or stayed the same, but mostly changed) from 2010 to 2011, and I wanted to do the same in 2012.  

In 2010, it was a a busy weekend, and I just wrote a little blurb about our schedule - I ran 20 miles in training for the Milwaukee Marathon, rested up at the music festival, and then went out to hear a friend's band play at the Majestic.  

Thinking Daniel's "squid fighting the statue of liberty" shirt (which doesn't fit anymore)
could have a new life as a pillow in a little boy's room...

The next morning, I'd planned a recovery run, but I'm pretty sure I bagged that and stayed in bed for an extra hour.  Then we went to church and to a wedding of good friends.  It was exhausting, but a fun weekend.

All in all, I'd say 2010 was a good year.  I've noticed before that even years seem to be good running years for me and odd years seem to be tough, but I think that extends to the rest of my life as well.  I don't know if it comes across in my post from last year, but it was a much less fun time, and I felt considerably less optimistic about the future.  I remember trying to make the best of not being able to run much by getting into lifting weights, etc., but on the whole, growing increasingly out of shape felt like a metaphor for the rest of my life - or at least one important part of my life - spiraling out of control.  Although no one knew it at the time, I'd really thought and hoped I'd be 20 weeks pregnant in the summer of 2011.  And  I wasn't.  I'm sure I spent a fair amount of time making jealous glances at the women carrying and chasing around little kids at Sugar Maple last year.  

But life doesn't always go the way you plan things, and I had to wait until this year to join the ranks of smug pregnant women.  But the funny thing is that, although there are times when I miss being able to train and race, for the most part I don't care at all anymore that I wasn't able to run last year.  I still start dreaming about training plans after I get a new copy of Runner's World and I'm glad I'm still able to get out and jog a few times each week (hey, still being able to crank out 5 mi at 20 weeks pregnant isn't too shabby), but a year later, it just doesn't matter that much.

Which I guess is a good reason to reflect on life around the same time each year.  There are ups and downs, frustrations, failures and successes.  It's just a matter of time before Fortuna spins you up or down, as the case may be.  And since we don't live in Somalia, things will probably work out all right in the end.