Times they are a change'n

February 2014 looks quite different from 2013...the move isn't quite complete but we are all living in Half Moon Bay.









The house is big with a yard and seconds from the sea.
Moving out of Moultrie brings mixed feelings for me. Irene, Lotte, my quiet space transformed into a little family by the sea. It's all full of love in different ways. I remain quietly grateful for the life I have here....who knew!






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Mov'n On

Back in packing mode! Over the weekend and Monday we moved Sharene and the kids into our new home! While exhausting it's very exciting and happy making. The house is so big! And we have a little view if the sea. There is an outside yard for MyMy. She is very happy and so are we that she can go potty without us. Sharene's folks were amazingly helpful. I am still working on renting my house but moving out next week. I figure the right tenant will come along. It is sad to be leaving but new times and different things to revel in.
Work rolls on with some new opportunities emerging. Working it and seeing where it goes. Running still there but not so regular as we get exercise with the move. Still committed to the Big Sur Marathon and will be able to create a more regular routine when the move is done.


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Quite the weekend

Saturday Sharene, Madi as I headed over to the new house. We love it and as part of the adventure I went for a run.





Couldn't complain about the view!
Unfortunately while I was running Sharene got rear ended at a stop sign! Given in November she wrote off her SUV when she spun out in heavy rain on the freeway this was more than traumatizing. She was driving our Acura MDX aka big SUV when a young guy ran into the back of her, not realizing she was stopped at a stop sign! His car is totaled, quite the impact given his air bags deployed! The Acura lost it's bumper and the exhaust is damaged....everyone safe, although lots of aching bodies. Insurance good (it's compulsory here to at least cover damage to someone else's vehicle). Within 2 hrs we had his insurance sorting it out including getting us a rental car! All good in the end as nobody seriously hurt cars can be fixed....now to work through the aches and work through the nerves!
Last week I sorted out a property management company for my house. First showing is next weekend, hopefully all goes well as I'd like tenants by March 1.



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January almost done

2014 seems to have taken off without my realizing!
Finishing off our time in NZ it was really quite amazing to see NZ through Sharene's eyes.  She made an astute observation that kiwi's often say "love", usually preceded by "thanks".  I've never really noticed this but once Sharene pointed it out it I got it.  While she had loved Auckland and meeting so many of my pals, much like me, it didn't really resonate with her.  I've always found it odd that so many of my dearest friends live there but it's not a place I would want to love again.  Auckland is to Wellington as Sydney is to Melbourne as San Francisco is to LA.  Havelock proved to be magical to her as it was a quiet peaceful time.  Janine and Kathy's house just invites relaxation (also helped that Sharene was mostly over the flu at this point).  It's a lovely place to be and the Hawkes Bay would have been my pick to retire.  Queenstown offered different adventures.  It is a tourist town and more analogous to some of the town in the USA.  Karen and Brice's house offers a different type of magical view and our outdoor adventures were great fun.  As we left in NZ Sharene did ask "why aren't we living here......"
Bigger news, we have found a place to live and are moving in together Feb/March.....we have the keys to the house with Sharene, Madi and Brax leaving their place by Feb 20th.  I have engaged an agency to rent mine (renting here is complicated so I am opting for experts) with the goal of having my place rented by March 1.  We are off to the beach!!!! Half Moon Bay is a little like moving to Paramata.  We are one block from the beach and have a HUGE house that offers four bedrooms (so an office for me to work from home), two living areas (lounge and TV room), two full bathrooms and a 1/2 bath i.e toilet (jeeze why don't they just say that.....), massive kitchen and dining room.  There is a nice backyard (gardener too thanks very much) and....it's perfect.  Rentals here are expensive (note I can cover my mortgage and expenses and still making money out of renting). But you just have to suck it up.  Also people bid up the rents, that's how we got the place.  It was between us and another couple so we upped the offer on the rent.....bingo, got it.  We'd learnt a thing or two having missed out on another place (glad we did, much happier to be in Half Moon Bay).  It doesn't really change my commute but is more like living back in Santa Cruz, once I cross the hill it all feels different.  Sharene and the kids will have to travel more for school etc than they are used to.  But I can also help out and drop the kids for school on the way to work when needed.  2014....got a lil family going on!

January

I can't believe it's the end if January. NZ seems a distant memory but full of warmth as we spent time in Auckland (Rosie's 50th), Havelock (family Xmas) and Queenstown. All bringing their own adventures. Notable in Queenstown was a short day walk on the Routeburn. I haven't been on the track for maybe 25yrs when I was Army PR and went with the then Minister of Defence, Warren Cooper to see the Army Engineers repairing the track after a big storm. He was a keen runner and ran most of it....not so easy to keep up with in Army boots. Funny too, he stayed on the track so late we ended up
being helicoptered out. Anyway it was all very magical.















Coming back it was a short week off before work. Although I did have to do some work as I am part of pitching some new work at a new client.....hoping to win this so I can move off HP into something new.
Sharene and I also did the Chocolate run. A 5k/3miler in Golden Gate Park. It was great fun, albeit with an early start but nice bonus at the end.



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Winter adventuring

Given I've been so slack in the blog I thought I should do some catch up posts. Before we went to NZ we did Run or Dye....fun family 3 miler where you toss around a bunch of colored dyes, just because you can!












Great fun! Powder is colored corn starch so harmless enough!
We also did an early Xmas with the kids and Sharene's folks. Lots of fun. For a giggle I gave Brax some cash that I'd folded into a bunch of different origami shapes.



More to come.
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Most halloween stuff

Night of Halloween Sharene and I went out for the most amazon dinner at The Sea by Alexander's Steak House www.theseausa.com.
After oysters and tuna tartare:



Share had the yummiest Wagyu steak - OMG ....


I had Wolf Bass


This is banana bread dessert. The orange drops pop in your mouth. They also give you candy floss with brittle! Along the way we were comped yummy glasses of sparking Rose.


We went to a Halloween party and made this; spooky cheese dip!


The house for the party was all smoky and decorated.



Outside too.


Sharene was a leopard and I was a ring master!

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More Halloween cleverness

Did a double take on this one!



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Halloween gone too far?

Made me chuckle.



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Done

Up at 415am Sharene drove me to the start line.


Quite a crowd (photos courtesy of Nike's FB page!





Sad for those visiting though, the mist never lifted.





I got it done, more Marathon strong aka stubborn than marathon fit!
Sharene met me at the end to give me chocolate milk, warm clothes and drive me home!


And of course below is the "medal" that drives so many to run. Tiffany designs new one each year and this year happens to be the 10th anniversary.


Now to focus on actually being fit enough to run the next one.

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Marathon day

Tomorrow I am doing this:



I am not really marathon fit...so I am just going to plod it out; got 6hrs and 30mins to get it done. I am hoping it doesn't take that long.


I did buy some cool Nike limited edition shoes. This is also the race where the medal is a Tiffany necklace....


Expo was mega crowded.


Had some fab displays.


All hosted out of a big tent in Union Square.



At least the route is familiar to me, I know exactly how much pain to expect and when.....good times!

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Long time no post

Bunch of stuff. Work busy and I have new responsibilities which are taking me variously in and out of my comfort zone. Surprised to realize that I have been at ACN for over three years.
A few weekends back Sharene and I went to Roseville to see her dad, who isn't very well. We stayed over and spent time with her dad. Coming back we stopped on Treasure Island and saw some cool things.




Treasure Island is an old Navy base and, oddly enough there are a bunch of vintners there.




This guy makes sulphate free wine and is a riot. Has about 30 different wines and offers free wine tasting. He's also pretty free with his pours. His tasting room looks like a repurposed utility room but it was all riotously fun.




We crossed the new part of the Bay Bridge, very impressive.




Sharene took arty shots along the way.



Not so arty but enjoying yummy fresh oysters.
A few weekends back we went to Big Sur and ran a 5 miler. It was amazingly hot and all uphill. So really we did a walk run. We stayed in some sweet little B&B we found in Carmel and enjoyed the end if the summer at the beach.











Found a cool little wine bar and enjoyed a wine tasting flight.




House is painted! Irene and I very happy. Stairs are also painted now but gives you a sense of it; I'll post before and after next time.




Nike Women's Marathon next weekend and I am not marathon fit so will be having a very slow marathon. Employing every trick I know to get me through!!! This is a tough marathon because it is hilly - I guess we'll see how it goes on the day (she says bravely).
Added a pic of Brax and his art!








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Doing time

Running time that is! Ran to Sausalito, 15m/25k. It's a tough road back but I did it, albeit slower than I did this time last year. Saw some sights:



Midway on the Golden Gate Bridge, Team NZ getting ready for Race 9. Catching the ferry back from Sausalito I saw both boats up close rounding the bouys....very impressive.


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JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge

I joined the Accenture team for this. 11000 runners with approx 100 from ACN, not all pictured. At 3.5m/5.6km this is a very peppy fast run for me. It really was fun tho and nice to be able to identify the other ACN runners. Afterwards we went and had tacos and beer at a bar where a few other ACN folk who hadn't run joined us.



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Seven years- it's your lucky lucky day

Here we are again....anniversary time.  Every year on the day I arrived in the US I try to take time to reflect on where I am and where I have been. Well I am actually a day late, I arrived on Sept 7, 2006.
The last few years seem to have moved me in leaps and bounds.  I've been two years in my house; startled to think that I can actually own a house in San Francisco!
My job has taken me so far professionally I am equally startled to think I have it and I am rapidly heading into having this be the longest time I've spent working anywhere.  All going well I don't see anything changing so I might be celebrating another record.
Running.....it's not like I had never done this but never thought I would be a marathoner, let alone an ultra marathoner.  Today it's a journey back from the op and putting my back out but I am back on a training plan and working my way to the Nike Women's Marathon.  Iconic in San Francisco and fortunate to get in as it is a lottery, complete with Tiffany's necklace at the end (needless to say already claimed by someone).
Then the best, most surprising and delightfully happy making thing....Sharene and the kids.  Sharene because she is so kind, sweet, creative, smart and funny.  The kids, because they are equally smart, funny, creative and engaging.  I can't say I predicted this one.
I am happy in my world!

Nike Women's Marathon

As you can see, I have my next marathon on the calendar.....and Big Sur locked in as well (that one sold out in 59 minutes!).
The Nike Women's Marathon is a lottery and I got in via a team entry i.e. when you enter the lottery if you are attached to a "team" you enter a team number.  You then have two chances to get in, one as an individual and two, if anyone in your team gets in you all get in.  Of course I don't actually know anyone in the team but the team organizers, she was working for me on a project and invited me to join.  You don't run together or anything, it's just a way to have two chances to get in.
Given the op and my back troubles I am behind in my training.  It's a slow crawl back up the hills of San Fran for me but I am back on the training regime.  Usually at this point in the plan my long run would be 18 miles, as of today my longest is 9 miles (three days ago).  If I can get to a long run of 18 in the next 6 weeks before the marathon I'll tough out the rest (normally your longest is 22 as part of training).  I have to balance getting the miles with not getting injured.  I'm a little bit scared about the whole thing but it's the 10th anniversary of the run so I really really want to do it.  I've run various parts of the course before so I know the ups and downs really well. I'm just going to stay positive and get the job done.
Labour weekend here.  Low key getting lots of chores done and spending time with Sharene and the kids.  Also we gave away our koi a few weeks back ..... made me sad but the maintenance didn't fit with Irene and my schedule and they've gone to a really good home with a guy who loves them and has an awesome pool.  While we figure out the backyard I am making the tank into a plant pond....work in progress!  I will send pics when done.  Also we are getting the house painted so will send pics of that too!