July | 2018 | Our Giggles and Grimaces

Monthly Archives: July 2018

Running Partner

Posted on July 28, 2018 | Leave a comment

I follow a lot of runners on Instagram and they all mention how great a running partner is. Thing is, I am too slow to run with anybody. I once tried to join the local running group and they told me they didn’t have anyone that did slower than a 10-minute mile but they would give me a map I could follow–gee thanks. I can make my own route…I was interested in running with somebody.

Then, for a short time I could run with Caitlyn, but she is faster than me and trying to get her to run is very difficult.

I gave up on running with anybody and just ran for myself, but I was kind of bummed out.

Then this little dude came along.

His legs are long enough to run with me but not so long that he’s dragging me. I have started taking him with me more often. The other day I tried to sneak out without him and he was having nothing of it. He now gets excited just seeing me in my running clothes. He does 4 miles easily, though by the end he is slowing down. I don’t know how much further he can go–I might have to sneak out for my longer runs, but for now, I am really excited to have a running buddy.

Hubby still sometimes makes the silly mistake of thinking he is the girls’ dog. Nope, he is mine, all mine.

Fourteen Years in the Blink of an Eye

Posted on July 7, 2018 | 1 comment

14 years ago, and a few hours ago, I got the call that my daddy was dead.

At 52 years of age, a car accident took him from us.

Was he perfect? Heck no. He was gruff, often sounded mad, and stunk at staying in touch, but he was mine. He taught me to tie my shoes, ride a bike, built a pair of stilts for us to play on, did fun things when I least expected them, taught me to change the oil in my car, and change the brakes, taught me to work hard and always to the best of my ability.

He only met my husband to be a couple of times and never met my girls. I told him about my engagement over the phone, but he was gone 2 weeks later so never saw me get married.

Every year I look for ways to remember him. He died before the age of taking pictures all the time so I’ve about reached the end of my collection, but last night we were at the county fair, and while I don’t remember us going to the fair often as a kid, the fair last night had something that very much brought my daddy to mind.

Tractors.

Farmall H and Allis Chalmers to be exact. Those were two models I know he and my grandpa Dussel shared over the years.