Half-Marathon Training and An Update

Well we've been here nine months and I realize I haven't given a proper update for quite sometime. I post lots of pictures of this and that but you might want to know how and what, we're actually doing.

We have now been in Dublin for 9 full months and as you may have read, we've gone through (and survived) all the stages inherent in living abroad - creating a new life, new social circles and adjusting to the "student-lifestyle" (read: no car, bus riding, lots of potato-eating, etc.).

I have continued with my running group for 8 months now (this was the one I started last January here in Dun Laoghaire). Part of the umbrella, "Dublin Running Group" (15 or so running groups throughout the city) -  I am now on the Organizing Team and attend meetings. That part of life has been so fulfilling and has been the single biggest factor contributing to our happiness here in Dublin. We've met nearly every single one of our friends through this group and the cirlce of friends keeps growing as we meet friends of their friends, and so on.

We have our big group run every Saturday and then I run 3 other times during the week. And the latest development - seven of us will be driving across to the opposite coast to run the Galway Half-Marathon on October 6th. This is including Wayne, who will run the 10K race (his first ever) while pushing Norah in the running buggy.
(Sidenote:Turns out, Wayne is a phenomenal runner. I mean, I knew he was athletic but this guy can run. For instance, I trained for 4 months to first be able to run 10K (6 miles), then for 4 months in order to run it in 55 minutes and he went out casually, for the first time ever......ran 10K in 55 minutes WHILE pushing a 35 pound buggy in front of him. Anyway, enough about this superman.)

I've been ramping up the running each week in preparation - this week I ran 14K/8.6 miles and this Sunday I'll run 16K/10 miles (on up to 12 miles, a week before the race). Each one has been longer than I've ever ran before and I've found I love that. I have my little energy gels, gummy bears and a bottle of water (on the long runs) and it's a challenge I really enjoy. I'm an odd-bird.

And Wayne - the real reason we're here (not my running group). He's done really great this summer and fall and has a lot on his plate.



Wayne left today to start classes for Fall term. He started in January of last year so it was somewhat anti-climactic to go off for the first day of "winter semester". This, at least, has that 'back to school' feel. =) He also starts one of his jobs today. More to come on that.
We have had a stressful summer with travel, immigration issues, lawyers and worries about our future. Ireland is an exceptionally expensive place to live with a fairly low "quality of life" in exchange for that expenditure. So, while we live quite frugally, the cost of living is much more than when we were living very well, in Seattle. This has been hard to swallow but all we can do is continue to live simply and remember that this is all a means to a better end for our family.

Wayne though, despite the 15% unemployment rate and many saying there were no jobs to be found - went out and secured, not one... not TWO... but THREE jobs. He is a full-time Ph.D. student, taking two classes in addition to his full workload of research, working as a tutor for graduate students, a lab instructor for statistics classes, and a research assistant for a government-funded research project. I am immensely proud of this man. Three weeks ago, he had zero jobs and now he has 3.  (and remember, this is all because they stamped in my passport that I cannot work here, or else I'd be out working so he could focus on studying)

Norah: Still doing great but our little savant is bored out of her mind, being home with just me. =) We go see her little friends, and we go to parks (or at least the grocery store) everyday but she is seriously in need of some sort of school arrangement. The good news is, starting Sept. 1st of next year, she is eligible for one year of free Montessori School. (an Irish government program for all 3 year old children) So, we have that to look forward to and....that we do.
For now, we color, play play-doh, read books, watch cartoons on the iPad, and play hide-and-seek. Unfortunately, Norah chooses this as her hiding spot, about 10 times in a row, every day. It is then my job to "search" everywhere and produce the same elation upon "finding" her, each time.



Which I do....but if we don't get this child into some sort of school...soon, one of both of us will lose our minds.
No, I'm kidding - she's doing great and I just have to let go of the idea that we're depriving her of some 'better life' because she doesn't have a sibling yet or because she's not in some super school for 2 year olds. Her brain won't atrophy too terrible much by next September. :)

And there we are. As we head into Fall in Dublin we're excited about Wayne going further in his studies, we're so thankful he found these jobs in this Irish economic climate, so thankful for my ability to continue running and blessed to have this child who is so adaptable and happy and loving.
She's in a phase where she'll put her arm around my shoulder (if I'm leaning down) and say, "Aww, Mommy, you're so sweet to me" while kissing my cheek. If that doesn't get you through the day....