Getting Into a Rhythm

So it's Tuesday and Forrest is off driving around Iowa trying to sell chemicals at ethanol plants, the kids are all at school, and I'm supposed to be grading papers. I'm also sick: started feeling some gunk settling into my lungs yesterday afternoon and woke up this morning without much of a voice and a hacking cough. Luckily the ick descended at about 4:00 yesterday, because I had a classroom evaluation with my dean at noon. (Went well I think.) But now I'm feeling a little bit bedraggled. Hopefully I'll be on the upswing by tomorrow. After my horrible bout of pneumonia in 2009, I still get a little nervous when gunk settles in my lungs.

Things are going well at the Hallstrom house. Busy but good. Ethan and Elise are enjoying rehearsals for the musical, White Christmas.  Ethan just had his patriarchal blessing, which was a beautiful experience, and Elise is really enjoying choir at ERHS.  Jonas just finished soccer and got his First Class in Scouts. Everybody's grades are holding steady, which is always a relief for a slightly-too-involved mom like me, especially with Elise and Jonas learning to navigate new schools and expectations. Wyatt continues to adjust to Kindergarten and got a glowing report from his teacher at our first conference. We've been spending some time together learning to read and it's always so fun to see that ability blossom.

Forrest is enjoying the new job. There are always a few growing pains with anything new, but they have been relatively few and far between. As always, he's upbeat and excited most of the time about all the new challenges and opportunities. Speaking of Forrest, he ran another marathon last weekend with his friend Hector up in northern Wisconsin, and for the first time ever, we left the kids home OVERNIGHT. They did great. We even returned home to a relatively clean house!

Although the day of the race was grey and a little rainy, it was still beautiful to see all the fall leaves. I think Forrest and Hector enjoyed the cool misty rain: it helped keep them loose. Here are a few photos:

Forrest and Hector before the race

After Allison and I sent the boys on their way, we proceeded to drive around to find good cheering spots and suddenly noticed we were almost out of gas. The only gas station we could find without driving too far out of range of the race was this AWESOME dilapidated shanty of a gas station that was probably built in 1942 and hasn't been updated since. Although maybe they added the metal Green Bay guy in the 60s.

Allison and the metal Green Bay guy.

Me in front of a gas pump that was so old I was a little flummoxed about how to use it. 

This was the room where the 82-year-old owner with crazy eyebrows and a smoker's voice swiped our credit card after I told him how much I owed him for the gas. (He took my word for it.) Allison took this photo with her iPhone and we think some otherwordly intervention was at work, because the picture hanging on the wall next to the clock, obscured here by the glare, was of a buck naked lady with perfectly feathered 1973 bangs. 

Yes, the gas station was a highlight.

But the big news was Forrest's racing, of course. Every time Allison and I stopped, the guys seemed in control and ran like they were feeling good. That hasn't always been the case. It's a lot more fun to meet up with your husband at mile 22 and not have him look like he's ready to give up the ghost. Maybe it was the rain keeping them cool?

Now isn't that pretty?

Keeping up a nice stride

Coming in for the finish!

Forrest finished the race in 3:50 -- a great time. Both he and Hector were trying to get under 4 hours and they did it. So scratch that one off the bucket list.  Here they are with their half Cokes / half Diet Cokes, tired but happy after almost four hours of running:

And now I really have to get grading. I love teaching. Grading, not so much. Hence the avoidance blogging. Maybe next week I'll write something about the election. (I know you guys LOVE to hear what I have to say about politics! :-). Until then!