It's been nearly five years since my last blog post and ten years since I started this blog. Let this be a lesson to all, that life waits for no one. I don't have regrets, just the shock of the passage of time. My kids are older and they are all taller than me (I do think Megan and I are exactly the same height for what it's worth). I need to have that sink in - especially for my baby girl Elle who was born at 3 pounds 9 ounces and now at eleven years old, she wears a size 10 running shoe and is taller than me. The tears well up in my eyes just thinking about the reality of it all. This first post back is not about running or training - it's so much more than that...
Two weeks ago today our world dramatically changed. We live in Pacific Palisades. It is a beautiful community filled with families, children and nature. The mountains are on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. You come here to get away and yet the allure of the city is close and accessible. You'll find me working in running clothes every day with a hat on of course. We love having trail access outside the door. We love running to the ocean. We adore our neighbors and the Mayberry feel of our quaint village.
On Tuesday January 8th, it all changed with a puff of smoke and the rage of fire. Jerold and I got up at 5:30 AM like we always do. I could feel myself groaning with the resistance of the kids going back to school after a Christmas to remember. I write that with all the love in my heart, because it was truly a magical Christmas. We knew that next Christmas, Josh would be away at college and nothing would quite be the same again. Even though he would come home to be with us, his childhood would be over and I threw myself into the task of making December as special as I could. You've seen Instagram posts of us running with Santa hats on (Christmas Day) and dancing together on New Year's Eve. I thank God that I documented all of that - how beautiful it was. How is it a distant memory now?
Tuesday the 8th, I asked Jerold to quickly go to the grocery for food for lunches. I felt guilty that I hadn't planned better that weekend, but I was a bit in denial that the holidays were over. Jerold came back with bags of food, I started cooking and soon we were driving kids to school.
I remember standing in my kitchen as the sky went dark, very similiar to what an eclipse looks like. It startled me and I called out with shock, "What in the world?"
Outside, the neighbors started gathering on the street and as I looked to the left, I could see the smoke. So much smoke. More than I've even seen up close and personal. The sky was stormy and transformed, helicopters were swirling and we were all looking up at the sky wondering if this was something to really worry about. Our neighborhood is like living in a National Park, which means there is a hiker that gets lost a lot or a small brushfire that the firefighters are always (always) on top of right away. As recently as New Year's Day, the firefighters were present, putting out a fire. On our hike to celebrate 2025, we saw the after effect.
As I looked at the sky on January 8th, I knew things would be different this time, but I had no idea how different and life changing it would be.
Eventually, people started texting me, asking if we were okay. I knew things were bad, but yet I kept thinking somehow it would work out, they would arrest the fire. I needed to go on my run, I had things to do...
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