Unexpectedly, received a package at work today from my Sister – commemorating my 50 State finish. Letting this one play out below…just as it happened over social media. WOW, just WOW! LOVE LOVE my family; such a lucky guy 🙂
Keenan
May 24 at 3:27pm ·
completely over-the-top floored – received the most AMAZING gift today from my Sis & family. 50 State book – finisher pic from each state, marathon name & time, plus tons of state fun facts. LOVE LOVE LOVE the effort involved in making such a priceless gift. Just WOW!
Like 76
Tammy · iMessage · 3:43pm
The facts are actually pretty cool so read all the little captions. I enjoyed it. All the trivia and famous people. I wanted to circle where you ran but like I said I also wanted to get it done. You went to most of the highlights. It’s super cool.
I loved the book when it came in. I couldn’t believe how perfect it was!! Lucky me.
Sent from my iPhone
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- WOW, just WOW!
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- best sis ever – LOVE my family!
Keenan Tammy, Victoria, Paul & Jack – thanks so much! Absolutely unbelievable. WOW WOW WOW – no words. Just incredible. I only finished my 50th a couple weeks ago – and BAM. Thanks so much.
Tammy Wanted the other gifts to totally freak you out. That’s why I put it at the bottom. Saved the best for last. Hee hee hee.
Keenan Yeah, started with beet juice & the ping pong paddles…assumed this was a family challenge for 4th of July. HATE beet juice – I’d be all-pro ping pong by the 4th if a beet juice chug was spoils to the loser.
Tammy No way was I punishing myself. I suck at ping pong.
Victoria Finding some of those times weren’t easy! Glad you liked it! Tammy is super creative.
Tammy You should really tell him what you said every time you wrote down a time. That was funny.
Victoria I feel like I wrote the same number over and over and over and over again.
Esther What a wonderful, thoughtful gift. You must be loved.
Keenan AMAZING family. I’ve always been lucky in life.
Tammy that’s why I was giving you a hard time about no picture for Illinois. I was panicked I would only have 49 pictures. Sneaky.
Keenan Wasn’t gonna even post Illinois — ’cause who wants to see #49, after you’ve run #50 the next day. Very sneaky sis.
Paul Yes she is an expert sneak….for sure
Seth That’s very cool!
Gwendolyn That is an awesome book can you ask your sister where she had it done I’d like to make one for myself.
Tammy I made it myself. The book came from Amazon and then I added to it.
Keenan Gwendolyn – fair warning…this book includes DC. One more to add to your calendar 🙂
Benjamin So, so, so fantastic! A perfect keepsake to a wild adventure you’ve had.
Jason Congrats!! AWESOME!!
Scott Oh, wow! I can’t think of a better gift, actually, very personalized and will memorialize memories for a lifetime!
Toni How cool is that!
Stacy I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!!!!
Keenan Me too! So thoughtful – most AMAZING gift. Also friend, happy I got to share #50 with you. Training consistently again, healthy again, lotta positive endorphins flowing. Life is good 🙂
Heather What a thoughtful family you have!
Stephen Wow! Awesome gift!
Leslie [heart emoticon]
Ellen Wonderful! Love you all!
Erin What an awesome gift!!!
Tina What a thoughtful gift!
Tara That’s awesome.
Arun A lovely gift!
Sara That’s pretty cool! You have an amazing family!
Amy Now THAT is perfect. Love it.
Jill What a thoughtful, most perfect gift for you. Like the haircut.
Carolyn Funny, you said storybook ending and your sister made you a book.
Summer 2016
Last of FaceBook folks ‘til August. No drama – just taking a break.
Successfully filled my News Feed with scores of inspiring people, but find I’m watching others vs living out my own life adventure. So this Friday, that’s it.
Kicking off summer, this weekend in beautiful Coeur d’Alene (Idaho). 3 day-weekend itinerary includes a marathon, massage & BnB stay on the Lake (full breakfast too 🙂 ).
June & July plans
read a book
night trail running (full moon & a headlamp)
first O’ Canada marathons (Banff-Alberta & New Brunswick)
climb a new mountain
July 4th celebration in St Louis (3-day family weekend)
camp & marathon scenic Aspen
Yellowstone road-trip & high-altitude Montana 26.2
After getting injured last month, rededicated myself to training. Consistently running – on track to hit 200 miles in May (first time since 2014). Dropped 6 lbs. Added an accountability partner (thanks Carolyn)/text daily to stay on plan…wanna new PR this Fall.
Aspen, Banff, Montana & Coeur d’Alene – BIG plans, INSPIRED ‘bout the summer. Anything’s possible.
BE PHENOMENAL
Start acting like this is your last day on the planet
I deserve to see what my life would look like if I gave 103%
I would rather aim for the stars and not hit them, than to not aim at all
I would rather go after it and not get it, than not go after it at all
I’d rather try and fail, than to not try at all
I don’t want to live with the idea: wonder what would have happened had I done more with my life
I’m gonna go for it come hell or high water, I’m going after my destiny
You gotta run after your destiny
You can’t crawl after your destiny
You can’t walk after your destiny
You gotta RUN
One of life’s guilty pleasures is my annual serial drama/talent show/comedy of errors – all that is… EUROVISION.
With the exception of a few – Abba & Celine Dion – Eurovision winners never cross the Atlantic nor make any US impact. Rap, rock, jazz, lotta ballads, lotta Euro pop. Each country nominates an artist & supplies an original tune…Eurovision is a ‘song’ contest.
That said, can say it’s rarely about the music.
Yeah, yeah…a few catchy hooks can crown a champ – but generally it’s a performance that wins. In 2014 Austria’s bearded lady, Conchita Wurst, ‘rose like a Phoenix’ stage-surrounded by wings forged from fire; in 2006 Finland’s Lordi costumed as ‘monster men’ screeched metal with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’. Year over year – kinda all over the place – never know what you’re gonna see.
This year’s event comprised 40+ contestants; my early faves: Russia, Ukraine & Iceland.
Iceland didn’t make the Finals; Russia won Fan Favourite; but ultimately, it was Ukraine’s Jamala whose performance intensified as the week-long competition progressed & polled enough votes to secure her country’s first ever victory.
Jamala’s 1944, partially sung in ethnic Crimean, inspired me to learn more about her great-grandmother’s story & Stalin’s forced resettlement of the Crimean Tatars.
The forcible deportation of the Crimean Tatars from Crimea was ordered by Joseph Stalin as a form of collective punishment for collaborating with the Nazi occupation regime in Taurida Subdistrict during 1942–1943. The state-organized removal is known as the Sürgünlik in Crimean Tatar. A total of more than 230,000 people were deported, mostly to the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. This included the entire ethnic Crimean Tatar population, at the time about a fifth of the total population of the Crimean Peninsula, as well as smaller numbers of ethnic Greeks and Bulgarians. A large number of deportees (more than 100,000 according to a 1960s survey by Crimean Tatar activists) died from starvation or disease as a direct result of deportation.
Mark your calendars (maybe watch in secret but…) join the craziness & tune-in next May – EUROVISION 2017 LIVE from Kiev!
Crimean Tatar
1944
When strangers are coming…
They come to your house,
They kill you all
and say,
We’re not guilty
not guilty.
Where is your mind?
Humanity cries.
You think you are gods.
But everyone dies.
Don’t swallow my soul.
Our souls
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
We could build a future
Where people are free
to live and love.
The happiest time.
Where is your heart?
Humanity rise.
You think you are gods
But everyone dies.
Don’t swallow my soul.
Our souls
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadımVatanıma toyalmadım
