Let’s Wine ~~ October 2017

And in the blink of an eye, October has come and gone. It seems the older I get (and as of today, I’m another year older), the faster time seems to be flying by. How was your month? Why not pour yourself a nice glass of wine as I reminisce about mine? Some quick stats for the month:

Walking/Running:  77.8 miles, including two marathons in two weeks!

Biking:  None

Gym Workouts:  Nada

Wine Consumption:  Onto the reds with the cooler weather upon us. Mostly Pinot Noirs for now, but I’ve also enjoyed a few Merlots and Cabs along the way

My running/gym workouts have been waaay down (or non-existent) this month. I did zero running in between the two marathons, and I haven’t run a block since the MCM on October 22nd. As always, my wine consumption has remained consistent throughout the month!

October has been a great month for me. Fall is my favorite time of year, and while we’ve had some exceptionally cold days, it’s been mostly beautiful in the Chicago area. The weather for both marathons was unseasonably warm. Not great running weather, but beautiful days nonetheless. I continued to work extra hours throughout the month, but with my coworker back to work, I will (thankfully) be putting in less hours. I didn’t mind the extra hours at all, but with the holidays approaching, it will be nice to get back to my regular schedule.

The month included the Chicago Marathon on October 8th and the Marine Corps Marathon on October 22nd. My son Mark and I ran both of them. It’s so much fun running marathons with him (not technically with him, as he is a sub-4 hour finisher and I am…not)! This  year’s Chicago was my 5th consecutive, giving me legacy runner status and a guaranteed entry for next year. If Mark gets a lottery spot next year, he will be a legacy runner as well. Fingers crossed.

It’s so nice not to have to wait and wonder! Running two marathons in two weeks also qualified me as a Marathon Maniac, just one more fun way to connect with other runners. In fact, since I am already a Half Fanatic, I am now considered a Double Agent! If nothing else, I get to wear some pretty cool gear!

The weekend after the Chicago Marathon my husband and I went to his annual work party on Friday and then to my cousin’s son’s wedding on Saturday. It was a fun weekend altogether, and more social activity than we are used to! The work party was lots of fun and the wedding was absolutely beautiful. A few days later I left for a business trip in DC, and then Mark met me on that Friday for a weekend of fun before the MCM.

I worked a bunch the week after the MCM and then was off this past weekend. No work, no travel, and no running for me! It was nice to relax, though I did spend some time tackling the mountains of papers on my desk. Yesterday I took my mom to her cardiologist for her annual check-up and everything looked great, so we won’t need to see him for another year. Then today, I celebrate my birthday along with my birthday buddy, my youngest son David. He turned 21 today, which means he can finally have a beer!! The whole family is heading down to Bloomington, Indiana this weekend to celebrate our birthdays and enjoy an IU football game. Go Hoosiers! Then in December we will all head to Las Vegas for the real celebration!

So that ends my October, another month and another birthday has come and gone. As we move into November, please indulge me as I shamelessly plug my middle son Michael and his roommates. They are a great bunch of guys and I consider all of them my boys. To them, I am simply Mama J.

They recently participated in a gala fundraiser for Saving Tiny Hearts in support of their friend Haley, who was born with a congenital heart defect. I’m so proud and thrilled that these guys have found their benevolent sides and are working to help others at such a young age. For their November project they will be participating in Moustache November, AKA Movember and will be growing moustaches (or at least will try!) to help raise awareness of some of the biggest health issues faced by men such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and poor mental health. As my son’s donation page will tell you, our family, as I’m sure many of yours, has been affected by some of these issues. If you would like to donate, even a dollar will help! You can donate to Michael’s fundraising page by clicking on this link, or to his team’s general page by clicking on this one.

So yes, October has come and gone in the blink of an eye. But my baby is 21 years old!!! That, my friends, is what has happened in just the blink of an eye!

How was your month? Any winter races or fun getaways planned? What fundraising organizations do you hold near and dear to your heart? Cheers to another great month!