And this year I added to that list with the Admiral Swansea Bay 10K, here in Swansea Wales.

But before we get there, let’s take a walk down memory lane – to the very first race I ever ran:

Ypsilanti, Michigan (circa 1988). From lower left, moving clockwise: my brother (Danny), my dad (Dave), me!, two friends of my dad, and our dear childhood friend (Teddy) – who, by the way, is now a phenomenal artist, web designer and runs his own graphic design company.

My first actual memory of running is with my dad, also a runner – and very patient with his daughter, who – at all of her nine or ten years old – made it a quarter mile down the road from our house in Sumpter, Michigan before needing to walk and wanting to turn around.

Btw – thanks, Dad – for turning around with me and taking me home.

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Since then, my other races (see? I do have a list!) include:

• Race for the Cure at the Detroit Zoo, 1999
• Ann Arbor 4th of July 5K, 1999
• Honolulu Marathon, 1999 – yes, I ran a marathon, but very slowly
• Race for the Cure at Comerica Park, Detroit, 2000

As you can see, I’ve not run in an “official” race for 11 years – so forever more, my re-entry to the “racing world” belongs to Swansea.

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Admiral Swansea Bay 10K 2011:

My 2011 race number included 7s, which thrilled me to no end:

And when you register for a race in Wales, you not only get your welcome email in English:

But also in Welsh!

These are people who ran faster than me:

And had way cooler hair than me:

And women runners who ROCKED:

We also had a visit by the Subway mascot:

And an Oompa Loompa (who, too, ran faster than me):

But eventually, I showed up!

Got my picture taken by the official photographers (sorry, I won’t pay £10 for a digital copy though):

And threw Matthew a kiss:

Before crossing the finish line:

Afterward, we wondered about these guys:

And why a race event needs a supply of chips:

But neither contemplation stopped me from stretching:

And greeting Sylvain – who not only dropped me off, but went BACK to pick up Matthew, and then came BACK to take us both home again:

She was awfully proud:

And made me a congratulations sign – posted to our front door:

Complete with my hair and teeth done in gold marker:

To prove it all really happened, here are my “official” results:

And spoils of the race:

Including the very cool “finishers medal”:

And the shoes that covered 48 training miles in the weeks before the race:

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Why do I do it?

A few people asked me this while I was training – and because I take any opportunity I can to wax poetic about running, I thought my reasons should also be commemorated here.

For me, running is a wickedly good source of zen-like meditation – especially on those days when the sun is warm, the sky is a blue so deep it’s purple, the music rocks and you feel like you could run forever.

It’s on days like these that I think of one of the best running quotes I’ve ever read:

Running offers us renewal each time we head out the door. It strips us down to our centers. It is sun, sweat, rain, breeze against our skin. It is blood pumping through our arteries, air filling our lungs, and the rhythmic, fluid contracting of muscle as we move our bodies over the earth.

Through it, we become whole again.

From: The Complete Book of Running for Women (1999)

Because when it comes down to it – all races aside – if ever want to feel alive (in the deepest, most affirming of ways), all I need to do is throw on my shoes and head out the door.

And that’s why I run.

If that works for you, read on.

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But first, our cats …

After her quarterly visit to California, Amy arrived in Michigan in mid-June to pick up Zoe for her third summer in Wales. (Lucky girl!) But before they took off for London, Amy snapped a few shots of the dashing Boris and his partner-in-crime, Nikita – both loved and spoiled deliciously by Amy’s mom in Michigan:

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Clyne Farm

No summer visit to Swansea would be complete without Zoe riding horses at Clyne Farm. Below are a few of our favorite shots:

And through it all, dear Henry was stalwart as ever:

While the goats had a roaring good time:

And did some yoga:

While Matthew got a chance to snap some photos:

Of Amy taking photos:

Oh, did we mention that Amy bleached her hair?

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Cardiff – 4th of July:

As good Americans should, we celebrated the 4th of July. However, unlike most Americans, we celebrated it in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Most of our day was spent just mucking about town, but we managed to get a few photos of Matthew and Zoe goofing off down at Cardiff Bay (while Amy tested out her black and white photo capabilities):

Say what you will; I think these next two photos are adorable:

And, being Matthew and Zoe, they are also united in goofiness:

See?

Being all fatherly and stuff:

We switched back to color and finally got a photo of Matthew and Amy TOGETHER (thanks, Zoe!)

Then lamented the Torchwood entrance was transformed into some kind of strawberry festival display:

With tents and everything.

However, we also got one of Zoe’s excellent photo perspectives as we headed back to the Swansea bus:

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Swansea University Photo Shoot:

After one of Zoe’s lessons at Clyne Farm, we stopped by Swansea University to meet Matthew and ended up doing an impromptu photo shoot – below are a few of my faves. Doesn’t Zoe’s sass just rock?

And then just like that, the summer was over. I wonder where we’ll be next year …?

Filed under: Swansea Life, Traveling in the UK ]]> http://livinginswansea.com/2011/09/11/summer-in-swansea-2011/feed/ 2 Amy http://livinginswansea.com/2011/05/26/signs-of-swansea/ http://livinginswansea.com/2011/05/26/signs-of-swansea/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 11:40:44 +0000 Amy http://livinginswansea.com/?p=800 ]]>

One of the enjoyable aspects of living in another country is seeing that world through non-native eyes – including the content and messages in various signs, billboards, posters and stickers. Most of them we ‘get’, some we find funny, and others still bemuse us.

Below is a tour of some of our favorites – enjoy!

Hear, hear …

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The reference to "whites" tickles Matthew every time.

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Nothing like being serious.

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Does Matthew look WAY too happy?

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"noisy operation"

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The mind boggles.

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While we understand the literal "needs attention" part, it still sounds psychological.

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"sunshine is active"?

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Swansea pride - as graffiti. Think they got the irony?

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The most serious-sounding brick-laying company name I've ever seen.

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THIS is a bargain.

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I hope it found a home.

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Fun with juxtaposition.

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Oh no!

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I want the back story ...

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Yes, we laughed.

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Yes, they're everywhere.

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Still don't know what "Bunnies" are (is?) - but we have an idea. In either case, they've moved.

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CCTV cameras and nuns – oh my!

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Umm ...

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At least the sex comes first ...

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It would be funny if that were a bedroom window, right?

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I like that it's on a construction vehicle.

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Agreed!

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In case you were wondering.

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That's my hubby!

That’s what the past three months have been like for Matthew and me – what with our work keeping us up at night (literally), getting the proper paperwork (and funding!) together to renew our UK Visas, and my 2 triple week trips to California, plus a week in Michigan, we’ve been busier than I can remember being since we first moved here. Plus, I got my hair cut REALLY short.

But during such frenetic times, there are still moments of respite – and I had the honor of spending one of those times with my dear friend and colleague, Sandra.

Sandra was presenting at the Conversion Conference in London in early November and it just so happened to coincide with my upcoming trip to California, so I took the train to London a day earlier and we tooled around the city before both heading back to California. It was Sandra’s first (but not last!) trip to the UK.

What follows is a collection of photos from our 12 hour adventure.

Oh, and Zoe – I made sure to include LOTs of pics of me in this post.
(Zoe recently explained to us – in no uncertain terms – there were NOT enough pictures of me on our blog).

So here you go, Zoe …

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The  Tower of London

Amy and Sandra demonstrate the importance of being serious at historic sites:

Photo courtesy of Sandra's camera

Amy waits for inspiration – not too far from where they used to behead people:

Photo courtesy of Sandra

Sandra exhibits the Tower of London‘s lower gravity field:

Photo courtesy of Sandra's camera

The Tower grounds, brilliantly verdant in early November:

Tower Bridge – and David Wynne’s ‘Girl with a Dolphin” sculpture (Amy and her mom stood together in this exact same spot back in 2000):

Tower Bridge, beautiful at sunset:

Tim (the conference chair and organizer) makes a spectacle while Amy tries not to notice:

Photo courtesy of Sandra

Amy misses Matthew, and so texts him to tell him so (while also appearing to chew some toffee):

Photo courtesy of Sandra

Sandra and Amy find some cool stairs on the Tower Bridge, so of course Amy poses – and Sandra makes her laugh:

Photos courtesy of Sandra

Amy then takes a picture of gorgeous Sandra:

Then we all look back across the Thames to the Tower of London:

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The Queen’s Walk

The Queen’s Walk is where we, um, walked – it’s on the South Bank of the River Thames from the Tower of London:

Oddly enough, other people were walking on the Queen’s Walk, too:

A walk that included cool, diagonal brickwork:

Which, of course, required Amy to get down low for a good shot:

Photo courtesy of Sandra

And then suggest people’s feet should move over *just* a little bit:

Photo courtesy of Sandra

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St. Paul’s Cathedral

Next up was St. Paul’s Cathedral – and the dome of St. Paul:

Sandra looking like the quintessential photographer (I love, love, love this shot!)

Facing the Great West Door of St. Paul’s (Factoid: St. Paul’s is where Prince Charles and Lady Diana married):

And ever-conscious of the importance of cycling in the life of our beloved CEO, Lance Loveday, we noticed the area behind St. Paul’s is off limits to cyclists. (Amy tried to look appropriately disgruntled):

Photo courtesy of Sandra

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Coffee Break!

Luckily, right across from St. Paul’s was a coffee shop:

Photo courtesy of Sandra

With an amazingly good mocha (decaf, of course)

Photo courtesy of Sandra

Recharged, we then decided to lock Sandra in a phone booth:

Photo courtesy of Sandra's camera

Upon her release, Sandra returned to photography, demonstrating how colors in nature perfectly match her hat and sweater:

Then we both contemplated getting our hair cut:

And made an important cultural discovery: a “subway” literally means a “sub-way” – as in an underground passage below the ‘way’:

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Trafalgar Square

Earlier in the day, Sandra took this phenomenal photo of Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery:

Photo courtesy of Sandra

To which we returned after our coffees:

Photo courtesy of Sandra

And upon finishing our tour of the National Gallery had a warm dinner …

Photo courtesy of Sandra

Before *literally* running to see  ‘Billy Elliot‘ – our first London play together (Amy’s very first London play was the ‘Phantom of the Opera’, with her mom, back in 2000):

Photo courtesy of Sandra

It never ceases to amaze me how much can be packed into 12 hours – and when you have a dear, wonderful friend like Sandra to share it with, the time flies by!

Thank you for a wonderful day, Sandra – and here’s to future adventures!

Needless to say, she continues to impress, amaze (and slightly scare) us with just how good she’s getting.

(Side note: it’s almost as fun to watch Matthew watching Zoe, as it is to watch Zoe during her lessons. Poor Dad – he cringes well.)

Below is a selection of some of our favorites.

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Zoe on her first day back at Clyne Farm – looking smashing in her new riding outfit:

Henry, the 18-year-old horse, saying something funny:

Starting to canter:

Couldn’t resist these cuties, watching Zoe:

Day 2 – getting faster in her I <heart> Roma t-shirt:

Matthew, not liking the faster:

Zoe, allowing Matthew to pose with her atop the hill after lesson #2:

Day 3: and hands down, one.of.my.favorite.pictures:

This one also rocks – and note Zoe’s leather jacket. Next up: motorcycle lessons!

On Day 4, Zoe and one of her instructors went on a hack (aka “ride”) – and this is the sky when they returned:

On Day 5, it was WARM:

And on Day 6, it was WINDY:

But Zoe and Danny ROCKED it – and cantered all over the place:

Much to Zoe’s unbridled (yes, pun intended) joy:

Now all we have to do is wait until next year.

Needless to say, we didn’t fast-forward through it.

I even asked Matthew to not delete that episode of ‘The Daily Show’ so we wouldn’t lose the ability to watch it again on TV.

And then we realized there’s this thing called the ‘Internet’.

Which also resulted in us seeing this ‘The Making Of …’ version:

And though we both know it’s advertising, IKEA is now forever cemented in our minds as a.really.good.store.

Not to mention the fact that we like their furniture.

But when cats – lots of them! – are included, we’re total pushovers.

Matthew is currently working at Swansea University – teaching, writing, and generally being charming, witty and cool. You can find out more about him at his website: Matthew Kapell.

Amy works remotely for Closed Loop Marketing – and keeps a West Coast schedule – which means her work day starts at 4pm GMT and goes until 1 or 2am. But don’t worry, she sleeps in a lot.

Enjoy and welcome!

But before we got there, we met a few of our Penlan Crescent acquaintances along the way.

Basement Cat, pretending we weren’t there:

… and Funny Little Dog, being tough (he growled at Matthew):

We also saw the coolest dentist sign – embedded IN the wall:

And realized that wherever you go in Swansea, you can still see the Tower:

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When we arrived at the Sketty Road entrance to Singleton Park (which is different from our normal entrance), we found – of all things – a circle of standing stones!

Let it be known that Amy has regularly gone running in Singleton Park for the past 4 months. She has therefore been within 3o seconds of these stones, but never knew it until today. Talk about secret stones!

Or an unobservant Amy, come to think of it.

It's a mini henge!

We each counted – simultaneously – and discovered there were 12 standing stones:

Centered around a stone dais: 

Now, if we could only figure out a way to get married here, wouldn’t that be cool??!.

But finally, we went into the Botanical Gardens …

And saw flowers:

Koi!:

And cacti!:

Then we saw more flowers:

And more:

And even more:

Lily pad flowers rock

Then Amy fell promptly in love with these curly ones:

Lovin' the 'super macro' setting

And took pictures of more flowers in stone pots:

Note the lion on the side of the pot - rawr

Then we saw a really shaggy tree:

See?

And decided after all our adventures, we were now hungry.

So we said goodbye to the flowers, trees, and spitting cherubs and went to find some food.

And that was our Saturday.

Editorial note: Swansea does a really lovely job of caring for its parks, gardens and public landscapes. We realize our enjoyment of these areas is the product of dedicated employees, volunteers and a city government that cares about its public spaces.

We salute every person who makes this possible.

Filed under: Swansea Life ]]> http://livinginswansea.com/2010/07/04/singleton-botanical-gardens-koi-cacti-and-henges-oh-my/feed/ 4 Amy Entrance to Singleton Botanical Gardens Singleton Park Mini Henge Koi fish in Singleton Botanical Gardens Cacti in Singleton Botanical Gardens Lily pads - Singleton Botanical Gardens Flowers at Singleton Botanical Gardens Flowers in Singleton Botanical Gardens Tree in Singleton Botanical Gardens Singleton Botanical Gardens http://livinginswansea.com/2010/05/16/utopian-conference-non-utopian-rome/ http://livinginswansea.com/2010/05/16/utopian-conference-non-utopian-rome/#comments Sun, 16 May 2010 16:34:40 +0000 Amy http://livinginswansea.com/?p=593 ]]> Last week, Matthew was invited to give a presentation at the Utopia Symposium in Rome, sponsored by the Norwegian Institute in Rome. As neither of us had been to Rome (or Italy), we decided to add 2 more days to the trip – to try and fit in some sightseeing. But while the conference was great, with a lot of excellent presenters and researchers, the rest of the trip was a bit of a disappointment.

However, as many of us know, international travel is about:

• Dealing with the unknown
• Accepting the unexpected, and
• Constantly adapting

And all this, while not speaking the language. As a result, sometimes trips don’t go exactly as planned. But you make the best of it, enjoy your traveling companion, take pictures, and make fun of it all once you get back home.

Which is what we did.

So, if you’re interested in the day-by-day play of our time in Trastevere, our day in Rome & the Utopia conference (with pics!), click on the links below. If you just want to cut to the chase and only see the pics of Rome, click here.

Cheers!

• Rome – Day 1

• Rome – Day 2

• Rome – Day 3

• Rome – Day 4

• Rome – Day 5

• Rome – Day 6

• Rome – Day 7: Returning Home

Day 7 – Heading Home:

• We get up
• Amy makes more coffee
• Because she can
• And decides to walk up to that pastry shop to get some pastries for the trip
• And get some pizza for lunch on the way back
• It takes 30 minutes to walk to the pastry shop
• Which is closed
• At 12pm
• On a Tuesday
• The driver is coming to pick us up at 1pm
• Amy beats it back to the Residenza
• It’s humid and hot, so now she’s all sweaty
• Grabs pizza on the way
• Makes it back by 12:45
• The driver is early
• We scarf down the pizza
• As we’re leaving, the owner is sitting on the porch
• “Goodbye!” she calls. “Hope you had a nice visit!”
• Uh huh
• The driver is the same guy from last week
• And he remains true to form
• We arrive at the airport at 1:30pm
• After going 85mph on the freeway
• Our flight leaves at 4:15
• There’s no one at the Easyjet counter yet
• Someone shows up at 2:15
• The travelers are antsy
• The “speedy check-in” line opens first, some people jump to that line
• The crowd roars
• 2 guys decide to leave one bag in line and also go to the “speedy check-in” line
• They stand in that line for a while
• But whatever they wanted, they couldn’t get
• So they come back to their bag
• Which hasn’t moved
• But the line has started to move
• So they try to get back in line, where their bag is
• The crowd roars
• Then they decide they really deserve to be in the line where they originally were
• The crowd roars
• Someone calls a security guard
• He does nothing
• The crowd roars
• The guys push their way to the front of the line
• The crowd roars
• The guys get their tickets and go
• We get to the desk
• The woman won’t talk to us, but takes Amy’s passport
• She sighs a lot
• Then she sets down Amy’s passport
• And leaves the desk
• Presently, she comes back, carrying the bottle of water she just bought
• Apparently the computers had crashed
• Would have been nice to know that
• She then proceeds to check us in
• We go through security and then see the sign, saying the flight is delayed
• For an hour
• It’s now 3:15 and we have 2 more hours to wait
• So we wait
• And get in line at 4:30
• Half the passengers board the bus to take them to the plane
• At 4:40, they tell us they can’t find the plane
• So the passengers get off the bus
• And we wait
• At 5:30, they tell us they’ve found the plane and we can board
• We wait in line, board a bus
• Wait on the bus
• Then we’re taken to the plane
• People rush the stairs
• Old people and children get pushed out of the way
• There is no assigned seating on Easyjet
• We finally all board
• 5 hours after we arrive at the airport, we’re off
• We arrive in Bristol 2.5 hours later
• Our train has already left for Swansea
• We get to the station and buy new tickets for the last train of the night
• Which leaves in 19 minutes
• We scarf down a sandwich
• We make it to the train
• Amy’s cell phone is no longer receiving a signal
• So, no more tweets
• 2 hours into the train ride, we stop
• In between 2 cities
• The train master gets on and says there’s another train that’s broken down on the tracks
• And until it moves
• We can’t move
• 15 minutes later, the train master tells us another train will come
• And hitch to the broken down train
• And pull it away
• Which it does
• In the meantime, 2 drunk Welsh sisters are in our train car
• Singing songs about …
• And I kid you not …
• Rome
• We finally arrive into Swansea at 11:30pm
• And take a cab back to our flat
• Which only cost £5
• Yes, we are home.

If you’ve made it this far and want to see more pics, here’s that Picasa link again, to all our Rome pics.