I’m 39 today. Whoop! Cake-loading for Rocky tonight.
It’s been a good decade.  The start was rough enough;  My husband walked out on me (fill in the bad after-school-movie details yourself) and I’d just moved in with my parents.  Awesome.  Pre-dawn of my 30th birthday found me running with three folks who worked for my dad.  I’m not sure whether they were ordered to run with the general’s sad, lonely daughter or not; Perhaps it was only a strong suggestion.  I managed to fall into a ditch during the run and scraped up my leg pretty well.  No big deal except my mom had arranged to take me to a day spa later that morning — where I was given a sea salt scrub.  I almost passed out.  Then I wandered around the spa getting pampered in a one-size-fits-all bathrobe.  One size does not fit all.  I resembled one of those Star Wars Jawa guys — in oversized slippers.   (For the record, I had to look up that Star Wars reference.)  My mom also arranged for me to get a make-over, which involved some serious counseling from a woman wearing six inches of foundation and lots of bright blue eye shadow.  I made the mistake of telling her I washed my face with soap, (facial cleanser, people!)  and I left the encounter looking as much like Dolly Parton as I am capable of looking.  Interestingly, I have never gotten more compliments on my appearance.  “Liza!  You really look lovely!  Wow!!”

In any event, the decade got better from that painted lady point low.  My family and friends held me close.  I got a job working with Outward Bound in the Colorado mountains.  I met Eliot there.  We sea kayaked along the coast of Baja for a while.   We traveled around climbing.  I began teaching for the Wilderness Medicine Institute.  Wonderful people in wonderful places.  I began working for the National Outdoor Leadership School.  Dream job.  More wonderful people in wonderful places.  Asa was born.  I finished nursing school.  I started trail running.  I made wonderful give-you-the-shirt-off-their-backs running friends.  I discovered I had a talent for running lots of hours.

And that’s about it (minus all the details and piles of good stories).  I kind of feel like the other shoe is going to drop, First Noble Truth style, sometime soon.  We’ll see.  It’s a reason to practice enduring the suffering of a 100 mile race anyway.  But that’s Saturday.  Today it’s just cake and lots of “Life is Good” sentiment.

Wish we could all share some cake.  Asa helped make it and it’s good.