Everyone always asks about the wildlife at my parents’ bed and breakfast. They regularly have black bears and dear, but this Christmas we had a special treat – the very formidable, black and white, Tennessee cat.

During Christmas breakfast, we looked out to see all four of their kittens perched and playing in a nearby tree, usually where you’d find the bears. Alvin, the instigator, had prompted the adventure, and his brothers and sisters seemed to be enjoying it, until the time came to get down. Three of the kittens managed to find a safe way back to the ground, but poor deLis got scared (and yes, there’s also a Fleur to go with deLis). He started out one tree limb, and as it started to bend, he headed back to the tree trunk. Then after careful consideration, he tried again. And the rest of this story was just like watching a cartoon. The tree limb kept bending; deLis kept wobbling; and before he knew what was happening, he was upside down, hanging on by all four paws. He swung like that for a little while before his back paws gave out and he was just hanging on by his front two paws. It was quite a scene. You didn’t know whether just to laugh or run out and save him.

I was the first to give in, and I ran out to save him when his back paws gave out. Once I saved him from the tree, I had a friend for life. He didn’t leave my side or my lap when I was outside with them. And after this whole experience, I think deLis has learned not to follow his brother Alvin everywhere he goes.

The Tennessee cats: Foxy – the mom, named after The Foxtrot Bed & Breakfast; Alvin – the instigator, who used to bring chipmunks to the back door to show off, hence the name Alvin; Ernie – named after Ernest Hemingway because of his six toes, just like the Hemingway cats; Fleur – named for her love of curling up in flower pots; and deLis – because if you have a Fleur, you need a deLis (I call him Lis for short).

I don’t know why, but I DIED laughing at Grey’s Anatomy tonight, especially when George asks Izzy if she only shaved one leg.

I know, I know. I shouldn’t be watching TV. I should be studying. And I shouldn’t be blogging at 11:45 at night. I should be studying (or sleeping). But, the fact that Izzy was so tired from her day at work that she either forgot or was just too lazy to shave both of her legs before her supposed big night with George cracked me up.

I know just how she feels. Between school, work, running, and trying to stay in semi-touch with my friends, I find that I am always forgetting things or leaving things in the oddest places. I think I almost left my Marketing book in the freezer the other morning as I was trying to grab a Lean Cuisine for my lunch and pack my book to read on the metro. Crazy!

Anyway, I’m off for more reading and hopefully some sleep. And if all goes well, I’ll remember to shave both legs in the morning before I leave for work.

My first ever half marathon and my first major hurdle in marathon training – ACCOMPLISHED.

MRP’s D.C. Half Marathon started a half hour later then planned, or right on time according to MRP time. The beginning was a little slow – 13.1 miles can be daunting, and I didn’t want to wear myself out too soon. But, as I came up to the Memorial Bridge, things were starting to get a little better. It’s so inspiring to run in D.C., surrounded by Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson. And it didn’t hurt that at that point I knew I was almost half-way through the run (and past most of the suicidally fast bikers on the Mount Vernon Trail). Things sped up too, as I swerved around all the tourist on the Mall.

Along the way, I dutifully ate my GU and chugged it down with water. The GU experience was a lot better this time than in the past. (You don’t want to know.) If you’ve never had the opportunity to taste one of these lovely packets, I suggest you stay away from them, unless absolutely necessary. And if absolutely necessary, only take them with water, NOT gatorade.

Also, I made a running buddy on the path that made things go by a little faster. He had to be 70-years old, and he was just moving right along. I passed him first, not thinking I’d see him again. Then, 10 minutes later, when I had slowed down to walk, he passed me by and said, “Good Morning.” I passed him again when I started running, and he’d pass me when I’d stop to walk. I think we parted ways around mile 5, but I kept thinking, if he can do this, then certainly I can do this.

By mile 9, I was starting to feel the pain. I was already back on the Virginia side of my route, so I knew I wasn’t too far from my car. But, my hip starting hurting so bad, and it was almost easier to run than walk. I stopped for a few minutes to stretch it out, but I knew I had to just keep plugging away. See, I had told a couple friends what I was doing, and they said they would meet me at the end. They expected me around 11-11:15, but with my late start, I wasn’t going to get there until 11:45, without stopping along the way.

So, I pushed through to mile 12, thinking I was going to die and wondering how in the world I was going to make it through twice this distance. Then, at the end of a long straight away, I saw my friends standing with signs and cheering. That definitely picked me up. They ran along behind me as I finished the last mile and awarded me a “First Place” ribbon at the end.

All in all, it was a good experience. I’m proud to be able to say that I’ve run a half marathon, and despite the pain, I’m really looking forward to the full marathon in February. But, I couldn’t do any of this without my friends.

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A little more on the half marathon itself. Officially, it was “The Nike+ Women’s Half Marathon – A race to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.” But, MRP’s D.C. Half Marathon had a nice ring to it, too.

The Nike+ Women’s Half Marathon was a “Virtual” Half Marathon event. There was no distinct course or start time, and you could run in any city. You just had to run the 13.1 miles on October 21. Your distance and time are tracked by your own Nike+ system. After you upload your run to the Nike web site, Nike will then send out official finishers medals and t-shirts. (I thought it was a neat idea and incentive to get people running across the country, even if you couldn’t make it to an official race.)

This Nike advertising slogan is keeping me going these days — that and the motivation of two best friends who have decided to join me in one of my many crazy pursuits. Some of you have heard me talk about running a marathon for years, and in all honesty, it really takes me that long to make some decisions. But in this case, my 30th birthday is serving as a drop-dead deadline for this decision.

There are so many things that I’ve said I wanted to do before I turned 30 — go skydiving, be fluent in a foreign language, run a marathon. Not that 30 is a magic number by any means, but just a nice round number to pick as a goal. So, come February 17, I will be able to say that I completed at least one of my goals by running the National Breast Cancer Marathon in Jacksonville, Florida.

It’s tough going right now, fitting in running, school, and a job. These are really the only things that I’m doing these days. But, all of the hard work will be worth it in the end. I just know it.

I’ve added a Nike+ widget to the top of this page, so you can see what I’ve been up to lately (or at least how far I’ve been running). I figure the more people I tell, the more who will keep me accountable to my goals.

However, when I’m done with 26.2 miles, I don’t think I’ll have the same smile and energy that I had in this picture after crossing the finish line of the Race for the Cure 5K earlier this year.

At first there’s one small plume of white smoke. Then two larger clouds begin to form, covering the entire launch pad. Slowly and gracefully the shuttle rises from the clouds. You’re mesmerized by its size, its force, the glowing flames from the solid rocket boosters, and then it hits you — the sonic boom. Things around you begin to shake, the deep sound rushes over you, and you’re in awe once again.

Everyone in the crowd is like a little kid in a candy store for the first time — huge smile across their face, eyes transfixed by the grandeur of the site in front of them, and their mind so overwhelmed that all words escape them.

To see a shuttle launch in person is amazing and breathtaking. The science, technology, engineering, and sheer man power that come together to successfully launch a shuttle into space is unbelievable. And I continue to be inspired by the courage and spirit of adventure of our astronauts, who believe in the cause of space exploration so much that they are willing to risk their lives, strapped to a rocket, for the chance to make a difference in our future.

This was not my first launch, and I certainly hope it won’t be my last. I’ve been a space geek at heart since at least the third grade, when I played Sally Ride in a school play. Ride was the first American woman in space in 1983. I’ve also been to Space Academy, where I was the pilot of our shuttle mission there. This was a big deal to me because at the time, their hadn’t been a female shuttle pilot yet (and that’s what the movie Space Camp was all about, which I was addicted to). It wasn’t until 1995 that NASA had its first female shuttle pilot, Eileen Collins. Collins was also the first female shuttle commander in 1999.

After having the opportunity to work for NASA in 2005, my passion for space flight has just increased. If someone gave me the opportunity to fly in space, I’d be there in a heartbeat.

Safe travels to the crew of STS-118. We’ll all be watching you and hoping for your safe return.