Today is Native American Day and we celebrated at Senior High with an assembly. The Fancy Dancing was so beautiful.

On Sunday we participated in the Montana Marathon. I ran the half marathon (13.1 miles) and was one minute over my goa! Three hours, one minute. Drats-Bathroom breaks!! The first photo is family--fun--!!-- This is just my second half marathon and I am so enjoying them.
The second photo is me with two new buddies I made waiting the HOUR and HALF for the start. I am in the center. The busses took us out way to early.

I was thinking last night...why do I run?
It is really for the gift of time, I decided. When I walk or run, I don't solve problems, deep think or even think...............I am just one with myself. My gift to myself.

Aging is such a enlightening journey. It seems entering a new decade brings many surprises as to how we feel about the experience. I've been feeling a sense of urgency with the entering of my sixth decade--I mean, really--!?!?!?--SIXTY!?!?!?!?

Of course, in a period of three months:
1. Mother passed away in June, 2014
2.  I turn SIXTY on December 4, 2014

and
3. Retire from thirty years of a FABULOUS teaching career on  January 16, 2015

So WOW!
I read the other day: 'this is plan be...'

Yes, life events can give us a sense of urgency.
Plan be: Am I living my life the best I can? How do I want to manage my next decades? Am I being the best I can? And it's about LIVING. And how we choose to show up!

So I'm nervous, a bit fearful..but bring it on.  I'm ready for changes!

"Drawing together many histories-of anatomical evolution and city design, of treadmills and labyrinths, of walking clubs and sexual mores-Rebecca Solnit creates a fascinating portrait of the range of possibilities presented by walking. Arguing that the history of walking includes walking for pleasure as well as for political, aesthetic, and social meaning, Solnit focuses on the walkers whose everyday and extreme acts have shaped our culture, from philosophers to poets to mountaineers." --Amazon

Ok. Ok. I've been on a Rebecca Solnit kick. This particular book of hers I am currently reading has once again captured a sense of thought I have. --How walking helps me to think through my life. I feel more connected to humanity by reading of other walker's life journeys. I also enjoy Solnits style of writing. It clicks with my particular thought process. 

Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal Recipe by Taylor Kadlec, Honest Cooking

• Yield 6-7 servings
• Prep 15 mins
• Cook 15 mins

A much-loved vegetable bread takes on a new form in this delicious baked oatmeal dish.

   Ingredients
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups unsweetened Almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 cups shredded zucchini (one medium zucchini)
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In large bowl, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir well to combine.
3. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla, honey, eggs, and oil. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in zucchini.
4. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until baked through and golden brown on top. Let cool, then scoop into bowls. You can serve as is or pour a little bit of milk or cream on top. Keep covered in refrigerator, for up to a week.

This recipe by Taylor Kadlec of Greens and Chocolate has been posted with permission and originally appeared as Baked Oatmeal: Zucchini Bread Style on Honest Cooking

...and Wednesdays aren't getting me down. Apologies to James Taylor. It is shaping up to be a cooler autumn by the feel of it. 34 degrees for the low tonight, SNOW forecast for tomorrow! and 32 degrees!  YIKES! Last winter was so cold and long that I am FREAKED by the thought of another season like that! I am a summer gal.

Funny observation though: I never really paid attention to the weather forecast until I got an iphone. Technology. The stuff it leads us to.

Running half marathon's has its advantages--I love a view from the top of our Yellowstone Rimrocks! My thirteen mile training run was marked at the half way point by these photos on top of Sword's Park on Sunday. It was my reward--and a reason to pause and refresh on my running journey. Next race? Sunday, September 21. The Montana (half) Marathon.

What a week- And it was a short one, only four work days! But the first few weeks of teaching in high school are always BUSY. I tried supplementing my diet with  candybars, but I've ended up with a Friday afternoon sugar headache-OUCH!

It seems when we set a goal-in my case, the CLEAN diet, I major backfire and eat JUNK, not CLEAN!

The change in seasons brings a change in my daily habits. I'm outside less in the evenings, and into books more. My newest picks? CLEAN. Remove. Restore. Rejunevate. Some people seem to be intuitively good eaters. Me, personally, nothing M & M's or a Butterfinger can't fix! The book is interesting and inspiring. Starting the Clean Cult soon!

Clean -- Expanded Edition: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself Paperback – April 17, 2012 by Alejandro Junger