salience
January 3, 2012
So much has happened since the wedding. To summarize:
I hurt my knee pretty badly, a very inflamed IT Band had me limping halfway through what was supposed to be an easy 4 mile race in Central Park in late June. I ended up having to take off 3 months from running to recover. The only cure was rest!
Work continues in the same vein. We are still in limbo, the same uncertainty that has plagued our group since late 2008. But we're sticking together! Only 8 of the original team of 42 remain.
Ryan and I went to GA for what was supposed to be my 10th high school reunion, which was cancelled last minute. Nice job, guys.
I ran my first ever half marathon (13.1 miles) for the Staten Island race NYRR organizes here every year (more on NYRR here - http://nyrr.org/). They are the main running club I run with here, and they organize races a few times each month (no small feat given the amount of coordination between NYPD and NYCDOT it requires).
The Columbia Summer Winds (CSW) Season went off without a hitch. This season was the first where I organized us a show at Grant's Tomb (a national park memorial, quite a huge deal to obtain permit wise, since you have to be a nonprofit). We also did shows in Central Park, Washington Square Park and Bryant Park.
For personal reasons (way too much drama amongst the board members), I still run Manhattan Wind Ensemble from a logistics perspective, but I do not play with the ensemble per se. It's been a welcome break. One I definitely think I needed. I may return in the future, but it definitely won't be anytime soon.
One of my close girlfriends here, Kat, whom I first met through CSW's load crew, lost her sister. Kat is 26, her sister was 29 and had 2 kids. As a close friend of the family, I spent quite a bit of time with both Kat and her mom (who is a regular at the CSW shows and CSW load crew), consoling them both, helping out with the 2 kids, and helping to arrange the funeral and memorial services. Timing was such that it happened right before Ryan's 29th birthday, so I literally ended up making and icing his birthday cake at 3AM post funeral/memorial, even decorating our apartment with Wall-E balloons and streamers soon after. I then took a quick nap, went to work, and came home to make him a big seafood dinner. Oh the things we do out of love, right? He was happy, and Kat and her mom were somewhat comforted (as much as could be by my hands), so it was worth it.
Next my godmother/aunt lost her youngest son, he was only in his early thirties. I flew down to AL for his memorial service. I was floored to walk in and see all of the pictures of the two of us as kids plastered everywhere. Even more shocking was to learn he had a picture framed of me from a high school formal on his nightstand when he died. He was the older brother I had always wanted, and as it turns out, I was his little sister in that way too.
My brother came home from his Iraq deployment in early November (a day after Ryan's cousin married in VA). It was a scramble to make it to Ft. Hood in time for his welcome home from Virginia, but I managed it. I used all of my vacation time to stay with him and get his life set-up again: his truck needed inspecting, laundry needed to be washed (I swear he brought back half the Iraqi desert with him), a place for him to live and roommates needed to be found, as well as the larger details of assimilating back into regular life. He and I shared a room in a Killeen hotel and I was in no way prepared to witness just how much trouble he has falling asleep and staying asleep. His anxiety is still at an all time high, even now, 2 months later. We just found out today that he was awarded a Bronze Star for his service during the deployment. I could not be prouder of my baby brother. A more deserving soldier could not be found for such recognition.
One of Ryan's best friends married over Thanksgiving just north of Denver, Colorado. I had initially consented to go when we thought Lorenzo would be deployed through 2012, so I was not very happy to be on a plane to CO when he was hanging out in TX. We left Thanksgiving Day and got to our hotel just after every restaurant in town closed. So we made a feast of 7-11 hotpockets and beef jerky. The wedding itself was small, no more than 80 people total. In a weird twist of fate, Ryan's ex fiancee was the photographer for the wedding. They behaved (although they hadn't seen each other in 6 years - she drove down from Ontario for the wedding) and there was only drama when she opted not to take our pictures during the table poses. Ry was a nervous wreck, downing his flask of whiskey he had brought, plus many beers from the reception bar, and eating very little (she after all had broken off their engagement, not him). I played it cool and only had a bit of an issue when his ex came over to me and began crying about how little the couple marrying were paying her ("Gas is so expensive when you're driving down from Canada!") and how bad her current boyfriend treated her. Once the wedding wrapped up though, we all headed back to our hotel (we we were all staying on the same floor, including the ex and her boyfriend, of course) and I was able to hang out with the rest of Ryan's friend's without having to see the ex again. And no, there was no competition between us two. I had expected a beauty queen (a la Ms. VA from the UVA days), but even Ry had to admit that this girl had "let herself go." All I can say is she must have looked quite different at 19 than she did at 26 for Ryan to be interested. But moving on.
My cousin lost his mother shortly thereafter. Due to timing, I flew down to Atlanta for the day (more like 11 hours) to attend the funeral and memorial north of Lake Lanier (6AM flight out of NYC, 7PM flight back). My inlaws were visiting us up in NYC to celebrate Christmas, and the way the schedule was organized, there was no real way around it. It was a very sad time, but I knew in my heart I needed to be there. I was right. I beat my brother even for getting to the church, and he had already arrived in the state the night before. But I met my aunt and uncle as they walked up to the church, saw my cousins soon after and was on baby girl duty for the remainder of the afternoon. I am convinced, after seeing my brother's face as those girls cried, "Lorenzo! Lorenzo!" that there is no greater cure for his PTSD than the genuine love and adoration of a child (or in this case, two). I also got to catch up with my aunt and uncle in what little time we had to sit and talk. It's funny how much you realize you miss people once you are around them again.
In a bit of good news, my best friend Michelle (roomie from BC) got engaged right before Christmas. She has been dating Jeff, a DC cop, for the past 6 years. She was beginning to think he'd never ask and was doing her best not to panic (too much). I couldn't be happier for her. She asked me to be her matron of honor and we will begin planning in earnest after they move in together later this month. She is targeting a wedding either this fall or early next year. Coincidentally, two other of my BC roommates are also recently engaged: Flora to her marine reservist she's been dating for two years and Kelly to her boyfriend of 5 years (formerly they were next door neighbors growing up). Who will get married first? It's anyone's guess. Either way, I've already run that gauntlet, and they can have it! :)
The holidays were tough, schedule wise. My godmother asked us to come visit her during Christmas (in AL) so she could see my brother and since she was having such a hard time coping with Jon's death. We were there for about 16 hours total, but we laughed, told jokes, and heard my godfather do his Donald Duck voice more times than I can count. Due to the way it all panned out, my godmother is essentially taking care of 4 children, almost full time, only 2 of which are biologically related to her. Where she gets the energy, I will never know. The rest of what little time remained was spent in Georgia. I do wish I got to see my mom more, I miss her more than she could ever possibly know. But before I knew it, it was time to fly back up to NYC and head back to work.
I worked the entire week leading up to New Year's Eve and spent the majority of the weekend sitting in one place. I tallied up all of my travel this year, and aside from one trip to DC for a wedding shower my cousin threw me and our honeymoon to Turks and Caicos, I took 13 different trips, all family related (either Suarez related or Ruff/Kraemer related). Quite a few of those were last minute too (Lorenzo coming home, 3 funerals, my car breaking down and my buying a replacement, etc).
I am very much looking forward to staying in one place for a bit in 2012. Not only will my wallet thank me, but it can only be good for my training schedule. I qualified for the ING NYC Marathon this coming November, so my training begins in earnest with the first half marathon of the season, the "Manhattan Half" in two weeks. My first official race is a 10K this coming Saturday in Central Park. And so it begins! :)
I hurt my knee pretty badly, a very inflamed IT Band had me limping halfway through what was supposed to be an easy 4 mile race in Central Park in late June. I ended up having to take off 3 months from running to recover. The only cure was rest!
Work continues in the same vein. We are still in limbo, the same uncertainty that has plagued our group since late 2008. But we're sticking together! Only 8 of the original team of 42 remain.
Ryan and I went to GA for what was supposed to be my 10th high school reunion, which was cancelled last minute. Nice job, guys.
I ran my first ever half marathon (13.1 miles) for the Staten Island race NYRR organizes here every year (more on NYRR here - http://nyrr.org/). They are the main running club I run with here, and they organize races a few times each month (no small feat given the amount of coordination between NYPD and NYCDOT it requires).
The Columbia Summer Winds (CSW) Season went off without a hitch. This season was the first where I organized us a show at Grant's Tomb (a national park memorial, quite a huge deal to obtain permit wise, since you have to be a nonprofit). We also did shows in Central Park, Washington Square Park and Bryant Park.
For personal reasons (way too much drama amongst the board members), I still run Manhattan Wind Ensemble from a logistics perspective, but I do not play with the ensemble per se. It's been a welcome break. One I definitely think I needed. I may return in the future, but it definitely won't be anytime soon.
One of my close girlfriends here, Kat, whom I first met through CSW's load crew, lost her sister. Kat is 26, her sister was 29 and had 2 kids. As a close friend of the family, I spent quite a bit of time with both Kat and her mom (who is a regular at the CSW shows and CSW load crew), consoling them both, helping out with the 2 kids, and helping to arrange the funeral and memorial services. Timing was such that it happened right before Ryan's 29th birthday, so I literally ended up making and icing his birthday cake at 3AM post funeral/memorial, even decorating our apartment with Wall-E balloons and streamers soon after. I then took a quick nap, went to work, and came home to make him a big seafood dinner. Oh the things we do out of love, right? He was happy, and Kat and her mom were somewhat comforted (as much as could be by my hands), so it was worth it.
Next my godmother/aunt lost her youngest son, he was only in his early thirties. I flew down to AL for his memorial service. I was floored to walk in and see all of the pictures of the two of us as kids plastered everywhere. Even more shocking was to learn he had a picture framed of me from a high school formal on his nightstand when he died. He was the older brother I had always wanted, and as it turns out, I was his little sister in that way too.
My brother came home from his Iraq deployment in early November (a day after Ryan's cousin married in VA). It was a scramble to make it to Ft. Hood in time for his welcome home from Virginia, but I managed it. I used all of my vacation time to stay with him and get his life set-up again: his truck needed inspecting, laundry needed to be washed (I swear he brought back half the Iraqi desert with him), a place for him to live and roommates needed to be found, as well as the larger details of assimilating back into regular life. He and I shared a room in a Killeen hotel and I was in no way prepared to witness just how much trouble he has falling asleep and staying asleep. His anxiety is still at an all time high, even now, 2 months later. We just found out today that he was awarded a Bronze Star for his service during the deployment. I could not be prouder of my baby brother. A more deserving soldier could not be found for such recognition.
One of Ryan's best friends married over Thanksgiving just north of Denver, Colorado. I had initially consented to go when we thought Lorenzo would be deployed through 2012, so I was not very happy to be on a plane to CO when he was hanging out in TX. We left Thanksgiving Day and got to our hotel just after every restaurant in town closed. So we made a feast of 7-11 hotpockets and beef jerky. The wedding itself was small, no more than 80 people total. In a weird twist of fate, Ryan's ex fiancee was the photographer for the wedding. They behaved (although they hadn't seen each other in 6 years - she drove down from Ontario for the wedding) and there was only drama when she opted not to take our pictures during the table poses. Ry was a nervous wreck, downing his flask of whiskey he had brought, plus many beers from the reception bar, and eating very little (she after all had broken off their engagement, not him). I played it cool and only had a bit of an issue when his ex came over to me and began crying about how little the couple marrying were paying her ("Gas is so expensive when you're driving down from Canada!") and how bad her current boyfriend treated her. Once the wedding wrapped up though, we all headed back to our hotel (we we were all staying on the same floor, including the ex and her boyfriend, of course) and I was able to hang out with the rest of Ryan's friend's without having to see the ex again. And no, there was no competition between us two. I had expected a beauty queen (a la Ms. VA from the UVA days), but even Ry had to admit that this girl had "let herself go." All I can say is she must have looked quite different at 19 than she did at 26 for Ryan to be interested. But moving on.
My cousin lost his mother shortly thereafter. Due to timing, I flew down to Atlanta for the day (more like 11 hours) to attend the funeral and memorial north of Lake Lanier (6AM flight out of NYC, 7PM flight back). My inlaws were visiting us up in NYC to celebrate Christmas, and the way the schedule was organized, there was no real way around it. It was a very sad time, but I knew in my heart I needed to be there. I was right. I beat my brother even for getting to the church, and he had already arrived in the state the night before. But I met my aunt and uncle as they walked up to the church, saw my cousins soon after and was on baby girl duty for the remainder of the afternoon. I am convinced, after seeing my brother's face as those girls cried, "Lorenzo! Lorenzo!" that there is no greater cure for his PTSD than the genuine love and adoration of a child (or in this case, two). I also got to catch up with my aunt and uncle in what little time we had to sit and talk. It's funny how much you realize you miss people once you are around them again.
In a bit of good news, my best friend Michelle (roomie from BC) got engaged right before Christmas. She has been dating Jeff, a DC cop, for the past 6 years. She was beginning to think he'd never ask and was doing her best not to panic (too much). I couldn't be happier for her. She asked me to be her matron of honor and we will begin planning in earnest after they move in together later this month. She is targeting a wedding either this fall or early next year. Coincidentally, two other of my BC roommates are also recently engaged: Flora to her marine reservist she's been dating for two years and Kelly to her boyfriend of 5 years (formerly they were next door neighbors growing up). Who will get married first? It's anyone's guess. Either way, I've already run that gauntlet, and they can have it! :)
The holidays were tough, schedule wise. My godmother asked us to come visit her during Christmas (in AL) so she could see my brother and since she was having such a hard time coping with Jon's death. We were there for about 16 hours total, but we laughed, told jokes, and heard my godfather do his Donald Duck voice more times than I can count. Due to the way it all panned out, my godmother is essentially taking care of 4 children, almost full time, only 2 of which are biologically related to her. Where she gets the energy, I will never know. The rest of what little time remained was spent in Georgia. I do wish I got to see my mom more, I miss her more than she could ever possibly know. But before I knew it, it was time to fly back up to NYC and head back to work.
I worked the entire week leading up to New Year's Eve and spent the majority of the weekend sitting in one place. I tallied up all of my travel this year, and aside from one trip to DC for a wedding shower my cousin threw me and our honeymoon to Turks and Caicos, I took 13 different trips, all family related (either Suarez related or Ruff/Kraemer related). Quite a few of those were last minute too (Lorenzo coming home, 3 funerals, my car breaking down and my buying a replacement, etc).
I am very much looking forward to staying in one place for a bit in 2012. Not only will my wallet thank me, but it can only be good for my training schedule. I qualified for the ING NYC Marathon this coming November, so my training begins in earnest with the first half marathon of the season, the "Manhattan Half" in two weeks. My first official race is a 10K this coming Saturday in Central Park. And so it begins! :)
lasaliente, 22:37
