Birthday Celebrations: Turning 30!!

As I tied up my shoestrings this morning - I made sure to tie them extra tight as the right one came undone during yesterday's run. I glance down, and for the first time in a while, take notice of my shoes. This usual methodical and mindless activity of tying my shoestrings grabs my attention for some reason and after further examination, the wear and tear I've already put on my shoes becomes evident. After some quick math in my head, I then realize I've logged an amazing (to me, anyway) 232 miles in the five months I've owned them! I am not sure whether to be more proud of the shoes or myself for withstanding all those miles! Upon further inspection, I can see a fine crease has developed on the top of my shoes where my shoe bends as my toes push off the ground; the white border around my shoe where shoe meets sole now has a brownish hue to it and my once white laces have yellowed a bit. The tread is starting to get worn down - more so on the heel; the New Balance logo on the inside heel has been rendered illegible and ironically, there is no bad foot smell to speak of!

I grab my iPod and head out the door. The air smells great! It poured down rain last night and it still smells of rain with an almost faint scent of fall. I always start at the second light post down from our street and notice dog poop on the sidewalk. "Wonderful," I think to myself, and then make a mental note of its location so I don't step in it on my way back. I come upon the second light post and hit the start button on my watch. I'm off!

As I run, I try to clear my head, but thoughts go to what I need to get done. We leave for Italy this Saturday and I still have laundry to do, packing, I need to clean the house, get our boarding passes printed out, etc. It's taken a few months to plan and I'm excited to site-see and of course just vacation! Speaking of Italy - the reason for our trip is also...my 30th birthday celebration. I don't know quite how to feel about turning 30, honestly. The number alone just sounds, well, old. I will no longer be categorized as a "twenty something." I think back over my life and what I experienced and accomplished in my twenties: I graduated from college, I got my first job, my first apartment, bought my first car, changed jobs, I met and married the man of my dreams, we bought a house together, we've traveled and seen some amazing places, we've lost family members and gained some new additions, and now we've moved across the Atlantic together. I can only imagine what my 30's will bring, and I am excited! My thoughts go back to my shoes again (I've never given this much thought to a pair of shoes, by the way) and I still can't believe in five months I've already put over 230 miles on them, which means, they only have about three hundred more miles to go before they need replacing again!

As I turn a corner, I hit my two mile mark - half way done already! After all this thinking (and running), I realize, oddly enough, that my shoes and I have a lot in common! We are still young and have a lot of life left in us; the fine creases (aka laugh lines) show a life well lived; we are dependable, supportive and strong; we both have a good soul/sole; we were made in the USA and we clean up pretty nicely after a good washing! While turning the big 3-0 is a big milestone, I've realized getting older isn't a bad thing and I certainly have learned a lot along the way. Also, I am fortunate enough to not have to turn 30 all by myself! I'm a triplet, therefore this special day is extra special for my brother, Andy and my sister, Amy and I. I have had the honor of co-celebrating my birthday with my siblings for the past 29 years! A picture comes to mind of the three of us on what must have been birthday number 2 or 3 - my parents had t-shirts made that said "1/3, 2/3, and 3/3!" How great is that - after all those diapers and all those sleepless nights x 3 - my parents still had a sense of humor! Andy was born at 12:23pm, I was born at 12:30pm, and Amy was born last at 12:44pm. We've always been there for each other and despite the fact we are 3,000+ miles apart, I will still have my amazing brother and sister right along side me to celebrate! Happy 30th birthday to the best triplet siblings a girl could ask for!

Me, Andy, Amy

Edinburgh, Scotland

A piper playing just off Princes Street.

Dave and I headed north to Edinburgh for a long weekend. We've been talking about going for a while as it is my absolute favorite city in Great Britain. While a junior in college, I spent a semester at the University of Aberdeen and had visited Edinburgh a few times and loved it every time I went. The city is steeped in history - the volcanic rock where the castle stands has been a symbol of power for some 3,000 years! It's amazing to me to think of all the people who have passed through here and have stared at the same castle I did. But it's not just the castle I enjoy looking at and touring, it's the city in it's entirety. There are three sections that make up the city "old town," "new town," and "west end." We toured old town and new town.

While there, the wedding of the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips took place - so the city was abuzz and only added to our excitement! Dave took Friday off work, and we woke up early, left the house by 7 and arrived in Edinburgh by noon. We stayed at the cutest B&B - Glenalmond House. It was a beautiful Victorian Era home owned by Jimmy and his wife Fiona. They were very welcoming and made us feel right at home.

Glenalmond was about a 25 minute walk or a 5 - 10 minute bus ride from the city centre. We walked back and forth the first day, but ended up buying an all day bus pass the second day (it saved our feet and also saved on time!).

So, after checking in we headed for the city centre. We were famished and found Deacon Brodie's Tavern on the Royal Mile. It's named after Deacon William Brodie, the man who inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We shared an order of fish and chips over a pint.

The Royal Mile

We of course had to partake in the Scotch Whisky Experience! It has been updated/remodeled since I was here 8 years ago and in 2009, they added the whisky collection of Diageo Claive Vidiz who collected whisky from all over the world for over 35 years. It was amazing - almost 3,500 bottles! I had to take a picture...or two!

Scott Monument


View of Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street.


Walking up to the castle entrance.





View from the top of the castle overlooking Princes Street.


Panoramic view


Calton Hill with the Firth of Forth in the background




Palace


Armory room/Great Hall


Palace Courtyard


Regimental pets' graveyard.


The One O'Clock Gun




Heading down to the castle prison

While looking for souvenirs, I saw a girl with an Albion College sweatshirt on! We were in the middle of a busy store and without even thinking I blurted out, "Do you go to Albion?!" She said she is a junior and is studying abroad at the university! We spoke briefly and she asked what year I graduated - I told her 2004 - and for the first time since graduating seven years ago - it finally hit me how long ago that really was!! I feel so old! I also found out that she is a fellow Alpha Chi. Anyway, small world!!

Our visit to Edinburgh was amazing. Everything about it - the air, the energy, the history and the people only solidified why I fell in love with this city to begin with 8 years ago. I can't wait to go back!

Thirty

"30 lost, 30 unwanted visits, 30 doors receive that dreaded knock, 30 families with shattered hearts, 30 pairs of boots lined up with rifles and dog tags and helmets, 30 comrades remembered and grieved for, 30 funeral services, 30 names on newly made grave markers, 30 empty places at the table, 30 souls who gave all, whose lives leave a void, so let's take 30 seconds to re-post this and pause to reflect on such a sacrifice as 30 gone forever." (borrowed from a Facebook posting)

I dedicate this blog entry to the 30 American servicemen who lost their lives this past weekend in Afghanistan when their helicopter was shot out of the sky early Saturday morning. I felt compelled to honor these brave men and to commemorate their heroic sacrifice - these brave men, all who perished too soon. The news of the incident startled me back to reality and reminded me that this war is far from over and, unfortunately, has been far from my mind for a while. It's so easy to get complacent in life and to forget about things that are happening so far away from home. It's easy to forget because we're not surrounded by it every day. It's easy to take freedom for granted.

Upon hearing the news Saturday morning, my thoughts immediately went back to March 2005. It was 7:00 am on a work day and I had just gotten out of the shower. My cell phone rang, it was my Mom. She had just heard on the news that a close friend of mine from high school, Brett Hershey - a National Guardsmen deployed in Afghanistan - had been killed by a road side bomb. It stunned me. My veins felt as if ice water was pulsing through them. And that's when it hit home for me. I purchased a copy of Michael Morris's book Live Like You Were Dying (inspired by Tim McGraw's song) for every member of my family and my closest friends. Given the title, the book is pretty self explanatory and needless to say, inspiring. My new mantra became "you only live once" and I continue to live by those four little words every day.

It shouldn't take tragedies like this to make one realize how valuable life is, but it does. But maybe that's the point. In honor of the 30 fallen servicemen, take a moment to reflect on your own life, your family, your friends, your freedom. Be thankful you are here today - you only live once so make each day great.