It's a Juicy One...(Grapes Not Included)

I got dumped on SKYPE. Yep. Over the Internet! After waiting 3 months for Andries to arrive in the USA, he missed his flight and then 5 days later wasn't sure if he should come anymore. So I told him that if he didn't know by now, he would never know. End of story.

I have met some great guys over the past few years. Call it bad timing, me always moving, or just their shyness or my shyness that nothing ever happened. I still talk to the couple of guys I refer to here. Even flirt. I am even sure they know who they are. But a girl can only do so much.

So I pledge to myself to only pursue happy, healthy relationships. It begins....now.

Grandma's New Convertible...Amish Style

Back on the Wisconsin farm, it looks like Grandma's got a new convertible. I miss times like this. Loving and missing my family and friends.

Becks

Crushed...

This time I am not talking about grapes, but instead my poor little heart. By now you would think I would be used to my personal love life always being a bit of a mess. I thought that this time around things were finally on the up and up. Andries, my boyfriend, was supposed to catch his flight in Johannesburg yesterday afternoon and land in JFK Monday at 7 AM. Three months since we were together last. I have been counting down the days for over a month now and tomorrow was the BIG day. We have been looking forward to a future together in Oregon. For some reason I knew something had happened.

I got home from the gym today and there was an email from Andries. He missed his flight (there was a car accident blocking the highway) and was too scared to call me as he felt that I would be mad and wouldn't believe him. I have never had to try so hard to love someone before. At first I thought it meant he wasn't coming at all and my heart broke into two. There are somethings in life you cannot control. This is one of them. At the end of the day, I am just happy he is okay. I am sad and had a good cry, but he can always rebook his ticket and I can always wait another day, another week and another month. We had a great conversation this afternoon via SKYPE and hopefully this roadblock just makes us realize how much more special we are to each other.

I remind everyone to cherish each and every minute with the people you love. Because you never know if and when you will see them again.

You Better BEElieve It!

Can you guess which foot I was stung on? I was on mile 1.25 when I felt something drop into the tongue of my shoe. All of a sudden I felt a burning pain and knew that I had been stung. The bumble bee was trapped between the tongue of my shoe and my leg and was stinging me like crazy! I flicked him out and fell to the ground. Son a of BEEtch. My ankle hurt! I pulled out a few pieces of the stinger and got up to finish the rest of my 14 mile run. It was a good run and the pain from the sting disappeared. It wasn't until the following day that the swelling, burning and itchiness occurred. I rubbed anti-itch cream on and iced and it kept getting worse. So I finally gave in and went to the Salem Urgent Care.

My doctor entered the room buzzing like a bee. I liked him from the beginning. Took one look, said oh my! And prescribed me a steriod pill and another diuretic pill to reduce the swelling. So Week #8 of my Portland Marathon Training is on hold. 30 miles to log this week by Sunday and I am at 0! Hopefully tomorrow it will be better and I can get back on track.

BEE careful!
BEEcky

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to me! I turned 29 on the Fourth of July. What did I do? I spent the morning on a peaceful 12 mile run in Forest Park in Portland. What an amazing place to run! I have found my runners paradise here. In the evening, I met my friend Dawn at Press Wine Bar where we had dinner before we headed to the St. Paul Rodeo. We watched bull riding, roping and hot cowboys on horses. It was great. My only complaint was the lack of nice wine/beer.Coors Light was the official sponsor and therefore the only beer served. I woke up the next morning with a nice Coors Light headache!

Looking back on past birthdays:

28: Australia Balloon Popping. I was in Tawonga South, Victoria Australia. Nathan, my roommate, blew up tons of balloons and put them in the hallway. It was hilarious. We had cake and celebrated with sparklers and by popping balloons.

27: Minnesota Demolition Derby. This was a low-key birthday I spent at a demolition derby in a small town in Minnesota. I watched the fireworks from Joey's car because it was raining.

I think back to all the things I thought I would have accomplished by now. I thought I would be married, have a couple kids and own my own business. I have not accomplished any of these things, but I have accomplished more than I ever imagined.

I am excited to turn 30 next year! I plan on spending my 30th birthday climbing Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Training for the climb will begin after the Portland Marathon in October. Anyone who cares to join, let me know.

What Does Google Got On Me?

I was curious to see what Google had on me, so I Googled myself. First search: Becky Rochester wine. Of course my blog popped up, Bargetto Winery newsletters, along with the R Little Vineyard website, but then I found I was featured on a brochure for the Mid-American Wine Competition. Check it out! www.midamericanwine.org/Food-WinePairing.pdf

Next up, Yahoo!
Found an article on me in Make Mine Wine: www.impactbybarb.com/MMW_Fall_08.pdf

Bet you're curious now. Go ahead Google yourself.