Ides of March

The last of winter

The Ides of March are here.  That means we are halfway through the month of March and everything feels like it is changing fast.  The weather is warming up - A couple of weeks ago, it was bitterly cold and now we are wearing shorts.  Spring break is over and Nana is about to head home and leave us to survive on our own!  Somehow, it seems like the end is near….with only a month left.  I would describe it as “mile 17” of a marathon.  Of the 26 miles in a marathon, mile 17 is where it starts to get real…and fast.  The euphoria of starting a race with hundreds and sometimes thousands of other runners has worn off.  For me, this is when I begin to pull on any reserves I can find.  I start squeezing gels in to get quick energy and I think about the easiest 9 miles I have run so that I can correlate that to the remaining miles I have left.  Nature starts to apply pressure in the form of leg cramps, side aches, and possibly suicidal thoughts.  The optimistic and energetic outlook as a result of the carbo loading is gone.  Negative and sometimes masochistic thoughts run through my head.  “Why do I do this?  Can I really continue putting one foot in front of the other for another loooooonng 9 miles?  Who cares that we are over half-way done with the stinkin race….9 miles is a long way!   Well, we are mile 17 of a marathon with tax season.  Cramps are starting to set in.  We are close, but those last 9 miles are brutal. 

Stimson was throwing up so Merritt had to take over

Did I mention Nana has been here?  It has been nice to have meals prepared for us nearly every night, someone to wash dishes, clean the house, do laundry, help watch the kids.  She even took the kids to Kalispell on her own while kids took turns vomiting.  Katy and I were left alone in a quiet house for a few days.  Party right?  Stay up late, go out to eat, sleep in, watch movies?  Heck, no!  That’s not how tax season works…..still get up early, still work a bunch, still look for the quickest meal we can find, etc. 

Speaking of running, Katy and I ran the annual Run to the Pub race this past weekend.  We didn’t win the race and we didn’t win the free trip to Dublin, Ireland….but we did get outside and enjoyed the nice weather in between taxes.  Stimson also built a leprechaun trap.  We will see if we catch anything tonight on ‘St. Patrick’s Eve’.  Apparently it all happens at midnight tonight.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 

Race Day

Hoping to catch a leprechaun