M.O.R.E.: Congratulations Grads!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Congratulations Grads!

This morning on our run, it occurred to me that we all had children graduate this year. Marathon Mom saw her second son leave middle school, C watched twin daughters graduate from high school, our friend Mary watched her daughter move on from middle school, and I watched my third son graduate from college. A couple of the graduates joined us on our run today, and I have to say, I really like the energy we get from having a bigger group of people. Also having the younger ones with us, keeps our pace pretty respectable even if we don't keep up with them the whole way. We started to run our loop behind the car dealers and the baseball field, but were turned away at the trail entrance on Valencia, because of a Police Olympic bike time trial. We had been out for 2 miles so we just turned around and headed back to Bridgeport Park where we started from. We all agreed that we don't like that loop anyway, and the mess under the freeway overpass just confirmed that feeling. We finished our 4 miles in 9.2 pace, which made all the inconvenience seem like it was not so bad after all. Getting back to the graduations, I have been thinking about how hard it was to leave my son in San Diego, a new college grad with his whole life ahead of him, and no real idea of what he is going to do. When I left him 4 yrs. ago I knew that even though he was away, he was going to school, it was hard to leave him then, and just as hard the other day. Who knows maybe he will come home again, and that is good too. I am not sure what he learned in his classes these past 4 yrs, a lot I hope, but I do know some things he learned while he was away from home. He learned to iron, cook (quiche, cookies), rent an apartment, wait for the cable guy (over and over), take the bus & train, find a job, pick out a tie, find the casino, grocery shop, buy fruit, wash clothes, buy cards and gifts for his family, and many more things that don't come to mind right now. I am amazed at how our babies grow up so fast, and it makes my eyes water when I think about how proud I am, and I know my friends feel the same way about their graduates! I have to say I am very proud of the fact that mine seems to have learned to like running!

3 comments:

marathon mom said...: I got teary eyed just reading your post! You know, those things you mentioned that he learned to do on his own the last four years while he was away was probably just as important, if not more, than what he learned from the classes he took at school. It's ironic that we spend our whole lives trying to teach our children how to be independent and self-sufficient people and when it happens, we're surprised and sad at the same time. You and J have done a great job, especially the love of running part!; June 16, 2009 at 5:19 PM
Patty said...: I was especially touched when he put his things in the car, the night before graduation and I noticed he had brought his iron. The first thing I did when we got to the hotel was iron his clothes and gown for the next day. One of the first things he said after graduation, was "Thanks Mom for ironing my gown, so many people's gowns looked terrible". You my friends will be ironing those gowns before you know it!; June 16, 2009 at 7:14 PM
c said...: I was reading your post (great pic!) and comments this morning with my girls present, and they both said, ok mom stop reading if its going to make you cry !! I know I have the excitement and agony of dropping one off to college in a couple months. Also seeing another locally try and make her way in college and in life. Your right, we spend all their lives preparing for these times and when we get there with them it is hard to handle emotionally !! I guess it's the uncertainty of this new chapter. I only hope that I have equipped them with what they will need too ! Congrats to all the grads and their parents you have done some fine work it shows!; June 17, 2009 at 10:19 AM

Post a Comment

Favorite Trails

South Fork 3.1: Start from dirt parking lot on Magic Mtn Pkway and run to the loop at Wiley Bridge and return the same way.

Tesoro 3.25: Start in Albertson parking lot and take sidewalk/trail until it ends and then enter the water tower road to the top two towers where the ends. Return the same way.

Chesebrough 3.25/4.60: From Chesebrough Park, N. to Copperhill, So. on Bike Trail, turn around at Decoro, back up trail to power lines to bridge at park. Turn around at Heritage will give you 4.6 miles.

Chesebrough 3.5: Chesebrough Park down to McBean, south to Northpark Dr., the paseo trailhead. Take the paseo to Helmers and back. Very hilly.

Bridgeport 4.0: Fairly flat, run toward Lowes and under Bouquet bridge to RiverPark community until you reach the closed gates and return. For a hilly run, go north into Helmers and run up the paseo switchbacks into Northpark where the paseo ends and return the same way.

Chesebrough 4.0: N. to Copperhill to west side of river trail, run S. on Bike Trail past Decoro bridge, across Decoro to the east side of river trail, up back to power lines trail, back to park.

Chesebrough 4.0: From park down power line trail to Heritage Park and back same way.

Bridgeport 4.0: From School, cross McBean via bridge or street and head into industrial center on Ave. Scott Bridge and enter bike trail going south toward the train bridge. Turn around at train bridge and return same way or cross the bridge and head toward Peet's after crossing train bridge and back onto the Lowes Trail.

Heritage 4.0: From park, run up bike trail to Decoro, over McBean Bridge into Helmers, and into Bridgeport through lake trail back to park. Can be done in reverse. Moderately hilly.

Chesebrough 4.25: Chesebrough north to Copperhill, left to Albertson side of bike trail. Run south on trail to Decoro and cross over bridge and head north all the way to Copperhill on east side of river trail and back to the park the same way as started.

Cheese/Decoro/Helmers 4.25: From the park, down dirt trail to bike path, south to Decoro. Leave bike path at Decoro and cross paseo bridge at McBean. Stay on paseo up hill towards Helmers. Run up water tower trail once then continue on to switchbacks and paseos back to park.

Heritage/Bridgeport 3.3: Heritage Park south to McBean Bridge @ Panera. Cross and head toward Lowes bike trail and head east toward Bridgeport Park. Halfway mark is at park bathroom, head back by entering trail along the lake and back onto the bridge.

Lowes 4.25: Lowe's parking lot to McBean, cross the bridge and to South Fork. At Valencia Bridge, enter trail behind Hart Baseball diamonds. Continue on trail to Bouquet and across the bridge on the east side and back under the bridge again towards Lowes.

Peet's & Decoro 5.2: Peet's Coffee to train bridge path; to Decoro and across bridge; back down McBean side of bike trail back to Peete's.

Peet's & Wiley 6.0: Start at Peet's Coffee and head east toward South Fork trail and past the Wiley Bridge. Keep running another 200 yards to where the trail forks left and right. Turn back same way.

Peet's & Copperhill 6.0: From Peet's to bike trail heading north to Copperhill and back.

Albertson 7.0: From the Albertson parking lot on Copperhill, enter the westside bike trail and head south until the train bridge. Return the same way.

Peet's 8.5: Run to Copperhill on east side of river trail and return via train bridge on other side.

Lowes 10: Start in the Lowes parking lot. Enter the bike trail heading west. At McBean, cross the bridge and head east toward SouthFork trail. Continue on trail until you come to the Wiley bridge and head back the same way.

McBean 14: This route can be done from anywhere along the trail route. Starting from McDonald's across the post office, run to the end of the South Fork trail and return the same way, cross the McBean bridge and run on the Lowes trail until you hit Bridgeport Elementary and then cross Newhall Ranch via the bridge or street and run back towards McBean. Continue north on McBean until you hit Copperhill. At Copperhill, cross McBean and enter San Francisquito bike trail and run south on the trail until you are back at McDonalds.