Home and Friends

We're still no closer to owning our house than we were a week ago. But somehow we were able to convince the sellers that they should rent the house to us until we officially take possession. After all, what kind of Grinch would put a nice young couple in a hotel for Christmas?? (Our realtor is a magician). We'll pay a small rent fee, which will hopefully be just a week. Our stuff will be delivered on Thursday. So while we might have our blender and camping gear, we will probably not have internet or phone. Maybe we'll go camping over the Christmas holiday.

So today, I got up early with Matt to do another of our 5am Runs. This was just our three mile loop, just so we don't have to get up tooooo early. We examined the weather radar. Rain everywhere. When we went outside, it was surprisingly dry. I bargained with Mother Nature, "Just give us half an hour without rain and then you can rain the rest of the day. " We ran through the darkness, just the rare streetlight and Matt's dim headlamp lighting our way. This route has become so familiar that I could run it in complete darkness without falling, so I pushed the pace a little bit. Finishing in just over 25 minutes, we had five to spare. Apparently, her watch is a bit fast. Just as we were turning into the driveway, the rain started, and got heavier. Perfect timing.

It's amazing how much energy a run at 5am, while you're still half asleep, can be. There's the inevitable mid-morning crash, but for a few hours, it makes me feel like I can fly.

Getting the house, all the way on the other side of town, means adjusting and finding new running routes. It almost feels like I'm leaving friends behind. I spent most days out with them while Matt was at work. We run together and enjoy the company. I don't make quick friends, because let's face it, it's HARD. I can't just give a mere stranger the power to betray and disappoint me in a flash. I build friendships, slowly, one tiny trust block at a time. That leaves me with fewer friends, but ones that I can count on SANS EXCEPTION. Running routes are like that for me. I know they will never cancel plans at the last minute when I've been looking forward to them all week. They will never tell me that I'm too quiet or disagree with my views. They are always up for an impromptu get-together, no matter the time or weather. The new house is not in town, so there's no city grid to map out half and full mile increments, but it'll be more rural, scenic routes through farmland, for which I'm very excited to try. :) I'll take inspiring pictures on my runs, instead of running through the city, one concrete sidewalk after the next and only mailboxes to keep me company. It'll be the cows instead.

*sigh* time to pack up all my stuff. I'm glad the house is just five miles away, so I can make multiple trips and not try to wedge all of our stuff back into the car like we did for the drive here from Alaska.