USVI-On-Line

Hi All - Well, Juice (the hubby) is running in Monday's Boston Marathon and due to health problems for his family who was supposed to join him, I will now be heading out with him (and towing the kids along). Anyone else running or going to be in the area??

Tracy

Good luck to him!

My stepfather's grandaughter runs in it, but I won't be there. Sorry! Maybe they are having better weather than we are!

My niece is running again this year. She has a really good chance of doing extremely well.

I'll pm you with some details, Tracy. I'll be following online on Monday, give me Juice's number so I can track him, too.

Marcia (Mrs. Pete)

Oh, man. This is the first holiday when I start missing New England. (Not that I expect anyone to feel sorry for me.)

When we bought our house in Ashland, my brother (who is a long-distance runner, track coach and bi-tri-whateverathalon-athlete) said "Ashland! No one's even tired yet in Ashland!" Nonetheless, that is where we usually watch the Boston Marathon and since it's only four miles into the race all the race participants are very chipper.

Please tell Juice that when he goes by the Ashland Dairy Queen he is 1/8th of a mile from our house and closer than I've been since 2004. Also, he should look for Maryanne. A St. John tee shirt would probably get noticed there by a few of our friends and neighbors. Or could Juice please waive a sign that says "Hi, Ashland from Ruth and Ron"? That would be nice. (I'm only kidding here, that would be alot of work.)

Some of the people we knew in town got this idea that we moved to St. John to live on "A Yacht". Those of you who know about our boat history will find this as humourous as we do. When we visit they ask us about our yacht and we practically fall over laughing.

Since we're SOOOO far off topic anyway, I will mention that the same brother who is a runner and his wife who is also a runner, track coach and super-athlete just returned to Chicago TODAY from Vietnam with two six-month-old newly adopted babies. It was the trip of a lifetime and a long trip home, but worth it.

So now I have to figure out how Aunt Ruth is going to make it to Chicago to meet the new babies. I have been watching the scheduling of the Wisconsin gathering for a while and you just never know.....

PatR and her husband are here and were coming up the stairs to the store RIGHT after I got the word that Ed and Peggy and the kids were HOME and I was kind of standing on the balcony blubbering and wiping tears. In my watery state I thought they looked familiar from a prior meeting and I saw them looking at me kind of funny. We spoke afterwards, so they know I was OK, but seeing me crying outside the store probably wasn't what they were expecting.

Tracy, will you and the kids be at the finish line or somewhere else? If this is your first time, be prepared because in my opinion There's Nothing Like The Boston Marathan! Have a great time and if I remember correctly, we'll see you all soon.
-Ruth

aw ruth how great for your family! I hope you get to see them soon. tears of joy and I'm sure a little sadness that you aren't with them. hang in there, before you know it with will be visiting Aunt Ruth on Spring Break

mary beth wrote: Before you know it they will be visiting Aunt Ruth on Spring Break

You're not kidding! One of Ed's other kids is all grown up now and graduated from college and just got engaged. I suddenly remembered that I started a baby quilt for her when she was an infant that I didn't quite finish yet. Man, time goes by.
-Ruth

Watch 9310 and cheer her on. My niece.

Marcia (Mrs. Pete)

Huge runner here... still not fast enough to qualify for Boston (maybe when I'm 60 ) but I'll be watching the online coverage on Monday. I have several friends running- hopefully it's a nice day for them! Good luck to your runners!

Ruth- Having become an aunt within the last year, I can understand you wanting to be with them. It's one of the best "life roles" ever! How wonderful for your family.

Thanks all -

Juice is excited to get there - but not excited by the forecast (neither am I!) This is his third Boston appearance and this will be my third year watching. I hadn't planned to go, in fact we bought his parents this trip as a Christmas present. Now his Dad is unexpectedly in the hospital.

As far as those babies Ruth - I know how they feel, my two boys are adopted and both came home with us within two weeks of each other! You will meet them in June!

And, now that you've mentioned it, we do expect you to be here for the Wisconsin gathering in July!!

Look fo #3298 online! Hopefully he'll run real fast!

Tracy

GOOD LUCK TO JUICE!! And stay warm out there -- although you're used to the weather (did ya'al get snow yesterday??). I had no idea your hubby was a marathon runner! Maybe we don't want to share a charter with you after all -- my hubby will be jealous of his "six pack" while he's drinking his six pack !

I just read the forecast for Boston on Monday. Bring out the rain gear. And the wind gear, for that matter. Good luck to your hub- a third appearance, that's pretty great!

I live here in Boston and the latest talk is that there is a good chance the marathon may be cancelled for the first time in history due to bad weather. They are predicting very serious wind and rain/snow conditions coming in Sunday night. They also changed the start time this year by two hours so the morning will still be pretty cold! I am sure they will wait until Sunday to decide! Hope they don't cancel for everyone whose been training so hard. Weather will be very cold so dress warm and good luck!

Hi Tracy
Just tell Juice to think of those dogs on STJ when he starts slowing down. Ruth I hope you can make it up here

Tracy, good luck to Juice! The weather really does not look like it is going to cooperate though.

John and I used to live in an apartment that was right near the final mile marker--we'd pop out from time to time to watch the runners going by--it was never too crowded in that spot. We're not going to be in town Monday (visiting with the in-laws in the hinterlands--aka western MA), but I hope you find a good, dry, warm spot to watch from!

When you pass by the BC campus at about mile 20, my daughter's dorm is on the left!