THE DISH!!!! My solace....

I present to you...

"the dish"

My solace.

So this is the run that I've done for the past 4.5 years. I don't stray too much from this route because, well....It's beautiful...it "speaks" to me...It has hills, my body needs lots of hills, lots of SWEAT...it's long and I like LONG (time to think)....one of my closest friends was made by running this time after time together....

This has been a really emotional experience for me. I'm not sure why I feel so torn from here, but I do. My heart is full.

So here it is....the dish.

Enjoy, and don't judge too harshly my picture taking skills. This is not for "eye-candy" purposes...this is for the sake of learning a little more about me...what I love, and what I hold very close to my heart.

THE FIRST HILL

(it's only just begun :O)!

(ps..this is the first 1/2 of the first hill...it continues for quite a while :O)

isn't it beautiful?

(this is looking behind me...not ahead :O)

"my" tree.

I could not get a good picture of this little tree...but I always spot

him and we share a little moment. No matter the time of day I would see this tree, the scenery surrounding him was always breathtaking. Gosh I love the outdoors.

ps...don't mind the spots on my camera/lens...not sure why they are in some pics and not in others...unfortunately, this one has lots of SPOTS :O)

"looking back"

the bell tower, one of oliver's all time favorite structures on campus (this and the 2 cranes that never go anywhere)

another looking back...

and nearing the end of that VERY long hill!

Off to the left....

beautiful foothills.

(are you getting why this place is my solace? :O)

me and sister!

I took her on this picture taking journey, and she was a CHAMP!

I would have gone by myself...but I needed a "camera holder" :O)

This run usually takes a little less than an hour...on this day it took us an hour and 45-50 minutes :O)

thanks eliza for humoring me....

I love you :O)

see the sweat beads.... :O)

ah, the joy!

Again to my left!

Straight in front of me and to the right a little bit :O)

Isn't that fog COOOL!

"the big dish"

off in the distance

pretty cool eh?

three little trees lined up in a row...

not sure how I feel about this shot...

the end of the first hill....

flattening out for just a bit :O)

the little dish

the cows!

We LOVE the cows :O)

close up of

"little dish"

the valley below :O)

overlooking the tail end of the bay...

a glorious tree...

don't you think? :O)

another pretty valley...

gosh I love this place

(ps..this is my friends "favorite" hill...I will forever think of her when I run that hill.....haha...I love it so much, puts a smile on my face :O)

love you brooke

back to the hills...

I like this picture...

kind of cool :O)

going down folks!!!!

Indeed, this is a very steep and long down hill part...not my fav. because it hurts my knees a bit :O)

oliver calls those white things below snowmen or astronauts....

he's so funny!

Oliver's cranes!

Nearing the end of our run (depending which way I go...) the cranes are there...

he loves them so much and always wants to stop and watch them pick something up!

roller coaster hills ahead!!!

This shot was taken at the top of another very long gruesome hill....(it's behind me :O)

bell tower, with a bridge in the back :O)

don't mind this one.. it is out of order

(it comes later :O)

Another one of oliver's favorites...

"the heron"

we watched one swallow a whole rat once...YIKES!

a cool ditch!

off the dish and on a very cozy little pathway to my home....

I love this path.

Not a great picture, BUT, that is a duck in flight near the top and to the right :O)

there are usually ducks here and the kids LOVE seeing them!

over the bridge and through the woods.... :O)

out of the woods and this is the
last straight shot!

MAKE A RUN FOR IT....

memories....

bell tower in view.....

gorgeous blossoms...

spring is in the air

cute little sister at the end of our journey!

(and her "boo-poo"...you rarely find her without him :O)

Our home!

The tall building in back is where Aar and I first lived when we moved to Stanford. See the single straight line of windows going vertical? Those are bathroom windows. If you go to the one on THE VERY TOP (the 12th floor)...that was Aaron and I's :O)

We always point to that window and tell oliver that he lived there when he was in my tummy....he asks about it often when he sees the building :O)

That is also where we did our laundry our ENTIRE time at Stanford.

6 loads a week...all on the same day...GRUESOME!

and yes...

our U-haul....

our apartment is behind the truck tot he left just a bit :O)

The Memories and Happy times will forever live in my heart.

Oliver and Eliza were both born at the Hospital on Stanford Campus...this was the home we brought them to.

This is where all of their memories up to this point are...where all of our memories as a FAMILY began.

In that respect it makes me so sad to leave.

One night before we left I sobbed (really)....I didn't want anybody to move in after we left... and "take" our memories away.

I loved our times there. We loved our friends (don't worry we still do :O).

ok...

I'm going to sign out for now.

Tomorrow I will post pics from our new apt.

goodnight!

SLY