Run To Finish It

Only worked a half day yesterday so I decided to check out the Race Expo for the 26.2 with Donna Marathon (which is tomorrow). Definitely an inspiring, energetic vibe at The Prime Osborn Convention Center and just some plain fun checking out all the sponsors (and free stuff) and the vendors with all the latest and greatest running gear.

The race starts at the Mayo Clinic (I guess that's still considered Jax Beach even though it's over the bridge~lol) and the course goes through the beaches~part of it is actually on the sand. Anyway, just being there at the expo got me really excited about running again. I'm seriously thinking I'm going to try to run at least the 1/2 marathon next year...the marathon would be awesome, but I've done a half before and at least know I'm capable of that.

So what's the plan for this year's race? GET OUT ON THE COURSE AND CHEER THE RUNNERS ON!!! I'm gonna be out on 1st Street in Neptune Beach with some great gals. Find a spot, plunk yourself down and cheer 'em on! And oh yeah, wear PINK. Imagine running 26.2 miles--sheeesh! Believe me, when I've run the Gate River Run, the people out on the course cheering makes it really special and actually is encouraging. And this run is for such a good cause...

Finish Breast Cancer.

P.S. Find their fb page...it's pretty cool.

Coffee. Donuts.

My dog woke up with the sun. I swear, she thinks she's a rooster. My old dog thought he was a cat. Canine identity crises in this house. Is there a storm coming? The sky was all gray and kinda eerie when I took little miss rooster-beagle out to do her thing. Fed her. Slowly, my mind started warming up to being functional. "Mmmmm....coffee." And right in behind that thought was "MMMMM....donuts!"

Now I make a pot of coffee most every morning. It drips into a thermal carafe and stays fresh so, no, I don't drink the whole pot EVERY day. And yes, I will heat up left over coffee in the microwave the next day--c'mon, admit it, a lot of people do. Anyway, there's something special about coffee on the weekends. It tastes better. It's more enjoyable. It's the same exact coffee (well sometimes I add extra espresso on Sundays) but somehow on the weekend it tastes richer...it feels like a luxury.

Having the time to enjoy it is a luxury.

So where do I go at the beach for coffee? To be honest, I'd rather make my own coffee. I've never been a real fan of Starbucks in any town and somehow here at the beach it seems out of place. It's not that I don't like the chain, I just don't think it has anything that special. I do miss Shelby's Coffee Shop--not so much for coffee, but for lunch and a place to stop for just a little more conversation after dinner out. I've gotta go find out what business is there now. I love that little shopping plaza during the summer when they have live music in the courtyard at night. THAT's worth checking out.

There are several new and old coffee shops around the beach that I've never been to and now I have an excuse to go. I'll let you know. There IS a coffee place that I have gone to more than any other out here. It's on 3rd Street between 10th & 11th Avenues S. Do you know where I mean? Yep, it's the drive-through place--Cuppy's. I just realized that even thinking about driving up and ordering a coffee there makes me smile. The staff is always so friendly, they usually have an interesting brew (I don't go for the fancy carmel-machiatto-half-fat-latte-double-shot-flip-flop-aulait-no-foams, although Cuppy's does have those) and it's under two bucks! And they put the CUTEST stickers over the drinking hole in the lid! I kept the baseball one on the dash in my car for the longest time. It made me smile.

Well, I never got to the "Donuts" part of this post. I'll save that for tomorrow. Let me just say...Cinotti's.

Cover to Cover

I love our library! Here's the thing. I used to go there ALL the time when my kids were little (way pre-internet days for researching). But even then, I never used to go for me.

I was watching an episode (no, I think it was the movie--the first one, didn't see the second--nor did I want to) of "Sex in the City." There's a scene when Carrie's in bed with Big reading. He says something like "Are you the last person in New York still taking out library books?" She answers, "I love the smell..." The book cover crinkles. That scene had been floating around in the back of my mind for quite awhile. I kept picturing her smelling the book & the sound that the pages made when she turned them--quite romantic.

So the next time I heard about a book I wanted to read, instead of buying it, I actually went to the library to see if they had it. They didn't. I had to reserve it. There were a gazillion people on the waiting list, BUT it turns out that there were a ton of copies and my wait wasn't that long. Either got a text message or email when it was available and they held it for me. And it was the HARD COPY! The kind with the cool, cellophane-wrapped cover on it! Just like Carrie's in the movie!

So I got lost in the book, read a lot of it on vacation. It actually felt kinda cool carrying around a library book. Guess what? I'm on the waiting list for another one. Hope it has the cool cover and smells like the imaginations of everyone who read it before me!

And, oh yeah...you can check out five DVDs at a time for FREE! (Just don't return them late; It's $1 a day late fine if you do.) And my other obsession has been books on CD for my drive to work (unfortunately, not at the Beach). And music CDs too!

More about my love affair with the Beaches Branch Library to come.