Back Into The Swing Of Things

Hey guys!  Sorry for going MIA this week, but it seriously has taken me all week to get back into some sort of normal mode post-vacay.  While it is great to be home, it just takes awhile to get back into a normal groove!

We hit the ground running pretty much and haven’t stopped yet.  On Sunday, we went to church and then had plans to go to Jack’s mom and dad’s for dinner on Sunday evening.  Turns out that this was a post-race/congratulations surprise party they had arranged and there was quite the crowd of family there!  I WAS SO SURPRISED!!  And check out this CAKE!  It is SO AWESOME!  And check out the little pink and white running shoes on the top, so cute…and Katie said they were delicious;-)       

  

This week started Zachary’s basketball season and his first game was Tuesday night.  They lost pretty bad, but they are a good little team and I think they will do better as their nerves calm down.  I’ll be a good mom and take pics next time;-)

Tyler’s baseball practice has started and his first game is next week.  In fact, his first game is next Thursday night at home, also the same night Zachary has a basketball game in another town.  Hmmmmm…and my parents say it’s only going to get worse.  Sheesh! 

Jack is work this week on 4 new houses all in the same location.  Which is fabulous when you’re talking about moving equipment and such, but it’s isn’t very convenient that there is no cell phone signal there and it’s in the middle of nowhere.  So much so that anything you even THINK you may need during the course of the day had better be brought with you that morning, because it takes so long to drive out.  He’s been leaving here by 6am with breakfast, lunch, and mucho coffee in hand.  But I am so thankful that God continues to provide us with work, no matter where it is.   He looked so cute when he came home from work yesterday because they had been pouring concrete all day and he looked like he had been playing in the dirt.  His face had dirt smudges all over it, and he looked just like he and the kids just came in from a good day!  Because you know that when you’re a kid, a good day could always be defined by how dirty you were!  He had a GOOD day yesterday;-)

I made a grocery run yesterday and re-stocked our cabinets and refrigerator since being gone last week.  The kids were complaining how there was nothing in the world to eat and they were going to starve, so I bit the bullet and headed to Wal-Mart.  Ugh, I hate Wal-Mart.  I swear, it just sucks the life right out of me.  Along with a couple hundred dollars every time I walk through the door.  Ick.

BUT I made up for the day by having a fun evening (at least for me)!  I got all registered for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in St. Louis in June!!!  Wheeeeeee!!!  So excited!  Our whole family and much of Jack’s family is going for what is sure to be a fabulous weekend.  I got all my donation emails sent out last night, and was so surprised and elated to already have responses back last night!  [Thanks, M!]  This year I am embracing my title of SURVIVOR wholeheartedly and with a whole new vision.  I.AM.PROUD. 

Speaking of survivor, check out the new “Survivor” shirts for Race for the Cure this year:

Cute, huh?!  Can’t wait to wear it!

So I am now in fundraising mode for Komen!  If anyone is interested in donating to a wonderful cause, you can visit my personal race page!  Only 85 days left til race day!

On the medical front, I started back on my blood pressure medicine this week.  The cardiologist said I could quit taking it, but I felt so much better when I was on it that I am went back on it.  I was getting sleepy in the afternoons and my runs were sluggish, and there were times when I felt my eyes might pop out of my head…uh yeah not good.  Since Monday (when I re-started it) I have felt much better already.  Another new development is a couple of bruises on my legs.  After showing them to Michelle, she has determined that it is from the aspirin I started taking about 3 weeks ago because of new research that shows that taking a low-dose aspirin a day can lessen chances of breast cancer recurrence.  After asking my dr about it, he said the aspirin was fine to take.  So the bruises are probably from me bumping my leg or something minor, but being on the aspirin will make me more easy to bruise.  Hmmm, ok.  I’ll take easier bruising for a less chance of recurrence or death, yep. 

OK, so I think I am caught up on the week.  You know, if I would write a little each day I wouldn’t end up with monster posts like this one!  Have a great day, everyone!  Be glad it’s Friday!  Love ya!

xoxo

Where Dreams Comes True

Don’t you know I’m talking about Walt Disney World?!  Of course you do.  It’s the theme park of all theme parks.  It’s where every kid dreams of going one day to have countless thrills and chills, choice encounters with their favorite characters, and more giggling and smiling that makes the whole trip so worth it.

Disney World did not disappoint our 3 children at all.  The boys had been once already; I was pregnant with Katie so it was June of 2003.  But for Katie, it was her first time (since she was in the womb, anyway!) and it was so special.

The kids were so excited on our way to Florida:

Um yeah, I promise the excitement will come;-)  And may I just also pray special blessings for the person who invented the DVD player in cars?  I love that person…truly.

I could show about a million pictures here right now, in fact I’m having a hard time choosing which ones to use!  But I will try to limit myself here…I said try;-)      

          

~YOU ARE ABOUT THE ENTER THE PRINCESS SECTION~

It was the most magical part of Katie’s trip.  My mom and I found a line to in Mickey’s Toontown to “Meet the Princesses” and we immediately hopped in despite the 60 minute wait.  Katie moaned and groaned about the wait…after all she was t i r e d of waiting…  But I knew that she would devastated if we went home without her seeing one single princess and here we had the opportunity to see 3!  So I did what any good mother would do and made my daughter stand in line “because we drove 15 hours to come here, you are GOING to see a princess!”

As soon as we were at the front of the line to move into the princess room, she was ecstatic!  There was no containing her excitement.  She got her autograph book all ready, and was poised to go meet her idols.  First up was Cinderella:

Next was Belle.  I love this picture of Katie, looking like she is just gushing over whatever it is Belle is saying;-)

     

Then came Katie’s favorite, Sleeping Beauty.  Sleeping Beauty is very special to us because every time I would have to leave early in the morning for STL for treatment, Katie was ok with me not waking her up as long as I promised to kiss her and whisper that she looked just like Sleeping Beauty.  And she would ask me as soon as I got home from chemo if I had told her that morning.  So Sleeping Beauty is a special girl;-)  I told her this story and she was so wonderful with Katie.  She took so much time with her and they told stories and hugged.  And before we left, she gave Katie the sweetest kiss on her cheek, and Katie wore the lipstick mark around so proudly all afternoon.  It was worth the entire trip for this moment.

At Animal Kingdom, we went on Safari:

  

  

Oh, and if you’re wondering why there is an overabundance of Katie-pictures, it’s because the boys were moving too fast for the cameras to keep up!  They hit every fast moving roller coaster, water ride, and thrill ride they could find…most of the time with Jack and my dad, while my mom and I took Katie to the slower-paced rides where she would pose and pose and pose for pictures.  So naturally there are more pics of her.  I guess the men just don’t think about taking pictures when they are being dropped down the Tower of Terror or backwards on Expedition Everest;-)  Go figure...

And like I said, there are so many other things I could show you, but I will spare you the “Look at our family vacation pictures!” spiel.  But it was a truly amazing time.  Our family has not had a moment to relax and enjoy ourselves for the last year and a half since the moment we heard the words “breast cancer” so we soaked up every single moment of family togetherness and relaxation.  It was a blessed week for sure.  I am so thankful beyond words.

God Bless, friends

xoxo

Disney Princess Half Marathon RECAP!!

OMGoodness!  Hey guys!!!  I know it’s been, um, awhile but if it makes you feel any better I totally intended to blog while I was on vacation.  BUT, as luck would have it, the wifi we were supposed to have at the house we stayed at was not working or something and so my laptop didn’t even leave it’s bag after the first frustrating evening.  But honestly, I don’t know if I would have had the time or the energy to blog anyway;-)

I have SOOOOOO MUCH to talk about that it’s hard to know which to talk about first!  In order to avoid a mile-long post, I am going to break my trip and pictures into different posts.  Saves all our sanity that way *wink wink* 

You’re welcome.

RACE MORNING----> TOTALLY EXCITED!!!!!!  And totally FREEZING!!!  I had no idea how cold it had been in Florida, obviously, because I tossed my UnderArmour out of the suitcase as I was packing it.  I mean, who needs ColdGear in Florida?!  But after heading to the Nike outlet to buy a hooded sweatshirt, I was fine.

The kids were up and ready to go!  Well, kinda…  Zachary, bless his heart, was up for his Mama, tired eyes and all.     Katie is NOT, let me repeat NOT, a morning person at all, as you can see by this photo.  And Tyler managed to avoid the camera’s eye altogether.

Breakfast of champions [running champions, that is]: a banana and peanut butter sandwich.

We got to the Epcot parking lot around 345am.  In order to beat the traffic and all the road closures, the race officials recommended that everybody who was driving in for the race be on Disney property no later than 4-430am.  It was so cold out so we parked our car and I waited until 445am before I had Jack walk me to the tent leading to the start area. 

After a wait for a portapotty, with 14,000 other princesses (yes, it was as crazy as you can imagine!), I headed to the start line which was a good 20 minute walk from the parking lot.  It was so cold out that people were huddling around the giant floodlights that were lining the walking path because they were blowing out warm air along the sides. 

I got to the corrals, where I went directly to my corral, E.  It was also the LAST corral which abled me to take THIS awesome pic:

FINALLY at 600am, the fireworks went off signaling the first corral to start…corrals were then started every 7 minutes so I started at 628am.  It felt SO GOOD to get moving.  But it was difficult to move for quite a while.  Imagine running with 14,000 other runners and walkers, everybody with a different pace and fitness level…I felt myself getting frustrated at first because I couldn’t move.  But after a little bit things started to open up and I figured out that I could run in the grass and off to the sides in order to avoid some of the people.

Here are my mile splits:

MILE 1: 10:54

MILE 2: 9:49

MILE 3: 9:00

MILE 4: 8:36

MILE 5: 9:18

MILE 6: 8:38

MILE 7: 9:14

MILE 8: 9:18

MILE 9: 8:54

MILE 10: 9:00

MILE 11: 8:56

MILE 12: 9:59

MILE 13: 9:51

MILE .34: 2:54

TOTAL MILES: 13.34

GARMIN TIME: 2:04:29

CHIP TIME: 2:07:41 <----I had to stop and pee at mile 7.5 so I paused my watch;-)

I finished 1,659th of the total, and 321st in my division (women 30-34).  I could not be happier with my results!  It was the most fun race to run and I was stoked the whole time.  Running through Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and countless outer roads around Disney there is never a shortage of things to look at and think about.  I remember in the second half of the race being a little sad that it was almost over because I loved it so much.  It was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.

I am so thankful for my wonderful hubby, kids, and parents for getting up before the butt-crack of dawn to come and support me.  They were such troopers and it meant the world to me that they were there.  It was also such motivation to know that they would be waiting at the finish line for me. 

I am thankful that God has given me the strength, desire, and ability to run.  I pray before each run that He will guide and direct my path, keep me safe, and be my pace and my breath.  He has never failed me;-)      

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 

xoxo

Florida Bound!

Well after the day started off kinda rough. When I walked into Zachary's room this morning to get clothes gathered for his suitcase, I wasn't quite prepared for the sight I encountered.


You see, I went to help him because he said he didn't have enough clothes. Weeellllll...Let's just say I found out why and leave it at that. No, let's leave it at this: I pray that the Lord would place a hedge of protection around each one of our children each morning, and praise God He had Zachary at basketball practice when I discovered his reason for not having enough clothes! Because if he had been home when I discovered this mess, I would've jerked a knot in his tail so fast it would have made his head spin. OMGosh, words cannot express. And I have no idea why he had clean folded clothes in an empty shoebox that was underneath his bed, or a half eaten Snickers bar on his bed (not a fresh one, mind you), and enough clothes on his bathroom floor to provide for his entire 6th grade class. No wonder he didn't have enough clothes...they were all dirty and in his floor!

Out of his room came: 3 loads of laundry, 2 bags of trash, 3 trash bags full of clothes that don't fit, several food items in varying stages of decay, and a partrige in a pear tree (probably). I consider myself lucky that he doesn't have any sort of major infestation of mice or roaches...at least none that I could see!

Note to my baby boy's future wife: You.were.warned. I have pictures to prove it;-)

So now we are on our way. We left at 330 after school, heading south. Everybody is so excited. We have only been further than STL once in the last year and a half (to Tunica) so we are ready!!

We are praying for God's safety and protection as well travel and His blessings on our trip. We are believing God for fun-filled trip of family togetherness!

Here we go! Love y'all!



xoxo
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Last Long Run

Hello Sunday!

We boogied home from the cabin this morning to get home and change clothes and get to church. I had considered not coming back for church this morning, it would have made the morning not so rush-rush-rush, but after missing last week I was craving me some worship. There's nothing quite like standing to sing a praise and worship chorus with your church family. Sometimes I like to stop singing and just listen to the voices as a whole, all lifting up the Lord in praise and glory. It gives me goosebumps:-) I'm so glad we were there this morning.

After church, my mom and dad took Katie out to eat and then to their house to play while I headed out for my LAST LONG RUN BEFORE DISNEY!!! I had a great run of 10.5 miles! Here's my stats:

Mile 1: 8:48

Mile 2: 8:45

Mile 3: 8:57

Mile 4: 9:10

Mile 5: 9:14

Mile 6: 9:28

Mile 7: 10:15

Mile 8: 10:13

Mile 9: 10:38

Mile 10: 9:37

Mile .5: 6:37

TOTAL MILES: 10.5

TOTAL TIME: 1:42:09

AVERAGE PACE: 9:43 min/mile

I am stoked! It is another beautiful day and there were TONS of people out and about enjoying the weather. I like it when it's busy out...I'm kinda a scardy cat when I'm alone :-S I DID, however, encounter about 10 little chiuauas who seemed to interested in nothing but going for my ankles but luckily my 6'0 self was able to outrun their 6" legs...sheesh.

Now I'm off to do some more laundry and start to wrap my mind around all the stuff that needs to be done before we leave this week...OMGosh. I probably should have started a couple of weeks ago;-) Enjoy the rest of your day!

xoxo