Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Father's Day
I'm a... marathoner?????
YES, that's right! I ran a MARATHON! 26.2 miles and I cannot wait to do it again! The feelings as I crossed the finish line to the cheers of my family were ones I cannot even put into words. Pure joy, disbelief, accomplishment, exhaustion, sadness, but most of all an intense feeling of proud. I had actually done it!
The day started really early, I needed to get to the runners bus at 5:30. It was cold, windy, raining, and overall very dreary but the runners bus was very lively and fun! Everyone was comparing stories, clapping for the 1st timers, and getting everyone pumped up. I found the other runners, not just on the bus but during the entire race, to be incredibly motivating and inspirational. There was a gentleman that was running his 100th marathon, a woman running that has lost 100 pounds and counting, a few with disabilites... I could go on. We got to the start and the rain had eased up, leaving us with only a few sprinkles but it was freezing and we couldn't wait to get started. I found my place and chatted with a few other runners while "Eye of the Tiger" was blaring over the loudspeaker. I was SO nervous and teared up a few times because I was so scared and second guessing myself. The train whistle blew and we were off! I had one of "those" runs- my shoelaces were bothering me, my clothes were bothering me, my Ipod earbuds were bothering me, etc. I'm sure it was just my jitters but it stuck with me through the whole run. The elastic went out on my pants so I had to safety pin both sides. Looking back on it, I can laugh but it was a nuisance at the time. Miles 1-6 went fine, I was enjoying the other runners and the unbelievably beautiful course. We ran from Two Harbors to Duluth and the views were amazing. My cousin John and his girlfriend Erica were volunteering at the Mile 7 water stop so I stopped for a chat and a hug before moving on. Dan and my cousin Jessica met me at Mile 9 so I yet again stopped to chat and get a hug before moving on. I had my IT Band strap on my right leg but my left one was acting up really bad. I would run for a while until I couldn't take the pain anymore, then walk it off. I ended up doing this for most of the race so I was not happy with my time, but oh well. I ended up stopping at one of the First Aid tents to see if they had anything I could wrap it in but all they had was an ace bandage. I didn't want to be that restricted, and I knew there were a ton more First Aid tents if I needed it, so I declined and moved on. A few of my mantra's on my tough miles- "Run, Walk, Crawl, JUST KEEP MOVING", "Pain is weakness leaving your body" (courtesy of my Marine Corps Father in law), and "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". I had a rough, rough, rough mile 16. I was hurting, I was tired, I was ready to be DONE. Then I saw her- a spectator in a wheelchair holding a sign that said "There will be a day your body cant do this. TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY". Well, it doesn't get any more motivating than that! I wish I could go back and give her a hug because that was exactly what I needed to hear. I kicked it up a notch and tried to lose myself in music and scenery. Dan and my cousins met me at Mile 19 with some high fives and words of encouragement and I continued on. The spectators coming into town were amazing, full of signs and cheers for people they didn't even know! The college kids were out in full force, and were good for a giggle. There were signs everywhere with words of motivation. My favorite- "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon". I made it to Mile 20 and I gave a loud cheer, we were in the final stretch! Adrenaline, cheering spectators, and that finish line motivated me that final 6.2 miles. I made it to Mile 25 feeling pretty good but that last 1.2 miles were the toughest. I just wanted to be done running! I came around the corner and there was my sister in law Ellen with her mom and my beautiful niece Harper. I of course had to stop and coo at my girl for a minute and then I was off to the finish line. Crossing that finish line was nothing short of amazing. I am incredibly proud of myself. I'm proud of myself for even having the guts to try, I'm proud of myself for making it through some pretty tough training runs, and I'm proud of myself for pushing myself past the pain towards that finish line. Most of all, I'm proud of myself for being able to pick myself up from the floor after my mom's suicide and continue on with my training during the biggest tradgedy of my life. It was so tough to continue on and not give up on my dream. And while I selfishly would like her here to be celebrating with me, I know my mom was looking down on me while banging on that tin pan with a spoon that used to embarrass my brother and I beyond belief, yelling "THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!".
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
The day started really early, I needed to get to the runners bus at 5:30. It was cold, windy, raining, and overall very dreary but the runners bus was very lively and fun! Everyone was comparing stories, clapping for the 1st timers, and getting everyone pumped up. I found the other runners, not just on the bus but during the entire race, to be incredibly motivating and inspirational. There was a gentleman that was running his 100th marathon, a woman running that has lost 100 pounds and counting, a few with disabilites... I could go on. We got to the start and the rain had eased up, leaving us with only a few sprinkles but it was freezing and we couldn't wait to get started. I found my place and chatted with a few other runners while "Eye of the Tiger" was blaring over the loudspeaker. I was SO nervous and teared up a few times because I was so scared and second guessing myself. The train whistle blew and we were off! I had one of "those" runs- my shoelaces were bothering me, my clothes were bothering me, my Ipod earbuds were bothering me, etc. I'm sure it was just my jitters but it stuck with me through the whole run. The elastic went out on my pants so I had to safety pin both sides. Looking back on it, I can laugh but it was a nuisance at the time. Miles 1-6 went fine, I was enjoying the other runners and the unbelievably beautiful course. We ran from Two Harbors to Duluth and the views were amazing. My cousin John and his girlfriend Erica were volunteering at the Mile 7 water stop so I stopped for a chat and a hug before moving on. Dan and my cousin Jessica met me at Mile 9 so I yet again stopped to chat and get a hug before moving on. I had my IT Band strap on my right leg but my left one was acting up really bad. I would run for a while until I couldn't take the pain anymore, then walk it off. I ended up doing this for most of the race so I was not happy with my time, but oh well. I ended up stopping at one of the First Aid tents to see if they had anything I could wrap it in but all they had was an ace bandage. I didn't want to be that restricted, and I knew there were a ton more First Aid tents if I needed it, so I declined and moved on. A few of my mantra's on my tough miles- "Run, Walk, Crawl, JUST KEEP MOVING", "Pain is weakness leaving your body" (courtesy of my Marine Corps Father in law), and "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". I had a rough, rough, rough mile 16. I was hurting, I was tired, I was ready to be DONE. Then I saw her- a spectator in a wheelchair holding a sign that said "There will be a day your body cant do this. TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY". Well, it doesn't get any more motivating than that! I wish I could go back and give her a hug because that was exactly what I needed to hear. I kicked it up a notch and tried to lose myself in music and scenery. Dan and my cousins met me at Mile 19 with some high fives and words of encouragement and I continued on. The spectators coming into town were amazing, full of signs and cheers for people they didn't even know! The college kids were out in full force, and were good for a giggle. There were signs everywhere with words of motivation. My favorite- "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon". I made it to Mile 20 and I gave a loud cheer, we were in the final stretch! Adrenaline, cheering spectators, and that finish line motivated me that final 6.2 miles. I made it to Mile 25 feeling pretty good but that last 1.2 miles were the toughest. I just wanted to be done running! I came around the corner and there was my sister in law Ellen with her mom and my beautiful niece Harper. I of course had to stop and coo at my girl for a minute and then I was off to the finish line. Crossing that finish line was nothing short of amazing. I am incredibly proud of myself. I'm proud of myself for even having the guts to try, I'm proud of myself for making it through some pretty tough training runs, and I'm proud of myself for pushing myself past the pain towards that finish line. Most of all, I'm proud of myself for being able to pick myself up from the floor after my mom's suicide and continue on with my training during the biggest tradgedy of my life. It was so tough to continue on and not give up on my dream. And while I selfishly would like her here to be celebrating with me, I know my mom was looking down on me while banging on that tin pan with a spoon that used to embarrass my brother and I beyond belief, yelling "THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!".
Jessica and I at Mile 9. She made really cute shirts for me.
Hurting at Mile 19
Off again after some words of encouragement
Finish Line!
Jessica crying while Johno gives me a congratulatory hug
Grandma's Marathon FINISHER!
Post race food and a beer!
My bib and the picture of the boys that comes with me on every race
My cheering squad, celebrating with me that night
Eli and his bear trying on my medal
Zoo days
We are spoiled... we live so close to the zoo we can drop in whenever we have time. We have a membership and use it a lot. Here are some pics of the boys and I staying busy on a cloudy and rainy day.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Dr. Seuss is on the loose!
To say that Eli loves animals is an understatement. Look at his face light up at the turtle!
Can you see my monkeys in the log underneath the zoo monkey?
Watching the sharks and fish in the aquarium
Eli loves to mess with my pictures lately.
Summer days
I had a few days off from work and the boys and I took full advantage. Here are a few pics of our adventure at the splash park!
Ben got rollerblades for his birthday and LOVES them!
"Look mommy, my tummy is riding a bike"
The neat instrument at the splash park
"Eli, it's Bens turn." We see this face a lot :)
Running fast and jumping lightly... like a deer!
We had venison steak last week and I just had to share the marinade we used with you! I usually despise venison, it tastes too 'gamey' for me and I just am not a fan of the flavor. We were given some venison steaks from my Uncle (thank you Uncle Mike!) and I searched online for a marinade for them. I found one and our family LOVED it! All 4 of us chowed down, exclaiming over and over how good they were. When we told the boys that we were eating deer, they starting running through the house and jumping "like a deer". We used the marinade the next night and the boys chowed down yet again. We have a hard time getting Eli to eat chicken but he had 2 drumsticks with the marinade on it. Definitely a keeper!
Mix together-
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used more, we love garlic around here. I just took a few spoonfulls of chopped garlic out of the jar we always have handy)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
We marinated the venison for 24 hours, the chicken for only about 1 1/2 hours and they both turned out delicious.
Mix together-
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used more, we love garlic around here. I just took a few spoonfulls of chopped garlic out of the jar we always have handy)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
We marinated the venison for 24 hours, the chicken for only about 1 1/2 hours and they both turned out delicious.
Hermey
Eli got a hermit crab for his birthday and he named him "Hermey". This crab is a recluse, every day I pick him up and poke at him just to make sure he is still alive. Lately though, he's come out of his shell.... hehe. He is all over the place, crawling up and down and tearing up his cage. We finally got a picture of him... it only took 7 months... so we thought we would share it with you! He is so much fun to watch! If any of you are looking for a pet, I highly recommend a hermit crab! He is so low maintenance and extremely cheap to feed.
![]()
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
All in a day's work...
I am blessed. I am grateful. I am incredibly, incredibly lucky. I have a job that I adore that allows me to spend time with some pretty amazing kids and still be a mom. Today I got to enjoy pancakes with my kids, a bike ride to the park, time on the playground, a nature walk, painting pictures, sidewalk chalk, playing baseball, and a dance in the rain. Not to mention a quiet dinner at home with my 3 guys and an evening with nothing on the calendar. This is such a rare treat for us, we were all in our jammy pants by 5:30 and had nothing on tap but family time. We enjoyed blue skies and sunshine all day, then rain for our comfy evening at home. Perfection!
Mamalogue
I accomplish more by 9 a.m. than I used to get done in an entire day before kids. I now understand how pivotal coffee is to our world. A mom without caffeine... can you imagine?! I shudder to think of my mental state without caffeine...
Point being- I am beyond busy. Life is busy. How do I keep our loved ones in the loop of our family happenings? I am finding more and more that I don't have time for Facebook and let's face it, not everyone is on there. I hardly have time to talk on the phone, let alone write a letter. While pondering this dilemma, it came to me- a family blog. Here you will find our family pictures, events, favorites, and general happy chaos that we call life. We are grateful to have you on our ride!
Point being- I am beyond busy. Life is busy. How do I keep our loved ones in the loop of our family happenings? I am finding more and more that I don't have time for Facebook and let's face it, not everyone is on there. I hardly have time to talk on the phone, let alone write a letter. While pondering this dilemma, it came to me- a family blog. Here you will find our family pictures, events, favorites, and general happy chaos that we call life. We are grateful to have you on our ride!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)