Merry Christmas from the Austin Family 2016

Merry Christmas from the Austin Family!

What a year! I am sure we say that every year, but this year was plain busy!

Chris has been busy at work for Nelnet where is a UX designer. Don't ask me what that is because I have no idea. I need to Google it someday. 4-5 days a week, you will find Chris setting his alarm for 4:20 so he can get up and hit his 5am Cross fit work out. Now, I would call that plain nuts, but I can't talk (I'll get to that). He wants to keep his body strong and young, although he tells me every day how much "older" he is than me. So funny. Chris always enjoys helping assist on Alivia's soccer team. He likes the attitudes of the girls, and they seem to really like his positive coaching. In July, Chris and his brother attempted to summit Capitol Peak in Colorado. They got close, but realized they may have bitten off more than they could chew. I am sure they have dreams for their next hiking adventure, but Chris tries to keep these dreams a secret. Chris also ran his first 1/2 marathon! He did a great job, and there may even be talks of running another one! Chris has big dreams for 2016, so it will be interesting where he takes us in the upcoming year.

Alivia is now 12 years old and in 7th Grade at the Papillion Middle School. Yes, she is in JUNIOR HIGH! CRAZY! I am telling you, Chris and I can't seem to keep up. Alivia is an active girl, taking soccer up after Chris and running, maybe, after me. She ran in Cross Country this year making the State Team, which she was quite excited about. Let's just say, there are way more girls at her meets than I ever saw back in the day. Alivia likes to play striker in soccer, but plays any position except goalie. She is quite "dainty" as my Mom likes to say, so needs to work on her aggression a little. She will get there with all of her passion. She is now in the midst of indoor soccer with the Papillion Soccer Club. She spends her free time meticulously doing her homework, helping with the household cleaning, and hanging out with her friends (notably Katy). She is quite the responsible preteen these days. No boyfriends yet, but she has a boy who would love to change that. Alivia actually told the boy "I am too young to date!" We love her.

Addison is now 10 year old. She is quite the handful. Really. But we love her all the same. "Addison is creative," Chris tells me often as she spills paint all down the hallway (we now have new carpet).  Addison does like to create. She paints canvases, works with clay, paints pictures, and is getting better everyday on the piano. She has an active imagination and is already looking to the future. She wants to be a vet and will decorate her clinic with her artwork. Addison spends her time creating and playing with her friends, notably Sidney and Avery.

Asher just turned 9 years old. He is very active. He is usually having a Nerf war with some of the endless boys who show up at our house to play or he is playing a game of soccer here or at a game. Asher had a tough year in soccer (I will NOT get into that nightmare), but he showed how grown up he was and never shed a tear (where I would have been crying the entire season. Oh wait, maybe I was.). He is now at a new, more respectful (we hope) soccer club where we hope he gets to play soccer and have fun. Asher is also playing indoor soccer. Asher has a fun sense of humor, too, although Addison and Alivia struggle to see it sometimes.

And that leaves me. I am boring. I'm still working for Noll a minimum of 24 hours a month where I float between local CHI Hospitals in their behavior health units. I try to work 2 twelve hour shifts during the school year (and in the off soccer season) and work MUCH less in the summer, sometimes just getting that 24 hour a month minimum in. The biggest perk is that I get to pick when I work. The way I look at it is, I left my career to stay at home with the kids because I did not want to miss them growing up. Working during the school year allows to me to work while they sleep and are in school without missing much. Win win. The nights are totally killing me, but that's a whole other story. In my free time (that small window where I am not grocery shopping, doing laundry, cleaning, or fulfilling some other mom duty) you will find me running or doing my BBG workouts (Google it. They are awesome!).  I tend to set my alarm way too early to get my daily run in, too. In April, I achieved my dream of running the Boston Marathon. The marathon itself was not how I dreamed it to be, but finishing it was. I only ran one other half marathon with Chris in the fall, and it was just as ugly. Chris believes I should retire from running races as my body rejects them, but we shall see. I have no big plans for 2016, but I just hope to enjoy the year.

My mom taught me the importance of family vacations. The entire family (my parents included) went on the trip to the Boston Marathon in April. The kids had a blast, and Alivia left with the goal of running it someday. We also took a road trip to Yellowstone, Tetons, Jackson, and ending at Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park. We did a lot of hiking and sight seeing. It was a lot of fun, and we saw beautiful country! We ended the travel year in July with 21 days at my parents lake home at the Lake of the Ozarks. Lake life is so relaxing, but 21 days without Chris got to be a bit long. We are looking forward to our annual trip again this year.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Best wishes in 2017!

Love,
Chris, Krista, Alvia, Addison and Asher

Happy 9th Birthday Asher!

Life is getting ahead of me. Totally. I am now only blogging on birthdays?!?! What has happened? Makes me so sad.

Anyway. Asher is now 9. He celebrated much of the month of November. He had his friend party on November 19th to beat the Thanksgiving rush. He had a nerf war party. Happy to report, no injuries. :) Yeah!

On his birthday, we had the Grandparents over for his choice of dinner. This year he selected to have Mamas Pizza and DQ ice cream cake. Let's just say nobody left hungry. Asher's dream was to get Nerf guns. Well, he got much of the guns he asked for (saving the rest for Christmas).

Asher, who is on the small side for his age (15% for height and a little less for weight), is full of energy. He is usually on the go. If he isn't having a nerf war with the neighborhood boys, hanging out with his friend Michael, or playing soccer, you may find him chilling somewhere with his iPad watching Nerf war videos (no joke!. He likes to watch twin toys or something). He is a usually sweet boy but has broken much of our home. If it is not broken, it probably is soon to be broken. Currently we have a broken fireplace shelf due to Asher trying to make a fort with weights and it not working out well. He is a boy, so I am told I need to forgive him. :) Asher keeps busy with soccer year around. This year has been a challenging year. He just recently resigned (sounds better if I call it that) from the Metro Omaha Wolves. Don't go there is all I will say. His coach was downright scary and the director did not care. Three boys left the team and Asher was one of them. They did keep most of our money, however, adding fuel to my raging fire. I wish there was a complaint site for horrible soccer clubs! Asher is playing indoor now and will soon join a new team. Here's to hoping this next team knows how to treat kids (and not abuse them!). But, Asher stepped up and talked to the coach of his team (who was mean) and acting all grown up about it. I found that quite brave for a small 8 year old. Just saying. :)

Now for the 9 year old's favorites.
Birthday Questions
1. Favorite  color: Blue
2. Favorite Toy:  Nerf Gun
3. Favorite Fruit: Apple
4. Favorite TV show:  Kickin it on Netflix
5. Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Which wich (which I brought for his birthday to school).
6. Favorite Outfit:  nike and under armour
7. Favorite Game:  soccer
8. Favorite Snack: kit kat
9. Favorite Animal:  dog
10. Favorite song:  Not sure
11. Favorite Book:  Not sure
12. Best Friend:  Michael (or Henry)
13. Favorite Cereal:Cocoa Crackles or Chocolate Krispies
14. Favorite thing to do outside: soccer
15. Favorite drink:  yellow lemonade
16. Favorite Holiday:   Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Nothing (but I find him sleeping in Alivia's room many nights!)
18. Favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Cocoa Crackles or Chocolate Krispies
19. What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner?Mamas Cheese Pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  a Pilot I think

Happy 9th Birthday Asher! I just hope I can continue to keep up with you!

Addison's 10th Birthday Room Makeover

Addison turned 10 in July while we were at the Lake. For the kids' 10th birthdays, we makeover their rooms, starting with Alivia, now Addison. Being at the lake, it just was not done in time for her birthday. She did see the bedding and some of the accessories prior to her birthday, but her room remained the same.

Addison was in a full bed. I am not talking about any full bed, this full bed was once her crib, then her toddler bed, then her full bed. A lot of memories were in her bed. She did not want to part with it but she wanted a queen sized bed like Alivia now has and Asher has always had (because he inherited our spare bedroom bed from Ethan Allen. Lucky kiddo if you ask me!).

So, the first thing did was making a shopping trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart where Addison selected her bed and nightstand. She was excited. I did not buy it that day because I was hoping Chris could come with me and help me select the mattress. As time went on, I could see that was not going to happen. So, my parents agreed to help me with the selections. My mom laid on the beds and selected the mattress for me. :) Thank you.

Next up was selecting a paint color. Her colors were gray, teal and white. We selected Sherwin Williams March Wind. Who knew 2 gallons of paint are now just under $100?!?! Crazy.

Over Labor Day weekend, we were finally free. No soccer on a weekend is unheard of. So, against Chris' will, we hunkered down and redid Addison's room. Once we got going it all went pretty fast. And, the results are nothing less than peaceful.

Addison loves her new room and so do we. Chris and I are totally jealous that it isn't our room. Maybe next year?

 She still needs a new office chair,

 some more art,

And a new lamp (that is on order). It will come together eventually.

Lake Life 2016

After being home only a week, the girls loaded in Grandma and Grandpa's car and headed to the Lake of the Ozarks on July 1.  I worked July 1 and July 2 to get my 24 hours of required hours in and was planning on leaving for the lake on July 3 or 4. When the days came, I was exhausted and didn't want to go. So, Asher and I left July 5.

The lake is a peace of relaxing paradise, fewer worries and lots of water fun. I told the kids we would stay until they wanted to go home. I lied, because they never wanted to go home. I was so homesick I wanted to go home immediately. Addison's birthday, July 12, came and went, and the kids still did not want to go home. Chris was unable to visit because he did not want to drive 5.5 hours for just a short weekend visit and he was using the rest of his vacation to go to Aspen, CO, to hike Capitol Peak with his brother. If he was there, I could have stayed forever.

My parents stayed until the day after Addison's big 10th birthday. On her birthday we went to see the Secret Life of Pets at Osage Beach, got ice cream, before coming home and swimming. This year, we tubed and Alivia learned how to ski! It was awesome! I even skiied a little. I, of course, ran every day in the hot, humid lake temps nearly dying every day. Crazy weather. The kids went down the slide every which way, jumped and dove and went crazy. We just love the lake.

We visited Ha Ha Tonka State park for the first time this year. We will have to visit again which it is not 100 degrees. I decided next year we will visit the Bridal Cave and eat out. We did not eat out at one lake restaurant. Disappointing.

We love the lake. We were sad to leave. After 21 days away, it was time.

Pics to follow.

Family Vacation 2016: Yellowstone

It's always a big deal for me where we go for vacation. As our kids get older, I see vacations as valuable time together, opportunities for them to see things, and I see these years dwindling. It makes me sad honestly.

So in June, after much planning, we packed the pilot for a 9 day trip to Yellowstone. It was a vacation of a lifetime!

Day one. Many hours in the car. Really. We drove from Papillion to Cody, WY. 13 hours in the car. We were all about to freak when we climbed out of the car in Cody. Cody is not impressive at all, but it close to Yellowstone's East Entrance. We arrived, grabbed dinner from the cooler, and the kids hit the pool. We stayed at one of the few options of hotels, the local Holiday Inn. I was not impressed. The outdoor pool was dirty, breakfast was not included, and the room was quite small. It worked for a night and a place to lay our heads. And, it offered up a pretty morning run.

Day two. Happy Father's Day! Day 2 got us into Yellowstone National Park. It was beautiful!! We drove through the East Entrance seeing Yellowstone Lake. The kids loved playing at the beach. I wish we would have stayed longer here (in hindsight) but I felt we needed to keep moving since we got an early start. This place gets busy as the day goes on. We traveled North on the Grand Loop Road, visiting the Upper and Lower Falls, Uncle Tom's steep and scary staired trail, Mammoth Springs (which I found disappointing and crowded). By the end of the day we were all very tired and Yellowstone had become super busy. Time to get to Gardiner to stay for the night.

If Cody is unimpressive, Gardiner is  way worse. I was not prepared. The town has very little. Let's just say I had to run the town a couple times to get any mileage at all. We stayed at the Super 8. It was an okay place to stay. It had a tiny indoor pool that the kids loved. The staff here were amazing and very informative. We ate right across the street at a little local grill and ate outside.

Monday we woke to drive right into the North Entrance of Yellowstone. WE visited Norris Basin, Upper and lower Geyser Basins and Old Faithful (which was a late day (maybe too late day) stop. This was the Geyser day. All of them were different, did different things and were so pretty. Old Faithful wasn't that cool, really, I thought steamboat was way cooler. That's just me. Old Faithful was very crowded. But, it did have the best icecream! We ended the day staying in West Yellowstone, aka big tourist trap. It was another non impressive town. Our hotel here was the most expensive by far but was nice. Believe it was well over $300 for the one night. It offered nice sized room, small indoor pool, and a nice outdoor running trail near by that I found after circling the small town and getting no distance in. I could have ran miles on this trail but feared bears (or worse). It was gorgeous. I digress. We had very good pizza for dinner after swimming.

Tuesday we finished up Yellowstone and worked our way through the Tetons, visited Jenny Lake, before arriving in Jackson. Once in Jackson, we road the alpine ski slides (not recommended) and the cowboy coaster (totally recommended!). We stayed at the Quality Inn 49er in Jackson. Room was dated but pool area was updated. And, it included a very nice breakfast. We enjoyed staying here the 2 nights. Jackson is a fun place to visit. We did not get to enjoy the food as we went with ice cream recommendation one night ($40 for ice cream the kids did not like), got subs another night, etc.

Wednesday we got up, the kids swam a bit, before we went down to climb these amazing rock walls at the park near the cowboy coaster. The kids and Chris LOVED IT! They climbed (and maybe I did too) until it was time for our whitewater experience at Barker-Ewing Whitewater. We LOVED this! The air temp was 80 but the water temp was only 41. We should have rented wet suits. We would have had more fun. We all froze the entire time but we kept in the boat. Asher was on the floor in the front to start with until he was just froze solid from taking the brunt of all the water. Chris and I were up front too and Addi was in the middle. We were all very wet. We all had fun despite how cold we were. Chris says this is the best part of the trip.

Thursday we got up with another long drive ahead of us. But first, we hit the rock wall for another climb. So fun! We drove from Jackson to the Rocky Mountain National Park through. Again, in hindsight, probably too big of a day for 3 kids. We drove through the Arapaho National Forest. It looked dead. I was through there when I was a kid but I remembered it to be green (as it probably was then). The roads are so winding it makes you dizzy. Of course, I was driving.  The Rocky Mountain National Park was beautiful. I do not, however, like the exposure on the drive as you get far up the mountain. Chris drove for this part. The kids did not seem to mind this as I freaked out as Chris took corners too fast in my opinion. :) Moving at all is too fast. After RMNP we arrived in Estes Park. We settled into our hotel, the kids swam in the indoor pool, before we drove into town to have a burger at Penelope's on Main Street. We were not impressed. :) We started souvenir shopping before calling it a night. We stayed in Estes 3 nights, which was so nice!

We got up early, which turned out to be just early enough, and got to Bear Lake and snagged the last parking spot. It was a close call. We hiked and hiked until the kids thought they would die. We hiked several miles. We were all exhausted. Back to the hotel for more swimming before a nice dinner at Poppy's Pizza a Grill. Chris and I have eaten here before and love it. We love Estes Park. :)

Saturday was our last day. We again snagged the last spot in the parking lot as they closed the park to cars! Seriously. If on the weekend, you must be there by 6am. We hiked to Alberta Falls and Mills Lake. Beautiful!!! We were all exhausted. We got back to Estes, swam, and then stayed in for our last meal with local pizza from Village Pizza. It was just okay. Not sure I would eat there again. Our pizza was burnt and the kids refused to eat it, instead eating whatever food we had left from what we packed. That's sad.

Sunday we woke to saying good-bye. One last picture in front of the park sign after yet another daily run around Estes and we were homeward bound. Back to where we can crossfit and sweat with Kayla, eat home cooked meals (especially eggs for breakfast!), where most people speak and understand ENGLISH!, where going to the bathroom does not include a squatie or porta potty, and we can sleep in our own beds. We loved Yellowstone, Tetons, Jackson, Arapaho, Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park but it's good to be home sweet home.

Pics to come.

I RAN THE BOSTON MARATHON!!

I have to keep telling myself, "I ran the Boston Marathon" over and over to make myself feel better.

We arrived in Boston on Saturday afternoon. Because of my inexperience, I did not book my hotel when I qualified, so we had to stay in Quincy in a Best Western. Since it was SO FAR AWAY via the T, we did not get the expo on Saturday. I could not convince Chris, the kids, or my parents to go. Saturday we went out to eat and walked the .7 miles to the T and tried to figure it out. Really, it is like a puzzle. The walk to the T from the hotel is not bad. But it is just that you are so far away from the events of the marathon.

Sunday we awoke and Chris and I went out for a little shake out run. It was nice, but I was a bottle of nerves and just wanted to get to the expo. I had to remember, I was traveling with my kids and my older parents, neither of which are ever in a hurry. ;) I could tell they were all frustrated with me.

A walk to the T, several stops and a transfer, we were within walking distance to the expo. We just followed the crowd. The expo was CRAZY!! It was so crowded you couldn't move. They were out of a lot of stuff by the time Sunday rolled around. If you go to the Boston Marathon, go to the expo on the FIRST day! Then stay 2 days after to enjoy the city. Believe me, you will thank me.

I did get a visor and a shirt for me and Addison got a unicorn. :) I got my sole mate Jen something since she let me borrow her garmin.

Everyone was worn out after that, so we T'd it back to the hotel. It was 12:45 by the time we returned. I needed to be eating my final carb meal (I believe in eating the last big meal at lunch so it is all digested and eat a lighter dinner). My parents wanted to eat at the hotel. So I ordered a veggie wrap and rice. The rice worked, the veggie wrap didn't. It all worked out. I went up and napped and prepared my gear for Marathon Monday.

Marathon Monday. 
I loaded the shuttle from my hotel to Boston at 7am. Yes, our hotel had a shuttle and a sack breakfast for us!! I ate oatmeal and a banana though. They dropped us off right near the buses. It was amazing. So thankful for that. I met a girl named Teri who was in the blue group I was running in on the bus from the hotel. I sat with her at the Athletics Village. The Athlete's village was crazy. People everywhere, half hour lines to use the porta potties (that you hoped had toilet paper), bagels, fruit, water provided, but it was HOT. What is going on? They said it was to be a high of 60 and the announcer in Hopkinton said it was 75 at to start drinking now. Great. I am going to die.

At 10:05 we started the mile walk to the start. No, I am not kidding about the mile. On the way, more porta potties and another line. No joke. Crazy.

Got to the start, not kidding, 2 minutes before the start. Insane.

As I started, the crowds were roaring. People everywhere. I was emotional. My feet felt heavy. I ran and listened to the crowds and the music, in disbelief that I was running the Boston Marathon.

The 10k went by quickly. The running crowd was so thick that I could not really run a pace. The first couple of miles I was trapped behind shoulder to shoulder people with a women wearing a boot for a broken foot in front of me. Okay, come on, what was she doing running? Her doctor did not medically clear her to run.

If you check the garmin I borrowed from my friend Jen, I started getting sick and slowing about 9-10 miles, earlier than even I knew. I knew at half I was not going to PR because I did not feel well. I stopped fueling at the half because I could not put anything in my mouth. I actually threw out my fuel! I sipped water, but eventually I could not do that anymore. The Popsicles that I thought would cool me off made me more nauseated.  But, I knew Chris would and the kids would be at 17...so I pressed on.

I saw them at 17 and told Chris, "Oh my God, this SUCKS!" I kissed all of them and ran off. I wanted to cry. I was in single digit territory but I knew the worst of the race was to come. I am going to die.

I decided to walk water stops at first. It did not last. Once I walked, I got dizzy and could not see straight. I would try and run for a bit, then get so terribly nauseated that I would have to stop and lean over my knees. Around mile 18 I met a girl on the course who was walking. I approached her basically saying I felt her pain. We decided to finish together. I am not sure why she stuck with me because I was a walking, jogging zombie for the rest of the race. I WALKED the entire heartbreak hill. I am totally crushed looking back on it, but I was just so sick. I would look up and it would take a moment to be able to see. I ran right past my parents at mile 21 at the Boston College. I felt so bad. They came all the way there with posters to cheer for me and I ran right past them!! That makes me so sad.

Mile by mile, we walked mostly, ran a little between. It. was. horrible.

At less than a mile, you think I could run. I tried, stopped, and then tried some more. When I saw the 2 turns, we ran. Probably not as fast as it felt, but we were running. As we approached the finish, Mary and I grabbed hands and crossed the finish line.

We had just finished the Boston Marathon. It was not pretty. It was not the 3:37-3:39 I had hoped for, but we had finished. I was a mess.4:26 even was my time. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! That was a 10 minute mile (and probably change). CRUSHED.

The finish shoot just kept going, pictures, water, food, OMG where is the medic tent?!?! I sat down. I was done. I was so dizzy I could not see, my legs were done, my mind was more than done, please shoot me.

Mary told the people that I needed the tent and they wheeled me away. Once in the tent, I crumbled in a heap. My pulse was only 45! WTH and my temp was only 92 but I was hot! I guess I was wet from dumping water on myself, then we had a nice headwind off the ocean after mile 20 that was cold. It cooled me (although way too late). My Blood pressure was low but it usually is. They said my labs were whacked but did not tell me what that meant and I was hoarse and could not talk. Oh, that's the other thing, I lost my voice. NEVER has that happened! They gave me nearly 2L of IV fluid and Zofran to stop the vomiting through my IV. I wanted to leave because Chris had called and I knew he was mad, frustrated, and waiting with the kids. I got up to walk, vomited, and was told I had to stay. This happened another time when they told me to eat so I ate a blue chip for the food bag, vomited, and laid back down. Eventually, I pulled it together to get up and walk out of the tent. The Doctors and staff in the tent were amazing!! Very nice, very patient, very understanding.

Once outside, I had to somehow get home. My Dad helped me get to the train. Then Chris got on the other side and tried to help me down the stairs, up the stairs, to the train. Some lady gave up her seat on the train that was standing only after my dad yelled for someone to give up their seat (as I sat there holding my vomit bag. Nice huh). I made it back to the hotel and the hotel shuttle nicely (with $$) picked us up at the T station. :) I moaned through a quick shower and went to bed. I woke later STARVING but had no food. I snacked on whatever crackers we had in the room and dreamed about breakfast the next day.

Tuesday, after breakfast, we did whatever Boston sight seeing we could do before we had to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport. The hotel shuttle left at noon, so we left at noon even though our flight was at 4! Frustrating.

I ran the Boston Marathon. It was not the dream come true run for me, but I did achieve my dream of running it. I set out running my first marathon to Boston Qualify in 2014 and qualified on my second marathon 3 months later in 2014, beating my first time by 15 minutes in much better weather conditions. I need some time off to run Half Marathons. Maybe full marathons are not for me. I would love to PR and run Boston again. I know I have it in me. Maybe I will find a friend to run with me. :) Any takers?  Running Boston with a friend would be AMAZING! You may have to leave me to vomit at mile 17 though.

So all in all the Boston Marathon is a tough course. I did not feel the first part of the race being downhill. It seemed like rolling hills to me. I know the course dropped at 17 because there is a big drop there. Then big UPhills. Heartbreak hill is a big hill. It appeared steep to me, too. But, I was dizzy and could not tell you my name at that point, so don't ask me. There was nothing like coming in for a finish. If you run Boston, video that. I didn't do that but wish I had. That would have been cool.

So, for now, I am Krista13.1. Chris says I am a running addict and will not quit. Maybe he is right, I don't know yet. For now, I have a 10k planned with Alivia, who has her eyes set on running the Boston Marathon (no joke!). Maybe she will even run her first half with me this fall?!?!? Crazy right? She will be 12, so I have to check on the rules for sure. I am sure she could not it. But, she does get overheated. I hope to do 2 half marathons in the fall. I am not planning on 2017 yet. Who knows. Maybe a marathon. But I need a running mate. Any takers?

For now, my mantra is "I ran the Boston Marathon." Period.

BAA Marathon TAPER TIME!

That's right...I am officially on TAPER TIME!! Yesterday I ran my last long run, today my last hill repeat, and this week's "long run" is only 12 miles. SO EXCITED!

Friday I woke up with some knee pain. I wasn't sure what it was about but set out to run anyway. I only made it 5 steps. No go. As the day wore on, the pain was in my hip. I was heartbroken. How was I ever going to run?!

Saturday morning I woke up thinking, "I can do this." I got my fuel and set out. I was limping for 3 miles. It wasn't pretty or fast but I was moving. As I kept moving and my body warmed up, I no longer felt the pains. I was just running, fueling and listening to music. I was not as fast as I wanted to be but I was moving. YEAH!

Today was hill repeats. Again, my body was very sore on my right hip as I started and ran to warm up with a limp. By the second hill, I was warmed up and ready to go. The taper will hopefully help get rid of whatever is troubling me. I can only hope and pray.

I am going to run in the Boston Marathon. Funny, it's a dream come true yet at the same time I am scared to death. Hill after hill. Sounds like a major challenge. I am not looking for a personal record, I am looking to have fun and enjoy my one trip to Boston.

Boston, here I come!!

Boston Marathon Training

I started training for the 2016 Boston Marathon in January. Although this is my 4th Marathon, I forgot how much time training takes into living. Again, I am following a marathon plan of Hal Higdon's, this time specifically for the Boston Marathon. I am working on running rolling hills, up and down, and running a lot of them. I am working on distance, as I am up to running 19 miles this week (although the official plan says to run 1 hour 50 minutes). Next week is my first of 2 20 milers. yippee. The weather has been pretty nice, so I can hardly complain about this winter's training conditions for the most part. I have only fallen on the ice once, so that is a good thing I guess. Now, with these spring like conditions, I will be conditioning my body for perhaps warmer running conditions come race day. Next up, I need to condition my body to start running at 11 am! I am dreading this as that is so late in the day I will not get anything done. I am thinking I will run both of my 20 milers at 11 so I can see what works best to eat before I run since I will be running over the lunch hour (and then some). I have heard from others that the time of day messes with people because wrarely do people run then. I am sure I will be one of the last runners to start other than the ones running for charity.

Honestly, I am excited to run Boston. I do feel this is a one in a lifetime experience that I will get to share with my family. My goal is not to PR time, to PR by not vomiting for 4 hours afterwards and to enjoy the experience. If I can get Alivia to run 400 meters with me, I would be extra happy (so she can go home and say she ran IN the Boston Marathon. How cool would that be for an 11 year old?!?!).

When Boston is over, this girl is taking a break. A much needed marathon break. I hope to run maybe a half marathon in the fall, but I do not want to run any more full marathons for a while...a long while. I am spent. Who knows, I may even try to come up with a new way to get/stay in shape! I am looking forward to it!

Disney Photo Book Preview!

Yes, I know.

It's been a year since we went to Disney World.

Better late than never though, right?

Without a laptop, I am finding it difficult to keep up on these photo books. I will buy a laptop this year. I will. :)

The photo book is nearly complete. I have images I would like to add but Shutterfly is not allowing me to add images (seriously frustrating). So...until then, I wait. But it is so close!

So...here is our photo album for Disney. Now I want to go back!

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EbNmblo3btgu

What a Year Already

Our 2016 started out as a typical year full of expectations and hope. Then this happened. This, meaning last week.

Chris calls on the way home from work saying, "I've been in an accident."

I ask first, "Are you okay?"

He responds, "Yes, but my car..."

His car. We had yet to get the title for his car in the mail, so it still had the in transit sticker on it. But, his car was banged up and bruised badly on one side, mirror dangling. A man driving a big Ford F-150 ran into the side of Chris' car because he "Didn't see him." OMG, I was crushed. Chris was sick. This was Tuesday, Addison's half birthday. Addison was so excited to go on a date with her Daddy to China Buffet. She had never been there but wanted to try it. 

Chris pulled it together and drove the Pilot to dinner.

Gees. He is unlucky. First the windshield in the Pilot cracked the first time Chris drove it (Yeah, thinking that was not a coincidence). Then this happens to his car. His car was so bruised he didn't want to drive it to work the following day. So, he borrowed his Mom's car. 3 minutes out of the neighborhood, he got a ticket.

We are off to a great start! Off to traffic class he will go this week.

He did take his car into the recommended auto body place by Honda. They are able to get the car in the first week of February. It requires 2 new doors, a new mirror and some body work and paint. The good news, the owner of the big truck did say it was his fault and his insurance will cover the nearly $4000 in damages.

Gees.

It is only the middle of January.

We better start praying.