...Of Mothers, Teenagers & Other Runners

As I have not written anything worth my weight in gold lately, I feel it is an appropriate time to return to the blog.

Over the past six weeks, I have started to taking my running "seriously" again. This, of course, meaning that I am purposefully taking time out of my day to put on running shoes (aka: not flip-flops) and attempting to sneak out of the house- unnoticed by my boys who desperately fear for my safety as I 'round the block at depressingly low speeds.

All good runners know that at least one long run must be accompanied by shorter runs throughout the week when training for endurance. Thus, the past weeks I have "taken it to the streets" in order to accomplish said task.

Runners and bikers must follow specific laws when running in traffic. First, runners must go AGAINST the flow of traffic. This, in effect, will alert you to all vehicles making a direct attempt to hit you. You can see them coming. You have time to dive into the bushes. You can wave your arms madly when someone isn't paying attention. You can look into their eyes and KNOW what they think about sharing the road with you. Truly, it's an eye opening event.

As a runner who enjoys running on busy streets, I have found it very important to alert the rest of you to the categories of drivers and the risks included with each. Please take care to pay close attention.


The "Young Mother": As you are running, beware of mini-vans filled with mom-toting children. They are either for or against you. Beware of the distracted mom. Driving while on the phone ordering pizza for dinner, trying to find a sippy-cup that is rolling under the brake, admonishing the children in the rear-view mirror and attempting to apply mascara. Once they spot you, brakes squeal and the 7 seater goes flying into opposing traffic. They missed you, but the driver of the Corolla on the other side of the street just saw his life flash before him.

The "Grandmother": They've spotted you two miles away and instantaneously begin driving 11 mph on the OTHER side of the yellow line. You can see them glaring at you for causing the drive to be sooooo slooowwww, but it just isn't in them to even consider going any faster, because they are a Grandma after all.

The "Teenager": I may be absolutely broad brushing, so all you careful and responsible teenagers out there...forgive me in advance. It is my experience, however, that young drivers (under the age of 20) have absolutely no idea that they are sharing the roads with other cars, let alone a runner. They drive so super-close to you that you can almost smell the Starbucks Smoothie that they're slurping on. The rush of wind brought on by their car is SO close, that it turns you around in the opposite direction.

The "Watcher": Inevitably, there are odd people out on the roads. You can usually hear the car before you see the car. When they get really close to you, they almost come to a complete stop- NOT because they are being careful, but because they want to stare, whistle or throw something at you. Do not make eye contact and keep running. The "watcher" is one of the main reasons I, a) rarely run at night and b) carry a gun in my shoe.

The "Semi-Truck": If you are so fortunate to run on busy roads, you will most likely be passed by a semi. My advice? When you see them coming, simply stop running and go sit in a ditch 24 feet away until they pass. Seriously, who wants to even come close to getting hit by a Semi? It's like...hello- see you next Thursday.

The "Other Runner": Most people involved in some sport that involves road-training will show some compassion when passing you on a busy street. They slow down at a reasonable speed, get over slightly and raise the all knowing "hand of friendship" as they pass by. Ahhh, the camaraderie. You raise your hand in thanks as you continue on in your mileage goal.

My Vacation in a nutshell...thus far

Greetings from Florida! The boys and I headed down to Orlando to enjoy a relaxing and fabulous vacation with my parents. We are looking forward to spending time with my aunt & uncle in the Venice Beach area as well. My husband was unable to come due to work- so I am "single-mom'n" it on my own. Here's the run down thus far...

Last Wednesday: I get diagnosed with a sinus infection & get started on antibiotics (I hate meds, but tried to kick it on my own FOREVER with all my organics and herbs and just didn't want to leave on an 8 day vacation and be sick...)

Wednesday night: My youngest starts sneezing and seems a little "off".

Friday night around midnight: Youngest wakes up with a high fever, ear ache and runny nose. He literally cries from midnight to 6am. My husband ended up sleeping on the floor next to the bed so that our little one could curl up next to me. That didn't really work, so we went downstairs to rock in the recliner for about two hours. Finally fell asleep by 6:15am.

Saturday morning (7am). Woke up and got a shower. Started loading the van with all the luggage and wishing that I lived next door to a Starbucks. Dressed the kids and now off to the airport.

Saturday afternoon (12:30pm) After a non-eventful flight, with the exception of my youngest screaming his head off due to the air pressure & his painful infected ears for thirty minutes, we land, get our luggage and head to pick up the rental car. Apparently, the rental car place had whacked out computers and it took us two hours to get our mini-van. It was a great price, so I won't complain. We were able to check into our condo and call our doctor back in Ohio to get some meds for little one who is now running a high fever yet again. At least no one is throwing up.

Sunday morning (5:30am): Oldest wakes up in full-force vomiting. Every twenty minutes for the next 16 hours.... Youngest is starting to feel better. Oldest is a big pile of limp five year-old. And he keeps finding odd places to throw up. Lots of laundry in our new condo. Guest services very much NOT helpful when asked for additional cleaning products. Quarantined inside while the sun is shining outside. Called the doctor again (third time) to see about oldest's sickness. Happy Mother's Day.

Monday morning: Still lots of sickness and now oldest has a high fever. Watching much more television then I ever envisioned letting my children watch. At least we have cable options. We were able to get out in the sunshine a little bit and enjoy some time in the kid pool area. Beautiful resort- had the opportunity to go running around the vicinity in gorgeous evening weather. Oldest vomited all over the newly cleaned bed linens and blankets. Back to the washing machine. Missing my husband very much right now.

Tuesday morning: Thunderstorms. The illness seems to be getting better. Praise the Lord!

Tuesday evening: Just had dinner. Oldest is teary eyed...seems that his ear is aching. Seriously?! If I call the doctor again, he's going to think I'm trying to get medicine for some sort of underground pharmacy I'm running in Florida. AArgh- what will tomorrow bring? It can't get worse...right?!

Family Pictures (Finally) & an Update

My hubby & me after Easter dinner at my parents

My dad was cracking me up... hubby hates to have his picture taken and I grabbed him back before he could take off!

Look directly at me, honey! Do not make eye contact with the camera!

Oh, the boys' expressions...

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Hello bloggy friends! I'm not sure how many of you I have left since I've left my poor blog to the wayside months ago... There is so much going on and it seems that my blog is very low on the priority list. Well, it's time for an update! I've tried to get onto your blogs- even though I hardly ever comment- just to make sure you're doing well and catch up on your stories & pictures!

We are so glad that it is Spring! I didn't realize how much I missed green grass and blooming flowers. It's nice to have that back- even though in the Midwest you never really know if it'll snow right after a 75 degree day. It's just that unpredictable... Gotta love Ohio.

The boys are doing really well! Homeschooling is a a joy- although I must admit that I'm not quite as focused as I was at the beginning of the school year. My oldest, however, is reading (finally) and doing great in math. Just a couple more months and we will break for the summer...albeit a short break.

I started a running group at the beginning of the year and I'm pleased to announce that we have four new people that have joined and committed to faithfully showing up every single Saturday! This, my friends, is a huge blessing! So, usually there are at least 6 of us training together on the long runs. We've moved to a new training ground and it's awesome! Lots of runners and beautiful landscape & rushing rivers to enjoy during the run. I'm looking forward to the half-marathon coming up in a few weeks. Ahhhhh! Just a few weeks!

The business is also doing great. It takes up just enough time to keep me busy, but not too much to keep me from the priorities of life. I LOVE the people I'm working with and so far everybody has been very pleased with my work! Oh- and I have an intern working with me this Spring! She is a lovely young lady that we met through her family's visit to our church plant. She has a passion for photography and is very good at capturing those wonderful shots! She worked on a bridal modeling shoot a couple of weeks ago with me and will continue to do more! It's a blessing to work with her and to get to know her family as well.

Speaking of the church plant... please keep us in your prayers! We are so filled with joy as the Lord builds His church day by day. We transitioned to Sunday mornings about six weeks ago and are excited to meet visiting families and reach out to the community through evangelism.

Have a wonderful week, friends! I welcome your comments and you can always find me on facebook!

Newborn Pics

It's been such a blessing to continue with my photography business this year. I've made a lot of great friends that started out as clients- the Lord is so good! I had to share these pics from a newborn session I did last weekend. He's only about 7 lbs of pure adorability! :) Enjoy!

Windstorms

We are located in the Midwest and have had some crazy storms popping up the last couple of days. Last night we encountered wind gusts for hours upon hours up to 60+ mph. I took some shots from my back porch with my telephoto lens as the clouds rolled in. My sons were watching with me and my oldest said, "Mommy, I think today is the end of the earth". Truly, it was quite eerie to hear all through the night. Nonetheless, our house is still standing- minus a few shingles.

Love My Boyz

These are some of my favorite shots of my family. Granted, we aren't all in "one" shot and really need to get a combined family photo- but nonetheless... I love these! I am really enjoying b&w photography- hope you do too!

Happy Valentines Day, bloggy friends!

The Creation Museum

My husband's birthday was this week and we decided to do a family trip to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky sponsored by Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis. If you have never been to the museum, I encourage you to go! (But not on a weekend if at all possible... it's super packed and can be a little overwhelming- especially with little ones). We went on Friday for about three hours and then returned on Saturday afternoon to skim through once more and get some pictures.

The museum includes multiple interactive shows, planetarium, dinosaur room, theater, petting zoo, botanical gardens, bookstore and history of creation museum. Over 20 million dollars was spent with state of the art technology working with Hollywood designers and creation scientist to present an amazing truth to our culture! You are taken through the beginning of history in the Garden of Eden; showing how sin entered the world, God's destruction of the earth through the flood, background of archaeology and His amazing redemptive plan through Jesus. It is quite an alternative worldview to much of what we are daily exposed to in secular culture.

The Gingerbread House (aka: Disaster)

Okay; so who said that making a gingerbread house would be easy? For some reason I figured that if I bought that $10 kit- we'd have it made! Apparently...not so much. :) Well, it was fun to do at the cabin anyway!

The Newest Members of our Family...

Well, we finally did it. We took the "plunge"...no pun intended. Meet the newest members of our family; Jack & Jimmy (the boys named them). The boys are so excited to have pets!

This is the year...right?!

I'm scared out of my mind. Towards the end of this year I turn 30 and have decided to make this the 'big one'. As of this spring, I'll have four 1/2 marathons under my belt, one triathlon, and about fifteen shorter charity 5K races. This is the year for the full marathon, right?! Seriously- even writing this post gives me the chills. I want it...I can smell it and taste it... the victory of doing something that for me seems almost impossible.


See, for some reason- my body doesn't do so great when it comes to hydration- or lack thereof. I can't seem to process fluid where it actually hydrates my body at a positive rate. At the end of any race or long run that extends past 10 miles, I turn pretty much blue, go into shock, start throwing up (can't stop until I get either medicated or an IV) and lose all strength for about 12 hours until I finally fall asleep.

I would love advice from any of you fellow runners! I stay as hydrated as possible- wearing the hydro belt and stopping at almost every fluid station; taking fruit, gatorade and other gels to stay hydated...but my body just doesn't seem to respond to it. I'm thinking that I'll probably do a walk/run with the intent to finish before they close the course. That's not asking a lot, right?

So, why would I want to go through all of this KNOWING that it is how it's gonna end really bad? Well, first because I don't want my life to be dictated by fear ( I can do all things..within wisdom...through Christ!). Second, because I like a challenge. And thirdly, because I want to have that bumper sticker that says 26.2. That to me... is priceless.

The Pool Table

This year we went to the Smoky Mountains with my parents for our Christmas holiday. Our cabin was very nicely decorated and we thoroughly enjoyed our time spent there! I really didn't want us all to sit around and watch television through the whole vacation, so we opted for a cabin with a pool table. Little did I know that it would be such a 'hit' with the boys. After two full days of pratice- my five-year old son LITERALLY beat me in a fair game. Now, I'm not a great player, but I'm not bad either. He picked up the game super quick and was loving it. I'm thinking he has a good career in hustling in his future. Just kidding... :)

Grandpa and little brother play a game together.
My oldest prepares to shoot it in!

Love the little tongue hanging out... ha!

"#14; green; corner left pocket...over the back trick-style"

Ahhh, yes...I'm one proud mommy.