Running the Bird

Last year Todd wanted to train to run a marathon. He was doing great, until he had an ankle injury from playing church ball. Well, this year he decided to go for it again and he made it happen.
It wasn't always easy, and unfortunately because of his work schedule, Todd wasn't able to train as well as he would like to, but he still put his time and effort in when he was able.
One thing that we've been able to do the last couple of months is to run his long run together. Instead of having a babysitter come over on a Friday night so we could go on a date, we had a babysitter come over at 5 AM Saturday morning so we could go for a run.
These runs were incredible and I will always cherish them. When I trained for my first marathon, Todd would pack up our pathetic excuse for a bike, something his dad had picked up from the trash for us, which we lovingly called the Purple Passion, attach the child puller to it and ride beside me as I ran the bike path in Athens. If you knew what a piece of junk this bike was, you would understand his sacrifice even more. If you understood how cold it would get at times, you would understand Mikey and Roger's sacrifice (which they did not choose to give) even more. It was so great to have his support, so I was happy that I was able to give back to him.
We would have a great time during these long runs, yes there were some not-so-fun parts to it, but for the most part we got to spend hours with our favorite person in the world with no distractions besides the beautiful scenery - and the aching in your legs.
We had signed up to do the Akron Roadrunner Marathon which was held September 25th - this was before I had decided to run St. George to try to get Boston. When I decided to do St. George I wasn't sure what I was going to do about Akron. I tried selling the idea to Todd that I would be his cheerleader, trying to make it to as many stops to cheer him on. I was scared that doing a marathon the week before may just be too much on my legs and I would then forfeit my chance of getting Boston. After talking to some of my more experienced running friends I decided that as long as I didn't push myself too hard, I could do Akron. I left the decision up to Todd (aren't I such a good wife).
After one of our long runs together, Todd told me that he wanted me to be there with him in Akron.

Fast Forward to September 24th, Race Expo:Race Expos can be so much fun, and especially since this was Todd's first race we went down to experience it all.
At the expos they have all sorts of booths of people selling running stuff or representing different races (trying to get you to register), and as fun as that all is, I love just seeing and experiencing the people around you. These are all sorts of different people, tall, short, skinny, chunky, old, young, quiet, loud, etc., but they all have one thing in common: running. Whether they are a seasoned runner or just a beginner they have devoted many hours to running. They have given themselves a challenge and are stepping up to it. They are not just sitting and watching life go by, they are experiencing it, first hand.
I told my friend that a marathon will change your life, and it does. Before I ran my first marathon I had a different belief system for myself. I use to admire things people did but always thought, "That's awesome, I would love to do that, but I never could. I'm not that kind of a person, I'm not 'awesome' enough" substitute 'awesome' with whatever you find holds you back, be it strong, talented, focused, etc. Now I think, "That's cool, I would love to do that but I couldn't...wait, I thought that about the marathon, and I did it. I could do it!" In all honesty it's because of running a marathon that I was able to birth a child at home and that I was/am able to do homeschool with my children. You start viewing yourself differently. Not prideful, just stronger.

Todd got off work at noon, so we packed up the kids and drove down to Akron.We looked at the course map. I had done the half the year before and so we weren't too concerned about the course, thinking that the second half couldn't be much different. Ha!We saw the future
Todd found a triathlon necklace that he wanted to get me. He had been trying to get me one since before I did the half-ironman, but he couldn't find one online that he liked. He spotted one that he liked at one of the booths really quickly. PS I Love it!
Several weeks ago I had reserved a book from the library. It became available while I was in Utah so I had Todd pick it up for me. Todd ended up reading it within a week and loved it. It's a great book that has really revolutionized the world of running. The book is Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
While walking down the aisles of vendors I looked over at a booth and saw Born to Run out and the sign saying something about the author. I got excited and pointed it out to Todd. We went over expecting one of the people there to be Christopher McDougall. They regretted to inform us that Christopher had just left 5 minutes ago to go for a run. We were disappointed, but there was no way of knowing about this beforehand.
As we were winding our way to the last few booths an announcement came on over the loudspeaker, announcing that Christopher McDougall was at his booth. Todd ran back over to it while I grabbed the stroller and other kids and winded our way back to the same booth. It was incredible meeting Christopher. He was so nice and personable. He talked with Todd and I for a couple of minutes, making us feel as though we were his own friends. We got our athletic jackets, super nice and even more wearable than a technical t-shirt.Put some stickers on my carAfter the expo we did something we rarely ever do, went out to dinner as a family, and no it wasn't at Wendy's and no it wasn't the Dollar Menu.
We went to the Spaghetti Warehouse. I know there are quite a few of these, and I am not sure if they are all the same or just have the same name, but it was a great choice. The boys had a great time, especially when a balloon twister stopped by our table.
The next morning we left our house at 5 AM. We got to Akron by 6. We parked the car and headed to the starting line, and the port-a-potties...one thing about running is that it sure makes you regular. We stretched and got ready for the race.
We had run a 20 miler together in like 3 hours, so we were thinking that Todd would be able to run a 4 hour marathon. We got in with the 4:00 pace group, breaking the number one rule of first time marathoners.
You should not expect to do as well as you have with your best run. This is a new experience and chances are you will not be able to keep that pace. When doing your first marathon your only focus should be to finish it, not in a specific time. When you start the race, you should start slower than you would predict, get your body and mind use to this new racing experience. Then if at mile 18 you are still feeling great, push it more and go faster. This helps so much, especially mentally. You much rather be the one passing people in the later miles rather than have people passing you.
Todd learned this firsthand. We started great, got through the first couple of miles, but then around mile nine we started slipping. We went from doing a 10-minute mile to a 10:30, then to 11:00. Instead of taking the whole "running a marathon" experience and enjoying it, Todd was frustrated that he wasn't keeping up with what he had been able to do beforehand. His unmet expectation was taking the wind out of his sails.
I had some major bowel issues for the first 15 miles, so I was not really enjoying the run too terribly much. That dang Spaghetti Warehouse, I should have just ordered plain noodles!
After my stomach started being nice to me, the course wasn't. We have a friend, Andy, that is a resident with Todd. He did the Akron marathon last year in like 3:30! When he heard that we were doing Akron he said, "Are you crazy? What about the hills!" Knowing that I had done the half he assumed that I would know what he was talking about. I just replied that I didn't remember any hills.
After the marathon was over we called Andy up and apologized for not taking his "Hill-caution" seriously, and boy did we have a lot of respect for him and his time.
The hills were awful. The course was mainly uphill, and after the first half of the marathon, that is the last thing that you want. I was in pain, my legs, my joints, my feet were aching so badly. To keep at Todd's pace I found myself shuffling a lot, this is more painful than running fast. There were a couple of times, especially near the end, that I would sprint ahead and walk slowly while I waited for Todd to catch up.
I actually found relief by speed walking, and was still able to keep up with Todd. My walking did encourage more crowd support for me, people calling out my name and telling me that I could do it. Todd just kind of laughed and said, "If they only knew that I'm holding you back."
The scenery was nice, especially when we were out of the city (but we were on hills) and the crowd support in the city and neighborhoods was fantastic. It's a really great race in that aspect.
We were so excited to see that we were coming into downtown Akron, where the finish line was. Like all marathons, the last .2 miles lasted forever, but we got through it. Todd and I finished the marathon, running hand in hand. It was so great to finish and awesome for Todd to run his first marathon. We ran it in 5:20, not what Todd was hoping for, but still amazing.
We got our medals and some food then walked over to get a massage - which by the way was pathetic. The people just lightly touched your aching legs.
While waiting in line I heard someone come up to Todd and start talking to him. Curious to who it could be I looked up to see that Todd's parents and sister Kim had come to the race! this was a huge surprise, especially since weeks beforehand his dad had told Todd that he wouldn't make it up, then the day before the race his dad was released from the hospital because he was in a car crash. Todd ( & I) were thrilled to see them, and I cannot explain how overcome by love Todd felt from his parent's sacrifice. It was the perfect ending to a great first marathon.

Killing Consequences

Me: Roger, if you wake up Grant I will Kill you!
Roger: Mom, what does Kill mean?
Me: Maybe that was too strong, please don't wake up Grant.

Ranch Livin'

Living on a ranch, my grandma always has stray cats running around, these stray cats always have kittens running around, my grandma always tells the young children that if they can catch a kitty they can take it home with them. This last time we were there, there were two different litter of kittens.
My niece Addison did a great job tracking the kittens down and bringing them around for all they young kids to hold. My boys absolutely loved these kittens. they played with them, hugged them, and squeezed them.Of course my parents told my boys the story of when I sat on a cat and killed it ---I was three. I was doing what my older sister was doing, but I failed to realize that she was just pretending to sit on them. Ya, it gave me weight issues for years afterwards.
My cousin's little girl was so sad to leave the kittens when she had to go home.
My grandma told my cousin to just take a kitten, let the girl play with it in the car and when it dies, just roll the window down and toss it out.
when --not if
Living on a ranch gives people a very different perspective.
Addison did end up taking one kitten home with her. We watched him for a couple of days. He sure was cute and the boys did enjoy him.

Lots of Holes

I finished painting Roger's room today and spent some time trying to decide on picture placement. This part makes me so nervous. I don't want to put any unnecessary nail holes in the wall, especially my newly painted walls. I become such a perfectionist when it's time to hang up pictures. I ended up not hanging a single picture.
After sending the boys upstairs to get their jammies on I heard some pounding going on upstairs.
Yep, this is what I found.The boys were hammering nails into the wall.Now I'm cured of being nervous of sticking nails in the wall.

Teaching Grown ups

LeNae is so great with kids. She really is. She knows how to talk to them, and they all love to talk to her. The best thing about LeNae is that she does not rush through life, she isn't always concerned about getting things done, so she is totally involved in what is going on at the moment, especially when children are communicating with her. It's no surprise that Mikey loves her, she really encourages his talking, asks him questions or makes comments to what he has just said. I think Mikey opens up more and talks more to LeNae than he does me.
While making the 7 hour drive from my grandma's house to my mom's house LeNae chatted with Mikey. She happened to ask her a couple of questions causing Mikey to come back with,

"I can't believe that I have to teach you, Nae! It's almost like teaching a grown-up.....kind of like when Jesus was teaching the grown ups.

I Dunno

After putting my children in the corner for misbehaving, like most parents I will discuss why they got their punishment. This can be like pulling teeth at times, but is very necessary for the discipline process.

William has been sent to the corner many times and when asked afterwards why I sent him there, he will reply with a very sweet and pathetic, "I dunno".

I have always just assumed that maybe William is just not that bright...I mean, more that he's just not old enough to remember what happened a few minutes ago. So, I usually explain to him what happened, have him apologize and give me a hug.

The other night William deliberately disobeyed me, I mean DELIBERATELY, and with those kind of actions, discipline is necessary. So, to the corner he went.
When his time was up and I asked him why I had sent him to the corner he replied with the usual, "I dunno".

WHAT!!!! I just realized that he has been playing me as the fool! I was the one that was not very bright to see that he knew darn well what he had done wrong, but by not fessing up to his actions, he was holding onto his pride and not expected to change (maybe I'm reading way too much into this).

I told him that he needed to continue standing in the corner until he could remember what he had done. Sure enough when the time came, he miraculously remembered.

Grandpa's Funeral

My dad was kind enough to fly my family out so that we could go to Grandpa's funeral. I originally assumed that I wouldn't go out for it, but was sure glad that I was able to. I got to mourn, celebrate Grandpa, and see a lot of the family members I love, and even those that I don't :)

My uncle Dan that lives on the ranch that was once my grandpa's has big rooms with bunk beds. My family stayed in one room. My boys and I got in late the night before the funeral. It was a lot of fun sleeping in bunk beds with my family.

The viewing was sweet, yet surreal. I hadn't been too sad that Grandpa had died, mostly because Todd had said when we last saw him that he was not showing good signs of health. I had been prepared with the knowledge  that he wouldn't be living much longer. When I came into the viewing and saw Grandma, I started crying. I was sad that she would have to live without Grandpa. But she is a strong woman, she will do well.

 The funeral was beautiful, and packed. My grandpa was a great man who lived in the small town of Randolph for his entire life. He had had quite the influence on many people during his life, and at his funeral, a lot of people came to show their respects and love.

The night before my grandpa had died, my mom was visiting my grandpa and grandma. She had previously felt very strongly that she needed to visit her parents that weekend, and she was good at following that inspiration.
Before going to bed, my mom was talking to my grandparents about funerals. My grandparents started talking about what they would like at their funerals. Deciding to seize the moment, my mom got out her phone and documented all of their wishes.
Early the next morning, my mom was awakened by my grandma who said that my grandpa wasn't feeling well and wanted to go to the hospital.
My mom went into their bedroom to help my grandpa get out of bed. As my grandma was getting ready, my grandpa suddenly had a heart attack. I am glad that my mom was there with my grandma during this traumatic time, ensuring that she wasn't all alone.

 

After the funeral, we walked up the hill to the burial. We had gotten balloons and wrote messages to my grandpa

 and after singing a hymn, we let the balloons go up toward heaven.

 It was an amazing sight

 Roger is (obviously) named after my grandpa, so I of course we had to get a picture with him

 And of course my brother Roger is named after my grandpa and Colton's first name is Roger as well

 

My mom had a brother, named Roger that had died at birth. There are a lot of Rogers

After the burial, the members of my grandpa's church had made us a lunch at the church. They're service was very much appreciated.

Roger ate a plate, then the effects of traveling and staying up late had hit him

 When it was time to clean up, we even moved him into the foyer and somehow, he stayed asleep in a very uncomfortable position.

 

The  next day we got to spend some time with my grandma

And gave her lots of love

 And we rode horses down at the ranch

 All around, a good time.