{My Journey}

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from all of us here! Hope it is a frightfully good day for everyone.

 

 

Here is a sneak peek of what the girls will be wearing for costumes tonight and at dance class. Liberty is Rosetta the Garden Fairy and Piper is Tinkerbell the Tinker Fairy.

Pumpkin Patch

 

 

 

This is the closest thing to a pumpkin patch we have here so we make the best of it! It is actually an amusement type area with pumpkins so we can get a few pics and then let the kids have fun. The funniest part was that Piper was sitting on a pumpkin for the shot of them together and she kept sliding off of it. The final picture is after about the third time of her sliding off, so I just called it good even though the group shot was a little weird with the side eyes on them both. Sometimes as parents we just have to accept the quirky pictures, move on and just let them HAVE FUN!! That is what we did-- had fun! They rode swings, twirly rides and then went down a giant slide about 6 times. They both rode ponies, Piper chased some goats and rabbits in the petting zoo and Liberty did a bungee bounce. Just a good evening of Halloween themed fun. In a week, they will be selling Christmas Trees at the same location and this Halloween fest will be just a memory-- and a good one for us!

Half Marathon

Well the time has come and almost gone for me to write about my big event. I ran the Disney Half Marathon in Anaheim on Sunday the 6th of September. The race start time was 6am but by time I made it through my designated corral and towards the start line it was close to 6:45am. It doesn't really matter, except when you pass each mile marker and the clock shows a time much higher than what is true it can shake your confidence! Good thing I had my trusty Forerunner 405 to give me my true time and my mile split times and show my pace. The race had over 11,000 participants and was by far one of the more crowded bigger runs I've done (Bolder Boulder is much larger but much shorter too). I wasn't too thrilled about the later start mainly because of the heat. It was one of the hotter weekends I've experienced in Anaheim (and I have been there many times) and very humid. I could also smell the smoke from the wildfires burning just north of the city. I had hoped to run a personal best at this race but soon discovered it was not going to happen. The crowds actually caused us to stop running at multiple times in the race. When the course would narrow, we would stop. Also the water points caused backups. It was almost as if the participants didn't know to keep moving, grab a drink and keep going. It was kind of strange! The very first water point was just ridiculous. It was in a curve and narrow part of the course and then the walkers and people getting water and powerade brought the race to a stop. It was maddening! So, at this point, I just resolved to run the race and have fun. I decided the PR would have to wait for another race. I stopped to take pictures of the Disney characters that had come out to greet us and just had fun. My mile pace was a full 2 minutes slower than during training, but oh well. I finished my second half marathon (13.1 miles) in 2:42:41 and I am proud to have completed it in a decent time regardless of circumstances. It was not an easy task training for this race as a single mother. I had to get babysitters so I could do my long runs and it was really hard to get everything coordinated throughout. I have to thank everyone who supported me in my efforts: Mom, Dad, Kim, Susan, Alexis and Veronica, Charlie and Dorothy, Jennifer, Jenette, Jon and especially Liberty and Piper. I appreciated all the well wishes before and after the race. It meant a lot to know I had a cheering section. A run like this is nothing to take lightly. All of you knew that and respected my choice to do it and supported me during training and the race. Thank you!

I haven't decided on the Rock'n'Roll Marathon here in Vegas in December. I have an injury I am trying to heal up but would love to do it. Would enjoy it even more if Susan would run it with me! *wink*wink*

I leave you with some photo from the course.

 (It's official!)

 (Loved this tshirt at the expo)

 (Stayed at the Dreams Tower Disneyland Hotel)

 (The start line is in sight.)

 (Cheering us on.)

 (Stopped for this photo for Liberty--she was thrilled.)

 (Angels Stadium on approach.)

(entering the stadium)

 (looking towards the score board)

(Finish line my time was officially 2:42:41)

Firefighters boots...

It is that time of year again when the firefighter do their fill a boot campaign for the MDS. We went to Albertson's to return a movie to the Red Box there because the one at Walgreen's was not taking it (grrr). We saw the guys and promised to fill a boot as we left the store. So, I gave the girls each a dollar to donate and they were more than happy to help. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera set to snap a photo so I got this weird video clip (sideways since it was suppose to be a photo) instead. That will teach me to make sure I have my camera in photo mode instead of video when I shut it off.

Second Day of School

Liberty had to take in five items that said something about her to share with the class this week. We put thought into all her items and made sure they were the best representation of her. One of the items was a book that she has had memorized for quite some time. It is the book she always reads to "my baby, Piper" and it is titled I love you through and through. Since they started sharing early we were still in the classroom so I stayed to watch her share her items with the class and READ her book! It was wonderful to see her stand there so confident in front of all her peers. She is a strong little girl.

Her items:

1. "Snow White doll because she is kind, sweet and a good friend just like me."
2. Wyoming Cowboy hat "because I love my Dad and he is working far away."
3. Book (see above)
4. Photo of her and Piper because she is a good big sister
5. Coloring book because she likes art, coloring and drawing. 

First Day of Kindergarten

Well the day has finally arrived, I've sent my first baby off to school. This morning went pretty smoothly considering a few obstacles that we had to hurdle. We were out the door right on time and Liberty was in class and in circle and starting her first day of school. She didn't even stop to give Piper and I a hug she was on the floor and sitting with her peers and ready to start this new chapter in her life. I have to say she looked beautiful in her pink and brown dress and made-for-her hair barrette with flowers and bling to match (which she lost!). She also sported a new backpack (Hello Kitty) and lunchbox (Princess). This would be her first time taking a lunch to school and she was excited!

 

 

I was most pleased that she was willing to share the details of her day with us. Last year in Preschool she was always mum to details but today she was open and willing to let us in on the fun and learning. I hope that continues to be the trend. I'm sure it is a direct result of her maturity from last year to now and I see it in many aspects of her day.

 

Piper and I had a nice quiet day together. After walking the dog we went to Sam's Club for a quick trip (that turned into a quicker trip considering the three fits she threw while we were there). We headed home for lunch and then it was nap time for her and free time for me! I didn't know what to do with myself to be honest. It has been about three years since I have had a few hours to myself in my own home. A few hours that didn't cost me for a sitter, or require me to be somewhere or doing something for the house, health or welfare of the family. It was total free time and I enjoyed it! I'm sure tomorrow I will be more productive but today I just savored the moments and chilled!

Tonight we had our very first Dream Dinners meal and it was a huge success. We had Pacific Cod and Sweet Potato Fries. The cod fillets were very fresh and yummy with a creamy lemon dill sauce, the sweet potato fries (a favorite in our house) were a hit and the corn on the cob that Piper picked for the veggie was the perfect side. I am happy that the meal was well received as it only took about 20 minutes from start to finish and it was baked so I did mostly nothing during cooking time. I hope all the rest of the meals receive the same amount of enthusiasm. The girls cleaned their plates which made me one happy momma!

Thank you Dream Dinners!

Denver Aquarium

Today was a super busy day for us. After getting up at 5:45 a.m. I went for a short six mile run. I was eager to try out some new gear I picked-up with Jon's prodding. I am now the proud owner of the Garmin Forerunner 405 and a Nathan running belt. The former is a watch that helps me stay at a desired pace, logs my workouts, tells me a lap-for-lap breakdown, my average mile pace, and the distance I have gone. It is also a GPS watch so it tracks my every move. It took a bit of working the night before but I had it charged and ready on Sunday morning. I determined that I have shaved off about twenty seconds from my pace I was running an average mile in 11:14 and now I am pacing at 10:54! The Nathan belt holds my cellphone, gels if I so choose to use them, key, anything else I may need and the most important thing, water bottles. I bought the gray and pick belt with the two 10 ounce bottles and think that will be sufficient for me. I like that I now have free hands as I would run holding my cellphone in one hand and my water bottle in the other, so it was a whole new experience for me. The run went fast and smoothly (even with the five BIG hills I have to tackle) and my half marathon training is well underway.

After showering from the run it was breakfast for all the little birdies in the house and myself then off to hook up the laptop to an outlet and connect with Jon via Skype. It has been almost three weeks since we have connected via web cam so he was anxious to see the girls and they were very excited to see him. Jon had some major computer issues a week ago so he had to re-install everything on his laptop so after a few disconnects, we were finally able to see and hear each other. Piper is always so happy to see him and shows him everything,her Dog Dog, milk cup, you name it she shows him. She gives him kisses on the screen, waves to him and hugs him (actually the screen). Liberty is excited at the start and then tappers off. She refuses to say goodbye or blow kisses to him. I think she does this because she is trying to ignore that he is truly gone. It has been such a hard adjustment for her and I don't think she will ever get use to it. She is definitely having the hardest time with the separation and I see it changing her a bit too. October will be the worst because she will go from the ultimate high of having Daddy back home to the ultimate low when he leaves again. I'm bracing for some tough days following that visit.

Our day had only begun and it was already full of activity. We jumped into the Yukon and drove to Denver because we are meeting up with Aunt Susan, Uncle Kurt, Quincy, Grandpa, Grandma and Great Aunt Charlene at the Denver Aquarium. Traffic was thick for a Sunday so it took an hour to get there. Once there, Liberty ran right over and threw her arms around her grandma and let out a big excited "Grandma!!" then proceeded to do the same for Grandpa. That really made everyone smile. From there is was a whirlwind of excitement and fun for the kids. Piper took her time at each display and said, "Oh wow!" at each one. Liberty flew through the place hand-in-hand with Aunt Susan. Thankfully Aunt Kim and Nana joined us because Kim took pictures and Nana helped me keep track of either Piper or the stroller at any given time. I enjoyed visiting with Charlene as it had been too long since we have had the opportunity to talk. We were a large group, but managed to connect with everyone. We all enjoyed seeing the wonder and excitement on the kids faces. Liberty said the highlight for her was seeing the scuba divers, the Seahorse that was wrapped on the corral and the Nemo and Dori fish. Piper seemed to enjoy the Sea Otter that was doing flips and pretty much everything else! If it moved she was interested! I thought the starfish tank was neat because they had sea urchins and a sea cucumber in there, along with some very different looking starfish (fuzzy and purple or turquoise) and the Seahorses were really active, but the sea turtle was by far my favorite.

We were very fortunate to have so many of our family with us today, helping to make our day so enjoyable and memorable. 

A Milestone...

So today marked a big milestone for us as a family. Jon left on this day in 2008 and we have not lived in the same household since. With his 8 month school in VA that was unaccompanied and the few months in Washington before deploying to Iraq, it has been one year since we have lived under the same roof. Most people would be happy to see one year because that would symbolize the return of their loved one, but not for us. Because of all those events leading up to the deployment, Jon will remain away for at least 10 more months. Reality is that he will more than likely be away longer than that. 

So Happy Independence Day, in more ways than one!

 

What the girls looked the day Jon left:

 

And now:

  

Jon has missed out on so much this past year. Piper wasn't even crawling when he left. Liberty had not started school. Most of all, he has missed out on all the hugs, kisses, laughs and just everyday happening for these little girls. They will be so happy when he is finally home for good.

Quote...

I stumbled upon a quote that may very well become my all time favorite.

If only we wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is difficult, since we think them happier than they are.

--Monyesquieu

 

It's Official...

I am officially registered for the Disneyland Half Marathon on 6 September 2009. That will make it my second half marathon in a year. I am excited about the course and location. Mom will come out and watch the girls for me. I am lucky to have some training time in Colorado this summer so I can do more road running than treadmill running (which I hate). It was a little nerve wracking to think about taking on another race with the prospect of only doing treadmill running, since I am solo with the girls and cannot get out and run in the mornings. It is too hot to run any other time right now and I can not take Liberty and Piper anymore because, lets face it, running 10 or more miles in a shot with an extra 80 plus pounds to push is just not practical! So, it will all work out pretty well with the help of Mom and Alexis for two weeks in August.

I am considering the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon here in Las Vegas in early December. That one would be easy to attend! And I would be in good shape coming off the September run so training would be less intensive. Never thought I'd be planning all these long runs. I ran distance in High School track but nothing like this! I can thank my sister-in-law Susan for planting the little marathon seed in me last fall.