My part...

      How wonderful and difficult life can be sometimes…it is amazing isn’t it.  What have I learned in the short amount of time that I have been on this Earth? That no matter what life has in store for those we love and for ourselves that you have to back each other up. That you can provide as much advice, and guidance as you can, but the best thing to do is to be there. To listen, to provide faith, to love, and that is it.  I have found that you can overcome anything, as long as you know that you have a foundation. Whether that is a foundation in a family member, a significant other, a friend, a colleague, or in faith, you can survive and find happier times.  That no matter what you decide to do in each situation or in life, it doesn’t matter what society thinks of that, it is what you chose, it is what makes you happy, and that is all that matters. The great thing about love ones, is that they should support any choice that you make. Sure, things like drugs and alcohol…not such a great choice…but deciding to be a mother, or not….deciding to adopt instead of having your own children…to work or not work, to get a degree or not, to believe in a Christian God, or not….to run a marathon or not….I am sure you get this picture.  I’d like to say that I have been one of the loved ones that does this…but I haven’t. Boy is that obvious now. But the decision to change is one I’d support now, and therefore I am making that change. I want to be a rock and strong foundation for my family, I want to support their life decisions, not compare them to my own. I want to be that person. That is who I want to be for my children…so there is no reason I shouldn’t be that person for my friends and family now.  And I encourage everyone reading this to take a look at the person they have been. Do you provide criticism, or do you provide support. Are you actively listening? Seriously?  The reason I did this blog was to seek encouragement…but I haven’t been providing the right encouragement to those who need it the most. So through this outlet…this is what I am doing.

Past the heavy….JR and Brandon both survived their half marathon! It was amazing…boy does Disney know how to do it right!  We woke up at 230 am, to drive down to Orlando and get them on the starting line at 540. It was in the 30’s. I saw JR pass me at the starting line, Brandon at mile 4 (right near the monorail entrance near Magic Kingdom), JR & Brandon (and a random Coug) at mile  8, and neither at the finish line (way to many spectators!).  How motivating to be there in the throws of a marathon weekend. I was so inspired to see the wheelchair racers start off, the people who were overweight making a change and trying a HALF MARATHON (how awesome is that!), and the seniors who walked or jogged the whole time…what an unbelievable experience! And I just watched!  The guys were on such a high afterwards, they were discussing which races across the country in the next year or so that they could sign up for. The changes that JR and I alone have made in our lives because of one person (Jenn) have been so amazing. We have taken a closer look at what we are eating, we miss running when we don’t get out there more than twice in a week.  To have a friend in Brandon who jumped on board and continues to encourage us to push ourselves to that next level (he wants us to run the goofy race next year…look it up…its insane) is a blessing and I thank him. I think about the fact that I have had a moment were I weighed almost 200 lbs…and now I am starting to live a lifestyle I want to. I want my children to start off their lives off healthy, not thinking it is ok to go to McDonalds and eat….and that sitting in front of the computer, or TV for the entire day is ok. No thanks. So bring on the races….bring on the healthy lifestyle…bring on the yoga!

Another great thing that has come out of our recent bumps in the road….today my mother-in-law (MIL) started walking with us this morning…and the course she chose? Almost 5.5 miles! And did awesome!  She has started to consider joining us for our next 5K. How amazing is that! How inspiring is that! So JR and I have decided to encourage that, to encourage her to motivate her friends….how much life we have to live these days with the medical knowledge we have! 50 is the new 30 or so it goes…if someone in their 90s can run a half marathon…then together we can all encourage each other! So if you are driving through Stone Crest, you may see the “Stone Crest striders” working on their walking!  Give us a wave!

Next race….The Villages 5K on January 22^nd…see you there! Hey everyone…get out there, be a rock, and live healthy! Namaste and God bless!