My poor abandoned blog...I used to be so good about writing and updating, getting things off my chest, etc. But, life is wonderfully busy and I just don't find the time to write like I used to.
On Saturday, I will be running my 3rd marathon. A friend of mine wanted to run her first one this April, and I said I'd run this one with her if she'd run the marathon with me in October. A deal was struck and here I am, only a couple days away from running another marathon. It's been quite the change, having a training partner. I'm not a fan of running in the cold, but she will run in any kind of cold weather, so I got out and ran even when I didn't want to. I think it's going to make a big difference. We've trained well, I felt great on our 20 mile run. We aren't fast...her goal is just to finish and I'm going to run her pace. In October, we hope to increase our speed and run the marathon at an average 10 min mile pace. Right now we run about an 11+ minute mile. I'm perfectly fine with that though! We are planning on doing something to commemorate the bombing victims in Boston. The marathon will have black ribbons we can buy to wear on our bib number or clothes, and I plan on decorating a shirt somehow, in the Boston marathon colors blue and yellow. Its such a small gesture, considering all that was lost that day, but I want to do something. It seems silly to say, but it hit close to home...Martin Richard was 8 years old, there with his family to cheer his dad on in the race. My daughter is 8, my oldest is 9. This is the first marathon they will get to see because it's much smaller than the one in October. They will all be there, to cheer me on at the finish line. Before they caught the second suspect, I was gearing up for a short run, and my oldest came in to talk to me. We talked a little about what happened. I was curious to hear what he knew, what they had talked about in school...and I wondered if he was scared. I asked him if he was excited like he was about seeing me run the marathon. He said "Yes and no. I'm afraid something bad is going to happen to you". That broke my heart. We had a little talk about how I wasn't scared, how they would catch the people who did it, and how I will be safe thanks to the security at the marathon. I told him he would be safe, too, and that if he was scared, he didn't have to go. He said he wanted to still go. So I think Husband is going to try to catch me at a spot before the finish so my oldest can see that I'm OK. And if they are scared to be at the finish line, Husband will stand back at like mile 25, or the kids can just hang out at my parents house. Whatever the kids want to do. I'm excited, nervous, and ready.
We run. Not out of fear, but out of freedom. We run.
April 24, 2013
October 11, 2012
Marathon 2
Last Sunday, I ran my 2nd marathon and it was a much, much better experience this time than the prior year. I was in much better shape this year compared to last year, even if my training wasn't that great. Despite not being able to follow a training plan, I did my best to get in some long runs. I ran 2 half marathons this year, ran a couple 14 mile runs, several 6-10 and 2 18 miles runs. With all of the longer runs, I had to walk some of it. Not exactly how I wanted training to go. When I signed up to run it again this year, my plan had been to train the right way, run the entire thing and do it in less than 5 hours. But with just life in general, training was put on the back burner and I figured this year, I'd just do what I could do and be happy. I really thought it would take me 6 hours to finish.
I worked Friday night and we left Saturday morning to head up to the expo. I figured by the time we hit the expo, carb loaded and checked into our hotel, I'd be so exhausted I'd fall asleep and sleep all night, like last year. I was in bed, asleep by 7:30. Anyway, at the expo, I signed up with the 5:25 pace team, knowing I most likely would NOT be able to run it that fast because of my poor training. Last year, it was pretty hot the day of the marathon. Temperatures this year were upper 30's in the morning, with a high of 50. I figured I'd be cold to start but honestly I do run better when it's cool. At 5am, I get up, shower, get geared up and we head down to the train at 6am. It was pretty cold. My friend and I headed to the start after a 20 minute train ride and we find our start corrals. Thankfully this year, I was in a corral more appropriate for my ability. Last year the slow pace team in my corral was 3:50...this year it was 5:10. Of course, the pace team I signed up for was in the corral behind me. I overheard a couple people talking before the start, and said they were going to do the 5:45 pace team, but the pace would seem so slow, so they decided to run with 5:10. It sounded like a good plan so I decided I would do the same...follow the 5:10 pace team as far as I could and when I had to stop and walk, I'd manage from there. Thirty minutes after the start, we cross the line and the pace was actually perfect. I felt like I could have run faster, but that's exactly what you want - you want to feel like you could run faster the first half so you can finish the second half. Early in the race, the miles fly by. I saw Husband and our "road crew" at mile 2 and 4. By mile 3, I was done with my jacket, so I passed it off to Husband at mile 4. We're still cruising along, and we all started chit chatting a bit. It was a lot of fun. The pace was easy, conversations were interesting. One girl introduced herself at mile 6 and said "We'll finish together. We'll do our own thing with this pace team, but I really think we'll cross the line together". At mile 11, I decided to eat one of the gels I brought to help with electrolytes and refueling. At the halfway point, I was still running, a big surprise to me and I felt great! I felt strong and like I could run forever. Mile 16 last year was when I started hurting so I was surprised I still felt pretty good at that point. I at another gel at mile 17, saw Husband at mile 19 and I was just glad he was able to see that I was still running because at mile 19 last year, I was not and in quite a bit of pain. It was an awesome feeling. I used my last gel at mile 21. The race started to get tough at mile 22. My feet were sore, but I had come this far with the pace team, I didn't want to not finish with them so I kept going. At mile 23, my calf and hamstring in my right leg started cramping up. I considered pushing through, but decided to walk just a bit to stretch those muscles. After a short walk, I started running again. I knew if I walked for too long, I wouldn't be able to start running again. I also realized that even if I walked the rest of the way, I was going to finish in less than 5:30! I couldn't believe it and that got me pumped up. I ran to about 24 1/2 and was really needed an energy gel and I was very thankful to see they had a station with these gummi things. At mile 25, I had to start walking short bouts, followed by running on and off to keep those muscles in my right leg stretched. Total distance walked was maybe 1/2 mile. I got to the last 800 meters and almost just pushed through the cramping to run to the finish, but the last 300 meters there is a hill. I walked up the hill and then ran across the finish line. As I crossed the line, there was the girl I talked to throughout the race who said "See? Told ya we'd finish together!" I got my medal, my cover and headed down to the mile 27 post race party to find Husband. I knew I had beat last years time, but I didn't know exactly what my time was because the clock on the finish line was started at the start of the race and my time didn't start until I crossed the start line myself, which was quite some time in between. It wasn't until I met Husband and looked at the runner tracker messages that I saw my unofficial time. 5:12:21! I couldn't believe it! I knew I was right behind my pace team but the fact that I actually RAN a marathon and finished that fast (for me, not fast compared to hardcore runners) was amazing. I was pretty darn sore that night and the next day and I think I strained the muscles in my hamstring but it was worth it. Today, just a couple days later, I feel pretty good. I can tell my muscles are still recovering and are fatigued, and that hamstring is still sore, but I can get up and down the stairs no problem.
My official time was 5:12:21. I owe a lot of thanks to that pace team. It was probably the smartest decision I could have made. They were right on with their pace to...pace was within a few seconds at the 10K, half, 30K and finish. They kept me from going out to fast, kept me slow and steady the first part of the race and kept me motivated the second half. It was almost like running with a group of friends instead of a solo experience. It was fun to hear about all the marathons they had run, other challenges, like the Iron Man. It helped the miles go by. I don't know if I'll run another marathon. I had said no way I would run another one until Caleb goes to school because there just isn't a lot of time right now. But, the challenge and reward of finishing will probably draw me back to that start line with 26.2 miles ahead of me. I'll definitely do half marathons. That's a halfway easy distance for me to run and I don't have the recovery time afterwards, and I could go to work that night after a morning race. But we'll see. Come sign-up time for the marathon in 2013, the temptation may be too great for me to pass up.
I worked Friday night and we left Saturday morning to head up to the expo. I figured by the time we hit the expo, carb loaded and checked into our hotel, I'd be so exhausted I'd fall asleep and sleep all night, like last year. I was in bed, asleep by 7:30. Anyway, at the expo, I signed up with the 5:25 pace team, knowing I most likely would NOT be able to run it that fast because of my poor training. Last year, it was pretty hot the day of the marathon. Temperatures this year were upper 30's in the morning, with a high of 50. I figured I'd be cold to start but honestly I do run better when it's cool. At 5am, I get up, shower, get geared up and we head down to the train at 6am. It was pretty cold. My friend and I headed to the start after a 20 minute train ride and we find our start corrals. Thankfully this year, I was in a corral more appropriate for my ability. Last year the slow pace team in my corral was 3:50...this year it was 5:10. Of course, the pace team I signed up for was in the corral behind me. I overheard a couple people talking before the start, and said they were going to do the 5:45 pace team, but the pace would seem so slow, so they decided to run with 5:10. It sounded like a good plan so I decided I would do the same...follow the 5:10 pace team as far as I could and when I had to stop and walk, I'd manage from there. Thirty minutes after the start, we cross the line and the pace was actually perfect. I felt like I could have run faster, but that's exactly what you want - you want to feel like you could run faster the first half so you can finish the second half. Early in the race, the miles fly by. I saw Husband and our "road crew" at mile 2 and 4. By mile 3, I was done with my jacket, so I passed it off to Husband at mile 4. We're still cruising along, and we all started chit chatting a bit. It was a lot of fun. The pace was easy, conversations were interesting. One girl introduced herself at mile 6 and said "We'll finish together. We'll do our own thing with this pace team, but I really think we'll cross the line together". At mile 11, I decided to eat one of the gels I brought to help with electrolytes and refueling. At the halfway point, I was still running, a big surprise to me and I felt great! I felt strong and like I could run forever. Mile 16 last year was when I started hurting so I was surprised I still felt pretty good at that point. I at another gel at mile 17, saw Husband at mile 19 and I was just glad he was able to see that I was still running because at mile 19 last year, I was not and in quite a bit of pain. It was an awesome feeling. I used my last gel at mile 21. The race started to get tough at mile 22. My feet were sore, but I had come this far with the pace team, I didn't want to not finish with them so I kept going. At mile 23, my calf and hamstring in my right leg started cramping up. I considered pushing through, but decided to walk just a bit to stretch those muscles. After a short walk, I started running again. I knew if I walked for too long, I wouldn't be able to start running again. I also realized that even if I walked the rest of the way, I was going to finish in less than 5:30! I couldn't believe it and that got me pumped up. I ran to about 24 1/2 and was really needed an energy gel and I was very thankful to see they had a station with these gummi things. At mile 25, I had to start walking short bouts, followed by running on and off to keep those muscles in my right leg stretched. Total distance walked was maybe 1/2 mile. I got to the last 800 meters and almost just pushed through the cramping to run to the finish, but the last 300 meters there is a hill. I walked up the hill and then ran across the finish line. As I crossed the line, there was the girl I talked to throughout the race who said "See? Told ya we'd finish together!" I got my medal, my cover and headed down to the mile 27 post race party to find Husband. I knew I had beat last years time, but I didn't know exactly what my time was because the clock on the finish line was started at the start of the race and my time didn't start until I crossed the start line myself, which was quite some time in between. It wasn't until I met Husband and looked at the runner tracker messages that I saw my unofficial time. 5:12:21! I couldn't believe it! I knew I was right behind my pace team but the fact that I actually RAN a marathon and finished that fast (for me, not fast compared to hardcore runners) was amazing. I was pretty darn sore that night and the next day and I think I strained the muscles in my hamstring but it was worth it. Today, just a couple days later, I feel pretty good. I can tell my muscles are still recovering and are fatigued, and that hamstring is still sore, but I can get up and down the stairs no problem.
My official time was 5:12:21. I owe a lot of thanks to that pace team. It was probably the smartest decision I could have made. They were right on with their pace to...pace was within a few seconds at the 10K, half, 30K and finish. They kept me from going out to fast, kept me slow and steady the first part of the race and kept me motivated the second half. It was almost like running with a group of friends instead of a solo experience. It was fun to hear about all the marathons they had run, other challenges, like the Iron Man. It helped the miles go by. I don't know if I'll run another marathon. I had said no way I would run another one until Caleb goes to school because there just isn't a lot of time right now. But, the challenge and reward of finishing will probably draw me back to that start line with 26.2 miles ahead of me. I'll definitely do half marathons. That's a halfway easy distance for me to run and I don't have the recovery time afterwards, and I could go to work that night after a morning race. But we'll see. Come sign-up time for the marathon in 2013, the temptation may be too great for me to pass up.
September 2, 2012
LDRP
A few months ago, we moved into our brand new labor and delivery unit, something we've been looking forward to since 2007 with excitement and trepidation. The layout of the huge new unit, how we provide care changed a little bit when we moved from a LDR model to a LDRP model. No more moving from the labor room to the post-partum floor. Everything happens in one room, with one hallway dedicated to antepartum/postpartum for our preterm labors/antepartums and scheduled c-sections. We are more baby friendly than we were in the past - almost every baby stays with mom unless she requests the baby to go to the nursery, all care is given at the bedside if possible, skin-to-skin is initiated, unless declined or mom/baby is unable to, within 30 minutes of birth. And, something I'm VERY excited about: skin to skin in the OR!!! That has been a slower process of change with that, but it's been wonderful to see and I think its a huge benefit to moms and babies. Even with all the positive changes, there have been some kinks, as you would expect when you move from one unit to a brand new unit and changing the model of care. It's hard to staff an LDRP. We have a triage area now. The idea was the triage nurse would admit, decide if they are labor or not and if they are admitted, hand off to a L&D RN. But in a unit that is relatively small compared to big city hospitals, it's a bit tricky because we just don't have the staff and don't do enough business to make that work and keep the cost down. So frequently, that triage nurse will admit the patient, the patient turns into labor and then that triage nurse has to move the patient to a LDRP room, admit her and that just adds more time onto the admission. Another hiccup is the layout of the unit. It's huge and we are all so spread out. And there isn't a central nurses station so knowing what is going on with other patients, what docs have patients there, etc., has proven to be a challenge. We are getting better but I know there have been times we've called a doc for something who had just been called about another patient, or a doc calls wanting to talk with their patient's nurse and we didn't know who the nurse was. Thankfully, over the last months, that issue is getting better. It's a process, and we've had to be flexible and adapt. Overall, its been great. Patients are happier, patient care is better and even though there has been a little bit of disorganization in the beginning, it never affected the patients and it wasn't any worse than what was to be expected. When comparing our old unit to the new unit, it's like comparing a Super 8 motel and the Hilton. Both work for what they are designed for, but it's much nicer to stay at the Hilton.
August 2, 2012
Marathon #2
Only 65 days until I run my second marathon. Yes, I am in fact a crazy person. This year, my plan was to train appropriately, to run the entire thing and I had really hoped to be able to finish in under 5 hours. That will not be the case this year. It's just been too hard to get out and run as much as I need to be able to do that. Baseball games, blazing hot weather, putting up siding and windows, and work all got in the way. I'm still going for it, it just won't be the performance I had wanted. I do think I'm in better shape this year. I've been running some, and the last 2 weeks, I've been able to log some decent miles. Last week I did a 10 miler and felt ok. It would have been 14 miles, but a storm popped up and thankfully, Husband was watching the clouds. I was watching them too...but I was enjoying the fact that the sun wasn't beating down on me after the clouds started rolling in. I even took a couple pictures with my phone because the clouds were really cool. It wasn't doing anything, but with about 4 miles to go, the sky turned yellow, and I got to the the top of a hill and the wind picked up out of nowhere and it started lightening. I was done enjoying nature. I ran back down the hill to where there was a house, stood behind a tree to be out of the wind (yes, I know under a tree is not the place to be) texted Husband and was 30 seconds from knocking on the door of that house to get out of the storm when Husband came over the hill and picked me up. About 60seconds later, the rain came pouring down, well, more like blowing sideways. Husband actually had to pull over because he couldn't see to drive. We did get back to town and there were tree limbs all over and a huge tree, had fallen on a house just 1 block from our house. It was a nasty little storm and it popped up out of no where. No storm warnings were out for that evening, and nothing ever came over the tv or radio I guess. But besides that little adventure on my runs, I've been getting out. So far this week I did a 7.25 mile and 3 mile run. Tonight I'll be attempting that 14 miler again, barring any adverse weather conditions, I think it will be successful. Even with these long runs, I know I won't be "ready". School and football/cheerleading starts soon, so the evenings won't be free like they are now and if I was following the training plan I had intended on, I should be doing my first 18 mile run. Even with my lack of runs, I think I'll do at least the same if not a little better this year. There is a later start to the marathon this year, which does concern me because it could mean my last hour could be very hot. But it is an October marathon, so who knows what the weather will be like. I've also entered that "what was I thinking" mode of training. On my run the night of the storm, when it was still super hot and that sun was beating down on me, I ,kept thinking to myself "I'd rather be pregnant with a pregnancy as hard as Caleb's for 5 years than run another marathon". But then it cooled and I was ok. I'm trying to remind myself that the reward is worth it. The feeling of crossing the finish line, knowing that I did it! is worth the effort and the sore muscles and feet. There is a commercial they are playing now that shows a guy running, and the announcer says something along the lines of "you may be no marathon man.." and Jacob proudly said to Clara "Mommy is a marathon woman". That right there is all the motivation I need.
July 29, 2012
Jacob's birth story
My oldest baby turned 9 years old July 13th. I don't think I've ever posted his birth story, my only vaginal delivery, so I thought I'd share :)
I was due July 31st. At the time, I was working ICU stepdown and I really thought I'd go into August before I went into labor. I was late signing up for childbirth class (because I was certain there was plenty of time) and we attended our 1st class Thursday July 10th. I had seen my doc and not only had I put on 10lbs in 1 week, she said I was 3cm/80% and baby was at a zero station. Anyway, at the class, I noticed contractions that felt much different than the braxton-hicks I'd been having. I started timing and they were every 15 minutes. This of course got me excited. We went home that night and I ddin't sleep. I was in the recliner, miserable with these mild contractions that refused to let me sleep. I called work at 5am Friday morning and told them I thought I might be in labor so I stayed home. They got closer together, but not much more uncomfortable, so I called Husband and we went in (I wasn't well researched, I'll admit). I get there, I'm still 3 so i walk for a bit and the contractions space out and there's no change in my cervix. I was really embarrassed and worried because the contractions I was having hurt and I just didn't know how I was going to handle real labor. I felt silly, and kept saying "I'm a nurse, I should KNOW when it's labor". Silly me. Again, I barely slept Friday night because the contractions I was having, although still very irregular were uncomfortable enough to keep me awake. I got a break in the early morning that Saturday before they started in again in the early afternoon. We took a (very) short walk, I talked to my mom about 4pm and at 5pm, I had myself propped upright with pillows and I slept for about 2 hours. Around 7pm, I woke up with more contractions but these really were different. I started timing them, but was so out of my mind and determined not to go in until it was the "real" thing, that I kept telling Husband "they aren't regular...they are every 2-4 minutes!". I got in and out of the tub, moaned, paced, drank water, puked, and was passing pink mucus. Every time I'd see that pink tinged mucus, it made me feel better than something might be going on. I remember thinking that the contractions felt like Charlie horses in my uterus, so I ended up rubbing my belly with each contraction, like I could rub out the tightness like I did the whole pregnancy and the leg cramps. I started getting more restless and at midnight, Husband said to me that we were going to the hospital. I fought him. I did NOT want to be in there for a false alarm/too early, but I finally relented and we went in. I was 6cm on admission. I remember telling S (who i would come to be good friends with in a few short months) that I was exhausted and that I was so afraid it was false labor. It felt so good to hear I had made some change and although the contractions hurt, I was handling them. But I figured I still had a long time to labor, I was tired so i opted for the epidural and it was wonderful. Husband called family, my sister arrived and I went to sleep. I had hoped for several hours of sleep but Jacob had other plans. I'm not sure of times, but S came in to check me and informed me it was time to start pushing. I couldn't believe it! I wasn't ready, I wanted more sleep and wished I could just roll back over for awhile. I wanted a mirror to see and once it was brought it, I saw why I had to start pushing...I could see his head when I pushed! He had SOOOO much hair! I was just amazed at the fact I could see his head AND that I wasn't in excruciating pain. I thought it was great. S called the doc who was on-call. He was old-school and did episiotomies on just about everyone, so thats what I got and the next contraction, his head was out. At 4:23 am, July 13, 2003 Jacob was earthside and screamed his hello. I was was in total shock that I had just given birth to this beautiful creature, that he was mine, and that I was his mother. They gave him to me and everything else just faded away as I gazed at his face. I remember kissing his head, not caring that he was covered with mucus, some vernix and blood. He was just beautiful. Shortly after, I delivered the placenta and here I was with this wonderful little boy. Jacob James. I had said I'd "try" to breastfeed (makes me laugh now, considering the breastfeeding advocate I became) and he latched right on. I remember before he was born wondering if it would feel weird to breastfeed, but it came very natural for him and I. Over the next few hours, I remember just looking him over and then curling him up on my belly, like he might have been in the womb, something I would do with all 4 of my children, and I just marveled that a few short hours earlier, that's where he was. The body is an amazing thing. I also remember looking at Husband with brand new eyes, and falling in love all over again and even deeper with the man who was the father of my son. I remember this, and several other small details like it was yesterday. It's hard to believe that 9 years have passed and I have given birth to 3 more children after him. Happy Birthday, Big man!
I was due July 31st. At the time, I was working ICU stepdown and I really thought I'd go into August before I went into labor. I was late signing up for childbirth class (because I was certain there was plenty of time) and we attended our 1st class Thursday July 10th. I had seen my doc and not only had I put on 10lbs in 1 week, she said I was 3cm/80% and baby was at a zero station. Anyway, at the class, I noticed contractions that felt much different than the braxton-hicks I'd been having. I started timing and they were every 15 minutes. This of course got me excited. We went home that night and I ddin't sleep. I was in the recliner, miserable with these mild contractions that refused to let me sleep. I called work at 5am Friday morning and told them I thought I might be in labor so I stayed home. They got closer together, but not much more uncomfortable, so I called Husband and we went in (I wasn't well researched, I'll admit). I get there, I'm still 3 so i walk for a bit and the contractions space out and there's no change in my cervix. I was really embarrassed and worried because the contractions I was having hurt and I just didn't know how I was going to handle real labor. I felt silly, and kept saying "I'm a nurse, I should KNOW when it's labor". Silly me. Again, I barely slept Friday night because the contractions I was having, although still very irregular were uncomfortable enough to keep me awake. I got a break in the early morning that Saturday before they started in again in the early afternoon. We took a (very) short walk, I talked to my mom about 4pm and at 5pm, I had myself propped upright with pillows and I slept for about 2 hours. Around 7pm, I woke up with more contractions but these really were different. I started timing them, but was so out of my mind and determined not to go in until it was the "real" thing, that I kept telling Husband "they aren't regular...they are every 2-4 minutes!". I got in and out of the tub, moaned, paced, drank water, puked, and was passing pink mucus. Every time I'd see that pink tinged mucus, it made me feel better than something might be going on. I remember thinking that the contractions felt like Charlie horses in my uterus, so I ended up rubbing my belly with each contraction, like I could rub out the tightness like I did the whole pregnancy and the leg cramps. I started getting more restless and at midnight, Husband said to me that we were going to the hospital. I fought him. I did NOT want to be in there for a false alarm/too early, but I finally relented and we went in. I was 6cm on admission. I remember telling S (who i would come to be good friends with in a few short months) that I was exhausted and that I was so afraid it was false labor. It felt so good to hear I had made some change and although the contractions hurt, I was handling them. But I figured I still had a long time to labor, I was tired so i opted for the epidural and it was wonderful. Husband called family, my sister arrived and I went to sleep. I had hoped for several hours of sleep but Jacob had other plans. I'm not sure of times, but S came in to check me and informed me it was time to start pushing. I couldn't believe it! I wasn't ready, I wanted more sleep and wished I could just roll back over for awhile. I wanted a mirror to see and once it was brought it, I saw why I had to start pushing...I could see his head when I pushed! He had SOOOO much hair! I was just amazed at the fact I could see his head AND that I wasn't in excruciating pain. I thought it was great. S called the doc who was on-call. He was old-school and did episiotomies on just about everyone, so thats what I got and the next contraction, his head was out. At 4:23 am, July 13, 2003 Jacob was earthside and screamed his hello. I was was in total shock that I had just given birth to this beautiful creature, that he was mine, and that I was his mother. They gave him to me and everything else just faded away as I gazed at his face. I remember kissing his head, not caring that he was covered with mucus, some vernix and blood. He was just beautiful. Shortly after, I delivered the placenta and here I was with this wonderful little boy. Jacob James. I had said I'd "try" to breastfeed (makes me laugh now, considering the breastfeeding advocate I became) and he latched right on. I remember before he was born wondering if it would feel weird to breastfeed, but it came very natural for him and I. Over the next few hours, I remember just looking him over and then curling him up on my belly, like he might have been in the womb, something I would do with all 4 of my children, and I just marveled that a few short hours earlier, that's where he was. The body is an amazing thing. I also remember looking at Husband with brand new eyes, and falling in love all over again and even deeper with the man who was the father of my son. I remember this, and several other small details like it was yesterday. It's hard to believe that 9 years have passed and I have given birth to 3 more children after him. Happy Birthday, Big man!
June 16, 2012
10 Years
So I'm about 8 days late, but June 8, 2012, Husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. It's hard to believe it's been that long! It's been a wonderful, fulfilling, sometimes trying, 10 years. It's not been easy every step of the way, but I wouldn't want it to be. We've had some rough spots. We had our first big one shortly after Isaiah was born. These last couple months have been very difficult with the stress of trying to have our house lead abated within 90 days, coming up with the money on top of the daily life things. But here we are, stronger than we've ever been for all the joy and trials we've worked through.
In the last 10 years we've:
Rented 1 apartment, and 2 houses
Found employers we're happy with
Bought our first new car
Bought our first minivan...and traded it in for another minivan
Bought our first home
Welcome 4 beautiful children into the world
Bid farewell to the childbearing years
Mourned as we lost one child at 11 weeks gestation
Mourned the loss of our full term niece
Mourned the death of 2 aunts, 1 uncle, a grandmother, a couple great aunts/uncles
Watched as our friends married and had children of their own
Sent our first child to school
Sent our second child to school
Sent our 3rd child to pre-school
Watched our last child turn into a toddler
We manage a schedule with football/cheerleading and 3 kids in baseball!
Fought to the point we thought we'd never make it
Worked through the issues we had and made our relationship even stronger
I ran a marathon, Husband helped make it possible
Dealt with my sister moving far away as she followed her love to Texas
Learned to knit
Put in new windows and siding on our house
Our soloist at our wedding sang "Parents Prayer" and one line of the lyrics is "But now in your eyes the two will be as one" ...it's truer now than it was before. While it hasn't always been easy, we've always come together, eventually. The day Husband and I married, a poem I wrote was read and the last line was "With love and happiness in my heart, Today I marry my best friend". I'm happy to say that's still the case. Husband, I'm more in love with you now than I was 10 years ago. I can't wait to see what the future holds in store for us!
In honor of our anniversary, our song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riuXdXAOArY
processional:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuC82JWKC1U
recessional, with some changes, instead of "if" it was "now that someone.."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKEHHeO9WFw
Father/Daughter dance:
In my arms by Mark Wills
In the last 10 years we've:
Rented 1 apartment, and 2 houses
Found employers we're happy with
Bought our first new car
Bought our first minivan...and traded it in for another minivan
Bought our first home
Welcome 4 beautiful children into the world
Bid farewell to the childbearing years
Mourned as we lost one child at 11 weeks gestation
Mourned the loss of our full term niece
Mourned the death of 2 aunts, 1 uncle, a grandmother, a couple great aunts/uncles
Watched as our friends married and had children of their own
Sent our first child to school
Sent our second child to school
Sent our 3rd child to pre-school
Watched our last child turn into a toddler
We manage a schedule with football/cheerleading and 3 kids in baseball!
Fought to the point we thought we'd never make it
Worked through the issues we had and made our relationship even stronger
I ran a marathon, Husband helped make it possible
Dealt with my sister moving far away as she followed her love to Texas
Learned to knit
Put in new windows and siding on our house
Our soloist at our wedding sang "Parents Prayer" and one line of the lyrics is "But now in your eyes the two will be as one" ...it's truer now than it was before. While it hasn't always been easy, we've always come together, eventually. The day Husband and I married, a poem I wrote was read and the last line was "With love and happiness in my heart, Today I marry my best friend". I'm happy to say that's still the case. Husband, I'm more in love with you now than I was 10 years ago. I can't wait to see what the future holds in store for us!
In honor of our anniversary, our song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riuXdXAOArY
processional:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuC82JWKC1U
recessional, with some changes, instead of "if" it was "now that someone.."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKEHHeO9WFw
Father/Daughter dance:
In my arms by Mark Wills
June 5, 2012
Long time no post
In my defense, we've been really, really busy around here. Thought I'd run down some highlights and hopefully, life will take us out of the fast lane with road construction here soon!
* We just finished putting up new siding and installing new windows to help take care of the lead issue. We were able to do it ourselves, which saved us a lot of money, but it was still quite pricey and we relied heavily on help from friends and neighbors. The house looks awesome but we still have few projects left we have to finish before we are given our "lead free" paperwork.
* One of our cars has died. Yep. The first car Husband and I bought together has finally bit the dust. And because we are just loaded with more money than we can manage, this is no big deal. (sense the sarcasm)
* I've had some amazing births lately and met some awesome moms and doulas. I love that women are turning more and more to doulas for support and I've been impressed with the skill these doulas have.
* I ran my second half marathon and finished in 2:16...that shave off quite a bit of time from my first half marathon! I'm very happy, considering I hadn't been able to get out and run like I had hoped.
* Softball/Baseball/T-ball season is in full swing. We have a game almost every single night. I think for June, we have 6 days with no ball games.
* Husband and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this Friday. I can't believe that on June 8th, 2012, Husband and I will have been married 10 years. It just doesn't seem like that much time has gone by, but wow, have we seen our share of blessings and sadness. In 10 years, we've added 4 beautiful children to our family, said goodbye to our own little angel, a niece, a grandmother, 2 aunts, an uncle, a couple classmates, great aunts and uncles, lived in 4 different places, bought our first mini-van and home, went through the stress of having to put up new siding and windows due to a high lead level in our premature son, attended our first marathon with me running and Husband as my biggest supporter, watched our friends marry, have babies, divorce. We've had our good times and our not so great times, like the rough patch we had after Isaiah was born. But here we are, at a milestone that seemed ages away 10 years ago. I've seen Husband at his worst, Husband has seen me at my worst and yet somehow, here we are. About to start the next decade of our marriage. . God has blessed us and gotten us through some very difficult times. I cant' wait to see what the next 10 years hold in store for us
* We just finished putting up new siding and installing new windows to help take care of the lead issue. We were able to do it ourselves, which saved us a lot of money, but it was still quite pricey and we relied heavily on help from friends and neighbors. The house looks awesome but we still have few projects left we have to finish before we are given our "lead free" paperwork.
* One of our cars has died. Yep. The first car Husband and I bought together has finally bit the dust. And because we are just loaded with more money than we can manage, this is no big deal. (sense the sarcasm)
* I've had some amazing births lately and met some awesome moms and doulas. I love that women are turning more and more to doulas for support and I've been impressed with the skill these doulas have.
* I ran my second half marathon and finished in 2:16...that shave off quite a bit of time from my first half marathon! I'm very happy, considering I hadn't been able to get out and run like I had hoped.
* Softball/Baseball/T-ball season is in full swing. We have a game almost every single night. I think for June, we have 6 days with no ball games.
* Husband and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this Friday. I can't believe that on June 8th, 2012, Husband and I will have been married 10 years. It just doesn't seem like that much time has gone by, but wow, have we seen our share of blessings and sadness. In 10 years, we've added 4 beautiful children to our family, said goodbye to our own little angel, a niece, a grandmother, 2 aunts, an uncle, a couple classmates, great aunts and uncles, lived in 4 different places, bought our first mini-van and home, went through the stress of having to put up new siding and windows due to a high lead level in our premature son, attended our first marathon with me running and Husband as my biggest supporter, watched our friends marry, have babies, divorce. We've had our good times and our not so great times, like the rough patch we had after Isaiah was born. But here we are, at a milestone that seemed ages away 10 years ago. I've seen Husband at his worst, Husband has seen me at my worst and yet somehow, here we are. About to start the next decade of our marriage. . God has blessed us and gotten us through some very difficult times. I cant' wait to see what the next 10 years hold in store for us
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