Half-Marathon

In about four months I will be running my first half-marathon in Portland, ME.  In middle school and high school I ran cross-country and indoor track.  I enjoyed being part of the team, but I never really LOVED running; however, it was a great outlet for me.  When I needed time to think, I would run; when I needed time to get frustration out, I would run; and when I just needed to be alone, I would run.  There is something about putting the headphones in and running.  

So, why a half-marathon?  I am a very goal-oriented person and I needed something to work towards to lose the rest of my "baby weight" and I also wanted to get back into running again.  With so much going on, I needed to start making time for myself and get back into shape.  One day I mentioned to a fellow teacher (who happens to be a runner) that I was thinking about running a half-marathon.  After a few conversations, we decided that we would do it together along with his wife, another colleague and my husband.  It all worked out perfectly; not only am I going to get back into shape and run a half-marathon, I have people around me that I trust to hold me accountable and push me to meet my goal!  

With only four months to go, I am a little nervous about completing the half-marathon.  For the past couple of months, I have not had a lot of time to run.  I am looking forward to this summer when I don't have as many commitments to start a training program.  We just purchased a jogging stroller, which will be perfect this summer when I am home with Delaney. At this point, I am just looking to RUN the whole 13 miles, without a time in mind.  Maybe as the race gets closer, I will be able to set a mile average and a total time for the race.  Ahhh, what did I get myself into??  :o)

Relay for Life

On Friday night, I brought 11 of my 13 softball players to participate in Relay for Life (the other two had prior commitments).  This the the second year that my team has gone, but it had a new meaning this year for me.  My Dad had a tumor removed from the outside of his stomach about two weeks ago.  When we got the results back from his biopsy, it was malignant.  It came back as a very rare form of stomach cancer called GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor).  The good news is that it had not spread to any other organs and they were able to make a clean cut to remove it.  We are unsure of his treatment or if there will be any at this time.  He will meet with his doctor again at the beginning of June to make a plan.  Although I have been affected by cancer before, this has been very difficult.  I am keeping my spirits up, as is my Dad, but it makes me appreciate every day so much more.

We also had another individual in mind as we were participating in the event this year.  Recently, a teacher at our school found out that her cancer had returned.  Most of my team knows this teacher and wanted to support her in her upcoming journey.

As a team, we organized a yard sale and dance to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.  One of my players also made pink bows to sell at school this past Friday.  My softball players understood the importance of participating in the event and they now understand how cancer can affect families and individuals.  I find that most of them leave the event with a new respect for life and let the individuals they love, know that they love them.

As a team, we raised over $500.00 and walked over 125 miles that night.  We didn't get much sleep, but we bonded as a team, had great conversations, and created a memory that means a lot to everyone.  I look forward to participating in the event next year with some returning players and sharing our experience with new team members.

Delaney

My beautiful daughter, Delaney, entered the world on July 11, 2008.  In the past 22 months, I have had the chance to see the world in her eyes and experience how much you can love another human being.  No matter what kind of day I have had, she can make me smile and forget, for a short amount of time, what happened throughout the day.  

Delaney has grown into a very active, energetic, loving, happy-go-lucky toddler.  I think that she would live outside if she could, as it is always a battle getting her to go inside to eat and sleep!  She loves to go for walks, look at the ducks in the stream behind our house, collect pine cones and stomp on the "buggies."  That being said, she also likes to snuggle up on the chair at night to read books, especially her favorite, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?"  Delaney also likes to color, build castles with her blocks, climb all over Gauge (our black lab), and chase after Remmy (our cat).  

As you can probably tell, Delaney keeps us very busy.  At times, I wonder how I can juggle everything; however, it all seems to get done and get done well.  We are very lucky to have supportive families to help us through our crazy, hectic life and I wouldn't change it for anything.  I am looking forward to creating new memories as a family and I can't wait to share those in this blog.

The Beginning

It is hard to believe that I met my husband, Jason, almost 11 years ago.  And, it is hard to believe that we have been married for almost 6 years.  Jason and I met through one of my childhood friends, who went to college with him in Vermont.  We did the long-distance thing for two years, seeing one another once a month, before he ended up moving to Maine.  He finished up school at Unity College with a degree in Conservation Law Enforcement, while I graduated from the University of Maine-Farmington in 2002 with my teaching degree. 

Jason proposed in August 2003 and we got married almost exactly one year later on August 14, 2004.  It was a beautiful day, but it definitely went by so fast.  You put in so much work ahead of time, trying to make everything "perfect" and the day just flies by!  We went on a little honeymoon to Cape Cod, Massachusetts for a week with the intent to save money to go on a bigger one later.  Well, that never happened because we decided to buy a house instead!

We signed on our house at the end of May, 2006.  It is a cute little "starter house" with two bedrooms, perfect for starting a family.  The house was in great condition and only needed some cosmetic work to update the inside.  We have worked our way through the house fixing up each room, finishing up with the bathroom (which is going on right now as I type!).  

After moving into the house, we decided that we were ready to start adding to our family.  I found out in November 2007 that I was pregnant.  I had a pretty easy pregnancy, teaching and coaching the entire time.  Our daughter, Delaney, was born on July 11, 2008.  

I am creating this blog to keep family updated on the events in our lives.  It is actually something that I have been wanting to do for awhile, but never made the time to sit down to do it.  It is funny how when you HAVE to do something, you find the time!  The next post will highlight what has happened throughout the past 22 months of Delaney's life to catch everyone up and then I will use this blog as a way to share recent milestones and keep family updated.