Wow, has it really been 5 weeks? So much has happened that it really doesn't even seem like July was here.
Amongst the normal craziness that is our life(work, kid, friends, family and running), it seems a lot of other things have happened as well. Lets back up a few weeks...3 weekends ago we had a cousin's open house and a trip to the zoo along with a bbq with friends. What makes this weekend notable is not either of these things however. It was marked by my baby boy's first broken bone (and I hope the last). As I was sorting laundry at the bottom of the basement steps with E next to me 'helping', he made a dash for the stairs crawled up 2 and fell all before I realized anything had happened. I heard a thunk and turned...before I ever heard it, I knew what was coming next....that scream no mother ever wants to hear. So after some consoling and a good once over to check for bumps, brusises, bleeding or anything else out of the ordinary, he seemed o.k. and laid down for a nap(which made me nervous since he bumped his head). After said nap, we got ready to go to the zoo and when I put him down I noticed he would not put any weight on his left foot....when he tried he would cry and pick it up. So, we figured it was sprained and he would be in a stroller at the zoo anyhow. So, off we went to the zoo. As the day wore on however, he still would not put that foot down. I knew something was off.....so we called the nurse at the peds office since it was Sunday and we didn't really know if it was ER material. She told us to watch it and if he still was favoring it in the morning to make a dr. appt. It was just so odd...no brusing, swelling, redness, cuts...nothing! So, the next morning he was still only standing on one leg, so we made the appt. That afternoon we took him in and 3 hrs. later (after dr. visit, x-rays, more waiting than we could handle), we had the diagnosis. Broken ankle bone. I could not believe it! Little kids bones are supposed to be flexible right?!?!? So, off to the splint room we went to ge a half cast wrapped with an ace bandage until we got an appt. with a peds ortho to get a cast. A real cast. On my baby. I could hardly imagine it. So, that Friday he got his little blue cast on. If a cast can be cute, his is.
It certainly has been a challenge to bathe him, but he gets it off this Friday already! Turns out baby bones heal quickly! Less than 3 weeks since the injury. Then I hope he'll be walking shortly after. He wants to so badly and is actually walking around with his push toys and seems really steady now. Chris says he'll get the cast off Friday and will be walking by Saturday. I have no doubt. But seriously how much can a parent take in one year?!? In the hospital for rsv at 5 mos, constant ear infections and finally tubes, broken bone...and he's only 13 mos! Sheesh! Thank goodness for faith.
So, that was 3 weekends ago. The weekend after that we had a dear friend's wedding to attend. It was a great time and a beautiful event.
The Wed. after that was our last FPU (Financial Peace University- ala Dave Ramsey)class. We started this program on our own about 18 months ago, but joined the class when our church offered it..plus they offered babystitting which made it doable for us after work during the week. It essentially common sense.....but it makes you really think and actually do it. I love the principles in this class, and to date we have paid off our car early(and plan to never tak a loan again for one), paid off about 30K in debt and are socking away $ for an emergency fund. It feels so good to not owe others money. We have come to the way of thinking that our grandparents did it.....pay with cash and if you don't have it, you don't get it. Remarkable! It has definittely made it tough, and no we haven't had the nicest of things, but we have what we need...and if something unfortunate happens down the road we will be able to cover it without credit. That is called freedom. It has also taught us how to communicate in our finances and so has also improved our marriage. This class has been great, but I will admit having my Wed. nights back to run will be a welcome relief on my schedule.
So after our final class ended we headed up north(read U.P.) for a short but much needed family vacation(yes we budgeted it months ago and saved for it).So up to Houghton for Chris' fraternity's reunion and his first triathlon along with some copper country sigh seeing. We made it to the bridge that night and stayed in Mackinaw City. Ethan though it was party time at the hotel though so we only got about 4 hrs. sleep...awesome since we had to drive way farther the next day. The next day we took a short run with the friends we were traveling with before taking off again. Unfortunately Chris tweaked his knee......not good 2 days before a tri.
But we were off again and hit Tahquamenon(sp?) Falls, a couple scenic overlooks, and Canyon Falls(babies needs lots of breaks from the car), before finally arriving in Houghton. Ahhhh.....I swear the UP really is God's country. The air seems fresher, the people are nice, things move a little slower, and of course we have lots of good memories.
So the highlights included taking E to Chutes and Ladders(he loved crawling in the tubes and swinging), hanging out with friends and seeing all the new stuff since we were last there 5 yrs. ago...wow a lot has changed...but for the better. Then it finally came...Saturday morning...triathlon day! 1/2 mile swim, 23 mile bike and 5 mile run in the middle of nowhere. Gotta love it!
We got up at 5 a.m....we actually woke up Ethan for once! hah! We hit the road with a quick pit stop for coffee with 2 other couples who are great friends and also doing the tri. 1 couple plus Chris were doing the whole enchilada, while 1 and the other couple were doing the relay.
So remember Chris' bum knee? Well, turns out Sat. morning brought a pain free knee ready to roll! We arrived at Copper Harbor and E, I and Jen took the trolley to the start while the rest of the crew took their bikes......no parking was allowed about a mile away from the start so as to avoid biker injuries as the course came back the way we came in ...so no parking allowed near the start. It was a brisk awesome Sat. morning up north. About 58 I think. brrrr!
After we arrived and got our timing chips, bodies marked and transition areas ready, we got a few pics and waited for the pre-race meeting. Turns out there was a BIG hole on the bike course....so glad we made it to the meeting to fin out crucial things like that.
So, some more waiting, then I took E to spectate and take pics as best I could, cheer on my friends and hubby until it was my turn in the relay. Logistically I wasn't sure that it would really work, but it did. Jen did the swim and then tagged Brad who did the bike(which took a while), so while he was out, she got changed, and was able to watch E so I could stretch and get ready to go. She watched him the whole time I was gone too... Brad came in and tagged me and I was off! I took off faster than I should have, but it felt good, the adrenaline was going....and it was so fun! More fun than a regular running race I dare say. I got onto the course and I literally was the only one I could see....no one in front or in back...hmmm...weird. Then I knew why...there were some monster hills to climb on the trail.....yes climbing is the only word I can think of. Then wizzing by me in the other direction came I can only imagine the first place guy...seriously??!?! I was on the trail literally 2 minutes and on a relay team(read we were all fresh) and this guy comes tearing back...amazing! After I got over those hills, and neared the road portion I finally saw more competitors but still no one behond me...kudos to our swimmer and biker for such a good head start! So, I ran as fast as my body would allow. A little hot and mostly uphill one way(i was an out and back), but great on the way back.
It was so fun to finish it up...alas I only did a barely sub-9 min. mile...but I'll take it for now. After me came the one couple who ended up finishing at the same time! It was so cute! Then came my hubby! He was still going strong at the finish but happy to be done. He did great! His knee didn't even bother him at the end. I think I might've been as proud as he was. Such an accomplishment!He's already looking for the next one...yes, it seems he's hooked. :o)
Sunday we made our way back home and were happy to be back even though we'll miss it up there until the next time. Hopefully next year we can both compete in it.
Monday we were still off and I managed to finally get my 13 miler in. It felt great! I'm a little bummed this weekend is a step back week in training...only 10 miles. I know I need to have those weeks....but I love pushing it to see how far I can go. But, I guess my goal is to get to the marathon starting line uninjured this time....so trying to talk some sense into myself in the mean time to take it easy.
So this week is now recovering, cleaning, doing the mundane everday things....but grateful for our family, friends, and memories.
Amongst the normal craziness that is our life(work, kid, friends, family and running), it seems a lot of other things have happened as well. Lets back up a few weeks...3 weekends ago we had a cousin's open house and a trip to the zoo along with a bbq with friends. What makes this weekend notable is not either of these things however. It was marked by my baby boy's first broken bone (and I hope the last). As I was sorting laundry at the bottom of the basement steps with E next to me 'helping', he made a dash for the stairs crawled up 2 and fell all before I realized anything had happened. I heard a thunk and turned...before I ever heard it, I knew what was coming next....that scream no mother ever wants to hear. So after some consoling and a good once over to check for bumps, brusises, bleeding or anything else out of the ordinary, he seemed o.k. and laid down for a nap(which made me nervous since he bumped his head). After said nap, we got ready to go to the zoo and when I put him down I noticed he would not put any weight on his left foot....when he tried he would cry and pick it up. So, we figured it was sprained and he would be in a stroller at the zoo anyhow. So, off we went to the zoo. As the day wore on however, he still would not put that foot down. I knew something was off.....so we called the nurse at the peds office since it was Sunday and we didn't really know if it was ER material. She told us to watch it and if he still was favoring it in the morning to make a dr. appt. It was just so odd...no brusing, swelling, redness, cuts...nothing! So, the next morning he was still only standing on one leg, so we made the appt. That afternoon we took him in and 3 hrs. later (after dr. visit, x-rays, more waiting than we could handle), we had the diagnosis. Broken ankle bone. I could not believe it! Little kids bones are supposed to be flexible right?!?!? So, off to the splint room we went to ge a half cast wrapped with an ace bandage until we got an appt. with a peds ortho to get a cast. A real cast. On my baby. I could hardly imagine it. So, that Friday he got his little blue cast on. If a cast can be cute, his is.
It certainly has been a challenge to bathe him, but he gets it off this Friday already! Turns out baby bones heal quickly! Less than 3 weeks since the injury. Then I hope he'll be walking shortly after. He wants to so badly and is actually walking around with his push toys and seems really steady now. Chris says he'll get the cast off Friday and will be walking by Saturday. I have no doubt. But seriously how much can a parent take in one year?!? In the hospital for rsv at 5 mos, constant ear infections and finally tubes, broken bone...and he's only 13 mos! Sheesh! Thank goodness for faith.
So, that was 3 weekends ago. The weekend after that we had a dear friend's wedding to attend. It was a great time and a beautiful event.
The Wed. after that was our last FPU (Financial Peace University- ala Dave Ramsey)class. We started this program on our own about 18 months ago, but joined the class when our church offered it..plus they offered babystitting which made it doable for us after work during the week. It essentially common sense.....but it makes you really think and actually do it. I love the principles in this class, and to date we have paid off our car early(and plan to never tak a loan again for one), paid off about 30K in debt and are socking away $ for an emergency fund. It feels so good to not owe others money. We have come to the way of thinking that our grandparents did it.....pay with cash and if you don't have it, you don't get it. Remarkable! It has definittely made it tough, and no we haven't had the nicest of things, but we have what we need...and if something unfortunate happens down the road we will be able to cover it without credit. That is called freedom. It has also taught us how to communicate in our finances and so has also improved our marriage. This class has been great, but I will admit having my Wed. nights back to run will be a welcome relief on my schedule.
So after our final class ended we headed up north(read U.P.) for a short but much needed family vacation(yes we budgeted it months ago and saved for it).So up to Houghton for Chris' fraternity's reunion and his first triathlon along with some copper country sigh seeing. We made it to the bridge that night and stayed in Mackinaw City. Ethan though it was party time at the hotel though so we only got about 4 hrs. sleep...awesome since we had to drive way farther the next day. The next day we took a short run with the friends we were traveling with before taking off again. Unfortunately Chris tweaked his knee......not good 2 days before a tri.
But we were off again and hit Tahquamenon(sp?) Falls, a couple scenic overlooks, and Canyon Falls(babies needs lots of breaks from the car), before finally arriving in Houghton. Ahhhh.....I swear the UP really is God's country. The air seems fresher, the people are nice, things move a little slower, and of course we have lots of good memories.
So the highlights included taking E to Chutes and Ladders(he loved crawling in the tubes and swinging), hanging out with friends and seeing all the new stuff since we were last there 5 yrs. ago...wow a lot has changed...but for the better. Then it finally came...Saturday morning...triathlon day! 1/2 mile swim, 23 mile bike and 5 mile run in the middle of nowhere. Gotta love it!
We got up at 5 a.m....we actually woke up Ethan for once! hah! We hit the road with a quick pit stop for coffee with 2 other couples who are great friends and also doing the tri. 1 couple plus Chris were doing the whole enchilada, while 1 and the other couple were doing the relay.
So remember Chris' bum knee? Well, turns out Sat. morning brought a pain free knee ready to roll! We arrived at Copper Harbor and E, I and Jen took the trolley to the start while the rest of the crew took their bikes......no parking was allowed about a mile away from the start so as to avoid biker injuries as the course came back the way we came in ...so no parking allowed near the start. It was a brisk awesome Sat. morning up north. About 58 I think. brrrr!
After we arrived and got our timing chips, bodies marked and transition areas ready, we got a few pics and waited for the pre-race meeting. Turns out there was a BIG hole on the bike course....so glad we made it to the meeting to fin out crucial things like that.
So, some more waiting, then I took E to spectate and take pics as best I could, cheer on my friends and hubby until it was my turn in the relay. Logistically I wasn't sure that it would really work, but it did. Jen did the swim and then tagged Brad who did the bike(which took a while), so while he was out, she got changed, and was able to watch E so I could stretch and get ready to go. She watched him the whole time I was gone too... Brad came in and tagged me and I was off! I took off faster than I should have, but it felt good, the adrenaline was going....and it was so fun! More fun than a regular running race I dare say. I got onto the course and I literally was the only one I could see....no one in front or in back...hmmm...weird. Then I knew why...there were some monster hills to climb on the trail.....yes climbing is the only word I can think of. Then wizzing by me in the other direction came I can only imagine the first place guy...seriously??!?! I was on the trail literally 2 minutes and on a relay team(read we were all fresh) and this guy comes tearing back...amazing! After I got over those hills, and neared the road portion I finally saw more competitors but still no one behond me...kudos to our swimmer and biker for such a good head start! So, I ran as fast as my body would allow. A little hot and mostly uphill one way(i was an out and back), but great on the way back.
It was so fun to finish it up...alas I only did a barely sub-9 min. mile...but I'll take it for now. After me came the one couple who ended up finishing at the same time! It was so cute! Then came my hubby! He was still going strong at the finish but happy to be done. He did great! His knee didn't even bother him at the end. I think I might've been as proud as he was. Such an accomplishment!He's already looking for the next one...yes, it seems he's hooked. :o)
Sunday we made our way back home and were happy to be back even though we'll miss it up there until the next time. Hopefully next year we can both compete in it.
Monday we were still off and I managed to finally get my 13 miler in. It felt great! I'm a little bummed this weekend is a step back week in training...only 10 miles. I know I need to have those weeks....but I love pushing it to see how far I can go. But, I guess my goal is to get to the marathon starting line uninjured this time....so trying to talk some sense into myself in the mean time to take it easy.
So this week is now recovering, cleaning, doing the mundane everday things....but grateful for our family, friends, and memories.
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