Ready or Not!

OK, Not!  That was my preparedness for the Detroit 1/2 Marathon I did in e middle of October.  My longest run leading up to the race was a 9.3 miles.......back in July.  Yikes!  But I did the race last month with the sole goal of finishing uninjured. 

You see, my 17 year old nephew has been running for a while now.  His first 1/2 was back in April and he finished in just over 2 hours.  We were supposed to run the full marathon last month but since I had been really slacking in my training with my new job responsibilities, I switched to the 1/2.  When I talked to him, he had been doing some longer runs, but his weekly mileage was still under 30 miles.  Not really what you need for a full marathon.  He also registered for the 1/2. 

We stayed together for most of the race.  The poor boy didn't really get it when I said I was slow and was planning to run/walk the entire distance.  I could see he was itching to run during every walk break and urged him to go ahead several times.  He did stay with me for the first 9 miles.  The last time I urged him to run ahead, he asked if I was serious.  My answer was "Go!  Have fun!"  with a huge smile on my face and he charged ahead.  I was so happy to have his company thus far, and probably woundn't have faired as well if I had been going it alone. 

As it turned out, I ended  up walking most of the last 5K.  I remained injury free and was able to make the 8+ hour drive home the next day.  So this year I spent my birthday weekend enjoying the company of my sister and her family and run/walking a race I was completely unprepared for.   All in all, a great way to spend the weekend!

The Great Reveal

"Gulp"  Here goes!  The big project that I've been researching, scheming, planning, sweating, praying, and discussing with family and close friends is........I'm going back to school.  Like, university.  As in, PhD in Education....  Whew!  That was hard.  Ok, ok, you read that right.  A PhD in Education.  Yes, yes.  A PhD in Education.  There, was that bold enough?

I understand that the best way to set any big goal and ensure that you will remain constant in your efforts to attain it, is to share it publicly.  It is harder to back down from a goal when you share it broadly since others may ask you about it in the future.  I am trying going to earn my PhD in Education so I can research and write about best practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.  I really don't want to go around explaining to everyone in a few years how or why that didn't work out!

As I said, I discussed it and prayed about it.  I believe that God led me to my initial inquiries when I prayed for a change since I have been very stressed about work for several months now.  When I first had the "ah ha!" moments and the idea started to take hold, it was really scary.  I mean, really.  Me?  A PhD?  But then, the more I prayed and discussed it with my husband and children, the more it seemed possible.

And then, things started happening that paved the way.  God made them possible.  My husband was in between assignments when I started exploring this option.  Then a week later he received active duty orders for a position just over an hour from home - with car-pooling available!  That means a good pay and benefits, too! 

When we looked at the timing in relation to our family we realized two things: the girls have most of their college education paid for by the Post 911 GI Bill that my husband transferred to them last winter and our older son won't go to college for 3 years.  College tuition for the kids won't be an issue for a while.  Add to the mix our younger son who is cared for by a close friend willing to watch him on a flexible schedule.   We have savings to help with expenses and I can work part-time in one of our local school districts. If I don't do this now, there probably won't be an opportunity like it for nearly 10 years.

When I applied, I received the acceptance letter less than a week later.  I prayed, talked with my family again, and gave my notice at work at few days later. I worried about the volunteers I support.  They were very supportive and wished me well when I told them my plans and that I would no longer be their staff representative.  I have one week left and my director and HR will interview candidates starting Monday, so the communities I serve should have support soon.

All of it is coming together.  I have been in a Bible study with two very close friends since before this process began.  So many times during the study, the Word has spoken directly to my situation and confirmed for me that this is the path God intends for me to follow.

So, me?  A PhD candidate?  Really? Is that the stuff I'm made of?  Yes. Yes! The more I continue on this path, in the context of prayer and the Word, the more my fears are calmed, the more confident I become that this is who I am and what I am meant to do.  Dr. Hartlaub will see you in a few years.  :)

Work In Progress

I'm still not ready to officially announce anything yet.  But I am getting closer to actually making the change and made some commitments to do this.  It's good, I promise.  But it is also a big, HUGE, scary step for me.  A leap of faith.  It is not a sudden change and will take a great effort from me and sacrifice from the rest of the family.  I am so blessed to have my family and friends on my side.  They all support this change.  My family is willing to make the adjustments that will be necessary - some definite, others possible.  It is a family commitment. 

I watched the movie "Faith Like Potatoes" this summer.  Check it out on Netflix if you haven't seen it yet. The farmer takes a huge leap of faith and puts the success and future of his community in the hands of God and a field of potatoes during a drought.  This is kind of how I feel.  I am in my own personal drought.  I am making a big change, a risky change, that I have prayed about, but that could be foolish and wasteful. I won't know until afterwards if it was wise and will benefit our family and community.  I have to trust God and pray that the sacrifices, time, and efforts will be worthwhile.

A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven

I'm not yet ready to make it public, but I am seriously contemplating a major life change.  I have been researching the possibility. I have talked it over with my husband, our older kids, my mom, and some close friends.  Each time I think there is a stumbling block or a potential obstacle, my family has been able to find a reasonable solution or an solution is presented, unrequested, from outside sources.

It is pretty huge, at least to me. And it isn't something I had ever considered before.  But too many pieces are falling into place for it to be a coincidence or a whim.  This seems to be the time for this change....

Neat-o! Look at my new skills!

I revised my post on the mud race to add photos!  My sister-in-law took pictures on race day and I had my brother email them to me so I could share them here and on Facebook.  I feel so proud of myself!  You have to promise not to try to find my wonderful family for stalking and other nefarious purposes.  Cross your heart.  Cross it!  Cross it!

See?  Didn't I tell you awe-inspiring? 
Isn't this stock photo awe-inpiring?

And I changed font size and color on the word mud.  Did you see it?  Did you?  Did you?  I feel like a whole new level of blogging has opened up to me! (Cue dramatic music.)  Be prepared for all sorts of amazing and awe-inspiring effects to show up in future blogs. 

Mud, Glorious Mud!

Filfthy Four: Millville Mud Run

I had a very dirty weekend.  A few cousins, their friends, my teenaged son and I all played in the mud.  OK, we were a team for a cancer charity mud run.  It was 4 hot, dusty miles of looping around a motorcross race track (with complimentary motorcross races occuring simultaneously with our race for added atmosphere) and  a bunch of mud, tires, and hay obstacles mixed in for variety every 1/4 -1/2 mile or so.  Some of the obstacles were just one element, some were a combination.  I think my son's favorite was the mud trough that was about 12 feet long and 3 feet deep  - oh, and with a gushy, muddy bottom that you sank into another 6 inches.  I personally loved the tire tower that most people gingerly climbed over using hands and feet.  Playing with my toddler on our local playground that is made entirely of railroad ties, chains, and tires was great training for this race.  I just walked right up the tower and back down the other side.

Headling over the last berm!

The last element on the course was a group of deep, wide, muddy water pits separated only by steep, muddy berms that rose up 2 feet above the muddy water.  These were all under a cargo net and strings of triangle flags so the only option was crawling through the mess and then crawling up and over those berms.  If you were somewhat clean before, you weren't anymore!  When I finished, I had mud caked on my feet, knees, hands and spread all over.  My toddler looked at me kind of funny, didn't say a word, started digging in my mom's purse and pulled out one tissue.  He carefully tried to clean the mud off my hand, touching me only with the tissue, so he wouldn't get any on himself.  After a few ineffective swipes, he frowned up at me and told me I needed a shower.  I asked him for a kiss before I went over to the hoses to wash the majority of the mud off.  He reached his lips to me for a kiss, all the while staying as far away from me as he possibly could.  Oh, my.  It was funny to see!

My mom decided this was the perfect race for me.  When I was a high school cross-country runner, every year we would run an invitational meet and the state meet at the same park, in the same month.  At every race, the course was a sloppy, muddy mess.  We never ran the course in nice weather.  It was always a rainy, snowy, sleeting, yucky mess of precipitation.  But, oh how fun the mud was!  And the whole course was a giant mud slide!  No PRs there! 

Going back even farther into my childhood, my mom also likes to remind me of all the times I came home from school wet to the knees on rainy days.  I had the appropriate rain gear, but I loved to splash in the puddles on the 1/2 mile walk home.  And the puddles were always soooo big, I couldn't possibly walk around them!  At least that was the story I stuck with every time.

Here I am getting ready to cross the finish line.

All in all, I think this was a great weekend for running.  I ended up with skinned knees from the stones mixed in the mud, so I feel 10 again.  I ended up muddy from head to toe and ran with my teen son, so I feel like a teen running at that park again.  I ran with my cousins who are all in their 20s, so I feel like a young adult again.  I ran at my slow pace that I have come to accept as the norm for me, so I feel like my super grown-up 40ish self.  How often in your life can you have the experience of all those ages of life at the same time?

Everyday Miracles

Children.
Childbirth.
Believing.
Sunset.
Stars.
Moon.
Sunrise.
Leaves turning orange.
Love.
Technology.
Flowers blooming.
Snow.
Thunderstorms.
Wine.
Kindness.
Engines.
Vision.
Hearing.
Taste.
Touch.
Smell.
Seeds.
Rising bread.
Hope.
Potty training.
Toddlers minds.
Music.
Forgiveness.
Math.
Physics.
Chemistry.
Biology.
Microwave ovens.
Freezers.
Faith.
Jesus.