Memorial Day 2009

Kenzie Jo is a constant source of entertainment.
Jon got a new Wii from Andrea which delighted all the "Kids." I think Sue might have an unfair advantage against her opponent. :)


Elijah, chills as he waits for his turn on the Wii.

Mom and Dad enjoy some time on the swing. The weather was incredible.

Me with my favorite Sister-in-law, Holly. ;)

The whole Grate clan enjoying a wonderful lunch.

We celebrated the birthdays of Emmy, Keever and me!

Happy birthday to us!

Blowing out our candles.

Birthday girls, Emmy and Aunt Kelley

Sisters- Kelley and Andrea

Zeke is such a nut and so strong too!

Awe...there's my sweet boy!

Kenzie got a big kick out of her new toy. It played music and whenever you pushed it, she would crack up laughing. Too cute!

Busy Month

Friends- Jeff, Sue and I went to a Reds game on Thursday. They lost, but it was a BEAUTIFUL day! We rode in Sue's new Mustang convertible with the top down all the way home! Incredible!

This year's patio flowers all all hues of orange, yellow and reds. I LOVE them!

Mother-Daughter Banquet 2009

Andrea and Kelley

Lifetime friends- Kismet and Kelley

Mother's Day dinner at Grandma's!

Mom with her girls!

My "twin" cousin Kim!

Kenzie JoAnn Looking too cute!

planting mom's flowers- No Dad is not flipping you off. The stripe on his shirt looks like it's coming from the middle of his fist!

Love working with my sis!

I believe it's almost been a month since the Mini. My life has been zooming by. I must say, I was a little out of sorts after the race. To be focused on something for that long and then have it completed, is something of a let down. I had to refocus. So, this month we've had Mother's day, flower planting, a trip to Cincinnati with friends, and a new focus on exercise. I've been working hard at the gym and have lost 25lbs since the fall. I have a long way to go, but I'm more focused on my eating and more intense exercise now that I'm not training for the "walk." My goal is to kick another 25-30 before school rolls around again in the fall. The Lord and a good friend are teaching me to be more content with who I am and to enjoy this time of change instead of being impatient that it's taking me so long.

Mini Marathon pictures

Me and my sis after the race.

The whole crew at the IWU tent after the race.

Kelley and Andrea coming into the home stretch.

Shortly after the starting line

2009 Indianapolis Mini Marathon

This day was so incredible and overwhelming! Today I walked my first mini marathon, 13.1 miles. My friend Missy has a torn miniscus in her knee so had to pull out at the last minute. I was supposed to walk with her and was a little panicked about walking alone. So, I placed a call to my biggest supporter, Andrea. She agreed on Friday morning to become "Missy" for the day. Honest to goodness, I could not have made it without her. Andrea, thank you for being the BEST sister on the planet! I love you!

We were in our corrals at 7:00am just like we were told to be. The starting gun went off at 7:30 and 44 min. later we crossed the starting line. It was crazy. I started off strong and in great spirits. All along the race course, there are local bands playing, people cheering and just general hoopla! It's fun and motivating. At mile 6 you go into the Indy Motor Speedway. Now that is overwhelming! That place is huge. It's 2.5 miles around and it felt every bit that long. During that part of the race, I started to get tired....

Our group of walkers had t-shirts made for the race. The front said "Nothing is impossible" while the back had a scripture; "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

All along the race course, people commented on the shirt. As we were walking the track, I heard a lady behind me talking about my shirt. She then told me that she really liked it. I told her thanks and that I could really use someone in front of me wearing the shirt right now...she said, "Here let me read it to you." She proceeded to read the verse to me. I was a blubbering mess. I needed to hear the words of that verse in a big way. Later around the track, we ended up near her again and this time, she just started reading. She told me that this verse had gotten her through many a race. This was her 18th Mini Marathon. I was in awe. She was in her sixties and had walked this race for the last 18 years. I told her that I was in my first and maybe my last. :)

Well, we made it around the track and completed mile 9 shortly after we left the speedway. About mile 10, I started to get overwhelmed. I had never walked farther than 10 and the thought of 3 more, was hard to take. My feet were hurting and I was tired. Andrea kept me encouraged as did my friend Missy with her text messages. I got choked up several times during the last 3 miles. At one point the encouragement was too much and I started crying...I said "I don't think I can take anymore encouragement" so the ladies next to Andrea started telling me how poorly I was doing. It was hillarious. Made me laugh and kind of broke the tension. Well, before I knew it, Andrea and I were walking the last mile. The mile markers were counting down...3/4....1/2....1/4 and then I could see the finish line...

Before I knew it the whole gang was lined up on either side of the street, cheering me one, snapping pictures, ringing cowbells...I felt like a rock star!!! It was so cool. I have the best friends in my life! I cried like a baby as Andrea and I crossed the finish line together. 3:58:33

Trip to Michigan and Last Training Day

This weekend I went to my brother's house in Michigan. I had such a good time. I hadn't spent a weekend with my kids since Christmas except for a very short visit Easter weekend. I have looked forward to this weekend for a long time. Today, Sue and I took the kids out for ice cream. A good, messy time was had by all. :)
Chocolate peanut butter...yum!

A much too big for him, M&M sundae!

The best eater of them all...rainbow sherbert!

Saturday afternoon, we all went to the museum. It was a lot of fun. We saw a steller performance in the planetarium.Me with my little brother.

Love that grin.

Holly and the kids on the back of the trolley.

TRAINING DAY UPDATE

Well, today I finished my training walks today. I am in Michigan this weekend so I was unable to walk yesterday. So, this morning, Sue and I headed to a local mall to walk 6 miles. I was excited that today was ONLY 6 miles. Man was it hard! I have never been a "mall walker" and now I know why. Talk about boredom. I didn't think we were ever going to be finished! And, it was stinking hot! I was burning up. But, I am done and next Sat. is the race. I am so excited and nervous all at the same time. I can't believe it's here already. I can't believe I have walked every Sat. (except today) since the first weekend in January. By far the most disciplined I have every been about anything. It's been a good experience and it's shown me that when I want to have discipline and will power, I can have. If I can just apply that same determination to my eating, I'd probably be amazed at the results. Well, next time I post, the race will be over and I'll hopefully be posting about my amazing finish. Until next weekend...

Too cute for Words!

What a Day That Will Be!!!

Today was such a blessed day! The whole weekend really was awesome, but today took the cake. After a wonderful service a church, we headed to Grandma Grate's for dinner. Grandma took the lead at dinner and prayed, which brought me to tears. It's when she prays that I feel the closest to her. It's like God gives her back to us as she used to be for a short time. After dinner, my Aunt Marla suggested we bring church to Grandma since she can't get out to church anymore. There were 18 of us gathered in Grandma's living room singing. We sang "Because He Lives," "He Lives," What a Day That Will Be," "When the Roll is Called up Yonder," and a few more I'm sure I'm forgetting. It was such a precious time. Grandma was singing along a little, but mostly raising her hands to the Lord as we sang. It was hard not to get choked up and all of us did at one point. After we sang, Grandma prayed again. She really prayed and cried, just like I remember her doing all my life. She prayed for her children and grandchildren. I remember listening to her and Grandpa pray for us all by name when I was little and used to camp with them. They thought I was asleep, I'm sure, but I used to listen to those prayers and knew I was always uplifted to the throne. That has never left me. Today, I got to have that once more. When I think of "prayer warriors," my Grandma always comes to mind. Today, I felt a renewed faith in the power of prayer. Not just in the things we can gain from praying, but the way it can transform us. Grandma was transformed today as she prayed. God is so good! I am so thankful for His gift of salvation and what this beautiful day means for all of us. What a Day That Will Be!

Another Day of Training

Well, I survived another day of training. I'm here in Ohio this weekend for Easter with my family. My sister Andrea went with me this morning to walk my 9 miles. Our church here has a nice 1 mile walking path. It was freezing cold and windy, but we made it. The beauty of this path is that is is completely flat and easy to walk. I had my fastest time yet, at 161/2 min. miles. We kept that pace from mile one till the end. I thought it might not be quite a mile since my time was so fast, but then I started considering the diffence in this path and the path at Matter park. If I can do all the hills and keep a 17 min. mile pace, then I probably was faster on a completely flat path. So, after discussing it, Andrea and I decided to go with the faster time theory. :)

Record Time

Today was fun! I had suggested that anyone from our group of ladies that wanted to do their training run/walk today at the same time should come on out. It's more fun to have others around even if you're not all walking/running at the same pace. You pass each other and give encouragement. Kind of makes it more interesting. So, there were six of us that met today. Some ran, some did a combination and then there was me walking (with Sue). I thought today would be a breeze. Only seven miles after last week's ten seemed like no big deal. Well, I was wrong. I felt like it was just as hard and just as long...BUT the good news is, I was much faster today. To finish at an 18 min. pace, it would take me 2hrs and 6 min. I finished in 2hrs 30 sec. I was elated! This was a great walk and I was amazed that I upped my pace. I haven't been any faster the last several weeks so I kind of felt like maybe that was as fast as I could go, but today, I was proven wrong. I guess these short little legs can move when they want to. Only 4 weeks till race day!

Milestones

Well, today was the big day! The day that has loomed out in front of me since I started the "mini" training. Today was the 10 mile walk day. That is the most you walk before the race. I have watched this week approach on my training schedule...wondering "would I ever be able to do that?" Well, that week arrived and guess what? I did it!! It was long and hard and I'm exhausted, but I did it!!! Today was very emotional. I cried on the way to the park feeling a little overwhelmed by what was ahead. I called Sue for a little support and like the friend that she is, she put it in perspective...she told me to suck it up because there's no crying in marathons! Now, don't be thinking that she's insensitive. I actually laughed when she said it and it did the trick. But, when the walk was over, I also broke down and sobbed. It's just a little overwhelming to come to this milestone in the training. To do something that you never thought was possible is very motivating. I feel like I can do anything right now. I decided today that I need to continue this drive to exercise when the race is over. I'm come so far, I don't want to lose all I've gained. Well, that's all for today!

Operation Kenzie gets to see Daddy is a success!

Kenzie and Daddy say goodbye.
Early morning playing

Somebody loves her Daddy

Trip down...time for diaper change and PJs

Kenzie was loving the freedom!

Bridge into Jacksonville

The pier

Time to head home

Doesn't she look so peaceful?

9 Miles

Well, my trip concluded with no beach time at all. Aunt Marla, I'm sorry, but didn't make it to St. Augustine either. Another 100 miles of driving on top of what we had already done, was just too much of a deterance. Some day though, I would like to go there. Instead, just headed back to Augusta and had dinner with Jon, Andrea and Kenzie. Watching Andrea and Kenzie tell Jon goodbye was a real tear jerker! My sister is one tough cookie...I don't think I'd be as strong as she is. The trip home yesterday was long but uneventful. I must say that Kenzie was one amazing traveler. She was so good. 20 hrs. in a car seat is a long time for a toddler and she only had 1 10 min. fit in all that time. (I'll post pics of our trip soon.)

So, since the winds deterred me from my walk on Sat. I got up this morning to do my 9 mile walk. I want you to think of some destination that is 9 miles from your house and then think about walking there! 9 miles is a long way!! My friend Missy walked with me today. She did the first 8 with me which was awesome. She had only done 6 to that point and is fighting a torn miniscus in her knee. I was very proud of her. I did the last mile on my own but that wasn't any big deal. At one point she told me I was "speedy." I have to say that I'm pretty sure noone has EVER called me that before. :) This coming Sat. is 10 miles and I must say that I never dreamed I would get there. Thanks for all your encouragment and prayers through this process. It has meant the world!

Kelley

The things you do for love...

Like walking in the rain and the snow, when there's no place to go, and you're feeling like a part of you is dying...

Couldn't resist. Just heard that in the car. Love that song. It reminded me of this weekend. Let me explain.

My sister's husband, Jon, is in the Army reserves and is currently at Ft. Gordon in Georgia for 4 months of training. He is halfway through his time. Andrea was wanting to come for a weekend visit with kenzie about this time which coordinated with my spring break. So, Sue and I volunteered to drive her and Kenzie to Augusta. The plan was to leave on Friday from Andrea's about 2:30 and arrive that evening before Midnight. We thought it would take around 9 hours. Sue and I would stay the night in Augusta and then leave early Sat. morning for Jacksonville Beach, Fl. Supposed to take about 4-4.5 hrs. We would have the rest of the day Sat and all day on Sunday to lay on the beach and enjoy an area of Florida we had never experienced. Then Sun. evening, we would head back to Augusta so that we could pick Andrea and Kenzie up early Mon. morning to head home. It was going to be a quick trip, but would be a fun road trip and would help Andrea so she wouldn't have to drive that distance with Kenzie by herself.

Well...here's how it really went down. First let me point out that Sue and I had to drive 3 hrs to get to Andrea's. we left her house by 3:00 and didn't arrive in Augusta till 1:15a.m. It was a LOOONG day. ( I have to say though that Kenzie was amazing. Traveled very well for such a long time in the car seat) We got to deliver Andrea to base which was an experience in itself. First of all, Jon is on the phone with Andrea telling her protocal as we approached the base. You have to turn your lights off and approach with only your parking lights on...not sure why. After our ID's are thoroughly checked and we count our blessings that we are not over to the side being searched like the other cars, we head toward Jon's room. He's telling Andrea to tell Sue to slow down that they really enforce the speed limit (25mph) and that if someone is on the side of street getting ready to cross, you have to stop and let them; they have the right away. We are a little slap happy by this time and are making all kinds of jokes. I'm sure we are going to get thrown in the brig before we get off base, which is HUGE! I was picturing something much smaller. Amazing. So, we get to see Jon get Kenzie out of her car seat and see her for the first time in 2 months which brought tears to my eyes. Very sweet moment. She was a sleepy little doll. Sue and I head off to our roach motel and get to bed at 2:00am. We hit the road at 8:00 this morning planning to be on the beach by noon. Try 2:00 and the beach was out of the question. It took almost 6 hours to get here, AND they are having hurricane force winds. It was only 68 today. We walked out to the beach and had to turn right back around. Too cold. The breakers are 4-6 feet though. It was amazing to see. They have dangerous rip currents posted for the next couple of days for this area. So, we drove 18.5 hrs. total to get here for two days on the beach and we'll be lucky to even go out to the beach. Tomorrow is supposed to hit 70 and be less windy, so maybe we'll get to go out, but it's been a bummer of a day. Also, we have been amazed at what a wierd place this is. We've been to many, many areas in Florida and have never been to one that made us as uncomfortable as this place. Full of freaky, or should I say "unique" people. Not sure we care to come back. On top of all that, Sue is sick with throat and ear issues which doesn't make a "road trip" that much fun.

The things we do for love...Love you Andrea, Kenzie and Jon! :)

Unnamable

I can't even think of a name for this blog...today was crazy. Sue and I headed to Matter Park at 8:45 this morning to walk 8 miles. This was our first time walking the river walkway. So, we were told that if we started at one end (by Vogals in downtown), walked clear to the other end (center of Matter Park), around the pond twice, and all the way back to my car, it would be 5 miles. Then we would need to turn around walk 1.5 miles and then back again to make the additional 3. So, that was the plan. First let me say, that the lake we walked around last week, was completely flat terrain compared to the riverwalk, or at least the first part of the riverwalk. The big hills by the hospital had me completely sucking wind and wishing that I was not doing this crazy marathon. Once we got farther along and the path evens out, it was quite lovely and enjoyable. However, knowing that we had to go back and do the hills again and then turn around and do them AGAIN, had me competely beside myself. On the way back the first time, I was hurting in my hip on the big hill, so I told Sue, that I wanted her to stop her clock when we got to the end, we would jump in the car and drive to the other end in Matter Park and walk the last 3 from there to avoid doing the hilly part a 3rd time. So, that was the plan. So, at 5 miles, we were under time, Yippee! Then as we started the last 3 miles from the other end, we were on time at 6 miles. Then the unthinkable happened. We needed to turn around when we got to the 1.5 mile marker. Now, I could swear when we were walking the first time, that I was sure we got to that marker before we entered the big hill. So, we're walking along and we pass 1.25 and then we get to the bottom of the hill and we haven't seen the 1.5 marker. So, I start up the hill. Sue is trying to convince me to turn around and just count it as close to 8, but I am determined to be accurate. So, up the hill we go. When we get clear to the top, we come to the 1.75 marker!!! WE HAD MISSED THE 1.5 MARKER!!!! I'm pretty sure there was some swearing going on. Sue was beyond angry. She was really feeling it today and to find out that we had done an extra 1/2 mile was not a good thing. So, at the bottom of the hill, there was the 1.5 marker so faded that it was easy to miss. I'm sure we'll laugh about this someday, but it won't be today...or even tomorrow. The funny thing was, I was truckin up that hill, not nearly in the pain that I was the first time and I proceeded to be the cheerleader for Sue that we could do this. We had totally switched roles. She was whining around and I was trying to encourage. Well, this lasted for only so long and then I got mad. First let me explain that the plan for the remainder of this day was yard work. My yard was so covered in sticks that it was hard to tell if I had grass. So, knowing the hours of back breaking yard work ahead of us, didn't help the dispositions. She kept wanting to dwell on that, and I really needed to not think about it. One obstacle at a time was my philosophy. So, we got a little ouchy with each other, but we made it back to the car in one piece. 8.5 miles down. We did decide as we walked today, that it officially wasn't really fun anymore. Once you pass that 8 mile mark, it just becomes hard and super tiring. As I am typing this, it is dawning on me that we checked our time at the wrong place. I thought we should check it when we had .25 left to go, but we should have checked it when we had .5 to go. So, knowing that, we were probably on time. I thought we were 4.5 min over, so that would make sense. It takes about that if I'm walking an 18 min. pace. So, not faster today, but on time, which is huge considering the hills. I thought I would die! To all my friends who walk the riverwalk faithfully, you are my heros. You can also have your riverwalk...not sure I'll be returning any time soon. ;) So, did we actually do the yard work??? YEP! All done...spent about 2 hrs. picking up sticks and then Sue airiated (sp?) my yard. So, I am just now sitting down for the first time today and it is 4:00pm. I think I'm going to go soak in the tub. I actually feel good, but I'm tired.

Success...

Well, today was interesting. Today was only a 6 mile walk because it was the 10K training day in Indy. I say ONLY 6 miles and that kind of makes me laugh. Since I did 7 last week, I thought 6 would be a breeze this week. Boy was I wrong. Let me set the stage...I am at my sister's in Columbus this weekend. So, Andrea, Sue and I decided to walk together. Mom and Dad volunteered to come down and watch Kenzie so we could go walk. Andrea has this park here in Columbus that has a walking trail around a big lake. I thought that sounded awesome since it was 70 degrees today...well, so did 5000 other people. We had people walking dogs, people pushing baby strollers, families out for a stroll and lovers walking hand in hand. Then there were those of us who were there for serious exercise. On top of the chaos, this was my first time on a trail that was hilly and uneven. We weren't a quarter of the first lap and I knew I was in trouble. I was hurting and huffing. I don't think I mentioned that one lap around was 1.2 miles. So, we needed to do 5 laps to get our 6 miles in. My goal shortly after starting was just to finish in an 18 min. mile. I was really doubting that I would make that, but I was gonna try. Lap 2 was still bad...about lap 3 things loosened up and the pain was better. So, when it was all said and done...1hr. 44 min and 30 sec. I finished with a 17.5 min average. I was beyond elated. I thought that was incredible considering the change in terrain and considering I was sweating like a pig. All good things in the long term for training, but things that I thought might really make me lose time today. The fact that I was faster was so rewarding. I was a little irritated that my sister went out and just walked 6 miles with no training and walked several steps ahead of me most of the way. But, it was motivating to have her there because my pride wouldn't let me stop or slow down. I've been telling her how well I'm doing so here on the day she can actually see how I'm doing, i definitly didn't want to look bad. That was the motivation that got me through the first 2 miles. She was very encouraging and proud of me. (But I'm secretly hoping that she's really sore in the morning. :)

60's Day...

Today was 60's Day at school. Our special needs class sponsored a dance today with a 60's theme. We had a ball! My team decked out and had so much fun! Below we are staging a "sit in" in the principal's office. Groovy...Peace out!

Unabomber Smurf...

I can't even believe I'm putting this picture out there, but it was too funny not to. ( For those of you thinking, "Geez she looks big!" Please keep in mind that I had MULTIPLE layers on.)Yesterday, I walked in the 29 degree cold and looked like a unabomber smurf doing so. however, I was fast!!!! Who wouldn't be in 29 degree weather? It was actually very energizing and I was on a natural high when I got done. Tonight I worked out at the gym and did my hard workout only to discover that it's...not that hard anymore. Not sure when that happened but my face wasn't flaming red tonight and I didn't feel like my chest was going to explode...hmmm. Am I getting stronger? So do I do the right thing and up my reps? I don't know. I kind of enjoyed the feeling that I wasn't going to die before I finished. This journey is starting to get a little bit addictive. 5 lbs lost this week! :)