Do you remember this???

I dug out my old Barbie Dream Pool. This vintage pool was from the good ol' 1980s. I have the Dream House to match :0). I used to love this thing! It was neat to watch Sadie play with it!

Little People

Notice something different? The girls thought this trick was hilarious. I sure love my little people :0)

9 Days!!!

I'll be there in 9 days~!~! One person in a sea of 40,000! Just looking at this picture makes me think about all of the stories and all of the emotions that will roll down those streets on April 2nd. For me, this day is big. It's my last running race and it's the end of 10 long weeks of training. I'm excited, anxious, and sad :0(. I'm really going to miss running, but I hope & pray this last race will be my best! Knees...don't fail me now!!

Winterpock 5K

Elise & I did the Winterpock 5K today. I was so proud of her!! We did it together in 44 minutes. She was quite the trooper. We ran/walked the course and when she wanted to stop at mile 2.5, she pushed through & kept going. She was so excited to get a medal at the end and even more excited to dive into that large box of oreos at the food table :0). Way to go Elise!!! You rock!

Happy St. Patty's Day~!

It was quite a morning! The leprechaun visited the girls traps again this year, but the peanut butter & syrup didn't do the trick. They just can't seem to catch that little guy! He did leave them some yummy reeses peanut butter cups though!

For breakfast, the girls had green milk & Lucky Charms (a sugary cereal which is a treat) and green cream cheese on their bagel for lunch :0). Yes...it looked a little funky.

Mother Nature cooperated with the theme of the day 70 degree temperatues and a lush green landscape! I even noticed a plethora of clover patches in our yard....yes, we have weeds already!

We hope you had a great day, too!

Our Monkey on the Monkey Bars!

Yesterday afternoon, Sadie was playing around on the monkey bars & I was watching from the window without her knowing. To my amazement, she went all the way across! She jumped off with a big smile on her face & started leaping to the door when I called out, "WAY TO GO!!!!" She thought no one saw her & was super excited I witnessed her first successful climb all the way across. Here's a video of her doing it again...she didn't quite make it all the way, but she said my hands hurt mom!

Disappointment

And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

My knee has been bothering my for at least 15 years, but with all of this extra running, it's been aching more than usual. I decided to go to an orthopedic doctor specializing in sports medicine today to get his opinion on what I should do about it. After multiple xrays and exams, he told me I should find another source of exercise and stop running. My heart sank. I could feel the tears welling up inside. The doctor and the nurse practitioner examined me separately and they both agreed that I have arthritis and flaking cartilage under my kneecap. It's a progressive problem and nothing can be done to correct it. All I was told I can do is treat the inflammation with medication & stop straining it.

My girls sensed something wasn't right this afternoon & asked me what was wrong. I was explaining why the news upset me and they didn't understand it until I said, "Pick one of your favorite things to do." Elise said climbing. I said, "It's like a doctor telling you you should never climb again." Her response was, "WHAT???" Exactly~

Yes...it's upsetting for me because I've grown to love running & I've had such great progress, but I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. I know that although it's very very disappointing, there's a reason why it's happening. I have to trust that God has a better plan for me.

As for the 10K...well...I may just go against doctors orders. If my knee can hold up that is.... Only 4 more weeks & 64 more miles of training... We'll see.