It's a special kind of crazy to wake up early just to run around in the cold!

Saturday, March 10, 2012, I ran my first 5k. I have participated in other 5ks such as Race for a Cure or Take Steps, but this is the first 5k I've ever RAN! Running a 5k has been a goal of mine for a while now, but just like always, I have been too afraid to do it. I knew I could do it, but I wanted to do it with a good time! In my mind, before I ever started training, I thought I'd like to do it in under 30 minutes...I didn't realize what a lofty goal that was for my first 5k. I never did it...mainly because I didn't want to do it alone, and I had no one to train with. That was until my athletic friend, Julie, started training for a 10k and asked if anyone wanted to train with her. So I did. Although I wasn't nearly as fast as she was (she's a machine, I swear!), I was encouraged by how well I was able to keep up with her, and I felt motivated to push myself to try and keep up. Each time we would run, my pace would get faster and faster. Julie told me about Dawson's Perseverance 5k that she was participating in, and I decided to do it too. That was until our house sold and we started preparing to move. My plate was so full already, and I thought trying to do the 5k amidst all of this chaos would just be too much for me (not to mention I hadn't ran in weeks). I kept trying to make excuses and get out of it, but Julie and David kept encouraging me to do it. So I gave in and ran...and I'm so glad that I did! I woke up at 6 A.M. and got ready for the race. I didn't see Julie before the race began, and started the race by myself. Less than half a mile in, I look over to my right, and there is Julie! We ran together most of the way. Every now and then, I would feel a burst of energy and run ahead of her. The last mile I began to run out of steam. She did end up finishing ahead of me [but not much ;)]. I started to get a little emotional toward the end...I was so close to the finish line, and so close to my goal time. I did not finish in under 30 minutes, but I did finish in 32 minutes and 17 seconds...not much over my goal, and not too shabby for my first 5k! I feel so proud of myself, and I can't wait to participate in more races in the future. [I hope to achieve my goal of under 30 minutes in the next one ;).]

before the race

ready to run

getting close

almost there

Yay, Just finished...32 minutes 17 seconds!!! :D

feeling pretty proud of myself

Oh, guess what...

I got a new haircut!

New beginnings

As of November of last year, David is no longer in Nurse Anesthetist school. It's a long story, and I'm not going to get into all of the details. It's always a little hard to swallow when you have your plans, and everything seems to be moving along nicely, and then all of a sudden plans change. But that was our plan, and God had a different plan for us. I am still thankful that He had already been preparing my heart for this, long before any of this had taken place. He knew that I, being someone who resists change with every fiber of her being, needed to grow in order to be able to handle so many huge life changes taking place so abruptly. That's not to say that it hasn't been difficult. It was less than five months ago that our plan ended. Then we went through a period of uncertainty where we had to fully trust that God did have another path for us and rely on Him to reveal that to us. Now, after much praying and soul searching, we are beginning God's new path for us!

As I said before, there was a period of time when we had no idea what to do next. I think that was the most difficult time for both of us, but it didn't take long for David to figure out what we needed to do. So he set out and applied to Physician Assistant programs throughout the country. Our options were limited because the application deadlines for many programs had passed. But we knew that if it was meant to be, he would be accepted to one of the schools he applied to, and it would be the right place for us. Then we waited. I am excited to announce that he was accepted into a Physician Assistant program that will begin later this year! It is in another state, and we will have to move.

Even before he was accepted into the program, we put our house up for sale in anticipation of a move. We had no idea how long it would take for our house to sell, or even if it would sell (there are several house that were for sale in our neighborhood last year and none of them have been sold), which was a pretty necessary part of us moving. This was the one area where I was feeling less than optimistic...to be honest, I felt like it was pretty much impossible. But low and behold, after being on the market for less than two months, we have an offer!

It's not official yet because the buyer came and looked at the house the day before David left for Honduras for over a week, and made the offer after David had already gone. I went ahead and signed the paperwork, and David is going to sign today. If everything works out, more than likely we will be moving within the month!

Things are moving along so quickly, I can barely process it all. I hadn't even finished telling friends that he had been accepted when we received the news of the offer. This is definitely bittersweet for us. I hate leaving our home. I love it here, and it is the only home Charlie and Riley have ever known. I have many friends that I am going to miss, and it is going to be hard being further away from our family. But I am so excited about our new beginning and looking forward to, in great anticipation, what God has in store for us there.

There is much to be done. We have to find a new home, finish officially selling this home, and pack up all of our stuff that we have accumulated over the past 3 1/2 years...and all in less than a month's time! Please continue to pray for us, that things will go smoothly, that I will maintain my sanity during what is sure to be a stressful next few weeks, and that God is already preparing the perfect new home for us there and that He will guide us to it, and that it will be and easy adjustment for David and me and especially the boys.