The Rocket City Marathon - The Start Line

    I ran the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville last Saturday. I completed the full marathon.  I ran 26.2 miles.  I am included in an elite group of people that comprises less than 1% of the population. I did it.  I am a marathon runner.  All of these statements are almost unbelievable to me, yet they are true.   Although I put in the many, many miles of training it took to do it and I was the one actually running the race.....it still seems unreal that it's over. 

   I have thought about writing this blog entry since Saturday, yet I somehow struggle with how to put the experience into words.  The whole day was such an emotional roller coaster ride that I can't even begin to explain what the experience was like for me. Yet, I want to have it documented, so I am going to give it a whirl. 

  I suppose the best place to start the story of the marathon is the start line.....although, the story actually started months before then.  I won't back track into all the details of the training, the foot injury, the time constraints, and the diagnosis of the flu just a week before race day.  Nope, I won't go back that far. I will just start with the starting line.

  

  At 7:56am on Saturday, December 8th, I stood among 1,650 strangers listening to welcome speeches and various "good luck" messages over the loud speaker.  We were all crammed together in the starting corral with nervous energy awaiting the gun shot and permission to begin the race.  The adjoining sidewalks were crammed with families and friends of the marathon runners.....all of them craning their necks to see their loved one start their journey of 26.2 miles on foot. I had my own crew of family and friends just past the starting line waiting to see me cross that line.

I had dreamed of completing a marathon since 1997, when my Daddy did it. I cheered for him with pride as he crossed the finish line 15 years ago. Now, it was my turn. He was there, along with my Mom, to cheer me on.

 

As my family walked with me to the start line, my Daddy gave me his support and words of wisdom.  He said to me,

"Don't start out too fast. Stay on your own pace.  No matter how long it takes you to finish, I will be proud of you."

 

With a bit of raw emotions coming out in my voice, I replied,

 

"I hope that I am making you proud by stepping up to the start line."

 

He and Mom gave me a hug and kiss and I made my way over to my other awesome supporters.  My three little guys came to the race equipped with tons of motivational signs for me and were so proud to be there. 

 

 

All of my little guys and hubby have been so ridiculously supportive through my entire training period.  Never once complaining about the time it took me to train and always asking me when I returned home from a run about how my run went.  I was so elated that they all came with me to cheer me on.

 

I gave each one of my boys a kiss on the forehead and they all wished me good luck.  Bradley gave me a kiss and told me how proud he was of me.  I left them behind and made my way to my pace group in the starting corral.  I situated myself between the 4:10 pacers and the 4:15 pacers.

 

     Many of the runners had stood at the start line of a marathon before and were veteran runners, but were still showing signs of nervousness for what was about to take place.  Others, like me, were about to attempt their first full marathon.  I felt like everyone around me could tell how nervous I was.  I retied both of my shoes, even though they didn't need it.  I adjusted every article of clothing I was wearing. I checked my "Pace Tattoo" that I had applied to my left forearm to keep me on my race pace of 4 hours and 15 minutes.

 I glanced at my "Prayer Band" that I wore to remind me what to pray for at each mile marker.  My mouth felt like cotton, and my heart was beating out of my chest.  I was so excited that this day had finally arrived, yet I was so nervous that something might go wrong and I wouldn't be able to finish it.  I had put in the grueling hours of training and I was ready to start the 26 mile journey. 

 

The clock ticked.

The runners fidgeted.

Spectators clicked cameras.

Hearts pounded.

The gun fired.

 

BANG!

 

 

I approached the start line with a grin on my face....

 

And crossed the start line with a huge smile and a wave.

I was doing it.  I was crossing the starting line of a marathon.

 

 This was the start of fulfilling a dream. 

 

 

"You should run your first marathon for the right reasons, because you'll never be the same person again."

                                        ---Bill Wenmack, Running Coach

 

 

.....to be continued.

  
 

The REAL Life of Jesus....As Told By 5 Year Olds

    Christmas is a very magical time in the life of five and six year olds.  They are giddy about Santa and snow and gifts and stockings and lights and trees and reindeer.  They come in the door buzzing about parades and newly wrapped packages under the tree.  Christmas is a hot topic in a Kindergarten classroom.  Each year during the month of December, I open up discussion with my class about their thoughts on "the REAL" reason for Christmas. 

    The discussion almost always starts off with Santa or presents, but there are usually several who are able to chime in about Christmas being a celebration of Jesus' birth.  This year started out much the same.

  I questioned my class. 

Raise your hand if you can tell me about the REAL reason why we celebrate Christmas.

As expected, a child blurted out..."For Santa!"  Which was quickly followed by the responses...."Cause, We get presents." And then, "Santa hides suprises under our tree and I don't know how he does that without me even knowing about it."

  Thankfully, the discussion quickly changed and was all about Jesus.  A child reminded the rest of the class that Christmas is REALLY about when Jesus was born.  The best part of this year's discussion was the depth of conversation in which the class began adding details about Jesus' life.  I kept questioning and the kids kept coming up with responses.  It quickly got very humorous.  Each time new details were added, we had to discuss what the truth really was.  Students were mixing up characters and situations in the Bible and sometimes, they were just way off target.  But, by the end of the discussion, I think all the students had a general idea of the correct story of Jesus' birth.

 If I were to piece together a portion of today's discussion from several students into one story of Jesus.....here is how it would go......

The REAL life of Jesus......As told by my Kindergarten Class

   Jesus was born 50 years ago.  He was born in a 'staple'.  People brought him gifts when he was born.  They brought a passy, diapers, and baby blankets.  Then, he got big and built an ark and the earth flooded.  He also built a cross.  Jesus had super powers.  He could even freeze people.  Mean people body slammed Jesus.  They put him in a cave with lions.  He used a stick to poke them.  Then, Jesus died when he was 15 because he smoked.

He Still Seems Little.....Sometimes

  There is this certain window of time in a child's life where they are teetering between being BIG and being little.  There are no exact dates or specific times when this happens, and I guess the window of time is different for each child.  For a certain period of time, kids start ditching toys more than they play with them.  They choose "real shows" over cartoons.  They say witty things.  They start gaining an understanding of more "grown up" situations.  They prefer friends over parents.  They "act cool" more often.  They snuggle and hug less. But then, sometimes.....sometimes, kids passing through this window of time will still climb up in your lap without warning.  They will cry crocodile tears when they skin their knee.  They will sing silly songs and make funny faces.  Kids this age will still believe in magic.  Carter, who is 8, is right smack dab in the middle of this window of time.  Sometimes..... I watch him and see him as my little boy, while at other times, he seems so grown up and big. 

   I spent the day with Carter today and he was both big and little today.  He had an appointment with a speech therapist and an ENT doctor.  While we sat in the Children's Hospital waiting room, I watched the toddlers wander away from their moms.  I watched as the preschool kids become bored and whiney, and the babies were crying out in frustration. The other kids there all seemed so little, and Carter appeared so big. He was sitting quietly and patiently waiting for his name to be called.  Carter sometimes has a bit of a nasal quality to his speech, so his appointment today was to check and make sure he didn't have a hole in the pallet in the roof of his mouth where air could be escaping.  To check for this, the doctor used a video scope and ran it down Carter's nose into the back of his mouth and throat.  To me, he suddenly looked so little under the big lights and fancy machines that the doctor was using.  Although he sat very still and did everything the doctor wanted him to do, and wasn't in pain, I had the urge to go grab up my little boy and hold him in my lap.

After the procedure was over, the nurses joked with Carter about boogers and nose hairs.  Finding a great deal of humor in this, Carter suddenly seemed big again.

We walked out of the procedure area into the hospital atrium, which was all decked out for the upcoming Christmas season.  Trees were decorated, lights were up, and Santa sat in the corner ready for the next child to climb up in his lap.  Some hospital volunteers saw us exit the office and encouraged Carter to come see Santa.  

Carter's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he climbed right up in Santa's lap and started talking to him.  He and Santa talked quietly and as he was stepping away, Santa gave Carter a stuffed Teddy Bear.  If Carter had already passed through the window of time where he was no longer little, then he would've tossed the bear aside and would have been offended by such a babyish gift......but he didn't do that.  No, he held the bear tight as he walked out of the hospital.  He grinned from ear to ear and seemed so proud of his new treasure.  He seemed so little holding onto that Teddy bear.

The drive back home took over an hour. All the way home, Carter and I talked and sang the songs on the radio.  We talked about how awesome he was going to be next year at catcher in baseball.  We discussed what a rip off GameStop's video 'buy back' policy is.  We wondered how his classmates made it in school today without him.  We talked about basketball and my upcoming marathon.  We talked nonstop about all kinds of things.  He seemed so big as we talked together.

And then......

the car got silent.

I looked back and saw this......

And he was instantly little again.

So little that I had to resist the urge to pull over and kiss his little sleeping cheek.  So little that I had a hard time driving because I wanted to just look at him. So little that it literally hurt my heart because I became so aware of the fleeting moment.

He was so

little.

Just for a moment.

The moment passed when we pulled into our parking space..... as will all of these little moments.

He will eventually pass through the window of time where he never seems little anymore.

But, for now.....

He still seems little.....

 sometimes.

Toy Trashing Tear Jerker

      Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided that the boys' toy room could use some decluttering.  The room has accumulated a mass of toys over the 8 years since we built our house here.  Most of the toys are no longer played with, since the boys are ages 13, 9, and 8, they are passing out of the "toy stage".  The boys generally pass their free time these days by playing some sort of sport together outside, tromping through the woods, tackling each other on the trampoline or blowing things up with their guns.  The toy room is rarely used for playing with toys, so I had a vision of revamping it into more of a "sports themed" game room.

 

    I have asked the boys to go through their toys before, which was met with some resistance, and only a small portion of toys were parted with.  I expected much of the same thing this go 'round.  I carried empty totes into the toy room and called the boys into the room with me.  I explained my vision of turning the room into a place where they could watch TV, play games, and display their sports memorabilia.  The boys were ecstatic about this prospect, but I still expected them to hold onto many of the toys that filled every single storage space of the room.  I explained that they should put any toys into the boxes that no longer played with.  I left them to the task at hand.

 

   To my sentimental horror, I walked back into the room a short time later to see this......

 

 

Totes literally overflowing with unwanted toys.

 

 

Storage containers that were spilling over with toys moments before were now left almost empty.

 

 

 

 

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  The perimeter of the room was almost empty and the pile of unwanted toys in the middle of the room was a growing mountain of discarded childhood favorites.

 

I gasped at the sight and the boys stopped their work to look at me. 

 

I squeaked out...

You guys are getting rid of everything!  These toys were some of your favorites!

 

Tucker replied, "Yeah, well, they aren't anymore.  We don't play with these anymore.  We are doing what you told us to, Mom."

 

I know, but....but...I figured you wouldn't want to get rid of ALL of this stuff.

 

And then, I spotted Woody.  Toy Story Woody.  Woody that all 3 boys played with.

Woody was put into the discarded toys pile.

 

 

I yanked him out of the box and shouted...

 

Woody!  Why did you put Woody in here?

 

"Because, we aren't babies.  We don't play with him."

 

I said sadly,

Woody has feelings!  He is special.  Ya'll loved this toy.

 

Carter, my youngest, came to me and sweetly took Woody from my hands.  He said, "Let me see him, Mom."

He placed Woody's little brown cowboy hat onto his little plastic smiling head.  Carter looked at Woody and smiled and then looked back up at my sullen face.

 

My heart melted as I thought that my little Carter intended to save Woody from his untimely toy death.

 

Carter looked down at Woody again and smiled a big smile.  He then lifted up a big discarded dump truck inside the plastic tote making a big gap in the pile of toys.

He shoved Woody into the hole and slammed the truck on top of Woody and said....

 

"There you go, Woody!  Now you're buried."

 

Stab.

Crush. 

Shatter.

 

I gathered up the pieces of my broken heart and quietly started picking through the toys choosing the ones that had been meaningful to the boys in the past.  I collected a little pile of toys to keep and put away in the attic to give back to them one day when my boys have children of their own.

 

What began as a fun clean up project, ended up as one of those sad life moments when you realize that your kids are growing up right before your eyes.

 

 

 

Our Family Ranks The National Parks

  Our family just returned from the most super awesome amazing fabulous epic trip ever!  We hit the road together touring some of The National Parks out West.  We spent 17 nights in our RV together. We traveled 5,000 miles, ate 51 meals together, spent $3,837 and hiked countless miles.  We saw sights that made our jaws drop at their beauty.  We experienced adventures that we will never forget.  If given the choice.....we would still be gone.  But, we didn't have that choice.....the real world beckoned us back to reality. 

  On our sad journey back toward home...we discussed which parks were our favorites.  Which ones we want to return to some day and which ones we don't.  Which parks had the most beautiful sights.  Which ones had the best adventures.  We discussed the perks of each park and after a few days being home, we came up with our rankings of the parks.

  Our family has visited 16 of America's National Parks and each one is so different from the others.  They each have something special about them that is worthy of National Park status.  America's National Parks are our best treasures and our most underappreciated at the same time.  We are always baffled by the fact that more foreigners use our National Parks than our own citizens do.  It is quite the mystery to us. We LOVE our National Parks and hope to see them all one day. 

Although ALL of the parks have great features....some are just better suited to our specific family.  To get these rankings, each member of our family made our list of favorites in order from top to bottom.  We then compiled the list by giving each spot a point value.  The most favorited park earned the most points, putting it closer to the top of the list. So here is how our family ranks the parks we have visited thus far from least favorite to favorite....

#16 Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

#15 Hot Spring National Park, Arkansas 

#14 Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

#13 Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky 

#12 Canyonlands National Park, Utah 

#11Great  Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee

#10 Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah 

#9 Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado 

#8 Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona 

#7 Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado 

#6 Arches National Park, Utah 

#5 Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

#4 Badlands National Park, South Dakota 

#3 Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 

#2 Zion National Park, Utah 

#1 Yellowstone National Park, Montana 

And there you have it! The Heptinstall family favorites.  Although some of the parks were sadly placed at the bottom of our list.....they are ALL worth the time to see! Our family really, really, really loves to visit the National Parks.  If your family hasn't utilized our county's greatest feature...then you are missing out on some of the most beautiful land on the planet. 

Beating The Bama Heat

Alabama summers are hot.

Really hot.

Today....temperatures exceeded 100 degrees all across our state. 

The air feels like you have stepped into an oven when you walk out.

Leather seats get hot enough to blister your bottom.

Air conditioning units cannot keep up.

Dogs lie panting in the shade.

Babies are sweaty and cranky.

Heat waves are visible on roads and parking lots.

The whole state seems to be melting.

You basically have two choices when you are left to face the heat in Alabama.

You can be miserable and mope about it.

OR

You can play in it.

I like to play.

So......

I go for a run......and get super sweaty.

We create the most epic Redneck Waterslide ever......

and slide over and over squealing like little girls.....

We slide on our booty and on our bellies....

We slide piggie back style....

Then....

We go out for treats......

And let it melt all down our arm.....

We go to the water parks.......

We swim....

And we have swim races.....

Beating the heat in Alabama isn't so bad.....

All you gotta do is play!

Unless, of course, you are one of those unfortunate folks who still have to work during the summer. 

In that case....good luck with that.

Never Quit Playing

As a child, the summer days seemed endless.  My brother, sister and I woke up and spent all our daylight hours going back and forth from one creek to the other, roaming the woods behind our house and romping through the pastures.  Almost every single vivid memory I have from my childhood involves playing during the summer. 

 I treasure each of those moments I spent outside years ago, for those precious hours of playing in nature have molded me into the nature loving fanatic that I am today. 

I enjoy nothing more than getting outside to explore and play with my boys.  Spending my days with them outside during the summer make me yearn for summer all year long.  The rest of the school year is just so packed with sporting events and responsibilities that it is hard to manage to fit time in to just play. 

But, alas..... it's finally summer! 

We woke up and hit the road to Rickwood Caverns State Park.

 Today.....

we played.

We climbed.

We joked.

We were silly.

We discovered.

 We wondered.

We hiked.

We explored.

We sweated.

We talked.

We picnicked.

We enjoyed each other.

I hope that I am instilling a love for nature into my boys.....

as well as a love for life....

a love for family.....

a love for each other....

and a love for playing.

"Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing."

                              ~Oliver Wendell Holmes