Memorial Day Weekend

As Memorial Day approaches I am reminded again of the sacrifices our family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. have made in our behalf. It humbles me and brings so many things into focus that have been out of focus for so long. Having 2 grandparents serve in the Military during WWII and having 3 cousins and multiple friends serving in the current war, I am honestly so grateful for their love and example. I constantly pray for their safety and well being. I worry about them all the time and wish on every star for them to come home safely to their families. I do hope this war is over soon so our troups can come home soon. What a great reunion that will be!
I hope that during this Memorial Day weekend you will take some time to remember all that is going on to keep you safe and free. I hope you will remember that many have died in your name and will continue to do so as long as our nation is under attack. As long as this goes on, there are countless men and woman who willingly put themselves in harms way to keep us safe.
Our freedom comes with a cost, and I find it trully humbling that there are special people out there who care and are willing to do what it takes to keep our freedom intact. It is to them that I share my deepest gratitude and love for all they so willingly do for me, for you, for us, and for future generations. It is to them that I dedicate this Memorial Day and weekend to! They are a strength to me and I hope that in some way they will know how much I appreciate and love them!
I pray for their safety and yours during this weekend and always! I hope you will keep our troups in your heart and mind always!

Peace and best wishes to you all!

5K

Well today I did a 5K and it was pretty cool! I didn't think I was going to be able to do it! I kept having knee pains from an old injury that slowed me down. Oh and not to mention the RAIN, HUGE puddles, and pot holes.
I was blessed to have my sister Lisa by my side the entire time and we had a blast! We had our iPods and jokes! I tried multiple times to push her into huge puddles but she wouldn't be persuaded! We kept each other going through our running and walking spurts by cheering each other on! I know that if she wasn't there I would not have been able to do what I did!
Towards the end of the "race" I was jumping in as many pot holes and puddles as I could find to get her and two people that were nice enough to come back for us wet! I am so glad that there are nice people like that in my ward!
I have to say that this has been a wonderful motivator for me and it has boosted my confidence in myself! I have overcome a hurdle in my life and this has helped me to overcome the next, and the next, and the next...and so on. I don't know how to explain the emotions going on in my heart and mind having accomplished this. I feel like I can do it again, where as before I would have told myself I would never be able to anything like this and who would really care if I did! My thinking has changed and that is, I don't need to have others acceptance and praise to keep going at this and that BELIEVING in myself and continuing to tell myself that I CAN do it and WILL do it. I think that believing in yourself means more than having others believe in you. When you are in the race or the game it is your mind you hear the most and makes the most difference!
Lisa and I were talking and we would like to do more of these kinds of things next year! I don't think I could it in the next few months because I want to do more running than walking and I need to condition my body do that! I wish I knew some ways to get my body ready for that! Anyone that reads this....if there are any! If you have any ideas I would love the help!
Stay cool and make good choices...they follow you where ever you go!