What a week! - Part 1

 Amidst the scent of freshly waxed floors and freshly sharpened pencils and the echoes of excited chatter, Day 1 of the new school year began, a blank slate filled with infinite possibilities.  Monday's chatter wasn't excited students.  It was the staff as we started the 2023-2024 school year with a whole district breakfast and meetings. It was a smooth start to the week with all the necessary things to get everyone on the same page about expectations for the school year.  After being at the high school for the first couple of hours, I went back to Winskill where our staff meeting began in the library.  My principal always leads with a strong vision.  His beginning of the year meeting was no different from others: high standards were set, sucesses were celebrated, and inspiration for the year ahead was created.  The morning was over quickly and I had just enough time to run home and get a few miles in before the afternoon work time.  Like with any first day, I came home from school at 3:30 exhausted but excited for what would come.  Quick clothing change and Roger and I went to Dubuque to watch Kate play soccer.  After the game it was a not so healthy dinner of Sonic---my first time!  Fried foods at 10 pm don't make early wake up calls for running easy.

Tuesday began in a similar way to Monday:  up and at school by 7:30.  Reading team and writing team meetings.  Breakfast while at school (thank you, Community First Bank, for providing it!).  There was a district lunch being provided at Memorial Park but I ran home to switch some laundry and get a few things done while I had the chance.  I returned to school for the afternoon and was able to get some things finished but I knew there was so much more to do.  I left at 3:30 but was able to convince Roger to walk back to Winskill Tuesday evening to complete just a couple of tasks with me.  We left Winskill by 6:45 and picked up Subway for dinner on our walk home.  As I was winding down for the evening I heard Will come in from practice.  It wasn't his normal entrance.  I could hear him bringing in some things.  He walked into our bedroom and I saw the giant, plastic wrapped, ice encased knee.  "I'm okay," he said.  I'm at a point in my life where I think when people say that, it means they really are NOT okay... just my opinion.  Apparently he had felt something during practice and gone off to the sideline for a little while.  The trainer had looked at him and worked with him to get the ice around his knee and his coach had sent home a cooler filled with ice to continue to 15 minutes every hour of icing. 

Made it to the mid week point and got outside for my morning miles! I knew that I needed to run because I COULD.  I have no reason not to be getting out for miles.  I am physically ABLE.  My 17 year old son can barely walk and I CAN RUN.  That was the push I needed to get out the door.

  It felt wonderful!  I knew I needed the day to start off this way because it was the day of the Back to School Bash which meant a little bit longer of a day filled with lots of EXCITEMENT.  I'd get to meet all my new families!  This was also the day of the active shooter drill at the high school.  Will was participating in the event.  I was walking to a 9:15 meeting when my cell phone started ringing.  I answered my phone to hear, "This is Brittany from Grant Regional.  I have WIll here.  Can you present yourself at the registration desk?"  My first thought was that something had happened with his knee and that he was at the emergency room.  

        "Yes.  I'll be there," I replied.  Then I realized that Will might have been at the active shooter drill.  "Is there about the drill at the high school?" 

          "This is Brittany from Grant Regional.  Can you present yourself at the registration desk?"   

         With that answer it felt confirmed that it was just part of the drill but I quickly grabbed my car keys and ran out to my car, drove quickly to the hospital, and entered the emergency room doors.  In those 2 minutes, I had to have been feeling and processing every possible emotion.  The biggest one being - What if Will's not okay?

          Once I saw him and hugged him, I drove him back to finish the drill, and I returned to Winskill to continue my preparations for the Back to School Bash.  Hours went quickly but I was ready when families began arriving at 4:30.  During the conversations at the school event I had the opportunity to talk with the school athletic trainer.  She recommended making an appointment with a doctor for Will's knee.  I was going to take him to acute care on Thursday but she thought trying to get him in with Orthopedics was a better idea.  That call went on my to do list for Thursday morning.  I finished the Back to School Bash and headed home to enjoy dinner and an early bedtime.  

I have so much more to tell about the week.  Part 2 coming soon.

Fellow Flowers Joy Challenge --- About Me

 Sunday started the Fellow Flowers JOY Challenge.   I am fortunate enough to get to be a part of the 5 week challenge.   I am leading week 1 so my "story" was shared today.  Here's what was shared:

Lead with joy

After years spent cultivating joyful energy, Margaret Bussan now shares her sunshine with everyone she meets. Read on for how the Lancaster, Wisconsin, teacher connects and runs with her “joy crew” and find her top ten reasons for loving summer! How’d you become a runner?   Running didn’t come naturally to me. I had always enjoyed walking and fitness classes (cue step aerobics, Jane Fonda and Denise Austin) but I had never even been an athlete of any kind. In January of 2010, a 24-hour gym opened up a block away from my house. On opening day, I went in there at 4 a.m. so that I could get a workout in before my morning work commute. That 4 a.m. time was perfect to start my fitness journey, which revolved around miles on the treadmill at first. I started with walking. By mid-February, I realized that I could get my four miles in faster if I would bump up the speed a little bit on the treadmill. I started sleeping in about fifteen minutes more and jogging my miles instead of walking them. In July, I saw a sign up for a half marathon on Labor Day. I signed up. Labor Day was on September 6 that year. I had been consistent with my treadmill mileage from January through August but I had NEVER run outside until race day! That half marathon was an experience. I quickly realized how much more enjoyable running outside was compared to the treadmill. I still love the occasional treadmill miles but have tried to make more of my runs on the road and with friends. What’s your current relationship status with running?  I have come to truly find JOY in being able to run. Throughout 2023, I have had a few health hiccups that have caused me to be out of running for some short periods of time. These have created a new appreciation for what running gives me: JOY!  I am not my fastest right now, but I am consistent with running. I log between 20 and 30 miles a week. What line from the Joy flower resonates with you most?   EVERY LINE of JOY resonates with me! Today I am going to go with the line “to appreciate sunshine” because I got up and got my miles in before work because the sunshine coming through the bedroom window was my motivation. What role does joy play in your life?   I think this is a key question. I believe that everything we do is infused with the energy that we do it with. If we do something with joyful energy, it will be joyful.  Please don’t confuse my answer with toxic positivity. When a situation is rough, I try to find the joy in it. Not to bring in nerdy brain science, but I really think that I have trained my brain to find the joy in things. Over the last ten years, and maybe  even a little more, I have chosen the JOY flower for my runs more than any other flower. It might even be possible to say that I practice joy often so that my joy muscles are always in good health. I am definitely a “lead with my heart” type of person and the emotion I choose to lead with is joy! What — and we’re taking big things, small things, silly things, anything! — brings you joy? I think I find joy in everything. I am lucky to find joy in my chosen profession. I find joy in serving others — as a church volunteer and MVRA board member, to name a few. Some of the small things that bring me great joy are time at home with my family, a quiet evening reading or watching TV. I experience joy watching my kids do things they love. I find joy in time with my running friends. Freshly baked cookies fresh from the oven brings me joy. Seeing someone — anyone — experience success brings me joy. Working hard for a goal brings me joy. Where is your happy place?   My happy place is with my family (Roger, Kate and Will) or anywhere the sun is shining. I’d love to say it’s at a beach but I feel like we rarely get to a beach. Why is joy important to you?   Joy is more than happiness to me. Joy goes along with my physical and mental health. It relates to accomplishments and being more than satisfied. Joy is experienced. I think joy shows in my smile and becomes something that I am able to share with others. How do joy and friendship intersect for you?   One way that I feel like joy grows is through shared experiences, and this is definitely a connection to friendships. Sharing a meal together brings joy and builds friendship. Running with others is another way that joy and friendship intersects for me. I experience great joy when I get to run with others. How about friendship and running?   I have been so lucky to build the friendships I have with other runners. One of my favorite things about my joy crew is that we are all at different points in life and yet we are able to share experiences. I feel lucky that our friendship isn’t forced. I never feel pressure to be anything more than I am with my run friends. When I am with my run crew, I am able to just be in the moment with them. The moments with them are what they are and that helps bring pure joy. How do friends make running better?   Shared experience and shared pain — just kidding! Running friends give me something to look forward to about the runs besides the mileage. I love the time spent with them. We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We support each other through the hard and we celebrate each other during the great! Knowing that we are there for each other builds my own confidence in myself and I hope it makes them feel more capable, too! While we all have shared values, passions and goals, we also have great differences that help us to be so much stronger together. Having my run crew helps me to be accountable even on the hard days. There have also been times where I might have quit running if I didn’t have my run crew. The support and friendships makes working hard more fun.   What’s the best part of summer?   Oh, how I LOVE summer! I don’t think I can pick one thing that’s the best part, but here are my top 10 reasons that summer is my favorite season: 10. Warm weather. 9. Sunlight before I even have to get out of bed. 8. Blue skies. 7. More time for adventures and fun trips. 6. Less pressure and less go go go than the school-year routines (a chance to relax). 5. Race opportunities are abundant.  4. Time for bike rides.  3. Saturday farmer’s markets 2. Weekend bonfires and s’mores.  1. Listening to music in the car at a pretty loud volume with the windows down and the sunroof open

Wrapping Up Another Month

 Bring on the month of GRATITUDE!    I have so much to be thankful for.

This past weekend is just a small dose of all the good things I have in my life:  family, friends, health.

On Labor Day 2014 I ran a sub 2 half marathon.  Since then I have run 28 more and always chasing a sub 2 hour finish.  Saturday morning it happened!  Let me rewind a bit...  In August, Michelle joined me in Dubuque for the Alzheimer's Half Marathon.  I hadn't been following a training plan and the  night before I decided I would try 1 mile/ 1 minute intervals.  I finished in a 2:09.  I was shocked at that and felt really proud of the under 10 minute per mile average pace.  At the end of September I ran the Quad Cities Half marathon in 2:03:+   

With the Galena River Fall Half Marathon just one month from the QC Half, I was curious to find out if I could break 2 hours again.  While I haven't been following a training plan, I have been getting in the miles and feeling really good while running.  My average paces have been just under 10 per mile.  It left me wondering, could I average 9:05 for 13.1 miles?  

In case you didn't know, it Halloween week (hahaha) and that can be crazy at any school.  Friday was a pretty crazy day with a cross country send off parade, a fire drill, and the Halloween party.  By the end of the school day, I was really wiped out.  After a 2 mile shakeout run and a solid dinner, I was feeling ready. My "race plan" was to run 2 miles/ walk 1 minute.  It seemed like a good way to step it up from what I had done in September.  

I thought for sure I would sleep well Friday night so that Saturday would be a well rested run.  NOPE.  I couldn't find the clothes I wanted to wear for the race.  I didn't fall asleep easily Friday night.  I was awake at 4 am on Saturday.  OY!   

As I was getting ready on Saturday morning, I got a notification on my watch that my poor sleep had increased my recovery time and that I needed to take it easy on Saturday.  That wasn't what I wanted to do.  I wanted to go for a sub 2 hour half marathon finish time.  We pulled out of the driveway pretty close to on time but as we drove up Alona Lane, I realized that I didn't have my phone.  Luckily we were still close to home and I was able to find my phone quickly.  

Arrival at the race and packet pick up was smooth and simple.  I used the porta potties quickly and headed back to the car to stay warm.  All the nerves hit.   I was in my head big time.  As I was lining up at the start, Michelle gave me a hug and I began to fall apart.   I cannot tell you how much it meant that Donna and Michelle were here with me this weekend.  They believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.  A thank you will never be enough to let them know how much I needed them in that moment.  It can seem easier to give up on goals at these moments but they didn't let me forget that I had it within me to hit the goal time.  

Michelle noticed something behind me and pointed for me to turn and right there was Roger and Kate.  They believed that the race would be a good one for me, too.  

With the strength of other believing in my, I was able to believe in myself.  I was strong and ran a great race.  When I came through the 11 mile mark, I passed my cheer squad and I wondered if I could hit my goal.  My watch wasn't reading overall pace and the GPS had gone a little wacky so I had no idea what my time was.  Michelle hollered, "1:39."    That meant I had 21 minutes to make the final 2 miles.  

At about 12.9, Donna and Michelle were standing and cheering for me.  I felt like I could do it.

When I saw the finish line, the clock was reading, "0:00:00."   That didn't help me...  I ran through the finish and stopped my watch:  1:56:40!!!!   I did it!  

Confidence does not come easily for me, but I am starting to see my potential again.

As November begins tomorrow, I am beyond grateful for all the connections that help to build me up. 

I met my step goall every day this month!!!  Hoping to do it again in November.

 

Birthdays, Olympics, and Balance

 "A child whose birthday is coming up is so excited, they count down the days. But as we get older we seem to lose the excitement. We need to rethink and be happy we have reached another birthday."

                                                                     — Theodore W. Higginsworth 

    In the summer of 1982 (July 23 to be exact) I remember the awesome birthday celebration that started my summer tradition of amusement parks and sparklers.  I love that I have a summer birthday.  I always felt like the July 4th fireworks were like the kick-off to a major 3 week party that was just for me.  As I got older I didn't always celebrate quite as big as I had when I was in elementary school but summer birthdays were perfect for me.  I could do pretty much anything to celebrate myself.  

    Somewhere along the way I quit wanting people to know it was my birthday.  I don't think I was afraid of getting older because obviously that beats the alternative.  I just didn't want any attention.  I didn't know how to respond when I was in the spotlight.  

    This year I turned 45.  I didn't go out for a special meal with my family or even have cake or ice cream.  I ran 4.5 miles with my favorite running buddy and watched the opening of the Olympics.  I wish I hadn't ever lost the excitement for my birthday.  I hope I can change that in the years to come.

    Now let's talk Olympics!!!  I love to read biographies about the Olympians.  One of my favorite books of all time is In The Water They Can't See You Cry.  While I don't swim, I loved this memoir of Amanda Beard who competed in the 1996 Olympics at age 14.  Even as I was growing up I remember idolizing athletes like Nadia Comaneci (gymnastics) and Flo Jo (running) and more recently Deena Kastor for her distance running skill.  When I started running after Kate and Will were born, I loved learning about Kara Goucher and Sara Hall.  One thing that I really loved about Kara Goucher was that she had been from Minnesota.  I felt like her midwestern connection made her somehow more like me....

    When it was announced that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would begin on July 23, I felt like it was the perfect birthday honor.  Kate and I would get to watch the US Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT)  together early that morning but my excitement for the Olympics was short lived.   I did not have the attention span for watching that I had previously.  Some mornings I check the medal count and some mornings I don't.  In the evenings when others are watching the events, I am choosing to read or scroll social media.  I've decided to change the focus of the Olympics so that I do get more out of them than I have been.

    I'm going to be paying close attention to the athletes in a different way because I want to be able to model the things they do that make them great.  I know that I won't be going to the Olympics but I can still chase some dreams!  If I want to be my own best, I need to pay attention to what the best do.  

    

This leads me to the final piece of what I want to write about:  BALANCE.  It is really easy for me to be obsessed with things.  When I have an interest, I think about it so much that I often have to devote time each day to doing other things so that things are in balance.  

    The gymnasts show us balance in amazing ways but the balance I am thinking about has to do with the mind more than anything else.   I think one of the most important balance lessons is the idea of knowing ourselves deeply enough to name our feelings and understanding the feelings of others.   I want to write more about this idea of balance but in an effort to quit rambling tonight, I will continue it another time.

Let's wrap up the fitness for July:

I met my step goal for 28/31 days in July!!!  That's 90%.  I'm super proud of that.  I currently have a 21 day streak going.   I don't know how much longer I can keep it up, but I'm going to shoot for 30 days....

I have 3 weeks until my half marathon in Dubuque.  I did 10 miles this morning and will do another long run of 13 miles on Saturday.  I'm excited to see what my August Made to Move race will be.

  

Story --- The Power of It

(5 days until race day!!!  Made to Move )

I often think about stories from the perspective of a reading teacher.  That's a really great way to get to think about stories.  I can think about Patricia Polacco and Kevin Henkes and the stories of Jacqueline Woodson and Peter Reynolds. I use stories every day to teach skills and help connect us in our classroom community but more recently I have been thinking about my own story.  I still don't know that I could tell my own story.

This summer I have decided to really begin the work of figuring out my story because I truly love knowing others' stories.

On Saturday morning, I was at Kate's soccer game in Sauk Prairie.  The facility was beautiful.  The weather was beautiful.  At halftime Roger and I walked back to the car so I could get something to drink.  We were walking back into the stadium when a gentleman who had been standing at the fence turned.

"Who do your girls play in the postseason?' he asked.

We began a conversation simply about the soccer season and playoffs but it quickly turned to more.

"Who are you watching?" I asked him.

"My granddaughter is number 22. She's a freshman."

Somehow the story continued and I learned his name and that he had once been the principal and superintendent in Sauk Prairie.  What was even more interesting to me was that he had filled in as superintendent at Benton Schools (which is super close to the Illinois border and coops with some sports with Scales Mound).  He talked about his sons and their families.  He talked about how his daughter in law had played soccer at UW-Madison. As we continued to listen to Mr. Tom Andres talk, it was evident that he was someone important.  He was wearing his floppy hat, red t-shirt, and khaki shorts but there was just something about listening to him talk about his family and their amazing work that made me want to know more about him.  Sure enough when I googled him I found this:  https://www.swnews4u.com/local/southwest/andres-brings-plethora-of-experience-to-benton-schools/

I truly believe that stories have power.  I try to teach my 5th graders how to write their own stories for that reason -- their stories have power.  As a lover of all things magic, I believe that magic is in the stories, too.  There was definitely something magical about our conversation with Tom Andres on Saturday. I want to work on knowing my own story.  This is my first step.

I was listening to a TED talk by Susan Conley and she talked about encouraging students to write with their heart.  I think that is what makes writing and sharing my own story so hard.  It means I have to trust that whoever I share it with or whoever reads it will not stomp all over it.  TRUST.  That is the hard part.   I know I want to dig in to my story but first I want to deal with the part about trust. 

Today I want to share with you a little bit about why I don't trust.  That's where I think my work on my own story needs to begin.  

During the summer of 2014, I decided to switch schools and districts.  I left what was comfortable and familiar where I had 16 years of experience to risk starting over with something unknown.  That in itself was enough of a challenge but what made things even tougher was when I walked into the teacher's lounge early in the year to hear, "Nobody at her old school liked her.  I can't believe ...."  The conversation was about me and I heard every word that was said.  This often replays in my mind.  I think about how I can unhear the conversation that I heard. It's impossible for that to happen. I've been asked to work with the person who was saying things about me that day in a few different ways.  I have worked hard to hold my head up each time.  I'm sure we all have stories like this but I am going to work through mine.  My story of not being enough to others and feeling invisible is not a story that's just mine but I'm ready to start telling all the parts of my story.

@fellowflowers

Here's to a great week of possibility ahead!  

Mid May Check in

 

 18/22 days of meeting my step goal. (82%)

Somehow this month I am a week behind.  I would have loved to have taken time for a mid May check in but here we are on the 22nd.  The days seem to be flying by and I am not doing a great job of getting ahead on things.  Three weeks from today I will be toeing the line at Made To Move in Madison.  To say that I am undertrained is an understatement.  

A couple of weeks ago at our staff meeting our building principal compared the school year to a marathon.  He said that the marathon runners don't get this close to the finish line and slow down.  We can't slow down or let up on instruction and expectations either.  I thought about the marathons I've run and I am horrible at the "finish strong" part.  I am going to do better 

May has been a mental struggle for me that I wasn't expecting.  This is not to excuse me but just to explain it the best that I can.  

Last Sunday I had a crazy freakout.  It's really funny to hear Kate and Will retell the scenario as they saw it happen.  Here's a little bit of the situation from my perspective:

Roger and I are taking a Financial Peace University course.  It's hard for me because it is a completely different mindset change.  I have repeatedly (since I was 18 and in college) used credit cards to excess.  It's a horrible habit but it has definitely been one of the things I've used to "cope" with stress.  Are you feeling sad about something?   Buy 4 pairs of jeans.  Are you super proud of your recent race?   Reward yourself with 3 new pairs of Nikes.  Worried about something that might happen next week?  Distract yourself by spending $400 you don't have. Did you work hard this week?  Let's get a few new dresses for school.  Clearly I needed this Financial Peace course but it is hard for me.   

The course requires that budget/plan every dollar, watch a video and then attend the Sunday class together.  On Sunday morning we watched our video and it hit me in the heart HARD for a couple of reasons.  First it hit me because Dave Ramsey told the story of his friend who took his entire family on a vacation to Greece - all of his kids and grandkids - with cash.  In June of 2016, my parents took all of us on a family vacation (it wasn't a $70,000 trip but....).  I want to be able to do those kinds of things for my family.  If I don't make some changes to how I spend/save money, I won't be able to.  

The second part of Dave Ramsey's story was about the same many and how his family bought a bunch of new bicycles and gave them away.  Roger and I would love to be able to give in ways like that whether it be to give back to our local community or to our alma maters in scholarships.  The video we watched went on to talk about the next steps to financial peace with investments, children's college funds, paying off the mortgage, and building wealth and giving.  It just seems so out of reach that I cried big ol' crocodile tears.  I felt so defeated and frustrated with myself and I just needed to have my cry. I went for a run too.

I saw a tweet from @Running_MrJones that said, "Some of us run for fitness.  Some of us run for peace of mind.  Some of us run for cake.  Some of us run for medals.  Some of us run to be a better me.  Some of us are running aways from our past, our problems, the madness of living.  We run for different reasons but running always helps."   If that isn't the 100% truth, it has to be at least 98% truth ;-)

Last Sunday I ran 6 miles for peace of mind.  It wasn't easy but it made it possible for me to return home and do all the things I needed to do without dwelling on the frustration of the early morning video.  My purpose for running is different on different days and in different stages of my life.  Thankfully I found running.

On May 12, 2017, my dad got sick and was admitted to the hospital in Iowa City.  It was Mother's Day Weekend.  Early Monday, June 12, he passed away.  That same morning I had a job interview for a job I really wanted.  I left my parent's house for the interview right behind the van that took my father's body to the mortuary. I was offered the job.  I wasn't able to accept the job....big life changes really shouldn't be made during bereavement.  

May and June have been hard months for me since 2017.  I know they are going to be hard so I try not to overcomplicate things.  I go to bed at a reasonable time and I try to get up early enough to run before work.  I eat as healthy as I can within reason....after all we own a pizza place and I don't cook....another  reason I run is so I can eat the pizza without feeling all the guilt. 

This year I am feeling all the extra sad feels of May.  The final group of students that I taught in Illinois are graduating from high school.  Actually their ceremony was last night.  I am going through some mourning over this.  I am trying to reframe this in my own mind.  It's been a little easier because on Tuesday night Kate played soccer in Galena.  After the game we went into Wal Mart and right as we walked in I saw Nicolene.  Once upon a time I had worked with her at the Stillman Inn Tea Room but more recently (8 years ago) I had the privilege of being her oldest daughter's 5th grade teacher.  I hugged Nicolene and we caught up on how her daughter is doing amazing things.  One thing that I truly treasure is the end of the year gift that Nicolene's daughter gave me in May 2013.  

On Thursday night we traveled to Middleton to watch Kate play soccer.  On the way home I realized that it was Graduation Eve for the group of kids I taught my last year in Illinois.  My heart felt all the feels and I sent a quick message to one of them.  I hope he knows how much it meant to me that he wrote me back.  

Life is hard and some days (lots of days) I am not feeling "it."  Thankfully I have an amazing family who makes me laugh more than cry.  I have found a way to run for my sanity, too.

Friday was the 5th grade concert for my current students.  In a sense it is the unwritten beginning of the end of the school year celebrations.  There are always big emotions with the event.  The music teacher does an amazing job with it and with all of the strange things that COVID threw out, she and the 5th graders far exceeded expectations.  The songs they performed were so passionate and soulful. 

 It would have been a perfect Friday to go home after school and kick up my feet, but Kate had another soccer game so I excitedly made my way to Platteville to cheer her on.  By the time we got home and ate dinner, I still needed to get some activity in so I headed out for 2 easy miles knowing that today was going to be an early day of soccer and track spectating.

This morning I got up and set out for 5 miles that turned into 4...It wasn't ideal but it was better than 0.  The miles felt hard and hot even before 8 am. Hard miles help the heavenly miles create a balance with each other.  

I have 21 days until my Made to Move 10K and I am going to get there and give it my best.  #finishstrong

May Day

 I absolutely love the possibilities of NEW!   New month - awesome.  New Week - love it!  New day--sweet opportunites.  New shoes---even better 😜   But seriously.  There is something amazing about NEW and all that it represents.  

This month I am working on focusing on some new habits that will hopefully bring me closer to my goals, but before I move on to the new, I'd love to reflect on what's been happening in the last month.

April is a big birthday month at our house.  Both Kate and Will celebrated during April.  I cannot believe that I have been a mom for 17 years.  That seems so unreal to me especially since I really do often still feel 30.  

April brought about Kate's first college visit.  She loved everything about Marian University.  April brought about the beginning of spring sports:  soccer and track.  

April was a good reading month for me.  I finished Bravey, Outliers, and You're Not Enough.  I'm excited for my list of to be read titles for May.  

I made it to my step goal 23 days out of 30.  While I wish I had met the 80%, I am okay with what it was.

I have some big goals in terms of money and running/health this month.   I'm determined to stick to the budget this month.  It means I need to avoid buying anything new that isn't necessary.  Like I said at the beginning of  this post, I LOVE new....it's going to be hard not to buy new things but I know that I don't need things. I'm going to take this one week at a time.  I'll try and check in about it each week.  We are taking a Financial Peach course. Have you ever taken one?  Are you familiar with Dave Ramsey?  I'd love to hear from you about this if you have experience.

My health/ running goals are pretty typical.  I want to meet my step goal at least 80% of the days.  I'd like to run 25 miles or more each week.  I'm going to drink water daily (that's really hard for me....I rarely drink water).  I have about 6 weeks until Made to Move.  I'm working toward a 54 miinutes 10K.

I hope to help my kids feel strong and confident in their final month of this school year.  I think this is so hard.  This week I watched frustration and sadness show in both my kids.  Things in this world are telling them they aren't enough....other kids, coaches, teachers.  It sucks to watch them experience disappointment.  I know I can't keep them from it, but I hope I can teach them how to overcome it!

Today's the first day of the new month and I got out there for 5 miles to kick things off.  The weather is beautiful.  

What goals do you have for May?

Reflection and Goals

 How can it be that it's April?  Does anyone else feel like the first 3 months of 2021 went whizzing by at a quicker pace than you were ready for?  That is not a bad thing....I just can't believe that it's April.  I am ready for the warmer weather that will hopefully be coming. 

This week was spring break and it did not feel like spring to me.  I wore my winter coat every day and ran in layers whenever I ran outside.  

I have been doing lots of my miles outside and I am happy to say that I have been hitting 25 (or more) running miles for the last month.

This week was a pretty low key spring break week.  We did some small things each day but never anything far away.  Today I headed to my mom's house for a visit and I am looking forward to all the Easter celebrations in Illinois this weekend.

Along with my visit at my mom's house, another highlight was a book club meeting on Monday night.  We read the book Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.  It was a good eye-opener for me and I loved discussing the book with such amazing women.  While Emira, the main character,  may not be a hero by definition, I felt like she took some bold steps for herself and I really loved the ending. 

My next book that I've started reading is part of a book club, too:  Bravey by Alexi Pappas.  If you are interested in joining our discussion, let me know.  It starts on Sunday, April 11.

Each day of the school week I read a #classroombookaday to my 5th graders.  My absolute favorite in March was Eyes That Kiss in the Corners.  If you have any reason to read a wonderful picture book,  I encourage you to pick up this one.

In March I had my annual physical and this year I had bloodwork done (haven't had that done since I was pregnant so at least 15 years ago....).   I was really pleased with all of my numbers there.  That doesn't mean that I am going to get lazy and content.  I have some work to do to get better. My workouts were decent during the first quarter of the year but I am going to work on adding in some weight training and abs on a more regular schedule.  

In March Kate and I ran a REAL RACE!!!   It was the Dyersville, IA, Gaelic Gallop 8K.  I am super happy with how well we did.  Finished in 45:55 (9:10 avg pace).  My next race is June 12 (10K) so I'd like to be able to run it in 55 minutes or less.   I think I can train for that.

I am so proud of the first quarter of 2021 and I can't wait to see more great things happen from now until the end of June.  I will check in along the way to share how it's going.

Goals:

Run 25 or more miles each week.

Drink water daily.

Weight train at least 2 x a week.

Do ab work 5 x a week.

Here's to a great April!   It's birthday month for both of my kiddos.  I don't need excuses to celebrate them so I'm sure there will lots of fun things this week.

Stories....the ones you have experienced, heard, or adopted....

Saturday morning I had the privilege of hanging out with Jen Vincent and her Story Exploratory Crew.  It's become one of my favorite things about these Safer At Home days.  During our time together we got to talk and brainstorm and write.  It was wonderful!

We began our time with Writer's Agreements and then it was right into STORIES.  As I was brainstorming about cultural stories, I realized how very lucky I was to grow up in a family that truly treasured their Welsh Heritage.  My dad was so proud of his family's origins.

As I was reminiscing about cultural stories, I realized how the stories from my family's history were part of cultural stories, family stories, and personal stories.  I loved the experiences I had with the Welsh Heritage.   I always remember the looks that kids would give me when I said that my grandparents were from Wales.  It gave me a wonderful opportunity to talk about the British Isles and I always threw in just a bit about Prince Charles (and during my elementary days - Princess Diana).

My dad loved being a part of the Cambrian Benevolent Society.  I think some of my favorite childhood party memories are from the St. David's Day Banquets.  March 1 was a BIG holiday in our house because of it.  At church when we would be singing hymns, I also remember my dad often pointing out details at the bottom of hymnal pages where it would say "Welsh hymn."  Attending an annual Gymanva Ganu (not said at all how it is spelled...) was also a great part of growing up Welsh.  

I have so many other pieces to cultural stories---things like Bible stories and fairytales but today I wanted to reflect and reminisce on what it means to grow up in a Welsh home.

Let's talk about language.  On Christmas, my dad LOVED calling everyone he knew early in the morning and saying, "Nadolig Llawen!"  My dad loved getting to see people on Christmas Day and say this too.  He always hoped we would say back to him, "Ac i chithau." (back at you)     Even more of a favorite for my dad seemed to be, "Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!"  New beginnings or second chances were definitely something my dad was big on.  

In 1986, we got a call from the Chicago Tribune that they were running a special in their Sunday Magazine about different heritages that could be found in the Chicagoland area.  One super early morning, my dad woke me up and drove me downtown to the Chicago Tribune building to meet with 50+ other kids about my age who were dressed in different "costumes" to represent their nationality.  We stood on the roof of that building as the sun came up.  Then once we had all been photographed individually, we took 2 group photos:  1 in our costume and one where we all wore matching yellow Chicagoans All shirts.  

The only time I ever actually "lived" in Chicago was during my Golden Apple Summers at DePaul University (June/July 1994 and 1995) but Chicago was the home my dad loved!  He knew the city so well that even when I was at DePaul University, he was the one I would ask for directions anywhere.  

I loved running the Chicago races that I've run because it was fun to think of it as another way I could connect with my dad.

This post was not this way in my head.  I actually had intended to write more about those fun St. David's Day banquets where the Shirley Temples were consumed by the dozens and the dancing was as uncoordinated as popcorn popping over a hot fire; but this is what came out in print.  I thought I'd be writing about the embarrassment of my dad wearing his skirt (he called it a kilt but we all saw it for what it was)....   So many stories going through my mind.  I'll be back to share more of my stories again soon.  

There are SO MANY STORIES that I have been thinking over in my mind since Saturday morning!  My biggest struggle when I am writing is that I still don't know "my" story.  I think I need to be more open to accepting my story, too.  There are so many times that I protect myself from my own story. 

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”
― Shannon Alder