T-ball

Tonight was our second game of the season. T-ball is so entertaining! Here's our team warming up. Coming in for a score! Whose kid is this? Seriously? Oh wait, he's mine! Must be late in the game, he's gotta pee, or he's signaling to the coach that he's going to steal home.

Day at the track

Allen and I have been taking Cael to the track when we do shorter workouts since we've lived in Wood River. And since that time, he's been running with us. We went today and had a great time. I'm trying to get him to build up to a mile this summer, so we ran a warm-up lap, then he hung out while I did my speed and progression workout. After I was done, we did 2 laps of running the curves and walking the straights. He noticed a pair of starting blocks on the track and asked what they were for, so I taught him how to use them. Now, neither Allen, nor I have EVER had to use those because 1.We were never in track and 2.We're not fast enough to be sprinters. However, Cael wanted to know, so I thought, what the heck? He put himself in the blocks, I started him like in a race, and that kid took off! And then he just kept going! With Momma cheering him the whole way, of course. So - a mile total for the kiddo today. He's excited to go back because we'll do 3 laps of walk/run. When he can do 4 of those, I'll have him run 200m at a time with 100m of walking. We'll build up nice and slow. Gotta start somewhere!

First t-ball game

Cael is on the Big O Tires t-ball team for GI Youth Baseball. I took him to GI because our Assistant Principal, Chuck Oliver is coaching, and he got us onto his team. It's a good group of kids and parents. I started a Facebook page for the team so other parents can upload and download pictures of their kids. I'm a big picture taker, so there are already a lot of pics on there. These are just a few. Cael eating snacks with his teammates after the game. Coach O and his team. good game, good game, good game, good game, good game, good game... Batter up, Cael! He sticks his tongue out for everything he does, as it turns out. Running, hitting, catching, throwing. Kinda funny! Luckily, it's an hour, or 3 innings, whichever comes first. No score is kept. Everyone gets to hit. Everyone gets to field. It's a good learning experience for the kids. Fundamentals, sportsmanship, and patience are things everyone needs to learn, no matter what you're doing in life. Next game is Thursday night!

Mids

Allen is now on the "mids" schedule which means that he goes to bed at 3pm, gets up at 10pm, formation at 11pm, class from 12am-6am, and PT from 7-9am. Allen was not looking forward to the whole situation, especially since he had to move barracks as well. I told him that something positive was going to come out of the situation. Something. Better teachers, better classmates, better something. He needed to find something positive, or he would go nuts. So he is now co-leader of the class, and he likes the new company better than his old one. His PT is harder and he likes it a lot better. Positive things - yea! Here are some links to Cael's preschool graduation. It was a hoot! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9IW1HBNZQI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ4CJHRXuTg, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLJS4jr42ZI

Georgia

Allen is now at Fort Gordon, GA for AIT (Advanced Individual Training). He's all processed, and is getting to start classes this week. This is a good thing in that he was told that he might not get to start for another 2-3 weeks, or even until the beginning of July. He does, however, go to class from 12am-6am. PT is then from 7-9am. Bed check is at 3pm and wake up is at 11pm. He has to move to a different barracks across the street so he can be with guys that are on the same schedule. He doesn't like that very much, since he was just getting settled in with the guys in his barracks. The hours will feel like old Hy-Vee frying days, but it's not forever, and he'll get used to it. Unfortunately, he has to go back to regular schedule for the weekends, and it will be weird when Cael and I go to see him. At least we'll have the mornings and a little after lunch to be with him. Right now, the main thing that we're worried about is getting the house sold. If you know anyone who wants to buy a house in Wood River, send them our way! Everything kind of hinges on that. Prayers, please! At least right now we get to talk everyday, and soon he'll get internet so we can skype. Thanks for all of your prayers and support! Blessings on your week!

Graduation

Entrance gate Sign at entrance. Spinozi and Blake singing the Star Spangled Banner. Family.

Color Guard and Star Spangled Banner

Back to Barracks

Family Day

Family Day is over, but we have Graduation to look forward to. Allen gets to sing the National Anthem tomorrow with a female soldier in front of everyone! I'm really excited!

Marathon

I'm a marathoner! I never thought I'd be able to say that! (Never thought I'd WANT to be able to say that.) My running partner, Dan, came to WR on Friday, and we took Cael to my sister-in-law's house so he could play with his cousins while we were in Lincoln. Dan and I left around 9 to Lincoln and went to the expo at the Embassy Suites. We picked up our packets, and I got a cool wind jacket. We hung out the rest of the day, and made it back to my father-in-law's house early for bed. (Ya, like we could sleep much.) We left the house a little after 5:30am to head to the starting line. We needed to check our bags, warm up, and wait for people to line up. The whole time, I was worried about the wind. Wind in my biggest nemesis when I run. There was a breeze, and it was chilly, but it wasn't too bad - yet. We found my former student, Cathy, who was running the half, and lined up. The gun went off and here we go! - standing still. Walk about 4ft. Stop. It took about a half hour just to get going through the chute. The support in Lincoln is awesome! So much energy! I was cautiously optimistic about how my stomach was feeling. This was not the day for my ulcers to decide to misbehave. 4 miles. Good. 6 miles. Good. 13 miles. Good. Could it be? God granted me a stomach-pain free day! I felt stronger than I ever have on a run. Around mile 10, Dan started slowing down. I asked him if he was going to drop to the half, since I could tell he was not doing well. This is the guy that has run 19 miles without stopping. Needless to say, I was a little worried. I stayed with him for a while, but my hips started to stiffen since I wasn't striding out. I asked him if I could keep going, and he said yes. I felt really bad leaving him behind, but if I would've kept at that pace, it would've been bad for my whole body. I made a pit-stop at mile 17.5, but I really didn't stop running until mile 19. That was after I had made the turn around. I had watched the weather (duh, I'm Red's daughter, remember?) and it said a NW wind. The WHOLE last 6 miles were headed NW. Soooooo, that meant a stiff headwind the WHOLE way back. I had to make it from Holmes Lake to the Stadium. I only walked about 2.5 miles of the whole thing. I joined the 5:10 pace team around mile 22. They pulled me through probably the worst of the race, and for them, I am truly grateful. I lagged behind them around mile 24.5, but I made sure to keep them in my sights. Around mile 25, I lost them completely, because there was a guy that needed some motivation. We could see the stadium, so I got him to run with me. "Look! There it is! We're there, man!" He stopped a couple of times. STOPPED. And bent over. "Don't stop! Your body won't let you start again!" He said he couldn't breathe, so I told him to breathe through his gut, and his cramps went away. I lost him with about 1/4 mile left. As I turned the corner to go through the tunnel to the stadium, I started to choke back tears. This was one of the coolest things I've ever done. Ok, God and I had ever done together. There was no way I could've done it without out Him. I crossed the finish line with my face on the jumbotron and got my medal. I looked around for the 5:10 pacer ladies and gave them my heart-felt thanks. Cathy found me and we congratulated each other. Then my sister came running towards me. It was so awesome to see her! She got pics of me coming in, crossiing the line, and with my medal afterwards. I'll post those soon. I found out, after my massage, that Dan was picked up at mile 21. His stomach and kidneys were not letting him run like he wanted, and was in a lot of pain because of it. I felt so bad for his situation, but 21 miles is nothing to sneeze at! He pushed himself really hard, and I'm proud of him. After Dan found the car (that took some doing), Dan, LeAnn, and I went to lunch. I think LeAnn was just amazed that I was upright, much less smiling and in a good mood. I just want to thank everyone who supported me through the whole process, and I'm looking forward to running some 5k's with my sister this summer!