I run for the fallen.

Friday I will run my third race with the hopes of running many more. This past Saturday my long run included a decent size hill and 8 miles. After about mile 4 when I was halfway through my run as well as halfway up the monster hill I started to think "oh lord how am I ever going to complete this run let alone the races I have coming up!" And then I started thinking about all of those people out there who used to run and no longer can or the people that would love to experience the joy of even walking let alone running but have never and will never be able. This propelled me forward. At this point in my run my ipod also died due to the pouring rain which freed my mind to wander and I began to think of all our troops, those still with us and the fallen. Fast forward to this morning. I spent the better part of a half hour talking with a Vietnam Veteran after I donated to a veteran's cause. At this point it occurred to me, why am I running all of these races? Obviously they all benefit charities of some form; my first 5k - skin cancer, my 2nd 5k - youth sports, the Ragnar Relay this weekend - youth mentorship. All of these are wonderful causes but I want to run for something that hits a little closer to home, something I feel very passionate about. Which has led me to start researching what kind of events are out there that benefit our troops and their families. I've found several and plan on scheduling them into my 12 month race calendar and I welcome all fellow runners to join me! This weekend I will be running all three of my Ragnar legs for the fallen, those still fighting for our freedom and those who used to run and no longer can. To our troops, thank you for fighting for us!

Getting a little perspective

Friday is usually one of the best days of the week as you know the weekend is approaching! However on this particular Friday I found myself having "that" morning. You know the one i'm referring to, the one where from the minute you get up things just seem to go wrong.... THAT day. Let's re-cap....went to make coffee and spilled the pot full of water all over the counter then in the process of trying to clean that up spilled half the container of coffee all over the floor, stubbed my toe, went to get in the car (which I had started to get it cooled down for the kiddos) to find i'd not only locked my keys in the running car but i'd also locked myself and the kiddos out of the house....(thank goodness for a hidden spare key!!) Finally get on the road to LaCrosse to meet my mom at Sams Club. Cashier rings up purchases wrong so I have to then wait in line behind 10 other customers for 2 items, then go to Caribou (which doesn't have a drive thru.... :(), unload both kids go in to get my coffe and they give me the wrong one but don't have time to fix it because of 2 screaming kids. Keep in mind it's barely 10:00 at this point..... NOW, I have a decision to make at this juncture; I can either sulk and let these many unfortunate irritating things ruin the rest of my day (and there's a lot of day left!) or I can laugh at this and choose to start over! So that is what I did! Not to say i'm above sulking, i've done that a time or two (and who hasn't!). But on my drive home as Lucas was talking to Gavin in the backseat and Gavin was laughing and cooing at his big brother I realized there just isn't enough time or energy in my life to waste on negative things.
I found myself thinking about a friend who had to say goodbye to her babies after just an hour on this earth and my eyes teared up. If I chose to let these minor things ruin my day how could I face that friend or others who are truly taking on lifes most difficult challenges? My perspective on the day immediately changed. I looked at my babies in the backseat and smiled remembering that I get to go home to an air conditioned house with two healthy children, a wonderful husband, food in our cupboards and clothes in our closets. My life is truly blessed and i'm thankful everyday for everything and everyone I have in my life.
This is life, you roll with the punches and you pick your battles. To those of you that are dealing with genuine struggles, my heart aches for you, be strong and I love you!

Where has the summer gone?!?!

I can't believe we are already into August! We have had such a busy summer and our fall calendar is quickly filling up as well! Ri starts football in a week and a half, I have the Ragnar Relay coming up in two weeks, Lucas starts PRESCHOOL!! in 2 weeks and Gavin will start daycare when I go back to work on the 29th. I can't believe there are only a few short weeks left of our busy summer! A quick update on our "little" family. Gavin is now nearly 5 months old, smiles, coos, rolls over and loves to watch his big brother run around like the energizer bunny! He's a very strong little guy and thankfully has been sleeping through the night since about 3 months! (yes, we realize how fortunate we are for this!!) Lucas is, as always, as active as toddler boys come! We're working diligently on potty training....somedays it goes really well and others I feel like Gavin will be potty trained before him!! ha ha But we'll get there! He has healed wonderfully from his surgery and within a week we could tell a big difference in his speech. The week of the 22nd he moves into the preschool room at daycare....where did my baby go??? I can't believe he is old enough for preschool already! He throws epic tantrums just like any toddler and his favorite saying during these tantrums lately is "don't talk me!!" Oh the drama of toddlerhood. ;) Ri has been really busy with mowing, hasn't had to many slumps this year like we have in the summers past but I really don't know how he works in this heat and humidity! He's been playing in two softball leagues this summer. One wrapped up last night and the other plays for the league championship on Monday night. Cash has been doing great adjusting to both boys and is as usual a great pup and very protective of all of us. As for me, i've been training quite a bit this summer. I have a 200 mile team relay this month, a 10k in September and a half marathon in early October. I'm also considering signing up for another half marathon in May. I've found that running helps keep my anxiety in check and I absolutely LOVE the runners high afterwards! Well, that's about all for the Stejskal's at this point. I'll post again in a few weeks after my race (if I survive!) with pictures! :) Love to all.