Where to Start...

Life. It has a funny way of slipping away from you and before you know it a year has passed since the last time you wrote. In many ways I needed a break. A lot has happened in the last two years and I've needed to process and reflect on what has happened around me. In many ways not knowing where to start and the thought of blogging terrified me. However, enough time has passed and I am in a much healthier place these days. I'm ready to blog again and document our life this way because I do so love being able to re-read where we have been and where we are headed. Please, bear with me as I shake off the dust and clear the cobwebs. I've got to find a rhythm for posting again but I promise to get back on the bandwagon. I'm sure I'll post some on what has transpired over the last year but I don't really want to set expectations on that for myself. We'll just see when and where my heart goes with all of this. Without much further ado here's where we are headed...

Home
We are still living in our same house. It's hard to believe that we've been here now for over 7.5 years! Time moves so quickly. This past summer one of our old trees in the backyard split in half and in order to take it out we had to remove four additional trees. Our once super shady backyard is now very bright! The upside to this is that the mosquito problem that we've had for years is now virtually non-existent. It also means that for the first time since we've been here I'll be able to have a vegetable garden this next spring.

Andy
We are elated to announce that Andy will be starting a new job in different industry next week. He has been working in the tax industry since we met. We've prayed for a long time that something would come along that would allow him to switch gears and move out of it. And in the last two months God brought about an unexpected opportunity. It feels odd to be walking in uncharted territory and yet we are at peace with where we are being led. I'll share more about this and how we got to this point in another post because it is most certainly something I want to document.

Me
So many things to say here. :) The biggest change for me in this last year is going back to work. I absolutely love my job, what we do, and the people I work with. Again, I plan to document how I got to where I am because it is worth documenting in another post.

AG
Five and a half and getting closer to six every. single. day. He started Kindergarten in August and is thriving at school! We decided to put him on campus at Berry Elementary and have felt deeply affirmed that he is in the right place over the course of these last two months. He amazes us daily with all the different things that he is learning. He continues to be all boy and a sports fanatic just like his Daddy. Once again, he's playing soccer this fall and Andy is coaching his team. I'm not sure who enjoys it more but I absolutely love watching the two of them on the field together.

Avi-Kate
Our sweet and sassy mess as I affectionately call her. She's got a lot of spunk and reminds me daily of my sister, Caroline, when we were growing up. In August, she started school at Berry at the Child Development Center and she is blossoming right in front of our eyes. She loves being a 'big girl' who has her own friends and gets to do fun things like paint, play, read, and sing. Her only disappointment with school is that she can't ride the bus every day like her older brother. Ha. We remind her daily that her time is coming.

Samson
Middle age in dog years and likes his routine. He's living the dream lounging around the house and in the backyard. And always enjoys a car trip when it takes him to the farm where he can roam to his heart's content.

Running
Many a post on this subject coming up in the next few weeks. I'm still doing it and learning a lot along the way. Andy and I have some pretty ambitious race goals set for this next year and we are currently training for a half and a marathon back to back. We've got our race schedule for 2015 for the most part set and I'm really excited about what we've got on the books. Two of which are really big runDisney accomplishments.

College Family
Lots of transition here! We had a huge wave of our students graduate this spring so we are in the process of regrouping. Our group had become quite large and it should look much smaller this year due to our senior class this spring. With everything in limbo the last two months with Andy's job we haven't done our usual dinners to kick off the year. However, now that we know what the next few weeks look like as Andy transitions to his new gig we are excited about starting things back up with our students.

There you have it. A surface level post but hopefully it sets things up for me to dive back into this in the coming weeks. Back again soon...

Third time is the charm...I hope...

In December of 2010 we spent a week at Disney with AG seeing all the holiday splendor and it was so beautiful. It was a great trip but it was also hard because all three of us were sick. (I was also 3 months pregnant with Avi-Kate.) Since then we've tried to go back to do all the Christmas stuff again just not sick. And the last two years we've had to cancel for various reasons. As it is last year everyone but Avi-Kate came down with a stomach virus...so I was grateful we ended up canceling. I told Andy that I can't keep planning on a Christmas trip and then having to cancel it. So here's hoping that this year we actually make it to Disney! Once again the kids don't know this trip exists but they have been asking daily when are we going back to Disney so the timing couldn't be better! For this trip we have a voucher to try Wyndham's Vacation Club at Bonnet Creek and we are curious to see how it stacks up next to Marriott's. Then we'll finish the last two nights at one of Marriott's Vacation Club resorts. We are going to try a new to us Marriott by staying at Harbour Lake. (At some point we plan to do a trip and stay here when it is hot so that the kids can take advantage of the amenities...they have a pirate ship water feature, putt-putt course, etc.) This will be the first trip where we have to pay for AG and I'm sad that our kid free days are numbered. Oh, well it had to happen sometime. Avi-Kate has another year of being free before we have to pay for her too. Our plan is to take advantage of this and get our monies worth out of the fact that we have to pay for AG while Avi-Kate is still free. 

This trip is going to be really low key and we are going to do everything that the kids want to do. Andy and I will be back in January for race weekend so we'll get to ride our favorites then. Also, it looks like we'll get to overlap with my dear friend, Evan, and her crew for a day. Last fall our trips lined up like this and we had an absolutely perfect day together. I'm really excited about getting to spend some time together with all our kids in one of our favorite places. I've booked a few dining reservations and analyzed the crowd forecasts to maximize our park time so the kids get to see everything they want. We are trying to really hard to prioritize trips like this right now when they are so little because they LOVE everything about it and get completely wrapped up in the magic of it all. Avi-Kate is going to be beside herself because in this last year she has come to love all of the princesses. Andy and I can't wait to see their faces and watch them take it all in. So here's hoping that in less than fifty days we'll all be at the happiest place on earth enjoying some much needed family time with our gingers.

Every year we go I pick up an ornament with the date on it...this is a special one from 2011 because it commemorates the Magic Kingdom 40th anniversary. And we also pick up an ornament or two for each child based on what they've loved that year.

I love seeing the castle like this. And I love the fact that we get to see it lit up in January for Marathon weekend. It's so beautiful to run towards it as you are running down Main Street U.S.A. 

(Sigh) Is it time to leave yet?!? These pictures make me wish we could pack and go right now. Thankfully at the rate that the weeks are flying by it'll be here before we know it. :)

Running Goals...

Goals. I've spent a lot of time the last six months or so reflecting on this last decade of my life as I head into my 30's and thinking about what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish. (With a lot of that reflection landing on running...this post has been rolling around in my head for months now. Literally.) There are days that I still sit back humbled and amazed that I've completed two half marathons because in reality I never thought I could do it. I've learned a lot and realized there is so much that I want to accomplish when it comes to running in my 30's. 

In my late 20's I started running on and off depending on lots of various factors. I've done well considering I've been trying to learn a sport that was foreign to me and trying to be mom to two small kids. My focus for my 30's is to dream big and really work on improving my times. Up till now my goal has been to attempt and finish without any care to my time. I simply wanted to be able to say that I did it. For my 30's I want to say not only did I finish but I finished well. That I improved over previous performances. I want to become more dedicated to this sport that I love and hate all at the same time some days. This winter I will attempt my last two race weekends with the mindset of I just want to finish. Starting in August we'll have both kids in school all day and my ability to train will change dramatically. Andy and I will actually have the opportunity to run together! That never happens. I'm pretty excited about the possibility of being able to train together but also being able to run during the day while the kids are in school. Even better I'll be able to drop both kids off in the morning and then run on campus at Berry.

My running bucket list includes being able to say I have a medal from every major runDisney race. Which is no small feat and will take some serious time, planning, coordinating of schedules, and training BUT I feel it's completely doable. Within that Andy and I have several runDisney goals that we'd like to complete before our 10th Wedding Anniversary in 2016. So, here we go:

--Complete the Goofy Challenge...this means you run both a half marathon and a marathon on the same weekend. (Half on Saturday with the full on Sunday.) You are awarded three medals for this accomplishment...both medals for the individual races and a third medal signifying you did both races back to back. We are slated to run this in January and my goal is just to finish. I could care less about my time. Again, my ability to train and train well will improve later in 2014.

--Complete an Inaugural runDisney race...I'm slated to do this in February by running both the new Enchanted 10K and the Glass Slipper Challenge. (More about the Glass Slipper Challenge here.) This particular event weekend I'll be running with Andy's sister, Caroline. Considering that I will hopefully have completed a half and a marathon a mere five weeks earlier my goal again is to just finish. Since I've completed a half I'm really not worried about doing the 10K and half back to back for this weekend...unlike some days when I think I have completely lost my mind to attempt a full and a half back to back.

--Run a Disney race with my dear friend, Evan. We both have a deep love for racing in the parks and it's a goal of ours to actually race together as opposed to being at an event that we both happen to be running. We've talked about possibilities for the future and have a few ideas. I'm quite confident we'll complete this before we both turn 40. Right, Evan?!?! :) Maybe the Pink Coast to Coast Challenge? I'd love it if our friend, Erin, would join us for whatever we end up running.

--If Andy and I survive the Goofy this winter our goal for the winter of 2015 is to do the Dopey. (Completing a 5K, 10K, half, and full over four days with 6 medals to your name if you do!) We are tentatively planning on this with the goal of really evaluating this after we run Goofy.

--Coast to Coast/Dumbo Double Dare...runDisney has a highly coveted medal, the Coast to Coast, that they award if you run in events on BOTH coasts (DisneyLand and Disney World) in the same calendar year. Coast to Coast is tricky for us due to having season football tickets with UGA. The Disneyland Half Marathon is always Labor Day Weekend. This year they added a 10K and created a new challenge, Dumbo Double Dare, if you complete the half and 10K. Next year UGA will play Clemson at home Labor Day Weekend and so we will be in Athens. Which is fine...there are a few things I want to happen before we do Coast to Coast. I want to really be in a running groove in order to train ALL summer for a half. (Right now I much prefer winter running.) If we are going to fly all that way I want to be able to compete and compete well. I don't want to just 'finish'...I want a good time. Next I really want to know the parks before I run out there. Part of the reason I love running at Disney World is I know and love all the places I'm running. I constantly have memories running around in my head about past trips and experiences. Ideally, I'd love for us to take a family vacation out there and really explore the parks. Plus, I want us to take advantage of enjoying Carsland while AG is still in to Cars. The earliest we could attempt this will be 2015 giving us plenty of time to work on all of these things before heading west to run.

--Food and Wine Half Marathon...this is a night race and is done in early November. Due to when it is run we have to try and schedule it around football. It is possible that we might be able to attempt it in 2014. If they keep it the same weekend that it is currently scheduled then next year UGA will have an away game. Lots of moving factors with this one and we aren't planning on it yet...just keeping it in the back of our minds. 

--Tower of Terror 10 Miler...currently this race is scheduled for the first weekend in October. I have a feeling this will probably be the last runDisney event we check off our list due to the date. The first weekend in October is always Berry's homecoming weekend, Mount Day Weekend, and we never miss it. As it is, next year UGA has a home game that weekend. Plus, it'll require training all summer for it and again, I have yet to get in to running in the summer. 

--Ideally, Andy and I would love to complete a marathon to start our 30s. (We'll both be 30 in January before Andy turns 31 in February.) And we'd like to complete Dopey and Coast to Coast before our 10th wedding anniversary. Those are our three major race goals between now and 2016 to do together. I'm not sure if we'll tackle them all but I'm really looking forward to the challenge and the possibility of it all. Grateful that two years ago I took the plunge and decided to take up running because it has completely changed my perspective on so many things. 

Why not run 19.3 instead of 13.1?!?

Today runDisney opened up registration for the Princess Half Marathon and the eagerly anticipated Glass Slipper Challenge. For the Glass Slipper you run a 10K on Saturday and then the Princess Half on Sunday for a total of 19.3 miles. Earning yourself a medal for each race plus a third medal to commemorate completing the challenge of doing both back to back. Registration opened at noon and the Glass Slipper was sold out before 5pm. Crazy. I'm not sure what's more crazy how quickly it sold out or the fact that I am signed up to run 20 miles in two days. I guess I'm hoping it's redemption for all the things that were out of my control this year. (Sinus infection and a stress fracture. Not to mention a 100% humidity and a starting race temp of 70 degrees at 5:30am.) So, here's to new hardware and new goals, new mileage and new race gear, running and eating at the happiest place on earth, and new memories. I'm excited. 

Looking forward to tackling another runDisney race with my sweet sister-in-law, Caroline.

Excited to be able to share another Disney experience with my dear friend, Evan.

Looking forward to bringing home not 1 but 3 medals this time around!

Alice and crew. Home to my favorite pit stop before running out of Cinderella's Castle during the race and the always tasty frozen raspberry lemonade for post-race enjoyment.

 Being able to say you ran in the Magic Kingdom while thousands of people cheer you on is absolutely priceless.

Guess it's time I lace my shoes up and go for a run...I've got to get back on a schedule.

Insta Friday...Week in Review.

I'm in need of some change. The year has started off in chaos and my poor blog has suffered. And now it's March and I'm still trying to find my 'new year' blogging rhythm. Anyways, I'm cautiously optimistic that I might actually find my rhythm...in an effort to start this month off on the right foot (AND because I uploaded two months worth of photos to the computer this week off of multiple cameras) here's my week in review from my Instagram account (KTgE). Maybe if I get my act together this will become a frequent occurrence around here. :)

Welcome to MCO.

 Race Expo.

 Dinner at Be Our Guest and the Grey Stuff was Delicious!

 Fastpasses are a girls best friend!

 Quick trip down the yellow brick road...

 Gorgeous afternoon at Epcot.

 A great place to rest your feet after 13.1 miles.

 Celebrate the Magic! 

 Half number 2 complete and in the books. 

 Late night fun on the wildest ride in the wilderness after a successful half marathon.

 On our way to Scottish Rite to get the golf balls out...I mean, tonsils.

 Double dose of chocolate while your child is in surgery...just what the doctor ordered.

 In recovery...took a three hour nap.

 Woke up ready for popsicles and was ready to conquer the world.

 Enjoyed traveling by wagon around the hospital...requested one for 'AG's House'

 Double order of chocolate milkshakes and papers to be released...worthy of a thumbs up!

 IV removal was the worst part of his day.

 Braves Spring Training+ Chocolate Milkshake=Happy Boy.

 Easter will be here soon...

 Chocolate ice cream at 10:30 in the morning...why not?!?!

run(ning)Disney...

WOW! I've been working on this for weeks. I'm sorry that it has taken so long for me to post it. Life has just been crazy with the kids the last few weeks between sickness, surgery, Andy's birthday, Valentine's Day, etc. In the midst of this I've discovered a stress fracture in my left leg and come down with a sinus infection...both of which should make my half marathon this Sunday very interesting! My goal is to have fun and just finish due to all that has happened. I can't believe it's time to go back and do it all over again. I'm beyond excited to run with my sisters and some dear friends from Berry. It will be quite a memorable weekend. I plan to savor every moment.

Finally! A recap on our first half marathon. Due to Andy's job he couldn't be gone for very long and as it is he had to work while we were there because tax season was about to start. We flew out Thursday night and used Disney's Magical Express to pick us up and transport us to our resort. For this trip I wanted to try one of Disney's Vacation Club resorts and so we rented points. We ended up at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa and it was AMAZING! Absolutely beautiful and quite peaceful...a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the parks. Friday morning we had breakfast down at the Artist's Pallet and then Andy had to work. I relaxed out on our balcony and read some before heading to the parks. I had to take some photos for my dad at one of the resorts and then hopped the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom. Andy met me for lunch at Tony's and then we headed to the race expo to pick up our gear.

Wow! The Race Expo was HUGE, MASSIVE, and CRAZY! I knew it would be big but I don't think I really understood how big it would be. Then again I didn't realize how many people I would be running with either. 25,000 runners for the half marathon and they had another 25,000 for the full marathon the next day. 9,000 runners ran BOTH races for the Goofy Challenge. Quite a difference from the 5,000 runners we ran with for the Expedition Everest Challenge. Anyways, it was crazy. We got our bibs in one building before heading next door to the actual expo to pick up our shirts/goody bags. Due to how chaotic it was we didn't buy much but we did buy The Stick to use before/after the race. Oh my goodness! Why we didn't have one of these things till now is beyond me but it makes a HUGE difference on your muscles. (Especially after long runs.) With our loot in tow we headed back to the resort so Andy could do some more work. I worked on laying out our race gear for the morning and making sure everything was good to go. Due to unseasonable temps they had posted at the Expo for people to plan accordingly, make sure they were properly hydrated, and to not try for a crazy fast time. With that in mind I opted to run in a tank and shorts...I was very pleased with this decision the next day as I was racing. Later, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for a lite dinner and to ride a few rides before calling it a night. We went to bed early and were up at 3AM to get ready. Shuttles start running at 3 with the last shuttle running at 4. We were in line and ready to go by 3:30. The shuttle takes you from your resort to Epcot at the drop off point. From there you have bag drop off, porta potties, First Aid, etc. and once you are ready you follow the crowd to the corrals. It actually takes about 15 minutes from this point to get to the actual corrals. You just go with the flow and follow the masses. By the time we made it to the corrals we had just a few minutes to stretch before the start of the race. The first wave went at 5:30ish and then every few minutes they sent the next wave of runners. One of the things I love about Disney races is that with each wave of runners they shoot off fireworks. Having fireworks to start off each wave makes everyone excited and keeps the energy up. When my wave went I turned on my playlist, secured my iPod Nano on my Spi Belt and off I went in to the wild, blue yonder. Well, off I went in to the dark with thousands of my closest friends beside me. ;) 

I settled in to an even pace and the first mile passed quickly. Disney marks every mile with special Disney themed mile marker signs and they also mark off 5K, 10K, and 15K while you are running. You can stop and take pictures or just keep going. Disney races are known for their entertainment on their courses and they didn't disappoint! Cheerleading squads, high school bands, and THOUSANDS of people out to encourage people along the way plus all sorts of character meet and greets. It was AH-MAZING. They end up having 9 water stations along the course plus four medic tents. Due to the heat, and being paranoid about getting dehydrated, I ended up drinking at every water/powerade station. The first half of the course moves really quickly because there are so many recognizable points on the course. Once you leave Epcot and head towards the Magic Kingdom you quickly come upon the Parking Toll Booths, which you pass thru, you then pass the Richard Petty Driving Experience and work your way across the Magic Kingdom parking lots headed towards the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center), once you pass the TTC you head towards the Magic Kingdom by way of the Contemporary, and you end up coming in to the Magic Kingdom from a side/back entrance that puts you on Main Street U.S.A. And can I just say WOW! I teared up when I got to that point in the course because I was overwhelmed by how many people had packed the streets to cheer everyone on. It was insane. I've now run through 3 of the 4 parks in races and Magic Kingdom is hands down the best to run through. (The only park I've not raced through is Hollywood Studios.) 

The first half went really, really fast like I said and I found myself on Main Street in no time. Due to the heat, humidity, and how many fluids I was consuming I decided to stop in the parks to use the bathroom. I ran in and ran out and was quickly back on the course running towards the castle. Running out of the castle was unreal. Looking again down Main Street at the crowds of people cheering was amazing. You then set off trekking across Liberty Square towards Frontierland. Once there you exit near Splash Mountain and begin the trek back to Epcot. At this point you are completely backstage and get to see all sorts of floats/behind the scenes operations before you come around the back of the Grand Floridian. By the time I got to this point in the course the sun was up and the temps were rising, however, the temp dropped around the Grand Floridian briefly and once we got on the open road it jumped again. It was weird. The next several miles were hard just because you are in between parks so there isn't a lot of excitement/anticipation like there is as you pass certain things making your way to MK. At this point I saw a woman running in a full blown Cinderella costume with a hoop skirt and I was quite grateful I was not running in a costume! (She looked really, really hot.) I imagine I'll see a ton of full costumes for the Princess Half. I continued on at my pace and drinking/eating Shot Bloks along the way. The bulk of the course is flat, it's Florida after all, and nothing like running around my neighborhood which is all hills. However, the last bit of the course is the most 'hilly' section but I would not call it 'hilly' because it's nothing like running around here. Not sure if that makes sense. Anyways, at mile 11 it hit me that I had a whopping two miles left and Epcot was within sight! Hallelujah! Everything about running in Epcot is just narrow. Super, super narrow. You enter from the side by the Seas with Nemo and Friends. You then run towards the World Showcase and back out towards Spaceship Earth. At this point there are people cheering and going crazy telling you that you are almost finished. You exit the park knowing the finish line is literally just around the bend. I came around the bend and teared up again...there was a massive grandstand at the finish line with people going crazy cheering for the finishers. I crossed the finish line with my arms raised over my head in jubilation. I had done it. I had run 13.1 miles and finished. Unreal. When I began running a year ago my goal was to accomplish something I never thought I could do. I was overwhelmed that I had done it. I was overwhelmed by God's faithfulness. This last year had been high and low in so many, many points and the entire time I was running I kept coming back to the thought that in all of that God had been faithful. Faithful to provide. Faithful to carry my burdens. Faithful in sickness. Extremely faithful in all things. At this point I made my way picking up water and powerade, which I quickly downed a bottle easily, and snagged my shiny new piece of hardware. I then picked up my runners box that had all sorts of food items in it and made my way to bag check. By now Andy and I are calling each other trying to locate one another and we quickly start chattering away about the whole experience. After locating Andy I called my Dad to tell him that we had made it and crossed the finish line. We ate, drank, stretched, and picked up some race gear for Andy. And then we made our way to the buses for our resort. We had to wait a bit because there was quite a line but all things considered it moved. We finally got on a bus and were on our way back to the resort. 

In all that we had read leading up to the race we had read not to nap afterwards. That your body actually does better if you stay up and going all day. So, that's what we did. We got back, ate some more, Andy showered while I stretched some more, and once I was showered we set out with our medals in hand towards Epcot for the afternoon. Walking in that afternoon we were able to demo the new entry system and it's going to be really neat when Disney gets it all finished. We were curious to talk to the Cast Members about how they plan to link the new system with Annual Passes and they said that they are working hard on it. I hope that it is jut as great for people that hold annual passes. Time will tell. Anyways, we spent the day roaming around Epcot and leisurely strolling around. We rode the re-vamped Test Track and it was awesome. We also found a real Peter Pan hat for AG in the United Kingdom of the World Showcase. (He was beside himself when we gave it to him.) Later that evening we took the monorail across to the Magic Kingdom for dinner. I was able to snag a reservation at the highly coveted, brand new restaurant, Be Our Guest. It was simply amazing! I'm so excited that I get to eat there again for the Princess Half Marathon. You feel like you've literally walked right in to the movie, Beauty and the Beast. And can I just say how amazing it was to have on our race shirts and medals and have people congratulate us on race. Strangers, cast members, fellow runners, etc. It was awesome. After dinner we rode some rides and did some shopping for the kids before heading out for the night. It was an unbelievably short trip but simply amazing! The next morning we relaxed before checking out and catching the Magical Express back to the airport. We went early so that Andy could watch half of the Falcons playoff game before we took off. 

It was a memorable weekend in so many ways. I am grateful that Andy and I got to do it together. It most definitely will not be our last half marathon together. We can both see this as something we'll do often in the years to come. 

Morning at our resort...I enjoyed sitting out here and reading each day.

The splash pad...I took this picture because it reminded me of the kids. I know we'll have to come back to this resort because they would love all of the amenities.

Construction work at the front of the Magic Kingdom.

I took this the day before the race...it was finally starting to sink in that I was actually going to be running down Main Street in less than 24 hours.

Lunch at Tony's.

Race Expo...Packet Pick-up...the real chaos was next door in the actual exhibition. Crazy and insane.

Evening on the Seven Seas Lagoon. 

A ride on Dumbo before heading to bed and hoping we make it across the finish line. 

We did it! Post race walk around Epcot.

Trying out the newly redesigned Test Track.

Who doesn't love boating on the high seas in Norway?!?

I love the United Kingdom area.

Off to Magic Kingdom and checking on the progress of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Can't wait to ride this when they finish it. 

Exploring around New Fantasyland before dinner with the Beast at Be Our Guest.

Caught a few minutes of our favorite part of The Main Street Electrical Parade.

WISHES! Over New Fantasyland. 

A perfect way to end the night and the trip.