Summer Busyness

We have been on the go since my last post.  Usually I am counting the days for school to start but this year I am enjoying the time I get to spend with my boys.  We didn't over commit on camps or sports this summer- we are really just spending time at home- sometimes just not doing much at all.

This has been a nice break from the craziness of school- the kids had challenging years in 2nd & 4th grade.  Homework and testing seemed to cause more stress which led to interesting afternoons before heading off to baseball, soccer, etc.  It seems like the more we push our kids, the less time we have to connect with our kids.  I have a bunch of friends who are taking the homeschooling plunge which seems like it could alleviate the amount of stress & activity.  But I wonder if we are just becoming "wired to do" that we don't know how to not schedule activities, play dates & camps to our lives.  What example are we setting to our kids if we never allow them to just be kids- playing, inventing, creating & relaxing- before they have to head off to a world of 24/7 emails, texts, and calls.  One that rarely sleeps and doesn't expect you to as well!

Enough about that...  here are some pictures of some fun things we have done in July.  We have had good times with friends and looking forward to spending time with family in the next few weeks.  August is just around the corner so watch out- summer will be gone before you know it.




4th of July 5K race



Waiting for the awards after the race

On July 4th we ran the 5K in Lutz.  Matt ran the 5K in 27:40 which was about 3 minutes faster than his time last year.  I ran it is 22:55 which gave me 2nd place in my age group.  Jake ran the 1 mile race with his friend, Will.  After the race, Jake got his picture taken on a tractor by a local newspaper.  His picture ran in the Lutz News the following week!



Fishing with Friends

A few days later we took 3 friends (all brothers) out fishing near Honeymoon Island.  We met up with 2 other boats off of 3 Rooker Island and spent the day swimming.  Great day to live in Florida.



Matt & Jake's first swim meet

Matt & Jake competed in their first swim meet this past weekend.  It was a mini-meet so the competition was at their level and everyone received a ribbon for participation.  This was their first meet and they did great- mostly they had lots of fun!  Glenn was fishing in a tournament in Stuart, FL with his dad and uncle.  They received 3rd place in the snapper division.  We got fresh cobia and snapper for dinner this week- YEAH!



Matt at Top 10 Camp

Matt is at our church's overnight camp for 4th-6th graders called Top 10 Camp.  It is a 3 day/2 night camp that runs at the church and the kids have a ton of fun. 



Hebrews 4:12

Lastly I had a great opportunity to speak about something near and dear to my heart, the Bible.  Our church (Van Dyke Church) has been in summer school this summer- a series called God 101.  Each week Pastor Matthew teaches on a different aspect of the Christian faith- this week's message was "What is the Bible? How Does it Reveal God?".  To go along with each weekly message, there is Extra Credit available online at www.vandyke.org.  Each week there is a video that discuss the message's question and a study guide to go deeper with the topic.  I was asked to participate in the video for this week's message.  So if you would like to see my video discussion on the Bible, just go to www.vandyke.org and you will see me with my friend/mentor, Lynne.  Click on the video to watch the clip. 

Marathon training is going well- it's hot & humid. 

Jenny

My new weapon- cute shoes!



Here we go.....

So, today it starts- that's right- training for the New York City Marathon.  Wait, didn't I already do that?  Yes I did but unfortunately we did not get to run it.  There were great issues at hand like Hurricane Sandy and all the damage & destruction she bought to town. 

Recap: 

• April 2012- My husband and I were both accepted into the New York City marathon by the lottery system.  I believe it is a 1/9 chance of being picked so it was awesome that we both were selected the same year.
• July to October 2012- We trained to run and finish the marathon with a respectable time but ultimately the goal was to finish and have fun.
• November 2012- Hurricane Sandy hits the east coast causing havoc to the Northeast and canceling the NYC marathon.  It was the right decision- just made too late by Mayor Bloomberg and crew. 
• After the first of the year, we find out that we can re-enter the marathon in either 2013, 2014 or 2015.  You can also take your money & run.  If it wasn't New York, if we hadn't both got in & if we weren't CRAZY then we would have shouted REFUND.  But we decided to go for it & use our entry for this year- we are officially running the 2013 NYC marathon.

 

 

Fast forward to today- July 1st, 2013.  We have officially started our training.  For the past few months we have just maintained and strengthened our existing running bases plus adopting some cross training.  Our goal for this year's marathon has also changed as well- I say this just as my husband says "This would be a nice little marathon if we weren't trying to run a sub 4 marathon."

That's our goal- to run a sub 4 hour marathon.  Our plan is to train efficiently and eat nutritionally plus mix in cross training like swimming, biking & yoga to ward off injuries.

 

Today's run was an easy 5 mile run which we were able to do together.  Since the boys are getting a little bit older, we might be able to run together close to home.  I am thankful that we can enjoy running together as a couple- it has been a way to stay connected outside the daily grind of household roles- husband/wife, mommy/daddy, housekeeper/bread-winner. 

So stay tuned- I am sure there will be much more to come. 

Long runs = Long talks with God

(gives me something to blog about)

 

 

Meanwhile, pray for us to be of strong body & mind and to run our race that has been marked out for us!

 

 

Jenny