How Avery stole the show on Christmas day.

It was a wonderful Christmas day, mild temperature and sunny. We left our home as soon as Avery woke, off to Kaki and Pop's house for a day of Christmas family fun. Hillman and I dropped her off at the grandparents, and went for a wonderful run through Franklin. We never get to run together anymore so this is quite a treat! When we returned, my aunt Mickie, her husband Tim, and Oliver had arrived. We walked into a home filled with family, and the smell of yummy christmas food that made your stomach growl instantly! Avery was a hoot! Running around, getting into everything possible! Feeding the dogs bows,trying to eat a few herself, helping everyone open presents, squeeling in delight as her new toys rattled and oinked, mooed and sang. It was such a wonderful delight! I have always loved Christmas day, I love getting together with my family and sharing a day full of family stories, some new, some we have heard quite a few times yet still pretend that we haven't heard them before. This year, watching my little bug was all I needed, along with the rest of the usual Christmas happenings, she certainly stole the show. Everyone had a renewed since of Christmas cheer this year! It was Avery! She has brought so much joy to our whole family. After really yummy food, we got everything together and headed home to Greenbrier. Avery slept all the way home. What a day! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! ~H, K and Ave.

1 year ago...

I was in a hospital room, with my new baby girl, feeling exhausted, terrified and so fortunate, and so amazed all at once.  Oh and sore, lets not forget that! ;-)

 

This year has been such a whirl wind, so much has happened. Avery has changed my life completely and I love it. I have finally found my groove in the "being a mommy" role. It took me some time to find my stride but eventually, I did.  I have also found that I my ability to love Avery, my husband, and my family, is greater than I ever thought possible.  I have gone through depression, self doubt, sleep deprivation, many many dirty diapers (some of those were meant for the diaper and ended up on me or Hillman), contentment, and back again. Through all of that, I still found the most happiness that I have ever known. My family and friends are my rocks,(and they rock too);-) I couldn't do this thing called life with out them. 

Having said all of that, we threw a grand party for Avery's first birthday, it was fun and Avery had a blast it seemed! Thank you all of my family and friends who came out to share this celebration that Avery and Hillman and I made it through 1 whole year of her life, and it was a success, on many levels! Here's to my little bug and  many many more birthdays! Love you all! ~Kara, Hillman, and Avery

The Baby Bug

It's almost been a year since Avery made her grand appearance. The memories of my pregnancy and her delivery are so strong! I cannot believe a year has passed! Why is it that all of the bad parts of the pregnancy and delivery( and there were alot of bad parts!) are mostly reduced in my memory to small inconveniences rather than painful, uncomfortable, unappealing reality that only my rational mind remembers? It reminds me of sad breakups. You know when you get your heart broken, even though the relationship probably sucked, is all you can remember during the "getting over him"phase is all of the good parts. It's is very tricky how our brains work! I think every woman must go through this because if we remembered all of the pain , discomfort and sleep deprivation having a baby causes(not to mention financial strain)we would never have babies again, or get into another relationship for that matter resulting in love, and the whole procreation process. The world as we know it would cease to exist!

I see Avery and she is amazing. The most independent little thing ever! She is walking all over, she knows me and responds to my laughter, anger, and pain by mimicking me, "haha, or OWWWW, or uh ohhhh" if I cry for some reason she looks at me with this concerned face that melts my heart and soul! I never knew that a bond between two people could be so strong. I have a strong bond with my own parents but it is very different on the other side. I am responsible for her completly! When she is hurting, I have to find a way to make it better, it actually hurts me! If she is happy then I feel the most contentment possible. I have had a very hard time with this new mommy role. I feel that I am just now getting the hang of it and feeling comfortable with it. I love being a mommy and I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. Having said all of that,if you haven't figured it out, I have had a strong desire for another baby! It's just hormones im sure. Not now, but in a year or so. Hillman and I agreed on one child. I told him of this baby bug I have ( i can't keep anything to myself bless his heart!) and he reminded me of how hard my pregnancy was on me and all of that. At least he didn't shoot it down completely. "I don't want anymore dogs or babies" was a joke...I think! ;-) I think once I get through her birthday and all that I will get over this urge! We shall see. I am sure about one thing, now is not the right time. Just like with Avery,if and when the time is right we will know. -K
PS. Is it too soon to think about baby names?? Just Kidding...Sort of! ;-)

Good bye privacy!

Now that Avery is mobile, there is no privacy! It really started up when she began walking, I could no longer leave her seated at the television or with a toy while I run to the bathroom for a second. If I do that now, she either follows me or she heads for the stairs! Obviously I encourage her to just follow me! Hillman is also having to adjust, he was in the bathroom this morning and she pushed the door open on him mid-pee! HAHA. She now gets in the shower with me too! She loves the shower, within 2 minutes of the nice warm water falling on her little body she squats down and looks up at me as a yellow stream flows to the drain, I guess she just cannot deny the powerful urge to pee when in the shower! Priceless! 

10 month pics

OWWWW

Avery's new word. When I get down on the floor with her, she is constantly crawling on me, taking glasses off, grabbing my cheeks pinching my skin, sticking her fingers in my mouth, and a few days ago, I was laying in the floor, playing with her when she grabbed a big chunk of my hair and pulled. OWW AVERY STOP! She plopped down in front of me and I said, while rubbing my scalp to make sure I still had hair there, "that hurts mommy" as if she knows what I am saying, she gives me this look and goes Owwww, owwwww, OWWWW. Then continued to lunge for my hair! haha! It was so funny, now when ever she pulls my hair she says "OWWW". Funny stuff!

PS. Avery has very unselfishly shared her terrible virus with H and I, we are both suffering, pray for us! ;-)

Crazy day at the Pediatritians.

Avery is sick again bless her little heart and her momma's exhausted body and mind! I called her Dr. 's office this morning and spoke with the nurse who wanted me to bring her in. I followed her advice and had Avery there pronto. Walked in, I get her signed in and turn around to notice a sweet girl who comes to some of my aerobics classes, along with a FULL waiting room of coughing, sneezing and sniffling babies and toddlers. I sit down and begin chatting with the girl, she had a little sweet girl named Miley, 18 months. As soon as I sat down Avery wiggles out of my arms in mid conversation and walks up to Miley and grabs her hand. "Avery, I exclaimed, come back over here!" I apologized and she assured me it was fine. Avery wiggles out of my arms again and begins tearing up the magazines, I am trying to keep the magazines away from her when she YELLS at me at the top of her lungs. Horribly embarrissed, I begin to pick her up when she begins to scream again! Oh my gosh! She has never acted up like this before! She continues to get away from me, at one point trying to bite my friends little girl, I chased her all over the waiting room!! Everybody elses children were so quite, picture perfect, sitting on their mommy's lap looking at ME!! I could almost hear them thinking " she can't control her child" It was HORRIBLE!!! Avery would run away I would fetch her and she would SCREAM!!!

THANK GOD they called her back! WHEW! Unfortunatly, my embarressment was not over though. The nurse asks me to strip her down to her diaper, she wiggled so bad that I was having a terrible time getting her clothes off. Then the Dr. came in, this was not her regular doctor so he didn't know her. Thankfully she let him examine her, with out too much drama but then....ohhhhh.... he diagnosed her with croup. He was trying to talk to me to explain how the medication works, when I should give it to her etc...but every time he tried to talk to me, she would scream so loud that he covered his ears!!! I was HORRIFIED!!! "Ms. Mann, I am goi AAAHHHHHHHH, to try this steroi AHHHHHHHHH give it to her AHHHHHHHHHH!!!" I tried to set her down on the floor an she would scream,pick her up she screamed, it was awful!! I tried to start dressing her to get her mind off of what was going on and she through a FIT and slapped my hands and grabbed my shirt and squeezed it letting out a GROWL of some sort!" Avery, what has gotten into you i said under my breath(as if she know what i am saying) I turned around and told the Dr." she has never acted this way before"! but he left the ticket on the counter and was out of there before I could even thank him! If this is a glimps into toddlerhood...I'm in for it!!!


BTW. She is doing much better! Now I am sick though! A mother's job is never finished!

My sad mood.

I just feel the need to write about this. I love my friends, those of you who know me know that I will do anything for my friends, until I feel that I have been mistreated, stabbed in the back, what ever. Let me just say that it takes a lot for me to get to this point with someone, I will give them the benefit of the doubt time and time again, but I can only take so much until I turn and walk the other way. I don't suck up to people, I don't chase my friends around like a lost puppy dog, I don't even a lot from my friends but to be loyal. Is that so much to ask? I mean, I am 30 years old and I thought that when I graduated from high school, all of this petty, cliquish, bullshit would end. Boy was I WRONG-O!!! I mean, how can you consider yourself someones best friend one week and move on the next? I understand that friends grow apart, that is not what I am talking about, I am talking about your best friend right now, maybe you have been friends for 30 years, maybe you have only been friends for a months or so, the person in your life who you consider your best friend at the moment, don't take them for granted! It totally sucks! ;-)

Its been a big week at the Mann home!

Avery took her first steps on October 27th! She is getting better and better every day. Here is some video footage of her from earlier today when her grandparents (my parents) were here to visit! She was really showing out! Enjoy! ~K

Making Strides 2008

We walked the 5 mile Making Strides Against Breast Cancer again this year. Last year I organized a large group for the Y and I wasn't able to walk it due to my painful hip issue I had the last 2 months of my pregnancy (I was 8 months preggers) sooo, this year I had a group for Stayfit4life and I had Avery with me too! It was fun. Ave fell asleep at mile 2 so she was nice and relaxed! Here are pics! Thank you for all of your support on this cause that I am truly passionate about, finding a cure for breast cancer! ~K

Zumba Craze

So there is a new fitness craze going on right now called Zumba. If you haven't heard of it, it is a Latin based dance fitness class. Easy enough for any fitness level and will kick your hiney if you are advanced too. I got certified yesterday and I am in LOVE with it! I am not ready to teach it but I am working on it. Can you see me teaching this??

Avery first's on video

Here is when she learned to clap.

I hate racing when Im racing but I love it when its over!

Today I jumped back on the horse and raced in the Oktoberfest 5k in Germantown Nashville. The last race ended in tears for me. I was finding that I was becoming more and more frustrated with my time and the more frustrated I became, the worse my race was! The last race was the July 4th Firecracker 5k. It is a huge race but it is always my WORST! The course isn't all that hard, it has a massive hill at the end and even though it starts at 730..It's usually around 90 degrees and humid, adding insult to injury! I felt so horrible at the end I busted into tears at the finish line! I decided at that point that I needed to take a sabbatical from racing 5k's for a while until I could remember why I do them in the first place. FOR FUN!!  Soo, today, I went out to Nashville, alone, and raced..alone! I gave it my all. I have this thing, before I started placing in my age group, I would tell myself that it is a successful race if A.) I finish, and B.) I give it all that I have, like if I don't feel like I need to puke at the finish, I didn't give it everything I have. Today..I did, I gave it my all. I really hate racing when I'm doing it, my thoughts running through my head sounding something like this..."oh shit oh SHIT why the hell do I do this to myself, OH SHIT! I can't let that skinny girl pass me!!! (as I'm speeding up to pass her)see ya skinny! Oh crap now I feel like im gonna puke, This sucks !!SUCK IT UP!!!!, oh no, Im not letting a stroller pass me! Is that the finish line????" haha!! " If if just stay at this pace, I can finish in 23 min, thats mile one, mile two, "Ok..well if I stay here, I can finish in 24, I can do this, breath, breath!" Mile 3.5ish "Ok, why the HELL did they put this freaking hill at the end!!!!! " Ok, enough of that, you get the idea!! Pretty funny stuff, when I am finished, it is the best feeling! Ahhh! Im already planning my next race! This one I finished in 25:50, Next one in a 4 miler in 3 weeks, goal is to finish in 32 min. Hello interval training, here I come!! Ill have a puke bucket ready.Huggs! ~K

Lucky...

Avery and I are getting along well! I feel so lucky to be able to be home with her, we work on sounds, hand motions and such all day. She takes her regular naps, and misses her daddy when he has to work. She cries when he leaves in the mornings but we stand at the front door and she waves "ta ta" to him as he drives off. That helps, it is so amazing how even at such a young age, they still know what is going on! She is a blast~ Im enjoying every minute and trying my hardest not to take anything for granted! 

Ha Ha ha. haha, HAAAA! Im full of myself! This is hilarious!! Try it out. www.yearbookyourself.com

Ha Ha Ha!!

Mom Is giving Ave tea!!

These are crappy cause they are from my phone! LOL!!

Playin around...

Mammaw Gap

She's got 8 teeth! AND, guess what! Mammaw is saying "hello" cause she has the Mammaw gap between her front two teeth just like her momma!! LOL!!!

Bed Head

These are hilarious!!

Pics, videos and such...

WHEW! Its been awhile!!

So it has been a while! SO SORRY! OK. Quick update...

***I decided NOT to take the job, time with Avery is too precious, I am focusing on stayfit4life instead.
****I added a new element to Stayfit4life, Blue Fish Active Wear! It is awesome!!! You can't buy it in stores and it makes your boottaayyyy look INSANELY GOOD!!! I'm all for em'!

***Marathon training has taken a back seat. Not intentionally, I just got so burnt out running at 4am to beat the heat! UGGG, the weather is cooling down, I am getting back into gear.

***Avery is getting so big! I'm going to try and upload a video for you!

***Ohh the triathlon and expo events I organized went very well, here are some pics...


***Avery had her first ear infection ;-(
***I'm still on antidepressants, feeling much better! ;-)
***I still dislike tomatoes. ;-)

What do you think about my stayfit4life logo?

Stayfit4life is my personal training business name.

I PASSED!

The American College of Sports Medicine!! It's a big deal with my degree...kind of like passing the boards for Physical Therapists...WHEW!!! ;-) ~K

How precious life is.

Today was my big 3-0! Whooo hooo!!! Today's birthday opened my eyes to how precious this life really is. I am looking forward to my 30's. I'm not hung up on it in the least! I had a good start to my day, I woke up early and ran with the group. My friend Emily told me, during our run, of her friend that was in a serious car accident on Monday morning and died at the young age of 25. I felt terrible for her loss and listened intently as she told me how his death came about. I felt a real since of sadness for this guy, and my heart went out to his family and friends.

 I came home feeling pretty good about my run, 6 miles, and I am really going to bump my training up from here so it was a good start! I began thinking of the guy Emily spoke of that passed on Monday, I started thinking of how much my life changed from the age of 25 until now. I got married, started and finished school, had a baby, and met lots of new people. I mean think if my life was over at 25, what I would have missed, what my parents would have missed out on, I mean, when you really think about it, everybody has an effect on the world in some way no matter how much or little you think you accomplish in your life, no matter how short or long it is!! Then, in mid ponder, I received a phone call from one of my friends and co-workers. She told me that our other trainer where I work died in a car accident on Monday morning. I remembered everything Emily told me of her friend, it all came rushing through my head,  and realized it was the same person. My heart skipped a beat, Patrick Chester. I have only known him for 3 years or so, not very well, he was quiet, but a really fun person once you get him to open up. Patrick, Ray and I had clients at 5am and I get on there nerves so badly because I am sooo energetic in the morning and they are like..."Kara, what in the heck is wrong with you??? Its too early to have that much energy!!"

 He was such a smart guy! He was supposed to graduate from APSU in December this year, I just graduated in August so we had that in common too. Here is the thing. I didn't know Patrick personally very well, he was a work acquaintance that I respected. He was young, had his whole life in front of him. Last time I saw him I had Avery with me, I brought her over to him while he was working out on the bench press and said, HEY! WHen you gonna have one of these" He smiled and said, one day, but not today!!! LOL! It's insane how quickly it happens, one minute your here on earth, talking and dreaming about your future plans, then with in a blink of an eye, your out. Its just that fast and that abrupt! You can go over and over what he could have done differently to not have wrecked, how if he was only a second earlier, or didn't decide to go back out after the concert, or if he just went a different route that he would still be here, he would be at Ray's gym in the morning with us to train our clients having to endure my perky morning attitude! But the truth of the matter is, there is absolutely nothing we can do now, Patrick is gone. We have to mourn, we have to feel that emptiness, we have to find it with in ourselves to pick ourselves up and move on with life even though it seems that maybe, just maybe, life should just stand still for a while. Patrick had so many close friends, he helped so many as well with there health. He was a very good person and this world will miss him. I hate to sound cliche' but ...Rest in Peace Patrick Chester, move on through the other side. We will see you again some day, I truly believe that. 

To work or not to work...that is the question.

So I was all about staying home with Avery as much as possible. I really have a whole new respect for stay at home mommas! I am eating my words, there was a time in my early 20's, when motherhood was totally foreign to me, when I worked for a medical office. One of my many jobs was to enter demographics into the computer system. You know when you go to the doctor and you have to fill out those annoying information sheets? Well, don't get too bent about it, just remember someone has to enter all of that information into the computer system and it is a mundane task to say the LEAST!  Anyway, I would get so annoyed with women who put in the occupation section" mom" " home maker" "domestic engineer" so on and so forth! Now, I will be one of those people! I just thought they were sooo lucky! I thought they had it made. Well, in some ways, yes, being a stay at home momma is great! I don't know that its for me though. I love being around Avery so much, dont get me wrong, but I need an outlet! I need to put my knowledge to good use. Now, I do get to teach aerobics, and personal train but I need more. I just graduated from APSU with a BS in Health and Human Performance and I am really itching to put it to use. I have been teaching aerobics at the YMCA but the stagnation of our Y is not my cup of tea, I have to be in a place that nurtures growth, so last week, I put my resume at a facility that is run by a local hospital. It is a brand spankin' new facility that has a cardiac rehab section, a cardiologist on staff, Physical Therapists, Massage Therapists, Personal Trainers, and Group Fitness instructors. Everyone there has a BS degree in exercise science or better. I got a call yesterday and went in for an interview today. I hit it off with the director and was offered a position. Its part time and I am really considering it. That would mean I would need to find child care for Avery for a few hours a week. It's a lot to think about. Its something I really don't think I should or can pass up though! I will be making a decision in the next week, what do you think??? Any thoughts? ~K

First Battle Wound

Well, Today..Avery has really started to pull herself up into the standing position. Now, she tries to pull herself up on ANYTHING. She is quickly learning what is sturdy enough to hold her and what is not! She lost her first standing battle with a chair today and busted the right side of her face pretty good! She cried and cried and I felt so badly that I couldn't get there quick enough to prevent this nasty fall. The chair fell over on top of her and I think it startled her more than anything... If you look at the pic closely you can see the battle wound. It didn't slow her down much though! She has been pulling herself up on everything! UG! Here we go! ~K

Sometimes, you just have to get away!

We took a great trip to Gatlinburg,TN. We just wanted to unplug for a while and we did! It was welcomed. My mom and brother came for a couple of days and we had a blast! We saw a bear who wondered up by our chalet, then, Hillman and I were out on a trail run and we ran up on 2 cubs. We froze, admired, respected, and got the hell out of there!! It was amazing, being married to Hillman sometimes feels like being married to my very own nature guide! He is always pointing out animals that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise but running into the cubs even impressed him! We are home now and I am glad to get back to our routine but I was so glad t be able to get away! Sometimes...you just have to get away to realize how bogged down in life you are and get a fresh perspective!

Cheerio Monster!

Avery is growing  by leaps and bounds! She is crawling EVERYWHERE! Thats right! Say good by to the day where I could leave her in front of a baby Einstein dvd(aka baby crack) and go to the bathroom, or do anything out of her sight! Those days are done!!! She is even pulling herself up on furniture trying to stand. She so desperately wants to become part of the bipedal race! She is eating finger foods LOVES cheerios! She has...7 teeth now and is getting more in. She is truly amazing. She keeps me so busy. I fall in love with her more and more every day!! Her little personality is showing through more and more too! She is very independent. Doesn't want to be fussed over, HATES to have her diaper changed or clothes changed because she doesn't like to be lying down unless she is sleeping! As long as I have some Cheerios on hand, I can usually occupy here enough to get things done! Thank God for Cheerios! LOL!

Do you smell that??

Ugg! Sunday is when it all started. We were at the mall when all of the sudden my mom and I took a couple of whiffs , looked at each other and she said, "do you smell that"???? We got a little closer to Avery in her stroller and both turned green. I rushed her to the bathroom and was not prepared for what I found. She had pooped all over herself, it was no match for the diaper she had on. It had shot out of her legs, up her back, and was all over her stroller. I covered my nose and mouth and gasped as I tried to decide where to start. I stripped her  down, threw away her clothes, and wiped her down from top to bottom with wipes. I replaced her diaper and carried her out of the mall, the stroller was wreaking with the smell of diarrhea, and people were still asking me where her clothes were as i hurried out. I thought it would be pretty obvious what had happened, I guess not, I just kept saying "BIG BLOWOUT" to them.  

Since then, it progressed to puking and pooping. uhhh. I am so grossed out! Every time I turn around, there is poop or puke that needs to be cleaned up. I quit trying to clean myself up. No point! Wish us luck every one!! She is sleeping in my lap now, while I type. Bless her heart, she won't even let me put her to bed, sniff, sniff, uh oh, more pooh. Ewwww!! Gotta go! ~K

New Pictures of Avery by Angela Crutcher

Lets talk depression...

If you have been keeping up with my blogs since Avery's arrival, then you may recall the blog I wrote after I brought her home called "the baby boo hoo's" Well, this is a continuation of that blog. Since I have had Avery, I have been SAD. No reason, just sad. I was getting so exhausted covering it up for family, friends, and work. I was trying so hard to get past it! Finally, I came to the realization that I was more than just a little weepy last week when a friend told me she thought I was suffering from post-partum depression. I really resisted the information at first, but she noticed the signs because she also went through it. I thought about it for a while and came to terms with it last week. I had a particularly rough weekend prior, and I was so tired of feeling worthless, empty, and sad. There is no reason for this feeling and I noticed that I wasn't enjoying the things I loved. I called my Dr. and spoked and cried to her nurse as I explained my feelings,  she wanted to see me so I went in. I was very  hesitant to go see  her, I didn't want to feel even worse about myself... but now, I felt much better. I agreed to try to take a low dose of an SSRI (anti-depressant) for a short while. It has been a week now and I already feel so much better. I am not weeping every day, I feel a sense of self-worth again! I am able to enjoy my precious angle more. I felt before that if I went down this route of medication, that I would ultimately have given up and wimped out. I don't feel that way any more. I strongly feel that my decision is the best for not only me but my family as well. Thanks to my friends for encouraging me to get help. Sometimes it takes some one close to you to help you see what's going on right  under your own nose! ~K 

Injury free..for the most part~

What a week! So I went to the worst podiatrist about my ankle! He was HORRIBLE. Told me I needed orthotics but"you couldn't afford them" is what he said! It was worse but ill spare you the details, bottom line, don't ever go to William Lambert! Ok?? OK! 

Other than a run in with a horrible Dr. My week has been good! My ankle is getting better. I ran...Lets see, 7.5 Sunday, 3 monday, 3 tuesday, wednesday..just taught my aerobics classes, thursday Ugg, THURSDAY KICKED MY BUTT. I ran 3 with H and Avery ( H pushed !) THen taught an aerobics class for a friend who was out of town, then the aerobics instructor for the kickboxing class right after didn't show so guess who had to teach it..yep you guessed it. That wouldn't have been a big deal but I had a RACE the next day(3.1)! Needless to say, my race was terrible! I had severe hamstring pain since they were  sore to begin with, and I just didn't have a full tank! No biggie, I was upset at the end of the race ( cried a little. Sorry Jami!) But ya win some ya loose some! ;-) 

Having said that, I will not race again until October. I need a break to re evaluate my 5k goals, I used to love running 5k's. Now i feel tons of pressure to do a competitive time! I am not having fun with it like I used to. I am going to continue training and keep my head up! So to tally mileage this week.... 20.6 miles( including my warm up mile pre-5k race), not bad! 

Happy 4th btw! I ate like 4 of those yummy cookies with icing! MMMM! ~K

Marathon Training Week 1

Well... This week has been rough. I had a good training run on tuesday, 6 miles down. I ran alone, pepper spray in hand,reflective vest on, phone in my pouch, thats right, make fun of me if you want but I am safe!!! Especially when I am running alone. I ran a loop that proved to be long and boring but I made it. I watched the sun rise in awe and ran past a herd of deer, as the fog lifted, the sun broke through and I found myself producing more heat than I could get rid of, thank goodness I was almost done! I then hit the road on Thursday when disaster struck. I have been having a hard time with injury prevention these days. I am taking every percussion but I still find myself injured. First, it was a medial quad muscle that was very strained, that healed up in a week or so then, on thursday, i re-injured my ankle. I stepped on a stick, yes, a stick and rolled it. I went down in a heap and just cried there on the sidewalk , mostly because of the pain, but also in disappointment.I new this was a major set back! I sat there on the sidewalk and watched the cars drive by, waiting for my ankle to stop hurting so that I could stand on it, I had already swollen to a golf ball size.  I knew I was a couple of miles away from my car, so i got up and hobbled back. I came home and iced it down, stayed off of it for two days. I ran this morning (Sunday) 7.5 miles with a brace on. Hopefully it will heal up and I wont have too many more set backs! Say a little prayer for my ankle! This morning was so nice because some friends met me for half of my run. I forgot how nice it is to have some folks to run with. Next time, I'm going to back off my pace a bit! I got a little caught up in it and ran a little fast for what I needed to do! Thanks girls! ~K

Hairston Family Reunion 2008

This years family reunion was great! I think Avery was a hit! She really did well being away from home. It seemed that as long as Hillman or I was around she was a happy camper! She swam, she played, she met her very large and lively family, and she really liked it. It was great seeing everyone another 2 years older! ;-)

In Memory of Mammaw.

 This morning, I was running and I started thinking of my running goals. I haven't really had one up until now. I have just been running to build my own fitness, and increase my 5k time.I had been thinking of training to run another half marathon. When I was running this morning I remembered the reason I ever started training for a marathon in the first place. My Mammaw. She passed away last September but before I she left, I told her I would run a marathon for her. Why? You may be wondering, well let me explain.

My Mammaw is my dad's mom. She is probably the most interesting woman I had ever known. She was well educated, she continued her education well on into her old age. She was 94 when she went to the other side. She always encouraged me to be myself, be unique and to keep myself in a learning environment no matter what my age! She was my inspiration for a lot of things. My Dad is a lot like her in ways he probably doesn't know. They are both, determined, the most determined people I have ever known. My Mom and Dad always encouraged this way of thinking when I was growing up. I can do what ever I set my mind to! Depending on the nature of my mind set, sometimes "determined" turns into "stubborn" I think they are one in the same!  Mom and Dad try to help my bro and I avoid disaster with some of our "hard headed-ness". Like, my first marriage, Oliver getting a dog...things like that, they are usually right on the money, go figure! ;-) One of Mom's famous quotes has always struck us after disaster strikes " I told you it was a bad idea but when you get your mind set on something..." Well, sometimes it works against us, I have made some mistakes but I learn from them. 

The last years of Mammaws life was spent in an limited, frustrating fashion. The most active, out going person I know was limited in what she could do. She became ill, her body couldn't keep up with her mind. She still did all that she could until her last day. She never gave up, the way some have in my family. She hung in there and finished her life. Even when life got so difficult at the end, she hung in there.  She left us with dignity and grace.

 As I was running this morning, the conversation we had about running came into my head. I unplugged my Ipod and just listened to my thoughts. I remembered a conversation I had with Mammaw when she was in the nursing home, just a few months before she moved on, she was coughing and telling me that she couldn't get down to play the piano for all of the other patients during dinner because of "all this old yucky stuff".  " You know what? I told her, I am going to train to run a marathon, and I am going to run it in your name" she laughed and said, well, I think you can do it, you can do any thing if you set your mind to it!" The next week I got a letter in the mail with a newspaper clipping in it about marathon training. She wanted me to run it!

 Well, I ran a half marathon (as part of my training for the full) my plans for Mammaw's marathon was interrupted, I found that I was pregnant. All though, it was a very welcomed interruption, I never got to do it. So now, Avery is 6 months old, I am in good shape.. I am going to train to run it, for her, in Mammaw's name. It will not be easy and I realize I may fail, Mammaw got through some tough times, when her mind was still raring to go, her body could not, I can't imagine how frustrating that must have been. My body is going to go for her, I will train for the next 5 months, My base miles today are 7 miles, I will gradually increase my milage to 26.2.  So, here's to determination and perseverance! Here's to you Mammaw, I am going to train for the Memphis St. Jude Marathon, December 2008. Wish me luck everyone! I am going to keep you updated in my training so keep checking in, any extra encouragement is welcomed!! ~K

Maybe a little alike??

Here are two side by side...a and me in the middle, what do you think? Do you see a resemblance? I know she looks mostly like H. but I think I see a slight resemblance...

Fun in the sun!

Avery got in the pool for the first time yesterday! She had a blast! She didn't really know what to do at first but she soon learned that splashing is fun!! Ethan pretty much slept the whole time but just wait! He will catch up with Avery soon and they will have so much fun together! Thanks for having us over Stafford Family! ;-)~K