Another year has gone by.....

WOW! i can't believe i am to July 2011 and reading my last blog....and busy planning our next vacation this month! i think back to where the year has gone and what has transpired in our lives....Courtnie finished 7th grade and has turned 13; Shane finished 4th grade and turning 10 this month; i stuck to my running and although i didn't run any more races, i finished 2010 with 714 miles!! i still feel like i have so much i want to accomplish but my body isn't cooperating...Scot has been busy and is preparing to head overseas again by the years end. But God has kept us all safe, healthy and truly blessed!

i would like to blog more in the following months and even if i don't have a catchy title; exciting stores; or a lot of followers, maybe it'll be an adventure anyway...

"All of our visible blessings are but pale shadows of the real wealth that we can have if we live in continual communion with God. He does not put His best gifts in the store windows. He keeps those in the inner chambers. The best good is not the good that we can touch, taste and handle and that men can see." Alexander Maclaren

Reflections on..........the Mora family getaway

It really wasn't a vacation; we only could get away for 4 days. And im not sure if the word "vacation" really is what it is when you travel 1500 miles with a 12 year old pre-pubescent girl and a 9 year old boy!! Thank God we didn't take the dog....
We have had longer vacations to California and Florida; short trips to Kansas City; and our summer trip last year to Wisconsin Dells. So this one, by far, was the longest in the truck!! I will start off by saying "I LOVE OUR SUBURBAN!!" That truck rocks and i wouldn't travel any other way, except by plane of course!
The trip there is always better than the trip home, anticipation fuels you to get there. It's been years since i traveled in South Dakota and i have to say, i really enjoyed the scenery. There were 2 big reasons for our destination: 1. Mt Rushmore: i was the only one who had been there and that was many years ago. That is one of my favorite sights and it gives me goose bumps every time i see it! 2. Sturgis!! We just had to check the place out and get a feel for what that was all about! I am SO psyched to jump on the bike and go back. We had a great time strolling main street and shopping; getting ice cream and watching all the bikers come into town. I seriously can't wait to go back with Scot on the bike and hit the Badlands.....
Kids are kids, and no matter what we tried to do or see their question was, "when can we go back to the hotel and swim???" For goodness sake!!!! I didn't drive all this way so you can swim in the pool!!!!!! It was my fault though, our hotel had a huge slide, one of the main reasons i picked that place. Ended up being the ONLY perk.........(note to self: make sure they have a breakfast buffet AND a decent fitness center) i know, it's crazy but i look for a great pool and a fitness center in a hotel; i just assumed every place had a breakfast buffet. WRONG!!! The fitness center was a huge disappointment; ended up being a fitness closet, not a room. And apparently the closet was not equipped to handle the 2 treadmills running at the same time cause the power blew out Saturday morning in the middle of my run and then on Monday morning. And i am NOT nice person when i don't get my run........and im sure the hotel staff thought i was crazy when im running around the hotel to get my miles in!!! i did 4 laps around the hotel and it felt so good...the air is so wonderful up there :)
There was so much we wanted to see, but just didn't have enough time to hit all the hot spots. The most important thing is we made memories and enjoyed every minute together :) im already thinking of where to go next....................

transformation continued....

2010 has brought some challenges for me, and along with that, frustration. i guess you can expect that when you start anything and really mean it!! i have continued to track my miles religiously every week; i think i helps me stay focused and motivated. A high school friend asked me to consider the Des Moines marathon early in the year and it's been on my mind ever since. Some days i feel like i could do it, others i think, "i've got to be nuts". So i focued hard on testing myself and pushing some limits since January.
Tried the elliptical machine early this Spring and really enjoyed that; so much different than the treadmill but ended up with more problems with my toes, the first of my challenges. The toes on my right foot go numb and cramp up, which ends up being extremely painful, after about 2-3 miles. Then came the blisters and sores on my right toes, which i have gotten some very good advice on how to ward them off. I have had one toe on my left foot which has lost its nail twice, but not as problematic. As the weeks went on, i became more frustrated and decided to try a few remedies on my own. Bought some shoe inserts from Scheels, which didn't help at all. My first "real" running shoes were calculated to have about 300 miles on them, so i thought i'd try that route. My first shoes were Adidas Supernovas that i bought in Sept 09 and i really did like them. I had started reading my Runners magazine and saw an advertizement for a pair i thought i'd like. Tried the Muzuno Wave Creations in March and was sorely disappointed! Came recommended from a runner at Scheels, but ended up giving me more problems. i only put about 50 miles on them, and i couldn't stand wearing them any longer. Took a trip to The Running Room and was recommended my third pair: Asics gel nimbus 12 and i am still tracking miles in them. i won't even mention how much money was spent in that month's time.....
March 27, 2010 marked my first race: Rebuilding Haiti 5K...it was extremely cold, and i was extremely nervous!! Not knowing what to expect, yet this was a small race in Pleasant Hill. It gave me the first experience i needed and absolutely nothing is better than seeing your husband and kids at the finish line!!!!!
My next stop was a foot doctor i knew from work to help with my toes. I haven't seen a foot doctor in 13 years since my foot surgeries so i figured it was a good step to take. Orthotics were recommended for me, since i have such high arches and the symptoms i was experiencing. So i headed to the foot store and about lost it when i found out how much this was going to cost!!! i was molded for orthotics and was waiting in anticipation to get rid of this problem..........
May 1, 2010 marked my second race: C.A.R.E. 5K in Waukee will forever go down as the longest 5 K ever! That was a very hard race to finish, for what reason i'm not sure. The weather was beautiful, the race was very well organized, i just struggled but i finished!
May 5, 2010 marked my third race: Cystic Fibrosis 5K and i wanted to do this one for Isaac Johnson! We ran around Racoon River and the weather was great again.....i felt like i continued to be in the middle of the pack no matter how hard i tried! Looking around the pack, you see runners of all backgrounds and then you start questioning yourself as to why am i here. i thoroughly enjoyed every race and just to say i finished and gave to a great cause!!
i have to say the orthotics haven't been the answer to prayer i was hoping for, but there is some improvement. Right now im dealing with some right knee pain, which is starting to really hinder sleeping. i am stretching every night and continuing to do upper body weights several days a week. Although i have gained 6 pounds in the last year, i keep telling myself it's muscle weight!! i see myself changing and my clothes feel different, but sometimes it's nice to see it on the scale.
What im striving for is a healthier, stronger me and i know im achieving that! i never want to loose the motivation to run or forget why i love it........despite the fact that i may never finish a marathon or win a race, i love the way it makes me feel and i don't ever want to forget that! i am so proud of myself regardless.......i will surpass 400 miles this month YTD!! Pretty cool....

Reflections.....

Kinda crazy, i forgot about this site since facebook came into my life :) i had to search for it and finally pulled it out of oblivion!! Started this in 2008 and already almost 2 years have flown by.....
in the last 2 years i have changed so much, very good and unfortunately some not so good; Scot asked me a question a few weeks back and really got me thinking..."What made you start running? Not to be mean but i never saw you as a runner"
Started all my wheels turning as of how, in a matter of 1 year, it has become a passion! I thought back to April 2008, when it all began..............
you have to understand, i have struggled with my body image and weight since Courtnie was born. i have tried so many exercise videos like Denise Austin; pilates videos; lateral thigh trainer i bought from a TV infomercial as a few examples. i gained 60 pounds in my pregnancy, all the while doing a pregnancy workout video the whole time, to no avail! My sugars went through the roof, changed my diet and was able to not start insulin. SO needless to say, my prepregnancy weight has never been reached!
Scot was leaving for Iraq that April and i started thinking about how cool it would be for him to come home to a "new" me. i made a pact with myself to at least walk outside everyday after work, or take our dog out more often. i have to admit i didn't even do that! So when he left i did just that; i walked up and down our side street at first and then began to try and run. i would warm up with walking the dog and then do a second lap myself. i didn't keep track of time or milage, just did it! I remember how good i felt; how much better i handled the stress of Scot being gone; and little by little i enjoyed it more and more. Scot came home to a transforming woman, and it's been quite a ride!! When i asked Scot for an IPOD for my birthday, i knew exactly what i planning on...getting out there with my tunes!!
i kept up the routine up until it became too cold outside and was looking for a gym to switch to the treadmill. i hadn't been on a treadmill for AGES so i was alittle nervous, but i didn't want to loose what i've gained. Scot mentioned the air base had a gym and i could use it whenever i wanted - i had no idea the place had one! Needless to say, i motivated Scot to start going to the gym more often and even going together, which i LOVE!!
So i started my treadmill experience the fall of 2008 and really did like it. Don't have to worry about the weather or the right running clothes, just jump on! i drive right by the base everyday after work, so it was so easy to stop and run before going home. It became habit to make sure my gym bag was packed and ready before i went to bed every night. i still didn't keep track of milage; it was just that i was enjoying how i felt and feeling myself get stronger!! Of course the treadmill keeps track of how far you go and before too long, i was pushing myself to go more and more. Even when Spring of 2009 came, i didn't want to go outside and run. My treadmill was my best friend!! But by June, i convinced myself to go outside and tackle the sidewalk. Then came the first of many little problems that come with running. i struggled with shin splints the whole summer. i was discouraged but not defeated; those suckers are so painful!
August came and i wanted to push myself more, so i started documenting my miles and mapping out my runs on the computer. I was so amazed at how many miles i was running and not realizing it! August was 48.02 miles; September 58.58 miles; my goal for October was 60 and i made it!!!!! (60.51) i remember Scot standing out in the driveway when i rounded the cul-de-sac and hugged me that morning when i finished! November 45.93 miles; December 31.60; i didn't get over 50 much after that, but i kept pushing for as much as i could get. But looking back, i could see myself transforming into a runner and i loved it!!!

This is my wonderful family: my husband, Scot; daughter, Courtnie; son, Shane. We were blessed in September to be able to buy Daddy the Harley he has been waiting for. I figured after going to Iraq this year, and having 4 trips overseas so far, he deserved it!! Our new "toy": 2007 Fat Boy!! We look forward to traveling and sightseeing many miles in the future.

Who i am....

A military wife of 12 years to the most amazing man..

A mother of two completely opposite but wonderful children..

A nurse for 12 years, doing what i love..

A God fearing woman desiring to raise my children to love God and serve Him...

My purpose is to encourage others and discover more about myself in this process. GOD BLESS!!!!