Imagination Rocks!

Searching for a new game to play inside in order to escape the heat of the day, Holt and Ridge devised this way to play marbles. I thought it was quite clever! They really get a lot of use out of their pieces of play silk.

Fundraising Update

Click the link below and scroll down the page to see my latest fundraising update.



http://pages.teamintraining.org/stx/rnrsa08/mfelker

Training Photo

Here's the lastest training photo from our six-mile run last Saturday. I'm going to have to practice posing better whenever I see the photographer. I promise I'm having way more fun than it looks! This Saturday will be 8 miles. I'm actually looking forward to it. We've been running at the Mission Park, which is a beautiful place to run. When the sun starts to rise over the mission, it looks just like a post card.

On a non-training note, we took the boys to Schlitterbahn today (a waterpark in nearby New Braunfels, for those out-of-town readers). It was the first time in over three years since we've been. Needless to say, the LOVED it. We even braved a few of the rides. Holt was okay with it so long as I kept ahold of his kiddie tube (they have handles). After the first few drops and splashes, he got over his initial fear. From that point on, his face was plastered with a huge grin and he kept telling me that this was FUN!!!

Training Update

Here's a photo from last week's marathon training practice. We did five miles. It was the furthest anyone in my little "group" shown here had ever run. Since we are doing intervals, I have to say it was the easiest five miles I've done. The group I'm in basically runs for four minutes then walks for one. We do this 4 - 1 thing the whole way. It was actually good, because we ended up running an average of an 11-minute mile. Usually when I've run five miles, I've been slower. I'm curious to see how much faster I am this week since we'll be running on a flatter course.

Ever since the first day of practice (we practice at 6 a.m. every Saturday), I found myself running with Veronica, the girl right in front of me. She's in her early twenties and is a high school teacher. Next to me is Carla, who thought she would only run the half-marathon, but Veronica and I changed her mind. The gentleman in the photo is Tom. He's a hoot. He told us last week that he had some major health issues, so he lost 50 pounds, ditched his blood pressure medication, and exercises like crazy. In addition to running, he does a Boot Camp exercise program several times weekly. Apparently, after turning 65 this year, he decided he should run a marathon. We have a great time running together and I'm looking forward to meeting even more folks!

Imaginary Friends

When Ridge was about three years old, we went on a camping trip out to a cabin in Juneau. The hike back to the road after two days of camping was a bit tedious for our little boy. There was some snow on the ground, and Aaron had moved ahead of us carrying Holt in the backpack (we were a little worried because Holt had bitten his lip pretty badly while at the cabin and we wondered if stitches would be required. They weren't and he was fine). So, this left Ridge and myself poking our way back through the woods. At some point during this long walk (3 miles), Sally was born. This imaginary friend of Ridge's lasted on and off for a few months, never really manifesting to the full extent that some imaginary friends do. I think he always knew she as fake.

Today, Sally came back to visit. For some reason, Ridge decided to playfully re-incarnate her. Now, of course, he knows he's kidding, and so does Holt. I think. Sometimes I'm not sure exactly what Holt thinks. But, I'm pretty certain that Holt knows that Sally isn't real.

However, now Sally seems to have an evil twist. Ridge has learned how to manipulate his little brother using a figment of their imaginations.

"Sally," says Ridge, "Do you think that spot on Holt's leg where he is bleeding is gross?"

"Yeah," responds my seven-year-old, "I think so, too."

How sweet.

Coming up the stairs after we got home:

Holt: Where's Sally Ridge?
Ridge: She went to Joelle's house to play [a neighbor].
Holt: NO! That's not fair! I don't want she to go to Joelle's house!
Ridge: Yeah, well, that's where she is.
Holt: (screams and cries) NO! Make her come back! I want her to be here!!

Me: (thinking) Is this really what it looks like? My five-year-old is tantruming over the behavior of an imaginary friend? Wow. They don't write about this in the parenting books AT ALL. Not a word.

I've been reading this series of books called "Parenting with Love and Logic". They left out the chapter on how to use love and logic with a non-existent entity. Maybe I should write a letter to the authors, eh? I've tried to convince Holt to just create his own imaginary friend, but he's stuck on Sally, for some odd reason. Go figure.

Chicken Killer

Last week we woke to an upsetting sight - a dead chicken. The following morning, we found two more. We knew that Finn is too dumb and too slow to catch a chicken, so we figured we had a varmit of some kind. So, we were extra careful about locking the birds up at night and patched a hole in the chicken wire. Not good enough. The next morning, there were three dead chickens in the chicken coop. Aaron and Dad spent an hour reinforcing the wire and we began setting a live trap. After several nights of trying, we finally caught this big guy. I drove a few miles down the road and re-located him to a new, unpopulated area. I think we will set the trap for another few weeks, though, just in case there were a pair of them.

Marathon Training

Some of you may know this by now, but I've decided to run in the San Antonio Marathon in November. I began running about a year ago while still in Nishiokoppe and decided that I really enjoyed it. Well, I'm officially in training now - I've been to two practice sessions and I'm looking forward to increasing my distance. To date, I've never run more than 8 miles at a time, so I'm really excited to finally break into the double digits.

Since I knew that I needed to train with a group instead of simply going it solo, I've decided to join the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. This is a huge national organization dedicated to supporting folks battling blood cancers and trying to find a cure. One of the biggest ways the LLS raises money is to train folks for endurance events. In return, we commit to raise money for them. This really seemed like the best group to train with, since my family has a personal connection to Lymphoma, through Aaron's mother, Cyndi. I love the idea of running a marathon and helping others who've had to deal with the challenge of blood cancer.

Many of you who read this will be hearing from me in the future. I'd be happy to share more information about what we are doing, and, yes, I'll be asking you to support me and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with a monetary donation. I'm still in the process of writing my letters and getting my fundraising page set up. If this blog entry alone has inspired your inner philanthropist, though, feel free to visit my page and make a donation. My personal goal is to raise $2000.

Here is the link to my fundraising page. Also, if you look at my list of links on the right side of this blog, you'll see a link to my page and a link to the San Antonio chapter of the LLS, just in case you want to learn more.

Michelle's Fundraising Page