Running a Marathon

Last year I decided to give running a shot. It came with some challenges as does anything that you decide to try for the first time. Check out this post for my first race. Last year I ended up running a 5k, 10k, and a half marathon.

This year I have the priviledge of running with these two wonderful women, my sisters Jana and Christina. We are running in the Baltimore marathon for a very important cause: Shriners Hospital. You can find out the story behind our motivation here. Once again sweet Aydrie has caused me to put things in motion "literally." My legs and feet have been running mile after mile, week after week in hopes that I can make a difference. But all this work could be in vain unless people like you spread the word, donate, and help us with our cause. Please check out the web page above. Remember, my sisters and I are doing the hard part. We are running for 26.2 miles, we just ask that you consider making a difference by making a donation today.

I feel fortunate to have 3 healthly kids, but their are many parents who have children who are facing challenges and need help to improve their quality of life. Shriners makes a difference and you can too. Together we can help children like Aydrie have the best life possible.

In case you are wondering how training is going, I will give you a small glimpse. My sisters and I have been following the same schedule. I have been training on the East Coast while my sisters have been training in the West. We have been training for about 3 months. We were able to train for two weeks together while I was in Utah on vacation. It was a great time to get motivated and push each other. We have each faced challenges that have affected our training. Despite the obstacles we have faced we will keep moving. We will cross the finish line knowing that we gave it our all. We are the SISTERS 4 SHRINERS.

Paradise

Rob's mom came in to watch the kids so we could take a much needed break away from life. (THANKS MOM!!!) We spent 4 days in Puerto Rico. Initially we planned the trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary that happened last year BUT this trip will definitely take care of birthdays, anniversaries and holidays for the next few years. We stayed at the Rio Mar Resort. Its a luxury resort filled with plenty of on-site activities. But we actually wanted to SEE and EXPERIENCE Puerto Rico.

On a typical day you see find musicians playing.

There were lots of activities. This was a cooking demonstration.

The final product was a Coconut Kiss. SO YUMMY!!!

The hotel was full of interesting guests including these guys who roamed around all over the hotel grounds.

On our second day we took a tour to the El Yunque Rainforest where we took a hike to see La Mina Falls. This was our tour guide. You can see a banana tree in the background.

The foliage was beautiful.

There were several cascading falls.

In the rain forest you will find several tropical birds including the Puerto Rican Parrot, interesting bugs, snails and lizards and of course the two-note chanting of the Coqui frog. Here are a few things we spotted. Don't blink or you could miss them.

La Mina Falls

The Yokahu Tower overlooks the rain forest.

The view from this tower was pretty amazing.

We also saw the La Coca Falls which can be seen off the side of the road. Depending on the weather and the amount of rainfall will determine the flow of water down this massive rock.

That evening we took a Kayak out to the Bioluminescent Bay. A bio bay is a body of water that contains millions of tiny mico-organisms that glow in the dark for a second when the water is agitated.

On our third day we went to Capitol Building.

We also visited the San Cristobal Castle which was a fort built by the Spaniards to protect Puerto Rico.

This was a dungeon used for prisoners.

A lookout point.

Another fort named El Morro is located on the other hill side.

In Old San Juan the buildings were made of cement and painted bright colors.

This is the Governor's Mansion

We ate some Puerto Rican food. We tried a traditional food called Mofongo.

A dish I enjoyed were their sweet plaintains. YUM!

Pigeons Park - A pigeons paradise - Food is thrown to them constantly. As you can see, it's every bird for himself.

We loved taking long walks on the beach in the evenings.

Coconut trees grew along the beach

We found several crabs scurrying around the sand trying to find the nearest hiding place (a nearby hole in the sand) or they scurried into the water.

What a great way to end a day.

Our fourth and final day was spent on the beach.

We spent some time reading and relaxing.

When we pulled into the driveway this is what we found on the door. Apparently the kids missed us a little bit, but definitely enjoyed having grandma around and were sad to see her go.

We couldn't come back without souvenirs for the kids. Here they are with their new Puerto Rican friends.

What souveneirs did we bring back for the two of us...Well, 2 sunburns and a lot of great memories.