13.1 Miles of Life Lessons……

Starting Line: Standing among 11,000 runners of all shapes, sizes, & abilities and thinking “I AM DOING THIS’.

Mile 1: Seeing familiar faces of neighbors standing on the sidelines cheering and thinking only 12.1 miles to go….the support of the crowd was incredible.

Mile 2: Thinking that 3 months ago at approx. this time my cousin, Brian, was “giving up” because he couldn’t handle the obstacles in his life any longer. Since that I day I find myself trying to imagine how he must have been feeling….how impossible was the pain. I caught myself scanning the crowd looking for his face as I catch myself doing several times….as the lump started in my throat and my eyes filled with tears. Man do I miss his random text messages and phone calls!

Mile 3: As I climbed the BRUTAL hill up and around the Liberty Memorial thinking I hope there aren’t many more of these, I found myself talking to my cousin, Matt, whom I was dedicating these 13.1 miles too. Thinking “Matt, stop focusing on the Texas Rangers and get me UP THIS HILL”. As much as everyone misses him, I am thankful that he has brought my family and his back together over the last 2 ½ years. Mile 4: Thankful to be running this race with 20 of my friends…wondering where they were at on the course….how were they feeling….thinking of how far each of us had come over the past year….how each of them have inspired, motivated, challenged and made me laugh at myself throughout this journey. Excited to know that we would all be at the finish line together! (a BIG thank you to my friend, Kelley, for challenging me to run this race with her this year)

(Kelley & I Post Race)

Mile 5: Meeting up with the 5:30 Full Marathon Pace Group and seeing a young man with them wearing a sign on his back that said “I am fighting MS one step at a time”…and hearing others ask him the meaning of his sign “was he running for someone who had MS or did he have it himself”…his answer “I am running for my own fight”….inspiring.

Mile 6: Seeing Mike & the kids standing along the side of the road smiling and waving…..I made my way over to them for a quick “High 5” with each of them….hoping that they remember this day as much as I will…..that nothing is too difficult for them to conquer.

Mile 7: Wishing I had brought my sunglasses and nose plugs…..running down 47th Street through the heart of the Plaza….the sun was intense and the smell of “sewage” was awful. Seeing the J.C. Nichols fountain and thinking of my Grandpa “Big Bull”…knowing that if he had been alive he probably would have been sitting at “his fountain” watching me.

Mile 8: Seeing my neighbor, Rachel, who just 2 weeks prior said “I am backing out of this race” and I said “oh no you won’t….if you can conquer 9 miles today you can conquer 13.1 on the 16th”…..I was glad to run with her for a bit before she stepped on her internal gas pedal and left me in her cloud of dust.

(Part of the 20 who I shared today with)

Mile 9: The timing was perfect….climbing the final hill of the course….thinking I am not sure that I can do this….looking up and seeing Mike and the kids at the top ready for the second set of “High 5’s”…….THANK YOU!

Mile 10: As the 1st Marathon Runner passed….time 2:13:09 on the clock…..I paused for a moment in “awe” of his athleticism.

(Here he is crossing the finish line)

Mile 11: The Girl Scout in me made a mistake! I was taught to always be prepared….debated all week on whether or not to run with my own water and hitting the wall at Mile 11 really WISHING that I had.

Mile 12: As runner #2 drops in front of me….thinking “Feet don’t fail me know” and listening to those on the side lines saying “You’ve Got This…only 2 miles to go”…the eyes filled up with tears again!

Mile 13: Seeing my very own “Paparazzi” on the sideline snapping photos of all of us in our group….thankful for supportive friends who have encouraged me through my training and tolerated my obsession over this past year.

Finish Line: The Finish Line is an AMAZING place! Instantly placing a “checkmark” on my mental bucket list….a bit disappointed that right before my finish they ran out of ½ marathon medals and would have to mail it to me….thankful to see that I finished under my goal time of 3 hours….instantly realizing how “starving” my body was and enjoying the bananas, cinnamon rolls and M&M’s that were there…..and then letting my emotion get the best of me when they played an incredible version of “Amazing Grace” over the speakers.

DONE!

What’s your word?

For those of you who have read or seen “Eat, Pray, Love”, you know what I am talking about with that question. What’s your word? That one word that describes who you are as a person. This is what I have been pondering over and over again this past week….I ponder it throughout my day….on my morning run, during my drive to work, basically at anytime I have to just let my mind think.

This past weekend we were able to spend 24 hours with my cousin’s daughter and then watch several friends compete in the Jackson County Triathalon. And during this time, one word kept going through my head.

RESILIENT

ADJECTIVE
1. recovering quickly: able to recover quickly from setbacks
2. elastic: able to spring back quickly into shape after being bent, stretched, or squashed

ADJECTIVE
Synonyms: hardy, strong, tough, robust, buoyant, irrepressible, spirited, resistant
Synonyms: elastic, pliable, flexible, supple, resistant, tough, durable, sturdy

Resilient: A little girl who has been through so much in 8 years, yet you truly wouldn’t know it after spending 5 minutes with her. Five weeks after her father ended his life, she is strong & spirited. Her resilience is helping my Uncle pick up the pieces each and every day and I am GRATEFUL for that. Although I may always have questions as to why Brian chose to do what he did and I may not understand the logic behind the crazy events that took place in that 24 hour period. I do know that for a brief moment all was calm and Brian made the right decision by letting her out of the house when he did. For that I am GRATEFUL and throughout our 24 hours together this weekend I caught myself chuckling and looking skyward every time she had a “Brian” moment…where she did or said something just like him. So, Aniston’s word is RESILIENT.

Resilient: Witnessing a man who has no use of his legs compete in the Jackson County Triathalon. I watched as his friends carried him down the beachy shore into the lake…as he swam the 500 meters…and his friends carried him out. I witnessed him take off on his bike for the 10 mile ride and return for a 3.1 mile “run”. I watched in awe as he made the final climb to the finish line….using 1 hand to steer and 1 hand to climb the hill and follow the curves of the course. I watched as he stopped in the middle of the hill…put his head down…and took a brief rest before continuing. I listened as the crowd got louder and the cheering changed from cheers for their loved ones to cheers for this total stranger. I watched as he crossed the finish line. I do not know his story, but can tell you that his word is RESILIENT.

Resilient: Many have said to me “you have the biggest, strongest shoulders of anyone I know”. My response is “I am resilient”. Throughout my life, I have faced setbacks….and through them I have become resilient. I have had to be resistant and durable when dealing with my relationship with my biological father who has come in and out of my life for 35 years bringing disappointment with him every time. I have had to be strong when loosing one of my best friends in an auto accident when we were seniors in high school. I have had to “get back up” many times in my life and keep going. My word is RESILIENT.

Just an Ordinary Girl

I am not sure that I can put into words how humbled I feel every time someone says to me "you are so inspiring with what you have accomplished recently" or "I admire that you are able to be a career woman, mom, wife and still accomplish your own goals" or "I wish I had half the drive or energy that you do". I honestly don't know how to respond....I stumble through a reply.

Obviously with 2 tween daughters, we watch and listen to lots of Disney Radio & Disney Channel shows. Everytime I hear the Miley Cyrus song "Ordinary Girl" I think to myself...there's my response....."I'm just an ordinary girl".....because that's how I feel each and every day.

I'm just an ordinary girl!
Sometimes I'm lazy
I get bored
I get scared
I feel ignored
I feel happy, I get silly
I choke on my own words
I make wishes, I have dreams
And I still want to believe
Anything can happen in this world
For an ordinary girl.

Simple Wishes & Big Plans

Morgan's 10th Birthday is just around the corner....more like 6 days....and last night she gave us her Birthday Wish List. It was humbling to read because she has always been the child with simple wishes & big plans.........hope she never forgets that.

In case you can't read it:

1. cute summer & fall school clothes & shoes

2. Selena Gomez newest CD

3. Make Up - mascara, eyeliner & lipstick

4. New Version of Bop-It

5. Arm Band for my Ipod

6. New Moon & to see Eclipse

7. Mia Hamm or Brandy Chastain Jersey

8. For you guys to look for a triathalon for me to do and possibly invite a friend to join me

9. to keep our family the same and filled with LOVE!

15 Years Later.....

When you are 20 years old and planning the songs to be sang in your wedding....they have meaning based upon that time in your life....in reflecting on our wedding day 15 years ago and those very songs...they have so much more meaning today.

Standing Right Next to Me (from the 8 seconds movie soundtrack) - describes exactly how I felt the day that I met Mike. My grandmother had always told me that when she met my grandfather she knew immediately that she would marry him someday. And after our first date, I told my college friends....I know that I will marry him...of course they thought I had lost my mind...but when I called Amy Lovell Copeland that following summer to ask her to be in my wedding she could yet couldn't believe it all at the same time.

Go There With You (by Steven Curtis Chapman) - this song has more meaning today then I could have imagined. Our first 15 years have been a journey and I can say that I don't regret a single moment of it.

I know you've heard me say these words before
But every time I say I love you the words mean something more
I spoke them as a promise right from the start
I said death would be the only thing that could tear us apart
And now that you are standing on the edge of the unknown
I love you means I'll be with you wherever you must go

Standing on The Edge of the Unknown............

1. Moving to Omaha as newlyweds where I knew only a handful of people.


2. Spending our 2nd wedding anniversary in a moving truck as we relocated to Phoenix, Arizona.


3. Getting to AZ and finding out that UPS was going on strike and "that job" that you had moved there for wasn't going to start for another 60 days.....so you become a used car salesman just to get by.


4. Having your first child and discovering she can't live in AZ due to health issues and being told "your career with UPS is over" if you leave....yet through perseverance calling the KS district of the company and securing a position all on your own....and discovering in the process that baby #2 is on the way....and by the way, 18 years later still with UPS.
   


5. Wanting Baby #3 and it taking over 2 years for him...after God so kindly blessed you with daughters 14 months apart 7 years earlier....proving he does have a plan.


6. Discovering a lump in your breast that ends up being a tumor...benign....yet 3 months later starts growing....surgery to remove...still benign...but indications that the future may result in a malignancy if not monitored.

And some of the precious memories from that day.......

• 3 days before the big day, Mike and I arguing over who knows what and my parents jokingly saying "are we going to have a wedding in 2 days?"


• 2 days before, Mike surprises me with a dress that I had mentioned over the phone seeing that would be "perfect for our rehearsal" if I hadn't already bought a dress....so he calls my best friend, Desiree Mulligan, and sends her on a mission to find it....and I proclaim "we can't afford it".


• The night before our wedding at our rehearsal dinner, Mike gets down on one knee...proposes all over again all while giving me a bigger engagement ring....and it is on video me saying "we can't afford it"......so my guess would be that argument 3 days prior must have had to do with money - hahaha.


• My dear friend Jennifer Starforth running me everywhere the morning of the big day.


• My brother and brother-in-law making me happy by wearing that Pink vest and bow tie because I asked them too.


• Our friends saran wrapping the truck shut and the amount of time to get it undone.


• Spending so much time with our guests that we forgot to eat and ended up at Burger King in our wedding clothes...and the looks on the employee's faces.


• Negotiating with my mother that "I would walk down the aisle to 'Lane's Song' from the 8 seconds soundtrack rather then the traditional wedding march" and in exchange she could dress my bridesmaids in the style of dress she preferred.........sorry girls!


• Paying my husband back for that "ring" surprise by switching our wedding "exit" song to Shaina Twain's "Any Man of Mine" and throwing the entire crowd for a loop....yet the looks on our faces and the eruption of laughter and cheers on our wedding video are priceless. And yes....hearing that song to this day takes me back to that exact moment.

Happy Anniversary to the MAN that has proved to me that LOVE DOES EXIST, that HE CAN WALK THE LINE and that through it all he will GO THERE with me. I LOVE YOU!

Don't ever let ANYONE tell you that you can't do something!

Life Lesson June 28th: Don't ever let ANYONE tell you that you can't do something!

This past weekend, we heard the amazing story of Daniel Nava....and we must share it. Daniel Nava aspired to play baseball and although he had little experience, he tried to walk onto the Santa Clara baseball team as a freshman outfielder. He didn't make the team, however they did ask him to be the team manager. He made photocopies. He did data entry. He shagged fly balls during batting practice. He charted pitches during games. He even did laundry.

His goal at that point was to find a job in baseball, be it coaching or scouting or climbing the management ladder somewhere. No one was asking him to hit in the middle of their lineup. Working as an intern, a glorified clubbie, was as close as he could get. One of Nava’s other responsibilities, along with making copies and doing laundry, was filming pitchers and hitters at every game. It was through that film work that he began to develop something of a hitting philosophy for himself.

Eventually he left Santa Clara and continued to tryout for various Triple-A, Double-A and Division I schools. After some success, he still didn't attract any interest from major-league teams. That would have been too easy. He tried out with the Chico Outlaws and was cut soon after. He was told by many to stop wasting his time and find a "real career".

Only after Baseball America listed Nava as the top prospect in independent baseball did the Red Sox purchase his contract virtually sight unseen. On June 12, 2010, Daniel Nava played his first game with the Red Sox. As he left the dugout the coach said "just hit the first pitch" and here's what happened......you must watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAFbdgQGg5Y

Follow Nava's example and don't let QUITTING be an option for you.

Just Dream It

Life Lesson June 16th: Just Dream It

When your child tells you "I want to dance on the high school dance team someday" or "I want to be on the Women's Olympic Soccer team", how do you respond? Do you respond and go along with it all while thinking in the back of your mind "good luck with that" or do you pursue the path that just might take them there?

I am grateful for the determined spirit that my daughter's have and just hope that we can guide them down the right paths to make these dreams come true. In the meantime, we will rejoice with every accomplishment and learn from every hurdle right along with them. (and I gather that 'their' dreams just may be the reason that God gave us a 7 year gap between them and the "Kade-man" as something tells me that his dreams may be just as big...although right now he only dreams of Mickey Mouse)

All Right Stop Collaborate and Listen!

Life Lesson June 15th: All Right Stop Collaborate and Listen!

YES - I am a child of the 80's! And thanks to the show GLEE my children have fallen in love with this song. But on a serious note, this line of the song rang true in my life yesterday.

You see, Sunday night Kade started running a fever of 102.5 so I contacted my boss and let him know that I wouldn't be into work on Monday. As much as I didn't like my son being ill, I was actually looking forward to having the day off to get things caught up around the house as we had been gone most of the weekend and had a VERY busy week ahead of us getting ready for our whirlwind vacation week. Well all of that changed around 9pm....Kade was fever free...yet I wasn't feeling good so I went to bed...only to awake a few hours later with the STOMACH FLU!

YIKES...I didn't have time for this was my immediate thought yet was quickly reminded to STOP COLLABORATE AND LISTEN. Thankfully my girls are old enough to help with their brother as Mike had a full day at work that he couldn't miss. My parents brought me 7UP and crackers on their way to work and made sure the kids were getting breakfast. As I lay quarantined in my room feeling like I was going to die, I was forced to STOP. My girls began to COLLABORATE on how they could entertain their brother quietly so I could rest and also help me get the laundry done and they did a fabulous job. And I was forced to LISTEN.....to the sounds of my children....discussing our upcoming trip to the lake, Disneyland, Iowa, and church camp.....dancing and singing to the GLEE soundtrack that they found on youtube....the girls being so silly that they had Kade laughing uncontrollably.....Kade racing himself or an imaginary friend around the house with the shout of "Ready Set Go" to start the race. And in the midst of all of this I realized that although our vacation week will be nonstop that we need every second of it together away from the demands of our normal daily life. I can't wait to LISTEN and soak up the MEMORIES in our crazy vacation week!

2010: A Year of Changes

2010 has become the year of CHANGE in our home. It started back in January when Mike and I made the commitment individually and as accountability partners to eat healthier, lose weight, and to exercise. Our journey began with the Advocare 24 Day Challenge and that challenge has changed our lives in numerous ways. A friend told me "exercise creates the shape, however proper nutrition is what allows that shape to be seen". That statement is played in my head on a daily basis. And as you will see below....that statement has proven to be true over the last 6 months. The daily core nutrition that we receive from our Advocare products has truly changed our lives.

Before you assume that we have deprived ourselves of certain foods or spent hours in the gym, let me tell you what we have done. FOOD - yes we eat healthier then we did previously but we also eat in 5-6 small meals rather then 3 meals per day which controls our portion size. We eat more fruits and vegetables too. Have we deprived ourselves of anything? NO - we just eat the "junk" in moderation. We don't keep the cabinets stocked with the "junk" either. EXERCISE - when we started our exercise routine was spending 30 minutes about 3 times per week on the treadmill or using our home weight system. In late January, I started the Couch-to-5k program as one of my 2010 bucket list items was to run a 5k. That program had me running/walking for approx. 30 minutes 3 times per week for a period of 8 weeks. It wasn't until March that my running time increased to about 45 minutes and I started alternating my running schedule with strength training...again though not spending more the 30-45 minutes 4 times per week. In May, Mike started the P90X series and is currently on day 28 of the 90 day program.

My Progress:

Weight: down 19 lbs
Inches: down 18 total inches



January 2010 / June 2010


Weight: 152.4 / 133.4
Right Arm: 10.25 / 9
Shoulders: 40.25 / 38.25
Chest: 36.75 / 33.75
Waist: 35.25 / 29.25
Hips: 40.75 / 36
Right Thigh: 18.25 / 17.75
Right Calf: 14.75 / 14.5

Mike's Progress:

Weight: down 22.8 lbs
Inches: down 11.75 total inches

January 2010 / June 2010
Weight: 256.8 / 223.8
Right Arm: 12.5 / 12.75
Shoulders: 52 / 50.75
Chest: 46.5 / 44.5
Waist: 44.75 / 38
Hips: 42.5 / 41.5

Right Thigh: 23 / 21.25
Right Calf: 15.25 / 16






Life Lesson: Posting your before & after pics is a very humbling experience!

The Story Behind Life Lessons

Over the past several months, I have been focused on "life lessons" in my daily life. I think about the significant and sometimes not so significant events in my daily life and what I am supposed to learn from them. I have posted these lessons perodically on Facebook and many times have been asked "is that a quote that you read somewhere" or "what's the story behind that". So following a few of the strong females in my life I am starting a blog. Through this blog I will be able to share the stories behind the lessons along with the daily events of our lives in the Bayers house.