Tender Mercies

Some people get their adrenaline rush by skydiving or driving really fast. I get mine from running in a marathon relay. Oh boy, was it fun! The morning was gorgeous, but cold: when I started running it was 24 degrees.  The Equinox Marathon has the traditional 26.2 mile marathon, a 40 mile ultramarathon for crazy awesome people, and a 3-person marathon relay for really awesome people.  Our third teammate made it in! Official time: 3:56.09 The Adventure Squad team consisted of: Jenessa: Mile 1 to mile 8.4..... 1:03:30 Marshall: Mile 8.4 to mile 17.1 (and a 1800' climb!)..... 1:26:26 Reta: Mile 17.1 to mile 26.2.... 1:26:12 Overall placement: 13th out of 117 teams Open Mixed Relay Placement: 4th! This race is NO JOKE!  I had been mentally preparing for this race for many weeks now, and I had been planning on enjoying the race experience, rather than worrying about time or placement. It is something I have been working on lately.  Well, today I enjoyed the

What have I been up to lately? Well, I'm glad you asked.  This morning my skater landed a certain jump for the first time (that I have seen)! She has been working on it for weeks now, so it was a proud moment for her and me. I felt as though I just watched my child take her first step.  The correction she made was such a minor one, but it made all the difference. I think this is a good reminder to us: Small changes are just as important and impactful as the big ones. I have also fallen in love with my 3-year-old twin girls at the Learn-to-Skate classes I teach. It is amazing how innocent young children really are. These girls bring a smile to my face every time I see them. How lucky I am to be their coach! I love the fall colors in Fairbanks! What a beautiful day it was... ...Until I woke up to snow the next morning! Luckily it didn't stick.  The weather has changed, once again, but this time it is hard for me to accept! I noticed that I was so cold this morning on

I moved away from home when my youngest sister was 10 years old. I never really  got to know her, and as I visited during the holidays, I was able to bond a little more with the girl who was growing up ever so quickly into a fine young lady. Some days I felt like I wasn't doing my job as a Big Sister because I lived across the country from her and wasn't there for many "firsts." I am glad my middle sister was there for her to be her role model.  Those two got really close, as they are only 5 years apart, and sometimes that was hard for me to see. But deep down I was grateful to have wonderful sisters who loved each other so much. I knew they hadn't forgotten about me, and we always had wonderful times together during Christmas and Summer vacations. Loved it when she came to MO for my college graduation! May 2012 Now that she is nearly 16 years old, I have seen her become a beautiful young woman who is confident, talented, and smart. It is so much fun,

Angel Rocks. I love my new camera!! Hello everyone! I have been slacking and not sharing all the fun adventures I have been having these past couple of weeks. Oh it has been busy! Summer is over and I am enjoying * cough cough*  the rainy days and cooler temperatures.  On Saturday we hiked Angel Rocks for the second time since living here in Alaska.  It is a great hike to do on a "rest day" because it is only about 3.5 miles, yet you get a good workout from the uphill portions (my knee was bugging me again, so I decided to rest from a day of running and wait until Monday to run again).  Yay fall colors!  When we got to the top, I looked out at the never-ending view of red, yellow, and brown mountains. I told Marshall that the reason he brought me on the hike was so that I could fall in love with the view and remember it in the winter when I am freezing cold and wonder why we live in such a place. hehe. But Fairbanks is really far from a barren wasteland. It