The Reno-Tahoe Odyssey

In order for anyone to understand how big of a deal this race really was for me, I have to backtrack just a little.  Like 20 years.  In 1991 when my family moved to Indiana, one of the very first people I met, and thus one of my very first friends, was a girl who lived down the road named Angie Boston.  We're the same age, so through jr. high and high school we remained friends.  We were even the two freshman homecoming attendents for basketball in our freshman year of high school.  I wish I could say we had remained close over the years, but as is the case with most people we kind of drifted out of one another's lives for a while. 

That's where facebook has been a blessing really.  It's allowed me to reconnect with people I probably would have lost forever a long time ago.  And when Angie and I reconnected a few years ago it was fun catch up a little and find out where life had taken her after all these years.  Last fall around the time I ran the Red Rock, Angie got in touch with me and told me about the "RTO" as it's affectionately called.  Her friend has been putting together a team for the past four years and she wanted to know if I'd be interested in running it with them.  By now everyone knows that I'm a relay junkie so I didn't even have to think about it.  I said "Yes, sign me up!" right on the spot!

Fast forward to the week before Memorial Day.  Or "The Week From Hell" as I'm now referring to it.  It seemed like everything that could have happened to keep me from going to Reno did happen.  But I knew that after the difficult six months we have been surviving, I desperately needed this trip.  (Don't be surprised if you didn't know there was a lot going on with us.  Some things are common knowledge but much of it I've chosen to keep private. But yeah, so far 2012 has not really been a stellar year for us.  That's okay it can only go up from here... I hope.)

I booked a shuttle ticket down to the airport just 6 hours after the accident when it looked like I wouldn't have a car for the week.  There was nothing going to keep me from this trip.  So on Thursday morning I got up at 4:30 and walked myself down to Shaka's on the corner to catch the shuttle bus.  It was actually nice not having to make the drive to Salt Lake.  I got to sleep a little on the bus and read some.  Very relaxing.  In fact Thursday was in general a very relaxing day.  My flight landed at just after noon and I caught the shuttle over to the hotel, which turned out to be one of the nicer resorts in Reno.  It seriously had everything.  But while my day was spent resting, reading, & relaxing, poor Angie's didn't go quite so well.  She was supposed to have been in Reno by around 2pm so we could spend the day hanging out and catching up since we hadn't seen each other in over 15 years.  Unfortunately, she got stuck in meetings and didn't make it to the hotel until 9:30 that night.  It was alright though.  8 hours alone in a luxury resort is not exactly a bad thing to a mom like me who rarely ever gets a break.  Her husband Brent (who I'd never met) was nice enough to call that evening and invite me to dinner with his parents down in one of the restaurants, so I had a great time meeting and getting to know them a little bit.  They're very, very sweet people.

After Angie finally arrived, we did get to visit a little, but we knew the next day would be crazy busy, so we wanted to get to bed before midnight.  Around 2am Brent's cousin who was running finally made it in and our little group was complete.  Our team's start time was 9am, and although we were in van 2, we drug ourselves out of bed and got to the start line to see the team off.  Then we went and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and hit the grocery store for water & snacks for the race.

We made it to the first exchange point around 2 and of course that's where the fun begins.  I'd never been to Reno or Lake Tahoe before, so this was all a first for me.  I have to say the scenery was spectacular.  It really is beautiful country up there. 

 In all the relays I've done, this is the first one I've ever seen that served fried chicken at an exchange.  I would have had some if I'd been in van 1 and just finishing my run, but since we were getting ready to take off, it didn't sound that good.  Still it was the usual party atmosphere of a relay exchange.  If you've ever done one of these things, you know how it is.

I was runner 11 of 12, so I didn't actually run until early evening. Around 5 or 6 I think. My first leg was awesome. 5.3 miles on this gorgeous wooded bike path along the Truckee River right to the top of Lake Tahoe. Honestly it was so beautiful it was a little distracting.

 

 I didn't get many photos of people at all.  In fact this one of Angie running is the only action shot I got during the whole race.  That's Brent bringing her some water.  I guess I was too distracted by the scenery around me to care about getting photos of the people.

After we finished running and handed off to the other van, we got to drive around Lake Tahoe at sunset, which was really gorgeous!  We found a super cute Italian place for dinner that had excellent food.  Then we drove on toward State Line and the next exchange.  It was actually quite warm, so we tried to get a few hours sleep in the parking lot and the van.  But of course, races like this are not really conducive to a decent night's rest.  We took over running again a little after midnight which meant I was running my second leg at 3am.  I didn't mind.  The weather was comfortably mild with a cool breeze and there were millions of stars since we were out in the middle of the dessert.  

We handed back off to the other team a little before 5am in Carson City.  They had managed to book a couple of hotel rooms where they could shower and get some sleep, so we handed them the race & they gave us a couple of room keys.  I've never rented a hotel in the middle of one of these relays before, but then I realized that unlike the others I've done, this one didn't really have any place to shower or sleep.  Most of the others I've done have a school or gym or someplace willing to open their doors to runners and let you get a quick shower and some rest.  It was nice to have the quiet privacy of a hotel room, but I will say it made me hate having to get up a couple of hours later and get ready to go run. 

The final van exchange was in Virginia City.  I took a lot of photos there because it was just a really cool place and it made an awesome background for the race.  I was really wishing we weren't in the middle of the race so we'd have time to walk around and explore a little.  But that's okay, I think I'd like to take my kids back there someday.  I think they'd enjoy it.

 The whole time in Virginia City I just kept hearing the "Bonanza" TV theme run through my head.

As we dropped out of the mountains back down into Reno, things really started to heat up.  The temperature was climbing of course, but things also got interesting when we managed to lock our keys in our car.  We had just sent a runner off for 6 miles in the blazing sun, I was on deck, so I headed back to the van to get my shoes on and start preparing myself when I discovered that the doors were locked and the keys were sitting in plain sight right on the dash.  There were of course, several issues to deal with here, first a runner out there with no water, secondly no way to get me ready and to the next exchange.  We were blessed though because a friend of a couple of our runners had been following along with us on his motorcycle the entire race.  He turned out to be a God Send when we were able to bum a bottle of water off some other runners and send him ahead with it to catch up with our guy.  Then Brent (who had already run his final leg) offered to catch a ride with another team up to the exchange to be there to start running my leg, in the event we couldn't get the car unlocked and get me there in time.  As it turns out though, Triple A came through and got a locksmith there in less than 30 minutes.  Of course it took him all of 2 minutes to jimmy the door open and we were on our way.  While we sped toward the exchange I stuffed my feet into my running shoes & filled my handheld bottle.  We managed to pull into the parking lot as our runner was coming around the corner.  I made it to the exchange just as he was coming up the road.  We literally couldn't have cut it any closer. 

My last leg was definitely the most challenging.  The distance wasn't bad, just 6.2 miles, but the sweltering dry heat & running through the middle of Reno wasn't a great combination.  I did okay the first two miles, but then the headach started and it wasn't long after that the nausea began.  I alternated walking and running for the last four miles, dumped ice down the front of my bra and bathed my neck and back in cold water as often as I could.  It was pretty brutal.  All the while I could feel the sun just frying my poor unprotected skin since I hadn't had a chance to slather on any form of sunscreen before running.  When I finally finished what I'm pretty sure was the slowest 10K of my life, I just collapsed on the ground under a tree and didn't want to move.  Unfortunately we had a runner out, so we had to get up and go pretty quickly.  For the next two hours I was just sick and dizzy and ill.  I laid in the van with my eyes closed and then when we got to the finish line, laid under the shade of a tree barely sipping some water, trying to get my stomach and head to calm down.  Finally I started to feel better. By the time Angie's mother-in-law snapped this picture, I was already starting to feel a lot perkier.

When we got back to the hotel we were all starving.  Our last real meal had been the cute Italian restuarant in Tahoe the night before.  So we showered and got cleaned up enough to go out for a celebratory dinner.  I spoiled myself and ordered a steak & potatoes, just because I could.  Once we had eaten ourselves into a food coma, we headed back to the hotel and collapsed.  I ventured down to the gift shop for some aloe to put on my sunburn (and a chocolate bar), but that's the farthest any of us went.  Saturday night in Reno and every single one of us was asleep by 9:15.  It felt great though to sleep in and recover slowly.  We didn't get up until after 8 & then took our time getting ready and heading down to breakfast.  It was nice to spend the last few hours just visiting and rehashing the events of the weekend.  Once Angie got me to the airport I breezed through check-in and security (it's amazing how much easier it is to travel without kids) only to find that my flight was delayed due to mechanical difficulties.  I wasted time walking around the airport gift shops picking out little presents for my kids.  Still we managed to get to SLC in plenty of time for me to catch the shuttle bus home.  By that time it was after 10pm so although I was missing my babies terribly I knew they were fast asleep at Nana's house and I'd have to wait until in the morning.  Getting away for that short 4 days was just perfect for me.  It left me feeling refreshed and balanced and ready to get back to my normal life.  And of course there was the added bonus of getting to see a new place, run a race & reconnect with an old friend.  All in all, not a bad way to spend a weekend.

PS - For those who are wondering, yes I did gamble while I was in Reno.  But the thing is I'm not much of a gambler.  I hate letting go of hard earned money.  But when in Rome right? I put $5 in a nickel slot machine at one point.  I walked away with $9 and decided to quit while I was ahead. So in one sense I guess you say I almost doubled my money in Reno.

Not the weekend we hoped to have...

I swear this was the week that simply would not end!!!! You all know about the sick toddler and the broken arm.  And by now I'm sure most of the world has heard my ranting about the teenage girl on her cell phone who ran a red light and totaled my husband's truck.  We're very fortunate that he & Parker weren't seriously hurt.  They both have bumps and bruises and Trav's had a mild concussion, but it could have been a lot worse.

 We can't say for sure yet that the truck is totaled, but just by adding up the exterior damage (which includes a bent and cracked frame) it seems like it might be more money to fix it than it's worth.  And of course that's before we even consider the damage to the electrical system.  Still I suppose once the insurance adjustors have their say we'll know more.

 So that was Saturday morning.  And of course that changed our weekend plans.  Instead of going to the cabin and going fishing, we all stayed home all weekend.  Probably a good thing too, between the stress of everything I was feeling pretty zapped and of course Travis and Parker just needed to rest.  We did have a small dinner Saturday night to celebrate Nana's birthday, but that was as exciting as the rest of the weekend got.

It wasn't a total loss though.  Today we went out for burgers at Red Robin and then started planting our garden.  I can't tell you how thrilled my kids were to help out with that!

I can't help but pause with today being Memorial Day and just be thankful.  For the men and women who gave their lives so that I can enjoy the freedoms to celebrate with my family.  But I'm also so thankful this weekend that I still have half my family to celebrate with.  Because really, that accident could have had such a different outcome.  I have a lot of faith that God's Hands played a big part in keeping them safe. And I'm so thankful for that!

Fearless

I've always said that Gideon is just a little bit too much like his Uncle Cody for my comfort.  Don't get me wrong, I love my baby brother.  He's one of the very best men I know.  But he's also one of the most injury and accident prone.  I think it comes from being fearless.  He never stops or slows down because he's not scared of anything.  And quite often this lands him in a cast or a brace or with stitches or something.  In a way I guess it's good to be fearless.  You're not afraid to speak out and stand up for what you believe.  But to a mother, it's also terrifying.  We've learned after 4 years that Gideon is a pretty fearless kid.  I mean, that's why he has no front teeth.  He smacked his face the same way, in the same spot on the same piece of furniture twice within two weeks while trying out some "tricks."  He gets pounded by the surf while body boarding and still we can't keep him out of the waves when we're at the beach.  I guess some kids just have to learn the hard way.  Earlier this week he stuck his finger in the cigarette lighter of grandpa's truck and got a pretty severe burn.  But guess what, he'll never do that again.

So yesterday while I was babysitting, Gideon was running around upstairs with the neighbor kid and I knew they were running and jumping and being wild.  Actually they had plastic daggers and hooks and were playing "Pirates."  Anyway I heard the crash and I heard the scream and I knew it was bad.  Before he even reached me holding his right arm and screaming that he couldn't move it, I knew it would need x-rays.  Just the way he carried it and the way it swelled made it very obvious that this wasn't just a bump.  So after icing it, and giving him some tylenol we went to the dr and got some x-rays.  Sure enough he broke both bones in his right arm just above the wrist.  The good news is though, that it ws a stable break so it wasn't displaced or anything.  The Dr. said they usually have an orthopaedic surgeon set it and cast it and by the time we got through with x-rays it was nearly 5:00 so no one could see us yesterday.  Besides it's a good idea to wait a day or two and let the swelling go down a bit before they put on a cast on it.  So after trying to keep him from moving it as much as possible last night and this morning, we finally went to see the orthopaedic who put a cast on it for us.

 Normally he said he would just put a splint on it for a few days and let the swelling go down before putting a cast on it, but since we're going into a holiday weekend and because we had a hard time keeping it still to begin with he went ahead and decided to do a cast. 

 He made another interesting observation after seeing Gideon's other bumps and bruises.  He said that 90% of injuries and accidents seem to happen to 10% of the people.  I actually believe that because of Cody. According to the Dr. it looks like Gideon is in that 10%.  It's only a nightmare for me as his mother!  Gideon seems to think it's pretty cool to have a cast.  He's already learned that it's hard and can be used as a weapon. I don't know if my furniture or my sanity will survive this, but we'll have to try I suppose.

I hope and pray he maybe learns to slow down and be a little less rambunctious.  But if I've learned anything by Cody's history it's that this is only the beginning of a life full of bumps, bruises, casts, stitches & concussions.  Because if it doesn't kill you, it means you need to get up and try it again.

A lot like SUMMER!!!!!

I can't even explain how much we've been loving the unseasonably warm spring this year!  I think my kids would live outside if I'd let them.  As it is they're only inside to sleep usually.  And even dragging them in at bedtime causes much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 We got our garden spot tilled and fertilized.  We're planning to plant in a week or two. In the meantime the kids enjoy playing in it.  That's Morrison with Gideon.  He lives two houses down and he and Gideon have become great friends this past few weeks.  Nearly everyday, Gideon's outside at 11:00 waiting for Morrison to get off the bus from kindergarten.  Then they play until bedtime.

 We've also been to our other dear friends' house to play in their splash pool.    That's been great fun!

 Camden, Emily, Gideon & Parker. 

 We've also broken out the slip & slide at our house a few times, so that's been really fun and usually attracts most of the neighborhood kids.

 Batman & Ironman aka Gideon & Morrison.  They spent two straight days in those costumes!

 And of course we're still loving having Tyree  a few days a week. I thought I was pretty clever getting them matching outfits!  Aren't they just darling!

Other than that, the only news is that I've been running a lot of races and have some big ones coming up that I'm really excited about.  I was supposed to be starting school next week and had registered for two classes, but then found out that one of them was cancelled for the summer due to low enrollment, so now it looks like I won't be starting until the fall.  Oh well.  I guess if that's how it's supposed to be...

Someday I'll have to Explain...

I knew the question was coming.  And I was dreading it.  Well not exactly dreading it, just not sure how I was going to handle it. 

It's my own fault really.  When I made the family calendar for this year I put in photos of several of my sisters who were pregnant last year.  (They were the most recent pictures I had of them at the time.)  So when I flipped over to May a few days ago and there's Cami 38 weeks pregnant with Gage (and looking gorgeous I might add) Gideon instantly recognized "Aunt Mimi with Baby Gage in her tummy." 

And that started the conversation I'd been anticipating his entire young life.  First it was about Tyree being in Aunt Jesse's tummy.  He wanted to know how she got there "Heavenly Father put her there." Then he wanted to know how He did that.  "He just did." After answering that same question the same way at least 4 dozen times he wanted to know how she came out, "They went to the hospital and the Dr. took her out." Then he wanted to know how that happened, "Because the Dr. knows how."  Again he got stuck on that and it took him asking and me giving the same answer about 40 times before he was ready to move on. And then he wanted to know who's tummy I was in. "Grandma Cindy.  You know she's my mommy."  And from that he figured out all on his own that daddy used to be in Nana's tummy.  (Which of course he made a point of telling her last time we were over at their house.  Just in case she didn't know already. I thought my mother-in-law was going to fall over she was so surprised.)

And then came the inevitable, "Mommy, who's tummy was I in?"  I took a deep breath and said the name of his birth mother.  His confused expression said it all, "Why I in her tummy?" He asked.  I tried to keep it simple, "Mommy's tummy was broken.  But Heavenly Father wanted you to come to our family, so He put you in her tummy and she brought you to us." 

The "Why's" and "How's" continued for another 20 minutes until I was absolutely exhausted with answering the same questions over and over again, but I tried not to get frustrated with him.  That's what 4 year olds do.  Ask question ad nauseum. About everything!

And this was an important conversation.  See I want my kids to understand how special they are.  How much they were loved by their birth family.  They need to understand that they weren't "given up" or "given away."  They need to know that they aren't "Mistakes" or "Accidents."  Perhaps they didn't come to us in a traditional way, but I firmly believe that God always intended for these two kids to come to us. (I still maintain that it wouldn't have mattered if they were ours biologically or not, these were the two kids we were going to get regardless.  I know that with every fibre of my being.)

But how do you explain all of that to a 4 year old? 

You don't.

All you can say is what I said to Gideon, "Heavenly Father loves you so much.  And He knew that you needed to be in our family so He found a way to get you here.  And daddy and I are so happy to have you!"

Someday I'm sure I'll have to answer the tough questions about the how's and the why's.  And if anyone has any suggestions about how best to cover those subjects, please let me know.  In the meantime, I only hope that my children understand how very much they're loved. Families are forever.  Regardless of DNA or who's tummy they came in.