Project 365, Week 38

September has a special place in my heart because even though it means back to school and even though it means lots of activities, the weather is divine and the routine comforting.

September 11

I spent the morning flipping channels on the 9/11 coverage as I did my 18-mile long run on the treadmill. Its still so shocking and raw and unbelievable that such a horror actually happened. Though its difficult, I want to always remember all the brave people who gave their lives that day.

I met up with my brother's family for a photo shoot. We found a beautiful tucked-away spot.

Sweet girls.

September 12
A running club has started at the kids school so I was there to support it. Gavin and I were at the half way point of their laps, offering high-fives and encouragement.

Soccer, soccer and more soccer.

September 13
The photo doesn't capture it, but I got a giggle out of Aiden's uniform. The pants are way too short, so his ankles are sticking out, which means you can tell he has one ankle sock and one regular sock, one is black, one is brown. And he cares not. :)

Family meals have temporarily been replaced with family homework time....and grabbing food before you have to fly out the door.

September 14
This boy. We are all the benefactors of his great and vast knowledge of all things "awesome". :)

Because J is in a school outside of our town, she is required to be part of the Vocational Science program, which is actually such a great fit for her! She's able to integrate the work that she's doing at the barn in with the work she's doing in her animal sciences course work. She needed photos for a slideshow presentation she put together and I was happy to help.

September 15
Amanda's team had a scrimmage. Our first string goalie couldn't be there, so Amanda filled in. In the second half, Shaun wanted to do some offense work with Amanda and none of the other girls would agree to step up and play goalie. So...in Aiden went! :)

September 16
I'm currently training for a marathon, which requires a long run every weekend. As part of that, I decided to enter the Milford Half...its right on the water, making it both flat and scenic. As I drove down early that morning, a flood of memories came back. The last time I ran this Half was in September 2014. I had been training for a marathon all summer, while dealing with intense pain that I was somewhat managing with Advil. However, on the day of the race, I wasn't able to take any medication, in preparation for the colonoscopy I would be doing later in the week.

By the time I finished the race I was in so.much.pain. (and looking back, I was a fool for doing it). To answer my family's questioning stares as I worked through the pain, I mentioned that I was going for this silly test, which I was mostly annoyed about because we'd be paying out of pocket for it.

Days later, I would have that "silly test" and what I could never have dreamed or considered is that the colonoscopy would show that I had a cancerous tumor.

All these thoughts were churning through my heart on my drive down to the 2017 race and I sobbed. It completely overwhelms me when I start to think back over the years, even in tiny pieces and it also floods me with gratefulness that I am still here.

Still here, but not the same girl I was three years ago. My body is riddled with scars and I am no longer naive about intense suffering. The hard of it all is still sometimes more than I can bear. But I'm stronger and more compassionate. I don't take as much for granted and I allow less things to bother me. I hold very loosely to all things in this life, being ever mindful of all things eternal. I am here today, with breath in my lungs, even running again and I'm grateful.

Laryssa, Sarah and AJ ran, too!

After a stop at the soccer field, I got showered and ready to go to church. Our daughter K has a beautiful voice that she doesn't use, so I asked her if she might join me in singing in the choir at church. To my surprise she said yes, so we both tried it for the first time. With a weeknight rehearsal and a commitment to do all four weekend services, it was a lot, but we both enjoyed the one-on-one time it allowed and it was a fun experience.

Avery spent the day with the youth group at Six Flags. She's so old!!

September 17
While I was at church, Shaun was running kids around to soccer games.

From Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon we were packed with activities and going, going so it felt SO good to finally sit for some of the Broncos game. These fall weekends are no joke...grateful for health, endurance and an amazing life partner.