2023

2023 was the year of setting goals and getting out of our comfort zone. Seamus is dad of the year for keeping up with kids’ after school sports and is enjoying his new position as an Elementary Assistant Principal. I am driving solo to work as an Elementary PE Teacher and took a girls trip to Sacramento to run the California International Marathon. Kieren is a 6th grader who thrives on learning algebra and a state qualifying basketball champion. Viv is a tough basketball player, who keeps her brothers in check and has been accepted into a Hi-Cap academic honors program. Teague is loving Kindergarten as he gets to walk up to 1st grade for math and reading. Torin is a little athlete who loves attending Preschool and is counting down the days he will get to play sports. As we look ahead into the New Year, we are excited for more challenges, adventures, opportunities and successes that will make us stronger. Life is great. Happy New Year! 

Focus on what you can control

In September, I ran a half marathon and felt like I failed at running. During the last few weeks up to the race, I questioned whether I even loved running, anymore. Life has been a great challenge this school year. As I am an Elementary PE teacher at one school in a town and my husband is an assistant principal at another elementary school in another town. Not to mention, my kids changed school districts, too. This is a career change, Seamus and I were willing to take. However, it’s just been HARD. 

As I continued to stress the past month, my running performance began to take a massive dip. During the summer, I was in a routine and had a schedule with kids that allowed flexibility and downtime. This no longer exists and I’m trying to figure out a routine that works best for my sanity. Picking up kids after school, dropping them off for practice and back home for dinner and house chores. Then, picking kids up and getting to bed at a decent hour. I’m a person who lives on consistency, structure and routines! This is not ME. But, it’s what I have to do for my family. 

Learning to control what I can control has been my biggest challenge this year. I know change doesn’t happen overnight but my goal for the year is to take a step back and allow myself to handle daily “unexpected” situations in a healthier way. It’s slowly becoming a habit and I’m mentally feeling stronger. 

Summertime

Sometimes a simple change in life is needed. These summer days are flying by as kids and I continue to work on the farm in the morning and Seamus heads off to work at his new job. He accepted an assistant principal position in a town nearby and we are grateful for this opportunity for our family. 

Luckily, we are still finding time for some fun during our summer. Kids enjoyed some flag football and have attended a few basketball camps. We also took a few day trips out of town for family visits and most afternoons include some pool time at home. Summertime is definitely my favorite season and we still have time for a few more memories to make together. #everymomentcounts

Be Resilient

It's been a roller coaster ride the past few months with my health. Just when I thought life got hard, it got harder. 

In December, I fell head first on ice when running. I suffered a concussion and was able to recover. Then, in January, I struggled with plantar foot warts and had to repeat cryotherapy to completely get rid of the infection. In February, I dealt with tendinitis on the top of my right foot that was caused by my running shoes. In March, I found out that my iron levels were extremely low and began to take an iron supplement because of it. Lastly in April, I had a sinus infection that really shut me down for a few weeks. 

As I look back on these health obstacles, I realize that I am resilient. I started training for the Spokane Bloomsday 12k a few months ago and I'm scared to tackle this race. In the past few months, I've accepted that feeling fearful is absolutely okay. But, feeling doubtful isn't. I've trained HARD and SMART and am confident that I can achieve a crazy running goal. As I rest for the next few hours, I’m visualizing myself walking to that start line, mentally and physically ready. 

2022

Happy New Year! We ended 2022 with a hotel swimming, pizza party. These kids never stop and continue to keep going. I thought life would get easier as my kids got older but it just continues to get harder. There’s always something to do or somewhere to be. We are currently on winter break and enjoying the slower days at home. As we look ahead, so many goals are already set in place for 2023. Such as basketball camps and tournaments, sport clubs, family trips, house projects and races. We are all excited for what’s to come and are striving for a New Year full of laughter, gratitude, great physical and mental health and fitness.