Fireman’s 5K

We have a new position in our district; they are the athletic trainer, but also a “health and wellness” coordinator.  Her name is Audrey Zuercher.  She proposed at the beginning of the year that staff meet at the park on Mondays to use the trail and exercise together in whatever capacity that meant for them.  She also sent out a couch to 5K training plan and let people know about the Fireman’s 5K that happens at the beginning of November.  I decided I would participate in the Monday club and use the training plan to prepare for the 5K.  The last time I did a 5K I didn’t really train for it, but I completed it by walking and running intervals.  This time, I wanted to be ready.

So, I went on the first Monday in September.  It was just Audrey and I.  Audrey is a runner; I am not.  She was gracious and ran the first day of the training program with me.  I fit in two more training sessions on my own each week.  Then, every Monday, she and I (no one else came) would run.  And I felt tired of training, but also ready for the 5K. 

Madison and Ellie both wanted to run it, too.  So once volleyball ended, they both ran off and on to prepare for it.  Jeremy signed up, too, in support of the Firemen and to get the free hoodie.  He didn’t train, but he already did a 50 mile bike ride none of us had done.

Saturday morning was cooler than it had been, but the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t blowing.  It was actually great running weather.

    

There were about 300-400 people running from the high school down on the bike trail and then back up.  We all said we would run at our own pace.  Madison and Ellie started out together and at some point, separated.  I just plodded along, only stopping for about a 10 second breather at one point.  Pretty proud of myself.  Madison never stopped running.  Ellie took some walk breaks when needed.  Jeremy ended with a run.  I would say we all did a good job for where we were at. 

               

I would say we all did a good job for where we were at. 

And because I can’t stop laughing at the ridiculousness of this picture, I am putting it in.  I look like I am either out for a little skipping down the street or I am a turtle.  Not sure which, but enjoy a chuckle at my expense…

It was a lot of work to train, but it definitely paid off.  We will see if I am as motivated next year…

8th Grade DC Trip

It was Ellie’s turn to go to Washington, D.C., with her class.  I actually really enjoy going, and I am grateful every year I am given the chance.  I asked Ellie if she was okay with me going before volunteering.  She said she was.  I just requested not to be her group’s chaperone. 

We had a small group of kids – less than 60 kids, I think.  We boarded the bus at 6:30am and took off.  Ellie with her friend, Harper, were somehow right in front of me!  What luck!

   

We stopped at Pizza Hut for lunch, made it to Gettysburg by about 1:30. 

Thankfully, even with the government shutdown, they were giving guided tours at this national park.  The girls learned about the Civil War and the Battle at Gettysburg.  They climbed the very tall fire tower and took pictures on top of Big Round Top.  It ended up being a windy, but beautiful day.

    

After a massive buffet,

we headed to the night tour of various monuments in DC – FDR, Jefferson, and MLK Jr.  These are not my favorite ones to see in the dark, but this is what time permitted us.  Thankfully, the lights were on at FDR and we could see some things.

    

After a good night’s sleep, we met downstairs and had a breakfast buffet in our hotel.  We left by about 8am to get to to our first stop.  This year was a bit different.  There was a government shutdown happening – a really uncooperative Congress was arguing over the budget – so all the Smithsonians were closed.  Our tour company scheduled us a stop at Mount Vernon in place of those.   I had never been here, so I found it interesting.  We saw George Washington’s family tomb, the cemetery for slaves, the slave quarters, toured the house, and soaked in the view of the Potomac.  It was beautiful. 

    

From there, we headed to the Holocaust Museum.  While this intrigues me every year, the political unrest in the U.S. right now painted this in a different light.  It is amazing what can so quickly happen given a chance.  How easily people can be taught to hate based on religion, race, skin color, eye color, country of origin, sexuality, and so many things that don’t really make that person loveable or detestable.  And they certainly aren’t cause for the atrocious acts of violence that were showered on these groups.  It is a hard, but necessary, place to visit.

The kids are usually starving for lunch at this point because it is almost 1pm and lunch at school happens at 10:10.  We head to a mall food court and let them go.  Then, we walk forever around Arlington Cemetery and watch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  All of this makes me consider the lives that have been lost for causes we aren’t even aware about and sometimes didn’t even care about.  The tragedy of war.

The day ends in a light-hearted and loud manner – at Medieval Times dinner show.  My adult crew (Kelsey Rowley, Maddie Aumend, Jess Matz, and me) had fun watching the kids.  And the kids always have a lot of fun cheering for their knight.  Ellie and her table got a picture afterwards with their knight. 

   

The drive back was LOOOOOOONG.  We were caught in a traffic jam and did not make it back to the hotel until almost midnight.  It made for a very short night.

The last day we souvenir shopped, went to the People’s House (a really neat mock White House experience), and visited numerous monuments. 

    

Then, we headed home.  This was the only snafu – we left without lunch and didn’t feed the kids until almost 2pm!  I was very hungry.  We made it home by about 7pm on Friday night.  And I was thankful for the weekend!

Ellie’s 8th Grade Volleyball Season

Ellie had 15 girls on her volleyball team – a crowded roster for sure!  Coach had started the season expecting to have an “A” team and a “B” team.  As practice continued, she decided that the skill levels of the girls were not distinctive enough to create the disparity of teams.  So, she played two similarly skilled teams of kids.  Sometimes the first set would win, sometimes the second set.  They group supported and encouraged one another.  And they all showed growth.  It was a lot of fun watching, with some nail-biters thrown in for good measure!

    

Ellie played middle hitter for a majority of the season.  She worked on blocking, getting her hands on quite a few balls.  She also worked on becoming more aggressive with her hits.  While she had few opportunities to serve in a game, she did show more consistency in her serve. 

              

She had fun – jumped around, cheered, got nervous, high-fived, and prepared for each game. 

Youth night at Dalton:

Volley for the Cure game:

Then, came the tournament.  We were seeded #1, with a loss to Hillsdale and a loss to Northwestern.  First up, we played Rittman.  While we felt pretty confident we would win, you just never know.  (We did win.) Then, we watched Norwayne fall to Waynedale – an upset by all accounts, but Waynedale had shown some huge improvement during the season.  We had to play them in the next round.  Our advantage?  They only had 7 on their team, the Norwayne game had been long and draining, and they were tired.  We had just sat and relaxed.  We won, but it was a fight. Finally, we waited to see who the final would be against – the other games had been played in the middle school gym at Smithville and we wondered who would come over.  Northwestern – a rematch from last season when we lost. 

At some point, Ellie missed her chance to sub in for Ava Doty.  So, Ava played middle for a point.  It gave us all a reason to laugh a minute.

We went 3 sets, always playing from behind and somehow scraping up points to win.   The win was well earned and very exciting!!

      

Regardless of how the season would have ended, we were so proud of you, Ellie.  You played with your heart on your sleeve.  You encouraged others and you felt the win or lose the same whether you were on or off the court for final point.  We hope you continue to love playing and can continue to improve along the way.  Love you!