Goose & Maverick....Mission(s) Accomplished

The big day started off chilly, windy and cloudy but that didn't stop Goose and her wingman, Maverick, from a 6 mile "dog fight".

Okay...so here's what really happened...

Joe's alarm buzzed at 4am....grrr.....and he promptly hit the road with our friends, Katie and Linda for a little jog across a bridge this morning. Brian and I headed down several hours later in hopes of seeing them cross the finish line. We arrived in time but in the sea of people, we missed them.

We found them after their finish and enjoyed a celebratory brunch at Hominy Grill. Good Times and a fantastic way to break the Yoder-Grant Restaurant curse (too much to explain here but trust me when I say - EXCELLENT MEAL with most excellent company - the curse is broken!)

Katie and Joe both did great and ended up running together with Katie leading the way and Joe as her wingman (thus the new names Goose and Maverick). Joe said Katie kicked it into overdrive up the bridge and almost left him in the dust!! She was weaving in and out of slower folks blazing quite a trail for Joe.

It was bittersweet for sure as up until 6 days ago, I fully planned to cross that finish line too but I was so very happy I got to experience the Bridge Run a little bit. After this morning's walk to and from the car on the uneven sidewalks, my ankle is not at all happy with me which further proves my decision was the best one. It wasn't how I thought it would be but we saw some funny sites and had a great day. Joe gets the Red Plate tonight -- his first 10K and at 41 years old, I'd say that's not too shabby!!

Goose and her WingMan.....all done!

Mission Accomplished!

Katie and her biggest fan

And Joe with his....

Love you both -- and congratulations to you two and all my other running peeps for a job well done!!

Not My Year

After months of hard training and many long runs, I officially flew the white flag of surrender last night. This is not my year to conquer the Bridge Run after all.

It was a quiet little project that Joe and I were focused on. We set the goal in January and have been working hard at it ever since -- we were ready for 6 miles of running tomorrow morning bright and early. Our goal had absolutely nothing to do with finish time - it was simply a goal to RUN all the way and to just FINISH the race TOGETHER. It was our little secret for quite a while, we told a few folks but for the most part, it was something we wanted to do as a team, without any fanfare and unnecessary attention. Frankly for things like this, I prefer to work quietly and diligently; the less attention on it, the less likely I freak myself out.

Last Sunday I left for a 3 mile run; my week looked light with a little bit of training but mostly lots of cross-training and rest time - I 'd done a 6 mile run successfully and was confident. I was ready. What I wasn't ready for was the Sporty Black Mustang coming straight for me; to avoid getting hit by the car, I ran up a bank on the golf course and my ankle turned on the uneven terrain and that folks...was all she wrote.

X-rays showed no broken bones but a very severe ankle injury. I stayed completely off of it for almost 2 full days. I've been wearing a gel cast and hobbling on crutches. I have followed Dr's orders and kept it elevated and iced for nearly a week. I have been hoping against hope I would simply wake up one morning (preferably by Tuesday!) to no more swelling, no bruising and no pain. Clearly God had other plans for me. I joined my friend Linda on a trip downtown to pick up our running packets yesterday and felt like maybe, just maybe, I could do it. After a few hours on my feet, I can home to find new swelling, more bruising and a required trip back to the "Land of Lortab" pills to ease the pain. I did too much...way too much...way too soon.

To say I've had a few crying fits and tantrums over this injury would be an understatement. I have worked so hard to get here and in a flash, my little Bridge Run Dream died. Bless the man's heart, Joe knew on Sunday when I hobbled back in the door and my ankle was the size of a grapefruit that my Bridge Run hopes were dashed this year - he has delicately tried to be the voice of reason for many days now but it was only last night after fresh waves of pain and swelling washed over me that I knew it was time to concede. Midway through tantrum #45 I conceded....not my year.

As much as I want to do it, I can't. I can't even walk on it much less run for 6 miles, including up a 4 degree incline and back down again. A full recovery is quite a few weeks away and I have slowly (and bellingerently) come to accept that. Joe snapped some pictures of it yesterday and clearly after 5 days of rehab; it's not even close to where it should be for 6 miles.

So....I get to cheer for my man when he crosses his first finish line and cheer for my friends tomorrow too. Joe and the girls will drive off at the crack of dawn tomorrow and conquer the bridge.

As for me...I get to stop acting like a 2 year old who isn't getting her way, find some grace to be okay with God's plan for me and cheer ever so loud for my man and my sweet friends when they cross that finish line....

while I wait, ever so patiently for my year....

And I couldn't end this without a great big giant THANK YOU for your prayers, email messages, phone calls, help with my children and listening to me kick and scream about the unfairness of life! For the most part I have this in the proper perspective but make no mistake -- I've had some childish, stubborn moments and they were not pretty!!

I saw a sign yesterday at the Bridge Run Expo...it said "Bridge Run - Get Over It".....clearly this year that message means something else for me!!

Put Me In Coach.....I'm Ready to Play

A gorgeous South Carolina sky...not a cloud to be seen.....temps in the mid 70's...the perfect day to usher in Springtime and begin our first baseball season. It was Opening Day for Little League and what a day it was.

You ask him absolutely anything about football...Winston knows the answer. He's almost as well versed in the sport of basketball. Baseball is a different story ENTIRELY...we don't watch it, we don't talk about it, we just don't know much about "America's Game"...sad really. But I think that's all about the change...

Winston started baseball practice a few weeks ago. Joe's been going with him and coming home with detailed reports on Winston's progress. He seemed to enjoy it and that was the priority but he lacked alot of knowledge and wasn't familiar with the mechanics or the skills for baseball. Our first season showed early signs of promise as we have been so blessed with an awesome set of coaches and a Team Mom that makes my heart skip a beat when I receive her detailed, organized communications with schedules and times and all the things this OCD Mama needs to keep life running smoothly.

Things got a bit stressful for me when talks of a "cup" was needed for Winston to play in this particular division. A cup....for a 7 year old....really??? He doesn't exactly love wearing it either truth be told, he finds it rather...um, well....bothersome and you can imagine the constant rearranging and adjusting going on....goodness, he was just in a diaper wasn't he?? How did we get here I have asked myself!

I digress...

Because of his "late" birthday, Winston is often on the bubble for age-group divisions. He played football with 2nd and 3rd graders and the same holds true for baseball. I am always very hesitant about this stuff -- he's in 1st grade and that was planned due to his late birthday. Frankly I'd like him playing sports with the same approach but coaches and league guidelines don't always see it that way. So we press on and so far, it's all worked out. For baseball, this puts him directly into "coach pitch" and considering he's never so much as played tee ball, I worry he's not ready. He loves to prove me wrong...

We all went to practice last night and I got to watch my boy in action. He did okay catching but the throwing was quite all over the place and bless his heart, he swung and swung at that ball flying past him and just hit wind all night long. He seemed to struggle but thankfully his attitude and drive were unfettered. He was ready for today.

Fast forward to this morning...Opening Ceremonies were cute, all the teams walked the bases and were introduced along with their sponsors. (A big shout out to Biggsby Coffee!!). Charlie and Chelsea from the RiverDogs were there giving high fives and having fun with the kids. Then our first game got underway.....

We heard the coach assign Winston to left field....he proceeded to run straight to RIGHT field and tell the young man already in his correct position that he was in the wrong spot...Winston managed to incorrectly but rather effectively direct the poor boy to LEFT field. Oops....Mama got scared.....oh, I was scared. First inning was rather uneventful and then it was our turn at bat....they announced batting order. Winston was batting clean up....4th batter up....

As luck would have it, the first three batters got a base hit each...and yes, folks -- it happened.

Bases loaded and Winston was up. Pressure was on. First pitch -- swing and a miss. Second pitch....swing and POP....a base hit!! Winston's first hit and it was the team's first RBI of the season!! Unbelievable...well not really -- I call that an answered prayer. I stood behind that fence praying for that bat to connect so Winston could have a positive first day for himself, I knew he was doing his best but for this day, I did ask for a little bit more...and God heard me loud and clear!! Thank You Lord for hearing my prayer!!

Winston got to first....ran through the bases with each batter and made it to home plate before the inning was over. He played 2nd base (and yes, he really was at 2nd base!) and because he was one of the few wearing the dreaded "cup", he got to try his hand at catcher too!! They suited him up and he stood behind that plate like he'd been there before. A GREAT FIRST DAY!!

It was great fun and the icing on the cake -- his teacher, our sweet Miss Luciano, came to watch the big day. Lots of our first grade friends were playing so she was able to enjoy several of her students on opening day.

Who knows what the season will bring but for today, we're flying high and celebrating the efforts of a very determined little boy.

Go Winston and GO TIGERS!!!

Opening Day Ceremonies...Winston is right behind the coach:

A Left Fielder in Right Field...cuz that's how he rolls:

First time at Bat:

Hanging on 1st Base

Running for home

Another run

Suited Up as Catcher

A bit of Madness....before March!

Oh to be a timely blogger....that's my goal! Well, not really - the fact is there's just too much happening here in my world to blog in a timely manner!!

Long before the nonstop talks of brackets and seeds, we were quietly putting a wrap on a very fun basketball season ourselves. We have lots of pictures and video of our season as a Raptor family and you'll just have to trust me when I say - we all enjoyed watching Winston play some hoops. It was the final day of the season that was the most memorable and frankly, it didn't have a thing to do with slam dunks or dribbling.

After our final game, the league handed out medals to all of the players. The league director took back the microphone and began to talk about a special award he hands out to a handful of players - one from each team to be exact. It's called the PHD award for Perseverance, Hard Work and Dedication. He went on to say that the PHD award had absolutely nothing to do with scores, wins, losses or stats in a game....but everything to do with attitude and commitment and showing skills that are valuable for living.

We were so proud when Winston's name was called and he received the PHD award for his team, chosen by his coach. That crazy little boy of mine is naturally agile, fast and very athletic - he's fast to learn and not afraid to be aggressive in pursuit of a score, any score. All of this is great and it makes it very fun to watch him play sports....it's the intangibles of athletics that are harder to teach him - win with integrity, lose with grace...all that stuff. The PHD recognition meant so much to all of us. We felt like all of our "talks" had not fallen on deaf ears - he was learning good life skills and showing them to others. It was a great way to begin some good conversations between Winston and his Daddy about ALWAYS giving 100% and the payoff of good honest hard work. Let's just hope it sticks. In the meantime, we could not have prouder of that young man. Needless to say, he enjoyed a Red Plate Meal at home that night!

As if the PHD honors wasn't enough of a high note to end our basketball season....we got a bit of round-ball dessert. And oh my goodness, was it great!!

A little back story here -- Winston's school has a SHINE store. It's a bit like the Chuck E Cheese prize counter on wheels. Every 6 weeks, the SHINE carts visit each classroom and students redeem their SHINE tickets for prizes and certificates. This SHINE store is near and dear to my heart because I coordinate the project and get to see first hand how exciting it is for the children to redeem their tickets that are very well earned by good behavior, modeling our school values, etc. on cool toys and really fun certificates. The first round of SHINE store this year, Winston had a whole bunch of SHINE tickets to redeem and couldn't wait to purchase a certificate good for a game a basketball against his P.E. Teacher. That certificiate has been hanging on our fridge for months and he couldn't wait to get a chance to play basketball with Mr Seitz. The big day finally came last Friday.

Winston's entire class went to the gym to cheer him on....he was a little nervous at first about everyone watching him but he loved having the moral support. His buddy from kindergarten, Tyrek, also had a basketball certificate so the boys played a game of one-on-one and then they teamed up and played two-on-one against a VERY good Mr Seitz!!

It was so great to watch. The boys played him hard and had great fun. Mr Seitz cut them NO SLACK and slam dunked a few times and kept the score close in all 3 games. The noise level in that gym was unreal -- the kids were chanting "Winston" and "Tyrek" the whole time and it was just so much fun!! I was so happy I could be there to watch - and to watch a bunch of sweet children cheering for my boy. What a way to end our basketball season....not that it's over around here...in case you haven't heard - the ODU Monarchs made it to the dance and even won in their first round game. The Grant boys are perched in front of the laptop watching the game online....it'll be a tough one this afternoon but they don't call it March Madness for nothing!!!

So now, we are gearing up for some baseball here....first time for The Grants....something tells me we're in for some good times!!

Here are some pics of Winston and Tyrek's game.....

(just a few) Tales from the Wobbly Box

I am often reminded of how quickly vivid moments in life can slowly start to fade in our memories. I can usually recall many things about an important and profound experience but almost always I can feel the sharper details start to dull a bit and eventually slip away.

While it's still so fresh in my mind, I want to remember some of the details....the little things that enhanced what was a very special time spent with an unlikely set of smiling faces. This won't mean much to the 4 people who read our family blog...but I think it's safe to say....it sure meant alot to a few people and maybe like me, they'd like to hold on to some of the pieces for a little while. I look back on the last few days and feel I've been given a precious gift...the gift of time with some folks that I think have many lessons I can learn from.

It was a much needed weekend away from the realities of raising of busy family. A time to take a deep breath, have a 3rd cup of coffee and only begin to consider taking a shower at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. A weekend where pajamas were encouraged and makeup was only optional. There was an abundance of cream cheese, avocados and cranberries. There were the first signs of springtime as we enjoyed the view of the rippling water from our deck chairs. There were blankets (and heating pads too!) that warmed us as we cuddled up in a new spot for a whole new topic and a delightful mix of country and 80's tunes that provided the soft background noice.

Had this been the essence of our time together, it would have been most sufficient for a set of hurried, over-scheduled Moms just looking to recharge. The gift though was that it was so much more than these things. The "so much more" brought a kinship that was not there before and hopefully that kinship will sit down and stay a while. Most of the "so much more" is too sacred to share...it wouldn't even make sense to most but it was a time

...filled with laughter and cherry flavored Carmex

...filled with tears

...peppered with jokes about lizards, dog splits and the trials and tribulations of whipped cream creations.

...It was time filled with admissions, confessions and revelations. Filled with apologies and forgiveness. Filled with a sense of sharing one's deepest fears and darkest moments in life. Filled with understanding the perspective of someone else in a whole new way and loving them even more because of it. It was time filled with example after example of the grace and peace that only God can deliver us to.

...It was time filled with gratitude for people who listened with open hearts. It was time made possible by a gracious hostess who opened her doors to suitcases, market baskets and groceries...lots of groceries.

As spring arrives and the summer heat starts to rise, I know the smaller details of our time in the Wobbly Box will begin to fade but I pray that these new and lovely friendships will do anything but that.

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."

Romans 12:10