Happy New Year!! It is hard to believe it is 2010. I thought to honor the New Year....I would reflect on this past year.........
One of the things that I am most proud of is that I completed jogging in a half-marathon!!! :-) I hope to do another one this upcoming May. I have wanted to do this for at least 5-6 years.....and with the encouragement of a great friend decided to go for it. I began training with a group every Saturday morning called MIT (Marathoners In Training). It was a great way to get me started and know I could do it. After I worked up to running a 7-mile long run, I had a couple of friends tell me about the Jeff Galloway Approach.....and it is amazing and worked very well for me!! He highly recommends walking breaks at certain intervals, as it can make you faster and assist with recovery. I must say it definitely helped me. I would run for 4 minutes then walk for 1 minute and repeat that throughout my long runs on Saturday's. I also did this for the entire 13.1 miles for the Cap City Half-Marathon!! I noticed that my times did improve with this approach, and I was rarely sore the next day after a long run. Even after I completed the half-marathon (I was really sore that Saturday afternoon/evening), but the next day I felt great. I also ran, well, really jogged in a couple of other races this past year including, The Race For the Cure, The Columbus Crew 5K, and The Flying Feather 4-miler on Thanksgiving. I am thankful that I am able to get out and jog....and hope to continue to improve. Thank you Jennie for being such an encouragement and running partner!!!
I have been teaching online at Franklin University for a year and a half, but this past August I also decided to try teaching a few face-to-face (onsite) classes. I really enjoyed this. I wasn't quite sure how it would work for me as Franklin University is mostly comprised of adult learners....and online they do not know your age. However, seeing me in a face-to-face classroom, I wondered how it would work considering I would be younger than the majority of my students. But I really enjoyed it and it actually went well. I am teaching another face-to-face this Winter Trimester and an online class. I am thankful that I am able to stay connected to Franklin and work with these students! I just do this as an "extra", but great part-time job!!!
Matt and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on May 26th......but have been together for almost 12 years now. How time flies! It is at times like this when I think of how long we have been married......that I start to feel old. :-) We took a week off from work this Summer and traveled to one of our favorite cottages in Berlin, Ohio. It was pretty relaxing considering how busy our Summer was. I really hope that we can make it back to Seattle, Washington again this upcoming Summer....but we shall see. I also really want to visit New England too.......hmmmmmmm
I was also in Matt's sister's (Beth) wedding this past Summer (well we both were). She and her husband live in Texas. But it was a very nice wedding in the Park of Roses. We also enjoyed a yummy wedding rehearsal dinner at The Happy Greek. Then Beth and Eric went off to GREECE for their honeymoon - so jealous!! Matt's dad's family is from Greece. They were able to visit their family on the island of Poros and travel to other parts of Greece. I would love to think one day we will make it there. Oh to dream...........
My brother's twins turned FIVE this past September!! I cannot believe these little cuties are 5 years old!!! I had a great time at their birthday party. It is great to see them growing up and developing their own little personalities. Miss Emmi is a little sassy girl......but so much fun. Jay is a sweetheart......and is about a foot taller than Emmi!!! I love them so much!!
It was also nice to see my Grandma Dowell making improvements at the end of this year. The last few weeks of 2009 were amazing with her.....watching her talk more.....and be able to stand with just a little help from my Grandpa. She is such an amazing person and my hero!!!! I love her!!
I am also happy to say that my brother is still cancer-free!!!!! I am always so thankful after he gets a clean bill of health after each of his check-ups......I sincerely hope they continue to be free of cancer. I love you Shane!!!
I love my job advising students at OSU, and I am thankful for the new friends I have made while working at OSU. I look forward to seeing each of those friendships flourish. I am thankful for the diversity that OSU possesses!!!
I am also thankful for all that I learn from others, from reflection and reading difference sources. I love to see how my thoughts and views have changed over the years, especially this past year. I am very passionate about equality for all people....and I like to see how this is something that I have become more aware of and more empathetic too. Columbus is such an amazing city to live in.....it is pretty diverse and there are so many different events and ways to get involved. I am thankful to have my eyes and heart opened to things I may never have experienced had I chosen a different path. I am sure a blog will come soon explaining in more detail what I mean. :-)
As usual, I am so thankful for my friends and family. I feel like 2009 was a busy year and a year that I was able to spend a lot of time with friends and family. As stated before in a previous blog....I am thankful that as we get older my siblings and I get closer. This makes me happy. :-) I am thankful for the time that I was able to spend with my parents (including step parents), grandparents, siblings (and their families), extended family and all of my amazing friends!! I love all of you!
Happy 2010!! May this year be an amazing year for all!!!
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