half marathon

When I was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis one of my best friends, Krystal, decided to run races help raise awareness and money for the MS Society.  I approached Krys about joining her in a race this year.  I was feeling well and wanted to help raise awareness and money for the MS Society for other people with this same disease who aren't able to be as active as I am.  We decided to run the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon on April 28th which was two weeks within the year anniversary of my diagnosis.  We trained for four month separately before the race and met up in DC two days before race day.

Six weeks before the race I injured a tendon in my leg.  Due to this we weren't able to run the entire thing but we did run more than we thought we would be able to.  We didn't just run; we also danced, walked, and skipped.

 
It was easier to run with all the encouragement and support from our family and friends who were cheering us on.  They all dressed in orange, rang cow bells, and made fun signs, it was so encouraging to see them waiting for us ahead.

We crossed the finish line running and with the kids.  We finished in 3:30, a little slower than we had planned but we did just what we set out to do - spend time with each other and raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis.

 

We finished the day with drinks and burgers on the back deck.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful friend!  Thankyou Krys for doing the race with me and helping raise money and awareness for the MS Society.

We had such a blast and I can't wait to run my next race!
.katherine.

visit to vermont

At the end of April we took a trip to Vermont, where Matt's family is from, for three days.

The kids were able to meet Grandmom and Granddad for the first time.  They walked right up to them, asked for hugs, and wanted to share their toys.  It was wonderful to see them all interact with their great grandparents.

While Granddad had some doctor's appointments we went to all the traditional sites.  We went to Ben & Jerry's, the Cider Mill, and the Cabot Cheese Store.  Matt had a blast showing the kids all the places he went to and traditions he did as a kid.

We stopped by to see Grammy and Grampy's grave site while we were nearby.  It was nice to "visit" them.  The kids didn't really understand what we were there for but they knew it was important.  Bryce loved sitting on the little step and Zoey wanted to kiss the stone.

We loved being able to spend time with the family.  The kids loved Granddad's "toys", running the halls of the rehab center, playing with the family, and walking with Granddad.

We had a wonderful visit to Vermont!!!
.katherine.