Living close to all our family sure makes Christmas fun, yet interesting. Todd and I “make the rounds” which makes for two FULL days. We started Christmas Eve afternoon at my parent’s house to open presents. Joey and Deanna dutifully passed each present out. They were so excited. There is nothing better than a kid’s excitement on Christmas. The rule in my house growing up was you had to try on and model any item of clothing you received. (This made Mom’s annual gift of underware interesting.) My Dad loved his new bike shorts, and Joey and Deanna looked ever so cute in their new clothes.
The first year Todd and I were married, Little Grama sent Todd a bag of mini marshmallows with a clever poem about snowman poop. They had yet to meet but all Todd had heard about Little Grama was how sweet she was. He was not convinced. To this day he calls her “Trouble” and gives her grief about the present. So this year he unwraps his gift to find a box of chocolate covered almonds labeled “Reindeer Droppings”. The whole room was in stitches and the look on Todd’s face was priceless.
As per tradition, Christmas Eve is spent at Aunt Norma’s house. Most of Todd’s immediate and extended family (on his Dad’s side) go – we eat dinner and Santa arrives sometime later bringing gifts for the little kids. In fact, 13 years ago Todd proposed to me while I sat on Santa’s lap. Ahhh, the memories.
Final stop: Todd’s Mom and Stepdad Jim’s house. We exchanged gifts, visited and we were officially pooped. It was back on the road for us to our house in good ‘ol Mountain Home. It was a great Holiday for us and we loved spending time with all our family. We are truly blessed.
We always make a special place to put my Grama’s nativity set and Todd’s Grandma’s Christmas dolls. While they’re no longer with us, it’s great to have a part of them still here.
Todd and I had Thanksgiving at our house this year. My parents came out the night before for a “sleep over”. They were great help in getting things ready for the following days feast. We (well not so much Todd) also took advantage of the time and our new table to work puzzles. What fun!
That night the news reported that conditions were right to see the space station and shuttle track across the sky. The shuttle had just undocked from the space station and was on its way home. So at the opportune moment, Todd and my Dad went outside to see what they could see. After a few minutes in the freezing cold, they were about to give up when two bright lights popped on and quickly moved across the sky. They called my Mom and I out and sure enough for about five minutes you could see them. It is hard for me to get my head around all the technology that allows us to explore space and then there’s the debate on if we should be spending money in that way but I have to admit it was cool to see. (Todd, Cody and I got to see it again the following night – on the opposite side of the sky.)
Thanksgiving morning Cody brought Papa Kirby and Little Grama out. It was funny to see how Grama got in and out of his big truck but she was a sport and used her “little stool”. Everyone chipped in to get lunch ready – Mom made her famous stuffing, Grama made sweet potatoes, Dad mashed the regular potatoes and Cody and Todd carved the turkey while I filled in with the veggies, salads and rolls. It was sooooo good. After lunch we all crowded around to watch football and nap. . . pure heaven. I am so thankful for all God has blessed me with, not only on this day, but every day.
A short distance from the lighthouse, there are stairs that lead down to some tide pools. We debated going down since we were walking like we were 80. I drastically underestimated what running 26.2 miles would do to me afterward. But considering we probably wouldn't be back there we sucked it up and went down to check it out. I was fascinated by how the ocean shapes all the rocks into perfectly round stones. As we walked closer to the ocean, they became smaller, but still perfectly round. Todd found a bunch of mussels growing on the sides of the big boulders. Although I thought they were gross, he liked them. 
We ate dinner at Georgie's (a local restaurant). It was a little later than our usual dinner time but it seemed like we arrived in perfect time. From our table we had the colorful view of the setting sun. I have heard about people watching the sun set before but I never took it so literally. The sun dips below the horizon in a matter of seconds. Todd and I watched the beautiful scene without uttering a word as our waitress waited patiently to take our order. One of God's wonders for sure.
The following morning we took a walk on the beach. The ocean is incredible. We found various ocean life that had washed up on the beach but mostly we enjoyed the water. Now that is something I could get used to.
As friends and family heard we were training for a marathon, most began asking me the same question, “Are you crazy?” and at times I would have completely agreed. There were even moments when I feared for what it was exactly I had got myself into. The first came when reviewing the training schedule and I saw our first long run was 8 miles. 8 miles? I hadn’t run 8 miles in 2 years. But we took the training head on – some runs were better than others, we learned things along the way like proper hydration and nutrition before, during and after long runs, and trained our bodies to run for hours at a time.
We recruited my mom and dad to ride their bikes behind us for water, Gatorade, and fuel snacks on our really long runs (16-20 miles). They quickly became known as “Team Broyles”. I cannot say enough about how much that helped both physically and mentally. The sacrifice on their part was huge – to spend their time helping us achieve our goal is one thing but how boring that must have been!! Todd and I have discussed many times how we couldn’t have done it without them. Thanks Mom and Dad –you’re the best!!
As race day approached, I got more nervous. Had we trained enough? Was I ready? We had booked our room at the downtown hotel sponsoring the event and arrived the day before to get our race packets and chips. They converted their entire parking garage into marathon headquarters, complete with the various athletic company booths and mazes to shuffle the over 10,000 participants through. It was a sight to behold. All the volunteers and event staff did an outstanding job. It was well planned and executed.
The morning of we walked 3 blocks to the start and we were off and running. Literally. Despite my nerves, I was happy to be running alongside my best friend and partner in crime. Another Todd and Karen’s big adventure. I wouldn’t have wanted to be with anyone else. He gives me constant encouragement and praise in life and definitely during every run. Between mile 17 and 18, I started fading – Todd was still feeling great so after a few discussions, I sent him on his way at mile 20. He finished in 4 hours and I was right behind at 4:09. I still can’t believe it.
I have been asked by more than a few what I think about running for that long. To be honest, I pray. I prayed before, during and after the race -- Lord give me air in my lungs, strong legs and a determined mind; help me make it. (And I never forget to thank Him after.) I think about my little girl – how much I love her, how she fills me up and watches over me, and how great it will be to see her again. I think about my good friend (and trainer), Mark, who has constantly pushed me to be better than I am. I think “I can, I can, I can.” It really all comes down to mind over matter. And before you know it, you’re crossing the finish line. What an amazing feeling.
I would be sorely mistaken to not post a huge THANK YOU! to my great friend Cassie Larson. She is a sheer genius when it comes to capturing life’s precious moments in pictures, arranging them in Photoshop, and sharing them through blogging. Over a year ago she helped me start my blog and has continued to assist me in learning Photoshop. She has created countless images from our maternity photo shoot to Kloe’s announcements, individual pictures of Todd and I to this awesome new header at the top of this blog. She has a real talent for all things creative, but more importantly she has taken time out of her busy life (raising 3 young boys) for me. So thank you Cassie for all your talent, your time and mostly your love.
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