2016 Year End

As 2016 comes to an end I reflect on what this year has brought and taught me.  I don’t think that anything in life comes as planned.  We all make goals for ourselves and set ourselves out to be the very best we can be, but sometimes those goals do not pan out the way we intended them too.  This year my husband and I set out to run at least 1000 miles and participate in our first ultra marathon; a 50k at Silver Falls State Park.  We ran the Cascade Half Marathon in January and ran many miles with our friends from ZaoFit and explored more trails at Silver Falls to train for the 50k.  I had fallen once at a training run at Silver Falls and bruised my tailbone which set me back a couple weeks, but no one could prepare me and my family for the ultimate setback I was about to face in June.  I ran the 30k race at Run For The Hills on June 5th, then five days later I was being rushed by ambulance to the hospital with what we learned a few hours later was a stroke.  I am still in shock that this ever happened.  It’s been almost 7 months now, and no one could have prepared me for what I faced this year.  I thought I would run and enjoy the great trails Oregon has to offer, become an ultra marathon runner and continue to influence and inspire others towards a healthy lifestyle.  My dream to become an ultra runner did not happen this year (but it did for Chris, yay!!!), nor will it happen in 2017, but just because this set me back does not mean I cannot become an ultra runner one day.  Just because I suffered a stroke does not limit my potential.  Over the past 6 months I have become impatient, frustrated, and sad that I cannot do what I once could, but I have also learned to become more grateful for all that I do have.  I am still alive and kick’n and can continue to be an influence on others.  I hope to continue to inspire and influence others on my journey to recovery, through leading a healthy lifestyle, and bringing hope to my students and their families.  I love my job and the opportunity I have to connect with others; being an Orange Mud Ambassador has been so much fun and I can't wait to continue doing more for the best trail running company out there; I love my family and watching Chloe grow into this amazing little girl and continuing to watch Chris be an amazing father and husband that wants to do nothing more than make us happy. While 2016 may not have been all that I asked for, it has given me everything that I needed to make me into a stronger woman, friend, counselor, daughter, wife, and most importantly a mother. I hope you all are thankful for what you have and continue to use your strengths to inspire others. Thank you 2016 for all you’ve given me and bring it on 2017!  Happy New Years everyone! Let's make 2017 amazing!