Things to be Thankful For and More!

Well, well, well, it has been too long since I last posted a blog. I have been avoiding blogging because so much time has lapsed, so how do I update on all of it....November is the month to remember to be thankful. So I will attempt to sum up my year thus far in 2009 in a list of thankfulness.

1. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be involved with Team in Training. Words can never truly express what amazing miracles I had a chance to witness and be a part of during my four months of training. Two of the biggest miracles were raising just

under $5,000 for Leukemia and Lymphoma and actually running 26.2 miles! I had actually had fun while running my race, strange I know but not all that strange for me:) Here is a photo of me outside Petco park, yes during the race. No wonder it took me so long. I also spent lots of time stopping to hug cancer survivors and high five just about everyone. Just when I thought I couldn't take one more step, I saw a lady with a sign that said, "You saved my life." I hugged her, cried with her, and realized that 4.2 more miles was nothing compared to her journey. I am thankful for moments like that.

2. I am a home owner! I am so blessed to be able to own my own little town home. It is perfect for Tulo and me! My Dad helped me with the yard a lot this summer. I still have lots of decorating/ unpacking to do. The most amazing part I think is that I found it the first day I went out looking with a realtor. When did I get old enough to have a realtor? Or a mortgage for that matter!? I am thankful for both and all things home owner related.

3. A new car?! An unexpected purchase to be certain! Many people might wonder why you would get a new car after you total your old car, the reason is, I have lots of places to go. So now I get everywhere in my new Honda. I love it, I am most thankful for the heated seats and the sun roof. I love having a sun roof and when it's too cold to have it open, I open it anyway and turn on the butt warmer. Waste of energy maybe but happiness is never a waste! My car is on the right, this is during a trip to New Mexico this summer!

4. My little volleyball team that could. They worked and worked and had more fun than I've ever seen and they finished in the top 8 in our region! Simply amazing. Here are the little darlings with their trophy from a tournament. There is nothing more fun than hearing the squeals of delight when your team wins.

5. My sixth summer at The Summer Enrichment Program. Oh I am so thankful for that program. Every year I think, well it can't be better than last year....then it is. Life is not about getting better all the time. It's about taking advantage of the moments you are given and truly enjoying them. That is what we did, every second of every day. From doing the single ladies dance with teenagers, to going to the most beautiful church on a cloudless night with friends, it was all simply amazing. I only taught for two weeks this year and when I was gone during week 3 my friends made a flat Katie and took her everywhere. I am thankful for that kind of love.

6. So where did I go during the last week of summer camp....the JUNIOR OLYMPICS! Our 17's team qualified for the Junior Olympics in Miami and I was blessed with the chance to be their chaperone. An amazing experience doesn't quite sum it up but that's what it was. My dear friend Nikki drove 4 hours to see me for the day while I was there and we had the best time walking on the beach and catching up. Oh yes, and Nikki was pregnant while I was there, Lila made her grand entrance to the world on November 4, 2009. As you can see, I loved her already!

7. Off to Maryland for a fun visit before school and volleyball started. I went to Maryland 3 times this year. The boys are getting bigger and Caleb is stronger by the day. He currently has 19 months left of treatment and plans are in the works for summer 2011 and his big party when he makes it through!

8. My high school volleyball team. I should probably dedicate another day and another blog just for these amazing young women. We had more fun than I could have imagined and they all will hold a special place in my heart for many years to come. If you have talked to me at all during the season, they are probably all I talked about. Thank you for enduring that. It was an amazing time that ended too soon as usual. I am so blessed to know each and every one of those girls. I have learned so much from them. They day I stop learning from the players, will be the day I hang it up. We have so much to learn from one another.

9. My friends. I wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for my amazing, inspiring, loving and truly exceptional friends. They travel to see me, pick me up when I'm down, have amazing adventures with me and just love me and for that I am so grateful! My best friend Nicole got married in January. I am so happy for her and Adam. This adventure was at the Muddy Buddy with Danielle, Eric and Andrea!

10. My family. From my parents who do anything for me, even take care of my cat while I am off gallavanting around the country. My sister who is a constant source of love and support. My brother who I love to visit in the summer or any time at all! My niece and nephew, the loves of my life. There is nothing better than the sound of "AUNT KATIE!!!" when I walk in the door.

Well now that we are all caught up, I'll try to blog more regularly, mini novels can be so tough to digest all in one sitting:) There are many fabulous moments and amazing people that I failed to mention in this blog. Please know that I am thankful for you and the memories. God is continuing to bless my life in ways I didn't think were possible. Thanks be to God:)

Just what you need

Training for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon with Team in Training is changing my life. I started this endeavor in honor of my four year old cousin, Caleb Schneck, who was diagnosed with ALL just 13 months ago. I started this journey on the day of his fourth birthday. I started it thinking that this would be something I could do to honor him and his amazing family. I started this thinking I could bring them hope, inspiration, and encouragement. Amazingly enough, I have been the recipient of hope, inspiration, and encouragement.
Since taking on this endeavor I have raised 3,300. I have done nothing more than send an email. People I know and love have donated and have passed on the email to people I have never met. People I have never met account for 31 out of 41 online donations on my fundraising page (You can go there now to donate if you feel so inclined:) :)They know Caleb or they know me by two or three degrees of separation and care enough to give to a life saving cause. It is humbling and awe inspiring to be the recipient of love like this.
Today I have been encouraged, and inspired by one of the coaches for our Central Denver team, John. I have had what some may call a rough week. I have been sick, battling a cold complete with one doosey of a cough. I was in a car accident on Sunday, and on Wednesday found out that they are considering my car a total loss. I have been running, coaching, teaching, car shopping, packing, and coughing...a lot. (I am moving on May 1st.) I am exhausted. When I get exhausted like this I am quick to note that the exhaustion I am experiencing is self induced and nothing compared to what the people I am running for experience due to Chemo and the battle raging in their bodies. However, today I couldn't shake the fact that I am exhausted and sick. I had a bad morning, woke up late for our three hour run, drove to the wrong location and arrived at the correct location 40 minutes late. I signed in and took off, determined to make my run happen today.

I was inspired greatly by all the words off encouragement and waves from my fellow team in training teammates and a big high five and smile from Coach Greg. As the miles wore on and the cough heated up, the run became quite laborious. I couldn't fathom that anyone would be at the finish waiting for me, one participant, who was ridiculously late, to finish my training run. No one should be there waiting for me when I failed to set my alarm and failed to double check the location of the run...And yet there he was....

John was there waiting, with a Gatorade, a banana, an orange, a big smile and a high five. Just what I needed. I almost cried. Here is a guy who volunteers his time to coach and he waited, an hour after everyone finished for me. I needed someone to say "Good job, you did it!" and he was there to be that someone.

I think everything with this program is so directly linked to the cause. I have heard and seen patients and their families get just what they need when they do not think they can make it through one more trip to the clinic, or one more day. I wanted to be that person for my family and it is so nice that there are people who are just what I need when I need it on my part of this journey. Thanks Coach John, your presence today meant the world to me. You were just what I need.

Love Actually

On the Eve of Christmas Eve I find myself watching one of my favorite holiday movies....Love Actually. It is a hilarious romantic comedy, the type of movie I love (pardon the pun). I adore the premise of the movie, Love is actually all around us. I am up making a terrific blanket for one of the loves of my life, my niece Madison. At this time of year love is all around us, you just have to be sure you notice it.
Love is in a handmade card on notebook paper from a 7th grade volleyball player. Love is in the many gifts I was blessed with from co-workers and students at school. Love is in the handmade gifts, the thoughtful gifts, the Starbucks cards and in my favorite gift of all, a Christmas hug. A student announced to the class, "Ms. Ryan, I got you something too, a Christmas hug." I smiled, hugged her and then broke into a song and dance that went a little something like this...."All I want for Christmas is a big fat hug, a big fat hug, All I want for Christmas is a big fat hug, and that's what your brought me for Christmas." Love is in the hours spent making cookies, buying and wrapping gifts. Love is in the hugs from family and friends. Love is in my nephew's voice as he covers his face in soap suds in the bath and says, "Merry Christmas Eve" in his best almost two year old Santa voice. Love is in the hope that after all the blind dates, bad dates and absolutely hilarious dates, "the one" for me is out there and when the time is right, God will place him in my life at precisely the moment He planned. Love is wrapped in the strength my cousin Caleb displays over and over in his fight against cancer. His home is filled with love and occasionally brotherly quarrels. Love is in the intricate wedding plans and preparations for my best friend's wedding. Love is in the phone calls, emails and text messages from friends and family. Love will be all around my little brother Patrick's tree as we decorate it in his memory on Christmas Eve.
I am surrounded by people I love and who love me on a daily basis. My cousin Andrea just sent me a text message that said, "Hurry up and get over here, I miss your brown hair." I know she does and as always it was a fantastic time to be surrounded my by family at yet another Katie and the Ager's sleep over. We all collapse in a giant heap on the couch, watch movies and just talk. You see love comes in heaps!
This Christmas season I am feeling very loved. I hope you take the time to see all the love in your life. Merry Christmas everyone.
P.S. Anyone know how many times the word 'love' is used in the post? Not very good word choice I suppose but the magic was in the repetition for this blog:)

YES WE CAN

There was something I have been meaning to post. Click this to go to a video that still gives me goose bumps. My roommate and I watched Barack Obama become our 44th President-elect. What an amazing moment in history. I am so excited for what is to come in our great nation. The powerful stories I heard are too numerous to be noted here. For the first time, when I go teach at summer camp in Arizona, the students will have reason to believe me when I say they can become ANYTHING. What a powerful thing.

Reasons to be thankful

In honor of the month of November, I am presenting you with my list of things to be thankful for. These items are in no particular order, just an order of genuine thankfulness. Without further ado or explanation here it goes:
1. Caleb is in maintenance.... what does that mean? It means he has made it through the toughest part of his treatment. He is an inspiration, a fighter and with some more prayer and good thoughts his way will be back in pre-school after Thanksgiving. He still has a ways go but things look much much better than they did in March. Way to go Cayman!!!


2. I am going to Maryland to see Caleb, his four brothers, Casey, Cameron, Connor and Colton, and of course his mom and dad, Mike and Melanie, for Thanksgiving. I can't wait! This will be my third trip out there this year. I love it more and more with each visit.

3. I am thankful for good friends. I have so many good friends in all corners of the world and I am so blessed by their presence in my life. Some I see and talk to all the time, others I only talk to on the phone or via internet every so often. Someone once told me that you are the same person you were on the day you were born. The only things that change you are the books you read and the people you meet. What a powerful statement. I know my friends have helped make the person I am today.

4. My family, they may be crazy, they may not see eye to eye with me on all things political, but they are my family. They have also helped make me who I am today and love me all the time, all the time.

5. My job, during "economic crisis" times like we live in today, I am so blessed to have a job that I can now enjoy again, because report cards are done:) I do love my job and all of the amazing children I get to work with everyday.

6. My night job, I love coaching volleyball, we had our banquet on Monday and I was showered with gifts. That is not why I love coaching, I love coaching because one of the girls wrote on my gift and said, "you have taught me so much about volleyball and just as a person. I will miss you" Another girl said " You are a great coach, I would have nobody but you." The relationships I was able to build with those athletes have made me a better person and I am so humbled by the opportunity to impact their lives.

7. My car, as I traveled up icy and snow packed I70 yesterday I became increasingly thankful for my little honda that could. With new snow tires and great gas mileage, I am the only reason I am late for work...occasionally:)

8. My cat. I love my cat. Tulo is the kind of cat that wakes me up every morning without fail. If it wasn't for him, I would be even later to my destinations. He keeps me company by following me around as I attempt to clean house and lays next to me when I am in a work induced coma. He is calming and entertaining and I just love him.

9. Yoga. Yoga makes me stronger physically and emotionally. It meets me where I am and helps keep me strong and sane. Even on my worst body image days, I can look in the mirror and say, okay I may not be happy with just how big my butt is today, but today I did a handstand, that's pretty cool. I love the yogis I meet and how nice and genuine they all are.

10. I am thankful for my health. I have personally known a great many people to be ill in the past year, 3 with cancer. We recently had an e-coli outbreak in the area my school is in. I am so thankful to be healthy.

11. The common thread in all of these things is God, He never gives you more than you can handle, even if you don't believe it at the moment. Thank God for that and for all things.

Well I know I am missing some things but that will suffice for today. Thank you :)

New Month,New Blog, New Pose

I went back to yoga today! It is so strange to me that I can get myself into a place where I think I don't have time for yoga. The feeling I have as I leave class and resonates for the rest of my day is worth whatever sacrifice I have to make to get to class. Typically that sacrifice is getting out of bed at a reasonable hour on a Saturday morning. Habits are called habits for a reason and I am going to get back into my favorite habit of Saturday Morning Yoga class! I was nervous to return to my favorite level 2/3 vinyasa class because I hadn't been in so long. The thing I love about yoga is that it requires you to check your ego at the door. Yoga meets you where you are and gives you just what you need. Do you have to have the best downward dog in class? No! My teacher is always genuinely excited to see me at class and often greets me with a hug, if I make it before class starts:)

Today she announced that we would be doing forearm stand....I started to panic and my ego reappeared asking me if I was really ready to embarrass myself like that today....thoughts like, "my shoulders aren't strong enough, my core isn't stable enough, am I really ready for this pose" bombarded me. I watched a person from class offer to demonstrate the pose and she did it beautifully. Then she announced that it was the first time she had ever done that pose! Well, then I started to change my thought pattern and give it a shot.

I picked a partner and she helped me find my forearm stand! It was so fun, I love inversions and this one is topping the charts for favorite poses. Isn't it funny that something we fear can be so fun and so freeing! I haven't attempted to do this without the help of a wall or a spotter, but when I am ready, I'll get it.

Today is a gorgeous fall day in Colorado, I am going to get out there and enjoy it!
I will have a bit more confidence in my step today, yoga makes me feel like I can accomplish anything:) Guess I figured out what to do now that volleyball season is over.
Namaste :)

All good things come to an end

The 2008 volleyball season is officially over for my team. I haven't blogged much, okay at all since season started. So many fun things have happened over the course of the season. During pre-season we went to one of the players' cabin at Grand Lake. It is beautiful there! We did our pre-season routine complete with running red rocks with the help of my cousin Andrea. We ran up a mountain at three sisters. We also went to Regis team camp for three fun filled days. Once tryouts were out of the way we were off and running. My life was full of practice planning ( I actually typed 90% of the practice plans this season.) That fact should be impressive to my dear friends Amy and Nicole who have coached with me before :) We played against some of the best competition in the state and were able to give them a run for their money. We lost... a lot, 14 times to be exact, we lost close games, we gave games away and we left our hearts on the floor in others. We won 6 times, and those 6 times were all the more special because they were seemingly so hard to come by. It didn't matter what the outcome of the game was, it was always a joy to coach this group of young ladies. They were so funny, so bonded on and off the court and at times were simply amazing on the court. They were also high school girls, more concerned with homecoming and plans for Friday night than keeping their heads at practice. My favorite memories will be those times when the entire team collapsed on the floor laughing. That happened a lot, we had a few girls who just couldn't seen to stay on their feet. We had a practice at the Sport Oasis, a warehouse with 7 sand volleyball courts. We raised money for Caleb through the Light the Night Walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma at Wash Park. We had team dinners, they tried out for the MTV show Made, we had Saturday practices followed by lunches together. We tried just about everything under the sun to come up with win. What we did come up with was friendships that will last a lifetime and priceless memories. It is my hope that at least 2 of the seniors will continue their volleyball careers in college. It is my hope that they will look back on this season with fond memories. At this time of year I am typically very excited to be getting my evenings back to myself. This year feels a little different. I think that is due to the fact that the girls bought into the program and all my silly ways. They believed in what I was doing for the program and that will lay the foundation for success in years to come. I am proud of my team and will sincerely miss them. This has been my most disappointing season in terms of wins and losses. This has been one of my most rewarding seasons based on the impact the girls had on me and vice versa. I can't sit around and miss them too much....club tryouts are next Sunday and I will have a whole new crew of girls to work with....maybe someday I will take a break :)