I posted about this a while back, and it's time for a reminder.  One of my favorite families...it doesn't hurt that they are lifelong friends...is raising money to bring their little girl home from Russia.  They felt led to expand their family by adopting, and Russia is where the Lord led them.  Morgan and Curt are phenomenal parents of some of the most awesome kids ever (I love them!), and this little girl (who they've yet to meet) is a blessed one.  There are several ways to help them raise money....t-shirts, coffee, just donating, or the 5k.  The 5k will be held in Abbeville, SC - May 7th - 8:10 a.m.   You don't have to run, you can walk, you can skip, you can do cartwheels, or you can register and just get the t-shirt (you'd be a slacker, but a good hearted one).  I'll be there!

To register go to:  http://www.abbevillespringfestival.com/5k-runwalk.html

Now let's talk about running.  I used to be a runner...at one point over 30 miles a week.  My day was built around the run.  I loved it, but then I met Jeff and I loved him more...way more.  So my time was spent with him, planning a wedding.  We married, and I slowly got a new running routine...not as much running, but at least I was running.  Then I was sick (chest congestion that I couldn't shake), but that passed and I started running again.  Then we bought a house, which we painted, did yard work, changed fixtures, and spent a good chunk of a summer on, and time for running vanished.  Fall came, and with that the treadmill and I got reacquainted (yeah, I'm the odd one that would rather run on a treadmill).  I started working myself up to where I had once been.  Then I got pregnant, and morning sickness hit me like a brick in the face...all day long.  Walking wasn't always a good idea...and I'm not talking about exercise walking...I'm talking from the couch to the fridge....yeah bad.  Then after that faded, I did walk a bit, but side stitches were killer.  Running is something that I enjoy.  I don't always want to do it, there are moments during a run that make me question why I bother, but at the finish I feel renewed and clearer.  It's my way to burn stress, to think, to daydream, to plan, to listen to my music (not the ABC song).  After Ada was born, I picked a little bit of running back up around the end of October.  Then when Morgan told me about the 5k, I knew it was my opportunity (and excuse) to make it habit again.  Jeff has always been a huge supporter to me running...he knows it makes me less crazy.  So he encouraged me from the get-go (even got my subscription to Runner's World going again)...and he gets to hang out with the super cute Ada while I run. I had a schedule going, but I still had the problem of side stitches occasionally (hardly had them before the pregnancy).  Things were going good, and then we were bombarded with doctors' appointments for about a month (Jeff had a suspicious swollen lymph node that turned out to be nothing-Praise the Lord!).  Then all of a sudden I realized the 5k was a month away.  I had to get down to business.  When the race was announced I had a goal time in mind.  I've never been what I consider a fast runner.  At my 30 miles a week peak my 5k was around 24 minutes, but had settled for a few minutes more than that when I was last in the swing of regular running (early 2008).  My goal for this race was for my time to be under 30 minutes....not fast, not out of the question, but something which because of my time away would be challenging.  I've since backed away from that simply because I don't want to disappoint myself.  I believe if I could have stayed consistent I would be there, but with the run a week away, and side stitches still being a stitch in my side (ha ha), I don't know if it's probable at all.  I have to run slow so my side won't stop me.  I look forward to the race.  To have it in front of me brings the runner out in me a bit.  My goal now is not necessarily for the race, but for the here on out...to run again...consistently.

Plus, I really hope my friends raise loads of money from the race.  I can't wait to meet the newest Hanna!