Thursday, June 4, 2009

BLESSED


Ok, so obviously I (WE lol) haven't mastered keeping this thing updated on a regular basis, but we'll get there. Someday. The past couple of weeks have been super busy but have been amazing. I had my first Team in Training Run on Saturday, May 23. It was great- we ran 2 miles and I ran the whole thing! My goal for now is to at least run the distances each week, or at least complete them in a timely manner :) Every weekend we hear a small story about an "Honored Teammate"- someone who is battling or has battled leukemia or some type of blood cancer. The first weekend we heard about Zoey. She is an AMAZING little girl. Not only was Zoey (born in 2007) born with a heart defect and Down Syndrome, but several days after her birth, they discovered she had a massive stroke in utero; on top of that, she was later diagnosed with a catastrophic form of epilepsy. At this point, most people might throw up their hands and give up. Not little Zoey, she continues to fight on. Unfortunately in 2008 she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, M7. Could you imagine? This little girl has gone through more obstacles in 2 short years than most people go through in a lifetime. Hearing Zoey's mom and sister speak about her was such a great reminder of why I'm doing this and why I need to just suck it up when I'd rather stay in my bed at 6AM on Saturdays (or any day for that matter!). At least I get to sleep in my own bed, knowing my family is safe & healthy. Zoey is fighting so hard, she is an inspiration <3

Alright, in order to prevent the waterworks from starting I'll move on to our next big news!!! No, I'm not pregnant hahaha. We have officially moved into our own home :) It is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment at CSUCI and we are so excited. Greg and I and the boys are soooooo lucky to have such an amazing family- everyone helped us move things, unpack, and get settled in. Not to mention watching our 2 little boys the whole time (although I'm sure the Grandmas didn't mind :) ). We are thankful everyday that we have such good people in our life and our hope is that we can continue that trend and be as great to our children. We love our new apartment and will post some pics once the walls have something on them. We are looking forward to a fun summer, lots of running, a vacation in September (yay!!!) and in just a couple weeks....our first wedding anniversary!! It's hard to believe it's been a year already and as I said to Greg, "I wish we could get married every year- it was fun to get dressed up and party." Of course, I promised to marry him every time ;) Well, I may not get a wedding every year but hey, I just might get my Hawaii vow renewal trip in 10 years if I play my cards right <3

Hmmm, that's the 2 main things going on right now for us- we've moved & I'm running. If anyone's interested in running a 5K or 10K in July please let me know!! The funds from your registration fee ($25-$30) go to Team in Training, and in turn, go to cancer research, patient co-pays, etc. You can also check out my webpage (http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf09/ksteiner) for updates and to track my running and fundraising progress. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to those of you who have donated!

Check out how big our boy Noah is getting! He's a drool maniac lately (teeth in the next month or 2?) and... he rolled over! just today I got the news from Greg that he rolled over on his own. Geeez, our boys are growing fast. Jacob's going to start a preschool type program in October after he turns 2 at the end of September. Time flies when you're having fun :) Love you guys, hope all is well with everyone.
God Bless <3 Kristin & Greg

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Run, Kristin, Run!

I have recently made the decision to run my first full marathon on October 18, 2009! It will be the Nike Women's Marathon held in San Francisco, CA. I am going to be running as a member of Team in Training, part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). In exchange for receiving expert training on running, nutrition, etc., I have committed myself to raise at least $3,300 for LLS. The funds raised will be used to go toward the effort of wiping out blood cancers! I have been wanting to get in shape for a long while now (yes, even when I was pregnant with Noah I would longingly look at my old pictures, imagining I could look like that skinny girl again one day). Well, obviously my desire to get in shape hasn't gotten me too far lol, so I have decided to try & motivate myself by helping others. When I am tired on Saturday mornings and want to sleep in, I won't anymore. I have team members who will rely on me to show up and work hard just like they do. In addition to that, there are infants, young children, teens, and adults who are relying on me to raise money to find a cure for what they suffer from. This experience is not about me getting my body beach ready (although that will be a nice perk :) )- it is about getting off my butt to do something for others and try to help in some small way. On October 18 when I get tired from running 26.2 miles I will think of those who fight a much tougher battle everyday and that I am doing this for them because they deserve to live their lives just like the rest of us. I know times are tough right now, but please check out the link below and support me if you are able to. Every little bit helps & it may make the difference in a person's life. Pass it on to others if you think they might be interested in supporting me as well. Thank you!

Love, Kristin

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf09/ksteiner