St. Jude Fundraiser and Turkey 10 mile fun!

It has been a busy and fun-filled weekend so far!  Our fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital was a great success last night! We set up balloons and a table with our donation box right beside the registers so my daughters could ask people for donations as they were getting ready to leave.  I wish y'all could have heard my 7 year old, Addy, asking everybody for donations.  My girls worked so hard last night and we managed to collect $540.35 in our donation box!  Our fundraiser was in honor of Jaxon Schoenberger, a 6 year old boy who recently passed away from an inoperable brain tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.  There will be 5 of us who will run the St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis on December 6 in honor of Jaxon.  I am so looking forward to this race and so thankful that my girls will have memories of such a special fundraiser at our restaurant, Rocky Creek Catfish Cottage!  A big thank you to my husband and father-in-law for letting us camp out for a few hours and for their donation of $1000 to St. Jude!

I got up bright and early this morning to run the Turkey 10 miler in Creola, Alabama with my sole sister, Pam!  Pam and I trained together last year for our first half marathon!  We will be representing Lucedale at the St. Jude Half in a couple of weeks!  My gps got us to the race about an hour early.  The race started at a park so we didn't have to use porta potties!  Yay!!  There is a well known bridge in Creola called the Dolly Parton Bridge.  You can see why!

Luckily we did not have to run over the bridge, just under part of it when we started the race!  I told Pam I would try to keep up with her as long as I could.  We started out a little fast.  The first mile was 10:22 and I hung with Pam for about 3 miles and dropped back because I was worried I would get too tired.  An older man kept trying to talk to me and asked me what my time goal was for today.  I answered him "I don't know..."  He said "oh you just want to finish?"  I'm like "yeaaa that's about it!"  I realized I had not really set a goal for myself for today and I was okay with that.  My last 10 mile run was back in September and I ran it in one hour and 53 minutes with lots of stopping and starting.  I had not been able to do a 10 mile long run before the Pensacola Half Marathon because of my second knee injury.  So I ran miles 3-5 around 10:40-10:50 and walked through water stops.  I took a walk break at the turn around at mile 5 to eat my Blueberry Muffin Larabar.  These are hard to chew, but I have not been training with goo (Gu) and I had a Larabar about halfway through the Pensacola Half and it kept my energy up!  I started running again and mile 6 was my slowest mile at 11:20 because of my Larabar walk break.  Where we were running was mostly paved roads with a few houses.  Not the best views, but that usually doesn't bother me.  The weather was great, but I did run against the wind during mile 8-10.  My pace for miles 7-9 were 10:49, 10:40, and 10:52.  That's a pretty steady pace for late in the race!  Mile 10 was my fastest mile at 10:30!  I was so happy to see the finish line and it seemed like it took forever for me to get there, but I made it.  I could see Pam the whole time I was running.  She finished about a minute and a half ahead of me!  My finish time was one hour and 48 minutes!  I could not believe I had done so well!  I was so happy!!

We took a few pictures and most of the food had already been eaten so we headed on back to Lucedale.  It was an easy hour drive!  I have managed to rest today and I looked back and some of my 10 mile runs from a year ago and I actually beat both of my 10 mile long runs from last year by a few seconds.  I was in top shape last year because Pam and I trained for 5 solid months for our first half marathon which was November 29, 2013 in Orange Beach.  This half is actually coming up next weekend.  Seeing how much I have improved has really given me some confidence back in my distance running.  Since my new knee injury in September, I was not able to get the long runs in to prepare for Pensacola which was my third half. I ran my second half marathon in June and all of my long runs were 11 minute pace because it was so hot down here already.  I ran my fastest 10 miles of the year today and it was almost a 10 mile PR!  I'm expecting a good time for the St. Jude Half Marathon.  I love how with running, you never know what will happen on race day.  Will it be a good day or a bad day?  I just never know, but now I know what I'm capable of and the best part is that my knee doesn't hurt... AT ALL.  God gets all the glory for this.  He really showed me what I am capable of today.  I didn't get tired out there and I am a lot stronger than I thought I was!  I hope this encourages you to keep working at whatever you are passionate about.  There will always be setbacks, but the comebacks are the greatest part of the journey!  God bless you all!!

Running and Jesus

I started a running page on Facebook with a friend of mine in July 2013. We wanted to chronicle our journey training for our first half marathon. We trained together from May until October and our first half marathon was November 30, 2013. 

Since then, my friend decided to take herself off the page and I've had it on my own for awhile and it has grown leaps and bounds thanks to the amazing running community. I follow several running pages and I am inspired by so many of them! I want my page, my Instagram, and now my blog, to be different and glorify God. I post Scripture as well as the mileage I run and I hope to at least lead someone to The Lord. My page is open to anyone who might need encouragement or prayer. Running has helped me reach so many people that I may not have reached if I had not started the Facebook page. As a Christian, I feel like in this season of life, there is a lot of work to be done outside of church walls. I would really like to get involved in my community to help feed needy families. I want to donate my running shoes to kids who don't have good shoes to wear to school. I am also thinking of starting a Bible study here at my home. I'm really praying for God's will in my life and want to lead as many people as I can to Jesus. Running is part of my ministry, but I think there is more work for me to do while I'm here on earth. 

Why a housewife?

How did I become a housewife? 

My husband and I met at his parents' restaurant in May of 1998. I was wrapping up my first year of college at Jones County Junior College and my parents were going through a divorce. I really needed a job so I could buy a new car. I was a waitress at the restaurant (it's called Rocky Creek Catfish Cottage) off and on since 1998. When my Dad left, we didn't have any money and this job helped me pay for a new car. I learned how to be a responsible adult at age 18. 

My husband's name is Christopher and the restaurant was open only on Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays. This job was perfect for a college student like me! When I met him, I thought he was older, but he was only finishing his sophomore year of high school 😳. He was in a relationship and so was I! Fast forward 4 and a half years later, on December 8, 2002 we went on our first date as a couple. We were soon married on May 17, 2003 and we had our first baby girl on September 25, 2003!  I continued to work at the restaurant until 2006. My Grandaddy had passed away and I should not have gone to work the day I quit in January. It was one of this really bad days. The customers were cranky and so were my inlaws. Harsh words were spoken and I left. I got a job at the bank in town a few weeks later, but that was harder than waitressing and very little money. 

I found out I was pregnant with my second child in June 2006 and decided to stay at home with Aubrynn, my oldest, during the pregnancy. I had my second daughter, Addy January 24, 2007. I was able to stay at home with my girls, but we did struggle financially during that time. We lived in my grandmother's old house for 6 years. It had no heat or air conditioning. Bringing my newborn baby home in the cold month of January to a really cold house was hard. We had space heaters in the house and it was still so cold! Even though we struggled during Addy's baby and toddler years, we managed to stay happy and make ends meet! I even went back to school for Cardiac Ultrasound in January 2009 right before Addy turned 2. Aubrynn was 5 and in preschool. The program only lasted a year and we bought a new house and moved during my school year in October 2009 to the house we are currently living in now! I graduated in December 2009 and I cross trained in Vascular Ultrasound in January 2010. I passed the first half of my registry, but failed the second half in May 2010 and did not retake it. I was almost 31 years old and we decided to try for our third baby. We both wanted a baby boy and baby Cayne arrived March 4, 2011! 

After having my son, I really fell into being a stay at home mother and it was wonderful being at home with all of my children. We did not have the struggles we had in 2007 because my husband and father-in-law are now the owners of the restaurant. My inlaws divorced in 2009 and my mother-in-law sold her part of the business. I work up there as a cashier as needed and I like it much better than waitressing! I don't think I could ever waitress again. It's a tough job. I love being at home and since we have 3 children and Cayne is now in preschool, we are extra busy with practices, fundraisers, and all of their activities. I don't know how I could work a Monday through Friday job and keep up with their school work and practices. Aubrynn plays soccer and piano and Addy dances on Tuesdays. 

I'm thinking about studying for my registry again even though 5 years have gone by. THINKING about it. Lol! This is how I became a stay at home mom and I wouldn't change it for a career. Maybe a career will come later, but for now, I love being at home with my children! 💗💗💙

A little about me!

Hey ya'll!!  My name is Katie and I am a 35 year old wife for almost 12 years and stay at home mother to 3 precious children!  We have 2 girls and a boy ages 11, 7, and 3. We live in south Mississippi AKA "the Sip."  I am a Christian and my faith is very important to me.  I have a passion for my faith and my family.  I want to be the best wife and mom possible and I also found a passion later in life and that is my passion for running!

I started running February 7, 2013 at age 33 using the couch to 5k app!  I clearly remember "Week 1, Day1" because I was at a park and tried to run and walk at the track in Hurley, MS.  I only made it 15 minutes through the workout because my chest started hurting and my heart rate got out of rhythm.  I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse in 2003, and what that means is my mitral valve in my heart does not close properly.  This causes chest pain and palpitations and anxiety.  Anxiety goes along with my heart problem, because when it would get out of rhythm, I would panic.  It can be very scary at times.  I started running to try and improve my symptoms.  I had heard over and over for so many years to do more cardio, but I could not find an activity I enjoyed.  I spent a lot of time in my 20's not exercising because when I did, my chest would hurt and palpitations would occur which would scare me out of working out.  After I had my son, I joined our local gym in 2012 and started my running journey in 2013. I admit, my first couch to 5k workout did not go smoothly, but I tried again the next day! I remember how excited I was at week 5 when I ran 20 minutes straight!  I couldn't believe it.  I ran my first 5k March 30, 2013 with a time of  34 minutes and 36 seconds.  I was hooked!  I signed up for as many 5k's as I could find and ended up running the Color Me Rad with my oldest daughter April 20, 2013 with a friend of mine and her daughter.  I even met up with an old friend in May and we ran together for several months training for our first half marathon!  We both had a running coach and trained for our first half for 5 months.  I was a machine this time last year.  I finished my first half marathon, the Kaiser Realty Half Marathon on November 30, 2013, in 2 hours and 18 minutes!  I was so excited, but unfortunately, I ended up injuring my right knee in December.  I ran through pain for over a month and finally figured out it was my IT Band.  I saw an Orthopedic doctor in January and had to take off 5 weeks from running.  My MVP symptoms had been better for about 7 months, but the palpitations came back in January and I had to start taking my heart medicine again.  I was really sad I could not run and that I was having so much heart trouble.  On February 19, 2014 I was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer. I was devastated. I had surgery to remove inside the margins of where the melanoma was located on February 27, 2014 and did not get my pathology report back until March 10.  Thankfully, the melanoma did not spread and was very thin.  Praise the Lord!!  I go see my dermatologist every 3 months now.  During that really difficult time, I was walking and running on my treadmill.  I ran my first 5k of the year on March 15, 2014!  I ran it in a little over 31 minutes and my 5k PR from last year is 27:26.  Running was really hard for me during the spring and I was still struggling with palpitations and chest pain.  Since I had been under so much stress with the knee injury and the skin cancer diagnosis, sometimes stress really makes my symptoms worse.

I decided to train for my second half marathon on my own in April and ran the Hotter than Hades Half Marathon June 20, 2014 in 2 hours and 34 minutes!  I did not have any knee pain at all during the race and it was what I would like to call my "comeback race."  All summer, I tried to get my speed back to where it was last year and I was really hoping for a 5k PR, but I injured my foot in July and hurt my left knee in September running my fastest 5k on September 27, 2014.  My time was 26:18!  I had to take off a good bit in October due to injury and getting sick for 2 weeks.  My brother, Jamie and I had signed up for the Pensacola Half Marathon which was just last weekend on November 9.  We both finished!  My time was 2 hours and 46 minutes and even thought this is my slowest time for a half, this is the happiest I have ever been after a race!  I was so proud of my brother and I was there to support him.  He ran his first half marathon in 2 hours and 37 minutes with very little training!  I still can't believe I have run 3 half marathons in less than two years of running!

I have always wanted to be the best wife and mother possible to my husband and children.  I am so thankful that I found my passion for running later in life because I won't take it for granted.  I have energy to chase after my 3 year old son and I'm in great shape for my age.  I could not do any of this without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has lifted me out of my darkest days and never left my side.  He has to come first. So welcome to my blog!  Think of me as your "sole sister." Your sister in Christ and running partner.  Welcome to my journey through being a housewife who runs half marathons for fun!!