Normal

After spending last week at a wonderful conference in College Station, TX and the weekend before and after traveling to drop of my son with gramma and grampa, I'm glad to have this week to get back to normal a little bit. Dylan had a GREAT visit. He spent some time camping in Glacier park with gramma and grampa, Aunt Danny and Brody, a quality evening with Uncle Kody and some good time with Tonii and Kayla and finished with the weekend Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Rendezvous. Jackie had a good week working and hanging out with friends and I enjoyed the best conference I've ever attended. Rendezvous was a ball. I got to get my son back which was awesome as I missed him terribly. I had a chance to play some football with BOTH my sisters and a rowdy crew and let me tell ya, it was a laugh out loud, forget about everything else and just have fun kind of a time. LOVED it... no doubt the competitive spirit continues to run strong.

I learned so much at the conference and got so many great ideas that i am promising myself to be very focused and organized at work so that I can get everything accomplished that I want to accomplish and really work on a comprehensive plan for the coming year and years. I am very excited, like a kid in a candy store. Truly, I love my job and im looking forward to each day more than ever. Sounds corny, I know, but its true. It hardly feels like work when you really enjoy the work.

I am a little stressed about the Challenge. My fundraising deadline is upon me and I've got a good way to go. However, I always seem to manage to pull things together in the end. I'll mount a mad comeback somehow.... but certainly it will require help from all of you reading this! I don't have a firm plan yet, but I'll get it together asap.

Training is okay. I feel like I lost a little bit last week being in the very humid conditions of south eastern Texas...it was brutal on this Montana girl used to DRY, DRY climate. STill, I did manage to get in a run all but one day. I had a horrible trip home and ended up spending all of a day and a half in airports so lost another day of training there and another traveling to Rendezvous. I did get in a 6.6 mile run there which was nice, but it was pretty tough too - very hilly, very windy and for part of it at least, rainy and stormy. Today I had a beautiful run and felt good but was a little off my pace. I think I can get it back. I'm just a little in disbelief that I have less than four weeks to go!!! I am SO excited!!!

I'll close with a quick shout to all of you suffering from Crohns. Kody - you are the man. I am so excited for you getting a new place and starting fresh with better health. I know the days are up and down and sometimes the healing seems to be excrutiatingly slow, but pace yourself and know that I think you are a superstar. Friday I'm off to get my Remicade again and every time I sit there getting my infusion I think how blessed I am to have my health back. It really is a gift and I am honored and excited to have it and to be able to reasonably and feasibly be planning to complete a half marathon. It is such a blessing. I will never forget not being able to walk around the block.... THank you God, for all You have done for me.

Jd