My Running Story in 250 words

This is not my normal type of post, but I have joined a blog link up hosted by a blog I LOVE to read – The Lady Okie – I found her through Pinterest. She is really funny. Go check her out as well as some of the other blogs that linked up! On to the story

I tried running in the 7^th grade, my coach put me in the mile and the mile and half runs. Every day in practice he said, “Go run.” So, I would run as far and as fast as I could which was about 200 meters, and then I would walk for the next 30 minutes.  I went to two track meets and thought I would die during my events.  I vowed to NEVER run again.

Fifteen years and 2 kids later I desperately wanted to lose the baby weight. I started walking and joined a boot camp class. About 3 months later a friend I was working out with said she was going to do a 5K, so I said I will TRY one! The race was fun. I kept running and did several 5K’s other the next year. I wanted to do more, but I really did not want to run more than 3 miles. I sometimes get bored with running.

I checked into Nacogdoches Endurance Training and they were starting Triathlon training, so I signed up. I completed my first triathlon in June 2013.

I still run as an addition to my boot camp class, or sometimes I run when I can’t make it to boot camp. I am not training for anything specific now.

Sometimes when my hubby gets home I have my running shoes on and I tell him, “Watch the kids, I need to go run!” I always come back in a better mood!

These are my running shoes that I use when the county road is muddy - Like today!

Unstoppable Mom

Live with Kelly and Michael and Children’s Motrin is sponsoring their 2nd annual Unstoppable Mom Contest. For the second year I have nominated a very special Mom in my life. Jessica Hester.

Jessica Hester is my nomination for Live’s 2014 Unstoppable Mom. Jessica lives in Chapman Ranch, Texas with her husband Beau, who works security for the King Ranch, and her two sweet children Brooke, age 6 and Benjamin, age 6 months. Jessica is a phenomenal mom, as I am sure are ALL of the moms that are nominated for this contest. However, Jessica has some special circumstances, you see on November 18, 2010, her daughter Brooke was diagnosed with stage 4, high risk Neuroblastoma, which is a form of nervous system cancer that had spread to her bone marrow. Three and one half years later the whole family is still fighting. Jessica is a scientist and researcher by nature, so she is always looking in to the most cutting edge therapies for her daughter. She is willing to do whatever is necessary for her daughter. They lived for a year in the Ronald McDonald House in New York City so the Brooke could receive cutting edge treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. Currently Jessica, Brooke, and Benjamin are in Michigan so that Brooke can receive treatment, and they are planning to be in Houston, Texas in March for more treatment.

At times the family faces difficulties with Brooke’s treatments. You see, these are such cutting edge treatments, at times the medicines that Brooke needs will not be approved by insurance for Brooke. This does not stop Jessica; she spends countless hours on the phone with insurance companies, pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors to do whatever is needed for Brooke to have the medicine she needs when she needs it!


In case you overlooked that Benjamin is 6 months old, let me tell you about this sweet boy. Jessica was due to deliver Benjamin last September, and spent most of her pregnancy traveling back and forth between south Texas and Michigan. Jessica has told me when you have a child with cancer you live your life in 21 to 28 day cycles and that you never really know where the next cycle will take you, so Jessica was prepared to have the baby in Texas or Michigan, where ever the cycle took her. Five weeks before her due date, Jessica, Brooke, and Jessica’s mom were driving to Michigan for Brooke’s scans, when Jessica started to experience cramping and bleeding. She knew that something was terribly wrong and that she needed to get to a hospital soon. Jessica googled a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, and directed her mother there. Jessica arrived at the hospital at 2:30 pm and just before 10 pm Benjamin Eric was born. Five weeks early, but wonderfully healthy. Jessica spent a couple of days in the hospital in Missouri, while Beau who had arrived just after the baby was born, and took Brooke on to Michigan. As soon as Jessica and baby Benjamin were release instead of going home, they headed to Michigan as well to continue advocating for Brooke.


Jessica, is not content with just finding treatments for her daughter, but is committed to a cure for Neuroblastoma and all childhood cancers. Jessica is the founder of Brooke’s Blossoming Hope for Childhood Cancer foundation. The foundation helps children directly by providing them with headwear during the difficulties of hair loss, but also by raising awareness for the serious need to both find and fund cures for pediatric cancer.


I am sure that you can imagine how physically and mentally demanding being the mother of two children, one fighting for her life, a wife and the founder of a non-profit foundation can be, but Jessica NEVER complains. She only thanks God for the good things in her life and keeps going.


One page is really not enough to tell you how unstoppable this wonderful woman is. If you would like more information you can visit www.brookesblossoms.org. I urge you to consider Jessica Hester for one of Live’s Unstoppable Moms.


The above is the article that I wrote for Jessica’s nomination. I am posting it here so that anyone that wants can read it. We are one week after the nominations close and have not heard anything from the contest, so I can only assume that Jessica has not been chosen. If you would like to keep up with Jessica, Brooke, and Benjamin visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/brookehester


If you would like to donate to the family directly or to the foundation please email Jessica at jessica.hester@yahoo.com


Finally, to stay updated on the wonderful family please “LIKE” Brooke's Blossoming Hope for Childhood Cancer Awareness Foundation on facebook!

Big Heifers and Baby Calf Feeders

I FINALLY got my internet up and running!! Thanks to DSI Systems and Exede Satellite internet! They are amazing and if you need internet service and you are in my area, for my money, they are the best.

A lot has been happening on the farm – more baby calves born, we got baby chicks, as always feeding and hay, and ice storm!

Today, we are home missing our wonderful church family.  My sweet girl is a little under the weather and my hubby is trying to repair the chicken house drives. The rains and the ice have made a complete mess of them.

I am hanging out on the couch right now writing and catching up on the Olympics (GO USA), with the boy playing cows under my feet!

We are still in the middle of our busiest time of the year still feeding cows, waiting on the last few calves, starting our spring breeding, and chickens. As well as everyone being in and out of town several times over the next couple of months.

We spent Thursday, the first warm and pretty day in a while, putting the finishing touches on the fall breeding season by pregnancy checking the cows and turning them out. Then catching and grouping our spring breeding cows. We now have a new group of cows in the trap; this includes a few heifers that have been enjoying the big calf feeders in the big pasture. They can get in and out of these feeders pretty well. In the traps we have smaller baby calf feeders and the big heifers are not supposed to get in them!

This was taken with my iPhone, the other day. This is one of the heifers that is NOT supposed to be in this feeder.

Friday morning, while I was getting ready for the internet installers to be here, I heard a crazy noise outside. When I first looked I could not find the source of the noise, but finally I saw it. This baby calf feeder was moving across the trap with a heifer half in and half out. Not the heifer in the picture, but a bigger one. Unfortunately, I was worried about the heifer so I did not get the chance to snap a picture or video. I wish I could say that I did something amazing to get her unstuck, but all I could do was watch. The heifer finally got herself out. Then she turned around and was going to fight the feeder, but I guess she figured it was not worth it.

This is a picture that Andy snapped yesterday afternoon of another heifer in the feeder. She was able to get out on her own. Andy lowered the bar on the feeder in hopes we can keep the big girls out!