2015 Phone Home - Linda's Run Virtual 5k

August 26, 2015 ~ Walking with this awesome group of ladies makes evenings so much easier to do! (Of course we are missing several ladies in this picture) I feel like they are my accountability team because just when you don't really feel like walking you get a group text asking who is going to walk tonight... kind of hard to say no when they are willing to get out there and get it done!

Phone Home 5K – Linda’s Run

Join us on our first E.T. themed virtual race: PHONE HOME 5K! We are running in honor of Linda Hodges (read her story below) and part of the proceeds from this race will be donated to help Linda and her family make her HOME wheel-chair accessible, while another portion will be donated to the American Diabetes Associates (ADA).

Tonight we would be walking for Linda.....
(and earning this awesome medal)

Linda’s story: 

Shoot for Mars. Even if you miss, You’ll land among the Stars

This is not the original quote but I changed it to fit my year. I’m excited that this race is in my honor as E.T. was the first movie I ever saw in a theater!

 I’m Linda Hodges from Arkansas, a mid 40 something: wife of Jason, mother of 4, Mamaw of 5, Registered Nurse, a horrible Diabetic and a Moon Jogger! (oh and my cousin is Carolyn Guhman who introduced me to y’all) I proudly went on the maiden voyage to the moon and have been in LOVE with Moon Joggers ever since. I adore your stories, I celebrate your joys, I pray for your burdens- basically I live thru your eyes as my health keeps me from running.

I ran as a kid, tried out for track in Junior High and made the team (but I was too cool to race back then or so I thought). I had just regained my love for jogging on a treadmill when I dropped 60 lbs in a matter of 8 weeks. It was that symptom that lead to the diagnosis of diabetes. I’m actually considered a Type 2 diabetic with Type 1 tendencies. In layman terms: my body at times does not produce the insulin it needs and even when it does my body has a ton of problems absorbing it. I lost at the genetics BINGO, my grandparents, my parents, my only brother, and several aunts and uncles ALL diabetics.

Due to diabetes I’ve suffered 2 Strokes (2011 &2013), have multiple heart issues now, but the worse is I’m losing my ability to walk because I can’t feel my feet and lower legs. I do walk. My tag line is “I wiggle when I walk.” I ambulate with a cane or walker, however there are more and more days that I must use an electric wheel chair. I continue to get miles; it may take me all week to get one mile or good days I may get 3. My husband and I are quite crafty; I can walk pretty well with a jogging stroller with a cinder block baby, its name is George. I may have diabetes but I refuse to let it steal my joy. This is my story…my personal walk in life.

Jaxon joined us for this walk and he did good about 1/2 mile in before Aunt Shell had to give him a lift! (I'm pretty sure Jaxon should have given me a lift!) 

Not our best time....

but we did it! 

Such a fun night and absolutely beautiful weather!

Interested in doing this virtual 5k? Sign up here! 

http://www.moonjoggers.com/events/ 

"Peter Scotten Tales" by Dan Scotten

August 26, 2015 ~ My good buddy Dan Scotten has wrote and self-published a book titled "Peter Scotten Tales". Tonight we held a book release and signing party among our Chamber of Commerce Ambassador family! As someone who has wrote and also self-published a book this is a very exciting day! I guess to have worked so extremely hard on something (which this book took Dan 4 years worth of family research to complete) and then to be able to actually hold it in your hands is an incredible feeling.

Dan's book is about his families history dating back to his ancestors originating from England. It took him nearly 4 years of traveling and research at various libraries, court houses and visits with cousins to create this wonderful 150- page book. Dan had the pleasure of visiting with a first cousin named Betty Bob who actually wrote one of the chapters about her parents, Dan's Aunt and Uncle, in his book which is very special to him.

Dan decided to write this book so others would be inspired to write a book of their own and/or spend quality time with their families learning more about their ancestry. This book was originally being written for his family however after research he wanted to expand this book to everyone as there wasn't many books about the average farmers that settled and built in the mid-west area. 

I really enjoyed listening to Dan speak to all of us about his book. He was compelled to tell others about recording their family members, especially older ones, while they are able to give details of the years past. During his research and writing Dan stumbled upon a recording that his dad had made back in 1969 telling about his childhood. Dan's father died in 1976 and had not heard his voice in over 39 years. Going back to hear to hear that recording and his dad tell his story was a piece of history he will cherish forever. (He had this recording put on a CD and gave to his son and daughter as a Christmas present one year.... what a treasure that would be to hear your grandpa's voice perhaps a man you may not have met or didn't know long)

Congratulations Dan!
Here's some pictures from last night!

Bill Markgraf and Dan Scotten!

Dan Scotten and Susan McQuilkin!

Dan signing one of his books! 

Dan Scotten and Jim Cherrington!

Dan Scotten and Chuck Everitt! 

Dan Scotten and Ann Merrifield! 

Dan Scotten and Sherry Major talking about a chapter in the book! 

Dan Scotten and Sherry Major! 

Dan Scotten and Renee Costner! 

Dan Scotten and Rollie Hausman!

Dan Scotten and Gena Patton! 

Dan Scotten and Heather Hargrove! 

Awesome job Dan!

Buddies for life! 

Thank you Dan for all you have done for Columbia including the creation of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Ambassador program (which I am very honored to be a part of) as well as your continued support of this great community.... but thank you for your friendship! 

You are one in a million buddy!

Meet Me On Mars - Moon Joggers Virtual Race!

August 26, 2015 ~ Now that I have started doing several virtual races (primarily 5k's) I have been introduced to Moon Joggers! I first heard about them from Jacki Swank and she tried to get me to sign up in an effort to log my miles to add to everyone that joined this group logging their miles counting towards the goal. My sister is the one that signed us up for the 2015 Phone Home Virtual 5k and eventually got me to sign up for the 2015 Meet Me On Mars!

What is Meet Me On Mars?

Moon Joggers is looking for 30,000 runners (walkers and joggers too) to join our challenge in 2015 to run to Mars!  It is a 33 million mile journey and our crew of 30,000 will commit to run (and/or walk), on average, 1000 miles each in 2015! This is a WORLDWIDE event! Connect with participants from around the globe! You can join anytime throughout the year and even back log your miles back to January 1, 2015! I would encourage you to join and you can log your miles from January 1, 2015 to current to get caught up!
EVERY MILE MATTERS!

http://www.moonjoggers.com/meet-me-on-mars-2015/

They do have options to sign up for FREE and/or for a fee you will receive a t-shirt, huge race medal, decal, race bib and more!  Walking, running, jogging, biking and swimming count too!

Ranking: OFFICIAL MOON JOGGER  

Milestone: Logged 1st Mile!
Achievement: Welcome aboard! You are an official Moon Jogger.

Ranking: SPACE RANGER 

Milestone: Logged 100+ Miles!
Achievement: Did you know that the distance from earth to space is about 60 miles? You ran more than that distance. Every time you look up in the sky you can remember you ran further than the clouds.

I am currently at 399 miles so my next ranking would be.....

Ranking: CADET

Milestone: Logged 500+ Miles!
Achievement: Nice achievement! 500 Miles is great! How far is that from where you live?

KC Royals Charities 5k

August 22, 2015 ~ So my little diva cousin who lives in Kansas City, MO who is a Royals fan and is getting married next month wanted to do the KC Royals Charities 5k in Kansas City, MO... so we got signed up and rocked it!

My goal this year was to do the 5k at Kauffman Stadium and the 6k at Busch Stadium! 

Crossing off one of those on the list! 

Going to a "live" race is always exciting because you just want to get started so you can cross that finish line! Being patient is not easy for me as I hate waiting but we had about 45 minutes before the race would start so we got a chance to catch up on some upcoming wedding details! 

One of the really cool things that happened is as they were signing the National Anthem we got a fly over! So cool and a great addition to this race! 

So you have to understand these very tired faces haven't had much sleep! I was up late and got on the road at 4:45 AM and drove through a rain storm to get there and Stephanie just flew back in from Atlanta for work. We certainly didn't come here for a fashion show and certainly didn't come here to shoot marbles.... let's get to running! 

This awesome group kept us motivated and moving! If they were running with flags then we could run to keep up... those hills were not good but no one would get hurt today! 

The course took us around Arrowhead Stadium and around Kauffman Stadium before running down around the field inside and finally across the start/finish line! 

Katsup, Relish and Mustard were there cheering us on as we entered the stadium! 

Glad they incorporated running the dirt around the field into this 5k! Kind of neat being in here! 

We even made it on the big screen! Ha! 

Not too shabby! 

(Of course Stephanie was going to go work out with her trainer after this... I would be going to Corner Cafe and picking up 3 pies and homemade cinnamon rolls!) 

Good job Steph!

Thanks KC Royals Charities... next year can you add a little bling please!

Empowering Girls Virtual 5k!

August 20, 2015 ~ Tonight my momma, sister and I would knock out another virtual 5k with a little help from a few friends! We have been walking 3.1 miles almost every night and it's always fun when you get to earn a little bling and support a great cause! 

I love that momma and Ashley are doing these races and being more active. It certainly makes it hard to stay home when you get a text asking if you are walking tonight... exactly the motivation needed!

We rocked this walk! Under 42 minutes... Woo Hoo! 

This race was put on by Races for Awareness. The Empowering Girls virtual race is a cause that brings awareness of the importance of empowerment, support and inspiration for girls and women.  This virtual race benefits Girls Inc. and donated over $6,000 to this organization.  http://www.racesforawareness.com/cause-view/girls-inc/

Empowering girls to be strong, brave, smart, confident, bold and valiant. 

If you are interested in participating in this 5k you can sign up here:

http://www.racesforawareness.com/shop/virtual-races/empowering-girls-virtual-race/