#no1leftbehind Virtual & Live 5k With Medal 2015!

August 20, 2015 ~ Yesterday, Jacki Swank and I rolled out a 5k fundraiser to directly benefit the #no1leftbehind campaign and specifically Welcome Home, Inc. which is the homeless shelter for veterans in Columbia, MO. We are very excited to offer both the "live" race in Columbia, MO on October 24, 2015 as well as a "virtual" option for anyone unable to attend the live race to complete it at anytime convenient to them between October 24 - December 31, 2015. (A huge thank you to Scott and Shannon Schaefer for letting us use this awesome picture for our event!)

#no1leftbehind is a capital campaign to raise funds for the Community for Veterans, a collaboration among Welcome Home, Inc., Truman VA Hospital and Columbia Housing Authority that will address the needs of homeless veterans in our community. The new Community for Veterans will provide housing for nearly three times as many veterans as the current Welcome Home, Inc. facility, and will include space for women veterans and veterans with families. A New Supportive Services will house staff engaged in case management to provide social and employment services our veterans need to become independent and productive members of the greater community. This project is intended to be a hand up -- not a hand out. 

No man or woman should ever experience homelessness especially our veterans. This is a chance for us to give back to our community including the men and women that fought for our freedoms and our homes. Now it's time for us to fight for their homes.

We need your help to make this event successful! We need all boots on the ground to help share our event with your families, friends, neighbors and co-workers. There are two ways to register for this event (live and virtual options available)..... 

Facebook Event Page:

Please take a moment to RSVP to our event to stay current on everything going on with this event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1024411374238032/ 

(or you can search #no1leftbehind 5k Run/Walk on Facebook)

Option 1: Print and Mail Registration

If you would like to submit a check for your registration please print out the following registration page (can be found on our Facebook Events Page as well) and mailing information is at the top left corner of the page.

Option 2: Online Registration

You can register online with a credit card by visiting the following link:

https://www.raceit.com/Register/?event=34353

What is the cost of this event?

Early-bird registration is from August 20 - September 24, 2015 and registration is $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for a child 13 years and younger.  If you choose the virtual option the cost is the same as above except please add $5.00 to your registration for shipping costs in the USA.

Regular registration will be from September 25 - October 23, 2015 and registration will be $30.00 for adults and $20.00 for a child 13 years and younger. If you choose the virtual option the cost is the same as above except please add $5.00 to your registration for shipping costs in the USA.

I am sorry but their are no refunds for this event however if you can't make it to the live race we will gladly switch you to the virtual race. (We will need to add $5.00 for shipping costs) 

What do you get for participating?

All participants will be guaranteed a t-shirt, race bib and finisher medal if registration is submitted before October 10, 2015. We will also have 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals for the first male and female finishers.  

You also feel good about helping a great organization in Columbia, MO! 

What do the finisher medals look like?

It's a surprise! We won't release the finisher medal until around September 25, 2015 so you will have to wait and see what it looks like! 

What if I don't live in Columbia, MO and want to participate?

AWESOME!!! We want to share this event with anyone in the United States that would like to participate! 

When will I receive my virtual race packet?

We will ship the virtual race packets out after the live race in Columbia, MO. You should expect them around October 31st or sooner! (We are sorry we can't ship them before hand as we want to keep things smooth and easy on our end but you have until December 31, 2015 to complete the virtual race!) 

Thank you for taking time to read my blog on this event. We are really excited to work with each and everyone of you on this event. Together we can make a difference!

Jaxon Starts Pre-K!

August 20, 2015 ~ So today this cute and adorable kiddo starts Pre-K! Gosh I can't believe he is getting so big... guess our little Jaxon isn't so little anymore and I gotta say that Aunt Shell is kind of sad! It seems like he grew up overnight and he sounds so grown up when he talks!

So last night we celebrated Jaxon's last day in daycare as he would be moved to a new building to embark on his new adventure as he enters Pre-K! My sister (and brother-in-law) are awesome cooks and had one heck of a spread of food.... and for dessert they had this chocolate cake! I don't exactly know what it is but she had me at chocolate buttercream icing! Hello sugar high! 

Jaxon got a few gifts from his mom and dad for this big accomplishment! It was so cute as he was looking at each item.... He said "Dr. Pepper! Thanks Momma!" He got excited showing his dad all of his presents too! He got several things from his daycare which were really cute too! 

 He wanted to have a painting party with his sidewalk paints so Grandma Nancy, Granny, Aunt Shell and his momma joined him for a little fun! 

Such a little cutie! 

My sister found this on Etsy and had it printed at Staples! Such a neat idea to put things that he was really into during this time of his life.... I mean he is already 47" tall and loves ribs! 

He was so proud of his backpack that he wanted me to take a picture of it on his back!

So as you can see a fun little early morning photo shoot turned into Jaxon's photo shoot! 

"Aunt Shell take a picture like this...." that boy is silly! 

 

"Hey Aunt Shell... let's take a picture by my drawings!"

 

So Jaxon didn't see me watching him. He's so grown up and certainly keeps all of us laughing. I am so glad I got to take a few pictures for this special occasion and although his momma couldn't be there because she had to be at work I sent her enough pictures as if she was there! 

The Adams boys... 

Greg, Jaxon and Fast Freddie! 

I don't really feel old however when my nieces and nephews begin a new school year it certainly takes it toll on me. With Olivia McKee in 11th grade, Mikel McKee in 2nd grade, Kinly Greening starting Kindergarten, Jaxon Adams starting Pre-K and Alexis Spicer getting ready to turn 2 it makes me wonder how these kids are growing up! I remember when they were just born and couldn't imagine what life would be like as they got older and now I can hardly imagine them little! I guess you could stay we are pretty lucky to have some very smart and very talented kids that make us proud! Not having kids of our own we do miss out on a lot of milestones but having these 5 kiddos in our lives we get to still experience a lot. Sometimes I wonder if I will regret not having kids but then again Brandon and I get to spoil these kids and send them home! Guess that's the next best thing!

I Only Look Back To See How Far I've Come Virtual 10k!

August 14, 2015 ~ I had ordered a couple 10k virtual race medals and I had no clue when Ashley and I would get a chance to do them. We work best when it's a spur of the moment situation... so tonight at 6:00 PM sounded perfect... Who comes up with these hair brain ideas on a Friday night anyway??

So we don't take a lot of pictures but this one wasn't that bad. (They aren't something I want to do all the time but it's a nice break from 3.1 miles each night) It was hot, humid and my sister is a mess!

See I told you she's a mess! (Wonder where she gets it??)

I love the quote on the medals... 

"I only look back to see how far I've come"

You know the journey isn't always easy and sometimes you want to give up but there is so much reward in finishing something that you start. I push myself just enough to know my limits yet I don't allow myself to take the easy road either. I feel like every walk I get to take with my sister, mom, aunt or neighborhood ladies inspires me to be better. Is walking something worthy of a medal or to post on social media... Not at all but what if by motivating or inspiring another person to get off the couch and and walk a mile turns into a daily healthy habit? Now that's worth talking about!  We all have to take baby steps and sometimes encouragement from others is exactly what we need.... Now get out there and do great things and don't forget to smile... it looks good on you!

Suck It Up Buttercup Virtual 5k!

August 13, 2015 ~ Tonight during our neighborhood walk we would cross off the "Suck It Up Buttercup" virtual 5k! It's always more fun with friends and we love it when the neighborhood babies go too!

I love visiting my sister's neighborhood because I love seeing all the kids playing together! Jaxon loves these silly boys and I think they love him back! (Yes they all rode on Jaxon's 4-wheeler) 

This wasn't our best time but you know... when you are walkin' and talkin' it's hard to keep focused! Main thing is that we always start and complete them while solving the worlds problems! Ha! 

Because of the good ol' Missouri heat we don't really get started until 7:45-8:00 PM 

luckily by the time we are done it's cooler and darker so pictures don't turn out so well! 

Love the medals! 

Interested in participating in this virtual race? It's still available!

Visit Miles For Medals

http://www.bestracebling.com/

 This virtual race will benefit Together We Rise, a nationwide program providing services for children in foster care.  We salute them and we salute you for making a difference in the life of a child. 

Unplugged Virtual 13.1 Mile Race!

August 11, 2015 ~  For the month of August we have decided to start walking almost every night in an effort to get a little healthier and motivate one another. We usually walk in my sisters neighborhood since it's a little safer than being on a busy two lane road with no shoulders. When we walk we always do 3.1 miles which is basically a 5k. Tonight it would just be three of us walking. 

With my cousin, Stephanie's wedding coming up in a month our Aunt Judy has been walking with us! She doesn't like it but she also doesn't quit! We got started a little later than we wanted to but Ashley wanted to walk a little more tonight. 

 I found these awesome medals (We own an Electrical Contracting Company) from Jost Running and I had to have them! I mean, we deal with electrical outlets everyday so it's seemed fitting! The only downfall is that the distance to earn these beautiful medals was either 13.1 miles (half marathon) or 26.2 miles (a full marathon)... I wasn't sure how I would talk my sister into this one.....

If you are interested they still have these medals and are on clearance for $5.00 each....

http://www.jostrunning.com/jostrunningtumblrcom/unplugged-halfmarathon

Holy smokes that was something!

I'm not going to say it was easy but we got it done in a descent amount of time! 

Good job Ashley and maybe next time you should define how many more miles you want to walk! LOL! I'm glad that my sister did this with me and that we finally have it done! (So much easier when things aren't really planned and you do it on a whim)

Yep, that sums it up!

Crossed that one off my list!

If you took time to read this blog post then it's my turn to Pay It Forward! I have 2 more of these race medals and I will pick two people at random to receive these race medals (1 per person) in the very near future. They will be mailed to you free of charge and the only thing I ask you to do is to use hashtag #payitforward when you post a picture of you after completing either 13.1 or 26.2 miles. Just comment on this blog post why you want this medal and I'll be in touch with the winners soon!

Central Missouri Honor Flight Cookbook Check Presentation!

August 9, 2015 ~ Today was a Welcome Home party for Central Missouri Honor Flight # 34! These parties are always so exciting because it's a chance for veterans traveling on the most recent flight to re-connect with other veterans, their guardians and staff that also traveled on this flight. It's truly amazing to talk to these wonderful men and women after their trip as you truly see what this trip meant to them. Their smiles are much bigger, their hugs are much tighter and I'm pretty sure their hearts are fuller. 

This young man is something else! Such a pleasure to be around as that handsome smile never disappears. Hard to believe that he served in World War II, Korean and Vietnam war! I had the pleasure of talking to his grandson for 5-10 minutes and what a treasure he has with is grandpa. You could tell he was very proud of him and says that he smiles all the time... anything less won't get you anywhere and life's too short. Such a sweet guy! 

One of the really cool things during the Welcome Home parties is that various people, organizations and/or groups come up to the stage to talk about a fundraiser they held and present a check to Central Missouri Honor Flight. This is always exciting because you hear from children that held a lemonade stand in front of their house, a VFW that held a benefit, a just married bride and groom that donated to Central Missouri Honor Flight rather than giving a gift to their guests (I believe this was a first for CMHF... pretty cool idea!)  and other various ideas for fundraising. It is amazing how a simple idea can bring in hundreds and even thousands of dollars. 

Central Missouri Honor Flight has two basic principals.... when they have veterans and money they fly! CMHF has approximately 400 veterans on a waiting list. Getting veterans isn't really a problem but getting funds to fly those veterans free of charge is. Since 2009 Central Missouri Honor Flight has flown over 2,000 veterans to our nation's capital to see their memorials and through various third party fundraisers they have received over $3 million dollars. We are very lucky to have such a generous community that has kept the funds coming in when it was needed. Today was another perfect example of our community coming together.....

Photo credit: ABC KMIZ 17

As many of you already know, a small group of women got together last year and came up with an idea of an all veteran cookbook. Social media was primarily used to ask others for their veterans favorite recipes. On April 9, 2015 we released 1,562 "Veterans Favorites' - A Taste of Home" cookbooks for sale to the public. With 8 mid-Missouri businesses as the cookbook sponsors they paid for the production of the cookbooks so that 100% of the money could go to Central Missouri Honor Flight. Cookbooks sold for $15.00 each and were available at the sponsor locations. In 64 incredible days, because of a very generous community these cookbooks would sell out. On June 12, 2015 together we exceeded the original goal and raised $24,014.42 allowing 80 veterans to fly free of charge on a future Central Missouri Honor Flight!  Truly amazing to see a community so dedicated, caring, passionate and loving come together to help our veterans! 

(Pictured left to right: Matt Peiter (Edward Jones - Matt Peiter Office), Michele Spry (Midway Electric, Inc. and Midway CSI), Rob Patrick (Hawthorn Bank), Roni Spicer (Don's Family Style Buffet), Ross and Cindy Mutrux (Mutrux Automotive) and Mary Paulsell (President of CMHF) 

Not present: Bobcat of St. Louis and Wallstreet Insurance / Jennifer Gerling, Agent)

Today we would present a check in the amount of $24,014.42 to Central Missouri Honor Flight and what a great feeling it was to be able to give back to the men and women that gave so much to us! 

Throughout the rest of this program Central Missouri Honor Flight received nearly $35,000 from various groups, organizations and people that were also passionate about this program!  

Thank you to every single person that submitted recipes, served our country, sponsored this fundraiser, promoted and purchased cookbooks and/or helped spread the word! Not one person could take credit for the success of this fundraiser as it took an entire community! Y'all ROCK!!!

Please watch Central Missouri Honor Flight's website for information on an upcoming flight! 

http://centralmissourihonorflight.com/

Diva Dash 5k - Columbia, MO

August 8, 2015 ~ Today was the Diva Dash 5k race in Columbia, MO and I haven't done a "live" 5k since May 2015! Eek! Jacki Swank talked me into doing this one and I figured I better step up my game since I am totally slacking lately!

Jacki made this super cute tutu to run in. I got there a little early and y'all know I don't dress up so this would be an interesting run with this thing on! (I get too dang hot) I had sent Jacki a text letting her know I was here and never heard back from her. At this point I was thinking I was going to have to do this race on my own in a tutu.... luckily she found me and had left her phone in the car! Shew!

I found another friend, Molly Froidl who was doing this race too!

Jacki was pushing me and we were doing great... 9 minutes to mile 1 then all of the sudden out of no where Jacki pushed me down! Just kidding.... We were getting ready to walk it out and just before we stopped running I didn't pick my feet up high enough and tripped. I hit the concrete hard and skinned up my right knee and left elbow. Dang that hurt! I had to slow it down for a bit to get my knee to chill out and make sure I didn't tear anything up! (that was my biggest fear of trashing my knee)

Somehow we managed to make it in a decent time even with a bummed up knee!

This is what my poor little knee looked like after crossing the finish line....

Boy y'all better be careful when running with that Jacki Swank... she's tough! LOL!

Jacki talked me into getting some clean up supplies from the paramedics on site and even laughed how much fun pictures would be if I would lay out on the stretcher.... funny girl she is! Then she thought it would be a good thing to help clean me up (she's such a good momma) but when she thought she was going to put the alcohol wipe on my open wound I about lost it! Yes I am a baby and yes I squealed at the thought of her touching it! (OMG if you could have seen her face... she looked at me like "You are a big girl Michele... suck it up and let's get this done!" It wasn't funny at the time but I can laugh about it now! 

I certainly earned this race hardware! 

Just before I was heading home we were talking to different groups of ladies and as I am telling them that Jacki pushed me down there were other ladies that were telling me that they also had bruises from going with her. Now the truth comes out! Jacki.. you have some explaining to do! LOL! 

I told Jacki from now on she probably should make this her new race hardware... just sayin'! 

The Diva Dash 5k partnered with the Heart of Missouri Girls on the Run as their charity partner for this race! The Heart of Missouri Girls on the Run – a life-changing, non-profit prevention program for girls in the 3rd through 8th grade.  Our mission is “to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.”

 Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development program for girls in 3^rd-8^th grade. We teach life skills through dynamic interactive lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.

http://heartofmissourigirlsontherun.org/ 

Battle wounds after I got cleaned up! Ouch!