A Good Day at Work!

I posted on my Facebook page that my heart is happy and it is. I am always proud of our community but there are some days that are challenging and there are some times when I get bogged down in the "work" part that I forget about the fun stuff and the great support of the folks in our area.

For the month of January, I've been trying not to obnoxiously overwhelm everyone with requests to vote for KTC for a $5000 grant via the Moonshare Program. But, the requests have been there and I've been silently fretting that our sponsored posts and pleas wouldn't be enough to get the votes we needed to win. 

Yesterday, I found out that we were one of the top 12 groups meaning that at some point this year, we'll receive $5000 to use for our youth program.

I don't think it is a secret that KTC has struggled for a few years to build a youth program that reflects our organization and our mission and vision. We've tried a few things and they did okay but finding the best way to make a difference was very important. 

The idea for the Knoxville Youth Runs program was in development when I returned as the Interim ED. The program was launched in 2015 by volunteers and other than paying for the supplies, I didn't have a big hand in getting that site up and running.

Last spring after listening to our volunteer coaches describe the pilot program's success, we decided it was time to grow. I reached out to a friend at Great Schools Partnership to discuss how we could move into more schools. That meeting led to more meetings and we grew. Currently we are being emailed weekly with requests to grow more. Our volunteer program director has worked tirelessly to make sure that each site has what it needs and that we're doing a good job.

We don't charge for the program. These kids come from single parent homes or homes in which both parents work multiple jobs. These kids need the opportunity to participate without tryouts and cuts and to be given a chance to learn the basics of running and some basic life skills. Some of them don't even have shoes to run in. That hurts my heart and I'll personally buy shoes for these kiddos if need be.

I was involved in the launch of every program site last fall and I know that this is a good, solid program. I've seen some of these kids struggle to make one lap (200M for most of them) and I've seen them beam with joy when they can continuously run that same circle the next week.

Today is a good day at work. Today my heart is full knowing that I've got some funding to offset some of the cost of providing this program. And I owe this happiness to all of the people who took a few minutes every day to vote for KTC. I thank you and I know that our kids thank you!

If you'd like to donate directly to the program, please follow the link below. Every single dollar goes directly to providing program supplies, coach materials, t-shirts, medals, and incentive behaviors. 

https://runsignup.com/Race/Donate/TN/Knoxville/KnoxvilleYouthRuns

See you on the roads!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow

I'm a pretty happy gal most of the time. Sometimes, I just get worn down and worn out. I'm there right now and I'd like my normal self back.

We've established that I love my kids and my husband. I really do. With that said, everyone in our family functions so much better when we have a routine and when we aren't together every day for long periods of time with little (if any) break from one another. I'm pretty sure that between the boys, Altman, the three dogs, and the cat that I haven't had one full minute alone in weeks.

Yesterday was special. For the first time since December 22, both children went to school. They went late but they went. Unfortunately, I was out most of the day for meetings but it was a start. Today was similar. Morning meeting then home for lunch then afternoon meeting.

But tomorrow.....

I keep at least one day per week with zero meetings. "No Meeting Monday" is a staple for me. However, school was out on Monday so there may have been no meetings but there were also kids hovering around the house and it did not count.

So tomorrow.....

I have no meetings scheduled tomorrow and unless a tornado blows through here this afternoon or tonight or another crazy situation happens, I do believe that both of my kids will go to school and I will have my space back.

I can run, throw on yoga pants and a t-shirt, drink hot coffee and get all the work done. In my space. Without someone asking to watch YouTube or fighting over toys or asking for something. I can't stop the dogs from following me around but they don't speak so that's a plus for them.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow. Please be the day that I need!

Now, I'm off to pray that I didn't just jinx myself and ruin my perfect tomorrow. :)

See you on the roads and trails!

Taking Life Day by Day

I'm a planner. That's no surprise to most of you but if you don't know me well then you should know that I love a good to-do list, a thorough checklist, a defined schedule, and organization.

My life choices make it a real struggle for most of these things to happen consistently but I've learned to roll with it.

Kids never do what you want when you want and they are messy and hate organization. I'm great at my job because someone has to manage all the moving pieces and parts and you have to be organized to do that but there are a lot of days when my to-do list is on the back burner to take care of something pressing that's come up.

This Christmas break is for the birds. Why are my kids home this week? The Christmas magic has worn off and we all need a break. Although we love Karson, we were pretty pumped to send him back to pre-school today.

We had great plans. Altman would run outside and I would workout here while Jackson watched a video and then they would run errands and I would go to meetings and would get some work done in peace.

We followed that plan for about a minute. Karson cried in the car for Jackson so Altman took him along to drop K off at school. I stayed home and had the most amazing workout but came downstairs to find Jackson lying on the sofa with an ice pack on his knee and blood all over his leg. Turns out that he fell getting into Jason's car...on the metal part of a clipboard...with his kneecap. Gross, gross, gross.

I took a pic and sent to several friends and while Jason went out to run, I called the pediatrician. The nurse agreed that the doctor should probably take a look to be safe. All my parent friends agreed too.

So, I rearranged my schedule and moved my meetings. If the kid was getting stitches for the first time, this momma was going to be there. Jason ran one errand and met me at the doctor's office. We wanted to both be there in case the kid needed stitches.

At the mention of stitches, it was clear to all of us that we'd be better off if we just bandaged the wound and let it heal without them. I was grateful that the doc shifted gears because it would have been a traumatic experience for all of us to numb his knee and then have a doctor sew it up. Given that the wound is directly on the kneecap, the doc said that not stitching it up would just take a little longer to heal and would leave a scar.

Scars are fun. We all have them and have silly stories to tell about them. He'll be able to tell a silly story about falling on a clipboard.

All this to say that sometimes, you just gotta roll with things and take things as they come. 10 years ago, I would have been anxious and angry about having to rearrange my day. Now, it's just life and it's just another day that ends in "y" and you do what you have to do.

There's always tomorrow...unless it snows...