Who are you?

I have always been interested in who I am. Who the people were before me. I absolutely love my grandma who has worked so hard to find out who came before her. All of my life people have asked who I am.

I went to a running store the other day and was fitted for a shoe. I had never had it done before and it was free so why not. Actually, it wasn't free because I bought a pair of shoes. Back to the point, he said that by looking at my arches I was either Kenyan or Indian. Loved that. It made me think I was a really good runner. I have runner's feet. Yay for me!

Another case in point. Matt and I kind of laugh at each other when after YEARS of knowing me friends will pull him aside and ask where I came from. Some of their guesses are: African American, Mexican, Latino, Japanese, Chinese, Polynesian, Native American, and the latest to add is Eskimo.

I was talking to my dad a couple of weeks ago and mentioned that a friend had recently been asking where I came from. He told me that he was 1/64 Native American and that my mother was 1/64 Native American. Hence, I am 1/64 Native American. I'm kind of excited to actually know what percentage I am. Last night I even called my grandma to see who it was that is full blooded. She told me that her name was Nancy. However her CHEROKEE Indian name is, wait for it. . .

Trail kill

or

Yellow bird

I guess she had two names. Can I say AWESOME! I think I prefer Yellowbird.

It makes me wonder what my name would have been.

Trees

I have been really disappointed that we will not be moving closer to family, less humidity, no mountains, and no trees.

Trees are my least favorite, because they cover the Sun. I am one who NEEDS to see the sun daily. If it rains for more than a few days I'm ready to stay in bed the whole day.

Funny, when we found a house here in Philly, it's in a forest. No, really, we live in a gully in a forest. . . go figure.

However, I have absolutely, unequivocally, fallen in love with the falls here in the east. The humidity has finally died down, the nights are cool and the days are also. But the awesomeness (is that a word?) are the trees. Yes, I know, I said it. I love the color of the trees. It's like a painter threw his entire pallet of warm colors all over. It is truly stunning. So much so, that people randomly stop at the end of our street to take pictures over the lake. So although I very much dislike trees most of the time and I will cut almost all of them down next time I buy a house, I am truly enjoying the grandeur all around me. This is what I get to see every morning (well an example of what I see, not my actual picture. I do not in any way claim rights, ownership, or responsibility for this picture)

"I just kept runnin. . ."

I love to run. I am NOT a natural born athlete, it is something that has come about over time. To give you a little background in high school freshman year I joined the track team. I wanted to be a sprinter. I was in a tryout with my good friend. She had a charlie horse and stopped mid sprint and I stopped with her. That was it. The coach wouldn't let either of us rerun. Instead this coach put me on the 800. The 800 is the worst race EVER. It isn't a sprint, but it is. It isn't long distance, but it is. I came in dead last EVERY single meet. I vowed never to join track again. Through out the next few years following I would jog/walk outside . . . sometimes. Then my junior year of college during Christmas break I saw a picture of myself. That did it. I started running. It was slow, oh so slow at first. Then day after day it seemed to get a little better. That was eleven years ago. Now I can run a 1/2 marathon without thinking about it in roughly 1 hour 50 minutes. Running clears my head, releases happy endorphins, and gives me energy, helps me be a good mom to my kiddos.

Some have told me it will kill my knees. This may someday be true, but every mile is worth it. I have had to modify a bit and run mostly indoors with our family schedule. In five years that I had my treadmill I have put 8400 miles on it. That was six months ago. I felt shocked that at one point I came in dead last and now I have run, a lot, and not all that slow. But I still feel sometimes like the picture. I just don't care how I look, it is how I FEEL that counts!

We promise it was cracked BEFORE we got here! (We blame the guy in the background)

We have been busy exploring our Nation's history. The kids have great memories so we can talk about the history and then come back to it several weeks later and they still remember most of it. We are grateful for the history and for those who WORKED SO HARD to provide us for the great freedom's we enjoy!

Me as I am cutting Porter's nails: These are long nails, gross!

Porter: They are not gross mom.

Me: Yes they are, we keep our nails short

Porter: The monsters on Scooby Doo have long fingernails and they aren't gross.

What do you say to that?

''The Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.''
Thomas Jefferson

Tennis with Grandpa