Way to Go, Mia!!

I am so proud of my daughter.  In fact, she moves me to tears.  I sat her down yesterday and looked straight into her face and said, “Mia, you make mommy want to cry.  I am crying now because I am so so so so proud of you.  You studied hard, practiced reading every night, and your teacher said that you are doing so good that you will go to 2^nd grade.” She smiled as I hugged her tightly.

The year has been a challenge.  Mia entered 1^st grade reading at Level B. She was very far behind.  Since my October parent-teacher conference, I have worked so diligently with her.  She is now at Level G (almost H).  The benchmark at this point is Level H so my little Mia is at the very tip of reading at her grade level.  To be at a reading Level H, you have to read a story with 4 or less mistakes and an 80 percent comprehension score.  Mia read the Level H book with 5 mistakes and a 70 percent comprehension.  She is practically there.  She has also met all of her benchmarks.  I am so proud.
 

Sometimes I think I may be a little nutty when it comes to academics, but then I think, it is this nuttiness that is the catalyst for these results. 

 

Congratulations to my little Mia. 

 

My Favorite Girl in the World

 

 

 

Who is my most favorite girl in the world?  Who is the girl that I love more than any girl in the entire universe?  Who is my #1 girl?

 
Every night before I put my Princess to bed, I ask her these questions, and she smiles and giggles as she answers me.  I love my Mia, and she is EVERYTHING I could ever want in a daughter.

She is sweet and caring.  She never has a mean word to say to anyone.  She is always thoughtful.  She cuddles with me every night.    When I am sad, Mia holds and comforts me.  Her little soft hands wipe away my tears.  She loves animals and cannot bear to see one hurt or abused.  Even though she is a fashionista and loves to be pampered with beauty, she is also quite an athlete.  She is a very sweet and innocent little girl.  She makes life fun!

Happy 7^th Birthday to my Princess Mia! At 1509 on March 19, 2007, I was blessed...so truly blessed with this angel.  She is my most favorite girl in the world, and no one, no one comes close or will ever come close to competing with her!

I  love you.  You light up my life and color my world in so many ways!

Happy 7th Birthday Little Princess!

 

 

A Pictorial Tribute to Three Years of Marriage

We're married!!! (Dinner on our wedding night)





I am simply happy.  My life is not perfect, but I am blessed in so many ways.  I know that.

 

Three years ago, I married Joseph Lance Wade after a 2 ½ month courtship.  Three years may not seem like a long time, and honestly, it really isn’t, but when I reflect on the last three years, I am amazed at all that has happened during that brief period. 

We were meant to be together.  With all of our imperfections, quirks, and mental issues, Lance and I fit PERFECTLY. I can speak incessantly about all the reasons why I love him so much and how grateful I am that he is MY husband, but I’m going to refrain from using words and just let pictures speak for themselves.  Photos can say a thousand unspoken words so in honor of three-years of blissful marriage, here is a photo tribute to Lance….to us…and to our marriage.
 

A Pictorial Tribute to the Three Amazing Years of Marriage

In Vegas (one of the few rare photos of us just "dating".)

 

Bicycling to the beach

food fight

Lance even embarrassed himself and wore tight, super high shorts in public that left little to the imagination. 

Running many many races together. 

One year and 2 months later, we have a ceremony and say our vows in front of family and friends.  Lance HATED this, but did it for me.

San Francisco

Big glasses of booze at $70 a piece. We got ripped off in South Beach, Florida.  We got to eat alligator meat and go on a ride through the Everglades!

Would you ever think he would dress up and embarrass himself in silly get ups?  Yes, a man in love will do anything for his woman.

Lance and I both fat and happy on the Midway in San Diego

San Antonio, Texas

I love this photo in Key West

Budapest, Hungary

Prague, Czech Republic

Alcatraz

My best friend, my husband, and my life.....

I love you so very deeply.  I cannot imagine a life without you.  Thank you for three amazing years of marriage.  I have experienced a happiness so complete, and it is all because of you.  I want you to feel loved, supported, confident, encouraged, unalone, sexy, strong, powerful, understood, and everything wonderful and good that there is in this world.  You have given me so much, and I want to give you all I possibly can.   We are so blessed to have found each other.  It may have taken us some time, but I finally found the man I was meant to be with.  We are the perfect team, and our marriage is so wonderful and beautiful.  I thank God everyday for you.  I will always be here for you. Always. Everyday, I grow more in love with you. I love you with all that I am.

Happy 3rd Year Anniversary.

Your wife,
Elizabeth Fellows Wade

2014 LA Marathon

 

 

Running is a very religious experience for me.  It is when I feel closest to God.  Before a race, I pray.  I pray for his blessing for a healthy, safe race with no injury.  During the race, I spend my time in conversation with God.  I think of my dad, my mom, and everything wonderful I have in life.  I ask for God’s guidance so that I can be a better person, and I ask for forgiveness.  I feel so unworthy of all that he has given me, because I know I could do better and be a much better person.  During the race and during these conversations, I am so moved and emotional that I cry.  Yes, I’m running on that course, wiping away sweat and tears. 

 

When my foot crosses the finish line, the very first thing I do is I say a prayer again, thanking God for this race and for everything he has done for me.  I am so grateful.  I know I couldn’t do it without him by my side.

I don’t like running with people.  I am not a social runner.   There are spectators aligned along the courses, but I hardly notice the crowds because I’m so immersed in my own spiritual meditation. 

This weekend was the LA Marathon.  I ran the LA Marathon in 2011.  This race is sentimentally symbolic because when I ran it in 2011, Lance and I had eloped two days ago.  In 2011, my time was 6:10.  I think I was in better shape in 2010, but I had an injury so 90 percent of the race was done walking.  I wanted to redeem myself and actually run the marathon.  I began training for the  2014 race in November 2013.  My training started off well, but in January, I had ITBS and my dad passed away.  I did not run for three weeks.  However, I was determined to fulfill my goal, and I wanted to run in memory of my Dad.  The LA Marathon would be for him, and I decided to carry locks of his hair with me on race day so literally and spiritually, my dad was with me.

The Finish Line in Santa Monica

 The Start

The first quarter mile at Dodger Stadium.  WOW! 

I love the LA Marathon.  There were 21, 829 runners from all 50 states and 50 nations; all but 348 crossed the finish line. There was a group of 7 friends who  ran and Lance. who served as the support team.   We stayed at the downtown Sheraton. We went to the expo together and had dinner at a great Italian restaurant. It was just so much fun socializing with this group. I love them all dearly.  I run alone during the race, but I love the socialization of pre-race and post-race activities.

 

Picking up my bib at the expo.  There was a wall that had every runners' name on it and I found mine!

 

Pre-Race Dinner

Fun in the Sheraton

A group selfie (no, we did not sleep together. This was a joke.)

 

The race started at 7:30 a.m. and it was perfect race weather at 7:30 in the morning, but two hours into the race, the heat became horrible.  Temperatures reached the mid-80s, and by the time the race concluded for me, it was beach and bikini weather.  I ran smart though and hydrated at each water station.  The LA Marathon is a great course.  I love that it is from point to point. (I don’t really like those loop back courses.)  It starts off at Dodger Stadium and ends at Santa Monica Beach.  It is known as the Stadium to Sea course.

The course

I was very nervous about how my left leg would hold up considering my chronic knee issues.  Three days before the race, I ran a short 3-miles, and I felt a sharp pain in my hip that prevented me from going any further.  On race day, I taped up my leg with the KT tape, and I also had my ITB brace, and with God’s blessing, I was able to run the 26.2 miles without any pain—well not any “atypical” pain.

Getting ready to start

one last photo before the start of the race; we were all nervous.  Months of training led up to this point....

When I reached mile 22, the goal of getting under 5 hours was a real possibility.  When I reached mile 25, I had 16 mins left to do 1.2 miles so I pushed myself with everything I had, because I knew I was so close, and if didn’t make it, I would have beaten myself up.

It was the most exhilarating feeling when I crossed that finish line with an official time of 4:57:28. Traffic congestion was a nightmare at the finish line, and Lance had to park about 2 miles away so yes, I walked another 2 miles to the car.

 

Proudly showing our medals

 

my medal and my dad's hair

 

How do I feel today?  I am sore, but it is not unbearable.  I am sunburned on my shoulders and back.  I have chafing on my back and in both armpits.  When I took a shower, it burned, but overall, I’m not too beaten up.
 

I am grateful that it is over, and I’m pleased with the results and my performance.  Now, I’m returning to cross training and weight lifting.  I did say that this was going to be it for me, but the moment I crossed that finish line, I was ready to sign up for next year.  So, the question is, will I do it again? Absolutely.  The 2015 LA Marathon will be the 30^th anniversary, and I am very excited to be a part of it.  I now want to get under 4:45, and I think I can.