Real Runners Run...

... in all weather conditions.



... at 5am.

... when it is too wet and cold outside, they run 15 miles around an indoor track.

... when they have to pay, entering a race.



... for fallen runners.

... through pain.

... while others are sleeping. 

... for the ones they love.



... to be a positive influence for our families. 

... to relax.

... for time to think.

... for energy.

... for community.



... because they LOVE it!!


Why do you run?

I have to thank my fellow "Moms Run This Town" ladies for their pictures!

Snowy South Carolina

I think it is safe to say that Grace is obsessed with the snow! She woke up and immediately and put on her coat and hat. 


She literally could not wait for me to hurry up and play outside! 


Once we were outside all of Grace's friends came out to play too! I am sure her stomach and cheeks had to hurt from all the laughing! 


Our neighbors were trying to teach Grace how to make a snow angel, but she made them her own unique way. 


Why I Run At 5am


Why I Run At 5:

- get some exercise for the day.

- I get to take a shower all by myself.

- allows enough time for me to actually put on makeup (doesn't necessarily mean I do put it on, but I have the option)

- I am able to make my family a hot breakfast.

- I can stop by Starbucks and no one knows.

- I am able to meet with other mommies to talk and catchup.

- I get to ride in the car without bringing a diaper bag, stroller, juice, food etc.

- get exercise over with for the day.

- sometimes get to watch the sunrise.

- much needed alone time.

- have my quiet time (in more than one way).


Running is completely "me time" whether I run with someone or not. What do you do for "me time"?

Our Family Grew By Two!

So this was a BIG weekend for our extended family on the McKenzie side! 

Michael's brother, Elliott, popped the question!!! I am going to have a new sister-in-law! I am more than overjoyed. I am so excited to see what the future holds for them and our family. 


Not only did our family grow by one, but Michael's oldest brother, Justin and his wife Jessica, announced they are pregnant! How much better does that get?!?!


Our family grew by two! Congratulations!

Snow Weekend

Well I figured before another weekend began I needed to update you about what went on last weekend. This past weekend, Grace was able to experience snow for the first time! She absolutely LOVES snow!

We headed up to Boone, NC to help Michael's brother Elliott pack up and move to Indiana. Friday was spent packing and loading the moving truck. (Uncle Elliott has A LOT of stuff!)


With joy and sadness we sent Elliott on his was "home" on Saturday morning. 


After he left the real party began! The rest of the family went sledding! Grace and her cousin Luke were having the time of their lives. (Not to mention so were their daddies)



The rest of the weekend was spent sledding (then hurting later for us old folks), laying around in our pjs, eating great food and spending time with the ones who mean the most FAMILY.

We can not wait for the day when we are back together and maybe complete! ;)

Weekend Update

Sorry I am a weekend behind updating. 

Two weekends ago it was raining and cold outside, so we decided since we had to stay inside... to paint our master bathroom. Before we moved in our house my wonderful husband painted close to the entire house! He painted ceilings, trim, and every room except laundry room and our master bathroom. We had already bought the paint, but were originally waiting till we could up date the room a little more. However that will just have to wait till another date, but at least we do not have to stare at UGLY wallpaper everyday!

The BEFORE:


The AFTER:


Yes I know we still have an ugly yellow countertop, but the walls are now pretty! Now comes the fun part... shopping for accessories!!! I will be looking for oil rubbed bronze accessories because we are slowing changing everything to match. (we have gold, silver, white and oil rubbed bronze now. I am ready for some consistency.) I want to go for a relaxing theme. What do you think? Have any ideas for me? Light fixture? Toilet paper holder? Trashcan? etc.

THANKS!

Run Saturday For Meg

I know many of you might not be runners, but Saturday people all over are running for Meg. 

You might have seen her while scrolling through your facebook feed. She was tragically killed by a drunk driver on Monday while on her morning run. She was a wife, mother of three and a fellow marathoner. This is a little closer to home for me, she is my Dad's Cousin's daughter. 

This is so scary, because it could have easily have been me. I routinely run in the morning, in the dark, by myself. This is a life of a mommy runner. 

Saturday get out and put of few miles in for Meg and her family. Also for awareness for all the mommy runners out there! 


My Love List

It has been a while since I wrote a love list. So I think it is time to write a little love list of my random favorite things and favorite obsessions at the moment. 

1. This chili recipe that we have had so many times this winter! It is very filling and has a lot more veggies than most recipes out there. Which makes me feel a little better when I dump cheese and corn bread all in it! (you would know my first item on my list has to do with food!)

ps. This picture is from Christmas eve, I could not find another picture.

2. Real wood fires in the fireplace! There is nothing like snuggling up and watching the fire burn. 


3. A healthy baby! Grace has been sick and I am so glad she is finally on the up swing!


4. Rainy days to wear our pjs all day! It has been soooo cold here in SC and wet, so there were days that Grace and I both just decided to keep out pjs on all day! (Of course, lets be honest, pjs are not too different from my normal mom attire of yoga pants!)

5. Exercise tapes! Like I said before it has been really cold and wet here A LOT lately. Which means no running for me :( I wish I could go hit up a treadmill somewhere or even an elliptical, but sadly its not in the budget, so when I can not go outside I pop in an exercise video!

What are some things you can't live without right now?

Pity Party

So I have to be honest... I am having a little bit of a pity party today for myself. Today is the 3 month mark that my Etsy shop has been open and... not one sale. Yes I have sold to family (who I do not charge for my time, because that is what family does). 

So I am at a point where I need to make a decision... Do I keep the shop open and just keep re-listing my items and hope for the best? Do I create a facebook page and advertise through that? Do I close my shop? Do I just sew for Grace and gifts? Do I add different types of items? Are they priced too high or too low?

Really I was hoping this would be a space where my creative juices could run and I could make a little extra money on the side. You know so Grace and I could go to Chic-fil-A once a week! HA:) 

So I am writing this today for advice. 


It Has Been A Long Week...

It has been an entire week now that Grace and I have been quarantined inside our house! A week ago today Grace woke up and did not want to eat breakfast. I knew something was wrong right then. Grace wakes up and runs straight to the kitchen to get her breakfast and if it is not ready she will run to the pantry looking around for anything she can reach. So when she did not eat breakfast a red flag went up in my mind. Next she turned on the TV and sat on the couch to watch TV. Grace NEVER watches TV. She knows how to turn it off and on, but never pays it any attention. I was cleaning up breakfast and saw her sitting on the couch and knew something wasn't right. I check her temperature and it was 103.6! I immediately called her pediatrician and made an appointment. 


I thought for sure she had the flu, but the flu test was negative, the strept test was negative, ears were clear, so we were sent home with a virus. Once Grace had enough tylenol and motrin her fever came down under 100. Then just when I thought she was on the up swing I noticed a spot on her face the next day. Then Wednesday morning there were sores on her mouth, hands, feet and bottom. Thats when I knew she had hand -foot-and mouth disease. 

So that is why we are eagerly waiting the day to go and be among people! Yesterday she finally started eating more normal again. Due to the sores all in her mouth she really did not eat much of anything for days. 

(We might not have gotten out of our pjs, but we did get our dress-up clothes on!)

I think we have lived in our pjs for a week now, hopefully soon we will see the sun again!

ps. today is the last day for some of the items in my Etsy Shop!

Top Posts of 2013

Keeping with the new year theme... I was doing a little reminiscing and reading some old posts.

Here are the top 3 posts that you have read in 2013:
1. Grace's First Birthday
2. 10 Things New Dads Need to Learn About New Moms
3. Baby Fashion


I think it is funny what people are drawn to read. I originally began this blog just for me. I wasn't planning on sharing with anyone, but so that I would have a little outlet in a way. It has turned into being so much more. I have made new friends, connected with old ones, have an online baby book, and a way to share with family. 

Here is my favorite 3 posts that I wrote in 2013:
1. Daddy Love
2. How Motherhood Has Changed Me
3. Oh Motherhood


Thank you for reading and encouraging me! What kind of posts would you like to read in 2014?

A Look Back-

Last year I wrote a post looking back at our year and it happens to be one of my favorite posts. So I thought I would keep with the tradition and do a little recap of our year with the McKenzies.

We had our first Easter as a family.


The best daddy in the world turned 30!


We ran our first family race.


I celebrated my very first Mother's Day.


Michael had his first Father's Day.


Grace turned ONE!


Grace started walking!


We have been more than blessed and look forward to what the Lord has in store for 2014!
Happy New Year!

Our 2nd and 3rd Christmas

We had the best little Christmas at our house on Christmas day (you can read about it here) a lot different than Grace's first Christmas (you can read about it here). But since we were all alone for Christmas day we had a lot of visiting to do! We left bright and early on the 26th to meet my sisters at the mall to do a little tradition of after Christmas shopping! We even let the husbands come this time, mostly to watch Grace, but we won't tell them that :) 

After a full day of shopping and scoping out the deals we headed back to my parent's house to do a little gift exchange. 


Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents give the best gifts! (I think you can tell my Grace's face!) 



It is so much fun watching Grace grow and learn! 


We stayed the night with the Cross family and then after a good fast run the next morning we headed to visit with the McKenzies. 
Grace was more than over joyed to see her cousin Luke. She wanted to see him so badly she could not wait for him to wake up from his nap!



Grace wants to be just like her cousin.


Yet again we were showered with more than we deserve.


The next day was spent with more visiting: Both of our Grandparents and one of my very best friends! We are so blessed to have so many people we love and that love us and that we were able to see them all (we just missed Brittany). 
 We could not have asked for a better holiday! 
Hi! I'm Katie. Wife to Michael. Mom to Grace, David Michael & Emma. Christ Follower. Runner. Stay at home mommy.



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