trying to be brave and stuff

Mommy, We got back from Disney last night. I had a good time - enjoyed the warm weather, the time off of work, and running my first half marathon. Disney was not the same without you though. We missed you so much.  Wednesday, February 19: We flew out of Harrisburg very early in the morning! The sunrise from the plane was stunning!  Goodbye snowy Pennsylvania! Sunrise was stunning, see momma? We got to Orlando around 11am and hopped on the Magical Express to our hotel. This time we stayed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village. It was amazing! The resort was gorgeous!  We had a view of the animals right from our balcony. (There are no animals in this picture) Our hotel room was awesome too!  Master Bath Second bathroom! Lindsay and I slept here. So comfortable! And Dad slept on a chair that pulled out into a single. Seriously, the beds were really nice! Deb and JP slept in the master.  Those are just a few pictures. We went to the pool bar to each lunch. Afterwards, we went

Momma, Today was the day. My first alarm went off at 2:45am. I got out of bed right then because I really couldn't sleep anymore even though I was still tired. We didn't head down to the lobby to catch a bus until 3:45am. The lady in charge of event buses at our hotel was very serious and she made the decision that only runners could get on the next bus, no spectators. So I took off my coat and handed it to dad and got in line for the bus. As we started to pull away, tears started to fall from my eyes. These two nice ladies, who were sisters, talked to me the whole time and made me feel better. Linds, Deb, and I got off the bus and headed to the security check and then I ended up finding Bryanna and Kevin and soon after that I found Heather. We took pictures and headed off towards the corrals.  First, Bryanna, Kevin, their friend Stephanie, and I made a bathroom stop which took forever (30 mins). After that we started the 15 minute walk to the corrals. By this time it was 5:23a

Mommy, Tomorrow I will attempt to run my first half marathon. It's not just any half marathon but it's the Disney Princess Half Marathon!  I am starting to feel my nerves but I keep praying to God and trusting him with all of my anxiety. I know that you will be watching me tomorrow as I attempt to reach a goal that has been 9 months in the making and 4 months in the training. Oh and one broken back bone. Tomorrow I will run my little heart out and I will fight my anxiety and my fears and I will run like I have at least 175 miles before.  Mommy, I miss you like crazy and I wish you were here. Please be watching Coco, cause this one's for you! Love always, Kelsey P.S. You'll have to get up early tomorrow since the run starts at 5:30am!

Hi Momma, So we are in Disney World! It is seriously so weird to be here without you. I know that everyone misses you. You were always the best at Disney. There was no one to tell us where to go or what to do first. No one to summarize the Unoffical Guide to Disney. I will write to you at the end of the trip and tell you all about it!  Love you, Kelsey

Momma, A few days ago was Dad's birthday. It was his first one without you. I know he misses you so much everyday and I'm sure it was even more on that day! We didn't celebrate that night because it was a busy night for everyone. We went out to dinner on the weekend to celebrate. Anyway momma, now starts the cycle of everyone's second birthday without you. We miss you so much! Love, Kelsey

Hi Momma, Double digits today. Today, February 8, 2014, marks the start of the tenth month since you have been gone. I really can't believe I have done life this long without you.  January felt like the longest month ever and now we are halfway through February. January felt so long because of my broken sacrum. Momma, I was on light duty at work for a whole month which meant that I could not be in my classroom. I was not allowed to do any running for 2 weeks and so my training came to a halt. Thirteen days after the accident, I went for my first run which was 5 miles. It was probably the hardest run of my life. After that day I jumped back on my training plan and skipped those two weeks that I missed. This meant I went from long run 7 to long run 10. The half marathon is two weeks away. I try not to think about it too much because I don't want to have any anxiety. I have been working very hard for 4 months and it's almost go-time. Mom, I will write you again before the run,