Hawaii - One Last Family Trip

My request to my husband was that before Andrew left on his mission for two years I wanted a big family vacation.  When I asked Andrew if he had any suggestions he immediately asked if we could go to Hawaii.  It sounded perfect to me.  I was thinking Maui or Kauai.  My husband wanted to go to Oahu to tour Pearl Harbor.  But Andrew wanted to see an active volcano.  So I booked the trip and hoped the volcano would be active while we were there.  I got more than what I bargained for.  A few weeks before we were due to leave a major volcanic eruption started.  Not the typical calm eruption from the Kilauea Volcano.  This was a major lava flow that was destroying homes and evacuating neighborhoods.  New fissures were opening up daily.  Ash was spewing from the crater and earthquakes were a frequent event.  The National Park was shut down and the evacuation area kept growing.  Suddenly the volcano was too active and I worried about our safety and if there would be anything open that we wanted to do.  We decided the money was already spent and we might as well go to the island.  Kona was far from the volcanic activity and although the air quality was terrible due to the continuing eruptions we hardly knew anything was going on.  We had a fabulous time exploring the beaches on the Kona side of the island. We loved snorkeling with the fish and sea turtles, playing in the sand, watching dolphins, and body boarding.  The one thing lacking was some sunshine with the constant haze and cloudiness overhead.  We were even able to visit the Kona LDS temple.  It was Kaitlyn's first time being able to go inside a temple and do baptisms!

The last few days on the island we headed up to see the top of the mountain Mauna Kea.  It was crazy driving from sea level to over 13,000 ft in less than an hour.  We were finally able to get above the hazy air for a bit.  Then back down the mountain we went to the Hilo side of the island.  We decided to bail on our place to stay in the town of Volcano due to the daily ash eruptions.  Instead we found a charming little house to rent in Hilo complete with a pond the kids could paddle board and canoe on.  We loved the lush vegetation on the other side of the island even though there was a lot of rain that came with it.  We had fun exploring a lava tube and viewing all the waterfalls.

Other than the haze we still hadn't seen any action from the volcano.  I felt sad because that was the whole reason we had picked the Big Island.  We finally heard from some tourists that there was a company that had started doing boat tours out to where the lava flow was entering the ocean.  I had some hesitation knowing my tendency for motion sickness and the ridiculous cost of the boat ride but we finally decided it was our ONLY way to view the volcano.  We woke up at 3 am to catch the 4 am boat from Hilo.  We boarded the boat and headed out the bay in Hilo.  As soon as we were out of the bay I realized my mistake bringing Skyler on board.  It was a ROUGH ride!  Just minutes into the ride he was saying he wanted to get off and NEVER do this ride again!  But at this point we were stuck on the boat for the next 3 hours.  As soon as we had exited the bay we could see the glow in the night sky from the eruption even though we were still miles away.  It was incredible how it lit up the whole side of the island.  Fissure 8 was putting on quite the show spraying lava several hundred feet into the air.  After over an hour speeding up the coast we arrived at the area where lava had been flowing into the ocean.  It was incredible to see lava rock coastline that hadn't existed days ago literally being created right before our eyes.  The flow itself had slowed to a trickle and we couldn't see much lava actually flowing into the ocean but the smoldering fresh lava rock and the lava spraying from fissure 8 was a sight I'll never forget.  I was hoping when we slowed to view the eruption we would get a bit of a respite from the rough ride.  But instead the boat rocking back and forth on the big waves at a slow speed was worse then riding over them and crashing down at high speeds.  Many people on the boat were getting sea sick and soon Skyler and I joined them.  In retrospect I think I'm still glad we did it but from now on I'm keeping my sightseeing adventures on land!

 This day turned into what felt like the longest day ever since it started at 3 am and we were taking the red eye flight home.  We went back to the house and packed up then headed to the south side of the island to drive back to Kona and see some areas we hadn't seen yet.  We spent most of the afternoon at a black sad beach which ended up being one of my favorite outings of the whole trip.  The beach was gorgeous with the black sand, coconut trees and sea turtles resting on the sand.  Skyler thoroughly enjoyed playing in the sand.  We all had fun watching the turtles and the teenage boys kept entertained trying to break open coconuts.  As I sat on the beach watching everyone having so much fun the tears started to flow.  It was all over.  Not just the vacation but it suddenly hit me that Andrew would be leaving in a matter of weeks.  Almost 19 years and it was gone in the blink of an eye.  Although our trip didn't end up much like we had originally planned it really was perfect just to spend the time together knowing we won't have that for a while.

   

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

I've now let a year go by without any updates on this blog.  I doubt I have any readers left but for myself I'm sad because this is my only form of journaling anymore and what a year it's been.  I'm not sure how I let it pass without recording anything except that it has probably been our busiest one yet.  So here's an attempt to catch up on some of the best and unforgettable moments.

Today my heart is tender as my son began a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  While we have all dreamed of this since he was a little boy, it's hard to believe the day is here.  I couldn't be happier for the choices he has made to give him this opportunity but at the same time my heart aches for the time when he was little and was with me all the time.  I never really understood how much love my heart would hold until I became a mother.  I also never could have comprehended the feelings I have today knowing his bedroom is empty and he won't walk in the door in a few hours.

Elder Blackham has been called to serve in the Texas, McAllen mission speaking Spanish.  We have spent a few wonderful days with friends and family who have come to wish Andrew well.  There has been a tender spirit in our home and many tears have been shed.  On one hand it breaks my heart to see Andrew's younger siblings so sad to see him leave but it is also rewarding to see how much they really all do love each other.  Sometimes in the the midst of real family life it isn't so easy to see the love between your children.

Here are some of the highlights of the last few days.

Andrew's mission farewell

Andrew's friends from school

Grandma Thacker and Grandpa Darrell

4 Generations of Blackhams

Here he is bags packed and ready to go to the MTC!

Saying goodbye...

And last but not least here are some of my favorites from his mission pictures we had taken in the spring.

New York with Jared

A few years ago we took Andrew to Germany to visit my brother.  We told the other kids that we would take them on a trip when they were junior high age trying to make it somewhat fair that we left them at home.  It was Jared's turn and with my brother now living near Albany, New York we decided to go visit him for a week and spend Memorial Day weekend in New York City.  We arrived in New York and stayed overnight before heading to the city.  It was great to see my brother and his wife again and see the beautiful house they own.  We met their beautiful but very large dogs but found them to be some of the gentlest dogs I've ever seen.  Once they get over the excitement of guests arriving that is.  If you weren't prepared you could actually think a small bear was running up to you.  Jared was delighted to try out Ethan's tractor before we left his house.

We tried to leave for the city early enough we could avoid rush hour traffic but either it's always rush hour in New York City or everyone was trying to get in and out of the city for the holiday weekend.  The drive in was a nightmare and for some reason Jared thought it was a great time to become the world's best (or I might say worst) back seat driver.  Needless to say I was thrilled to hand over the car keys to the valet and not touch them again until we left the city.  I think Jason was thrilled to drive Cecilia's "butterfly mobile" through New York City.

  We had just enough time to take a walk through Times Square before heading to the Yankees game.

We arrived back at the hotel late then Jason and I were up early to go for a run in Central Park.  We were surprised to find so many people out and about at all times of day and night.  It really is a city that never sleeps.  We felt a bit out of place running through Times Square to get to the park but as soon as we arrived at Central Park there were lots of other runners.  We enjoyed the views of the massive park and the city.  Once back at the hotel after a quick breakfast and shower we were off to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We were finding quickly that lines were long everywhere and a lot of tourists were there for the holiday weekend.  We were glad we had bought our tickets in advance.  The Statue and grounds were incredible and we enjoyed the history on Ellis Island.

Later in the afternoon we made a quick stop at the 9/11 Memorial.  It was touching and a somber place to visit.  We would like to have visited the museum but were running out of time.  We walked over to the Brooklyn Bridge and found it as crowded as everywhere else.  We walked our legs off that afternoon since the subway didn't go a lot of the places we were going.  We finally just headed back to the hotel and found a nice little Italian place around the corner for dinner and were glad to be off our feet for a bit.

After dinner we walked over to the Lion King.  The show was fantastic and we all enjoyed it.  And Times Square all lit up at night was incredible.

It was close to midnight after the play but knowing that we would be leaving the next day we had to fit everything in.  Since nothing was closing down anytime soon we headed to the M&M and Hershey stores and then to the Emipire State Building.  Finally at the Empire State building we were late enough that a lot of the crowd had dispersed and the wait wasn't too long.  And the view of the city at night was pretty spectacular.

Before leaving the city Sunday we attended church in the same building as the Manhattan Temple.  Then we made a quick stop at Grand Central Station.  That was something I never would have thought to do that my sister in law suggested.  I was glad we did because it was quite impressive.  Then we took a quick walk down 5th Avenue and stopped for a bite to eat in Little Brazil.

We spent the rest of the week at my brother's house and planned on spending the time exploring the beautiful countryside but the weather didn't want to cooperate.  It rained the rest of the week.  We were starting to go a bit stir crazy and finally went to a movie one afternoon.  We enjoyed the time we got to spend with Ethan and Cecilia although they were under a lot of stress at the time and I felt like house guests weren't helping the situation.  We attempted to take them fishing one night but didn't have any luck.  Cecilia was quite happy the next day when it cleared up enough for Jason and Jared to try a stream and they brought home a nice trout to eat.  We were able to drive to the Catskill mountains the last day we were there and enjoy a hike to a waterfall.  We also just enjoyed the beautiful property my brother lives on.  Eight acres with a forest and stream.  Along with driving the tractor Jared learned to drive and ATV, played fetch with the dogs in the river, caught frogs in the pond and identified maple trees in the forest.

Top of Utah Half Marathon 2017

At the beginning of this year I set my goal to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials anticipating that the qualifying period would open this fall.  I knew that meant a trip back to Chicago in October where I felt I had my best chance at running under 2:45 again.  For the winter and spring I picked some shorter local races to keep me motivated to train but keeping my weekly mileage a little lower since I wasn't marathon training.  I picked most of my races off the USATF Utah road racing circuit.  To be honest most of those races were a struggle.  The competition ended up being tough and I was struggling to hit times that had come pretty easy the past couple years.  I was struggling to even place in the top three at most of the races.  I was somewhat discouraged but and even started to wonder if I was starting to slow down a bit with age.  I didn't want to give myself an out by coming up with an excuse but all I knew is that it was feeling harder to run fast and I was a bit slower.

With Chicago getting closer I decided to do everything I could to prepare this summer.  I got my mileage up to where it should be for marathon training and made sure I got all my miles in EVERY day.  I didn't let myself cut anything short.  I started making sure I was getting my core strengthening in, eating right, sleeping right: all the little details.  My training was coming along well and I felt I was still capable of running under a 2:45 although I wondered if trying to run a PR (2:41) would be realistic.

The Top of Utah Half Marathon is always one of my favorite races to run as a tune up for a fall marathon.  Three years ago before Chicago I ran that course in 1:17:44.  I hoped that I could finish close to that time and that would give me the confidence that I would be ready for Chicago.  Since most of my races had been a bit slower this year I decided I would be happy with a low 1:18.

I drove up from Ogden in the morning rather than spending the night in Logan because Jason was gone camping with the scouts and someone had to stay home with the kids.  It meant for and early wake up (3:30 am) but also got me up early enough to get a good breakfast.  The drive to Logan was a little rough and I was wishing I was back in bed.  Once I got to Logan I met up with some friends on the bus and that helped.  At the start line we had some extra time and Thom Keuls and I spent it analyzing our splits from two previous years we had run together.  I was glad to have him there to race with again.

At the start I found a few runners I was expecting who had been beating me in previous races this year.  Nan Kennard took off at the start and although I would love the chance to win that race again I knew I couldn't run the pace she was running so I just had to let her go and stuck to the plan.  Thom was running with me as well as Sariah Long.  The first few miles are a gradual downhill in the canyon and we were hitting mile splits in the 5:50s just like our plan.  A few miles in Sariah fell back because she wasn't feeling well.  That left me in second place and I was grateful Thom was still feeling well enough to run with me.  Nan had disappeared ahead so it was just Thom and I trying to execute our plan.  Miles 5 and 6 towards the bottom of the canyon get quite a bit steeper.  We were also greeted with a strong tail wind blowing us out the bottom of the canyon.  We were able to run those miles and the first one out of the canyon in the 5:40s.  We came through the seven mile split exactly on pace to finish in a high 1:17.  Once we were out of the canyon and it flattened out a bit we settled back into the 5:50s.  I was surprised how comfortable I felt running under six minute miles.  Not that it was easy; I was definitely working hard but I felt strong and felt like I could maintain that pace for a long time.  It was the best I have felt in a race all year.

Around mile 9 Thom was starting to struggle a bit and drop back.  I was shocked to realize that I only had 4 miles left because I was still feeling so strong.  By then the front racers were so spread out that I had to push myself on my own.  I knew I wasn't going to win but just tried to keep the focus on getting the time I wanted.  Miles 11 and 12 are a pretty significant uphill and my only miles over six minutes. When I got to the 12 mile split I glanced at my watch and realized if I could run close to six minutes for the last mile I would finish in a high 1:17.  I was so happy to still be on pace.  The last mile is a gradual downhill.  Gradual enough it doesn't feel downhill but just enough to help you go a bit faster.  I pushed with everything I had left.  I really wanted a good race to boost my confidence going into Chicago.  I shocked myself finishing with a 5:38 last mile and a total time of 1:17:31!

Nan ended up shattering the course record finishing in 1:14.  I've won that race twice with a slower time than I ran this year but you never know who you are going to have to race against.  I was happy with a second place finish in such a talented field.  It was my fastest time on that course.  I've run two other half marathons faster but on courses with much larger elevation drops.  Considering the terrain I was on, I think it is the best half marathon I have ever run.  It was a huge confidence builder that I am ready for Chicago and that I still can run that fast. My goals for Chicago: 6:10-6:15 pace for 26.2 miles.  6:15 gets me back to the Olympic Trials and 6:10 gets me a PR.  A few weeks of training left to sharpen my fitness but the bulk of the training is done and it's time to start tapering.  I'm ready.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I stay healthy and the weather cooperates.  The weather is the biggest factor that I have absolutely no control over.  Bring on Chicago!