Marathon Memories

I had an amazing time at the Boston Marathon. Going in, I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Not being a runner myself, I didn't think I'd fully appreciate what a "big deal" it really is. I was happily surprised.



Since airfare from Detroit to Boston was never much less than $400, we decided to drive. Most of you know that driving isn't really my favorite thing to do. But having 24 hours of alone time in the car with my husband was pretty special. We talked about lots of stuff, joked around and also enjoyed some silence and the feeling of just being together.




We stopped at Niagara Falls on both legs of the trip just to get out and stretch our legs. No matter how many times I see the falls I'll still be in awe of God's nature.




We arrived in Boston around 7:30 on Friday night. We found a local Italian place and enjoyed some pasta. Our room at the Courtyard Marriott in Waltham was wonderful. On Saturday morning we slept in then set off to explore Boston.
We walked through the city stopping at some historic sites like the Granary Burying Grounds, where Paul Revere & Sam Adams are buried.



Then we walked through the Boston Commons & Boston Public Garden. We even got to see the first Swan Boats of the season.



One of my favorite things was seeing the "Make Way for Ducklings" Statutes.



Then we went to pick up Derek's number & marathon pack. We ended up spending a couple hours in the convention center. Lunch ended up being free samples of yogurt, power bars & Gatorade! It was fun to just soak in the excitement. Everyone was very friendly, asking if this was our first Boston Marathon, where Derek qualified, and complimenting him on his bib number.



We ended Saturday with dinner at the Union Oyster House. Its America's oldest restaurant. We sat in a room where many Presidents have eaten. (JFK even has a special booth). We looked out the window and could imagine George Washington, Ben Franklin and other heroes of the revolutionary war looking out the same window, seeing redcoats walking by and planning to fight for freedom.



On Sunday, we drove out to Hopkinton, where the race begins. The little town was positively buzzing with excitement. The people there seem to live for this day when all eyes are on them.




In the afternoon we drove out to Salem. We had seen advertisements for the Salem Witch Museum and thought it would be interesting. It turned out to be something less than a wax museum. The History of the Salem Witch Trials is very interesting but I don't recommend the museum. A good book or PBS special would suffice. However, there is an ice cream Parlor in Salem that made the drive worthwhile. If you are ever near there be sure to stop at Treadwell's. It was amazing!



On Monday, we woke up very early. I drove Derek out to Hopinkton State Park so he could get a bus to the starting line.



Then I drove into Boston and parked at a garage near the finish line. At that point I still wasn't sure whether I was going to try to take a train or bus to the half way point then try to get back to the finish or not. I started asking random people and the consensus was that if you wanted to see the finish you needed to stake out a spot ASAP.

So I bought a little folding camp chair from Walgreen's and took my spot at approx. mile 26. Even the two hours of watching an empty street wasn't boring. I got to know the people around me. Everyone has a special story about how they ended up in Boston and who they were watching.



Then the wheelchair racers started to finish. I can't really describe the emotion at seeing them at the finish. Some were exhausted, they'd stop and look around with this smile on their face that still leaves a lump in my throat when I think about it. Others zoomed by, only focused on the finish line.




Shortly after that the Elite Women finished. The woman's race was so close. Only two seconds separated 1st & 2nd place. Desiree Davila, from Rochester MI, finished in second as the top American Woman.



A little while after that, Geoffery Mutali flew by. The cheer when he came into sight was so loud. Then, after he whizzed past, everyone just looked around with their mouths hanging open. It was so fast. Turns out it was the fastest marathon ever recorded 2:02. (The Boston Course doesn't qualify for World Record Status because its not a loop course and due to the elevation levels over the course and the tailwind.) When Ryan Hall, the top American male finished in 4th and in US Record time, the crowd went wild.




I had to wait another hour and a half for Derek to finish but in that time I saw all sorts of runners. People that were so excited to be there, they didn't seem to want the race to end, running from sideline to sideline giving high-fives or kissing girlfriends.



There were People who didn't look like they'd finish the race. Several people collapsed and had to be helped back up by other runners. One runner had a friend on either side of him and he was doing all he could to just keep moving his feet forward. The crowd yelled support: "You can do it! You can make it!" I am still tearing up as I think back to the emotion I was feeling for complete strangers.



I had been following Derek's progress all along via the text updates. When I got the first text showing a pace of 7:16, I thought it sounded good. I knew that he didn't want to go out too fast. But with the second & third updates showing that his pace was getting even slower, I knew he wasn't having a good race.

He had high hopes. Everyone wants to come to Boston and run a PR. Derek trained over 800 miles at a sub seven-minute pace. He figured he had a chance to run a sub 3 hour marathon. But it wasn't his day. Around 1:45pm I was getting a little nervous, even at the slower pace, I was expecting to see him before then. I started praying for his health and safety. Then once of my new friends spotted him in the crowd. "Hey, is that your husband?!?" Yes, relief. He was moving pretty slow but he was still running. He didn't look about to collapse. Although, he didn't look to be enjoying the experience either. I couldn't get his attention. He was focused on the finish line.



When I got to him after the race, I could see the disappointment, and pain, on his face. This wasn't the race he came to run. But, I am so proud of him. The determination and guts it takes to run a marathon speaks so much more than the results of the race itself. Sometimes finishing is hard than winning.



I love him so much. I love the adventures he takes me on. I have experienced things I would never have done on my own. I am a better person because I am Derek's wife.

Boston Bound

I haven't forgot that I have a blog, I've just been too busy living life to write about it. LOL!

We've got the first Dance Competition under our belt. Like a Prayer (Group Open) received High Gold, Everyone Needs a Little (Lyrical Solo)took a disappointing Gold but was only 2 points from High Gold.

Tonight is Nate's Swim Team Banquet. Even though he's been done swimming for a few weeks, the older swimmers have a longer season. Our team did really well in the State Championships, Zone Championships and Nationals. It's fun to get back together and celebrate with the whole team.

Tomorrow Derek & I leave for Boston. I am so excited to watch him run this marathon. It's the culmination of several years of training and persistance. I am so proud of him for what he has already accomplished, this is just the icing on the cake.

Please pray for safe travels and injury free running.

I'll update the Blog with results when we get back and then there will be Easter pictures and more dance competition, and the rest of life stuff. (Maybe even a video of Max riding around the block with no training wheels if I can figure out how to get it from Derek's phone to my blog.)

You can go back home

We spend Friday & Saturday in Derek's hometown. His Mom's side of the family held a family reunion on Saturday afternoon. This reunion was somewhat bittersweet since it was the first one since his Mom passed away. In fact, the last family reunion 3 years ago was the last time we saw her. I knew this reunion was important to Derek when he passed up a triathlon to attend. Of course with Derek that doesn't mean he couldn't race!



On Saturday morning, Crystal, MI held its annual Run The Lake 5 mile race followed by a 3 mile race. Derek decided to do both! He came in 2nd in the 5 mile (1st in his age group) and he came in first in the 3 mile! Max and I arrived just in time to see him win the 3 mile race.




(for anyone who wonders where Crystal, MI is its the star on the MI hand)

In the afternoon, we joined the family out at the pond on the Taylor family farm. Derek spent some time catching up with his brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. While I kept an eye on the kids out in the pond.




It was a good day. We don't always do a very good job keeping up with family. But no matter how long its been, you can go back home.

Bayshore Marathon 2010

Derek headed up to Traverse City this weekend for his 3rd Marathon and his second attempt to qualify for Boston.



It was a hot morning to be running on Saturday. He needed a time of 3:20:59 to qualify for Boston. Here are his results:

Derek Dexter #1656
Age: 41 Gender: M
Chip Time 3:27:26
Overall Place 194 / 1497
Gender Place 171 / 899
Division Place 36 / 165
Total Pace 7:55/M

He missed it by less than 7 minutes! He is disappointed with the results and already thinking about either the Detroit or Grand Rapids Marathon for October to try again for Boston in the spring. I know he can do it!

But more importantly, I'm proud of him for what he's already done. Not that many people finish a Marathon. Way to go honey!

Happy Birthday Derek

This post is to wish a happy birthday to the man of the house. As most of you know, we don't have "traditional gender roles" in our home. I am the "breadwinner" while Derek is the "home maker." Well let me tell you, in my opinion, it takes a real man to be a home maker. He homeschools the kids (and if you've met my boys you know that's no easy task), does virtually all of the cooking & cleaning, takes care of the finances, repairs the cars, cuts the grass, serves on the board of directors of the swim team, is an elder in the church and does it all with a great attitude. I couldn't hope to accomplish half of what he does most days. He's a great example to our children that real men follow God's calling for their lives even if it isn't typical and isn't glamorous.

Happy Birthday, Babe! I hope you have a great day. You deserve it.

Four Twenty Eight Day

Today Derek & I celebrated 4:28 Day. You might be wondering if you missed a holiday, but don't worry this is one we totally made up.

Derek & I met at summer camp. With no radios allowed at camp, we didn't have an "our song" so Derek came up with the idea of setting his watch alarm to go off at a certain time everyday. We picked 4:28 because I was born in April (4) and Derek's birthday is the 28th of December. When the summer was over and we were headed back to our respective colleges (500 miles apart), Derek bought me a matching watch and set it to go off every day at 4:28. Our wedding even started at exactly 4:28. We don't do the watch thing anymore but we do celebrate 4:28 Day.

Derek called me at work at 4:28. When I got home I found a vase full of Daisies on the table. We ate left-over lasagna. Then while Kaylee was at ballet, Derek & the boys & I went to the high school track. Derek ran 5 miles while I ran 1.5. (I won't tell you how many times he lapped me). The boys played soccer in the in-field while we were running. After we picked Kaylee up from ballet, she watched the boys for an hour while Derek & I went on a "hot date." Our "hot date" consisted of going to Sonic for a limeade (my first time- yummy!) and Meijer to buy milk. Exciting, huh?

Well, even if we aren't exciting or incredible romantic. It's still fun to hold on to a little of our youth and remember when we were first in love.

Unexpected Help

I usually post about the wild and crazy things that Nate does, so this post is a nice change of pace. On Saturday, Max was being kind of whiney while I was on the phone. He was pulling on my leg and just being a typical two year old that wants attention.

Hoping for a few minutes of peace, I asked Max, "where is Daddy or Kaylee?" Then I got a bit of unexpected, but very welcome, help. Nate heard the discussion and on his own asked Max if he wanted to go outside with him and even offered to give him a tractor ride (which is Max's favorite thing)!

I was so pleased with Nate. He may be a bit of a wild child but he has a heart of gold. He made both his Mom and his little brother very happy.

*



*(This picture is actually from last fall- I didn't take pictures yesterday because I was enjoying the Max-free phone call!)

Stinky Pictures

Wondering what this giant cement thing is? Well, it used to be our front porch. Turns out the sewer line was connected to the house under the porch so we had to rip the porch out to get to it.





The sewer line was packed solid with roots. The city inspector said its the worst he's ever seen.





This is what our yard looks like this morning with the hole filled back in.

Still trying to look at the positive, this repair and the landscaping that obviously needs to be done will be good for the "sellability" of the house. We are still planning to list it in the spring. New sod & a new porch will definitely help the curb appeal. And having the sewer repair already done should help make the house more marketable.

Well, This Stinks! (Literally.)

Well, we are having quite the adventure at the Dexter House this week. We live in an older neighborhood. Our house was built in the 60s. One of the things I love about the neighborhood are the mature trees. I especially love the tree in our front yard in fall. (I can't resist putting my favorite picture here even though I've posted it before):



The thing is mature trees and older sewer lines don't get along too well. We've been having to roto-rooter (is that a real word?) the lines more and more frequently in the last couple years, so we knew that the time was coming when it would have to be replaced. Two weeks ago Derek roto-rootered the line hoping to make it to summer or at least spring.

Unfortunately, it didn't buy us anytime at all. And like most things of this nature, the timing of it really wasn't convenient at all. (Of course I have a hard time even imagining a time when sewage backing up in your bathroom & laundry room is convenient.)

This experience has left me counting my blessings. I'm thankful that I live where we have indoor plumbing and running water. There are people in the world today (not even all in third world countries) that do not have these necessities. Additionally, God has blessed us with wonderful friends. Andy & Denise let us stay with them this weekend and Mandy is keeping the kids tonight and tomorrow while the repairs are done.

So while my downstairs literally stinks, my life does not and I'm thankful for the experiences that remind me to be grateful.

Aren't they cute?

When I arrived back home after a quick trip to the store to get diapers this is what I discovered:



Aren't they cute? They all fell asleep watching Food Network, which is the newest fad at our house. Now I need to move them all to beds so I can have the couch to watch the season premier of Ace of Cakes.

Oh & ignore the unfinished trim on the wall in the background. The family room is Derek's latest project and its on the same time frame as the kitchen was on.

I now live with an old guy

Yesterday Derek turned 40! Since I'm still in my 30s for a couple more years I get to tease him about it for a while. I don't think he really cares though. He got to have carrot cake for breakfast and I took him to the GLI Hockey Tournament as a birthday present. Pretty low key day but I hope he had fun. I mean as much fun as an old guy can have. Love ya Babe!

Detroit Marathon 2008

I'm so proud of Derek. He finished his first marathon today. His dedication and training really showed!

Here he is at the o'dark-thirty start.


Here he is at mile 25 finishing strong.


Here are his results:

Distance MARATHON
Chip Time 3:25:45
Overall Place 414 / 12568
Gender Place 367 / 6012
Division Place 65 / 936
Pace 7:52

He's a little disappointed that he didn't qualify for Boston. He missed it by less than 5 minutes- but for a first timer- he was amazing!

I was able to cheer him on at the 10, 12 & 25 mile marks. What surprised me is how I felt standing on the side lines cheering. Encouragement isn't generally one of my spiritual gifts, but I really got into the cheering. And the reactions the runners had to the cheering was really neat. You could see the concentration on their faces while they ran and that having someone yell for them really lifted their spirts. We got a lot of "thanks" from the runners especially at the 12 & 25 mile marks. At the 25 mile mark I was on my own on the sidelines cheering. The runners didn't come in bunches so I could really cheer for each person and they knew I was cheering just for them. There were a couple people walking at that point and I really admired the determination- I kept saying "you can do it!" I'm not usually an emotional person but I found myself choking up several times. This experience was outside of my norm on a couple levels and what a blessing!

Here is a link to the photo album for more pictures http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=16j5lt8m.2kb59uja&x=0&y=xxbws2&localeid=en_US

How do I know my husband loves me?

He just sent me this picture. Its not a stock picture. Those are real cookies, sitting on my kitchen counter. And they aren't just any cookies. They are my all time favorite Oatmeal-Banana-Chocolate Chip cookies.

I love that man!

The Grass is always Greener

You know that saying "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?" Well in our case its generally true. Neither Derek nor I are big lawn people. I mean we keep the grass mowed and the yard generally tidy, but we don't water, fertilize, etc to get that green plush yard some people really like. The problem is we live between two people who do. It makes our yard look all the worse, but its just not a priority for us in either time or money.

This morning we came across an interesting dilemma. When I left for work, the neighbor lady was out putting fertilizer on our lawn. I said "hello?" with a question in my voice and she responded with a "hello." Then there was an akward silence for a moment before I got in my car and left.

I really wasn't sure what to say. I'd like to think she was doing it as a random act of kindness- but my gut instinct was that it wasn't that. Derek said she's also put some sort of spray on our side yard (completely killing the grass there). She told Derek there were grubs- but Derek had a lawn service come out and they said there were no grubs (nor any evidence of dead grubs). Truth is our yard probably could use a little more care, but I'm bothered by a neighbor taking it upon herself to do with without our permission.

So I'm not sure- should I thank her or ask her not to do it again? She frequently suggested we should cut down our two large trees because she doesn't like the leaves in the fall. Derek is afraid if we give her any encouragement about lawn care we might come home one day to find our trees gone.

What do you think? I'd really appreciate some comments on how to handle this.

Father of the Year

That time of year again -- Time to name the Father of the year! Drumroll........ The envelope, please. And the award goes to.....


Derek!!!

[wild applause]

O.k. he was kind of a shoo-in. But really he does deserve the award. He is an amazing husband and father. Although, this year he's lucky the award ceremony occurs in the morning, before church. You see.... he lost the baby today.*

I was teaching the two year old class. Right at pick up time, one little boy had to go to the bathroom, but his parents weren't there yet. So I took him to the bathroom and on the way I saw Derek standing outside of Nate's classroom door holding Max.

What a great Dad, I thought. He's right on top of it picking up the kids from their classes. The little boy finished his business and I got him to his parents and then went to find my brood. I found Derek standing in the same spot with neither boy. I inquired as to their whereabouts and the response was--

"I haven't pick up Nate and I'm not sure where Max is."

"HUH?!? You aren't sure?"

"Welllllll..... He was here a minute ago."

So off I go on a frantic search. First, the parking lot. No, thank God. Then the bapistry, no, again thank you, Lord. I made a complete circuit with no luck and ended back at the same spot where I left Derek. And where he stood, still chatting. At that point, I almost lost wife of the year award, suggesting in a none too nice voice that since he lost the baby, he should probably help look for him.

At that point I also realized we'd never picked up Nate. And since Nate is one of the best at getting lost in church- he could probably be helpful in finding his little brother. So I went to Nate's classroom and low and behold--- I find both boys with the very sweet teacher whom I about kissed.

Kaylee and her friends showed up then to play with Max and Nate took off to find Daddy. On the way, he ran into the worship leader and I saw them have a conversation in which the worship leader looked a bit perplexed so I just had to ask what Nate told him. Here's what Nate said:

"If you see my Dad tell him that we found Max and he's with me."

The reason for the perplexed look was that the worship leader hadn't known Max was lost but could clearly see that he wasn't with Nate at the moment either.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Derek took the boys to a playground, while Kaylee had youth group and I visited a friend in the hospital. Tonight, he snuggled Max to sleep. It may not have been the best day of his fatherhood, but He's still definitely Father of the Year around here!

*For the record- Derek says that Max wasn't really lost. Just temporarily misplaced.

Pop Quiz

Question: Who would ride their bicycle during a Tornado Warning?

Answer:


Just call him Danger Man! Now, you know where my boys get it from.

In all fairness, the skies were bright blue and sunny when he left the house. Tonight's storms came up suddenly and severe. Derek took shelter on the porch of an insurance building (ironic!) during the worse of it- then quickly headed to a friends house to call me to let me know he was o.k. and he let me come pick him up instead of riding it out so we're all good here. (He would have much preferred to forgo the phone call and finish the ride but after 15 years of marriage he knows how to keep his wife happy.)

Root Canal!

Sorry I skipped posting yesterday. I was planning on posting about Kaylee's weekend adventure. But I got called home from work by Derek.

He had a throbbing toothache on Tuesday and had an appointment first thing Wednesday morning. We had decided that Kaylee could babysit for the hour (the dentist is right around the corner) so I went to work. But by 10am Derek called to tell me he was having an emergency root canal at 11:15- could I come home? Thankfully, God has given me a great job with a wonderful boss, who agreed I should go home and wished Derek a quick recovery.

Derek is feeling much, much better today. I'll try to get Kaylee's weekend post up later tonight. I also have a post for Max's weekend but I need to get pictures from my Mom first- its one you have to see.

DH

Rounding out the cast of characters- I'd like you to meet the Stay-At-Home-Dad ("SAHD") a.k.a. "DH" (Dear Husband- in the online world).



Derek is a faithful Christian. He's a loving father. He's an amazing husband. He's incredibly intelligent, and sort of goofy. (Most people don't get his incredibly dry sense of humor- but it cracks me up!)



Stay-at-home Dad doesn't really describe him because they rarely stay home. He prefers "recovering engineer." When Nate was born, Derek & I started feeling the pressure of having two careers and two kids. Because of the age span, they needed different child care- so I'd take Kaylee to school and pick her up and he'd take Nate to day care and pick him up, then we'd meet back at the house around 6:45pm and decide where to go out to dinner because we were both too tired to cook. It got old fast. Real fast. Like a month into the deal Derek said "This is crazy! One of us should stay home and raise these kids." And I said "Be my guest."

He took the challenge and in his usual way has gone beyond anyone's expectations. A year and a half into being home, we decided to start homeschooling. Then if that wasn't enough to keep him busy, he convinced me to have another baby!

I'm so thankful for Derek. Not many guys could do what Derek does and I'm incredibly blessed to have him as my husband and partner.