NEW MILESTONES TO COME....

Well I am enjoying the changes of the seasons here in South West North Carolina. My husband, Stuart and I took a little adventure yesterday. We packed a picnic and our baby Maya and went for a drive on a country road through Northern Georgia. We stopped at some beautiful waterfalls (I'd love to show you the pictures but our camera battery was dead). The fall foliage was fantastic. We drove to the quaint town of Dahlonega. We fell in love with it. It's a military college town, with tons of shops and restaurants just bustling with activity. We plan to go back week after next for the "Hemlock Festival" and walk around and enjoy the town. We were planning on visiting
Amicalola falls but there was not enough time. We will go back there in several weeks for some nice hiking. We just can't believe there is so much beauty in our own back yard and that since owning this home in the mountains we never really had time on our visits to explore. But now that we are living here full time we are on a mission to find all the great hikes, biking trails, lakes, rivers and scenic drives. I will be reporting on those as we embark on this new journey and I look forward to posting pictures to share with you.
My other big adventures will be traveling throughout Florida in November for many marathon expos for Milestones Jewelry. Check out the calendar on this blog for all our upcoming shows. Then of course I am continuing my running, adding in Pilate's, Yoga and abs and buns classes. My official training for Paris marathon starts December 1st, and goes through the very coldest months in North Carolina. December-March. I could get lucky and get a mild winter and hope that it warms up in March. But that will be another changing of the seasons that I will get to experience by foot up close and personal as I battle the elements of mother nature. I look forward to many Milestones to come in the months that lie ahead.
For my business it will be figuring out if the BIG EXPOS will pay off, and personally the test of my true will and strength through training for my next Marathon.
I leave you with these two great quotes:
“If my ship sails from sight, it doesn't mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.” John Enoch Powell

“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.”
Bob Moawad

In Health,
Melody

CONQUERING CHICAGO MARATHON

Well that's me at the Chicago marathon Expo with famous runner, now writer, Bart Yasso. So it's over now and I'm still on such an endorphin high. 18 hard weeks of training, with a Career change, move to North Carolina, and complete life overhaul thrown in for fun. It was challenging and at times a difficult road to this marathon. But I can tell you, it is so true that marathons are a metaphor for life, you get out of them what you put in. And boy did I get a ton out of my difficulties of training in the steep hills of N.C. It was a very lonely road at times, and I struggled to stay motivated. The mind will play many games with you when you are running alone, in pouring rain for 22 long miles, or 19, or 16 or speed work. I spent more hours running in rain than I care to remember. But I set a PR (Personal Record) by more than 24 minutes. And best of all I was strong in the last 6 miles, something I have never experienced in any of my former marathons. It was freezing cold, coldest day in history of the Chicago marathon. Lucky us, I ran with my brother Eric, his wife Teresa, and their dear friend Bill (that I've seen grow up) and friends Nicole and Sheresa. Everyone set a PR that day. It was glorious.
So many fond memories I will hold forever, like locking arms with my Brother and Bill as we approached the start line. (it took 20 minutes just to get to the start line, good thing it was a chip timed race.)
I dedicated this race to my friend Wendy who is currently battling Brain Cancer. She is a champion and a fighter, and when things got tough I just thought of the strength it takes to go through what she is going through and never ever giving up.
So I will close for now and hopefully have more time for post in the future. As I start now to cross train, biking, weight lifting and swimming and then December 1st start my new 18 week training program for the Paris Marathon. I plan on running for a Charity for that one. Chicago was my only marathon that I did not raise money for Charity. I want to always pay it forward, so if you have any suggestions as to what charity I should raise money for for please e-mail me at info@milestonessportsjewelry.com I have a few in mind that I am very passionate about but would love to hear your feedback, maybe a charity that not too many people do fundraising for, that really needs it.
so I leave you with a quote from the song "If this was your last day" by Nickelback; "EACH DAY IS A GIFT, NOT A GIVEN RIGHT"
Go out there and give it all you got. You never know what you are capable of until you try.
In Health,
Melody