Dan and Megan will be getting married this coming Saturday, July 20! Lots of planning. Lots of stress! Lots of fun! Running has also always been a big part of this family, and now that Megan has converted from swimming to running, it will be no different this week. We are already planning on a Pre-wedding run on Friday. I remember back in college one of my teammates was getting married, and the morning of their wedding they had a “run for the bride” 5k. Whoever won, got to marry the bride! Of course, they cheated, and the groom got almost a mile head start in the car though!
Like I say, the running is tradition. Megan gave me this shirt for Father’s Day when she was in college. “I’m a runner Dad…Just like a normal Dad, accept much cooler!” How true!
We got to practice taking pictures in Mid-June for my niece’s wedding. Now everybody will be getting together again for Megan and Dan’s wedding. Smile!!
No matter what, it will be a beautiful, memorable day. Just have to remember to keep everything in perspective. The wedding is one day, but the marriage is for a lifetime. I can’t wait to see my 3-year-old grandson “dancing” up a storm later that night. It is time for the family to get together, have fun, and celebrate the beginning of a new life together for Megan and Dan. I can’t wait to walk her down the aisle. It was a moment I will always remember when I got to walk Molly down the aisle 5 years ago. Proud Dad! Keep moving everybody!
This week of July 4 started out Monday evening on July 1 with the Freedom 5K Run/Walk. We had a good crowd, and a few sprinkles, which really helped compared to previous years when it typically would be 90 degrees. It was good running weather. The Reiffenberger clan came away with Medals, with Sarah and I getting first in our age group, and our daughter Megan getting second in her age group.
Then Thursday, on the 4th, our run club met and ran almost 5 miles with our patriotic gear on, carrying flags. It has become a tradition. Even a police car went by us and flashed their lights and sirens for us!
It was our holiday to work as well, so clinic kept us busy. Rain delayed the fireworks shows, which only made our dog Dakota happy. We helped move our daughter Molly, and son-in-law Tanner into their new house that they built. The only bad part of this is the grandkids were gone with the other grandparents, so we did not get to see them. But they sent a picture of them in their patriotic garb as well.
So hopefully you had a good holiday. Hopefully the rain did not put a damper on all of your plans. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and hopefully the weather is going to get warmer and less rain! Stay active. There are always ways to keep trying. Participate. Practice. Just get out the door and go! Keep moving everybody!
We all deal with stress. The question comes down to how do we deal with it? What coping mechanisms do we have to cope with stress, and not let it take over our day, or our lives? Exercise, and especially running, has always been my go-to escape for dealing with stress. It gives me time to think. It lets me burn off frustrations. It has been a great coping mechanism. But what else can help?
For me, going out to take pictures the last 5 years has been a great escape. I look at things differently now. Sunrise and sunsets all have something different to offer each day. Sometimes it is just relaxing to sit back and watch how everything continually changes. It is time to just relax, think, and realize what went right for the day, and what did not go right. How can I change it going forward? We all make mistakes. Continually dwelling on them changes nothing, except waste our time, limit our sleep, and ruin our day. Sometimes you just need to put in the Disney movie “Frozen” and keep repeating to yourself to “let it go!”
Spending time with friends who enjoy doing the same things as you is great for reducing stress. When run club goes out for our weekly runs, it is also a therapeutic time to “unload” other issues that have come up in the week, and you realize everybody else is having similar issues, or at least issues to deal with on their own. We can all help problem solve together.
Spending time with Sarah is also a great escape. We just need to figure out how to do this more often. Work at times becomes all consuming, and it is hard to just figure out some time to unwind and relax, and just do something for fun. It can be a struggle many days, but you have to be able to keep trying to commit to it. Otherwise, the stress builds up until you “blow up”.
Then, of course, comes family. The grandkids are a game changer. How can you not let stress melt away when you have someone clinging on to you that is all smiles and giggles? Connor was similar when he was this age too, but right now, Tessa is just such a bundle of fun that you automatically forget all of the other “crap” that went on for the day, or the week, and you can just enjoy the moment! I have no other words to describe it. It you don’t have grandkids yet, then you will just have to trust me on this one.
Every day is a new adventure. Every day is different. Get out and enjoy it. Tough moments will come up, but then the good things do too, and make up the difference in a hurry. Rely on those escape mechanisms. Get out and move. Spend time with family and friends. In other words, “LIVE”! Keep moving everybody!
What do you do when you want to go workout and you have the grandkids for the weekend? You have them join in! It is never too early to get them going. Sarah and I had a good time, and so did Connor. It also made the workout more fun for us as well. He had to get involved with every part of it, including stretching!
Whenever Sarah and I are doing hamstring lifts, we are usually giving each other some back support so we don’t lift up off the bench. We had a great back supporter this weekend!
He had to get in on the triceps’ dips as well…
Connor was also great at helping with the sit-ups, including doing them himself!
He could not let grandpa and grandma do this on our own, but he did think it was funny when Sarah and I were trying to show off our muscles…
Once again, we had a great weekend with the grandkids. Pretty soon Tessa will be out there with us too. It is never too early to start getting them involved in their own health. They can participate and help and have fun too. We definitely had more fun as well! Whether walking, biking, using weights, it does not matter. Get them out moving as well. They want to be involved. They will mimic what they see. Get them into a pattern early, and at the same time, the effort you are doing will allow you to be around longer to spend time with them as well. The family that works out together, gets to spend more time enjoying life together! Keep moving everybody!
Happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there! As a “Dad”, we may have our own kids, or we are “Dad” to our pets, nieces, nephews, whatever the case may be. We are important to somebody out there, so remember that. This day is for you! Enjoy it! Take it all in, and for all it is worth too.
Yesterday, my niece, Grace, got married, and all of my siblings, and my mom, made it to the wedding. My girls made it, but Nick could not get off. He will be here when Megan gets married next month. It was great seeing everyone again, and especially when it comes to the kids, and how big they have all gotten! We took some sibling pictures as well. Good, bad, or otherwise, we are all changing too! The look on my mom’s face when she got to see her granddaughter right before the wedding…words can’t describe. She decided at the last minute she had to get there and was not going to miss it!
No matter what, we are all still family! We all start having health issues as we get older. You need to enjoy all of those times together while you can. You never know what the future has in store.
It will be Nick and Hannah’s turn for a wedding in October. We have a lot of times for family getting together this year!
I am looking forward to walking Megan down the aisle in a month. It is so nice to see your kids happy! Maybe Meg and I will have to do what we do, and literally “run” down the aisle!
Megan gave me this shirt for Father’s Day over 5 years ago. I still love it. “I’m a Runner Dad. Just like a normal Dad, accept much cooler.” Right on Megan! Megan has really gotten into running now, so at least every Sunday, we are always running together. Maybe we will have to have a morning run the day of the wedding just to get all the “nerves” out of our system. See what you think Meg!
Of course, our grandkids were there too. Tessa is always smiling, and Connor was dancing up a storm all evening out on the floor. Good times, and even better times lay ahead.
Our clan was started by us 30 years ago. A lot of things have changed in that time. Instead of 2 daughters and a son, we are now going to be having 3 sons and 3 daughters. Does it really get any better than that? And the grandkids…what a game changer! I love being called grandpa! I have said from the start they are like potato chips…you can’t have just one! Looking forward to the upcoming years and all the changes involved with it. Just remember to spend time with them while you can. Take care of yourself. Keep working on your health so you can spend as much time with them as you can. Keep moving everybody!
