Petzl inspired me...

My boy asked me a great question and i wrote about it HERE.

since then i have been thinking long and hard about people who have inspired me.

i have been blessed with many people who have provided me with inspiration in my life and for each of them i am extremely thankful.  

therefore, i may not write about some.  

but their inspiration lives on in my life and is passed down into my kids' lives.

today though i am going to write about a crazy lady.

Sharon.

we met back in 1997.

She had finished her year at Summit College and we worked at Camp Widjiitiwin.

We were prayer partners for the summer.

lots of laughter, chats and yes, prayer too.

Her camp name was Petzl.

she did the rock climbing.

this is us at the end of the summer.

fast forward to 9 years ago.

we hadn't kept in touch the greatest but she was now married with a little boy and twin girls.

i was married, no kidlets yet.

her babies were a year old and she needed someone to watch her kids.  

she called me up and i went one day a week to hang with the girls while their brother was at school for Junior Kindergarten.

i adored each one of the kids.  

i remember her telling me how she had taken up running after the twins.

(she looked spectacular)

but that was all in passing.

soon after was pregnant with my boy.

i stopped hanging with her kids once my little one was born.

we went to the same church and saw each other now and again.

after my kids were born, and my husband encouraged me to run, i would think back to that very brief conversation about Sharon running.  

one day she sent my husband and i a message about a race we may be interested in.

The Limberlost Challenge.

  My husband loved the idea, i thought the distances were too far.

the next year dan ran the 56km.  

what an amazing trail to run on.  

*my husband inspires me to run.*

over the last couple years as you know, i've become a runner.  

running distances i never thought i'd ever run.

i have seen her at the band on the run held here in town.

and the fun runs in the spring.

we have encouraged each other as we both were training for races and runs.

i have enjoyed our chats and her encouragement.

when i was training for my 40km she was someone who i talked with a lot.  

we were both training and our runs were challenging.

i may never have run the limber lost challenge if she had never sent that email.

i LOVE that trail and am excited to run it again this July.

thanks Petzl for the encouragement and inspiration you have been for all these years.

*first photo taken by someone at Widji.

on a film camera back in '97.

photo in the blog taken of the photo by me with Chester.

2nd photo taken by K.V at '14 band on the run.

posted on Facebook.

mommy, who inspired you to snowboard?

there was fresh snow.

we were out back at our sled hill.

my girl and hubby were down at the bottom.

i was walking up the hill, carrying my ancient snowboard.

my son was sitting at the top putting his board back on so he could take another run down the hill.

we were chatting as i got closer.

i told him how i loved watching his sister ski and him board.

i informed him that i didn't learn to snowboard until i was about 21.

and that was after only downhill skiing a couple times in my life - which i hadn't really enjoyed.

i told him i loved that he was starting out young.

he asked me if i was a good snowboarder..good like him.

i laughed and told him i could stay up - most of the time.  i was good.

then he continued and asked me a question that has stuck with me since that moment.

"mommy, who inspired you to snowboard?"

i told him i couldn't pick anyone specific, but when i first saw the sport i loved it.  

i hadn't like skiing and it looked like skateboarding on snow.  

**i had always wanted to skateboard - but i'm chicken.  

i used to watch the guys (and girls) skate and always wanted to learn but didn't want to get hurt.  

i didn't want to fail. those were some thoughts that passed through my mind but didn't make it to words**

i told him i liked that my feet were together - unlike skiing.

and then i went to college and snowboarding was an activity encouraged and instructed a little and i loved it.

i told him that since i met daddy that he has inspired me to keep trying.

i asked him who inspires him to snowboard?

he shrugged.

i asked if his daddy does.

he smiled his big smile and nodded.  

then down the hill he went.

what a great question.

not just who inspires me to snowboard but, 

who inspires me?

i have actually been thinking about that question for a few weeks and his asking of it has given me the idea.

over the next little while i am going to write a few posts about people who have inspired me in some way or another.

some may be in crazy huge ways, 

others may be some small thing that has stuck with me, 

or some may be just about enjoying this silly thing called life.

i hope as you follow me on this journey it will bring to mind those people who have been an inspiration in your life.

So, as i begin i guess you can say that this post was about the one who inspired me to pursue these future entries.

MY BOY!

thanks kid.

i probably won't share about my husband or my dad - - 

i have told you many times how i've been inspired by them, but who knows where i'll go with this mini series.

*photo taken by me, 

with Gertie.