Newest Chapter of my Life!

So much has changed since this spring when I got proposed to by my best friend, Jake Reed, on April 10th. Jake and I planned our wedding with the help of our family, doing as much as we could by ourselves. After we got through graduation, I was freaking out about taking boards. Jake was working at J. Crew and I was babysitting 3 kids 45 hours week all while trying to find a place to live after the wedding, studying for boards, and planning all the small details of the wedding. Life was pretty crazy for a while! I took boards on July 6th, and I PASSED! Thank the Lord! I started my new job on the Oncology Unit at Lynchburg General Hospital on July 18th and it has been a huge blessing!

On August 13th, all of our wedding planning came together to create a beautiful wedding on a beautiful day in northeast Iowa. The wedding and the reception was better than I ever could have imagined it to be and Jake and I both had a blast, as well as most of our guest from what I could tell.

After the wedding, Jake and I took a honeymoon to Mexico, which was a wonderful time at an all-inclusive resort. We went snorkeling and rode lots of ziplines and other fun stuff in the Mexican jungle.

Now, we are back to the daily grind, trying to get used to the 'real life' outside of school. I can't say I miss being in school at all, and even though I miss my teammates, training for my first 50 mile ultramarathon, Mountain Masochist, on November 5th, is a nice change of pace.

I am still on orientation at work and tomorrow I start working my actual shift, 3-11 pm and I start working on my own October 2nd (prayers will be appreciated!).

Jake has a new job with The Aid Station, a new running store here in town and last night was his last night at J. Crew and today was his first day with The Aid Station. He is still taking classes online for his Masters degree in Special Education.

That about sums up life in the new Reed household! Keep posted for updates!

Results

Results from past races...

Big South 3k - 3rd place, 10:07 (PR!)

Big South 5k - 1st place, 17:21 (Almost PR!)
*** Led this race from start to finish! Knew I had to do this if I wanted to win so I went for it! I felt great and it went by fast and was a ton of fun!

BOSTON!

7th place, first in my heat. Felt great again but had some issues with the 'crowds' (which I DO NOT like). PR'd with a 17:13!

Raleigh Relays - first 10k of the season!

3rd place, 35:15 - 1 1/2 minute PR!
*** ran the first 5k easy in 18 flat. I felt great up to 10 laps to go - my breathing was easy and my legs felt good. Then I took off...started running 82's and 83's per lap instead of 86's like I had been doing. Still felt good although it definitely got harder. I wanted to finish knowing I had given it all! my second 5k was 17:15...2 seconds from a 5k PR! If I hadn't been boxed in, I know I would have PR'd. Oh well...I'll save a big 5k PR for the DRAKE RELAYS!

I was supposed to race the 1500 (short, I know!) at Coastal during spring break but I got sun poisoning and it took a few days for me to recover from that so I opted out of racing that. However, I will be racing the 1500 next week at Lynchburg College. I'm hoping for a big PR (again!).

BOSTON!

Because I FINALLY qualified for ECAC's after 3 years of trying, I am headed to Boston tomorrow! We are leaving at 7am but won't get there until sometime in the afternoon. It will be a long day of traveling but so worth it! Especially since my Mom, Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt and Uncle will be there! I am so excited to see them all! Dad is staying home with the kids, but I wish he could come too. My running has changed a lot since December and I have to say, it is all because of my amazing man, Jake Reed! He has kinda become like a personal coach for me and he knows what he's talking about when it comes to running so it has been good....real good! He has had me bump up my mileage from 60 to 70+ a week and plus has created some amazing workouts for me that are actually pretty long, but when I run them with him, they really aren't that bad and I enjoy them.

Anyway, I am super excited to be heading to Boston tomorrow and I know it is going to be a great trip! Now, to get some homework done before I leave... :/

the LAST semester

I graduate in less then 3 months. I am so excited! Trying to figure out what I am doing AFTER graduation hasn't been so easy, although that is exciting too! As for now, my plan is to stay in Lynchburg for the month of June studying like crazy for the NCLEX, and then go back home to Iowa to take the NCLEX the beginning of July. Who knows, that plan might change 10 times between now and then!

Right now I am in Clemson, SC for my last indoor Big South Conference meet. In a few hours, I will be racing the 3k. Tomorrow, I race the 5k. Last Saturday, I raced the 5k at V-Tech and had a 16 second PR and qualified for ECAC's in Boston.

I only have class on Thursdays and the classes are pretty easy. So, my last semester has kinda been a breeze but I have been keeping busy. One of my favorite things about this semester is being able to have lunch with Jake on the dock of Ivy Lake, a lake that Liberty owns. So fun! and we have had beautiful weather lately - 60's and 70's - and it's so fun to be able to spend time outside.

Well, time to go get ready to race! I'll check in later!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I am enjoying being home with my family, although I am missing a certain someone in Ohio! :-) We had an interesting trip home from Virginia, driving through a snowstorm. We made it without any problems though. My time at home so far has been filled with spending time with my family, running, and...spending more time with family! We have gotten a ton of snow here and it is just beautiful out, although I did notice the other day while I was running that we only saw the sun once this week and there was a tiny bit of blue sky in the eastern horizon this morning, otherwise the sky has been white...along with everything else because of the snow. At least the temperature is bearable! We are now waiting for our Christmas feast to finish baking and then after we eat and dishes are done, we are opening presents! We only wish Brodie and his family could be with us today.

Have a blessed day!

Halloween

My new love.....Boone, NC

Snuggled in our sleeping bags!
making s'mores

David 'warming' his butt ?????
At Cove Manor with Bass Lake in the background


Cone Manor - amazing mansion! We ran here from Bass Lake on Saturday and then came back Sunday for a while before we headed back to Lynchburg.
Josh and Jake petting the friendly calf.
Khristina was ready to fight the cows! Enjoying the pizza we waited almost 2 hours for....was it worth it??? I guess...

The beginning of our wait for the pizza. 30 minutes outside, 1 hr 45 minutes at our table...yeah INSANITY! Elk Falls! We wanted to go swimming (and Jake wanted to jump off the falls) but the water was freezing so we settled for an ice bath.



Sunrise on the first morning

Driving through the mountains! Absolutely gorgeous!
Grandfather Mountain (above)
chilling out the sunroof..... :-)

All of us at Elk Falls.