Traveling to the Original Indy

In four weeks from today we will board a plane bound for India. We will be sight seeing, teaching English accent reduction, talking about our jobs and most importantly sharing our faith.

Many of you already know about our trip. It has been in the planning stages for over six months, but now it is right around the corner. We will spend our time in a few big cities in Northern India. From the time we leave to the time we get back will total 15 days. Unfortunately, we are not expecting to have internet or phone access while we are away. But we are bringing a camera and will certainly have many photos and adventures to tell you about when we get back. I am personally excited that the holidays will be starting just a week after we return – lots of good quality time to share stories.

While we get ready for the trip, pray that God would prepare our heart and minds. Of course pray for safe travels, we will really be racking up the frequent flier miles. There will be seven people total in the group, plus locals we will be able to meeting, tour and work with. We have only met two of them before, pray for unity and the ability for everyone to be on the same page. Pray that I can handle all the spicy food and that we stay healthy. Pray for those we will meet, that they would be open to listening. And pray that we do not lean on our own understanding, but in all that we do lean on Jesus and let him direct our path (Prov 3:5-6).

We look forward to it, are a little bit nervous, but will certainly grow a lot!

Triathablondes

It is stretching it to say I am a blonde, but Oct 5 I was part of the tri team, the Triathablondes.  Kristin, Steph and I were a relay team for the Susan Bradley-Cox Tri for Sight.  We had great fun posting a 2:09:44.  Great job girls!

Jen, Steph and Kristin the Triathablondes
Jen, Steph and Kristin: The Triathablondes

Pablo’s twin?

So I have wondered about Pablo and his origins since I first saw him…well, I found his twin, who is also a stray so I am no more knowledgeable than before.  I found this little guy at the Cave Run Story Telling Festival the last weekend in September.

Can you tell which one is Pablo?
Can you tell which one is Pablo?

Now Faster Than Ever

Today was the most exciting race I have run since high school. Last year I arbitrarily set a goal that I wanted to run a 5K race at a 7min/mile pace. 5 kilometers is 3.106 miles, so that comes to 21 minutes and 45 seconds as a total time, which also incidentally was a full 25 seconds faster than my personal record (PR).

It was an ambitious goal. I started the year not too hard. After my first race and running it in nearly 24 minutes, I realized I really needed to buckle down. So I had some good hard runs with Jason and many just by myself. Over the summer I started tracking my practice runs and trying to reduce the time it would take me to run 3 miles not in a race environment. In practice on July 26th, I ran the first 2 miles under the 7 minute pace. I knew my goal was achievable. And then in a race, just two weeks later I surprised myself by getting a PR, running the Mid-Summer Night’s Run in 21:58. I was disappointed I didn’t hit my goal time, but I only had 13 more seconds to shave off.

Today at the Spoonbread Festival 5K in Berea, KY I started out very fast. My first mile was in the 6:20 range. Way too fast for me, and I knew I would be hurting was using too much energy by running too fast. The second mile I slowed down to right around 7 minutes. Right where I needed to be, and I knew that I had given myself some wiggle room with the super fast first mile. My goal was achievable but, I expended so much energy in the first mile, it could come back to haunt me. On the other hand, I had given myself a 30 second advantage, that could give me some wiggle room if I started to struggle. The trick was now, not to depend on that extra 30 seconds because a slow mile could eat that up quickly. The last mile I started to feel that speedy first mile coming back to haunt me plus there were some long uphills. But I knew this was my chance to hit my goal, so I refused to be distracted, tucked my head down and kept running heard!

When I crossed the finish line the clock read 21:34! Wow, I had done it. I beat my goal by 11 seconds, and my PR, set just about a month ago, by 24 seconds! I even got first place in my age group! Turns out God made my body faster than I thought.

First Bike Trek

I have enjoyed riding my bike this summer, so much so that I signed up for a bike event September 13 and 14 called Bike Trek to Shakertown.  For those of you familiar with Kentucky, the ride starts in Harrodsburg and meanders through the bluegrass for a 30 to 35 miles each day (for the beginners that is).  This will be my first official bike event.  I am pretty excited about it and hope my legs are up for it!

Proceeds from the ride benefit the American Lung Association to support the fight against lung disease, which I am glad to back because my grandmother died of a lung disease.  My goal is to raise $200.  So far I have $110.  If any of you want to assist me in my cause to help me reach my goal, I would be very grateful.  You can easily make a pledge online at my personal fundraising page:  http://www.petervcook.com/biketrek or write a check to the American Lung Association and get me the check so I can send it in with my biker ID number to credit for it.

Keep an eye out for a follow up post about how the trek went…I am sure I will have something to say about it!

Trust Fund Set Up

A trust fund has been set up for Hannah and Lillian. You can contribute by visiting SunTrust bank branch, or if you don’t live near a SunTrust bank, you may mail a check the nearest branch made out to the “Cook Family Benefit Fund for Hannah Emery”. To find your nearest branch, call 1-800-SUNTRUST and press 0 to talk to a person. The gifts will be collected and given to Hannah and Lillian in the not too distant future.

Visitation Information for Jason Emery

We have received a tremendous amount of support and many people have extended their condolences. Friends of Jen and I, people who have never met Jason, and people who knew Jason, but never met Jen and I. We have been really surprised by the shear number of people who have called, emailed and left comments.

For those who live in Central Florida the Public Visitation is at Monday, August 4th, from 5-8pm at Osceola Memory Gardens, 2000 13th St. (US-192) in St. Cloud.

If you who knew Jason but won’t be able to make it to the visitation please leave a comment recalling one of your favorite memories of Jason. We are compiling a book of memories for Hannah to cherish and for Lillian to know what a loving father she had.

Jason and Hannah Walking

A Sad Time for our Family

I am very sad to post this update to the accident I mentioned yesterday. My brother-in-law, Jason Emery died from internal injuries. The details of the crash are in the Orlando Sentinel and at OsceolaNow.com.

As I reflected on my memories of him last night, there was one image I think of when I picture Jason. In April, Jen and I were able to stay at Hannah and Jason’s house for a couple of nights. With three dogs and a baby in the house, it is impossible to put on a facade for long.  In that time, we got to see Jason taking care of his baby girl. And I don’t know why this image sticks out in my mind, but I can see him testing the temperature of the bottle on his wrist. Every thirty seconds or so checking to make sure the milk wasn’t too hot. He loved his family so much. Every time he looked at his daughter you could see such love and pride on his face.

Jason Charles Emery

I can’t imagine the pain my sister must be going through and I can’t wait to wrap my arms around her. I wish I was in Florida already, the next day and a half are going to go by so slow. The action part of me wants to lend a hand in the logistics, but I need to remember to slow down. To give myself time to grieve, and provide a shoulder for family to cry on.