Lately, life has felt like a whirlwind.  The winds have seemed to pick up lately and haven’t let up in awhile.  There’s tee ball practice, tee ball games, ballet, Awanas, Church, Pre K drop off/pick up, throw in an extra play date, activity, doctor’s appointment, or parent teacher conference, and the days are booked solid.   There are so many that are much busier with more kids, more activities, health issues, etc…  There just always seems to be something, leaving little down time and it can make life seem stressful.  Our stress tends to wear on others.  Others feel it.  Others sense it.  And kids, they are not an exception to this.  Tonight, my four-year-old said seven simple words that really made me think.  She didn’t put much thought into them.  Actually, she spoke them very quickly while running through our somewhat small kitchen as her and MC did their usual evening laps through the living room and kitchen.  I’m constantly asking them to get out of the kitchen when I’m in there because there’s just not a lot of extra room for kids running through while cleaning up.  Anyways, as she ran by these seven words that I keep hearing over and over again in my head were “Mommy, could you smile just a little?”  So simple, “Mommy, could you smile just a little?”  She felt it, she felt my stress, she felt my anxiety and all she wanted was a little smile.  A little smile to tell her that everything was okay.  A little smile to tell her that our home is her safe place.  A little smile to remind her that she’s loved.  That’s all she needed was just a little smile.

I feel like life compares well to running a race.  You have good days, you have bad days, you have pain, hurt, hills to conquer, speed work, recovery days, days where it really feels great, days where you’re dragging, etc.  In life, you have some people that you feel are running with you and others you feel that you’re running against.  You see smiling, happy faces while scrolling along on social media.  You think to yourself that everyone must have it together, except me.  Has it been one of those months where the pace picked up and never let up?  Everywhere you turn around there’s a sink of dirty dishes, another load of laundry to fold or clean, floors to be vacuumed, a job to get to, homework to finish, a crying child, a bottom to be wiped, a course to complete, toys to pick up, and just when you think you’re caught up there’s an empty toilet paper roll in the bathroom to be replaced?  I feel like this has been the past month, where I just can’t catch up.  Tonight, was finally a night where I had to take a step back and remind myself what matters.

So tonight…it happened.  I gave into behavior that I KNEW I shouldn’t give in to (on more than one occasion).  I let my 20 month old play me like a fiddle.  It happened, has happened before, and will probably happen again.  What’s frustrating is that I know better than this.  I have worked under behavior specialists, have been taught the correct way to deal with specific behaviors, and I GAVE IN.  I sat there with a screaming, flailing child that had finally calmed because I gave in.  Why did I give in?  Because, I was in public.  I knew I shouldn’t give in to my child, but we were in a restaurant and I felt all eyes on me. Some of those eyes may never understand, other eyes that completely understand.  And, you know what?  What matters at the end of the day is not “those” eyes, my self doubt because I know better, the people inconvenienced, the fact that a family dinner out (that our 4 year old wanted so badly) was ruined… but, what matters is the love that still exists beyond the mess.

My 20 month old is a very strong willed child.  She is hilarious, bubbly, entertaining, and completely full of personality but is very strong willed.  Before she went to bed tonight, I told her that she may be a stinker but I still love her.  She then took her little hand, put it to her mouth and blew me a kiss.  THIS.  THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO.

The picture above is a photograph taken after my 20 month old had a complete meltdown over something I could not explain to her.  As you can see, we are both exhausted. Honestly, I can’t remember at this point what the meltdown was even over.  It could have even been over shoes she wanted to wear that were way too small.  I picked her up and she laid on me while trying to calm.  I just held and squeezed her.  I took this picture because it is rare for her to just lay on me for this long.  I noticed all the mess in the picture of bright toys, stuff laying around, etc. I wanted so bad to move all the toys so I could get that sweet, perfect, cute picture then realized that’s not what matters.  What matters in the picture is the love shared, seeing through the mess.  Even after tantrums, screaming, flailing, falling to the ground, I still love this child.  You know what’s even crazier?  God feels the exact same way about us. Every one of us that exists in this world is a child of God.  YOU are a child of God and were made uniquely in His eyes.  No matter where we have been, what we have done, He loves US.  We are His child created in His eyes and HE LOVES US despite the downfalls. He sees us through the mess.

I did not feel physically or mentally ready for this race.  I just wasn’t feeling the race.  My friend (Jo) and I were talking later about how at the start it still hadn’t clicked that we were about to run 10 miles.  Following workouts, I’m usually most sore on day 2.  Well, this was day 2 following a new BodyPump release at the gym and I was already hurting BEFORE the race.  So…there’s my pity party….  No PR was set on this race, my final time was 1:24:49.  On to the race…

GW Parkway Classic 10 Mile Run was VERY organized and a beautiful, scenic run.  It began at Mount Vernon and ended in Old Town Alexandria.  You run over hill, after hill, after hill while elevation increases for first 5 miles down GW Parkway (nice and spacious because they closed all 4 lanes).  After you hit mile 6 it is a decline for about a mile…which I needed at that point.  There is one more hill at mile 9 (because I guess they think that’s cute…haha).  For those not familiar with the area, it runs along the Potomac River so it really is a beautiful, scenic view.  If you have a bag to check, you check the bag at Mount Vernon (Start) then, they truck them all down to Old Town (Finish).  Price included shirt, medal, and beer at the end.  Upon arriving at the finish line, you were handed a free egg taco from District Taco which was a pleasant little surprise.  They had live music, a bouncy castle, kids, dogs, and families everywhere.  There was no wait for beer, another plus.  There was also a kids’ run and 5k attached to this race so nice to have several options.  Overall, beautiful, scenic, well organized, great race to run!

Following the race, my friend and I walked (well…limped..because we are officially old) to a quaint little restaurant called Magnolia’s on King Street.  If you do run this race, make reservations in advance because most places required one.  Since there were only two of us, we got lucky and got the last seat in the bar area at Magnolia’s.  Great food, drinks, and wonderful customer service!

I will do a separate post on Mount Vernon and Old Town at some point because they just deserve their own post!  So much to see and do!  But, if you’re visiting and a runner this is a great race if it times out well for you.  You can run the race then see all the history that Old Town has to offer and even Uber or Lyft back to Mount Vernon to tour the estate and museum on the estate.

Thanks for reading and hope your next run is better than the last!

(PC: You + Alex Photography)

The military child.

When you hear those three words many things might come to mind…possibly the kid that showed up to school in the middle of the school year, the child you never got to know because they moved right after school started, the homeschooled kid you met at church that took awhile to open up to you.  These children possess so much more than what some may realize.  They are a definition of sacrifice, determination, strength, courage, resiliency….. and they possess all of this at the ripe young age of baby, toddler, child, kid, teenager.  They didn’t ask for this life but were given it.  Why?  Because, God chose them. He knew they had the ability to live the military life and not falter but only become stronger.

As a parent, many would never imagine having to explain to your child that they will not be having ballet because of a government shutdown.  But, you tell them there’s no ballet and they may become upset but they bounce right back.  The military child lives a life of constantly having to adjust to outcomes and decisions of others, and they are resilient. Military children are constantly saying goodbyes to neighbors, friends, teachers, grandparents, cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, (the list goes on) whether they are moving or because a visit has ended, and they do this over and over and over and over again.  As parents, you wait, because you know the tears are coming.  You know once again, you will try to explain why you have to say goodbye or why someone has to leave.  Just the other day, I found myself asking one of Charli’s best buddy’s mom how long they will be stationed here while crossing my fingers that they would be here long enough to start Kindergarten together.

You try not to be the helicopter parent but find yourself hovering at times because you anticipate the hurt and just wish the next tear would be the last.  After seeing your child sacrifice so much, you just want your child to get a “win” in life.  I was just explaining to Charli the other day that because she cries, does not mean she isn’t brave.  Military children are some of the bravest kids that I have met in my entire life.  I can only hope that one day, I have an ounce of their bravery in myself.  Many (including myself) will never understand the life of a military child.  But, a few things I do know about the military child is that through every transition, every goodbye, every tear cried, every question without a clear answer…they are resilient.  They are strong.  They are courageous.  They are simply exceptional.

***My prayer is that my kids were picked to live this life so that as many people in this world can see His love through them.  I pray that as they grow and mature, they use each and every relationship to plant a seed of faith.  That with transition after transition after transition they not grow weary but stay strong because the Lord provided them the strength.***

Please read here why the dandelion is the flower of the military child.

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler Prep!

So…we signed up for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler awhile back thinking it would be a “spring” run.  Well, mother nature had a different plan and the temps will be in the lower thirties at the start line.  Because I am a fair-weather runner and normally do not sign up for cold races, I went into full on panic mode trying to get the cold weather gear I might need for tomorrow.  We have learned that there are a few extra steps required to run a race in the DC Metro area.  The following are advanced and prior day prep:

Finding a sitter —  You wouldn’t think that would be hard, but not everyone enjoys getting up at 0500 to watch kids.  After checking with two sitters, third times a charm and we got our sitter (while dropping a few extra bucks)!  Check!

Parking — The metro is no longer open as early as we need to get to the race so Uber/Lyft or drive along with 15,000 other runners plus volunteers in addition is the plan.  So we got on Spot Hero and reserved our spot.  Still nervous about timing with road closures and traffic (but, $15 well spent). Check!

Water, water, water — I try to drink a lot because morning of I keep it to a minimal so I’m not having to constantly run to the beautiful porta potties.

Carb load —  Of course, any race gives you the excuse to carb load night before.  This might be my favorite part.  Last race, we got Bertucci’s to-go and plan on doing the same tonight!

Get gear ready —  I make sure I have all my gear laid out and ready night before (including headset charged).  Because, the weather took a cold turn, I had to run to Dick’s Sporting Goods for last minute cold weather gear yesterday.  My list includes: ear warmers, tank tucked in, long sleeve half zip shirt, vest, long running leggings, compression socks, gloves, Flipbelt, bluetooth headset, and 2 packs of GU.  Oh, and my running bib, of course!

Thanks for reading and good luck to ALL that are running!!!

**Shout out to my sweet friend Mollie!  She is a seasoned runner and I’m constantly bothering her for running tips whether it be wardrobe or training related!

**Any tips on keeping my pony tight welcomed bc I chose to skip on the hat (I ALWAYS run with a hat) and wear ear warmers instead!

Welcome to “A Darling Detour!”

I specifically chose the name “A Darling Detour” because I was unsure during our transition to becoming an “active duty” family.  But, after several years, I have realized the “darling” of the transition….the good, the promises, the things I wouldn’t have figured out or realized on my own without the “detour” of the transition…God’s path versus the path we had in mind for ourselves.

Our blog will primarily consist of updates making it easier for family and friends to keep up.  But, it will also discuss the good times, the hard times, the “randoms” of life — the things we love, and a few things we don’t.  Let’s be honest, life can be rather hard, but when you look for the darling details things seem to make a little more sense.

Let me introduce myself and family!  I am a pediatric speech-language pathologist, current stay-at-home wife/mother, fair-weather runner, love chocolate at anytime, coffee in the morning, wine (as needed), find comfort in God’s word and relief in exercise.  I am married to Mitch who is an Arkansas National Guard Infantry Officer (which had us living in our home state of AR) and has now transitioned to the Active Guard Reserve (which means he is still attached to Arkansas Guard, but moved us to Virginia for now).  We have two beautiful daughters and a white lab.  Our daughters are Charli (4), MaryClaire/MC (19 months), and our lab, Stella (6).  We are excited to share this darling detour with you and hope that you reach out and ask questions or tell us what you want to hear more about!

Thanks for reading and don’t be afraid to treat yourself to that Reese’s peanut butter egg that I may or may not have just eaten!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton