sledding
Since losing over 330 pounds, my sister-in-law, Brenda Schulenberg has basically entered her second childhood. It all started when she decided that she needed to go and play on the playground…or at least slide on the slide. Now, she has set herself a goal of visiting every park in Casper at some point this year…including walking around the parks. She found an outdoor exercise bike, and after many attempts over the course of the last two years, finally was able to make it work. When her niece posted pictures of her children sledding, Brenda told them that they should come to Casper next winter so she could go sledding with them. These things are not the activities of most life-long sedentary and overweight people, but then that isn’t who Brenda is…anymore. She is a vibrant, active 50+ year old, who got a second chance, and she has no intention of wasting it. Brenda soon became a woman on a mission…a get healthy mission.
It has been a long journey for Brenda, but not nearly as long as it would have been for most people in her shoes. Most people who find out that they have several health issues, all caused by obesity and all reversible, would have said that the challenge was more than they could face. The mere though of healthy eating and an active lifestyle makes most people in that situation feel tired and hungry. And most of those people give up before they ever get started…but not Brenda. In all reality, Brenda was no exception to that general rule, but she dug down deep within herself, and decided once and for all, that she was not going to let this beat her, and she was not going to die at 50 years old. In many ways, that was about the last time Brenda acted like someone with all the health concerns she had. and now she simply doesn’t act her age at all. It’s like she has age regressed…and that’s ok. If you missed out on an active childhood, and you had the chance to go back in time and change that…wouldn’t you do it too. Brenda simply had to do it.
In recent months, Brenda has been obsessed with the idea of riding a bicycle again. She wasn’t sure that would be a possibility given the condition of her knees right now. Nevertheless, she has high hopes, and so she decided to find a way to ride a bike in the meantime. She bought a bicycle…purple, of course. She took the pedals off of it, and for now, she sits on the seat and walks the bike along the trails. She calls it a strider, and I don’t know for sure if that is the name of the bike, or what you call one that has no pedals, but either way, she can now ride a bike…another thing she didn’t really do much as a kid. And another step back into her second childhood. Today is Brenda’s birthday. Happy birthday Brenda!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
With age comes privilege, and in this case, that means a later bedtime. No, my grand niece, Kaytlyn isn’t becoming an adult, or even a teenager…she is turning eight…and for her that means having the privilege of a later bedtime. I suppose to many people that wouldn’t seem like such a big deal, but to an eight year old, that is very cool. Kaytlyn has been waiting for this day for a while now. Finally she is going to get to start doing some of the things her big sister, Jala has been able to do for years now. As we all know, a child’s bedtime is key to doing well in school, and Kaytlyn loves school. She is very smart, and her teachers tell her parents so every year. Like most kids, Kaytlyn’s future plans have changed several times, but right now, she thinks she might want to be a veterinarian, so she can help animals. Kaytlyn loves animals…especially her hampster.
There are still a few years for Kaytlyn to decide what she wants to do with her life, for sure, and for now she really just enjoys being a kid. Like most kids, she is into video games, and from what I am hearing these days, Minecraft seems to be the game of choice among the kids. Video games are something I have never really been able to get into, but the kids sure love them. Kaytlyn also likes to ride her bike, her four wheeler, and go camping. Her parents, Susan and Josh bought a new to them trailer this year, and the family is looking forward to going camping every couple of weeks this summer. While camping is something Kaytlyn loves, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t like winter, because like most kids, she does. Sledding is probably a big part of the fun of winter for her. Maybe I should try that…or not!!
Kaytlyn is a very social person, and very much enjoys texting her friends from her iPod, when she isn’t hanging out with them that is. She has a great sense of humor, and likes to keep her friends and family entertained with her goofiness. I really can’t think of a trait that is better for a person to have, than a great sense of humor. A person like that is able to bring joy to everyone they know. Today is Kaytlyn’s 8th birthday. Happy birthday Kaytlyn!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
