Coming Soon!

Yep, we are having a baby! After 7 different kind of pregnancy test and a heart beat of 175 I am proud to say we are expecting baby # 2 in July. If you’re doing the math, I did run 2 marathons, 10K and half marathon all before 8 weeks pregnant. I figured it out around mile 5 of the San Antonio Marathon, by the time I crossed the finish line I was 100% sure I was pregnant or something was seriously wrong with me. The fear of another pregnancy test being negative stopped me from testing right away. I waited a few days and tested, to my shock it was POSITIVE!! So, after 7 more test I believe it!! This something John and I have been hoping for a year. I wouldn’t say I have a hard time getting pregnant I would say I have major obstacle in my way such as a spinal tumors. I can’t begin to put into words how excited we are. Alana can’t wait to be a big sister! She talks about the baby all time, asking if it’s sleeping or swimming. As all moms due I worry how she will handle the new bundle of joy. They are going to be exactly 3 ½ years apart, a lot farther apart than we where hoping for but at this point I will take what I can get. So far this pregnancy has been a lot harder than Alana’s. In fact that is how I knew I was pregnant in the marathon the nausea. Its overwhelming at times, I started taking medication twice a day to help it. If I don’t take it I can’t get out of bed. I try not to complain because, it’s for my baby and I welcome it, and I would have given anything to be this sick with a pregnancy a few months ago. My blood pressure is high, part of the course I pray I can keep this baby in until July 1^st. I don’t care what I have to do I will do it. I’m seeing the doctor again in two weeks to see how my blood pressure is doing. I am hoping its better by then but I know in my heart its part of pregnancy for me. I will keep everyone updated as the months go on.

WE ARE HOME!!

I am so happy to say that The Horton’s are back in El Paso, for 5 weeks but who cares we are home. I forget how much I love our house. There is nothing better than sitting in your own home, watching TV or cooking dinner. Those of you who don’t travel much miss out on the best part… COMING HOME!! I love to travel but I love coming home even more.
Over the last 3 month Alana and I have travel the country while I ran marathons and spending time family. John has been working. Poor John, but someone has to pay the bills and I am just too busy running and visiting family to think about getting a job.
In October, John headed to Houston for a two month rotation in Pediatric Surgery. Alana and I stayed behind for a little over a week and went for a visit only to come home for 3 days and head to Washington for me to run in The Marine Corps Marathon! We had a blast in Houston and in DC.
We made our way back to El Paso for a short time through Houston. Our time in El Paso was short and BUSY. I had so much to do to leave again and not return until Christmas. Alana and I got our Christmas tree up at the end of October. I wonder why it doesn’t feel like Christmas… I put my tree up 2 months ago. I was so glad when I walked in our house and everything was ready to go for Christmas!! Taking it down after only being home a week that’s another story.
At the beginning of November Alana and I headed back to Houston! John was ready for us to be with him longer than 4 days at a time. Little did he know, bring a girl this close to her family and expect her to leave and go see everyone. We had only been with John a few days and my mom and sister came to visit us in Houston. We had a blast, the kids loved being together. My sister really wanted to take Alana home with her, as much as I wanted the time with John it was hard letting her go. I kept telling myself it was only for 5 days. She would have so much fun it would be worth it. John loved the thought of having time together. I am telling it sounded great until day 2 when I was ready to have my princess back. It was weird having so much time with John without Alana running around. We had a great time going out to dinner and talking. We did talk about how lazy we must have been before having Alana.
I met my mom and dad in San Antonio the following weekend to get Alana back and run the San Antonio Marathon with my good friend Jennifer Smith. I was so happy to see Alana who by the way wanted nothing to do with me. Alana throw some good fits for me to show me what she thought about me leaving her. I didn’t care, I was so glad to be with her again. We had fun in San Antonio but Alana was ready to be with her daddy. So, we packed up once again and head for Houston. This time staying longer with John, well kind of we were at his brother’s house. He came out when he could, by Thanksgiving he was with us out there.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, spending it in Houston with John’s family. We don’t see them much. It’s hard for John to get time off so we don’t make it down there but every few years. It’s not a bad thing but his family isn’t big into traveling so they don’t get out too see us much. We are big travelers so it’s fine. I ran in a 10K race on Thanksgiving with Johns’ brother and sister in law. It was their first so it was tons of fun!
The Sunday after Thanksgiving we packed up and headed to San Antonio for John to do his burn rotation. Alana and I where only in San Antonio a few days before we packed up again, this time heading to Dallas to spend some time with my family and for me to run the Dallas Half Marathon with my Aunt. I always find a way to get my runs in there one way or another. We spend 11 days in Dallas. You could say John was ready for us to be home. It was icy the day I left he told he didn’t care just drive slow but come back. I was glad to be back with John but more than ready to be home in El Paso. By then Alana was more than ready to home also. Asking me everyday if we where going home today. She would tell me she could see our house in El Paso. She is such an amazing kid, not once did she give me a hard time about flying or driving some where she took every trip as it came and had a blast. She just adapts to the situation, still sleeps through the night and everything. Really, we are so blessed with such a wonderful little girl. I hope our next one adapts as well.
After only being back in San Antonio for a few days, just long enough to finish Christmas shopping and go to Sea World we headed home! Leaving John behind of course but just for a few days he will be home late Wednesday night.
That’s our last 3 months in a nut shell. We had a blast the whole time. So, much happened while we where gone. I will have to blog more about parts of our trip in the coming weeks. I haven’t wrapped any gifts, so I better get busy. We only have 2 days before Christmas!!

John has been released from the Army for fellowship!!

This morning John got the call that he has been released from the Army to do a Pediatric Surgery Fellowship! I am SO proud of him. I can’t begin to put in to words what I felt when he told me. I was so excited at the same time sad that we have 3 ½ more years of training instead of 18 months. I know this is something he wants more than anything I want to support him but, I also want a normal life again. I watch people around us graduate and have time together that you don’t have in residence. I know that no doctor works 8-5 but at least they are around more. The hardest part of residency is you never know when/if they are going to be home. I spend my life waiting for John to call and tell me he is on his way home. This won’t change in fellowship in fact it will be worse. The hours will be longer and the call will more intense. I know that John is meant to become a Pediatric Surgeon. I don’t want anyone to think I don’t want John to do this I do because I do. I know he will be a wonderful Pediatric Surgeon. I just hate the hours that come along with it. I have been telling myself that residency is almost done. The loneness you feel is overwhelming at times. I looked forward to the end of it. Alana and I eat alone almost every night. After, I put her to bed I spend the evening sitting and watching TV alone. I know the next 3 1/2 years will go fast the last 4 1/2 have anyways. Before I know it we will be sitting and talking about the old days in residency. I am not complaining at all! I am SO PROUD OF HIM!! We had been told it was a long shot for John to get released from the Army this year. It is a true blessing!! The hard part begins now, getting a spot in Pediatric Program. Please keep him your prayers about 70 applications will be applying for 32 spots. If it’s God’s will he will get a spot.

2 Marathons in 3 Weeks!!

On November 16, 2008 I ran my second Marathon in 3 WEEKS!! My goal since 2007 has been two Marathons a year and I wasn’t going to let a spinal tumor get in my way. In July I started the 4 month training program, back then I was having more pain than I wanted to admit to. The first few weeks of training was very hard, there where times I wondered if I would be able to run 26.2 once let alone twice in 3 weeks. In July I kept telling myself, the pain was so much worse in March, I can do it. I never missed a training running, knowing it would only make me stronger. I am so glad I didn’t give up. I have said this before but…. PAIN IS ONLY TEMPORY…… THE GORLY OF RUNNING TWO MARATHONS IN 3 WEEKS WILL LAST A LIFE TIME!!

This was a sign on I-10 on our way to the Marathon!

That morning I woke up and said a prayer asking God to give me the strength to get through the pain I was about to place upon myself. I felt the pain in the Marine Corps Marathon around mile 16. I had a plan in place, I was going to take Advil at mile 10 and I would put Advil Cream on my back before the race started. I knew the pain would get bad but I was ready for it.

My good friends Jennifer Smith ran this marathon with me it was her first. What an honor it is to run next to someone who is first-time marathon runner. I love seeing the emotions they go through as you run through the miles.

My dad got up, to take us the start line. You should have heard us in the car, I was clapping and all excited and Jenn was in the back telling us she was going to throw up. My dad got some good laughs out of us that morning. The traffic was really bad. It was getting close to 6:45am and we hadn’t moved much. I was starting to get worried we wouldn’t make to the start line by 7:30am. So, we did what any runner would do we jumped out of the car on the highway and walked almost a mile to the start line. We didn’t make it to the start line in time because we where in the line for the bathroom. Once, we got the start line we jump in and realized we were with the half marathon runners. Which made it very hard to pass people, we where running as thick as it can get with people. We spent the whole first half of the race passing people, in the long run it hurt our time but we had fun and that’s all that matters. We ran together until mile 18, you see mile 18 is where the marathon starts for me. I love running 8 miles. I have trained myself to pick up speed in the last 8 miles.



I told Jenn to put her iPod in both ears and run. I would see her at the next water station. I got set in my grove and realized I had past the next water station without stopping. So, I stopped at the next one at mile 22, once I stopped the pain set in, I couldn’t move my arms with out pain, every breath hurt. The pain was starting to get out control. I waited for her for good 5 or so minutes and then knew I had to keep moving or I wouldn’t finish. I slowed my pace knowing she was fast and would catch me. At mile 24 I was fighting tears, so I took more Advil and pushed through to the end!! Once, I got to mile 26 I could see a hill and thought WHERE IS THE FINISH LINE? I did what I trained to do I picked up my pace and ran like the wind up that hill and down the small stretch, to the finish line. I came across jumping up and down!! The pain was there but I didn’t care, I had just completed a goal that even I had wondered if I would be able to do! I RAN TWO MARATHONS IN 3 WEEKS, 8 months after having a tumor removed from my spine!! ALL I COULD SAY IS I DID IT!!

I found our families, and asked if Jenn had come across the finish line yet, they said no. I asked for the camera. I wasn’t going to let her First Marathon go without a picture of her crossing the finish line. I ran back to the finish line area, where I almost passed out because of the pain. A nice woman held my arm, asking me a hundred times if I was OK. I smiled and said YES! She was so kind to put some more pain cream on my scare which helped a ton. By, the time Jenn come across I was ready for her.

Her time WAS 4:44:04

This was my slowest marathon running it in 4:29:59 but I had a blast! I loved running with Jenn it was so much fun, we laughed a ton. She said it will be awhile before she will do another but I know she will and I will be there with her.

After 5 full marathons I am going to run my first half marathon in Dallas on December 14th! After that I am going to take some time off. My body will be so grateful!

Jenn and I after the Race!

Alana and I after the Race!!