Where I'm From

So I am trying something new- Blogtember - post ideas for everyday of the month of September. A challenge to blog more regularly. The past couple of weeks, have been good. Same old same old. I got in 3 runs last week, and on Monday ran 5 miles (instead of 6) were I happened to fall at mile 1.5. Just so you know, I have fallen in 2 races, just because, not tripped on my feet or cracks, just a twist of the ankle and down I go. I also fall during my trainings, so Klutz alert. I will see what I can do this week.

Wednesday: 3.5 miles
Thursday: 6 X 400 5K pace
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday:
Sunday: 5K Race

Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Here is my family.

I come from an average family from Pennsylvania. My parents met in college and got married in 1977. They met at the University of Rhode Island, where they were in a program for the African American students at their school. They had my sister in 1979, I was born in 1982 and they had my brother in 1988. I say that they could have stopped with me, but hey I guess they wanted a boy. 

In 1988, my maternal grandmother came to live with us and help my parents out. We always had an adult around the house, and unfortunately I did not appreciate having a grandparent live with us until I moved away to college. My grandmother was amazing in that she never finished high school and fully expected to live with her parents for all her life, until she met my grandfather in her early 30s. For her generation, she got married later in life, but still managed to have 3 children. 

We grew up with the expectation to do well and succeed. My parents showed a united front with us and I cannot remember them ever fighting in front of us. My childhood was ideal, I would say. I was lucky enough to have two parents who worked hard and cared for us. We were raised to believe that we could do anything that we put our minds too and they trusted us enough to let us make mistakes and learn from them. My parents instilled in us importance of working hard and let us make our own choices in life. I truly believe that my parents shaped who I am today and I am better for having them by my side.