Home, Home on the Range

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The marathon was a really great experience-- I'm hooked and planning the next marathon :)

I completed it in 4:15, which better than the 10 min splits I was shooting for. Thanks again to all who have supported me over the months and also to those who have donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. My goal was to rais $3000 and I raised $2875, which I think is pretty awesome. Running the marathon was a fantastic way to say goodbye to the amazing city. I actually found myself tearing up a bit as I ran through our old neighborhoods-- Lakeview, Old Town, Gold Coast. I will miss Chicago and all our friends!

We hopped in the car after the marathon and drove up 7 hours to Minnesota. Will still hates car rides and cried half the trip :( We've moved into our new home and are beginning to settle a bit. I visited the libraries and have taken the kids on errands around town... it's starting to feel like home already.

Isabella started school at XinXing Academy yesterday and have a blast. She loves it and is excited about learning Chinese. I asked her what was her favorite part of school, and she said "it's challenging"! The drive up took about 25 minutes since it was during traffic hour... the way back was about 18 minutes. That means a lot of time (plus with Will in the car) and a lot of gas. I am hoping that we can find another XinXing family who lives near us and arrange a carpool!
I had a chance to run through the neighborhood. It's beautiful with tons of trails and hills. We live in an area with many mature trees, so it's really gorgeous right now with the leaves changing colors. It's quite refreshing after living in flat and tree-less Westmont!