"Two roads diverged in yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both...I took the one less traveled."
Carson and I are on yet another journey together. My last post confirmed the beginning of PC aka, Baylor Law's infamous Practice Court and my third year teaching at University High School. Little did we know what the world had in store for us.
In a nut shell, Carson finished PC with flying colors and brought home the honorable, Top Gun award. He graduated on May 1st Magna Cum Lade from Baylor Law and has been hired at a law firm in Longview. I finished three amazing years as a University High School Trojan and also the WISD Secondary Teacher of the Year. I watched my adoptive children walk the stage and enter the next stages of their lives, college, work, parenthood... I said goodbye to dear friends and co-workers to move to Longview and work at Hallsville High School! The BEST School in EAST TEXAS!
I have also started my Mary Kay business as an Independent Beauty Consultant. Here we are...entering another chapter. Scared, unsure, excited but together and staying positive. Carson is still healthy/ cancer free! We have air in our lungs and shoes on our feet. One thing I do promise is to update this blog more often not just for the random readers, but for myself...to see the many blessings God has placed in our lives.
Carson and I recently bought our first home in Longview,Texas! It's a beautiful "fixer-upper" with lots of character. We hope you enjoy watching the updates, transformations and even a few bumps along the way! We are a BRAVE do-it-yourself couple...ready to conquer ANY challenge! Pray for us and enjoy! Feel free to offer advice as needed :-)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Sunday, September 13, 2009
PC begins...
I promise I will get better about posting on our blog. To say our lives have become quite busy is an understatement and even though I should be doing other stuff, I am in fact blogging and shortly after plan on napping :)
Carson and I returned to Waco at the end of July. I traveled to San Antonio with my fabulous group of student council kids and then worked on FISH Camp, my classroom and the early homecoming. School started for both myself and Carson on August 25th and then we were off. The one difference in this school year is that my very best friend, Lyndsey Ralston has moved to Waco and is coaching/teaching at Waco High School. Not only is it great to have another girlfriend here, I love that Lyndsey and I are catching up for the last two years. She is coaching freshmen volleyball and teaching Social Studies SpEd inclusion.
Carson has started the infamous 3rd year of law school at Baylor also known as PC. The first week went great but as the quarter drags on, I see him less and less. This tends to be normal for PC students and their spouses, but we still don't like it. I know this will all be for the best and hey, we have been through worse. The hardest part is watching him get 2 hours a sleep (maybe) a night and work from 6am to 2 am and enjoy small meals in between. Just a few more months and we are finished with this life.
our fall is full of many exciting events but more than anything, I want to enjoy every day because we'll never get them back.
Until then, I must relax today for the super-charged week ahead. Hello naptime!!
More to come later...Have a blessed day.
Carson and I returned to Waco at the end of July. I traveled to San Antonio with my fabulous group of student council kids and then worked on FISH Camp, my classroom and the early homecoming. School started for both myself and Carson on August 25th and then we were off. The one difference in this school year is that my very best friend, Lyndsey Ralston has moved to Waco and is coaching/teaching at Waco High School. Not only is it great to have another girlfriend here, I love that Lyndsey and I are catching up for the last two years. She is coaching freshmen volleyball and teaching Social Studies SpEd inclusion.
Carson has started the infamous 3rd year of law school at Baylor also known as PC. The first week went great but as the quarter drags on, I see him less and less. This tends to be normal for PC students and their spouses, but we still don't like it. I know this will all be for the best and hey, we have been through worse. The hardest part is watching him get 2 hours a sleep (maybe) a night and work from 6am to 2 am and enjoy small meals in between. Just a few more months and we are finished with this life.
our fall is full of many exciting events but more than anything, I want to enjoy every day because we'll never get them back.
Until then, I must relax today for the super-charged week ahead. Hello naptime!!
More to come later...Have a blessed day.
Friday, July 17, 2009
God is Great!
Hello Everyone!!
Carson and I got some WONDERFUL news yesterday. As of today, he is considered officially cancer-free! We drove to Houston for tests on Monday and Tuesday and the new CT scan shows the 4 nodules on his lungs have NOT grown in the past three months! The doctors were extremely excited as were we! Carson will go back in 6 months for another scan and then continue bi-yearly to ensure no new growth has occurred. We are both very blessed and so very thankful for God's blessing. Thank you to everyone for your constant prayers, uplifting words and positive thinking! He looks amazing and has already made some very positive/healthy changes in his life.
We are currently living in Tyler while he completes his 2nd clerkship at the Raimey-Flock Law Firm and in August we will return to Waco for his final year of law school. We will of course keep in touch with regular updates concerning his health as we hear them.
Thank you for all of you support and love.
We would like to continue our prayers/positive thoughts for our friends and family still fighting cancer.
Thank you and God bless.
Love,
Kelsey & Carson Runge
Carson and I got some WONDERFUL news yesterday. As of today, he is considered officially cancer-free! We drove to Houston for tests on Monday and Tuesday and the new CT scan shows the 4 nodules on his lungs have NOT grown in the past three months! The doctors were extremely excited as were we! Carson will go back in 6 months for another scan and then continue bi-yearly to ensure no new growth has occurred. We are both very blessed and so very thankful for God's blessing. Thank you to everyone for your constant prayers, uplifting words and positive thinking! He looks amazing and has already made some very positive/healthy changes in his life.
We are currently living in Tyler while he completes his 2nd clerkship at the Raimey-Flock Law Firm and in August we will return to Waco for his final year of law school. We will of course keep in touch with regular updates concerning his health as we hear them.
Thank you for all of you support and love.
We would like to continue our prayers/positive thoughts for our friends and family still fighting cancer.
Thank you and God bless.
Love,
Kelsey & Carson Runge
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Lake Time & Check-Up
It's funny how far away July always seemed to us... but here we are preparing for another trip to Houston. We left Midland missing our friends, old and new. On our last night, we cooked out and danced the night away listening to Josh Abbott play, another fellow Red Raider. Our drive home was bittersweet, but now we called Tyler, Texas our home away from home. Aunt Sandi and Uncle Frank have a GORGEOUS lake house on Lake Palentine and I can honestly tell you I never get tired of seeing the sun rise off that crystal water. Carson calls me the "Palestine Princess" because I am not working during this part of the summer and frankly, I live up to it in EVERY WAY I can :) Although life here is much more relaxing, we do sincerely miss our buddies back in West Texas and are very thankful to the firm which Carson worked. Everyone was so very kind and welcoming and we feel lucky to have been given such a wonderful opportunity.
On the other hand, with summer crawls forward, so does our date with the MD Anderson doctors. We leave this upcoming Sunday for three days of scans, tests and check-ups. Our main concern is for the two spots on his lungs, which so far are so small they cannot tell us what these are. They will scan his chest area to ensure no more tumors have developed as well as to measure these nodules on his lungs. If they have grown, the doctors tell us that the cancer has most likely metastisized and we will go on from there. We are praying that these "spots" are mere scar tissue and nothing to be worried with for now. Regardless, we are in the VERY BEST hands possible and as long as we have eachother, we'll be just fine.
We ask for your prayers for safe travel to Houston and of course for a promising outcome!!! Even though we are not looking forward to this trip, we are looking forward to seeing some wonderful friends and catching up! Call us in you're in the Houston-area!!!
I will post updates as soon as possible.
Blessings to all!!!
On the other hand, with summer crawls forward, so does our date with the MD Anderson doctors. We leave this upcoming Sunday for three days of scans, tests and check-ups. Our main concern is for the two spots on his lungs, which so far are so small they cannot tell us what these are. They will scan his chest area to ensure no more tumors have developed as well as to measure these nodules on his lungs. If they have grown, the doctors tell us that the cancer has most likely metastisized and we will go on from there. We are praying that these "spots" are mere scar tissue and nothing to be worried with for now. Regardless, we are in the VERY BEST hands possible and as long as we have eachother, we'll be just fine.
We ask for your prayers for safe travel to Houston and of course for a promising outcome!!! Even though we are not looking forward to this trip, we are looking forward to seeing some wonderful friends and catching up! Call us in you're in the Houston-area!!!
I will post updates as soon as possible.
Blessings to all!!!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Midland for a little while
It has been a few weeks since our last post, mainly because life has been spinning in so many directions. This can be both a blessing and a curse, just depends on how you look at it. Once I finished my 2nd year at University High School on June 5th, I traveled to Midland, Texas where Carson has been clerking at an oil and gas law firm. We have been living with our dear friends, Erin and Chase Pabody and have also been blessed with many old friends from college. I have been working at Fit Family Fitness as a Kids Camp teacher and really love it. The kids are super sweet and it has been a nice break from my high school students. I want to thank Kassadie Barela for hiring me and keeping me busy for our extended stay in the "Land of the Middle." Sadly, we leave in a few days and believe it or not, I really like Midland.
Overall our visit has been wonderful, but it did not begin this way. I was driving to Midland on Sunday June 7, 2009 and Carson called to tell me Chase Mitchell, our good friend passed away due to his long battle with melanoma. Chase and his family, The Beedys, were extremely instrumental while Carson and I were traveling back and forth to Houston for his many visits and surgery. Although they were dealing with a much more serious situation, they seemed to always possess such grace and positive energy. I still admire all of them for their strength. My last memory of Chase was him sitting in their hotel room bed and enjoying some ice cream. He told me and Carson, "Bye guys, I'll see you soon." Yes you will Chase, until then, fly with the angels and keep an eye on everyone. Thankfully Carson stopped by two days earlier and visited with Chase, I thank God with all my heart for this blessing. I was also lucky enough to meet Chase's girlfriend Mica...she is truly an inspiration to all.
Although we have a time of grieving, we also have many blessings. Two sets of our great friends were married this month...Congrats to Taylor and Haley Shelton and Ryan and Abby Kuxhausen!!! We love yall so much!
With just five days left in Midland, Carson and I will celebrate our two year anniversary on June 30,2009. It seems like yesterday we were still dating in High School. I love you Carson Reed.
Time certainly does fly by...I will post updates throughout the week.
May God Bless You.
Ryan and Abby Kuxhausen-Married June 20, 2009
Rest in Peace Chase Mitchell- June 7, 2009
Overall our visit has been wonderful, but it did not begin this way. I was driving to Midland on Sunday June 7, 2009 and Carson called to tell me Chase Mitchell, our good friend passed away due to his long battle with melanoma. Chase and his family, The Beedys, were extremely instrumental while Carson and I were traveling back and forth to Houston for his many visits and surgery. Although they were dealing with a much more serious situation, they seemed to always possess such grace and positive energy. I still admire all of them for their strength. My last memory of Chase was him sitting in their hotel room bed and enjoying some ice cream. He told me and Carson, "Bye guys, I'll see you soon." Yes you will Chase, until then, fly with the angels and keep an eye on everyone. Thankfully Carson stopped by two days earlier and visited with Chase, I thank God with all my heart for this blessing. I was also lucky enough to meet Chase's girlfriend Mica...she is truly an inspiration to all.
Although we have a time of grieving, we also have many blessings. Two sets of our great friends were married this month...Congrats to Taylor and Haley Shelton and Ryan and Abby Kuxhausen!!! We love yall so much!
With just five days left in Midland, Carson and I will celebrate our two year anniversary on June 30,2009. It seems like yesterday we were still dating in High School. I love you Carson Reed.
Time certainly does fly by...I will post updates throughout the week.
May God Bless You.
Ryan and Abby Kuxhausen-Married June 20, 2009
Rest in Peace Chase Mitchell- June 7, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Celebrations and Mournings
With the past couple of weeks, Carson and I have experienced lots of lifes little challenges. First off, his health is booming. Carson has recovered beautifully and even ran two miles today! :) On May 1st, he finished his last set of law school finals as a 2L, also known as a 2nd year law student. Our April was spent catching up on everything we missed at work and school, TAKS :I and bills. Last Friday after little to no sleep, Me, Carson, our family and friends gathered in Grand Prairie for the Relay for Life. My previous postings advertised our team collectively called, Huntin' for a Cure. We raised over $2,000 for the American Cancer Society and spent from 5:30 pm to 3:00am at the SGP football field. Carson took his first lap ever as a cancer survivor...I cannot explain how weird that feeling was. To watch your 24 year old husband walk alongside hundreds of others, young and old who have all been diagnosed with cancer. We spent the evening catching up with old friends, playing flag football, footraces and coffee binges. Around 3:00 AM Carson called it quits and we all went back to the house to sleep. Thank goodness we quit early. It was a wonderful night and a true blessing from God to be around our new and old friends to celebrate, remember and have Hope for a cure.
With all good things, there is usually a time for lamenting as well. On Sunday, we were set to have lunch with Carson's parents for his Dad's birthday. Instead we got the call that Carson's grandfather, Papa Jerry only had a few hours to live. Papa Jerry has been in poor health for some time and was actually doing very well. Today, around 3:30 pm, Papa Jerry was called home by God. Although I am very thankful we were able to see him one last time, I want to try and remember him as he was...a jubilant, soul with an infectious laugh and quick sense of humor. I pray for our Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and of course for our Nana Christine, Papa Jerry’s wife. Memorial services are pending. Please keep the Runge’s in your prayers as well as all of John’s sisters, brothers and our extended family.
2009 has given us a few tough spots, but we keep our faith in God that all will prevail and we will be stronger for everything.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Relay for Life!!!!!!!!
Carson and I have decided to participate in Relay for Life. Although this is not our first time to take part or to help organize the event, this is the first time we have had cancer hit so close to home.
PLEASE go to the following link if you are interested in helping our team raise funds or joining our team!
Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we will celebrate, remember, and fight back. For state fundraising notices and the American Cancer Society's Privacy Policy, please paste the following link into your browser: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SU/su_0.asp.
[ http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?px=10542236&pg=personal&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=zPIdTre5TxKWpstw0SnFQw..&s_tafId=289506 ]Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?px=10542236&pg=personal&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=zPIdTre5TxKWpstw0SnFQw..&s_tafId=289506
[ http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?team_id=485450&pg=team&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=-FSMXU6MpZcd7Hnxehzbvg..&s_tafId=289506 ]Click here to view the team page for Huntin' for a Cure
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?team_id=485450&pg=team&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=-FSMXU6MpZcd7Hnxehzbvg..&s_tafId=289506
[Image]
Relay Information:
May 1, 2009
7:00 pm-7:00am
Warrior Stadium
Grand Prairie, Texas
*Our theme is "Huntin' for a Cure" Bring your camo and hunting attire. We'll have a tent and chairs-If you have other camping items-please bring them those too! As the event gets closer, we will talk about food and drinks as well.
We are also ordering t-shirts. They are $10 each-please send an email to krunge@wacoisd.org if you are interested.
Thank you and God Bless.
PLEASE go to the following link if you are interested in helping our team raise funds or joining our team!
Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we will celebrate, remember, and fight back. For state fundraising notices and the American Cancer Society's Privacy Policy, please paste the following link into your browser: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SU/su_0.asp.
[ http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?px=10542236&pg=personal&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=zPIdTre5TxKWpstw0SnFQw..&s_tafId=289506 ]Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?px=10542236&pg=personal&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=zPIdTre5TxKWpstw0SnFQw..&s_tafId=289506
[ http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?team_id=485450&pg=team&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=-FSMXU6MpZcd7Hnxehzbvg..&s_tafId=289506 ]Click here to view the team page for Huntin' for a Cure
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL?team_id=485450&pg=team&fr_id=17453&fl=en_US&et=-FSMXU6MpZcd7Hnxehzbvg..&s_tafId=289506
[Image]
Relay Information:
May 1, 2009
7:00 pm-7:00am
Warrior Stadium
Grand Prairie, Texas
*Our theme is "Huntin' for a Cure" Bring your camo and hunting attire. We'll have a tent and chairs-If you have other camping items-please bring them those too! As the event gets closer, we will talk about food and drinks as well.
We are also ordering t-shirts. They are $10 each-please send an email to krunge@wacoisd.org if you are interested.
Thank you and God Bless.
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