CROSS COUNTRY

Cross country season has officially started and I will have no more free Saturday's until the middle of November.  We had our first race over the weekend in Alamogordo.  I was glad that Lindsey went with us as it was one way we could feel close to Tom.  It was difficult at times but we figure by us starting this team it is a way of honoring him and making relationships with kids that go beyond the classroom.  

The meet was well run and took place at the soccer complex.  The run was mostly on grass with no hills and lots of ninety degree turns.  The weather was great and both the individual boys and girls meet records were broken.    Our kids were really nervous but they did a great job in their warm up, stretches, and strides.  The boys were really unsure about pace and afraid to get caught up in the opening sprint so I think they went out really conservative which seems not to be the norm for this sport.  I don't have any proof on this but I am sure they all negative split their races and passed many people during the second half of the race.  When they finished they agreed that it was easier than they had anticipated and they all had fun.  Officially we were the last place boys varsity team.  It sounds discouraging but in reality we have only been a team for 3 weeks and I ran three 8th graders, two freshmen, and one junior in a varsity meet.  They would have been much more competitive in the JV meet but oh well, live and learn.  

On the girls side, I only brought one freshmen and she ran the JV meet.  She was really nervous and was unsure if she would even run but she did and ended up being the 15th girl and received a ribbon for her effort.  She too started conservatively and ran down many girls in the second half of the run.  She surprised herself and is a much better runner than she gives herself credit for.  All in all it was a very successful meet and our next race is in two weeks in much closer, Belen. 

Here you can find an article about the team that the local newspaper ran this weekend.  On the right, click on the download our latest edition.  It is in a featured sports section and not the actual sports section.

http://www.dchieftain.com/

A 3-Day weekend is better than 2!

There were lot's of things going on over the Labor Day weekend and plenty of stuff to update with. Friday was our high school's first football game of the season. It was a home game and had a barbeque dinner preceeding it. The food was good and the game was a blowout win for us. We were up by more than 50 points by halftime! Needless to say that lots of freshman got some playing time in the second half. In a small town like Socorro, football is a big deal and everyone comes out to support the team.

This weekend was also our county fair and on Saturday we were on our main street watching the parade while Emma collected a bunch of candy. Afterward we went up to the fairgrounds and let Emma see all of the livestock and we had a great lunch. Things like fairs have become one of my favorite places to eat! I love getting fresh roasted corn, fresh squeezed lemonade, turkey legs, brisket, and fry bread. I was just about done with a navajo taco when I remembered I was going to run a race on Sunday and I shouldn't be eating fried food like that. Oh well, I'm Mexican and I'm pretty sure my engine works just fine on grease:)

The race I did on Sunday was a half marathon in Albuquerque. I finished ok and I was glad I did it but my times are not where they used to be just a few years ago. It's tough not being able to race as fast as I used to but I also suppose that priorities have changed and I'm still in pretty good shape overall. My time was 1:42 which means I averaged 7:47 per mile. I feel like I had a good 8 miles of hard running in me but I really struggled from miles 9 through 13. I ended up 31st overall and 7th in my age group. Next up is a triathlon at the end of the month.

Since we were in Albuqueruqe we took advantage of it and visited the zoo. The Rio Grande Zoo is one of the best zoo's I've been to. They have even added many new exhiibits just from last year. Emma and Lindsey even got to feed the giraffe's. I wish we had pictures but we had forgotten the camera.

And on Monday, Lindsey and I both used it to get a little ahead on things. Lindsey with her masters degree and I with classroom stuff. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the weekend as much as we did. Have a great (short) week and thanks for looking.

Steven

We haven't posted anything for a while now but life does keep moving and we're always working on something new and different.  The biggest thing is that school has started and that means back to work for Lindsey and I.  We just finished our 2nd week of school and things seem to be going good so far.  I am teaching 3 math classes and 2 engineering classes and I am liking all of my classes and schedule.  The school itself feels a little different too for the better and we're liking it.  One thing that Lindsey and I had wanted to do since we moved here last year was to start a cross country team at the high school.  We got moved in right before school started and it never really happened last year.  This year however we were able to get our district to fund a team and we have been practicing since this past week.  We are behind every other school in the state but we got it started and we can only get better and bigger.  I am really excited and busy with practice, getting a schedule together and possibly doing some fundraising.  

This is also the first school year that Emma gets to go to pre-school.  She goes 2 days a week for half a day and she is really having a blast.  She has made some new friends and looks forward to going.  On the first day Lindsey and I had a hard time leaving her and it was a very special time we shared together.  The second time we took her she ran up the sidewalk and waved bye to us as if we were just going to drop her off.  She's having fun and we're having fun watching her grow.

And Emma is not the only one going to school, besides teaching, Lindsey is starting her Master's Degree in Technology.  She started this weekend and it sounds like she likes it so I'm glad and proud of her for starting.  I know she will do a great job and I know she probably already knows just as much as any professor she will have.  I look forward to celebrating with her when she's finished.

And I'm still trying to get in some training myself.  I have been running with the kids on the XC team but I am having a hard time getting to the pool and biking more than twice a week.  I have an Olympic distance triathlon in late September and a half-ironman triathlon in late October.  Those are the only 2 things I have registered for but I think I will jump into some running races here and there.  Our friend Misha is doing a half marathon next weekend in Albuquerque and I'm thinking about jumping in and just doing it.

Well thanks for checking in on the Montoya's and I truly hope you're all doing well and happy. Here are several pictures of Emma after picking some stuff from our garden and on her first day of school. 

      

I know there aren't too many people that keep up with these postings that don't know about Tom's situation.  He's in a Rhode island hospital and things aren't looking very optimistic.  Lindsey has been there all this week and I am here in Socorro with Emma but planning on going out there this weekend.  It's really unfortunate that this is happening.  Please, say a prayer and have faith that things can improve for him.  He is a strong guy and the heart of his family.  I know that Lindsey and Tom have always had a very special relationship and as I look through pictures we have, it kills me.  There was never a time that even saying good-bye didn't bring tears from the both of them.  The picture I posted was from Thanksgiving 2007.  It was the first and only time that Tom was able to come out to Socorro and see our new house.  This summer, he really wanted us to go out to Rhode Island and visit, as Kelly and her family and Liz with hers, were all there enjoying the beaches and spending time together.  We had decided early in the summer that we weren't going to make the trip this summer and I even accepted a job teaching here at Tech.  I realize you never know what life has in store for you but I sure wish I had gone out there.  I mean, one of the reasons I even became a teacher was to be able to spend time doing things like that, things that you can't put a price on.  But, you never know.  You never ever know what is in store for you or why.  Some things can seem so unfair that you can question, be angry, be sad, confused.  But you just have to keep your faith that things will get better and do all that you can for the people around you.  Tom IS a great guy, the type of person who can always find an old friend or make a new one.  He loves everything Boston and even watched a Red Sox game at Fenway just this past Sunday with Sue.  He's an intelligent person and I always enjoy talking to him about teaching math.  He is a great coach and I know that he has helped so many kids accomplish much more because he saw in them what they couldn't see for themselves.  So, remember to say a prayer for him and make sure you take advantage of every situation to let people you care about know that you do.  

Not Your Typical Sunday...

The alarm went off at 6:00am. As I was getting out of bed I could hear this noise..thump, thump. I listened for a minute but then went on my way to get ready for the Kelly Mine Run Race. However, Kona, our dog, was very excited about something on my side of the bed. He grew more and more interested. So, I moved the bed and to my surprise was a cute FROG! He hopped across the room until Steven could scoop him and take him outside. Too bad Emma had stayed the night at Nana's house-she would loved to have seen it! We were then out the door by 6:40 and drove up the Mountain to Magdalena. It was a beautiful drive, overcast, the road were wet and the clouds were very low. I have never done this race before and only knew that it was uphill. Steven led most of the way for the guys and I was in the lead for the girls until I fell back two spots. It was a tough race. 4.35 miles all uphill! Steven finished second overall, and I finished third for the women, first in my age group. THEN WE RAN BACK DOWN! We had a nice breakfast a little place in Magdalena while it rained.

We then headed back down the Mountain, took showers, packed some snacks, picked up Emma and headed to Elephant Butte Lake for the afternoon and Evening with Mike, Marlene, Monique, and Levi. We knew we would probably run into bad weather, seeing how it has been raining everyday for a couple weeks now. So, we set up the shade tent and sat under that while it continued to rain. We ate, and the kids played in the sand and ran in and out of the water.

Once the rain eased up, we got on the boat for nice cruise around the lake. It was really nice since it was overcast and not many people were out. Emma always enjoys the boat...she gets really relaxed-she closes her eyes and just lays there:)

Then we blew up the inner tube. It was a three-seater, and the kids were really excited so we put Mo, Levi, and Emma in and pulled them along nice and easy. They loved it! Then Steven got on with them so they could go a little faster. Steven and I even got on and Mike really whipped us around the lake-it was a blast! Mike and I rode too for a little bit, while Steven drove the boat around.

We packed up, ate at Denny's, got in the car to head home and Crash-Emma falls asleep instantly! WHAT A GREAT DAY!

Thanks Mike and Marlene-we had a great time! The pictures are from my phone, sorry about the quality.

~Lindsey

4th of July

We enjoyed the day by relaxing around the house and not feeling rushed all morning long. Around 3:30 we went to Tech, where they always have a Celebration that starts at 11:00am and doesn't end until the fireworks are over. They provide live music, local bands, food, and lots of things for kids to do to keep cool. We knew they had a big water slide so we took Emma's bathing suit. She has seen one before but has not wanted to go on it because it was at our School for fun day and there were too many people around. So, we were not sure if she would actually get on it today, but she did. She was the smallest one to go down and the guys asked her if she wanted help climbing up the stairs...of course that was a big NO! She went down and had a blast. She wanted to go again until she looked at how long the line was and said, Never Mind:) So she enjoyed playing with water balloons, getting her face paited, eating cotton candy, and dancing to the music. After that, we went home and prepared dinner, jumped on the trampoline, and watched the fireworks from our front yard. It was a nice quiet evening shared with Steven's Mom, Grandma, Auntie Emily, and his brother Paul, from Phoenix. We hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday as well.