Introducing Emma

Hi, ladies!  I'm so happy to introduce Emma Grace to all of you.  She was born on July 28th at 9:33 in the morning.  She weighed 7 pounds, 14.7 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.  I was induced the night before around five o'clock and got the epidural a few hours later.  After that, it was smooth sailing- I got the best sleep I'd had in months and woke up almost ready to go!  I started to push at 9:30 and three pushes later, she was here!  I was so afraid that I would have to have another c-section or that Emma would come early like her brother did.  I really believe that staying active and doing Stroller Strides while I was pregnant helped me to get the delivery experience that I hoped for.  Emma can't wait to meet you ladies (she doesn't say much, but she's fun to look at) and her big brother is excited to see all of his friends!  See you in October!- Mara

Tripler Fisher House 1st Annual 8k Heroes Rememberance Run, Walk or Roll

This past weekend, two of our Stroller Strides mommas from Schofield participated in the Tripler Fisher House 1st Annual 8k Heroes Rememberance Run, Walk or Roll.

Devin and Barbara ran this 8k which sought to raise awareness about this particular non-profit organization and how they can assist military families during a medical crisis or loss.

From the website: In memory of our fallen service members, we're collecting 6,719 pairs of boots (to represent each Service Member who has either been killed in action or died while on duty since 9/11) to line the path of the 2012 Fisher House Run. Pictures and a flag will be added to honor them.

What a wonderful cause and as always, I am so inspired by the commitment to health and fitness that our amazing moms exhibit outside of Stroller Strides.

Also, not to forget, Shanna, who ran a 10 mile race that was held on Wheeler. (I hope I did not neglect to mention any other mommas who also ran races this past weekend!). 

Great job mommas!!

 

Meet Megan

 

 

 

 

BEFORE

After

Hi my name is Megan I'm from CA. I married my husband Trevor (I call him Captain America... hahaha)  September 2, 2010  moved to Hawaii in October 2010 and soon after decided to have a baby. I  conceived Molly in February 2011. In June 2011 I had to go back to CA to stay with family I was too far into my pregnancy to fly any later, cause my husband was leaving for deployment in September 2011. Molly was born a few days before my birthday. She is October 7th, and I'm October 11th. 8:00pm 8 lbs. 20inches long. She had some complications when she come out, American Red Cross flew my husband out for free. He met his daughter when she was 4 days old, on my birthday. What a wonderful birthday present right? We got to spend a wonderful 4 weeks together and then he was sent back to the ocean. I came back to Hawaii April  2012 at the end of my husbands deployment with my daughter who is now coming up on 10 months old. I joined Stroller Strides I think in June this year? haha I absolutely love it. I've gotten close with a few ladies in the classes. Every time I go to a class it always brightens my day and gets me motivated to get all my chores done through out the day. Even though I'm a TOTAL grump when I'm working out. Stroller Strides is keeping me sane. I live right next to the Stadium, in Aiea. Military housing called Halawa. I don't have many hobbies. I'm very crafty and artsy. I started making hair bows, I do that sometimes. Other than that I try to catch up on my sleep. Molly is teething and she wakes up like 5 times through the night. SO I get little power naps through out the night. I think my goal through Stroller Strides, is just to be healthier and get tighten and toned haha. My whole life I've never really been any of those. My problem area is my mid section. My husband does Crossfit, and he motivates me and helps me a lot to be more healthy. He had such a dramatic change with his body. Gained a lot of pregnancy sympathy weight and lost it all during deployment, and is very fit now. He's really inspiring. We're going to be getting out of the military in December this year, and moving to Virginia. I'll be leaving in October though. I'm going to miss all the Stroller Strides girls I've met. I hope I can stick with Stroller Strides for as long as I can. 

Meet Beth Anne

My name is Beth Anne, I recently joined stroller strides about three weeks ago and I am loving it. I moved here with my husband just over a year ago from Mississippi where he was attending pilot training. I am originally from Mississippi but moved to Seattle when I was in high school and then moved back to MS for school. I have a one year old little boy named Grayson who is my absolute world. Grayson was born two months early and was only 4 pounds but he is now a 30 pound one year old! He is a big boy. I love hiking, swimming, going to the beach, paddle boarding, LEARNING to surf and of course spending most of my time with Grayson. The beach is definitely where I was meant to be and I can't imagine living anywhere else. ( I pray that we never have to leave beautiful Hawaii lol) I have my degree in Elementary Education and hope to one day teach Kindergarten once Grayson is a little older.

I am so happy I joined stroller strides. I am hoping to be able to fit my pre pregnancy jeans and lose about 10-15 pounds. I am not a huge fan of running but I am hoping I will get better at it and enjoy it more through stroller strides. I love the motivation all the instructors and other members give during workouts. My husband goes on plenty of TDY's but is going on his first deployment this Friday so you all will see me at stroller strides A LOT more than usual. I am planning to come almost every day during the week in hopes I can start losing the weight and in hopes of making the deployment go by faster =)!

Meet Maria

Hi, my name is Maria.  I moved to the island over 2 years ago with my husband and two children on military orders.  This is our second tour in Hawaii, our first being over 12 years ago!  Sadly this is also our last year in Hawaii as my husband will be retiring the summer of 2013.   I really don’t have a place that I call my “hometown” since I was a military brat (Navy) from the very beginning and then a military wife (Air Force) and have moved around all my life.  However, most of my family resides in Washington state and Tennessee.   Tennessee is where I met and married my high school sweetheart nearly 19 years ago!  We have two wonderful children together, Gabby, who is 15 and going to be a sophomore in high school and my little monster, Elijah,  who will be 3 in September! 

I first started attending Stroller Strides here at Hickam when it first started up in February and I will say it couldn’t have come at a better time for me.  Last year, my husband and I trained to run the Honolulu Marathon.  This was a dream of his to run a marathon, not mine, but I thought it would be a great way for me to try and lose the baby weight from my son.  So I trained, ran my first marathon, which happen to be my first race ever, last December.    I was really proud for finishing the marathon, but REALLY discouraged that instead of losing weight, I gained weight!  This is when I realized I needed to do something more than just running for my weight loss and joined Stroller Strides.

Since joining Stroller Strides I have lost several pounds, inches, and have trimmed about two minutes off my minutes per mile!  I have since ran two half marathons and currently training again to do the Honolulu marathon this year.  All of which I know would have not been possible without Stroller Strides.  Through Stroller Strides I have met some really good friends, together we have created a great running group that keeps me motivated and encouraged with my weight loss goals and marathon training.  Being able to bring Elijah with me during my workouts is just another added bonus.  He truly enjoys being able to play and interact with all the other kids and mommies.    I cannot say enough good things about Stroller Strides; it has truly been a blessing to me and I only wish that I had joined sooner! 

Meet Jessica

Aloha! My name is Jessica. I attend Stroller Strides-Hickam with my beautiful, smiley, 12-month-old daughter Gemma. I am a former Spanish high school teacher and cheer coach who met my remarkable husband Gabe, while he was on recruiting duty in our home state of Texas. Needless to say, he recruited a wife. Yes, we met at the high school I taught at! I love spending time at the beach, singing and dancing in the kitchen with my daughter while cooking Tex-Mex, and reading a good book (not in Spanish literature, I have read my share for a MA in Spanish...at least not any time soon).  I love to craft and try to be just as musical as my husband who is an avid drummer.  Who says wind instruments can not be just as cool as the guitar or drums? We are closing in on the end of our 5-year tour here on the island and about to start a new adventure in the Sunshine State of Florida.  I found Stroller Strides through an awesome friend who wanted me to try it out with her and I am so delighted I did. I have created new friendships at SS and my daughter has a fabulous time interacting with the other children. As a first time mom at 32, I was really worried about gaining too much weight during pregnancy, but what no one warned me about was the weight you can gain post postpartum even while nursing full time. I need SS to keep me on track to lead an active lifestyle. After leaving my job teaching Spanish at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I found the transition to being a stay at home mom a little more complex than I imagined.  I needed to find a place where I could bond with other moms.  SS was just the place! I love the underlying sisterhood at Stroller Strides and everyone is so forthcoming. I could not have asked for a better group of women to cheer me on. I was an active runner before having Gemma but now running is a challenge and I hope SS will give me the edge I need to get back into the running game. Gemma and I have completed 3-5Ks, 1 -10K, and the Great Aloha Run together.  I love having my daughter with me during my runs as it adds to the satisfaction when we cross the finish line together.  We aspire to complete a ½ marathon as part of our Hawaii bucket list before our departure.   Luckily, I have found a SS group in Florida and hope it will be just as amazing but SS Hickam will always be my SS home and in my heart.

Meet Elizabeth

 

 

Hi everybody, I am  Elizabeth Peterson, and I'm 20 years old. My husband is in the Navy, currently working out of Pearl City.  We were married in December of 2010, and have been in Hawaii since January 2011! Our daughter Sophia is 3 months old.  I am currently a stay-at-home-mama, and working on learning how to juggle my mommy-duties, school, music, and writing.  I am working  towards completing a bachelor's degree in American history, to help with my ultimate career goal of writing historical fiction.  With all the free time that leaves (lol) I practice the violin with hopes of having the opportunity to play professionally (at some currently unknown and very vague point in the future).  All that being said, I love being a stay-at-home-mama with my girl and wouldn't trade it for anything!

I joined Stroller Strides at the beginning of July, with the goal of losing the last of that pesky baby weight, toning up all that loose skin (a very surprising and disturbing side effect of pregnancy--for me anyways.  Not sure why I was surprised, but I was completely floored!) and just generally becoming more fit.  I'm loving it so far and looking forward to getting to know everybody in the coming months!

Meet Mary

My name is Mary and I attend Stroller Strides Hickam with my son Ryan who will be 1 in September. I live on Hickam AFB and am loving every minute of our two year assignment here. My husband is active duty Air Force and prior to Hawaii we were stationed in Misawa, Japan. I am originally from New Jersey. I love staying active (anything outdoors) and I really enjoying running the most. When I am not working out with the fit moms at Stroller Strides, I am an online instructor for the University of Maryland University College and for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University teaching business classes. Prior to being an online instructor, I worked in the construction industry building residential and commercial projects. I look forward to returning to that line of work once we return to the mainland next year. When I'm not working, I enjoy running, reading, traveling and spending time with my family!

Racing Mommas

It was a big weekend for all of our race running mommas!

Stacey (one of our Leeward instructors), Samantha (an instructor in training for Kailua and Leeward), and Jessica (Hickam member) ran the Hickam Half Marathon on Saturday...

Way to go ladies!

Sam and Stacey

Jessica

Today several of our Hickam mommas ran the Boca Hawaii 15k. Fantastic job to all of you fit mommas!

Maria W, Mary M, Charla F, Liza R and Sallie K

Meet Tricia

Aloha Everyone!!! My name is Tricia Debaun. I'm from Apple Valley, California. I have a 14 month old baby girl, Isabella Sophia. I'm a Clinical Laboratory Scientist specializing in cancer testing. I've decided to take a year off from work to take care of my baby girl. We moved to the beautiful island of Hawaii 8 months ago from California. My husband is stationed at Pearl Harbor; USS Paul Hamilton.

Before my pregnancy, I was involved in 5K events and triathlons. I would like to get back into the ideal shape I was before to participate in these events again. I've been a member of the Stroller Strides at Hickam for a month now. It's so nice to be part of a group of ladies who have the same passion to workout and workout with their babies.

I love to play golf and would love to learn paddle board and tai chi... Aloha and Mahalo!!!

Meet Lezlie

Aloha ka kou
I am a new member of the Hickam SS. I am a born and raised island girl from Waianae. Along with my sailor we have three keiki Lauren 13, Linkin 7 , and our newest addition Laeton who just made 4 months. My husband is Lester and I am Lezlie. Yes the pattern of all "L" and six letters in our names. :)) I've always been into ocean activities. You will find us at the beach ALL the time.  I surf, standup paddle-board, boogie board and swim or simply just watch my kids play in the sand or ocean. We also enjoy hiking, mountain biking, kayak, camping out or enjoy going to the movies or shopping. My SS goal is simple. Lose baby weight, tone up and gain strong self confidence. Oh and it doesn't hurt if I start fitting my "skinny" jeans once again. LOL!
Mahalo for reading my bio. :))

Meet Juvy

Hi there, my name is Juvanka or Juvy for short. I have been a member of the Hickam stroller strides since March 21st, one month after my husband went on deployment. I joined SS to finally face and accomplish my weight loss goals, and wow the husband when he returned. I have always had a difficult time maintaining weight loss so this seemed like a great place to start!

I had identical twin girls in July of 2011 and although I didn't gain a ton of weight (30 lbs.) I have never really been happy with the way my body looks. I gained 60 lbs with my son 11 years ago and since then my weight has fluctuated quite a bit.

I came to Hawaii pregnant and overwhelmed in April of 2011 with my husband and then 10 year old son. He went out to sea a week after we arrived and my son and I moved into Halsey Terrace without the husband to help troubleshoot all the joys of moving with us...He is stationed on a submarine out of Pearl Harbor, so his schedule can be a little crazy. I am thankful that since then I have made some great friends both in and out of stroller strides...

I feel like stroller strides has nurtured the friendships I have and helped me make new ones. Some of the girls would say that I am the 'loud cheerleader' of the group but in reality pushing them makes me push myself thinking if they can do it, so can I! My favorite phrase is "The hardest part was getting here, and here you are....so MAKE THE BEST OF YOUR WORKOUT!" I started because Rachel who was an instructor at the time told me about it. I have enjoyed it every minute since and I love that I have to be accountable to people if I don't show up for class. I enjoy the company and all the wonderful people that I have met. I also enjoy being outside with my girls while my son is at school, too many times before I would just sit at home and wait for him to get home from school, now I get out and enjoy the wonderful views that Hawaii has to offer!

I am an aspiring runner and I hope that with this as a stepping stone I will be able to keep up with the gals that are inpiring me! Hope to see you at Hickam sometime

Meeting our Members...

I am changing the way we meet our members. Up until now, I have posted a "Member Monday" blog post each week, allowing you all to get to know our "newest" members.

From now on, I will be posting them as I receive them, and they will be titled "Meet (name)". This way we don't have to wait a whole entire week to meet our new mommas!

We have so many awesome ladies in this program and I am so glad you all have taken the time to share a bit about yourselves and let us all get to know you better...

Thanks!
Trish

Member Monday

Hello my name is Laura.  So far I attend the Stroller Stride sessions at Hickam and intend to branch out to CORP location as well.  We recently moved to military housing from the Ewa Beach area. I currently live Doris Miller community just off of base.    The Navy is what brought us to Hawaii and we have lived here for 3 wonderful years so far.  We have a year and a half left here and I will be sad once the time comes to leave.  Now that we have a little one it is time to move closer to family.   My interests include anything related to arts, other creative activities, and my love of reading.  Exercise is something I never enjoyed or did consistently in the past.  Working out was always an activity that I despised.  Since I have started stroller strides I have not only gained an new appreciation for exercise, but have found that it can also be enjoyable!  I have discovered that working out with others in a group setting helps to keep me motivated.  My biggest goal is to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight and fit into my jeans again!