I’m a mess. The school is starting to send out daily communications, and I completely started crying while watching a video the P.E. teachers sent to the kids.

How are you doing friends?

The calm and collected shield is cracking here.

Today marked the first day of week 2 as we work on creating a new normal in our home.  The kids are asleep, I’ve just finished my second glass of wine, and all I have to say is, “I’m tired.”

As your family works on creating a new normal, it’s completely ok to grieve the old normal.  It’s ok to cry.  We’ve all cried.

My girl cried when she realized the school play might not happen.  They’ve put so much work into it.  It broke my heart, and all I could do was hold her tight and let her cry out her fears.

My boy cried because he misses school.  My exceptional second grader who’s reading at a fifth grade level, who loves structure and organization cried because he wants things back the way they were.  I do too my love.

My husband, who works the front lines as a firefighter/medic cried for the hard times our city will see.  He’s sees the real, the raw, and the unfiltered things the rest of us are sheltered from.

I cry when the fear creeps in at night that my husband might run a critical call on a covet-19 patient.

Here is what I tell my kids.

It’s ok to feel sad, scared, angry, or confused. Whatever you’re feeling, you get to give it permission to come out. Once you let it out, say hello, and let it go.  Find someone you love to hold onto and work through your fears and tears with. Curl up and get cozy, love those fears and tears away with the new normal you get to create together.

Our new normal is made up of lots of sunshine, laughter, and late night cuddles on the couch.

What does your new normal look like?

This is one of my favorite photos Aaron took at the Saint George marathon. It’s an image of a hang glider floating above the runners. Or would you call it a paraglider?

Help me in the race in raising The lo expectations that society places on blindness by supporting my goal of raising $50K while running 50 K on Valentine’s Day.

100% of your donation will go to supporting the educational programs of the national Federation of the blind.

Be sure to put #RunForNFB in your contribution notes.

Lastly, please share the love by sharing the link.

Dear Friend,

I know many will be reading this, but this is intended to be a letter from me to you.  As the newest elected member to serve on the National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors, I’d like to take a moment to share a little about me, and why I do what I do.  You see, there are many people out there who just don’t understand how I can choose to give so much of myself, my time, my energy, and my resources to the National Federation of the Blind without getting anything in return.  It is my hope that after reading this, that you understand that what I get is immeasurable and could never be quantified in a number.  It is my hope that after reading this, you too choose to give to the National Federation of the Blind.  

My name is Terri Rupp, married to Aaron Rupp, and mom to an eight year old boy named Jackson, 10 year old girl named Marley, and a 12 year old stinky bulldog named Mickey.  We look like your average family living in the suburbs.  Dad works  as a fire fighter, while mom stays home with the kids.  For many years, this mom ran a neighborhood mommy group, welcoming moms and kids inside for playdates over coffee.  I’d like to do the same for you.  Please come inside, take your shoes off, grab yourself a mug, and let me tell you a story. Take a few minutes to read this blog post, join the fun, and share the love.

Before Lacing Up My Shoes

My first memory of realizing I couldn’t see like the other kids around me was on this little carpet square in my kindergarten class. My nose was literally in the book, and a little boy put his face into his own book and asked, “Why do you read like this?” That was the beginning of learning to fake it.

I grew up in a traditional Cambodian home where we did not talk about my blindness. After immigrating to the United States when I was a toddler and not knowing the language, my parents found themselves searching for answers about my eyesight. They used teenage family members as translators during many doctors’ visits up and down California. Some said my eyesight would come back, and others said I would eventually lose it all. All my family understood was that their little girl had a rare eye condition that couldn’t be fixed, but I had enough to fake it during my school years.

I pretended to do my schoolwork in class, then spent hours in the evenings at home actually doing it with my face pressed into the pages with the help of my handy magnifier that eventually turned into a huge CCTV taking up half of the desk in my bedroom. It became too much. I found myself almost failing out of school, not able to find work, and constantly walking into poles and falling down steps. Finally, the folding cane hidden in my closet came out, and I started connecting with blind peers. However, I still went back and forth. One day I was at the top of three steps talking to two blind women about their color coordinated outfits, and telling them about my cute yellow heels. They had their canes, and I did not. I found myself tumbling down the steps. That tumble was a pivotal moment for me.

Hitting the Pavement

There have been many more tumbles since that initial one in those yellow shoes, but I attended training, got more involved, and no longer fake who I am. Thanks to the support, mentorship, and love of the National Federation of the Blind, getting back up again isn’t lonely because there are people to lean on. I also leaned on my Federation family when learning that my own little girl would grow up with the same eye condition as me. Unlike the fear and false hope my own parents faced, though we knew there may be a few rocks in the road, we also knew that the rocks could easily be climbed over, kicked aside, or removed completely if you’ve got the tools and are wearing the right shoes.

Armed with tools like Braille, a long white cane, the skills to self-advocate, and strength and support built on the foundation of generations of blind people who have come before us, children like that little kindergartener on the carpet square have the potential to shoot for the moon and go beyond the stars. The possibilities are endless—like me being a runner.

Never in a million years would the younger me have believed it possible I would be called an athlete, let alone a marathon runner, until I met my support team who would back me up. That team was my Achilles Las Vegas Guides. A big dream was broken down into measurable goals all wrapped up in a pretty training plan. The dream became a reality with tears in our eyes as we crossed the finish line at the 2018 Las Vegas Rock N’ Roll Marathon. Imagine the dreams blind children will dream with the right guidance, resources, and team.

For the Love of Running

Along with shoes and other passions, my little girl and I also share the love of running. Last October, while running my second marathon, she joined me for a few miles. This Valentine’s Day, she’ll get to join me for a few more. I’ll be running a few more too.

Thanks to Beyond Limits Running and Achilles Las Vegas, I have committed to completing my first 50K at the Jackpot Ultra Running Festival on February 14, 2020. That is 31.07 miles, which is more than a marathon. And if I can do something as big as running 50K, then why not make it bigger than just a run?

Lace up your shoes and join me in raising $50,000 for the National Federation of the Blind.

You don’t literally need to lace up your shoes and run, but I invite you to help me reach this dream of $50K for the Federation while running a 50K. Be a part of supporting blind children with big dreams with the love and guidance from the Federation team.

Make a Donation Today!

Please contribute to my run fundraiser by making an online donation and adding #RunForNFB to the contribution note. Your support is greatly appreciated. Together with love, hope, and determination, we transform dreams into reality.

Whole Heartedly Yours,

Terri Rupp

Click here to DONATE NOW to support #RunForNFB

Friends,

I have a message from my dear friend Lisamaria.  This is a friend whom I’m proud to hold in my circle of badass confident women.  Join our tribe!

Signing up is fast and easy.

The program starts 9 a.m. PST this Monday and will last 5 days. If you can’t make it at 9 each day, just look for the replay in your inbox.

Bright and early each day, She will send out email reminders with the meeting information, and the previous day’s replay for anyone who wants to watch again or anyone who missed it.

At 9 a.m., the cameras start rolling and she’ll talk about a different topic each day.

We’ll talk about the four things stopping us from being the confident bad asses we truly are.

We’ll be live for about 15 to 20 minutes each day. And, we’ll do some homework in the Everyday Confident Woman Facebook group. So … expect to spend about 30 minutes each day developing into a confident queen.

Now … that’s not a lot of time each day, but if you put effort into it … if you engage … if you ask questions … you will start taking the steps necessary to becoming more confident … to believing in yourself … and to stop doing the four things we do often that prevent us from moving forward and taking action in our daily lives.

If you haven’t signed up yet, please do it now while you are thinking about it. The sign up will remain open until Tuesday afternoon.

If you have signed up … thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Oh … and did you invite a friend? Your mama or your sister? Your daughter or granddaughter? This 5-day online challenge is for any woman looking to make a difference in her life. And that means you … and the women in your life.

So, what are you waiting for?

Have you heard of backwards trick-or-treating? If you haven’t, it’s OK. I just made it up this week. In the photo below are my kids dressed up in their costumes with our super groovy neighbor and friend. Earlier this week, Luke Skywalker and a witch made pumpkin spice cookie deliveries. This was a cookie recipe I got from a good friend. The recipe didn’t turn out as delicious as I remembered her cookies tasting. I’ll be attempting it again this weekend. I hope to make our backwards trick-or-treating an annual tradition. You should try it too!

Raquel, I promise I’ll do better with your recipe next go around.

For those of you who want to try the pumpkin spice cookies yourselves, here is the recipe.

One box of spice cake mix

One can of pure pumpkin nothing added

half a bag of your choice flavored chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together. Consistency will be gooey. Use a tablespoon to place the Dough 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes at 375.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to participate in a painting class. This was more than just an ordinary painting class. This class was an emotional release, expressive, experiential painting process. Tonight, my painting along with many other paintings done by blind artists will be auctioned off at the Blindconnect Color of blindness gala. If you are in the Las Vegas area, I invite you to stop by the RTC mobility training center on Sunset and Decatur from 6 PM to 8 PM.

This piece of art was created without me even knowing what colors I held on my palate. I was surprised to learn that I created purple, when purple had not even been one of the choices offered. That day, I felt emotionally constipated. We had just put our house on the market. The stress levels were on overload. I had not run in five weeks. That day, while painting with my fingers, I found the emotional release I needed. That day, I found balance again.

To learn more about the color of blindness event, or Blindconnect Angela’s House, please visit http://www.blindconnect.org.

*** Please ignore any typos in this post, as it is another one being published from my WordPress app while I am cozied up to two very sick kids on the couch.***

it’s fall y’all! I cannot be more excited. The mornings are getting chilly, and I am sitting down to a slice of pumpkin spice roll and coffee.

Fall is my favorite time of year. I mean, who wouldn’t love all of these things?

Fall festivals

Cooler weather

Halloween

Soups that fill the bellies and soul

Pumpkin spice everything

And best of all…

October is National Meet the Blind Month, and October 15 is National White Cane Safety Day.

For the entire month of October, I will be sharing some of my favorite blogs, books, podcasts, videos, and recipes from some of my favorite blind people.  I’ll also be sharing some awesome Meet the Blind Month activities and events you might want to check out.

If you would like one of your creations to be featured, please send them to blindmomintheburbs@gmail.com.

I would love to try one of your favorite fall recipes.

XOXO,

MamaRupp

Today is Monday, September 9th, and I am 26 days away from my next big race.  On October 5th, my guides and I will be running the St. George marathon.  Training for this race has been much more difficult than last year’s.  Between moving, kids, work, family vacations, coordinating schedules and finding guides to train with, I have been feeling a little nervous and undertrained.

When I am unable to meet up with a guide, I run alone in my neighborhood.  One full loop, that sort of looks like a capital B, equals 1.1 miles.  I’ve run the loop so many times with the Strava App letting me know exactly where I am when I get to another mile, that I’ve stopped carrying my phone with me altogether.  Running without the app, and running alone, has afforded me the solo silent space to just be.  No Thinking.  No doing.  Just being.  It’s a peace my mind and body appreciate so very deeply.

On a recent 16 mile run with one of my Achilles guides, I asked him,”What do you find yourself zoning out or zenning out on during your long runs?”  He said he sometimes finds himself watching himself  run in third person, as if he were on a run documentary with commenters in the background.  This helps him run with good form and pace.  I found that to be quite interesting since I was struggling with form and pace at the very moment as we were going uphill into the wind.

For me, when I’m zoned out and zenned out and getting in my miles, I am visited by my muse. My muse brings me clarity.  The run gets my blood pumping.  Together, a combination of creative juices flow, and my mind and body are again at peace.

Before I go pressing publish on this blog, here are a few things I’d like to end with.

find yourself struggling getting over that next hill, that next mile marker, that next midnight feeding, that next injection or IVF treatment, that next awkward conversation, that next task big or small?  Consider focusing on your ways of being not what you are doing.

I wrote a list of 26 ways of being to get me through my first 26.2 mile run.  A few of the words might change on this next marathon, but the concept is the same.  After all, we are human beings, not human doings.

Click Here to read the list. 

Lastly, tell me… where is your peaceful place, that place where your body and mind find the balance to just be, to zone out and zen out?

Please allow me this proud mommy brag blog post.

Earlier this summer, my Marley was asked to be one of three student speakers on a panel at the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children meeting at the 2019 NFB National Convention. With very little coaching from her mommy, she wrote her speech on her Braille note taker,and gave an excellent presentation.

I was not quick enough at pressing record and missed the first sentence or so. She began by saying, “my name is Marley Rupp. I am nine years old, and will be going into the fourth grade this fall.”

Here is the rest of her speech…