Posted on May 30, 2009
As I previously posted, my hubby (Demetrye) and a group from our church are getting ready for a 780 mile marathon. (See post here) Our local newspaper ran an article on the today. Check it out here: Kelso Church 700-mile bike ride.
(From left to right, Demetrye Wilkins, Pastor Leo Pisarchuk, Marina Pisarchuk, Doug Spears and Matt Hamann talk about their upcoming fundraising ride to Sacramento. Bill Wagner / The Daily News)
It is not even 10 am yet, but we have been up for the last three hours already (and it is a Saturday!) Demetrye had already met with his client at his Windermere office to write up and offer and made it back home to nourish his body with delicious nutritionally loaded foods, and now he, and the rest of the team off for over a 30 mile ride.
I am so proud of all of them, and, of course, especially Demetrye. He started long distance riding only about 3 weeks ago and has surpassed everyone’s expectations. In less than a week time he will be covering distances for 3 days, 4 hours at a time! Absolutely amazing!
If you would like to check out our church’s new blog, visit here: Kelso Church of Truth. If you are feeling generous today and would like to contribute to the cause, you can do so by clicking on the Donate button located on the right hand side on the main page. Thank you!
Posted on May 26, 2009
I had a great Memorial weekend. I have enjoyed my husband’s company and great food that we made together.
The longer we are living this vegan lifestyle, the more both of us realize the importance of eating raw wholesome foods. A portion of our foods (about 20-30%/day at times) still is cooked, but it is mostly whole grains, such as brown rice, buckwheat, beans, etc. The rest—raw. We continually have an opportunity to compare how we feel on raw and cooked foods and find that if we eat a meal that is mostly cooked, we don’t have the same amount of energy. Not at all times, of course, as even the cooked foods that we eat are always are of the highest quality and are always supplemented by huge helpings of greens or other vegetables.
My husband is now training for a 788 mile marathon, from Longview, WA to Sacramento, CA. Nutrition and rest is everything for his recovery time. I found it absolutely amazing that he started to train only about 3 ago (last minute decision) and is already able to do 40 miles at a time with no pain or aches. I am actually not the only one feeling that way—the leader of the group is taken back by Demetrye’s physical resilience. I contribute it to proper nutrition. He takes in great foods before and after the training to ensure quick recovery times.
Demetrye and the entire group will be leaving for California next Thursday, June 4th and will be riding for 3 straight days. They will be riding in shifts, but he is scheduled to ride 4 hours at a time every single day. I am so excited and proud of him, and yet I am a bit nervous—he is going to get through different kinds of terrain: mountains, flat land, riding by cliffs, etc. And I am only a human, and… his wife, so I naturally tend to worry about his well-being, especially since I won’t be right next to him to make sure of that… So, keep him and me : ) in your prayers.
The marathon will take place to raise awareness of our need for a building for our church. The building that we were leasing up until last year was taken from us, and we are currently renting from another church. We attend the Kelso Church of Truth, whose primary outreach is to the most underprivileged in the community. We work closely with the Mountain Ministries—a rehabilitation program for addicts of all kinds, and the Victory Center—a ministry that provided hot meals to homeless on daily basis. Ever since we lost our building, downtown Kelso, last year, the Victory Center was unable to operate, which is very unfortunate, as many of our fellow humans were relying on at least one hot meal a day from there.
The marathon will serve as a tool to raise funds for us to purchase a building suitable to fulfill the needs of all three ministries. We will receive coverage from The Daily News, and the local news station and papers in California (I am not sure which ones yet).
Everyone in the group that will be departing next week, is responsible for raising at least $300 to cover the expenses of this trip, on top of expenses for the equipment. They all are training hard to be ready for the trip physically, and I would like for them, especially my husband : ) not have to worry about raising the funds.
If you are reading this blog, I would like to ask you for your assistance—a contribution to this worthy cause. Please consider sponsoring at least 15-20 miles, or more, if you can. Every dollar is appreciated. If you sponsor $1 per mile, I am certain that Demetrye and others will be able to cover their expenses easily. If you can, please shoot me an e-mail at elena(dot)wilkins@gmail(dot)com [please replace (dot) with a period). I will then provide you with my PayPal account and you can transfer the funds you are willing to contribute. Again, every dollar is greatly appreciated!
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and for caring for life-changing organizations! I will keep you posted on the progress of this marathon.
Here is a short video of the part of the group in training. Enjoy!
Posted on May 26, 2009
First of all, I would like to thank you all of the men and women out there that had and are still fighting for our freedoms. Without you we would not have the same peace of mind going to bed at night. Thank you!
Today Demetrye and I decided to spend some alone time so we went to see a movie. We watched Angels and Demons. The plot and the acting was great. The only thing that I did not appreciate about the movie was gory details of murders–too much violence, which I found unnecessary. But, since I love reading, and when it comes to novels I like to solve plots, this was a perfect movie for me. I consider myself to be a master at predicting and end of the movie from the beginning, but today I hit a set back. I found that very interesting (don’t worry, I won’t spill the beans here).
Right out of the movie we received a call from my darling niece, Alla. She invited Demetrye and I to dinner. Apparently she had to make a four-course meal for her class and we were chose to be food critiques. Being that we are vegan, she had her work cut out for her, but she did great. We were not able to eat all of her delicious cretions, but she catered half of her meal toward us.
Here is the work of her labor (observe Demetrye in action:)):
I am loving the very last image, when Alla pulled out her MP3 and let my Mom (her Grandma) listen in to her ispiration music.
Oh, the joys of family…
Posted on May 20, 2009
I saw Chelsey today (my senior from Kelso High School) and she was so thrilled with the few images she has seen from her senior session that Ipromised her to post a couple more of my favorites while she is waiting for her proofing gallery to go up. Here it is, Chelsey, just for you.
Wa-wa-wa-gorgeous!
Enjoy! And you will see the rest of them SOON!
