Month: March 2018

One last blog post on the Staley family. Because this is the last window into our lives, I will let you in on one of our secrets to success: family exercise.

Just a little background – Everyone in this family, from my little brother to my aunts, lives for physical activity. Sports are a yes from every member, particularly my dad, who engrained it into our minds as well. My cousins and I grew up playing outside in the grass, and how did we entertain ourselves? All kinds of games, most that test our athletic ability or strength, all suggested by Dad. Kickball? Wrestling? Four square? Yes. Cops and robbers? Sword fighting? Any variation on tag? You bet.

As soon as we were old enough, we were playing sports. Over the years, even just me, Emily, and Jack have participated in a wide variety of sports, but my dad has always been a big fan of one particular exercise. Running. I ran track for a couple weeks at the end of the season one year, but that is it. I must not have gotten that gene.

To give you some insight on this, for my dad’s fiftieth birthday, we asked him what he wanted for a gift. Sure enough, he responded, “I want to go on a run as a family.” Yeah, it doesn’t seem like he was asking for that much at the time, so we agreed. Because my father is a big proponent of early rising, we woke up in the ungodly morning hours on his birthday and proceeded to run, over hill and dale, FOUR miles. Ouch. He couldn’t have just asked for breakfast in bed and a car wash.

Elaborating on my father’s desire to exercise as a family, about a year ago, we were looking for a fun family activity and stubbled upon an indoor climbing facility in Pittsburgh. We were not the best at it, but quickly fell in love. We spend a lot of time bouldering, which is simple climbing without ropes and harnesses. The climbing establishments are built with many walls of medium height, covered in plastic holds of differing difficulties. Mats surround the walls incase of a slip, which is not uncommon.

My family is obsessed with rock climbing, oh yes, obsessed. It fits into our list of criteria for fun, which is as follows:

1. Can it be a competition?

End of List.

And of course, it can be a competition. So we LOVE it. Physical challenge? Did someone call the Staleys?
This type of family exercise is my personal favorite. It is exercise; however, it feels nothing like limping four miles or doing lunges after dinner until everyone is exhausted. We forget we are exercising because, we are swept away by the competition and challenge factor. Nonetheless, you do feel it in your arms for thenext couple of days. After our first trip climbing, we found another closer facility that we prefer. It is called ASCEND. The building is located on the south side of Pittsburgh and functions as a fitness center, going beyond only climbing to activities such as yoga and cycling. When we are all home together, the family often takes a group trip to Ascend. Mom, Dad, Emily, Ellie, Jack, me, and Matt all hop in the car, travel the distance, and climb until our arms can’t hold us anymore.

And with that the Staley blogs come to an end, but the content will continue to grow, undocumented. Thanks for bearing with my family through post after post after post. Keep in mind, I have to deal with this stuff every day for the rest of my life. Wish me luck, I’m sure gonna need it.

 

Hi all, today I’m going to tell you a little bit about a woman that serves as not only a loving relative, but also a role model of mine. Any woman (or man, for that matter) would benefit from shaping their life and love off hers. In all honesty, I could not explain to you how I am related to Janie. All I can say for sure is that we come from related families, but quite frankly, our level of relatedness doesn’t change the impact she has had. As is the case for nearly all people, there is no way to truly understand Janie without meeting her, but I’m going to do my best to give you an idea of her defining characteristics. 

Janie was a genuine, kind-hearted woman without fail. One humid summer day, she headed to the supermarket to buy some groceries. As she approached, she noticed a woman in custody of some officers. The woman had been handcuffed and was sitting on the curb outside the store. Rather than simply walking past without a glance, Janie went into the market, bought a cold bottle of water and personally delivered it to the woman. She introduced herself and they exchanged brief conversation, and she continued on to her grocery shopping. Janie understood that everyone has a story, and everyone has their demons. But most importantly, she never let this affect her treatment towards them. Her kindness never discriminated and she never passed judgment on a soul.

Let me tell you what, this woman had a fantastic sense of humor. There is no doubt that Janie was the life of the party, and boy was she good at it. Her feistiness and mischievous comments left us rolling on the floor and bantering back and forth for hours. She never hesitated to tell my father and brother (both the youngest children in their families) that they were spoiled brats. She picked on us all, earning her rightful place as Queen Brat. Although she never perfectly mastered the art of posting on Facebook, Janie knew her way around a sarcastic comment like nobody else, which never failed to give us the best laughs.

Finally, Janie was a passionate, liberal woman of God. She never apologized for speaking her mind, which she often did. If someone disagreed, she’d tell them why they were wrong. Even during the presidential election season last fall, she hopped out of her hospital bed and marched right into town to vote. I have always admired her strong will and unconditional love. Janie’s passion and love did not stop at her husband of fifty-two years, and four children. This is what made her such an empowering woman. She never missed an opportunity to praise one’s strength, independence, or natural beauty. Janie’s confidence radiated and inspired all of the Staley women to be sure in both their beliefs, and in themselves.

On March 12, 2017, the world lost a beautiful woman, but heaven gained the purest soul. Just a few days short of her seventieth birthday, Janie lost her battle with lung cancer. We spent this time last year celebrating her life and the endless impact she had on all of ours. Lauren, one of Janie’s four children, summarized her life with this, “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘What we do in life echoes in eternity.’ That is her legacy. The kind and loving heart she had. I think with all going on in this world today a lot of people forget that love, kindness, and compassion are something most lost. She never did. Her love, kindness, and gentle ways will live on in my memory forever.” And they will live in our memories as well. Janie, thank you for every act of kindness, for every laugh, and for every time you showed us what it means to be a kick ass woman. Your life, we will always remember, but your love, we know is with us forever.