Easter Thoughts, and some pictures.

I must say, this Easter was one of our best years ever! We had a wonderful weekend, with plenty of great memories from time spent with our family. I think one of the things that made it so wonderful was the fact that we were so "free" this year. I don't want this to come across the wrong way, but this was the first year that we were not committed to something Church-oriented & it was wonderful! We actually enjoyed Easter for once - imagine that.

For me, it really was a time of reflection on what Christ did for me. Now for my guilty confession...we didn't even go to Church Easter morning (faint.....gasp...I know, I know...). We did take some time as a family to read about the resurrection & we shared the Lord's supper with my family on Easter day (with our meal...the way it used to be done). It was a refreshing change to the days of old when were stressed out to the max on Easter morning because we had to be at Church to fulfill some duty or obligation. I don't know if I can ever do that to myself again. Now, I'm not saying we will never go to Church on Easter Sunday again (not at all!). However, I will be careful about filling my calendar on resurrection Sunday with a bunch of things that don't matter. I liked having time to focus on what does matter.......the risen savior! Can I get an AMEN? :-)



Anyway....enough about that. Here are a few pictures from Easter Sunday.

Maya with her Easter Sunday breakfast :-).

My sweet McKenna. It's kinda hard to see her cute little dress under that sweater. It was a little chilly this year for the sleeveless look.

"Mooky-Girl's" little dress. (She's not really into looking at the camera these days).

Chandler got some cool shades in his Easter basket.

My annual attempt at a "3 Little Whites" Easter Sunday picture. Sigh....one day it will happen...one day....
(How about that giant marshmallow egg in Chandler's cheek? Gotta Love that!)

My dentist LOVES me...

Because people like me make her very, very rich! Every time I pull into the office parking lot and see her shiny green Porsche Cayenne, I shake my head and wonder how much of that car is "mine"- HA!

I've been told over the years that I have "perfect" gums & that I obviously take very good care of my teeth....but it really doesn't mean crap in the long run! It's so bad that my dentist & her entire staff know me on a first name basis. When I call the office I'm all "Hey, Kelly - It's Amber...yep me again". It's like that! We're even so comfortable with each other (me and the receptionist) that we talk about the kids, where we get our hair cut, what we are making for dinner, and stuff like that :-). When I come in for an appt I don't even have to sign in on that clipboard thing because they already know me.

I'm the urban legend that dentists hear about in school, but they never believe there really is a person out there with a mouth like that!
When there is a "best case/worst case" scenario...I'm ALWAYS the worst case! Yep, that's me! I'm the person who uses up her entire insurance allowance 2 months into the year & get to pay everything else out of pocket for the remaining 10 months of the year. Do you see where this post is going?

Anyway....I've had this funny little "bump" on my gums & I figured it was something bad, but what's new? So, I let it go for a month or so to see if it might miraculously go away on it's own...it didn't. So, today we were at the park (right across the street from my dentist office) and McKenna had to go to the bathroom so we went to the dentists office to use their potty (because it's WAY cleaner then the nasty porta-potty's at the park). While McKenna was using the facilities I tell the receptionist I need to have this "bump" checked out because I think it's a problem I'm having with an old root canal. About that time the dentist comes out & was like "hey Amber...what's up?" (first name basis...gotta love it). When I told her what was going on she got me right back to look at it (no appt necessary for me!). Sure enough, it's a bad root canal! Who has that? Seriously...who? ME...that's who!

So, guess what? I've got a really bad infection that needs to be treated & a root canal that needs to be re-done...through the gum line (oh, joy!) They don't want to take the crown off and go through the tooth because apparently that's more risky. The best part of all of this is that I get to pay for most of this (which is very expensive)out-of-pocket. I also get to look forward to an extremely painful oral surgery that I can't be put out for, or take any "good" pain killers for, because I'm pregnant :-). Anyone wanna trade shoes with me...anyone?

I'm gonna go cry now............. I hate teeth!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well, it was a rainy, yucky day today so I did what I love to do most on rainy days and I cooked ALL day long! I usually serve green pancakes and eggs for breakfast on St. Patty's day, but the kids didn't want to wait for a "festive" breakfast this morning, so I just let that one go (easy to do when you feel queasy in the mornings anyway...). I was actually more excited about my dinner plans!

This year I wanted to do something special for St. Patrick's Day because: 1) the kids were home on Spring break, and 2) This is probably the only stress-free holiday we get to spend together as a family. Sometimes I really hate that my kids never get to enjoy just being at their home for holidays. I decided that I want to make St. Patrick's day a fun-filled day where we don't have to worry about running around to see all the grandparents, missing naps, stressing out about helping cook a big meal, or worrying about keeping the kids clean in their matching outfits so that every relative under the sun can take 14928923 pictures of them before they roll around in the dirt!! I just wanted to do something special with my family for once!

So.....this year I got brave and cooked my first ever "traditional" Irish feast! I had so much fun doing research on Irish meals & finding new recipes. In the end I settled on Guinness Corn Beef, Colcannon, Irish Soda Bread, and of course we had roasted carrots and parsnips too! Oh, and in my family one kind of bread just isn't enough, so we had to have regular raised rolls as well. :-)

It was really fun & I think this may just become a new family tradition. McKenna was our brave one & she tried a little bit of everything! She even said she LOVED dinner! WooHoo! Chandler and Maya were not so easily convinced...but they both settled on Irish Soda Bread for their dinner. Hey, at least they tried something new. At our house we call that a VICTORY!


McKenna and Chandler checking things out.

Irish Soda Bread

Guinness Corned Beef, Colcannon, and Roasted Carrots/Parsnips.


That's Chandler letting me know he had no intention of trying the carrots and parsnips! (sigh)

Random pictures and info...

OK....I never mentioned anything about Valentine's day this year because it wasn't a very eventful "holiday" around here. We did...nothing! It was just one of those years. Some years I care & other years I'm just too busy to get my panties all twisted if I don't get something "romantic". Such is life when Valentines day falls 2 weeks after your anniversary. Now, if we are talking about my birthday... THEN I care.

So as not to give up completely on this made up holiday (created to fill the dead space between Christmas and Easter), I ALWAYS make valentine cookies for my kids (I guess it's my attempt to show I care about this "special" day-he he!) . This year was no exception. So...here are a few pictures of our valentine cookies this year....enjoy!

Mmmm.... cream wafers!

And sugar cookies with way too much frosting....

I think I enjoy photographing food too much.

The small plate that was left after we gave cookies to all the teachers :-)


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Because I spent way too much time complaining on my blog about how sick we all were, I thought I'd share a few funny/sad pictures from our 3 weeks of never ending sickness.

Poor Channy was so worn out that he fell asleep all curled up on this dining room chair.


Can you tell Maya was feeling just a little miserable (that's a lip injury from doing a face plant at the park few days before)...

That didn't stop her from trying to steal my favorite blanket right out from under me. Sneaky little baby!

*Jodi-thanks again for this beautiful blanket. Every time I curl up with it it makes me smile :-).
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Do you know what a "ticker" is? Check out mine............
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If you are still confused maybe this will clear things up for you...



Hmmmm.... now what am I going to call my blog? I guess I have until October to figure that out. :-)

*Oh, and here are my answers to your two most common questions...

-It's none of your business :-)
-Yes...we are thrilled!

Ready for something new....

So am I! It's been kinda slow and boring around here, so I'm sorry I don't have any fresh thoughts to share right now.

Well, that's not exactly true...I will have a "book report" to share in the following weeks (don't hold your breath though...I'm a slow reader). I'm sure I'll have all sorts of thoughts to share when I'm done with this read. I'm reading a book called "Pagan Christianity" and it's rocking my world! I cried when I read the introduction because I couldn't believe I had finally found something that affirmed everything I've been feeling in my spirit over the last couple of years. I guess you could say I'm having an epiphany of sorts.

If you are curious, you can check out the authors my space site :

http://www.myspace.com/frankaviola

Just a warning though...this is not going to be for everyone! We are all on a journey, and this is my journey. I don't expect this book will be a hit with many Christians, as many Churches have tried to ban this book from even being sold! Maybe that's what made me want to read it so much....I had to know what was so "scandalous". What I found was a quote that made my "outside of the box" disposition smile a little on the inside....

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident."
[-Arthur Schopenhauer, Nineteenth-Century German Philosopher]

Flu Bug's, Pneumonia, Bronchitis...OH MY!

It's been one LONG couple of week at the White manor. Starting on the 21st of February everyone (except McKenna) came down with a horrid "bug" that spread like wildfire and caused the worst flu-epidemic known in White family history! In the end the worst casualties were Jonathan and Chandler. Jonathan got bronchitis & Channy ended up with pneumonia :-(. Folks...it was ugly around here!

At one point we had to call in reinforcements (known as "Me-Maw & Pa-Paw"). My parents had to make a midnight run to the grocery store for food and medicine, because we were all so weak and sick that no one was able to move...let alone go to the store! We are slowly (ever so slowly) returning to normal & I hope that by the weekend we will all have our strength back.

Did I mention that I hate winter? Because I do!

Well....crap!

4 out of five of us are sick! Yep...everyone but McKenna (she has been sick like three times in her whole life. I think she has some sort of wonderful gene mutation that prevents her from ever getting really sick!). Jon is on the couch feeling miserable, I'm on the computer sipping green tea and eating oranges, and Chan and Maya are doped up on cough syrup and ibuprofen so they can get their 90 minutes of sleep before they wake up crying again!

Did I mention that I HATE winter? Oh, and I also hate puking in the middle of the night!

It's 7 degrees, I'm getting sick, and my house is trashed!

Ever have one of those moments where you say to yourself "Can anything else go wrong?".

Yep...it's one of those weeks for me. Despite trying my darndest to stay well, I'm getting a nasty cold this week. I spent the day at McKenna's school yesterday, and let me tell you the germs were flying all around that place! For starters, half of the class was absent, and the other half didn't look so hot! One little kid puked in the middle of the carpet during story time & I'm pretty sure the class used up a whole box of kleenex by the days end. I'm still glad I got to spend the day with McKenna...but next time I'll have to remember to come right home and jump in a extra hot shower and scrub every inch of my body with antibacterial soap!

Oh, and just so I can continue to gripe, let me tell you how much I'm enjoying this weather (rolling eyes...). I am so sick of winter! I'm over it! My kids have gone stir crazy, I've gone stir crazy, and I can't find one once of motivation to do a darn thing around the house. My house is down right dirty & it's going to take A TON of spring cleaning to get it back to where it used to be. I'm going to be paying a hefty price for my lazy attitude this Spring!

And....my washer is broken :-( It broke last Wednesday & I spent all day Saturday at my Mom's house doing laundry. My mom gave me her extra washer (she has two sets) to use until we can buy a new one (which I'm very thankful for), but that washer leaks & I have to mop my kitchen every time I use it! I tried putting a towel under the washer, but then I realized that plan was not working out so great because that just creates MORE laundry! Did I mention how when something in this house breaks.... it stays broken for a minimum of 3-5 years! (You think I'm kidding? Ask my fence how many years it's been broken....)

This long vent was brought to you by: One Grumpy Mama! She would like to apologize for the "downer" tone of today's post. She will return to her regular upbeat programming when the nice weather returns, her washer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, back door, garage doors, closet doors, backed up plumbing, backyard fence, and dining room floor are all fixed! Until then, she would like to reserve the right to be grumpy and rant about random issues whenever she feels like it!

Thank You!

Grab your hankie....

Some time last summer I heard Steven Curtis Chapman sing this song ("Cinderella") about his daughter & I cried right there in my car! He sang it live on K-love, and told a little story about the night he wrote it, and it was just so touching. It's really a song meant for Daddy's, but I loved it because of the overall message! I rushed home and tried to find it on the internet....but all my searches came up empty!! I told Jon about the song & how it made me cry & how I just had to find it somehow.....

Well, I'm a little slow because the album was released back in October, but I had never heard it played on the radio again (I guess I need to listen to K-Love more often)...until Wednesday night. I was washing dishes & heard the song play on the radio again & dog gone if it didn't get me again!




One reason this songs gets me is because our little Maya LOVES to get all dressed up in play clothes & dance all over the living room (but... she must dance WITH us). She will say "Hum on....wet's DANCE!". Just about every day I'll find her spinning and twirling in front of the mirror & she will say to me "Look mommy...I Cinnawellwa". I really need to get her on video doing that because you just can't acurately describe that kind of cuteness-ha ha!



*If anything this song has served as a reminder to me that this time I have with my children is SO, so special. It's amazing how God will bring you just what you need, just when you need it! I love how I was washing dishes at my kitchen sink thinking "does this work ever end?" & then out of nowhere this song started playing on the radio. It was like God was speaking right to my heart. It was a gentle and loving reminder to me that these years will be here and gone before I know it, and "I don't want to miss even one song".

How I spent my anniversary this year.

I really should give myself some distance from this situation before I go and write about it....but I've decided that this must go on my blog right away (rolling eyes).

As some of you may be aware, Jonathan and I have a "curse" of sorts that always strikes around our anniversary, and this year was no exception! Let me refresh your memory on how we have spent past anniversaries.....


8 straight years of anniversary sabotage!


1-Great-Grandma died & we had to travel to IL for the funeral. It was RECORD low temps that weekend and I got a cold.



2-The Great 2002 Ice Storm! We had a 8 week old baby and we spent all our money on a generator because we had no power...oh, and Jon got some wicked flu!



3-I was pg with Chandler and sick, sick, sick!



4-Oh...we did actually get to stay in a hotel this year!!! McKenna had the flu & Chandler was only 7 months old, but my Mom watched them anyway :-)



5- I was pg with Maya this year and still feeling sick because of that. BOTH of the kids got the stomach flu the day before I was going to fly to GA to meet Jon. My mom still watched the kids for me so I could go. The very night I landed in GA to meet up with Jon I got the same bug the kids had & I spent most of our "romantic getaway" puking!!



6- I had the worlds WORST sinus infection that year & couldn't even taste anything at dinner. We skipped going to a movie & instead went to the grocery store on our way home to buy tea, juice, and cold medicine for me :-(.



7-McKenna gets the flu, and we have to cancel all our plans!



8 - CHANDLER GETS ATTACKED BY A DOG & WE GET TO SPEND 5 HOURS IN THE ER!



Yep! This is no lie! I had been trying all week to figure out a day that Jonathan and I could go out to celebrate our anniversary. Several of our plans fell through & then we finally decided to go out on Sunday night. The day started off perfectly as we dropped the kids off at my parents house & headed out to an early movie so that we could catch dinner and a movie before the kids bedtime (it was a school night after all). We did get to see the movie together (only because we had our phones turned off), but as soon as we left the theater & I turned my phone back on I saw that my parents had called my phone about 10 times.



That's when the "fun" began. To make a very long story short...My dad took McKenna and Chandler for a walk around their neighborhood & they saw a little Jack Russel Terrier that looked like Bentley (my parents old dog) & they asked the owner if they could pet the dog. The owner said "sure" and set the dog down & the dog charged at Chandler and immediately bit him on the arm. Somehow, that little 14 lb dog was able to bite through my sons puffy winter coat and long sleeve shirt...and do some pretty good damage. It could have been much, much worse, but everyone acted quickly & the dog only got a few bites in before they got him off. In the end Chandler only had one really bad puncture wound, and the ER doctor said they were not going to do stitches because they wanted to prevent any kind of infection from setting in.



So, that's how I got to spend this years anniversary. Let me tell you, there is just nothing like spending 4 hours in the ER waiting to be seen (with a overstimulated, over-sugared 4 year old who is up 3 hours past his bedtime)! When we finally got to head towards home it was after midnight & Jon and I realized we had just spent all of our anniversary "fund" on an ER co-pay, and our romantic dinner turned out to be overpriced vending machine snacks that we devoured when we realized we were getting shaky from lack of nutrition.



I couldn't help it, but I cried on the way home because sometimes this seems so unfair! I'm still quite angry over the whole thing. I'm not imagining this....EVERY TIME we try to plan something special together it ends up being ruined...and I'm sick of it! SICK. OF. IT! I'm about to give up! I know that we have to keep trying to plan special outings together, but I dread it now. I hate having this feeling that a dark cloud is hanging over us when we try to get away.



As I have said before..."this too shall pass"...and I really do believe that. However, I wouldn't mind a prayer or two. Our actual anniversary is tomorrow (the 29th) & I'm going to try my best to just enjoy the day. I won't let this get me down for long...but today is probably not my best day mentally.



*Chandler was probably the least of us that was traumatized by this event. He kinda liked the extra attention. :-)


Getting all bandaged up.


Side one...

Side two....

Tom = "El Diablo"

Let me explain.....

Last Friday Tom S. came over to our house to pick Jonathan up for a guy's night outing & he brought with him this Walgreen's sack and left it on the counter in our kitchen. When the boys were getting ready to leave I pointed to the sack and said, "what's that?". He laughed and said something about it being a "little snack" for me to enjoy later . Then he opened it up and pulled out about 3 lbs of chocolate in the form of KING size candy bars! There was a KING size bag of peanut M&M's, a KING size Snickers, a KING size 3 Musketeers, and a giant 1 lb Hershey's bar with almonds.

Now, I was feeling rather strong when he first showed me the bounty of chocolate & I was sure I wasn't going to cave and devour it all. I'll admit, I was strong for the first couple of days & then came Sunday.....

On Sunday- We took the KING size bag of peanut M&M's over to Tom and Karen's and I had a small handful (my resolve was weakening....but I was still doing OK). Not too bad...

On Monday- I eyed the giant Snickers all day & then finally tore into it after lunch. I started off with the best intentions though. I cut the giant bar in half & told myself I was going to share the other half with the kids. Then......the first half was so delicious that I had to cut just a little more off the second half (because that first half I ate was probably not even equal to one normal size snickers bar...). Well, the kids didn't seem interested in the bar (probably because it was hidden behind a bowl on the counter top) & it was just a shame to see it go to waste, so I cut just a little more off. By that time there was only a small bite left & I thought "oh....what the heck"...and I finished the dumb thing off! So, by the end of Monday I had polished off the WHOLE KING SIZE snickers!!

On Tuesday- Jon ate half of the giant 3 Musketeers bar...but the second half was calling my name......

On Wednesday- 6 squares of that giant Hershey's bar with almonds sure tasted good with my coffee....

On Thursday (today) - 3 more squares of that Hershey's bar sure tasted good with coffee.....

*I can feel my butt growing as I type this & I'm pretty sure that my jeans were a little tight this morning! Tom (aka "El Diablo"), isn't your birthday just right around the corner? Oh, paybacks are coming.....paybacks are coming! I'm pretty sure I saw a 3 lb bag of peanut M&M's at Target the other day....

Here We Go!

OK....here is my summary of my trip to Orlando!

In the wee morning hours on Thursday, Tricia and I made our way to the airport with one thought on our minds....SUNSHINE! We were both sick of the cold and looking forward to a change of scenery. That's just what we found when we landed in Orlando. In fact, one of the first things we did when we arrived at our hotel was change into our swimsuits and head to the pool!


(You can hate me now.....)

After lounging at the pool for a few hours we went for a beautiful run at dusk around the little "lake" at our resort. It was one of those moments where you say "this is what a vacation is supposed to feel like".
That pretty much wraps up the Thursday activities.

Friday was EXPO day! I love going to the Disney expo, because like all things Disney, even the expo is fun. There is so much to see and do that it's almost too much! I love walking around checking out all the cool running gadgets that I can't afford (but love to dream about)-LOL!


The expo floor.



I think I can beat this kid...

Um.....I think I might have smiled at the finish line....but notsomuch after that!

Enough said.

Friday afternoon was the TNT pasta party at Epcot. This is always such an inspiring time. After you leave the pasta party you feel pumped up & ready to go run your marathon!


Tricia and I at the entrance of the pasta party.

The food line...my big sis didn't miss a single Kodak moment (I have no idea what was so funny).

My "peeps" Jodi and Susan :-)

OK...here is where you look away if you are a law-abiding citizen. Because what we did next may have been a little...well, "sneaky". You see, the pasta party is at Epcot, but we don't technically get to go to Epcot (the party is just at a building on the Epcot property). Sooooooooo, we sort of had to.....

...be a little sneaky ;-)

So there we were, "criminals" in the middle of Epcot (saving ourselves $74), making our way toward the giant "ball" for another photo opportunity.



I'm a little slow on the hand placement technique.

We spent all evening at Epcot, and stayed until the fireworks started.


Tricia is going to be so mad at me for putting this picture on my blog!


Yes....we do think we are cute ;-)


Um...sweetie, I don't think you are supposed to climb on the viking boat. Although, who am I to talk? I'm the one who talked you into sneaking past security to get into this place!


Oh my! I think I really need to visit Italy some day :-).


What a pretty sunset.


I could feel those fireworks behind me!!

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OK....Let's move on to Sunday - race day!

The night....um, I mean morning started at 2:15 am, when I rolled out of bed to get ready for the big event! At Disney you have to catch buses to the start line around 3:00 am (whee!). The race starts at 6:00 am, but the buses quit running at 4:00 am - so you have to be at the bus stops early if you want to make it to the start line. Tricia was very skeptical about the necessity of this insane middle-of-the-night ritual, but she went along with it (like she had a choice). This year it was more fun watching all the first time Disney goers moan and groan about our 4:00 am coral line up. I didn't take as many pictures this year, but Tricia got plenty of 4:00 am video footage.


The TNT Disney gang!

Tricia with her sharpie sign.


At the start line!

Entering Magic Kingdom. How do you like my new little running skirt? I feel so...girly ;-)

My "fan club" :-). Let me just say that I LOVED having my sister there with me this year. It really is so motivating to know that you have someone out there cheering just for you. Thanks, sis....you're the best!

*After this point I have very few pictures. By mile 18 I started feeling really, really sick to my stomach. I had not felt 100% all day, but after mile 18 things went down hill quickly! I had trouble breathing at one point & freaked poor Jodi and Susan out pretty good. After that episode everything felt like a struggle. I couldn't get into a groove, my i-pod broke, my stomach started to cramp, and each mile began to feel longer and L-O-N-G-E-R!

By mile 22 I realized that it was taking me much longer to complete each mile & I was not going to PR. That's when I decided to stop and just walk for a little while. I even stopped and asked a volunteer to dump a bottled water over my head. I could feel myself slowly shutting down & I knew I needed to get to the finish line soon. In retrospect, I should have stopped at a med tent at that point, but being the stubborn brat that I am I refused to do that, because I knew they would probably make me stop. I wasn't going to let that happen! I had made it to mile 23 & and dang it....I was going to finish this dumb thing!

So, I basically ran slowly when I could and stopped and walked when I felt the urge to puke! Yep, no glorious finish here....no heroic thoughts, deep insights, or surge of energy at the end of this race! I did however pass by these two characters at mile 24 & I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get these pictures to show Chandler. So with my last ounce of energy, I found the will to crack a few smiles for these pictures....

MR. INCREDIBLE!


POWER RANGERS!

After these pictures it was 2.2 agonizing miles to the finish line...and I'm happy to report that I MADE IT! That's about all I can say about my marathon finish this year...I FINISHED!

Now that I'm a few days out from the race & I've had the opportunity to reflect on this race, I will say this...I am so blessed! I really am. I got to do something that many people would LOVE to do, but are unable to do either because of health related issues, or they do not have the time and resources to take on this sort of endeavor. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful family & a husband that has sacrificed months of Saturday mornings so that I could train on the weekends. Without that kind of support I would NEVER be able to do any of this.

I feel slightly guilty for being such a brat about the whole marathon experience this year...but I've allowed myself to "mourn the loss of my expectations" & I've moved on now. It's never fun to feel like you fell short of your goal, but in the end I can still say I have this marathon experience under my belt now. Each marathon does teach you something...and this one taught me patience. Patience with myself, my body, my stage in life, and my abilities as an endurance athlete.

In the end I think this was a great learning experience for me. This probably put me back in my place and has taught me the value of "respecting the distance" of a marathon. Sometimes 26 miles doesn't sound like that much....until you get out there to run it! One thing is for sure....26.2 miles will show you what you are made of!

I've had a LOT of people ask me why I want to do these marathons if I can't finish them in a "decent/slightly competitive" time frame (you can imagine how much I love such inquiries...sigh). I know I lot of people don't understand why I do this to myself for a 5:39 finish time. To that I've learned to say "you just don't understand". I guess I don't know how to answer that question for others. I'm not sure what they are looking for when they ask that. I guess for some people, finishing a marathon in OVER five hours would be humiliating...but I suppose I don't feel like I've got anything to prove-LOL!

At the end of the day I am left with this...I LOVE what I'm doing. I can't expect everyone to understand, and I'm not going to try anymore. I'm also not going to answer the infamous question "so what was your time?" anymore either. I'm not ashamed of my finish...I'm freaking proud of it! BUT, I don't feel like I've got to prove anything either. I am what I am (a slow marathoner)& you either get it or you don't. I'm sure I'll have better marathons than this one...but even if I don't I'll shuffle on and enjoy the ride!

I'm Back!

Hello, all! I'm back from sunny Orlando & I sure do miss the sunshine...but I'm happy to see my family again :-). I'm still suffering from the "marathon hangover", so it will probably be a few days before I do my big post about the trip. I'm still trying to process it all.

I've had better running experiences, but I'm still glad I did this marathon again. There was a little bit of drama that unfolded this year....(ending with me in the medical tent) but all in all it was still a good experience. They say every marathon teaches you something, and I think that's an accurate statement in my case. I did learn a couple of things about myself this trip, and I'll try my best to share those thoughts with you at a later date.

However, one of the best parts of this trip was getting to have some fun time with my sister. I got to feel like a kid again, which was one of the highlights of my entire trip. We soaked up the sun & had a couple of really good laughs together. I'm sure this is a trip we will both remember for years to come:-).

Check you later....

It's that time again....

Time for another Orlando MARATHON! I'm packing my bags as I type this & getting ready to head down south for some warmer weather, and hopefully a great race day! This will be marathon #2 for me, but I'm just as excited this time around as I was for the first one.

My sister is coming with me this time, so that is going to be a ton of fun. I didn't get to have any family with me last year, so this really means a lot to know that I'll have my sister cheering for me along the course. You have no idea how wonderful it is to see a familiar face when you are weary and ragged at mile 18...and you still have another 8.2 to go! Sometimes it's motivating just to know you have a "fan" out there just for you :-).

So...here is to a great race day...warmer weather...and great memories!

-Wish me luck!

(This is a short video clip of my little running group at the starting line last year. Watch out...I was running while filming...hehe!)

New Year's Resolutions.

I have to admit that I don't really like to make New Year's resolutions because it just seems like the sort of thing you do to set yourself up for failure. You make a "resolution" and then you tell everyone about it & then you....try to keep it up for a month or two. Then what? Then.....you usually hope no one remembers what you said your resolution was & you give up on said resolution that has become nothing more than that annoying monkey on your back. End of story. Rinse. Wash. Repeat every year. Right?

Well, this year I AM making a New Year's resolution & I think I can keep it :-). I have decided to keep doing what I love...an do it with excellence! You see, I really decided to do this a long time ago, I just never thought of it as a "resolution". In the last 18 months I have made big changes in my life, some of which were pretty hard (even painful at times). I did those things because I wanted to see big changes in my life. I was so tired of doing the "same old things" which resulted in the "same old outcome". I knew I had something better inside of me & I went searching for it.

In many ways I'm still very much searching for the "better" part of me. I still stumble and fall & I get irritated with my lack of self-control at times. However, I have to say the last year has been a very "reflective" one for me & I feel a little more "clear" starting this new year. I feel very clear about what I want. I feel very sure of what my goals are. I feel very optimistic that I will be able to reach many of those goals & succeed at doing them with excellence.

Just to be clear....NO, this years resolution does not solely pertain to running! I love that I took up the sport of running, but to say that my life revolves around that would be entirely inaccurate & altogether untrue. I do LOVE running, and I see that change in my life something of a change turned into habit. I think I'll enjoy running for many years to come, so I've moved on to looking at improving other areas of my life and turning those new changes into habits as well. What running did for me was show me that with enough hard work you can accomplish more than you think!
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Now.....if you must hear me make one of those New Year's resolutions, here goes.................

I resolve to NEVER have this sort of laundry situation happen in my house....EVER again!
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Did I mention that my family generates 12 loads of laundry a WEEK! I'd say my family is making a HUGE "footprint" on this planet with the amount of water we are using to wash our freaking clothes. Geez....wear it twice people...if it passes the "sniff" test Hang. It. Up. That's all I have to say about that.


Oh, and while I'm at it...I'll never drink another one of these...


or eat another one of these. Nope! NEVER again!


Happy New Year!











And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

I Peter 5-10-11