Seriously.........Seriously!

Last week while I was rushing through Target looking for discounted pull-ups I saw something that still disturbs me...........








*Here we have the fashion pink raincoat AND hat-boots sold separately (because every dog just LOVES wearing a hat), the Leopard print velour hoodie (that was listed as an "essential" item), the chocolate brown "special occasion" evening gown (I'd like to know what "special occasion" one might have that they could possibly need such an item), the "DogGone" Dog music CD (music to calm your pets soul) & most importantly the inflatable air mattress for Rufus to take on those upcoming Spring camping trips!

COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I understand how someone could love their animal & even get a kick out of buying cute dog bowls and maybe even a sparkly collar (because those are things animals have to actually use), but I think this is way TOO much! It disturbs me that the Paris Hilton's of the world have now set a new "standard" for dog owners to try to meet...or even out-do. The fact that someone would spend $100 (or more) on a dog "tote", or even have a valid use for a dog stroller (yes, they have those too) makes me wonder where their priorities are?? We are "humanizing" our pets to the point that I think people are really starting to get some screwed up thinking. We think nothing of humanizing a dog... buying them clothes, toys, strollers, and even expensive designer dog beds, but "humanize" an unborn baby.......WAIT A STINKING MINUTE! No! We can't and won't go there!! Has our society hit a new "low"? What do you think?

*I know I sound a little "huffy" about this.....but I'm really not. It was just one of those moments that got me thinking...you know? It's not that I'm "mad" at people who find it entertaining to dress up their pets (I know that I could never personally go there...but to each their own), I honestly started laughing when I saw dogie "bling bling" as part of the dog accessories. However, when I walked away from Target that night I just got to thinking how sad it was that we are teaching people to put the needs of animals on the same level as that of our children. I guess that's what got me. I KNOW no puppy is EVER gonna be as important or treasured to me as my kids are. Maybe that's all I'm trying to say....

[*stepping down off soap box]

Happy Valentine's Day! (a little late)

Happy Valentines Day (a day late)! Hope you had a great day yesterday & got to enjoy your loved ones. We had a bit of a crazy day, but we still managed to have some fun too. McKenna and I made home made play-dough & McKenna made some fun "Valentines" for me and Jonathan.


How Cute is that! She did this all by herself, without any help from me :-)

This was Daddy's Valentine!
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These Have been a Valentine "favorite" in our home for the past couple of years!
They are called "Swedish Cream Wafers" & they are YUMMY! They are not very easy to make, but the end result is worth the effort!




*Here is the recipe if you want to try them at your home.







Wafer:

1 Cup butter, softened

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

*1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

Cream:

1/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

food coloring



Directions:

1. Combine the 1 cup butter, cream, and sifted flour. Mix well and chill for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3. On a floured board, roll out 1/3 of the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with 1 1/2 inch round (or heart!) cookie cutter. Transfer rounds to waxed paper heavily covered with sugar. Turn rounds so that both sides are coated with sugar. place rounds on ungreased baking sheets and prick each round with a fork about four times. Repeat with remaining dough.

4. Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Let cookies cool then put together with filling.

5. To make filling: Blend the remaining 1/4 cup of butter, confectioners sugar, egg yolk (I do not use this because Chandler is allergic to eggs), and vanilla together. Tint with food coloring. *You may double the filling for a nicer looking cookie :-)




6. Enjoy!

Dear Starwood....

Thank You.....
For choosing such a thoughtful health care plan that includes......zip....zilch....nadda....NOTHING! Thank you for seeing to it that our awesome "plan" does NOT cover ANY of Chandler's allergy, eczema, or asthma related medications. Thank you.....for seeing to it that our co-pays go UP each year while our benefits go DOWN. That was so thoughtful of you to make our family pay 1/3 or our yearly salary for "benefits" that do us no good. I really enjoyed having to spend $80.77 on Albuterol and the "AeroChamber Plus" tonight, just so my son could breathe without puking. Such a delight! What would I do without our rocking "benefits". You "saved" me $13 whole dollars at Walgreens tonight. Wow! Where would I be without those kind of "benefits"?

Oh, and I thought I might also add how much I enjoy watching my 3 year old son claw his skin till' it bleeds, while he wipes his runny nose on his bed sheets, while drawing in a wheezy shallow breath. Fantastic!

Can I get an 800 number to call and find out what exactly you DO cover? Because, so far I'm having a hard time figuring out what exactly is covered under my "plan". While I DO enjoy paying 90% of the cost for our prescriptions, I'm just wondering if there is any drug category you actually cover at oh, say.....50%. I'd be tickled pink if you payed at least that much some times.


*Anyone wanna guess what kind of Monday I had....

7 Years ago.....

On January 29th Jonathan & I celebrated our 7th anniversary! It sure doesn't seem like it's been 7 years since we said our wedding vows. A LOT has happened in those 7 years, so maybe time just flies when your having fun!

This is NOT the best picture of us, but I thought it was funny that when I tried to find a picture of just the two of us, it was IMPOSSIBLE! In fact, it's hard to find a picture WITH one of us in it! That's the price you pay when you spend your life behind the camera trying capture every cute move your children make-LOL!

Here is my:

"Top 7 Reasons Why I Love Being With Jonathan"

1. I get a front row seat the 1,000 different "voice talents" Jonathan can imitate (for the record I still laugh every time he does Hank Hill & Homer Simpson).
2. I have the good pleasure of being introduced to new music on a regular basis, as well as new "up and coming" music talent. Because of this, I may be the only female this side of the Mississippi that knows who the heck Andy Timmons or The Derek Trucks Band is and what the name of their last albums are.
3. He still tells me I'm beautiful....even after three kids and all the "love marks" they left behind (and by that I mean ON my behind!).
4. He lets me be "me". I talk too much & say stupid things ALL THE TIME & he just laughs at me & shakes his head. He "gets me"...which is a really hard thing to do considering that I don't always "get me".
5. He completes my thoughts when I've forgotten what the heck I was getting ready to say...or meant to say & it came out wrong (that's what being a mother of three kids 5 and under will do to you).
6. He has a beautiful smile & gorgeous blue eyes to match!
7. Each year with him gets better and better...............................

Enough.

It's been a rough couple of months, and I've felt exhausted in just about every area of my life. Mentally, physically, and emotionally I feel......well, spent. I've heard it said that when your life hits a place like this it would be wise to "be still" & listen for God's still small voice in your life. Sometimes we get a BIG sign from God & other times we may miss it if we are not looking for his hand at work. I think I miss it ALL the time. I will look back and say......"Oh....that was YOU at work in my life, God".

Amid all of the turmoil & disappointment I've been experiencing lately, I've been failing to see God's hand at work in my life. His love. The way he "covers me". The way he "lifts my head" when I've fallen. I've taken those things for granted & decided that I must have been alone during many of those hard times...but that couldn't be further from the truth!

Today, I feel like it's important to give God the credit for the many wonderful things He has done in my life (and will continue to do). Despite going through a very tough time right now, something beautiful has happened in my heart. I still have hope! I know the only reason I still have this hope is because God has been gracious enough to give me that gift right when I needed it. He really is a personal and loving God....it's just taken me 27+ years to see that!

So, why am I sharing this with you? Because I want you to be encouraged! I want you to to know God is a God of hope and healing! You see, I'm still not out of the "tunnel" (so to speak), but I am clinging to the hope that where God is leading me will NOT end in more darkness, but rather a very bright new beginning! For now, I put my hope and trust in a God that is enough...

*As I have been walking through this journey of faith my heart has been touched by the words to this worship song. I hope you will meditate on these words as well & come to find that Jesus really is "enough" for you. If you are in the middle of a dark "tunnel" ask God to stand beside you and lead you. Ask for BIG things! Ask Him to give you hope to believe that the end is going to be worth the journey that you had to take to get there. I believe God loves nothing more than to take your hand and lead you into something greater than what you could have imagined for yourself. He is such an awesome God in that way!

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Enough Lyrics

Artist: Chris Tomlin

Album: Not To Us

"Enough"

All of You is more than enough for all of me

For every thirst and every need

You satisfy me with Your love

And all I have in You is more than enough

*

You are my supply My breath of life

And still more awesome than I know

You are my reward worth living for

And still more awesome than I know

*

All of You is more than enough for all of me

For every thirst and every need

You satisfy me with Your love

And all I have in You is more than enough

*

You're my sacrifice Of greatest price

And still more awesome than I know

You're the coming King You are everything

And still more awesome than I know

*

More than all I want More than all I need

You are more than enough for me

More than all I know More than all I can say

You are more than enough for me !

HERE is a link to the song-Enjoy!

The "Marathon Story".

*WARNING....THIS IS A VERY LONG POST*

Last Thursday I arrived in Orlando after a LONG day of travel & officially started my "marathon weekend". As most of you know, no one from my family was able to come along with me so I had to have a roommate during my stay. I was really nervous about the roommate situation, because I knew it was going to be someone I didn't know & had probably never met. As it turns out, I had a very pleasant roommate that was very busy with her family most of the time we were there, so it was almost like I DID have a private room. The first few days were a little slower pace, so it was nice to have some "alone time" for the first time in.....oh, 5 years!! The down time was great, but I quickly found myself anxious to "get on with things". The three days of waiting for the marathon day to come seemed like the three longest days of my life!


But....I used my time wisely-LOL!

I won't bore you all to death with the "little" details anymore....I'll move on to the "main event" details now :-).





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*Finally, after three day's of waiting my alarm went off at 2:00 a.m Sunday morning! Yep....you read that right...2:00 AM! I quickly bounced out of bed with nervous anticipation. I had tossed and turned all night long & watched the hours click by until I drove myself nutty. I think I got maybe 1-2 hours of sleep....maybe. I had placed all of my race gear out with meticulous care the night before (because I'm a nerd), so there wasn't a whole lot to do to get ready.


My anal-retentive side comes to life!






We boarded the buses at 3:00 a.m & we were finally on our way to the marathon start line! WOOOHOO!

This is my mentor Jodi :-)

Jen and I waiting.....and waiting.....








Once we got to the start line area we got to wait...and then wait some more! We arrived at the "holding area" about 3:30 & they actually had a live band playing & I began to get REALLY excited at that point. So much so, that my "nervous bladder syndrome" kicked in about three times (yes, I was WELL hydrated). We went from one holding area to our final "coral" (another holding area) where we were lined up about a mile from the start line(just about LOL!)...and then we waited some more!

By this point I was sure all the waiting was going to KILL me! I can't explain the sweet relief I felt when the fireworks went off at 6:00 am & the race was FINALLY underway! At 6:07 my foot hit the start mat & I was officially running my first marathon! The music, fireworks, and spectators were amazing at the start! I wish I would have taken some pictures of that, but I was way too excited to remember to do that:-).


Up to this point I haven't said anything about the HUMIDITY...but as you can see it was as thick as a blanket that morning. NO...it was NOT raining (the lens on my camera just didn't like the humidity). We were all soaked with sweat within the first five minutes of our run. So much for looking cute at the beginning!

Jodi and I....about mile 6 or so.

The sea of runners....and endless fog! This was a "WOW" moment for me when I got a good idea of enormity of this race. We shut down the highway for a few hours!


Heading toward Cinderella's castle!

In the Magic Kingdom, getting ready to run through the castle! *That's me on the left...it's kinda hard to tell in this picture.

The best part of doing the Disney Marathon is getting your picture taken with the characters! My kids think I'm SOOO cool now :-)


That's my coach running next to me (left). This was about mile 14 & I was telling him that I felt like I was going to have a asthma attack! At this point the heat and humidity really started to get to me.

Mile 17 (or so). Animal Kingdom was a nice "break"...so many fun things to look at. The sun was up & I could finally breathe a little better! Donald was too cute in the safari outfit...so I HAD to snap a picture :-)

"The Gang"...getting close to mile 19 (I think).


After the mile 22 "refreshment stop" I heard MOVE IT...MOVE IT....MOVE IT...PICK THOSE FEET UP SOLDIER...and I knew this was a picture worthy moment (even though my mouth was full).

Mile 23 was my first big "victory" of the day because up to that point the longest training run I had completed was only 22 miles! Yay! Only 3.2 to go!!

Mile 24...like my hat?

**To view my finish line photos you will have to click on THIS link. *You will have to click on the "Walt Disney World Marathon" (January 7th) My Bib # was 9918 :-)

Jodi, Me, and Susan (Left to Right) at the Finish Line. Can you tell we are all just a little happy.


Getting my finisher's medal

YAY!!!!!!

* I wish I could accurately express what the finish line felt like....but anything I could write would seem to fall short of the emotion that I felt at that point in time. It wasn't just about finishing 26.2 miles....it was the completion of a journey for me. This was more than just about running a race and finishing. This race was very near and dear to my heart, because it was something I felt like I HAD to do. Why? I'm not sure I can really answer that question in a satisfactory way to most people. All I know is that I felt an enormous "pull" to do this marathon, and I'm sure glad I followed through with that desire.

The end result has been profound. I see myself a little differently now. I see a much stronger person than I thought was possible. I've discovered that it really is OK to do something for myself, even though the majority of my life is dedicated to serving other people (something I am honored to be able to do). It's made me believe in myself. It's made me confident in my ability to rise above difficult circumstances, and still find a way to succeed. It's made me see "setbacks" as just a temporary circumstance, not a life-sentence.

I wasn't in this to prove that I'm some sort of great athlete (I laugh at the thought of being called a "runner"...I still don't feel like I can call myself that). I didn't spend 5 months training and fundraising because I had "nothing better to do". No... it wasn't at all about the 26 miles. It was about believing that the finish line is really just a beginning.

* I want to add a special "Thank You" to my mentor Jodi, who told me EVERY WEEK that I could do it! She ran right next to me through every long training run & assured me that all my strange aches and pains were completely normal-LOL! She made the long runs seem "do-able" when I didn't think I could run another step. I really felt like part of a "team" because of her :-).

**The biggest "Thank You" of all I owe to my sweet hubby! He supported me all the way & even willingly volunteered to watch the kids EVERY SATURDAY for almost 5 months. This marathon was as much of a sacrifice for him as it was for me. He understood how much I wanted this & made it his mission to see this thing through with me. Now that's love!

Thank You!

If you were wondering if I survived the marathon....the answer is "YES"! I've been very busy (and still a bit tired) since I got home, so I've not been able to do an "update" on the marathon experience just yet. Unfortunately this post is just a quick "I'm still alive" update-LOL!

I did want to say a big "Thank You" to everyone who helped me achieve a big dream of mine this past Sunday. You have no idea what your love, prayer, and support has meant to me. Aside from my wedding day and the birth of my three children, this past Sunday was one of the most memorable moments of my entire life! I almost can't explain it & I STILL can't talk about the finish line experience without tearing up. It was......amazing!!



THANK YOU!

*When I receive my finish line photos I'll post my entire "marathon story".

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane.....

The time has come! Today I'm packing my bags for sunny Orlando & I'm headed off to my first marathon!! I leave tomorrow morning (but the race isn't until Sunday). I'll be going with my fellow Team In Training teammates. My family was not able to come with me this time, but that just gives me a really good reason to do this again!

This has been such an amazing experience...one I'm sure I'll never forget. I'll take lots of pictures & try my best to "capture the moment" as best I can. I can't wait to get back and update you all on my marathon "stories". I may have access to a computer while I'm down there, so I'll give brief updates if I can.

I'll leave you with a picture of my team. This was taken after our last training run together (we HAD to celebrate at Starbucks of course!).

More picture torture!

Well, I gave it one last shot! I've been trying to get a Christmas picture of the kids for the last two years & so far I've got nothin'!! This past Sunday I dressed them all in coordinating outfits and we went out to Union Station/Crown Center to try ONE LAST TIME to get a Christmas card picture. The kids were in pretty good moods, so I was feeling very optimistic at the start.



This is what we walked away with........



Maya....yooohooo....over here!
Aww... Maya finally LOOKS at the camera! Oh...McKenna...look at mommy!! Quick, Jon...get out of the picture!
McKENNA!!!!!!!! Take the picture.....take the picture!
Chandler....get back here!!! McKenna sweetie.....

Well, at least I was looking at the camera.
I keep trying!


I'm gonna give it one last shot! Maya.....LOOK at daddy!!!

















There's always next year I guess!

Guess what I did this weekend?

Despite my vow to "be healthy" this season, I just couldn't possibly pass up my opportunity to bake Christmas cookies this year. It's something I look forward to all year long. SOOOO.... nobody tell my coach what I spent my weekend doing! I promise I'll give most of them away-LOL!

Peanut Blossoms.


Orange Drop Cookies.


Sugar Cookies (still have more of those to decorate...)

Chocolate Mint Cookies.

White Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods.


Cocoa Rum Balls.


Nana's Famous Chocolate Fudge!

So, who wants to help me clean my kitchen? There's free cookies in it for anyone who wants to scrub my floors-LOL!

Just For Laughs!

Yesterday I realized that I never posted pictures of the kids at Halloween. So....here you go. More than a little late, but that's the story of my life!
Sometimes they let me see their sweet side :-)

Batman and the Pumpkin! Looks likes Batman needs to go back to the bat cave for a nappy-poo!
This is what happens when you set the butter for pancakes on the breakfast table too soon.

Maya was so pleased that she could help herself to a big fistful of pure butter. What a goof!





The White Family Christmas picture 2006.

*Is it any wonder why I NEVER try to do Christmas cards!