Knit By God's Hand

Friday Fragments

2012-01-27T07:52:00.004-05:00

Oh.my.word.... this week has been long.

No joke... when it was Tuesday, I thought it should already be Friday... time is such a weird thing. Anyways, I've made it - its REALLY Friday. So let's get to business & frag the day away.

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Health Update: I'm still having good days/bad days with the numb hands & feet... but the 'down' days dont seem to be as bad. Maybe I'm just getting used to it? The numbness does tend to drive me a little crazy, but I'm just trying to just get used to it. People live with worse - right?... Countdown to see the neurologist is 20 days

But can I tell you how aggravated I am with this doctor... who I will never go back to in my life... I called & asked if there was anything I could do about the numb feet/hands. After talking with the nurse, TWICE, because she was clueless & was talking in circles, they called me back again & said, "You should take Benedryl" - HUH? Why? The nurse said, "The doctor said it would help with you being wired"... SAY WHAT? Not one time have I ever mentioned feeling "wired"... not one time have I ever FELT wired. I just politely said, "Thank you" & hung up... when I really wanted to say, "you all are the worse doctor's office I've ever been to in my life"... my momma raised a polite gal. Except my momma wanted to call & ream them too. :)

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MORE Health update: My tendonitis is in high gear again too. Nope - it never ruptured.... sigh...

I've been reading up on surgery for it. Doesnt sound too good. They say its very painful, the physical therapy afterwards is horrible & in the end, it MAY NOT HELP. Geez...I'll deal with this after I get feeling back in my hands & feet...

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Anyone else sad about the news of Picnik shutting down?
It's made me glad I forced myself to learn Photoshop, but the convenience of Picnik was so nice... any other good online editing sites you like?

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Can I ask what the big deal was with Steven Tyler singing the National Anthem? I know it wasnt awesome... but was it THAT bad? Doesnt everyone know he has a screech scream on a normal day anyways? And I kept hearing "WORSE ANTHEM EVER"... do people need a reminder of Rosanne Barr grabbing herself, while spitting, singing it?

Source: coolspotters.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Steven Tyler is the only man I know that can pull off some funky hats

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So I heard the President gave a speech? State of the Union? ... I chose to watch "Dance Moms" instead...

Dancing makes me happy... the state of where our country is at? Not so much

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I did a 2nd attempt in placing a cover on my Kindle Touch. Let's just say, Fingerprints/Bubbles = 2, Rebecca = 0 ... I end up pulling it off, screaming, & then wading it into a sticky ball.

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Remember when my last half marathon, I injured my knee 2 weeks before the race? Guess what? My step-daughter, Julie, is running her first half marathon in 2 weeks. And guess what? She INJURED herself! She pulled her hip flexor. OUCH! So can you send her well wishes? She's been going to a chiropractor, got some KT Tape & some suppplements to help & she's still planning on going for it in the race. She's in such good shape that I told her to take these next 2 weeks off & heal up... & then cross that finish line! :)

Be warned: in training - 2 weeks before your race, it must be the time you're body says, "nope - I dont want to do this thing"

(Julie at her 10K this past October)

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Spat of the week: CD's & iPods.... I got Ricky an iPod for Christmas. Or as he calls it, "a little jukebox". I tell him to stop calling it that, because that shows his age & makes him sound like he's going to a sock-hop. But Ricky has had a great time of loading up his songs on it... except its gonna be the death of me. He is going through all our CD's & downloading them onto the computer. Problem with that? The CD's then lay on the bed - or at night, get thrown on the floor, or put on the dresser. Not back IN the CD holder. I took him the CD case & told him to take the CD out, download it & then put it back before he takes another one out. So what did I see last night? The case laying on the floor with 10 CD's scattered on top of it. My "Walk to Remember" Soundtrack CD was in the middle of the pile... I told him if my CD's get scratched up, I'm scratching his eyeballs. Again, its the sweet words I use that communicate what I really mean... I love you...

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I think Bob on "The Biggest Loser" has met his match... Dolvett.

Source: poptower.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

And by 'met his match' - I mean, CUTIE PATOODY!!!!

Any other Dolvett fans?

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And this is why I can blog....

Source: someecards.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

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Hope you all have a Fantastic Friday!!!

Hodgepodge

2012-01-25T08:13:00.002-05:00

Its been a busy, hectic week, so to let my brain rest, I'm joining Joyce in the Wednesday Hodgepodge... you can click the button above & join in too... its the cool thing to do.

1. The NFL playoffs were held this past weekend and this year's Superbowl will feature the New York Giants versus The New England Patriots. How do you define 'patriot'?
Wait... the SuperBowl already has its teams? I had no idea... so am I the opposite definition of a patriot? Someone who's all about their country? Isnt that America's past time? ... or is that baseball? See - the talk of sports has my brain all in a tizzy... let's just move on.

2. What's something in your life right now that feels like a 'giant'?

My laundry pile

3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?

Feeling so grown up, but still not knowing a thing... maybe that's why when people ask me what age I'm in, I always want to say 18...

4. Coconut-mashed potatoes-vanilla ice cream-mayonnaise...which white food would be the hardest to give up?

This question would literally make my husband throw up. He hates "white stuff". Its OK - I have many food quirks of my own, so I dont judge. My "white food" I cant give up? Vanilla frosting... by far...

5. Describe an incident or a day you remember as being the coldest you've ever experienced.

Anytime I get out of the shower during the months of November through March... is there ANYTHING colder then that? Especially with wet hair...

6. You're hosting a brunch....what's your favorite dish to prepare and serve?

I'd prepare gift certificates to Cracker Barrell...

7. How do you combat negative thinking?

I combat everything with my quick, ninja-like skills... or humor... whichever works best in the right situation.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have a lavender boom box in my office... totally rad...

Worries...

2012-01-23T19:42:00.000-05:00

Y'all know I love to knit...

Well, I did before my I got the bicep tendonitis in my arm....

My love for knitting is still there, its just painful now.

(Dang... I really AM falling apart...)

I have been trying to knit things that are "light"... things that dont get too much weigh on them.

Like this blanket. Its a perfect example of something that is NOT light to knit.

Source: ravelry.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

When you start off, its just a few rows of yarn...

Not a problem to hold... easy to carry... easy on the hands & arms.

but then you keep at it & work on it & then it gets bigger & bigger...

... & heavier & heavier...

With all my aches & pains & misery & questions I've been going through lately with my hands & feet, I've been adding worry & worry & more worry to my life.

Its just like that heavy knitting needle...

We do that, dont we? Add the worries on without even thinking about it. Piling them on... not making the load lighter.

But I have to remember who our God is.

He's the one who is strong enough to toss a mountain like a pebble... He's bigger then the universe. So we can rest our cares & worries upon His shoulders, cant we?

God knows we collect our worries in our lives... & how heavy they can get. Most of the time, the weight isnt even our own worries - we add some that arent even ours to bear.

These anxiesties & worries sap our energy... take away the joy that is in our lives...

So I'm reminding myself... & you... that God has everything under control. He wants to lighten our load... He wants us to give Him our worries. He'll exchange it for His peace...

... & in the end, we can enjoy the beautiful creation of life that He has knitted for us...

(You totally knew I had to throw in my blog title here) ;)

Give your entire attention to what God is doing RIGHT NOW & dont worry about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you with the hard things when they come.

-Matthew 6:34

Weekend Roundup

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

What I learned, did, saw or thought about the weekend:

*Merlin is back on for another season... I am kinda obsessed with anything involving King Arthur. Anyone remember the mini-series on TV that was called Merlin as well? Martin Short was in it... I loved it. First Knight with Richard Gere? Still watch it everytime its on... I do love this series though.

*Watched Burlesque ... it was corny... but I love a movie that has singing & dancing. And man, oh man! Christina Aguilera has changed over the past few years, hasnt she? She looks like a baby in that movie.

*One of the youth kiddos asked me, "Who is Billy Graham?" ... I was shocked... wonder who will be this next's generation's Billy Graham? Anyone?

*Since giving up Diet Coke, I'm now addicted to tea. I went a few weeks ago to Sam's Club & got a couple of these pitchers. I have to have 2 pitchers at all time in the fridge. This weekend, I think I made tea about 8 times.... trading one addiction for another one.

*I'm thinking this steroid is just gonna come & go... I was feeling better last week. Friday, I bombed out again. My feet were horrible & I felt achy & weak all over again on Saturday. Not to the extreme I was before - but it was bad. Just hoping these ups & downs just get further & further apart & the downs arent as DOWN... this is getting old.

*Because of the way I felt Saturday... I didnt even get out of my PJ's except only to take a bath...

*This little man was my snuggle buddy all weekend too... he's probably the only one who's happy when I'm not feeling good, because that means laying on a couch & holding him all... day.... long.

*I attempted 2 new dishes. Black Bean Soup in my crockpot ... which was a SUCCESS!! And cornbread... which was an utter failure. It tasted weird. Like there was too much flour? Or baking powder? Now I'm on a mission to make good cornbread.

*Sunday, we watched Soul Surfer.. EXCELLENT movie! I told Ricky that if one of the kids in my youth group have a movie made of their life, I want Carrie Underwood to portray me as their youth leader as well. Just dye her hair red. Or just go with Emma Stone since she's already a red head.

*I got to get caught up on Parks & Recreation on my DVR. Did anyone else see the one where they had to walk across the ice to get to the stage? I literally laughed so hard, I had tears rolling down my cheeks. There are so many good comedies on now. Laughter IS the best medicine!

*Yes, I realize my whole weekend revolved around TV, movies & my DVR... I was sick & that was the only energy I could exhert... my eyes focusing on the boob-tube.

*I also just realized I'm probably going to get weird traffic to my blog because I now have the word "boob-tube" here.

Here's to a new week... hope your weekends were entertaining...

2012-01-20T07:40:00.004-05:00

Friday... Finally...

I thought the week was going by pretty fast, until everyone around me started saying around Wednesday how slow the week was going... that put the brakes on my week. Thursday lasted forever & now we're here... let's hope today flies by... get to that weekend! Until 3:00 comes, let's frag...

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What the heck time of year is this? January? Then can someone tell me why we just had "Day O' Tornado" this week? Seriously! We had, last I saw, confirmed 5 tornadoes on Tuesday & the count was going up. They were dropping everywhere! We sat by the window at work (yeah, I know... smart) & watched power lines popping & flashing electricity & our big work trucks literally rocking so much, we thought they would topple over! There was a semi that was THROWN off the expressway onto its side... what in the world? Tornadoes.... January..... the world is having some major hormone issues.

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I am in awe of this SOPA thing. I didnt really understand it. Its the small thing that make me feel stupid in life... but the lovely host of Friday Fragments had a link up that explained it the best to me... here's the link: http://bandbacktogether.com/post/2490/

How in the world can we live in the United States of America & they censor the internet... really? That just blows my mind. It'll be a sad day when no one can blog anymore.... or I cant watch YouTube videos... or stalk people on Twitter and/or Facebook. Sad indeed.

The only benefit of this will be, it may make me stop looking up every ache & pain on Google & discovering that I've got a horrible disease & will die in a few months.

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American Idol is back.... Stephen Tyler is still just adorable. After 2 shows, I have two favorites. One, being the Kentucky girl that sang "Country Strong" (WORST MOVIE EVER!!!!) & the guy that sang the theme song to "Family Matters"... when he said he was singing that. I was like, do what? But he was fantastic! Any favs you like from the beginning?

Ricky's favorite was the little boy that kicked off the show that sang the Michael Jackson song. I will say, Ricky, every year has picked the top 5 people from the auditions every year... that just irks me...

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As of today, I feel like I'm 65% back to normal... which is good, because I was feeling like I was never going to feel right again. I think now, whenever a doctor recommends a steroid, I may have a freak out...

I have to get back to 100% by Monday.... hear that body?... but its the start of my training for my next half marathon. 14 weeks... time to kick it in gear again.

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

AWESOME RUNNING SIGN!!! :)

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So have you gone to see Beauty & the Beast in 3D yet? Its A-MAZ-ING!!!! Ricky & I took my twin nieces... they are 7 years old & could really care less about it. I'm sitting there singing & dancing & they just look at me like I lost my mind. Ricky? He didnt pay me any attention... he was used to it...

There was a little girl in the theater who wore her Belle dress. I looked at Ricky & said, "SEE!!!! I should have worn mine"... Ricky said, "Um... I think it woulda looked a little different with a 40 year old verses a 4 year old".... I still think I could have pulled it off.

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I love this...

good to remember

Source: google.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

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SPAT OF THE WEEK: Talking at inappropriate times... Honestly, we still havent had a lot of "spats" this week. (What IS going on? ... weird...) but I did notice something this week that made me laugh, in a "that's messed up" sense of the word. Everytime I remember to tell something to Ricky that I've been thinking of all day, I'll get a "Shhhh" & a finger pointing in the air. Only to see that the news station is talking about a basketball game, or some score of something is on. So then Ricky gets upset with me when he goes to tell me something & I'm like "SSSHHHHHH" & hold up my finger when I have to see the latest on Kim Kardashian for the day... because you KNOW, everyday something changes with her. What? Its important....

The best thing? When we both are ready to hear what the other has to say & we're like "What were you going to say?"... we've both forgotten what was so important in the first place... oh well...

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Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!!!

Come on weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first Eggplant dinner

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

So far, I've enjoyed my New Years Resolution of making 2 - 3 Vegetarian/Vegan meals a week...

I have been a member of E-Mealz for awhile but changed my plan to the Vegetarian Meal plan.

That's where I got this goodie... Easy Eggplant Dish

(Yes, Kroger gets 80% of my paycheck)

I have never even ATE an eggplant before so this was exciting.

Going in the store, I was shocked to see there were only 5 eggplants to choice from & 3 of them werent looking good at all... later did I find out that eggplant is out of season. I didnt even know that much.

Here are the ingredients:

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 t onion powder

1 1/2 c tomato sauce

dash of garlic powder

2 eggplants... sliced thin

Look at my new cutting board... I'm in Looovvveeeeee

I was excited to cut into these babies... have never seen the inside of one.

And I got to put my new cutting board to use.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400.

In a shallow dish, mix cornmeal & onion powder together. Place tomato sauce & garlic powder into a larger bowl. Dip eggplant slices into tomato sauce, coating well. Then coat with the cornmeal. Place slices on shallow cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.

Heavily drizzle sices with olive oil.

Bake for 20-25 minutes

Here is a picture of them all coated & ready to go in the oven.

I will say, I didnt drizzle "heavily" & they turned out alright. The coating wasnt as baked where the oil didnt hit, but it still tasted just fine.

And here is the finished product.

You can see the one in the back is more "drizzled" so its darker. Again, the taste was just fine, but the oil covered ones were just more flavorful, I guess... they were more crispy too...

I'll have to play with the "drizzle"... maybe find a spray bottle & find a way to spray them evenly with the oil.

I paired it up with some steamed veggies & some garlic bread... & it was perfection.

I will definitely be making this again.

The eggplant with the tomato coating though tasted like it would be perfect with pasta though. Ricky agreed so I know next time I make it, it'll be on a heaping pile of wheat pasta... & I'll be keeping that garlic bread with it...

Let me know your favorite dish with eggplant... I'm anxious to find some new ideas to make with it.

My Kindle will keep me healthy...

2012-01-18T06:49:00.001-05:00

I never knew I could love my Kindle so much....

As a reader, I dont know why I waited so long to get one.

But I've mentioned how hard it was for me to find a cover. Well, I ended up with two this weekend.

I found one I liked ...

Its kinda thick - makes it look like a real book...

but I like its really padded. Like it would really protect it if I dropped it...

You'd think I'd be happy...

but then I found another one I like

this one is MUCH thinner... & I like how the cover folds completely back & lays down like its not covered at all....

See how thin? It fits perfectly in my purse now...

but the back is a plastic container covered in leather, so if I drop it, this baby isnt helping to protect in any way.

And THEN...

I got a screen protector.

GEEZ!!!!! It was $25.00... & I open it up to see there is only one screen cover in there. $25.00 for ONE.

I knew I had to get it right the first time.

Having put screen protectors on my iPod, I knew the odds of messing up were great.

So I lay it down & of course, there are bubbles... but it came with a tool to help smooth out the bubbles...

nope - didnt work.

I ended up pulling it back & trying again...

more bubbles...

this happened like 5 times...

when I laid it down again & then found it had a black spot on the back side of the screen.

DANG IT!!!! I peel it off again & try to remove the black dot...

only to have it SMEAR across the screen protector...

noticeable? OH yeah.... there is now a black smudge down the whole thing.

I think it was a bug that got caught up in the Kindle madness & died an unnecessary death

So needless to say, I just ripped it off & threw it away.

So much for that $25.00

I guess I'll just keep my hand santizer next to me (like I do anyways) & make sure my fingers are always clean before I use my Kindle...

Look at that! My Kindle is going to keep me germ-free & more healthy!

I did read that the screen covers put a glare anyways... so alls well that ends well...

except that I coulda used that $25.00 for a few download books :)

All in all - I've spent more on accessories then what the Kindle actually cost...

Amazon is smart like that...

So which cover do you like? I'm still debating on whether to keep my purple one or take it back...

Dying, Jesus & Heaven... from a child's view

2012-01-17T07:02:00.002-05:00

My cousin sent this to me in an email & I have watched it over & over...

I know, its a little long, but its one of those videos that go by so fast...

& will touch your heart.

This young man knew he was going to die soon & they talked to him about Jesus & his views on Heaven...

mercy, the faith of a child is something, isnt it?

Your Yes

2012-01-16T07:12:00.000-05:00

Today, just a simple message..

but I think it says alot.

Our Youth Minister taught the class yesterday & said something in the middle that really stood out to me:

"For every 'yes' you say, you say 'no' to something else"

That really stood out to me.

I know a lot of you are busy... heck, who isnt?

So remember that simple sentence. It really makes your 'yes' more valuable. Because what are you saying 'no' to then? Friends? Family? Things that need your attention more?

... what are you saying YES to?

More importantly, what are you saying NO to?

Friday Fragments

2012-01-13T07:19:00.001-05:00

Friday.. more like FRIGID FRIDAY!!!! BRRR!!!!! I guess we cant complain. Its been in the 50's here for weeks. But when the temps drop, that makes it feel even colder. The only good thing? We're not that far out from Spring. I'm ever the optimist. While I'm thawing out from the cold morning, let's frag...

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So today is THE day... Beauty & the Beast... back in theaters... in 3D!!!!! I'm so giddy about it! Feels like I'm back in 1991. When it was in the theaters in 1991, I think I saw it on the big screen at least half a dozen times. Wonder how many times I'll check it out in 2012? I'm kinda nervous though because I havent seen a 3D movie since....oh... I dont know... that's how long its been. I know I saw "A Bug's Life" in Disney World with that 3D thing... & its only 5 minutes long... & I got SICK!!! I get such motion sickness - I'm hoping that I can survive the motion of 3D & just feel like I'm IN the movie....

I have been so tempted to wear my Belle Gold Gown to the theater. I think it would embarass my nieces more then Ricky though... so maybe not.... that's OK. I have tons of Beauty & the Beast, Belle, Beast t-shirts/sweat shirts so I'll still represent the crazed fan.

Source: theartofdisney.tumblr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

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Update on how I'm feeling: Well, my hands are still tingly... the right arm & shoulder down to my hands feel like it is asleep... the bottoms of my feet keep going numb & burning.... I keep getting "waves" of the steroid kicking in. I'll feel my head get fuzzy feeling & then its like a disconnect feeling & then a roid rage. So yeah... I'm still pretty miserable. Add in the shoulder problems that are still the same... My body waited until that magical of 40 to fall apart, didnt it? I do have an appointment with a neurologist but the earliest they can get me in? 5 weeks... I guess I should be happy with that. I've heard of worse.

Thanks for the prayers & encouragement... keep those prayers lifted for me.... I need it - I'm a whiney person when I'm not feeling good.

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This past weekend, guess what happened... Our youngest grandbaby had a birthday! He turned 2!!!! TWO!!!! Wow... I can remember Julie telling us she was pregnant with that 2nd one... & now he's 2. Amazing! I have to say - we didnt think there could be anything cuter then Isaac... & then Luke was born... & mercy me! That boy's smile just makes me happy. He's the cutest little dude ever!!! Tied with his brother... of course.

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Got in the mail from Netflix yesterday, "Soul Surfer" & "Bridesmaids"... I'm not sure which one to watch first... I have a feeling I'll be laughing super hard at one, while crying my eyes out in the other.

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I have to say, I'm excited about Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes this weekend. I thought he was hilarious the first time he did it. Thought it was so funny how sensitive these people are that make MILLIONS of dollars for the work they do. When he got so much flack & then 'banned' from the show, I thought it was ridiculous. So I think its even funnier that they've asked him back, knowing he's going to be even harder on the people. I love that he even admits, "This is a room full of the most privileged people in the world & they cant take a joke"... go get 'em Ricky! The star that can handle the jokes the best - those are the people I applaud!

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I am so in love with my Kindle... but am going crazy because I cant find a cover for it. Every store has been sold out of them since Christmas... HELLO!!! Christmas was how many weeks ago? I cant believe stores arent stocked back up on them. I have been putting off ordering one off of Amazon because I like to touch & feel the cover myself... but I'm getting desperate.

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Tell me I'm not the only one that things this is true....

Source: noms.icanhascheezburger.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

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SPAT OF THE WEEK: ....crickets...chirp... chirp...
.....
.....
I have to say, I cant honestly think of anything we've spatted about. What is wrong with THIS picture? I said it earlier this week - I've got to give it to Ricky - he's been so good at taking care of me while I havent felt good lately. He hasnt even complained about all the vegan meals I've been cooking... or laundry not being done... or having to feed the dogs...
.... believe me people, this will probably change soon... so take this moment in today & sit in silence & appreciate it... because I do :)

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Hope you all have a FANTASTIC Friday .... & get out there & see Beauty & the Beast! Know I'm sitting in a theater, singing along... out loud... with the movie myself :)

My New Years Resolution...

2012-01-12T06:46:00.001-05:00

Most of you know - I gave up eating meat last year...

& by meat, I've not eaten, as I call it, anything with 4 legs... I do eat a bit of chicken... but that's even been cut back drasicially

I cant believe its been a year...

Why did I do it? For a couple of reasons. First & foremost - I saw how they slaughter a cow. Seeing that disturbed me that much. Plus, hearing everything that red meat, specifically, can do to your system - that bothered me too. Especially having a father who had a run in with colon cancer.

I've not missed beef and pork one bit...

I watched "Food Matters" awhile back & that documentary stuck with me...

There is another one out - its called "Forks over Knives"... its on Netflix... if you havent seen it - PLEASE watch it.

The info in it will blow you away.

The facts, figures, proof that our diet can control so many things that we dont even realize.

But what I've discovered? People get touchy about the idea of giving up meat & dairy... They get defensive & angry about it. I'm not sure why. Maybe its like trying to take a toy away from a child... its what they know & love & they dont want to give it up.

I definitely would never push anything on anyone...

but I do challenge everyone to watch this documentary & tell me it doesnt make you want to change.

So this year, my resolution has been to make at least 2 - trying for 3 - Vegan meals a week.

So far... its been pretty good. Ricky has actually enjoyed it - even asked me last night to make the Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas. Tonight? I'm frying up Eggplant in Coconut Oil with a tomato based breading :)

Honestly - I ask you to look into it because I think that's the thing - we dont know any better. Our country is so used to what we know, what we eat... but when you hear of whole countries that eat basically plant-based foods & their count for prostate cancer is 19.... 19!!!! ... for the whole country... that's got to tell you something. Especially when the US was like 500,000 for the year...

This little fact blew me away too:

"Humans have no nutritional need for cow's milk. Cow's milk is designed to provide a baby calf with adequate nutrients to grow from 70 lbs to about 1,000 lbs in one year. And, it contains casomorphins, addictive compounds similar to morphine, to ensure that the calf will stay near its mother, safely nursing & growing. Casomorphins are addictive for humans as well, which can make giving up dairy a challenge"

Its just drilled in our heads that we need dairy for calcium... we need meat for protein... but we don't... plant based foods have those nutrients, even more so.

And no... I'm not turning all hippy & writing to PETA to be their number one fan. For me, this is about health

Anyone else willing to try just a few nights a week of vegan?

Check out the trailer to the documentary... & let me know if you've seen it & what you think. This stuff just needs to be talked about more... knowledge is power...

Run & Hide...

2012-01-11T07:38:00.003-05:00

Every day when I come home from work, I have a habit of looking out in the back yard.

Why?

Because we have four dogs... & a doggie door.

Which means, every day, there is something out in that yard that shouldnt be.

It's most likely a pair of socks, a tennis shoe, or the clothes either I or Ricky slept in the night before. It's also never an odd thing for a pair of our underwear to be out there too... Thank God for high fences so our neighbors dont have to be victim of those daily back yard viewings.

I'd also like to see how the dogs get full pairs of jeans out in the yard... that's gotta be a pretty hard struggle... but its possible.

Its funny though because the dogs know when they're taking something they REALLY shouldnt take... the sweater that is folded on my chair... or the knee brace that Ricky wears to work... even better? the hair clips I use to hold my hair back when I straighten my hair...

They know when they are doing wrong...

When I go to the window, they will seriously all sit by me as I'm scanning the backyard...

& if they hear me say, "What is that?" - they will run & hide.

All except for Buffy who knows you're going to go outside to get it & its the perfect opportunity to throw a ball... that's a labrador retriever for you.

The other 3? They're scattered... one will run into the closet - another will go downstairs... & Zoe is the luckiest, she can fit under the bed where she crawls to the middle where you cant reach her.

Its just crazy to me how we all have that instinct to run & hide when we mess up, dont we? We know we screw up & sometimes, instead of owning up to it, we just want to run into a closet, or down in a basement... or even better, in a tight spot where no one can reach you.

Made me think of the story of Adam & Eve... where they know they messed up & what did they do? Tried to get under a bed where they could hide...

...didnt work...

God knew where they were... just as He knows where we are, even after we mess up...

which is a good thing really... He still cares to know where we are AFTER we mess up..

So just a thought for you today... remember in life, we're going to mess up... we're not perfect. But God is always going to seek us. He's never go to let us go off to that place of hiding & stay there afraid that He doesnt care anymore...

Nope... He's going to come find us & tell us that He still loves us...

....even when we pull underwear in the back yard

"Then the man & his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, & they hid from the Lord God amond the trees of the garden.

But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden & I was afraid because I was naked... so I hid"

-Genesis 3:8-10

games make everything better...

2012-01-10T08:06:00.002-05:00

I have to give credit where credit is due...

I have a pretty awesome hubby.

While I've not been feeling well this past week, he's been on the ball. Maybe not keeping our house clean & doing all the dishes, but he's been so attentive... getting me whatever I need, making sure I'm comfortable, feeding the dogs (which is a job when you have 4 dogs, let me tell you)

... he knows too that for me, my big stress relievers are running & knitting...

well, when your feet are numb & your hands feel like they are covered with band-aids, that throws out my 2 stress relievers...

so what have we been doing?

GAMES!!!!!

I was raised a "game player"

My mom always was playing games with us growing up. Any card game? Got it down. Trivia games? I'm the master of any useless information! Word games? My speciality...

Ricky's not a huge game player... I think because he's so dang competitive. He doesnt care if you feel bad... if he looses, you WILL play another game.

Our game of choice this week? Skip-Bo

I've never played it before this week. But we read the directions... & then to make sure we understand, looked it up online. Did you know you can find YouTube videos on pretty much everything. Its always better to see things actually worked out in front of you sometimes.

I actually prefer "Double Solitaire"... but Ricky likes Skip-Bo... & I'll take anything that makes us laugh & takes our minds off the the stressful things of life.

Are you game players? Got any suggestions for good games that 2 people can play?

And for the record... Ricky will never ever play me in Scrabble... but I'll never ever play him in chess... we know what lines are safer not to cross :)

pretty sure this is what dying feels like....

2012-01-09T07:15:00.000-05:00

I know I've been MIA the past few days...

I've not had a good week.

Let me give you a quick update without being too boring...

I think I've never felt so close to dying in my life as the past week... & still ongoing actually...

sound like fun?

Yeah... sounds as much fun as its felt.

It started last week. I went to the doctor because my left hand was feeling numb. Like a pinched nerve or something, but wanted to make sure it was OK. Especially because I looked on Google & read if its the outer 2 fingers, then it could be heart related, or a stroke waiting to happen... or carpal tunnel... but you know how it goes when you read the internet. Its gloom & doom... better to be safe then sorry, so made the appointment.

The doctor said she thought it could be carpal tunnel... sigh of relief... but she gave me a steroid pack to help with the inflammation in my hand. She even said it would probably help with my shoulder - DOUBLE BONUS... or so I thought...

I started taking the medicine on New Years Eve... a week ago. That day, I ran 6 miles - felt great... no problem

I should have known how strong the medicine was right then because that same night, I couldnt sleep. Insomnia is a side effect of the medicine. I literally got 2 hours of sleep... felt jittery... felt weird.

But I kept taking it.

Sunday & Monday, I felt a little odd, but I know I dont tolerate medicine well & just kept on with life.

Tuesday.... the rug was pulled out from underneath of me...

I came to work & walked up the steps to get to my office. WOOOOWWW - what happened to my legs? They felt so weak... my body started feeling horrible. My brain felt strange... like I couldnt focus on anything & I could pass out any minute. It was the weirdest sensation ever...but stupid me.. I kept taking the medicine.

Wednesday... Give me strength Lord... everything kept getting worse. I was on a downward slope to feeling 100% poopy. Then I didnt know what to do about the medicine. Everything I read kept telling me, DO NOT STOP TAKING A STEROID PACK or you'll have extreme effects. But I was already feeling "extreme effects"...

I called the doctor who wasnt too friendly when she said, "If you cant tolerate it, just stop it then"... but wait? I thought you shouldnt just stop? I thought you had to wean off? ... "If you CANT TOLERATE it, then STOP it"... nice bed side manner there doc...

so I stop

Holy cow... break open the gates of hell on earth...

Thursday, I literally couldnt put my brain in a straight thought... And I literally couldnt walk a straight LINE... dizzy, feeling "off", & then the kicker... I lost all feelings in my hands & feet. Ever try to walk with no feeling in your feet? Its not fun... ever try to do ANYTHING with no feelings in your hands? Not fun either...

on top of that, my face started going numb... couldnt feel my cheeks... my face kept feeling cold. I was having a bit of this sensation before the medicine, but now? Oh forget about it... it was bizzaro world.

The doctor sent me to the ER to have an MRI done....

I asked why & she said she wanted to make sure I wasnt havent strokes or had a brain tumor....

WHAT??????????? A STROKE????????????? BRAIN TUMOR?????????????

This is what 40 feels like?

They did the MRI & sent me home...

I wake up on Friday feeling even WORSE! How is that possible, I dont know? I would go to bed thinking, I'll feel better in the morning, only to wake up & feel LESS of my body.

Friday, I couldnt even stand up... my body hurt so bad that I couldnt even touch my skin. A bath? Felt like razor blades touching me....it was like the worse flu ever IMAGINED!!!!....

I stayed at home in my bed all day waiting to hear the results of the MRI.

There is really nothing worse then waiting, is there?

To make a very long, even more dramatic story, LONGER... they finally called me at 5:00 pm on Friday & told me "your MRI is fine... if you're still having these problems, call us Monday & we'll set you up with a neurologist"

First of all, this will be the last time I deal with this doctor... after all this, THAT is the only explanation I get?

And as of this morning, I'm still feeling awful.

I've since read the effects of this medicine (Its called a Dexpak 10) on web sites & how it effected other people...

here's just an example I found:

"I have had chronic sinusitis for over 2 years. This drug has been my worst nightmare. Extreme heartburn, swelling all over, numbness in feet and arms, burning sensation in feet, dry/cracking skin that bleeds easily, raw feeling like a bad sunburn, extreme irritibility to the point of wanting to be violent, extreme nervousness and inability to sleep, increased appetitite but food has no taste, a drunk-like state of being, constipation and no relief from the sinus pain. I stopped the Dex-Pak 3 1/2 days early, and became worse. Swollen body has intensified, body feels bruised and tender, extreme sinus pain again. I will never take a steroid again unless it is definitely a life or death situation."

"The side effects were so severe I spent a day in the ER - thought I was having a stroke or something. Whole body numbness was unbearable. Never will take again."

"Took for poison ivy. Caused dizziness,nervousness,fatigue,numbness throughout my body, food tasted awful. Worst feeling I have ever had from taking medicine.I could not concentrate on anything. Stopped taking on day 11 of 13. I was up several times that night with vomiting and diareaha. Also had leg cramps. Will never take again! This drug should be pulled off the market!"

These are just a SMALL sample of what I've read....

at least I know I'm not alone.

But I still feel horrible...

I was up most of the night again last night. Its like the steroid are on time release because I'll feel like I'm getting better, then BAM... my body feels like its going to sleep, I get hot, feel like I cant focus on anything & feel like I'm just plain going to die...

aint medicine great?

I hate medicine... always have... & with reactions like this, apparently, always will..

Now, I'm just waiting to see how long this medicine will stay in my system...

& I'm also waiting to see what is the medicine & what is some other issue????

.... so far, being 40 sucks...

can y'all lift up a prayer for me... I cant tell you how much I'd appreciate it....

Off to try & wake up my arm, feet, back & back of head...

...good times...

Siesta Scripture - Verse 1

2012-01-04T06:58:00.000-05:00

I'm a few days late...

but doesnt mean I havent had this verse sitting in front of me trying to get it memorized.

Off to get more scripture tucked away.

To kick off the year:

When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust;

I will not be afraid.

What can mortal man to do me?

-Psalm 56:3-4

I remember kicking off last year with Isaiah 41:10... another verse on no need to fear.

Must be a recurring thought I need...

Fear is a powerful thing, aint it? Need these reminders that fear is nothing when we put our trust & faith in God...

A perfect Birthday....

2012-01-02T11:23:00.000-05:00

I was kinda down & depressed about my 40th birthday... & it turned out to be a pretty fantastic day...

First of all, Facebook does nothing but make you feel loved on your big day. All day long, sweet comments & quick notes of friends dropping birthday wishes. It really did feel like birthday hugs all day.

Then, I got a surprise at work... my dad had driven all the way downtown to bring me something me made me...

Is this the most AWESOME cake EVER?!?!?!?!?!?!

He hand made it all... It was a "Dreamcicle Cake"... mmmm... orange flavor... just like a push-pop... with chocolate icing.

And its a CAMERA!!!!

Ricky's not big on birthday cakes & I was deteremined to go buy myself one after work if need be... & then I got this surprise. It was perfect...

I did have to work all day, but it was a busy, quiet day. Then Ricky was going to take me out to dinner so I had to waste an hour before he got off work. I headed to a book store where I can spend HOURS anyways... what's one hour? I ended up getting me my own birthday present.. something I've never read & always wanted...the whole collection of the Chronicles of Narnia...

Ricky wasnt too thrilled when I told him I had gotten these books... I wasnt sure why... you'll see later.

So I get to pick out wherever I want to eat for my birthday. I was going to pick Panera Bread since I LOVE that place & Ricky dreads it... but he'd eat there for my birthday. I made it easy on him though & we had Chuey's... I do love my mexican food.

Then the topper of tops... the only reason to sign up for Starbucks cards... the Birthday Treat. Any drink, ANY SIZE!!!! I was like, "give me the BIGGEST drink" :) This thing gave me a head rush... but was yummy ... so yummy... Ricky was teasing me because he said, "you're the only person who gets only cold drinks from a coffee shop"... I'm not a fan of hot drinks. I didnt care it was December... heck, this lady in my picture didnt care it was December either. I will say though, I think this was the warmest birthday I've ever had. It was in the high 50's... but still? I would have passed on those shorts...that's just me... I'm 40 now...

Ricky was so good to me on my birthday. Even fed the dogs for me & told me he would take care of everything that needed to be taken care of around the house. He knew 40 was rough on me & he made it a lot easier...

Then I saw why he was upset I just went out & bought new books... this is what he surprised me with...

I cant tell you how giddy I was about this... I've always wanted one. My eyes have changed so bad this past year.. (hello again Mr. 40) & reading has become harder for me...I have to keep reading glasses with me now & it just aggravates me. I have already got my first book on there - "Water for Elephants" & made my font bigger... I'm in love...

Ricky said he wanted to get me the Kindle Fire, but this one is more convenient for me. Smaller to put in my purse. & I really didnt need all the frills of the Kindle Fire for $100.00 more... maybe in the future... but for right now, this made me the happiest 40 yr old in the world.

Then because my old neck is turning 40, Ricky got me one more gift...

I ended my night by talking with my mom, then my nieces called me... it cracked me up to hear Madi say, "Lordy, Lordy, Aunt Bec is 40"... I literally laughed so hard, it got her tickled. Then I ended up talking with Julie for over an hour...

It was a perfect day...

Then I saw this quote...

"Do not regret growing older... it is a prvilige denied to many"

I kept thinking of this.... being so sad about turning 40... feeling "old"... & then I think of all the people I've lost in my life... people that were YOUNG... people that lost their lives in military service... people who sacrificed themselves for others...

...getting older didnt sound so bad...

Now onward through another year....

wow...it goes by fast..

2011-12-30T07:21:00.003-05:00

... & its not just ANY birthday...

Its the day I have no more '3's' in front of my age... Hello 4's... 40... FORTY? yep... 40 years old today.

How can this cute little face be 40 yrs old?

I actually still cant believe it. When people ask me my age, I honestly have to stop & think about it. Maybe that's the first sign of old age - not remembering your age. I use to automatically think, "I'm 18"... no joke... but as the years have passed, now when someone asks how old I am, I automatially think, "I'm 28"... not sure why. I definitely don't think, or feel like 40. Although on some days, when my arms & knees ache, I do kinda feel like I'm 60... again, this aging thing can bite somtimes.

30 hit me bad... I didnt think 40 would... I was wrong. Something about that first number changing in your age that puts things in a reality-light that GLOWS way too brightly sometimes.

So for my 40th birthday, since it's a big "milestone" - I'm just going to think back of some of the big things in my life... the moments that are happy, memorable, that stand out to me...
__________________

40. Learning to knit... it changed all my free time :)

39. My high school graduation... felt so proud & happy... & SICKER then a dog. I had a 102 fever... but was determined to make it through the ceremony.

38. Moving to our house in Greenville... I still am in love with our home...

37. All my Steven Curtis Chapman concerts... & the meet & greet where I was actually a few FEET from him... & got to ask a question to him about his hair :) (I'm a dork)

36. Getting my first car with AIR CONDITIONER!!! It was a Ford Escort... never so proud of a car :)

35. Roller skating... did it as a child every Sunday with my friend Julie... who knew I'd meet my husband at a skating rink years later... & still be skating today, teaching the grandbabies to skate.

34. My wonderful friends growing up...

33. September 11, 2001... I'll never forget sitting at work watching it..

32. Watching Alaina & Lindsay graduate from high school... then eventually Alaina from college... they were little girls when I came into their lives...

31. The trip to Gatlinburg that Ricky, myself & Stephanie went on... I dont think we've ever laughed so much in our lives...

30. Our trip to Vegas in 1999 with some friends... any trip where you see Mike Tyson walking around has got to be a good one!

29. Standing with Julie on her wedding day behind the closed doors, waiting with her to go down the aisle...

28. Every minute I get to spend with the youth group in our church.... they bless me more then I could ever do for them...

Believe Gang of 2010

27. Every young person I have ever baptized... such an honor

26. Seeing Ricky get baptized.

25. The "Stephanie's" in my life... #1 & #2 ... if you are a Stephanie, you now qualify to be my best friend :)

Me & Stephanie #2

24. Cameras... have always loved them & now, its taken on a new adventure for me

23. My lisp... I had to go to speech therapy in elementary school for it & I still catch myself (or others point it out) lisping... all this time later. Call me Cindy Brady.

22. First time I did Sign Language in my church

21. Fall Festival in Dale, Indiana... we'd go every year. Its where my dad grew up & my aunt still lived & I always looked so forward to it. A parade that threw out CANDY? Who DOESNT want to travel over an hour for that? & by the way, when I was little, it felt like the trip took DAYS... & it was only like 65 minutes...

(me, Teenie, Tony & Dolly at my Aunt's house in Dale)

20. My first plane ride with my aunt to Texas... scared to death. She still laughs about me "yelping" a little when we hit turbulence. I found nothing humorous about it... at all...

19. A family vacation to Gatlinburg where we went to Dolly Wood... the water ride with my brother was the funniest thing when he was the ONLY one who got soaked to the bone... & was the ONLY one who didnt even want to ride it to begin with.

18. Meeting Isaac & Luke for the first time...

This is our trip to meet Isaac... where did his hair go?

17. All my furbabies, from our first dog, Dolly, growing up... to all the cats we had in our home as a teenager, to Pandora, to our doggie gang we have now... they're all family members...

16. Growing up with my brother's obsession to punch me & then take pictures of me crying... how messed up is that? Brothers... what can you say...

15. My dad's "Special bread" he's make on the weekends for breakfast. I now know it was just pancakes without butter or syrup, but I thought it was the coolest invention EVER & looked forward to it every weekend!

14. Years & years of Kung Fu lessons with my dad & brother... dont mess with me :)

13. Being with my grandmother when she passed away...

12. Working as a cashier in a grocery story in high school... there was no better job in the world to me. I was obsessed with cash registers since I would press buttons.

11. Having my gall bladder taken out a few months after I got married in 1996... my first surgery. I was scared to death.

10. Becoming a runner... never thought it would happen... but 4 Half Marathons under my belt. A FULL marathon by the time I turn 50? its possible...

9. The day I got baptized... fun fact: I had a panic moment when I realize I didnt remember to bring underwear! haha! Too much info?... I loved my time at Beechmont with my friends & my Pastor... Brother Jerry... or as I'd call him, Bro J... he was an amazing man.

8. Game Days with my mom... she was always up to play a board game... anytime of the day. During the summer, it would be nothing to play Yahtzee at midnight.

7. The birth of my twin nieces... I'll never forget holding them minutes after they were born.. & getting to carry Sophia up to the nursery. I always tell her I took her on her first elevator ride of her life :)

6. Having a great job that I've been blessed to have for.. oh my... going on 20 years!

5. Beauty & the Beast... everything about it! Seeing it at the movies, seeing it on Broadway, seeing it in High School Musicals... & getting a Belle dress!!!

4. Having a friend pass away at 18 of cancer... a friend pass away at 30 of cancer... & a friend in her 40's pass away of cancer... things that like change your view of life & fairness.

3. Getting the call from my dad that the things in his spine were NOT cancer. I'll never forget screaming in my office. It turned into church in my office.... I just kept thanking God. That was a moment of pure joy!

2. Dancing with this young man at his wedding.... I'll never forget it as long as I live.

1. My wedding day.... it was perfect. I wouldnt change one thing about it.

Here's to another 40 years of memories...

... another 40? I'll be 80...

Lord, give me strength :)

who knew this would be a blessing?

2011-12-29T07:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting at my desk, eating my lunch yesterday... nothing special... ordinary day...

chomp... chomp...

wait...what is that?

you have GOT to be kidding me...

My crown came off of my tooth.

If you've been around my blog for awhile, this may seem like a familar story.

A crown came off this SAME tooth about 4 months ago.

I call the dentist & they get me in within 2 hours.

So I go in & tell them I cant believe this happened again... & I'm a nervous wreck. Why? Because when the other one came off, my regular dentist was out of the office - I saw the other dentist that works in the office. She told me the crown was cracked & I had to have a new one.

... THEN, they told me that insurance didnt cover any crown under a year old. How that made sense, I dont know. I raised all kinds of questions & they even sent back the office manager with paper work trying to "explain" it to me... needless to say, it didnt matter, I had to have a tooth, so I just said whatever. And ended up paying $1200 for another crown...

So it being after Christmas, or any time of the year, I just didnt want to part with another $1200....

The dental assistant told me that it fit right back on, it looked good & there would be no charge... THANK YOU LORD!!! They think I'm still grinding my teeth (even with the mouth guard) loosening up the grip of the crown.

Then she looked in my chart & said, "Explain to me what happened that last time" - I went through the whole story.

She looked up & said, "You shouldnt have been charged... our crowns are guaranteed for 5 years"...

I almost choked...WHAT?!?!?!?!?!??

She went & talked with my dentist who told me also that I shouldnt have been charged for it....

They are now looking into it & she said they should get back with me in the next few days on what they're doing for me...

....I would have never known this if this tooth didnt come out again....

....its just funny when things happen that you think are just horrible, turns out to be a blessing....

but Lord, I'm good... I dont need any more teeth falling out to prove anything :)

Christmas Wrap up....

2011-12-27T20:20:00.003-05:00

We headed over to my parents for our Christmas with my side of the family. It feels like its a journey with this bridge thing still, STILL, happening. Off we went on our adventure. Luckily, it was a beautiful day. Nothing like you'd expect of Christmas. It was sunny, in the 50's... more like early Spring. (I'll take it)

We started off digging in for some food. Always love when we get my mom's potato salad. She puts the hugest hunks of potato in there... the ONLY way to have potato salad! Mom & dad get a honey baked ham but since I'm going on a YEAR (wow... cant believe its been a year) of not eating certain meat, I was all about a cheese ball my sister in law made.

The twins were laughing at me because I think I ate a whole box of Triscuits with it... Madi is holding up what was left... & let me tell you, this cheese ball was HUGE... Yes, my name is Rebecca & I'm a cheese ball addict.

If you have little ones in your home at Christmas, you know there is no time to waste to open presents. The twins were eee--xxx--ciiii--tttttt-eeeddddd to get going into the packages.

Doesnt it feel like you take days to wrap everything up to see kids devour it in 0.02 seconds? Its one of those magic things of Christmas ...

Here is a picture of the twins in some Angry Bird blankets I had found. They had their birthday cake in October in Angry Birds so I knew they would like 'em... I wasnt wrong... I had to laugh because if you saw the picture I took of them a few weeks ago, Sophia had her head leaned over the exact same way ... my mom keeps telling her something must be wrong with her neck :)

The best part of Christmas for me was this little blondie. She is into football this year. She watches it with her daddy every weekend & all she told me she wanted was a football & a football jersey. Well, her favorite team is Green Bay, but I couldnt find anything & she didnt really tell me she wanted a specific team - she just wanted a "REAL" jersey. So I found this one & went ahead & got it for her. I gave it to her & said, "I know this isnt probably what you want, but its better then nothing" - when she opened it up, her face just kinda froze. I thought, "Great, she hates it".... but then, the biggest smile came across her face & she grabbed it & ran in the back room & changed into it... SUCCESS!!!!

I saw my brother & sister in law at the grocery today & she said that they MADE her not wear it for the 3rd day in a row so they could wash it :) If nothing else worked out for Christmas, putting a smile on this girls face made it all worth it....

I had asked Sophia what she wanted for Christmas too... she wanted a camera. Come on... a camera? How could I not get her a camera? She was so happy to get it... it was even purple ... who doesnt want a purple camera? I wish my Nikon's were purple! I love the one picture of her trying to figure it out in the corner....

Time for the girls to give their present to their Yaya...

Apparently, my mom was very surprised... or maybe that's just where I get my dramatic gene from, that Sophia has as well... we pass down the good genes in our family....

If you didnt know, my mom is a Wizard of Oz NUT.... Nut doesnt even put it properly... Fanatic? Crazy? Obsessed? None of the words seem appropriate... but she didnt have this for her collection so she was just happy to get a new piece. I love this expression on Sophia's face looking at her. She either doesnt like it, or she's mimicing the witches face.... my money is on the mimicing... again, with the drama gene.

Madi was checking out her presents with her Papaw.... they are best buddies. Dad had gotten her something to carry her Hot Wheels in since hers was full & she just didnt know where to put them all.... cue a great Christmas present for her

Here's my brother... doesnt he look wise with his little glasses? I would have taken a picture of my sister in law, but she did nothing short of threaten my life if I took a picture of her. She's the one who made the cheese ball I scarfed down, so I owed her one. And since I didnt take out my camera when I had no make up on earlier, I totally understood. Christmas at my families is everything relaxed & lay back ... perfection... the best way to spend a Christmas day....

The girls both got an "Etch N Sketch" too... I didnt even know they still made them. I was reminded that even Buddy uses them in Elf... OH YEAH! :) But we cracked up when one of the twins played with it & then asked her mom, "Where's the button to clear the screen?".... yep, this generation is different from mine.

Madi couldnt take it any longer... she still had her football & it was nice out, so her Uncle Ricky came to the rescue. Outside to toss the football. Madi's pretty good too... I think this was the highlight of Ricky's day too.

And then Sophia was out taking pictures of her sister with her new camera. I was behind her taking pictures of her, taking pictures... but love this look she gave me when she saw what I was doing :)

The sun was setting so time to come inside... you see Madi didnt stop with the football action...

but it's fun to just sit around with family & tell stories & enjoy being together...

I can just hear my dad's laugh when I look at this picture....

We got ready for our "journey" home & we actuallhy stopped at McDonalds for some sweet tea. I cant believe they were open... & we sat in the drive-thru line for 25 minutes... for sweet tea.... but we didnt mind. Ricky & I just sat back & gave a sigh of relief that we made it through Christmas...

Oh yeah... & we got home & had one last thing... our Birthday Cake for Jesus!!!

I try to have one every year for the twins, so they definitely know what the day is about... & on the way to my mom's - 40 minutes away from the house, Ricky said, "Do you have the cake?".... DAAANNNNNGGGGGGGG!!!! I forgot it... so no cake for the twins... but a fresh cake for us when we got home. There's the final sigh of Christmas... a sugar rush :)

JESUS went all 80's with His birthday cake :) Look at that neon pink & green... totally RAD!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day with friends, family & celebrating our Jesus' birth.

And for the record, Ricky & I went out the day after Christmas... I have 6 gifts already for next year... go me!

First part of Christmas....

2011-12-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

Christmas Morning....

We woke up early... around 5:00 am... that's actually sleeping in for us (how sad is that?)

But it was nice to sit & turn on the tree & while it was still dark outside, the glow of the tree was just beautiful.

...& no joke, Ricky would randomly sing "Happy Birthday Jesus" all morning long...

it was actually getting on my nerves a bit... but it had a cuteness to it, so I didnt say anything.

Here's our Santa in our living room that is even giving a big "holla" to Jesus...

Our friends, Ryan & Chasity came over for breakfast. I am about making breakfast food. Fast & easy. We had turkey bacon, eggs, biscuits with Julie's homemade Blueberry Jams, & some chocolate chip pancakes... we were stuffed at the end....

Its also the one time of year I get to pull out my Christmas glasses & get to use them...

I cant believe I didnt get a picture of Ryan & Chasity over here... But I think it was because I didnt have on ANY make up... not a lick... so I dont dare think about pulling out a camera in case someone turns it on me.

But I have to show you one of the presents they got me... because it left me speechless... completely & utterly speechless.

Chasity had the idea of making me a "portfolio book" for my first year of my Photography Business....

She broke it out in different categories...

I was simply amazed at the thought & time she put into this book....have you ever seen anything so thoughful? I literally have looked through this book probably 159 times on Christmas Day alone.....

Thank you again Ryan & Chasity... we just love you two so much & was so thankful to spend a part of Christmas day with you....

Then Ricky & I had our Christmas together. Its always fun to try & surprise each other & take a bit of time to enjoy Christmas Day together...

He knows me so well ... got me loaded up on some running goodies...a new running jacket that he picked out himself. It fit & I LIKED it... I'm impressed. He also got me running gloves that I can use with my iPod & a new running headband... pink was the theme of my running gear... LOVE IT!

But I also loved, he got me a book by Ryan Hall... He's an amazing outspoken Christian that is one of the top marathon runners in the USA. This has his running plans, tips & also just more about his life & faith... cant wait to devour it!

Next up, Ricky really surprised me with some camera gear... things I wasnt even expecting... this being one of them. A tripod!!!! Not just any tripod... the Mac-Daddy of ALL Tripods!!! Who knew they made tripods like this. I think this baby cost more then my first camera cost... which blows my mind!!!! I love how Ricky is one of my biggest encouragers in my photography...

let's just take a moment & ohhh & ahhh this tripod.... even if you dont want to, do it for me... do it for Ricky :)

We also were surprised by some presents from our Texas gang.... & Julie gets me so well... when she was up here, she heard me say how badly I wanted a wood cutting board. So I was giddy when I opened up the box & found one, with a chopper/scraper she loves herself. Julie being "Mrs. Gourmet" herself, I know its a winner!!! .... I cant wait to chop my first veggies on it... (I'll have to take pictures)

It was a busy, hectic morning & then we're heading to my mom's house for Christmas...

That will be in tomorrow's post... you'll want to check out the pictures. They involve a lot of 2 twin little girls that are the CUTEST little faces EVER... why wouldnt you want to come back for that?

And in the meantime, here's another cute little face of a little girl who was waiting patiently for her bone that she KNOWS Santa brings her every year....

You can ohhh & ahh over this picture too... I know you want too

Until tomorrow....

Christmas in 50 words

2011-12-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!

JESUS IS BORN!!!!

Friday Fragments

2011-12-23T07:02:00.003-05:00

Its the Friday before Christmas.... amazing...is it bad to say I'm still in denial? I have made progress though. Only need to stop & get about 5 more things & I'm done... fingers crossed they let us out of work half a day today so I can finish them up without Ricky... mainly because the 5 things involve him. I'll figure it out... until then, let's frag...

*****

Its always so weird around the office this time of year. Half the office takes their vacation now, so I am the one doing 4 things at once to keep things caught up. It makes me exhausted & ready for my own vacation after everyone gets back.

*****

Are you going to have a White Christmas where you're at? Around here? We're looking at 50 degree, sunny weather all week long. I know people are upset about it... they want the cold & white stuff for the Holiday. Me? I'm giddy. I told Ricky, I can run every day this week, outside... in shorts! That's actually a big thing for me because I'm loosing my "runners tan", which is the outline of my shorts on my legs. My legs NEVER tan & to see the tan line disappearing, its been a tad depressing.... solar rays? Attack my legs this week please.

*****

I just saw where Walgreens, the Family Dollar & McDonalds are open around here on Christmas Day.... really? We live in a country where we cant live without a Big Mag for 24 hours? That just blew my mind...

*****

CUTE ALERT!!!!! ... I was talking to Madi (my 7 yr old niece) on the phone the other day. I asked her what she wanted from Santa. She told me she didnt tell him, but she told Charlie, which is their puggle dog. I asked what that was & she said, "I want Santa to get Charlie fit, because he's getting too fat" .... isnt that the cutest thing? I just hope she doesnt bring my name up in that same kinda sentence....

******

I cant tell you how many times I've misspelled "Santa" as "Satan".... my Scrabble mind is always at work, I guess.

*****

Here's the picture of the grandbabies in Texas with Santa....

Isnt Isaac's face the cutest? Julie said he told her he was wasnt shy anymore & jumped up in Santa's lap... guess he showed her :) Then she said he kept whispering in Santa's ear "Iron man toys"... the funny thing is, that's exactly what Ricky did too! :)

*****

SPAT OF THE WEEK: The Wrapping Station .... My kitchen has been destroyed the past few weeks. I just wrap as I go, so I leave out the wrapping paper, tape, name tags, ribbon, pens, markers... geez!!!! Why is there so much stuff to wrapping a gift? See why I dont put it all up after wrapping a gift? Needless to say, my counter just stays "the wrapping central station" until Dec 25. So I'm wrapping presents when Ricky comes home from work... & puts his keys & wallet, right in the space where I have to roll out the paper. OK... I was nice about it at first. "Sweetie, can you move your keys, I need this area"... he was nice about it at first too, moving them. I wrap a gift. I turn around & what's there? A 64 oz cup of tea.... Ricky laid it down in that space again. "Sweetieeeeee, can you move your tea, I need this area".... he moved it.... wrapped another gift. Turned around & there was a knife & flashlight there.... "swweeeettttiiiiee" - by this time, I'm saying it through a gritted teeth smile. Honestly - I thought he was joking because EVERY TIME I turned around, there would be something there. A few gift cards, a bag of chips... & get this... literally, his socks he found in the back yard that Sydney had taken through the doggie door.

I gave up... I'll finish wrapping when he sleeps tonight....

******

My dad sent me this picture... I wish I could find a way to put it on Ricky's birthday cake tomorrow...

it'd probably be the next "spat of the week" though if I did

Source: bl166w.blu166.mail.live.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

*****

I know a lot of you are going to be missing from Blog-World with all the Holiday-Happenings... so if you dont stop back by before then... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

... & Happy Friday! :)

Vincent Christmas 2011 ... part 2

2011-12-21T19:36:00.000-05:00

...so last we left off, we just finished opening presents...

I got my first UK Sweatshirt. I need to get a picture of me in it. Ricky considers me the official "Biggest Jinx of UK" so I'm not allowed to have anything UK. Well - a big HA goes to him, because I got a UK sweatshirt AND a UK headband to run in... oh yeah... I'll be decked out in my blue :)

After settling down from the presents, we were all craving some sweet stuff... I had no idea, but they wanted to surprise Ricky for his birthday. He turns 50 on Christmas Eve.... so they kept him occupied in one room & got the candles in the cake. Then to call him in....

He saw the candles & everyone in the corner of the kitchen & BOLTED out... no picture except for a blur :) But everyone signed a card & he had a great time reading all the digging & support of turning into an "old man" ...

I love this picture ... even though its not focused on Ricky reading his card, but his brother, I just am glad to see that smile. Michael was in the hospital a few days before & had been in for a little over a week. We were worried about him & his health... praying for complete healing... can you all do our family a favor & just lift up a prayer for Michael? Thank you.... & appreciate it :)

Then with all the family around... & me having a camera... it was time to take some family pictures...

Here is Melissa & her husband, Jason... they got married young & still are just like the same couple they were on the day they got married...

... well, maybe not the same couple... they added to their family :)

Here are their kiddos... Austin & Alexis...I am seriously amazed when I see how big they are getting. Austin is about equal in height, if not a tad taller then Ricky. I remember holding him in the hospital when he was born. He is seriously the sweetest young man I know... anyone with daughters? This is the guy you want dating her. And Alexis? They call her "Little Ricky" because she has no fear of anything... & always getting into something :) ... doesnt she look just like her daddy though?

And here are the Vincent Boys... Again, I'm just glad we had Michael there celebrating the Holidays with the family.... & I just love this picture of my handsome husband. His eyes look so green here... Ricky is ever the big brother. Not showing much "affection" to his brother, but loves him more then anything & worries about him. Aren't men funny?

And the Sisters of the family....

I A-DORRRRR-EEEEEEE this picture. I had so many to choose from. A few serious ones where they were looking at me with good "posed" smiles... but then they got giggling... then full out laughing & I just kept clicking... I loved this one best of all.... Pam (the one on the left) was making everyone crack up. Look at her face. She had us all in tears... it was a wonder I had ANYTHING in focus. But I can just look at Melissa & Sherry's faces & start to laugh again.

There's just nothing like REAL laughter, is there?

Put the momma in there, even though she hated it & kept refusing to look at the camera... but when you just keep snapping away, you actually can grab a picture of her looking at me :) SUCCESS!

So glad to spend the Holidays together.... Bill, Ricky's dad who passed away in 1990 would love to see the family still together, laughing & loving....

And because I was behind the camera for all but one picture, here's how I am adding myself into the mix....

Merry Christmas from the Vincent Family....

...& yep, there will be more pictures of Christmas to come... Christmas with my nieces is still yet to happen :) Happy Days still ahead.

Vincent Christmas 2011 ... part 1

2011-12-20T21:12:00.001-05:00

I cant believe its that time of year again... Christmas time...

The up side of it - getting to spend time with family.

We always do Christmas with Ricky's family the Sunday before Christmas. I'm so glad that Ricky's sister, Pam, started this tradition. We used to not see everyone & it was sad to miss this side of the family. Problem is solved now... & as you can see, we all got together again this year...

(Thank goodness for timers on cameras... only way I was in a picture... I dont mind being behind it for one moment though)

We started off with an AMAZING dinner... Pam outdoes herself every year taking it all on herself. And I dont consider it Christmas until I eat this dish she makes... I dont even know the name of it. But it has strawberries & pretzels in it.. & its sweet... & I think angels kiss it & its directly from Heaven. I'm believing that so I can also imagine it doesnt have any calories in it... especially because I had 3 servings of it!

It was time to open some gifts. Pam gave each of her brothers & sisters a package that held a beautiful box. Inside of each box was a letter she took the time to write to each one of her siblings. It was the most special gift I think anyone has ever given Ricky... Here's the picture of him reading it... for the 3rd time... he couldnt get enough of it. What a beautiful reminder that Christmas is best when its from the heart....

While everyone was reading their letters, Maggie was talking & I caught this picture... I love it... with Pam listening to her mom... Pam is the first of Maggie's babies... but you know no matter how old you get, you're still listening to what your mom has to say :)

It was time to start opening the presents under the tree....

Here is my brother in law, Jason... there is a huge UK/UL rivalry in this family. Ricky & his sister are the only UK fans... everyone else cheers for the Cardinals. Last year, Ricky gave Jason as a joke, a UK clock... so this year, see that smirk? Jason wrapped up a UL Sweatshirt.... I can only imagine what next year will be. Ricky will probably get the actual Wildcat Mascot outfit to give to Jason :)

Here are some snapshots of the family just enjoying Christmas....

My beautiful Sister in Law, Melissa... she's the baby of the family....& I can talk with her for hours... & laugh & laugh... & then laugh some more. When Ricky & I met, she was just a teenager in high school... amazing to have watched her grow up into a pretty fantastic woman.

Pam's husband, Doug... Jason & Melissa got him this gift. A hummingbird feeder made out of a Bud Light bottle. Can you say "PERFECT GIFT"????... so Doug. Let me tell you - if you ever meet Doug, you're going to love him. I can sit in a room & he not say anything & he can make me laugh... not intending to... that's what makes him so funny.

Here is Maggie... my mother in law... checking out all her presents... I just loved the light shining on the side of her face... she's not a fan of the camera, so when I can snag a picture of her, I love to do it. Then she yells at me... but she still loves me... I hope. Cause I love her :)

Here's Ricky & Pam digging into the wrapping....

Here's yet ANOTHER Sister in law... you cant tell me I'm not blessed :) I never had a sister growing up & then I get all these sisters through marriage? Pretty cool. Sherry & Ricky grew up together being closer in age then the others, so can you say "Sibling Rivalry"? Because look it up in the dictionary & there will be Sherry & Ricky's picture :) They have fun with each other though with all the teasing... that's the law of brothers & sisters, right?

We were just having a flipping fantastic time....

This is my niece Alexis who was perfecting her back bends.... Its not Christmas unless someone is standing on their head....

Since I dont want to overload you with too much at one time, I'll just break it up into 2 days...

Come back tomorrow to check out the pictures I took of the family together & the surprise they had for Ricky :)

.... I love "to be continued" posts....

What if...

2011-12-19T07:36:00.000-05:00

A friend sent this in an email to me a few weeks ago & I just keep reading it over & over... some good stuff... Hope you enjoy it & it touches your heart like it did mine...

If you never felt pain, then how would you know that I am a HEALER?

If you never had to pray, how would you know that I am a DELIVERER?

If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an OVERCOMER?

If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I am a COMFORTER?

If you never made a mistake, how would you know that I am a FORGIVER?

If you never were in trouble, how would you know that I will come to your rescue?

If you never were broken, then how would you know that I can make you whole?

If you never had a problem, how would you know that I can solve them?

If you never went through fire, then how would you become pure?

If I gave you all things, how would you appreciate them?

If I never corrected you, how would you know that I love you?

If you had all power, then how would you learn to depend on me?

If your life was perfect, then what would you need me for?

-Love, Jesus

Friday Fragments

2011-12-16T07:08:00.007-05:00

It Friday... one day closer to Christmas... the Holiday I'm so ultimately not prepared for. Yep - as of last post, I've only marked one person off our list. Only 37 more to go... & how many days left? I dont want to talk about it... instead, let's FRAG!!

*****

I kept hearing everyone talk about it, & I just found on Hulu that they're showing all the episodes... so I'm proud to announce, I'm now addicted to "Revenge".... wow! What an interesting show! I think its weird that we cheer on the main character that is set out to ruin people's lives that wronged her... only a good TV show can make you do that. "YES - she ruined that person's career! (insert, "Family" "Life" "Marriage")" ... not something you say in ordinary life. At least I hope not.

*****

Source: choco-kun.deviantart.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

I am still so excited that Beauty & the Beast comes out in theaters in 4 weeks!!!! 3D... I cant even imagine. I keep telling everyone, it'll be like actually being IN the movie. I may cry!

I'm debating wearing my gold Belle gown to the movie theater. Wonder if I'd get looks? I know that'd be one sure-fire-way to make sure Ricky wouldnt go to the theater with me :) Hey - at least I'm not asking him to wear the Beast Costume I have!

*****

Updates: No, my tendon hasnt ruptured yet (boo!)... yes, its still painful (boo!) .... the bridge is still shut down (boo!)... & its 77 more days until the PROJECTED opening of the bridge (boo! or yippee?).... & my dad hasnt cut off any fingers or been in any wrecks lately (YIPEE!!!!)

*****

So here's a few pictures from our Christmas party with the youth group

Here's Jordan who dressed up like Cindy Lou Who!!! Isnt that adorable?!?! I was going to try & dress up like the Grinch with her, but the day didnt allow it. She still pulled it off looking fantastic!

& we had contests to wrap up a person... in 5 minutes... here's the Junior High winner. Complete with bows for eyes :)

& our Senior High Winner

Sr High was complete with a hat & an accessory bag. I wish you coulda seen the back of it. They had it to tailored to fit her - it was actually impressive.

*****

Hey - Just remembered... go on over to my book blog for a chance to win a new book called "Night of the Living Dead Christian" ... right now, there's only one entry. (Lynn, you can make everyone stay away & be the for-sure winner!)
http://www.rebeccajosbooks.blogspot.com/

*****
So I took off work to do some Christmas shopping on Wednesday... well, it ended up being 65 degrees & beautiful. I ended up scrapping Christmas shopping (see why I'm in trouble?) & doing an engagement session. Look at this girls eyes... these are not touched up in ANY way - they're naturally like this.

She reminded me so much of my sister in law who has those blue-clear-beautiful eyes...

Here's another shot I love...

But the coolest thing of all - we got to go into the Papa John's Football Stadium all by ourselves & do some pictures! She is a former Lady-Bird (the dance team) & he is a former Cardinal cheerleader. (how neat is that?) & he still works for the sports department of the University of Louisville. I was actually a little overwhelmed walking in & knowing we had the place to ourselves. And there was a ladder right there too that I could use... got some cute pics... but here is just one. I told them they had to sit on the 50 Yard line since marriage is about 50/50. I was just hoping my University of KENTUCKY fan of a husband wouldnt be too upset that I was as star-struck as I was in the stadium :) (He actually thought it was pretty neat himself)

I think in the end, it was a good idea to ditch the Christmas shopping...

******

SPAT OF THE WEEK: HICCUPS!!!! .... I had just finished dinner when I got hiccups. Now, just finished eating, I thought I was going to throw up my bean burrito with every hiccup. I'm not one of those cute little "hiccup'ers"... I'm the kind that has an echo'ing, loud, sound like a fog-horn hiccup-er. So Ricky comes up behind me & screams & throws something on the counter. It make me jerk forward like someone stabbed me. The dogs even scattered. Zoe, who is nervous anyways, took off like a bat out of Hades... Bruno ran to my legs... Sydney jumped up... & Buffy ran & got a ball. (It doesnt matter what happens, Buffy goes & gets a ball). I turned around & started screaming "WHY.WOULD.YOU.DO.THAT?" ... he just kept laughing. The thing I hated.. it did actually work - my hiccups were gone. I told him if he did it again, my hiccups wouldnt be the only thing gone... my heart would be too because it would have bursted from the scare!

*****

I'm so mad...my favorite Old Navy Grey t-shirt, I got bleach on it while I was cleaning the kitchen... & then I found this idea on Pinterest...

Source: showtellshare.blogspot.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Now, what to creat out of my "spots" on my shirt... this should be interesting! ... it'll probably just turn into a smiley face... I cant draw.

******

Hope you all have a FABULOUS FRIDAY!!! & wish me luck on the Christmas shopping thing!

30 minutes....

2011-12-15T11:22:00.001-05:00

OK... this LOOKS like its long when you see the time on the video,

but its really cool

Full of some neat information, that you may or may not want to hear...

& its just plain neat to watch the video with the sketching

So sit back & take a little time to learn something that will help you in the long run...

Some Christmas Pics...

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

So I've just done a little bit of decorating at a time...

Here are just a few pictures of our new tree.

We got a new entertainment center & our old tree was fat... wide at the base. We went ahead & got a skinny tree & I love the way it looks in the corner, next to the entertainment center.

Yes, we still do Disney... everything Disney... except our Nativity Set. Do they make a Disney Nativity? I need to go check that out now.

Here are just a tiny example of some of our ornaments...

Love the "unusual" Disney ornaments of characters you dont see very often

We have a massive Disney collection.

I even had a whole Beauty & the Beast Christmas tree one time ... in addition to our Disney tree... so you can imagine just the ornaments I have of Belle & her friends :)

We have a whole series of different Disney characters as Angels ... ahhh

Isnt the Lady & the Tramp cute? A Christmas Tree on our Christmas tree.

See that Mickey Belle? We have those all over our tree... its a set with Minnie, Pluto & Goofy... we have like 4 sets of them on the tree... the lights reflect so beautifull off those red bells

Mickey is just everywhere....

This is one of our favorites just because he's ROLLER SKATING!!! :)

But yep... this is always in the middle of our tree...

We know that Christmas is more then Mickey Mouse & all the other Disney characters...

Its about Jesus... & we celebrate His birthday every year :)

I'm sure I'll have more pictures as Christmas gets closer & closer...

Think I need to ask Santa...

2011-12-13T06:28:00.000-05:00

Do I look like a thief?

I think Bruno even thinks I'm a thief....

Got this picture snapped of me when I was heading out to run.

I have to wear sun glasses, even though it gets dark early because my eyes water so much with the cold & then they are so dry afterwards.

But Ricky gets mad at me for wearing all this black...

especially when the sun is set by the time I get home...

But black is sliming! :)

Think I need to ask Santa for some reflective gear?

Weekend in Review

2011-12-12T07:07:00.001-05:00

Its Monday & I'm exhausted... no, really... exhausted.

I'm sitting at my desk at 6:30 am barely able to hold my head up... thinking about sleep, which is doing nothing but making me more tired.

My weekend was so amazingly hectic... here's just a small look at how it went

* Friday evening was our Christmas Program at church. I got to sing with our Christmas Ensemble... love doing that every year. Its odd though because I have a deeper voice so I sing tenor... but we're short in the tenor department anyways so it works out. I love when a program all comes together. We practice for months ahead of time so when it's the actual performance night, there's an energy in the air.

*Our church also put on a Christmas drama... fantastic! Great to see so many people get to use their talents while giving a great message... so many ways to "preach" the message of Jesus.

*We were out shopping early on Saturday.... trying to knock off the list... & was doing pretty decent until...

*Got a phone call my dad was in a car accident... he was in the ER so Ricky & I took off to see what was going on. He's OK... just a tad banged up.... I drove him home when he was released & Ricky went to go see his brother whose also in the hospital. Also just thankful that dad was just "banged up" when I heard a 17 yr old boy in our area of town was also in a car accident that same day & didnt survive... life can change at the blink of an eye.

*I had to be back at church at 6:00 pm for our Junior High Christmas party... I am so thankful for my friends... I was running late since we were coming from Louisville & had to go through the bridge chaos... so I didnt have time to stop at home & put on a Christmas costume or even bring a white elephant gift... I walk in & my friends had me something to put on & an extra gift for me to use.... friends make things better, dont they?

*Sunday was Jr High service & it was an amazing time to hear their view on "Peace" in the world... & in their lives... they said things that literally left me speechless... such amazing minds.

*Off to try & pick up a few more gifts... sshhh... I found Ricky's gift while he was out with his friend

*Had to go to the funeral home... my uncle passed away on Friday. I got to see so many of my family members I havent seen in YEARS which is always nice, but just wish it was under different conditions. I told everyone we used to see everyone at weddings, then baby showers & now, I hope its not only funerals we see each other.

*Back to my neck of the woods for our Senior High Christmas Party... It was a party kinda weekend

*I ended up getting home last night around 9:30 & now, my house is a disaster area... bags thrown all over the kitchen... I have no idea what is where, or where is what... I didnt even care. I put on my PJ's, got a book & read for 30 minutes before I crashed with my book in my hands...

....I'm looking forward to Christmas to just sleep in....

Hope you all had a great weekend

(FYI - I do have pictures of my Christmas tree... & the youth party... & some other things... I just had ZERO time to get on the computer this weekend... but pictures are coming...)

Friday Fragments

2011-12-09T06:27:00.001-05:00

Its baaaacccckkkkk.... I didnt realize I havent done Friday Fragments in awhile... but the Thanksgiving posts of November put it on hold... & I never knew some of you would miss my "Spat of the week" so much :) ... I actually love that you all enjoy mine & Ricky's spats... its what we contribute to the world. So without further ado, let's Frag away again...

******

So I am done with one person for Christmas shopping... one... I have (no joke) 32 more people on the list... I'm in trouble! Especially because there are only 2 weekends left... & in these 2 weekends, I have 3 Christmas parties, a wedding reception, a Christmas Program to sing in, the youth programs, a family get-together.... I am ready for my Christmas Nervous Breakdown. Tis the Season

& by the way, what do you get for your boss? The man who literally has everything & can buy whatever he wants? Seriously? I need thoughts....

******

Nope, my bicep tendon hasnt ruptured yet... but I was sitting with a youth kiddo in church Sunday & my shoulder POPPED so loud! She snapped her neck to look at me & said, "Did it just rupture?" ... I thought my whole arm ruptured with that noise, but alas... everything is still holding TIGHT...

******

How sweet is this? My buddy, Ryan's new wife offered to do all my Christmas wrapping for me to help out with my arm. Isnt that the sweetest thing ever? It actually made me tear up that someone even thought of that to offer to me.... now, if only I had present to wrap (see Frag #1)

******

I did get to take a few hours & take a little girl's pictures for her first Christmas... is this the cutest little face? And its crazy because she looks just like her dad!.... He always eats the fur off Santa hats too...

I also had 2 little helpers taking these pictures :) My nieces were all about helping out & standing behind me with rattles & things to grab her attention. I told them I needed to hire them to go on shoots with me more often.

******

I never started watching X-Factor... am I missing out on something? I hear there are death threats happening. Wow... but I am giddy for more Stephen Tyler with the start of American Idol coming up....

& what's up with the rumor Ryan Seacrest could be taking over for Matt Lauer. Really? I dont see Ryan Seacrest sitting down with leaders of other countries. Unless he's giving them news they've been voted out of power.

******

Spat of the Week: Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer .... oh, its Christmas time. The time of stress... I have so many spats to choose from here. But this was definitely the most entertaining... & the one I was right about. While we were out shopping last week for Christmas tree decorations, I started singing "Silver & Gold"... then asked Ricky, "Know who sings that?" - fyi, we always give pop quizzes on songs & singers. We'd be ready for Rock & Roll Jeopardy on VH1 at the drop of a hat! But Ricky said, "your dad sings it"... now, my dad does look like Cornelius from Rudolph & I was confused that he really didnt know this. Cue the spat... I told him its the snowman, aka Burl Ives that sings it & Ricky went on to do a horrible impression of Cornelius saying "I found silver & gold"... I reminded Ricky it was the worse part of the show as a child - the snowman singing this song that no one cared about. A kid doesnt care about anything unless you can bounce it, throw it, or eat it... & you cant do that for silver or gold. This argument went on until we could get home & solve it with the help of wonderful You-Tube... I just love being right... but Ricky still claims he was right since Cornelius DOES technically talk about silver & gold... no one can say we arent a stubborn folk.

*****

Source: google.com via Lacey on Pinterest

See the resemblance?

*******

I weigh myself once a week... & on the days that I weight, after I get that number, it feels like a 'free eat day' .. afterall, I have a full week until I have to weigh again. Probably defeats the purpose, but its the games I play with myself that keeps life fun.

Well, hope you all have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY!!!!

Tasting new things...

2011-12-08T07:12:00.001-05:00

We live away from anything convenient...

except if you want to smell cow poo... that's convenient...

or seeing dead deer in the back of trucks... that's always fun to see

Living in a country atmosphere does have its advantages, but when you grow up in the city & anything you want is 5 minutes away, its an adjustment.

We have a Tumbleweed that is 10 minutes down the road... the only big restaurant that is near... so needless to say, we eat there .... a LOT....

...good thing we like it.

But lately, I've been on a mission to try new things.

Know how you go to places you eat & you almost dont even look at a menu? You already know what you like, & you get the same thing over & over. That's what I'd do at Tumbleweed. Ricky always gets the enchilada dinner, with chili as a side... the waitress/waiter even knows us well enough that she just says, "the usual?" to him... that just explain the whole thing in a nut shell.

But I'm doing it.. trying new things... I got a pasta dish there (at a Mexican place?)... & it was actually really good.

I'm finding all kinds of new things that are even tastier then I expected... & better then the usual things I always order.

I ran across this scripture the other day in my study & it made me think exactly of this situation:

Taste & see the Lord is good

-Psalm 34:8

Dont we sometimes get caught up in the 'everyday' of every day? And we dont take things to God that we should ... well, because we normally dont. We keep to our daily 'menu' of things & dont include God in things that we dont normally call His help or blessing on.

So today, try something new.... talk to God more... ask Him to bless someone you never pray for... ask for His guidance in a situation you think you've got control over...

Taste & see...

....

I just looked up the Message version & had to post it because it even has the word "run" in it... oh yeah baby... see? I just tasted something new with looking up this version :)

Open your mouth & taste...

open your eyes & see how good God is.

Blessed are you who RUN to him.

-Psalm 34:8 (The Message)

Breaking the Habit....

2011-12-07T07:07:00.001-05:00

its no secret I love my Diet Coke...

Source: etsy.com via Hayley on Pinterest

& its no secret that people keep telling me how bad it is for you....

I'm not sure what made me cut back... maybe it was the look Ricky gave me when I'd pop another can... but its been 2 weeks now.... & guess what?

drumroll please... I'm down to no more then 2 Diet Cokes a day!!! Some days its 1 can... ONE CAN OF DIET COKE...

That's major for me people!!!!!!

I know you may say, "I thought you were going to say you cut it all out"....

its a slow process....

I only drink one when I wake up... its my coffee... its what wakes me up.

And when I'm at home now on the weekends, I dont drink any during the day. At work though, I do have one during lunch.... but that's it.

I used to drink about a carton a day.... A DAY PEOPLE!!!! That's a habit.

It's funny because it's almost like I can imagine people with a cigarette. How they have to light another one up immediately? When I first thought I would cut back, I immediately wanted to hear the pop of another lid as soon as I finished my last drink. THAT'S when I realized I had a little addiction problem... didnt even think about it till then.

But for 2 weeks now, I've been downing more water & tea then I ever have...

& its not too bad... I think I'm going to be making that change.

My morning Diet Coke isnt even tasting that great to me anymore.

Could it be? The end of a era?

... all I have to say is, with all this water? I never knew I could pee so much... you're welcome for that info

Source: termlifeinsurance.org via Rebecca on Pinterest

"When are you going to stop?"

2011-12-06T06:57:00.000-05:00

I just registered for another Half Marathon...

It will be my 4th year in a row doing the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon...

I told Ricky that I registered & he just laughed & shook his head.

Then he asked me, "When are you going to stop?"

I asked him what he was talking about & he said, "When are you going to have enough? What's your goal? When are you going to be happy with what you've done & just stop doing these big races?"

....I'd never thought about it...

And then I felt like a runner... I knew that I'd keep running as long as I could. No goal in mind - just the enjoyment & the accomplishment of running & the races.

I've got running buddies that are in their 50's & even their 60's & THAT's my goal...

... to be still enjoying moving my body with every age that passes

I love this picture & I told Ricky that THIS is the answer to his question :)

Source: google.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

By the way, here are the pictures from the last race I did with my poor, achy knee.

Its kinda hard to make out with the words, but I still need to purchase the pictures.

I dont normally buy them because 1. they are so dang expensive!!! ... & 2. because they are usually horrible, nasty, depressing looking pictures.

But I like these race pictures because I know the pain I was in but made it through anyways. So this finish line picture represents so much more to me then a race. Its a reminder of strength I have within me....

(My head is down because I'm totally crying coming up to the finish line... poor little knees)

This is the after race picture...

the tears dried up fast when I got that medal... all smiles then!

I'm holding up 4 fingers for my 4th Half Marathon...

I should have known better then to stand straight forward to the camera though... horrible angle.. adds 10 lbs...

Note: always angle your body in a picture, it slims you & always looks better... remember this picture for your example on how NOT to stand... but after 13.1 miles, its just good I'm standing!

I believe more & more each day I'm really a runner :)

Not feeling it yet....

2011-12-05T06:40:00.001-05:00

I'm seeing pictures of everyone's Christmas trees & decorations...

Me?

I've got 2/3's of a tree up...

I mean, literally of a TREE...

I usually put my Christmas tree up Thanksgiving night & decorate the day after. With the grandbabies in, we didnt get around to all things Christmas. We were too busy with eating left overs....

That threw me off my game...

My life is so busy & hectic, literally, every day since Thanksgiving, I've had something to do so I havent been able to get to our tree & decorations up.

Ricky went ahead & got a new slim tree... its beautiful... except when we went to put it up on Saturday evening, the top section of it fizzled out... we had the tree for one hour & it bombed...

So we had to take it back & exchange the top part of it...

Its so much skinnier then our old tree too, so our normal decorations wont work on it. So I'm all a scatter what to do.

I didnt get home from church last night until after 9 pm - so I didnt even attempt to do anything with the tree...

So if you want pictures of my house for the Holidays right now, you'd see a bottom part of a tree, boxes in the floor, bags on the counter, a few presents wrapped, a Christmas list with a bunch of blank space where I have no idea what to get anyone, a empty refrigerator that needs to be filled, a pile of laundry that needs to be done....

Yeah... I'm not feeling the Christmas spirit yet...

Shoulders & Knees

2011-12-01T16:06:00.001-05:00

So I was off today to go to back to a doctor for my shoulder...

Yes... the same problem I've been having since JULY!!!!

I've gone to the doctor twice, to a chiropractor, to a massage therapist (which I WILL go back for that... it was the only thing that brought relief), & to a Physical Therapist.

Today's stop was to an Orthopedic Surgeon..

He did x-rays (can you believe I never had any xrays done????) & then pushed & poked & pulled on me. He said he didnt think it was at all my shoulder (which the PT said)... he even told me to stop doing those exercises, he doesnt think they are doing anything... nice...

He went back to what the chiropractor said, he said it was the Bicep Tendon that was having the issues. And all the popping that is happening is Bursistis...

He said he's seen this enough to know what it is, especially after seeing the xrays of my shoulder & rotator cuff & that all looked just fine.

So here he comes with a shot... & then he tells me this shot is to make the bicep rupture...

WH-WH-WHAT?!?!?!?

My first thing I said was, "I thought you didnt want anything in your body to ever rupture"

But he told me that being... um... "older"... it makes a difference. If I was 18, he would try to save the tendon, but being older, he said it would actually bring relief if the tendon just ruptured. Apparently, its injured & tight & causing all the pain. If it just ruptured, it will cause a buldge in my arm, but he said the pain will be gone.

He came at me with the needle & I was like, "WAIT - I have more questions"... but he answered me all for me & reassured me this wasnt his first time ever seeing this.

He went on to explain how Brett Favre had a similar thing & he went on & played for years after so it wont cause any loss of strength... which worried me...

So I was just talking a million words a minute to distract myself from the shot... & he did it...

Now, we wait.

He said it'll probably hurt before it gets worse... & hopefully it will rupture...

6 weeks is when we will know something.

He said hopefully the pain will go away... & if it doesnt, or if it goes away & comes back, then the next step? A MRI to get a deeper look at the tendon & then surgery. He said he will go in & cut the tendon if it wont rupture on its own.. how weird is that?

I dont want surgery though... praying this takes care of it...

And while I was there, I had him check out my knee too...

Runner's Knee... nothing serious... just the side effect of running on "older" knees...

It made me feel like a "real" runner getting a dianogsis like that...

& I was tired of all the talk of my "old" body... geez...

So we wait... pray that my bicep tendon ruptures.. (how bizarre is that?) & pray that the pain goes away & this is the end of doctor's visits...

... my wallet, my health insurance company & my stress level would appreciate it...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 29 & 30!!!

2011-11-30T07:50:00.001-05:00

I usually do it the day after, but I'm going to finish up on the final day of November...

(is it REALLY the final day of November?)

It's been really fun looking back at each day & finding things to be thankful for. Especially on those days where it didnt feel like it was a great day, its a good thing to MAKE yourself search for things to be thankful for... because they are always there. Big things, small things... things you take for granted... the surprises... the highs & even the lows... the smiles, the tears... Gratitude in everything...

November 29 - Thankful for TIME

This is one of those blessings in disguise... one of those things that is hard, but is good...

Since I'm not a parent, its hard... the world, other people - they can make you feel less then a person, less then a woman, since I dont have any children of my own. Its funny how people treat you when they know you're 39 years old & you've never given birth.

...Funny how people judge you on how well your uterus works... who knew?

But God takes ashes & turns them into BEAUTY... no matter how the world or anyone sees me, He sees me as useful..

& I try to take that extra time that I would devote to my own children & I like to invest it in God - particularly in other people's children. Its why I love working with the Youth Group at church...

I feel like people who do have children are so busy in life (Dont see how some of you do it all) & I have this extra time that I can use to bless others... & in the end, I am super busy... & actually have no free time at all... but I feel its what God would have me do with all the time I have on this earth... working to serve Him anyway I can...

November 30 - this is the final one & such an easy one -
Thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ!!!!!

All of the things in this world would be for nothing if it wasnt for the hope, the grace, the mercy, the eternal life we look forward to because of, & with our Savior, Jesus...

He is everything...

He is in everything we have to be Grateful for...

He is my Savior...

... & He is why we head into the Christmas season after a month of gratitude... to celebrate His birth! Hallejuah!!!

Keep searching every day friends for things to be Thankful for - especially in this Holiday Season we are approaching!!!

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 27 & 28

2011-11-29T07:24:00.001-05:00

We're getting near the end here... a full month of Thanksgiving

November 27 - Thankful for LEFTOVERS

Julie & the grandbabies left on Sunday. It was a gloomy, rainy, yucky day... the weather felt appropriate for the day.

After they left, the house was just so quite...

Ricky wanted to go shopping but I needed to take a shower & didnt really feel like getting out. So I just stayed snuggled at home & while Ricky went out skating, I just finished up the frig of Thanksgiving leftovers. It was the perfect comfort food for the day.

.... but now, no more turkey, stuffing & mac & cheese for a while...

November 28 - Thankful for MY BLOGGY FRIENDS

Its a funny thing to think you 'meet' people through your blog & become friends, but you really do...

I not only get comments on here, but emails from some of my blog friends, & it makes my day. You all have sent me the kindest words, hugs from afar, encouragement, prayers, smiles.... even cards, surprises made from the heart... so many things... I'm thankful for having such a variety of amazing friends that I hope someday, I get to meet in person....

& you all are spread out from New Jersey, to Florida, to Georgia, to Arkansas, to Ohio, to South Carolina, to Missouri, & even the west coast in Washington... I need to buy an RV & do a road trip! :) Now THERE would be some fun blog posts!

Know that YOU are what I'm thankful for today!

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 26

2011-11-27T16:51:00.001-05:00

November 26 - Thankful for my big brother

It was his birthday on Saturday....

He's older then me...

by 6 years...

I like that...

I also like he's my brother....

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 25

2011-11-26T18:49:00.001-05:00

November 25 - Thankful for DEALS!!!!!!

Julie & I headed out at 5:30 am for some Black Friday deals..

only to see that most of them were gone since stores opened at midnight.

....That's just weird...

Didn't stop us from shopping.

We were out from before the sun rose, until the sun set...

.... we were exhausted...

... & a lot more broke...

but we got deals...

My major find? I got me a new Spinning Bike... $450 LESS then original cost....

My butt when its sore in a few days wont be too happy...

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 23 & 24

2011-11-24T12:47:00.001-05:00

Its busy & I almost let today pass by - but what's doing a month of "thanksgiving" if I dont do it ON Thanksgiving?

So we're going to do yesterday & of course, today, THANKSGIVING today...

November 23 - Thankful for GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!!

With Julie being in town, during the week of the "Breaking Dawn" release, we knew we had to head out & squeal along with it... ahh.... the wedding scene...

So we met up with our friends Chasity & Audrey & ate some Panera Bread (our husbands wont go there so its the perfect place for a girls night out) & then headed to the movies.... Such a good time laughing with the ladies!

Novemer 24 - Thankful for THANKSGIVING WITH OUR FAMILY

I am just so thankful that we have Julie & her husband & our grandbabies with us this year. Its never happened before & its such a blessing. Lindsay is also supposed to come by - so 2 out of 3 of Ricky's girls with us? A Thanksgiving miracle... besides me cooking 2 turkey breasts & a dinner...miracles come in all shapes & sizes....

I know I've reflected on some fun, goofy, weird things to be thankful for... but today, it really is being thankful for a wonderful family - a home - food on our table - ABUNDANCE.... there's my perfect word for it...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!! God Bless you all!!!

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 22

2011-11-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

November 22 - Thankful for our birthday baby...

... & yes, she's a dog... but she's still our baby... or as I call her, our "fur-baby"! :)

Sydney is 11 years old... I can always remember her birthday - 11/22/00 ... I'm a number gal afterall, so it sticks with me.

She's still got quite a step in her... & she's still beautiful & seems to be really healthy

We hope we have many, MANY more years with her...

she's truly part of our family

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 21

2011-11-22T06:26:00.001-05:00

November 21 - Thankful for knowing the difference between a Banana & a Nanny

One of Luke's first words was "nana" for Banana's... he loves them.

So when I get him to say "Nanny" - he just says "nana" & then points to the bananas on the kitchen table.... EVERY TIME...

I even had him back in another room where there were no bananas & when I said, "Say Nanny" - he pointed to the doorway, letting me know the bananas were in the other room.

I've even stood with a banana in my hand, pointing to the "nana" & then to me, the "Nanny" .... Lucas just laughs at me like, "it's so funny that you dont get it"

Last night, we were in the back room & my son in law asked Lucas, "Where's Nanny" - he started to point to the doorway again.... when all of a sudden, Isaac runs in from the other room & points right at me &says, "There she is" .... ahhh.... there's my first grandson... he knows his Nanny

Then it was funny because Lucas laughed like, "my big brother just doesnt get it" :)

By the time they leave on Sunday, I'll be working on this feat of getting Lucas to say NannYYYYYYYY ....

.... or I'll be wearing a banana costume...one or the other

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 19 & 20

2011-11-21T07:05:00.001-05:00

A busy, fun, great weekend....

November 19 - Thankful for STUDIO EXPERIENCE

I got to work with a set of twins to finish up their senior pictures. They wanted more of a "studio" look for their second appointment. I am more of a "natural" setting lover & wasnt sure about the studio deal. But I did recently purchase a portable studio, complete with lights & have purchased some backdrops ... so let's give it a go...

A friend went with me to make the best of the time by changing lights & backdrops & it went so smoothly... & the results? I was quite happy with them...

November 20 - Thankful for FAMILY VISITS... especially cute grandbabies!!!

Yep - the grandbabies are at my house! With their mommy & daddy of course - all of who we are thrilled to have! Especially for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I just cant believe how big the boys are now. Luke wasnt walking last time he was at our house... now to see him ZOOM - its quite fun to watch.

And Isaac? Full on conversations. And there's nothing like a conversation with a child! He was just excited to show his Pappy all his Ironman toys he brought with him. I wish I could have recordered the seriousness he "presented" all the toys to Ricky.

Its going to be a fun week....

(& yes, I've already started taking pictures... but just didnt get to upload any yet... believe me & trust me... they'll be coming soon!)

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 18

2011-11-19T09:39:00.001-05:00

I cant believe we're half way through the month...

its been fun looking back at what to be thankful for...

What I'm thankful for on Friday:

November 18 - Thankful for a Thanksgiving grocery bill that didnt put me in SHOCK!

I went to the grocery to get our Thanksgiving Day food. 2 turkey breasts, lots of stuff for sides, nuts for stuffing (why are nuts so dang expensive?)...

I was holding onto the counter while the total was being rang up.

It helped because one of the youth kiddos that used to come to our church was bagging my groceries. So I just enjoyed catching up with him & seeing him all "grown up"... as in grown up, I mean a Junior in high school... but he was just a middle school kiddo yesterday...weird, huh?

Then the total...

drum roll....

WOW... It was like $50.00 less then I thought it was going to be!

That's a pleasant surprise...

Guess I can go buy some yarn now! Or a winter-running-jacket...

.... or food for the other 6 days of the week....

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 17

2011-11-18T06:22:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was just BLAH...

Have those days?

It was the kinda day where my shoulder was so painful that I broke down & made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon...

It was the kinda day where our heat broke.... AGAIN....

It was the kinda day where we had to head to the ER because Ricky was having a panic attack... (we ended up not going in - we just walked around Target, which is a block away from the hospital & he calmed down)

It was just THAT kinda day....

So on some days, this is what I'm t hankful for:

November 17: Thankful for THE END OF THE DAY!!

Somedays, that's the best thing to be thankful for...

& I was glad for it... to shut my eyes & get the day behind me...

.... & to hopefully start a better day today.

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 16

2011-11-17T05:30:00.000-05:00

November 16 - Thankful for REMINDERS

Watch the video...

Be reminded of the small things that we take for granted, that arent so small afterall....

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 15

2011-11-16T06:44:00.001-05:00

November 15 - Thankful for HOPE

There are things that happen in life that just shake you up... things that don't seem real.

That happened to Ricky & I on Monday.

Ricky worked with the same people for 25 years... when you work with people for that long, you get to know them fairly well.

There was one guy in particular that Ricky always chatted with, got along with, just really enjoyed. They would share each other's frustrations on the job - have lunch together - watch each year pass by as they worked side by side. Ricky even watched his children come in the business as little ones, & watch them grow as they have become young adults themselves.

When the business shut down, Ricky & this man stayed in touch. They formed that kind of friendship. They still met up for lunch... this man even came to our house to help us out on home projects - clearing out an area of our property - helping us move out our washer & dryer - he was always willing to help Ricky in whatever he needed.

This man was at our home this past Saturday... he & his son came to pick up a truck that Ricky had sold him. I was out running the race that morning so I missed his visit, but Ricky was talking about how nice it was to see him again & especially the son. Ricky just really thinks the world of his son...

So when Ricky got a call on Monday morning, it knocked the air out of him.

This man, Sunday, had gone into the basement of his home & had attempted to take his life....

His son found him....

This man is now in the hospital, but is technically brain dead with no reflexes & no brain activity... today will probably be the day they turn off the machines that are breathing for him.

He was just standing in our house a few days ago...

Ricky is just so upset... trying to go back & see if he noticed any signs... anything that he could have made a difference in. Ricky even said, "I didnt 'knuckle up' with him when he left - I just told him I'll see him later... what if knuckling up to him would have made a difference"... that just breaks my heart for Ricky...

But I just imagine how hopeless this man must have felt to go through what he went through to end his life. How dark things must be to think that is the best route to take.

So today, I am thankful that I have HOPE... I have things in my life that makes it worth living... even in hurtful, painful times... Hope is still there of brighter days.

....You never realize how big a thing like HOPE is until you see someone who doesnt have it at all....

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 14

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

November 14 - Thankful for MASH-UPS!!!!

OH ... MY... WORD...

I saw this video & am in love.

Love mash-ups of songs...

& when its GLEE & when its Adele songs?

Perfection...

it made me happy today

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 13

2011-11-14T09:06:00.001-05:00

November 13 - Thankful for "You Version"

My eyes have turned into old eyes... they dont see as good as they used to.

Plus, our lighting in our church just bites... its AWFUL!

I used to use my iPod & use the "flashlight app" to hold over my Bible to see during church.

Well, the good thing about working with the youth - they let you in on the latest stuff... & they all use this version on their phones - the "You Version Bible App"

I love it because I can make the print bigger & its BRIGHT..

& the coolest thing, with just a touch, you can change versions - which I LOVE to do. Love parallel Bibles, but those things are MASSIVE to carry around. Now, its light to carry around & I can check out all kinds of versions with just a touch of a finger...

even "Da Jesus Book" ... seriously - that's a version... I havent check that one out yet :)

Source: amazon.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 12

2011-11-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

November 11 - Thankful for GOALS ACCOMPLISHED!!!

So the alarm goes off at 5:30 am

Ricky looks at me & says, "Dont do this"

...but as you saw what I was thankful for yesterday, I was determined.

But I promised him I had to walk a good 2 miles from the parking lot to the starting line & if my knee was bad, I'd not start the race.

So I taped up the knees & headed out to Downtown Louisville.

I ran into some friends beforehand & that helped calm me down before the gun fired. But soon, we were off, hitting the pavement.

I was just trying to slow down - not push too hard - keep a steady pace that was do-able.... & it was working... for a little bit.

Mile 2 was a water stop & I stopped running to get some H20...

I guess my downfall is stopping.. or moving... or both.. who knows.

But as soon as I got started after drinking my cup of water, there went my knee pain... I was at mile 2.50 - & it was BAD... worse then ever. I just teared up. What to do? I wasnt sure. I ended up walking to mile 3 & there was actually an ambulance there. I almost stopped & thought they could treat me & take me back to my car. But I ended up running (slowly) again & thought, "there will be another ambulance ahead" ... I know this because before a race, I STUDY a map. So my next goal was to the next ambulance... how sad is that?

I kept on... & actually started doing fairly well.

I ended up feeling FANTASTIC at mile 5-8. Literally, when I hit mile 5, it seemed like I just looked up there was mile 6...then 7.. I was on a roll... granted, it was still slow, but it was moving. Its funny too because I had my iPod on my running play list & the music was frustrating me because I couldnt keep up with the beat of it. So I switched it to shuffle on all my songs... I had so many Christian songs play... & I honestly think that's what pushed me these miles so well. I had my man, Steven Curtis Chapman singing to me, had Skillet to rock out too - I literally was running with my hands in the air praising God during some songs... it made such a difference!!!!

Got to mile 9 & then BAM - the pain kicked in again. I noticed that it was when I would extend my knee completely - straighten it. It would cause a sharp pain... so I ended up running with a totally bend leg... I think it messed me up a bit changing my form. My back started hurting.

Then mile 10... another sharp pain.

I knew I came too far to stop so I just made the choice to walk the rest. 3.1... a 5k... I can walk that at a steady pace & I just wanted to finish.

I was making a decent time still walking - around 15:00/mile pace... but at that point, I've gone a long way & I was getting tired & the pain was wearing on me.

I hit mile 12...BAAAMMMMM!!!!!!!

The pain was the worst it ever was. I would have probably stopped if it were any other mile... but mile 12? Who stops at mile 12? I could even hear the bands playing to the finish line from there. I was determined.

I kept hearing all the voices of every person who doubted me... of every put-down that I've ever heard my whole life... of the people who didnt expect me to finish... & it lit a fire in me & I kept my eye on the finish line.

It wasnt pretty...

I literally cried the whole last mile... I mean tears of pain... tears of frustration...

But I made it.

I dont even want to see that finish line picture ... I had my head down because of tears & the announcer even said, "Raise those hands up - be proud" ... I just raised my arms up but kept my head down. It was so overwhelming.

I DID IT!!!!!

I had a goal I worked on for 12 weeks... I wasnt going to let anything stand in my way. That goal pushed me to the end.

& the fun thing... I now have more goals.. the running season starts in February. Bring on the races in February, March & my 5th Half Marathon in April!!!!!

I cant believe I'm going to be 40 in December & I just ran my 4th Half Marathon... all in 3 years!!!!

SO yep - the medal is mine....

(Is that the coolest medal ever? That's Maker's Mark wax dripped down the top of the medal)

Here I am getting home & my doggies all excited to see me. (look at those knees all wrapped up)

My knees deserve the medal. They are the ones who lasted & survived....

& FYI - after the race, I immediately went to the medic tent & got an ice pack & my knee now feels like it did when I started.... No extra harm done to it.

Now, I can rest for a few weeks. The training starts back up in January! ... BRING IT ON!

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 10

2011-11-12T14:28:00.001-05:00

November 10 - Thankful for Determination

The race is looming...

I'm not sure what to do about it...

& hearing people tell me I shouldnt do it.

But I had determination.

No matter what happened, I was going to TRY

... You'll hear how it went tomorrow...

(& if you're my friend on Facebook, you've already seen the end result)

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 10

2011-11-11T07:11:00.001-05:00

November 10 - Thankful for STRENGTH!!!!

Tomorrow is my 4th Half Marathon....& I think I mentioned, my knee got injured less then 2 weeks ago.

I've been in debate on whether to do this race or not...

Then I saw a picture of the medals on Facebook. It got me fired up.

Then yesterday, I went ahead & picked up my race packet. I figure if I dont run the race, I'm at least going to get a cool tech shirt for my entry fee. But they had one of the medals there at the pick up location.

My jaw dropped... its INCREDIBLE... its the biggest medal I've seen - its heavy & its got Maker's Mark wax dripping down the top of it. It got my engines rev'ed up. I WANT ONE OF THOSE.

To which my mother reminded me that you dont always get everything you want... & the Hubs is telling me he's going to hide my keys so I cant go to the race... & to which co-workers are telling me I'm stupid for trying 13.1 miles on a bum knee... & I get that they are just worried about me & that these are the people who will have to listen to me moan & groan about the pain after the race is finished.

But then I have running friends that tell me, "Go for it" - "Just go slow & FINISH" - "You'll regret it if you DONT do it" ... & I get these are the people that would run with a arm or leg cut off - they would not miss a race for anything.

I've decided I'm going with the thought of just finishing... I'm not worried about time. If I am the last one, then I'm just the last one... but I'll be even more proud that I got out there & did it. Even in & through the pain...

& I'll be proud that I am finding more strength in me then I thought I had.

Source: thefitway.tumblr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 9

2011-11-10T07:10:00.003-05:00

November 9 - Thankful it didnt RAIN!!!!!

So... I'm apparently on a streak of just bad luck... which has been an adventure in trying to find things to be thankful in the midst of it all.

I'm driving home yesterday.

Had some gum in my mouth that had about expired its chewiness-limit ... there is such a thing & I know you all know what I'm talking about. When it feels like you're chewing a hard rock that has the flavor of nothingness.

I went to throw out my gum... driving on the express way at 55 mph.

I roll down my window & throw it out & then roll up my window... simple enough...

but wait... its freezing cold all of a sudden.

I took over & see nothing but a corner of my window stucking up from the door on my drivers side.

HUH?

That was the weirdest feeling ever trying to figure out what just happened.

Where did my window go? It defintely wasnt where it should be... as in UP in my doorway.

I literally just laughed till I had tears coming out of my eyes at the luck I've been having lately. I guess it's what you call a "mental snap"?

But it had been raining all day long & the clouds were still grey & looking like it could pour any minute.

But it didnt... & that's what I'm thankful for. Because I could see me driving with no window down (already in the 50 degree temps) & then rain pouring in on me too...

That didnt happen... & believe me - right now, I'm thankful for ALL the small things... it seems to be what I need to focus on lately.

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 8

2011-11-09T06:32:00.001-05:00

November 8 - Thankful for being able to do what I love

It was a beautiful day so I contacted a girl who I had scheduled for Sunday to finish up her Senior pictures. I asked if she wanted to meet after school - taking advantage of the perfect 70 degree, sunny weather. She said it wasnt a problem & we met up...

.... only to get some beautiful pictures...

But I got the best compliment at the end of the session - her mom said to me, "This really suits your personality" ... she told me how comfortable I made her daughter (& her friends that came to another session).

That just made my day....

I do love to meet people - & talk with them - & learn their stories & who they are, what they look forward to in the future... love to bring out smiles, or catch emotion in a face.

(These are her favorite books... & she's going to college to do something with English)

& I am so thankful for that opportunity to do all of that.

I leave a photo session every time so thankful to meet the people I just met & getting to know them... & thankful that I am so blessed to be able to do what I love... capturing a moment in time for each person.

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 7

2011-11-08T06:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a rough day...

It was Monday... my arm/shoulder is KILLING me worse then ever... my knee is still sore & its not looking good for the race on Saturday... it was just a BLAH day.

I kept thinking, "find something to be thankful for... find something"

Then, while I was working on pictures, my phone is going off saying I was tagged in some pictures on Facebook... It so made me smile & made me laugh & made me go down memory lane...

So, for this yucky Monday,

November 7 - Thankful for old family pictures

My cousin got ahold of some family albums & posted up some pictures. My mom's side of the family is quite large & there always seemed to be something going on, so lots of picture taking opportunities.

Like my mom with some of her sisters... & yes, that's my mom in blue hair. Dont think I didnt get my personality just by chance... & that little boy? He's now in college.... And that little girl? She's the grown up young lady that posted the pictures. (When do they grow up?)

Here's one of my senior pictures... oh my... I loved that jacket. It was Liz Clairbourne & I felt so "fashionista" in it. My dad just called it my "Century 21 Jacket'... it really was the same color as the realtors jackets in the area. .... I think I needed an oil treatment on that hair.

Here's another one of my mom with her siblings... there are 10 of them all together so some still missing. Any family resemblence?

There were even some posted from my wedding... I so laughed at this picture. This is before the wedding & its me & my youngest step daughter... (look how little she is.. she just turned 23 a few weeks ago! GASP!!!) But dont we look scared to death. I remember that - it was getting close to start the wedding & I was anxious everytime someone knocked on the door. I didnt throw up, if anyone was wondering.

And just to go back memory lane a little further - here's me with a few of my cousins.... Yes, I'm the one in glasses. ... Mercy, how we've all grown up....

So yeah.. for a day that started off bad & kept getting worse... it ended with fun family memories & for that, I'm thankful. Memories are irreplacable.

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 5 & 6

2011-11-07T07:06:00.004-05:00

I had plans of posting every day, but Sunday's apparently will be hard for me. I literally left my house at 7:50 am & walked back in the door at 8:05 pm ... I didnt even turn my computer on one time yesterday. But that's OK - we can do a weekend recap of my Thanksgiving on both days.

November 5 - Thankful for BABY SMILES!!!!!

I got to do pictures for an amazing family that I just love. Joe and Erica are like family to me & I just adore their little daughter, Emily. Emily is one special little girl too. She is fighting a disease called "Infantile Spasm" - it doesnt sounds too "heavy" - but heavy is exactly what it is. Its a fight every day for her. Spasms & seizures. That is what a daily life is for this sweet angel. You can check out Erica's site & get more information on it - its so amazing to see the strength of this family.

But it was picture day for us! I was worried when I got a call saying Emily was having her spasms. I told them we could totally reschedule for another day but they said she should be ok after a bit, giving her meds time to work.

They ended up making it over on time & Emily was just ready to be a super model. Look at this smile? Only her mommy & daddy can make her smile like this... it just makes a heart melt.

Continue to lift prayers for this whole family... they are just amazing people

November 6 - Thankful for Youth Prayers!!!!

I could honestly pick so much from this day to be thankful for.

* I got to take pictures of one of my favorite girls in her wedding dress getting fitted ....um, BEAUTIFUL!

* I got to go to lunch with a friend I havent got to spend much time with lately & it was just like sitting back in your comfortable chair - its just nice & cozy to be there :)

* Ryan gave a fantastic message to the youth that I think was meant just for my ears... it was about how the "goal" we set, sometimes we dont make, but God blesses us along the way & we need to celebrate the journey. With me wondering if I'm going to be able to do this race I've trained for 12 weeks - it was a perfect message for me. I may not make that "goal" - but I have lots to celebrate that I've done over the past 12 weeks.

But specifically for the day, I want to pick something one of the Senior High said in a prayer that touched me & made me so thankful.

He said, "...prepare us God for the blessings you have in store for us today...."

I just LOVED that... Prepare us... because the blessings are going to be there! Its like we need to be reminded to LOOK for the blessings that God pours on us because we can so easily over look them.

That's what this 30 days of Thanksgiving is about... & I loved that this young man recognized that himself for all of us...

So I'll echo that prayer probably every day... Lord, prepare us for the blessings you have in store for us today.... amen!

30 Days of Thanksgivng - Day 4

2011-11-05T10:06:00.000-04:00

November 4 - Thankful for WEDDINGS!!!

The other day, it was about pictures of weddings. Last night was an actual wedding.

See these two?

(Totally snagged this picture from Andrea's Facebook page... dont think they'll mind showing how cute they are together here :) )

Yeah - they are like the perfect match. They are both such Godly young people who have amazing hearts for serving God & serving others. So it's amazing they have joined lives & will tackle the future together.

If that guy looks familiar, you've seen him here on my blog before. He's the IRONMAN that I took pictures of a few months back.

I've got a few things I'm thankful for too with the day:

*Thankful the weather cleared up & by wedding time, the sun was SHINING!

*Ricky ended up having to stay home because the guy came to fix our heat (see yesterdays post) so I went to the wedding alone... but there were familiar faces everywhere & I had so much fun chatting with friends I hadnt seen in awhile

*Thankful for JUNK to put in my shoes. No joke - I kept stepping out of my shoes (not sure why?) so I ended up stuffing them with all sorts of things. I put band aids in the back of the heel - put gauze bandages under my foot - even stuffed paper towel up at the toe to make my foot tight... it was a mess. I wish I took a picture when I took my shoes off & had all this random stuff stuck to my feet. .... And the bad thing? I'm telling everyone what's in my shoes. I keep nothing hidden apparently. Someone asked me if I had toys in there too? Now THAT would have been awesome. Randomly pull out a toy soldier or something out of my shoe... awesomness!

*And because you have to be thankful for small things - I had a great hair day. Ladies - y'all know that's a great thing to have.

Here's to seeing what today holds to be thankful for....

30 Days of Thanskgiving - Day 3

2011-11-04T06:29:00.002-04:00

November 3 - Thankful for a WARRANTY!!!

Remember back in the summer when I complained about being so hot because our air condition wasnt working? ... (I complain alot, dont I?)

Well, we had to get a whole new unit. It took awhile but we got it installed & the rest of summer was cozy & cool.

Now, winter is here.

...guess what didnt work?....

Yep - our heater!!!!

So we've had a few people come out to look at it & its led to one thing to another. Isnt that always the way?

So last night, we thought we had it fixed. Someone came over... worked on it & next thing I know, I feel the room warming up.

SUCCESS!!!!

... then, all of a sudden it goes off... ok... the guy was adjusting something... then I hear this "WHOOOOSSSHHHHHH" sound. And then that smell of a heater reeks through the house.. & the smell of burning.

That cant be good.

The guy felt AWFUL! Which made Ricky & I feel bad for him... but then we felt bad for us too :(

He ended up connecting something wrong together because he thought it was blowing out too much air at once... & when he connected the wrong wires together, it blew up the unit...

our NEW unit.... sigh....

The poor guy was going to head down to the store at 8:00 pm to check about replacing our unit. He would have been there until the middle of the night - so we assured him it wasnt horribly cold & we would be fine.

So today, we'll make sure the unit is covered by warranty, which it should be & the guy is supposed to come back tonight to replace it.

.... why do I have a feeling something else could go wrong?....

But nope, I'm being THANKFUL this month. & I'm thankful that we have someone coming over tonight - a warranty that should cover the unit & the hope that we'll have heat before it gets horribly cold.

I'll add that this weekend, its going to be back in the high 60's so no worries of us shivering in our house. ... looky there, something else to be thankful for - BEAUTIFUL weather. It just keeps coming!

....

PS... a few of you have asked if you can do this yourself on your blog - PLEASE, join in. Its fun to look back on your previous day & find things that your thankful for. Nice to shift your perspective. So just leave me a message to let me know you're doing it... & maybe you just want to do a weekly summary? Whatever you do, let me know. I'd love to be THANKFUL with you! :)

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 2

2011-11-03T06:51:00.000-04:00

Before we start on Day 2, I wanted to note - I went out to check on the horse from Day 1's "Thanksgiving Post"... you'll be happy to know, there's a brand new fence up covering the whole area where he got out. No more horses in the street!.... at least not that horse... you never know what else you'll see on our street. My favorite is when the vultures are sitting there, tearing out the guts of a dead raccoon & daring you to make them move... fun times in the country.

Anyhoo - moving on.

November 2 - Thankful for friends that distract me...

That sounds bad, but its a good thing.

I ran Monday & injured my knee.... the exact same knee, the exact same pain on the exact same hill that I hurt it last year. I probably shouldnt have pushed myself so hard after my race on Sunday, but having a race on a Sunday messed up my training. My long runs are on Saturday - not Sunday... who puts a race on a Sunday? I guess the Big Hit Half Marathon does...

The pain isnt as severe today as when it happened. When it did happen, I was a mess. I was limping home for close to 2 miles & crying (more like snot snobbing) & yelling at life. My race is in 2 weeks, how can this happen? Why me? You know - a pretty pity party on the side of the road.

But I am trying to take off the week & keeping it iced up & taking it easy. But its been so dang hard to lay off of it. Why? Because its been BEAUTIFUL... I'm talking FALL BEAUTIFUL... the cool air, no humidity, in the 60's... & this is the last week before the time change so its still light out until 6:30. One last week to get in some good runs....

not for me though.

So yesterday was even better - HIGH 60's. I'm chomping at the bit to run... but my knee is aching & its just torture - physically & mentally.

Cue my thankfulness for the day.

My friend, Chasity stopped by. She wanted me to look at her wedding pictures... you dont have to ask me twice. Pictures? That are of their wedding? I can look at wedding pictures all day long! Especially when its the wedding of people I adore...

So she came over around 5:30 & we ended up looking at pictures & talking & laughing & just hanging out until after 9...

I just love these two people....

The perfect distraction from my pain - from my wanting to push myself - from having another pity party.

Wedding pictures with a friend trumps any sort of frowny face anyday!

30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 1

2011-11-02T07:45:00.000-04:00

I'm taking on a challenge - to do 30 days of posts of things I'm thankful for.

& I know we can all say, "Family, friends, grace, love"... blah blah blah... :)

I am thankful for those things - obviously - but these next 30 days, I'm going to post the day AFTER so I can find out what I'm thankful for that particular day. Some days, there may be more then one thing - some days, it may be deep & profound - (You all know I'm so deep & profound... dont laugh), & some days, it may be simple & fun & cute - (You all know I'm fun & cute... right?... right?)

So - without further ado...

Day 1 - November 1: I'm Thankful the Horse didnt get hit!!!!

WHAT?

OK - so I stopped at the grocery on the way home. In my drive way unloading the loot & have to make a few trips. On the last trip, I grab my bags out of my car, pull down my hatch back & turn around... to see a horse at the end of my driveway....

I literally turned my head, then did a double take, like , Hu-hu-huh?!?!?!

I had to think if I took some sort of medicine that was making me hallucinate - or if maybe that last Diet Coke was spiked with something.

Nope - a real horse was at my driveway. Beautiful too - a white horse - exactly something you would think that if you were dreaming, you'd see that kind of horse.

I'm starting to panic because he's right at the end of the road & ventured right into the middle of it.

Now, I live on top of a hill - either direction, someone could come up the hill & SMASH right into the horse.... so much for dreaming.

I instantly thought WWDD? What would dad do? & I'm not talking about my Heavenly Father here... I mean, my earthly dad...he's the horse master afterall.

I run in my garage & got 2 dog leashes & tied them together. I figure I would try & get close enough to try & wrap around his neck & lead him somewhere.... where? I dont know... I figure if anything, my dad would get a new horse for Christmas. Or the grandsons would have a surprise at their door in Texas from Santa. (How much would it cost to UPS a horse to Texas?)

But I hear a car coming down the road & I am FREAKED OUT!!!!! I dont eat meat from anything that has 4 legs anyways - I dont want to see it get demolished in front of me either. So I start running at the horse. His tail went up & he looked at me & took off the other direction into a field - at least he's safe.

I took a few minutes so he could see I wouldnt chase him anymore & to get him to trust me. He looked at me & then wandered over to some trees & then jumped over some bushes into a huge clearing... ends up - that was his home. The house down the street has about 5 acres & its completely tree lined all around - but with fall & the leaves down, the horse found a clearing.

I ended up heading to the house to let them know their horse had found a way out - no one was home though :(

It was funny because as I was walking up their drive ( that was like half a mile long) - the horse ended up galloping to the fence & walked with me up to the house. He then leaned over the fence the whole time I was knocking on the door like he was telling me "Please dont tell on me" - but I told him I was going to.... in the end, no tattle-telling happened.

When I get home though, I'm going to put a note on their mail box... it doesnt even look like there was ever a fence there so I'm not sure of the situation - but I just dont want to see a smashed horse on the road on my trip home... dead squirrels & raccoons & skunks are bad enough on country roads.

So ta-da... the kick off of things to be thankful for..

told you I'm not conventional! :)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T13:54:00.001-04:00

I love Halloween... always have for some reason.

I always said Halloween & Easter were my 2 favorite holidays... is that a little odd combo?

But when we lived in "the big city" I used to have the best time with Halloween.

I'd dress up & have the house all "spooky" with strobe lights & music & I'd be dressed up as the creepiest witch ever! People would actually take pictures of me with their children - as the children were starting at me with a look of ultimate horror...

its so fun to freak kids out

But we've since moved to the country.

Where we may get... um... let me think... Zero, zip, none, nada, not one trick or treater.

The first year we moved out there, I literally cried on Halloween. Its like Christmas with no presents - Valentines with no chocolates - Labor Day with no labor... wait... you get the idea

I would go to my parents house for Halloween with my twin nieces so I could "experience" Halloween... but now, with this bridge chaos that's happening around here - it would be forever to get home & goodness knows I've reminded you that I have to be in bed by 9:00 pm...

alas... no Halloween fun for me this year.

I'm going for a run though tonight

So maybe I'll just carry a pillow case & someone may think I'm just out trick or treating, dressed like a runner... goodness knows to go from one house to the next on my street, you need to be a runner.

Not to be all Ms. Sally-Sad-Pants, let's think! There is a bonus side of not having trick or treaters - we save a mortgage payment in not buying candy!

And for the file of "Cutest Grandbabies Ever" - Julie posted this picture this morning... Arent they the cutest? She said that Isaac will probably wear 5 different costumes by the end of the night - so keep an eye out for more grand babes pics!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Race 1 of 2

2011-10-30T12:44:00.003-04:00

I have 2 races within 2 weeks & today was the first one.

I was expecting temps to be in the 40's but woke up to check my iPod & see it was 31 degrees. I thought it was a joke so turned on the TV & nope... it was actually 28 degrees out where I live in the country. There goes the idea of wearing shorts for the race.

I get all dressed when Ricky starts getting dressed & said he'd drive me & stick around... Wh wh WHAT? He never comes... so I was thrilled.

Here I am leaving at 6:30 am... with our bridge still down, it takes us about 45 minutes to get to Downtown Louisville - so off before the sun rises we go.

(Dont judge my face... I dont put on makeup only to sweat it off)

It was cold to start off but not unbearable. I think I've either been in colder temps, or I'm just getting used to it.

It wasnt a huge crowd, but a nice size - about 2,000 runners. It was easy to find some familiar faces - which is always nice.

I ended up running with a guy that was doing the same intervals as me. We kept each other company & chatted the entire way. Love hearing others stories - he was telling me he was 80 lbs heavier (& he was still a larger fella) & that he used to even be proud of himself for doing a 5k in just over an hour ... so he's come a long way. It was great meeting him.

So Ricky was telling me he would be outside the baseball stadium, where the finish line was because "there's just too many people inside"... I was nearing the stadium & saw Ricky leaning up against a light pole about a half mile up. I was the only one on the road... I was in a bright blue shirt... he had to see me coming...

you'd think...

finally, I'm getting ready to pass him & I'm like "HEY!" & he totally snapped out of his daze...
He totally almost missed me... how do you miss the only person on the road?

So then he ran ahead of me so he could get another picture... he actually ran INTO the stadium with me here

Then he sent me on my way as I rounded the bases to the finish line

(You'd never know as sunny as it was that it was still in the 30's.... brrrrrr)

I had no idea I was on the jumbo tron either until he showed me the picture. He said, "I expected you to do something crazy with you knowing you were on there"... dang it! I had no idea or I totally would have. I was too busy with the University of Louisville cheerleaders. They were along the path & I was doing "spirit fingers" with them as they were shaking their pom poms... dang them for distracting me from the Jumbo Tron :)

But it was another race finished....

Now, to get ready for the next one in 2 weeks... I'm NERVOUS about that one too... its a route I've never been on & includes a big park with LOTS of hills... & people tell me its not pretty....

I'm scared...

...Until then...

16 years... we can drive now!

2011-10-28T06:59:00.000-04:00

16 years of marriage today....

I remember turning 16 & being excited about getting my drivers license.

What's exciting about 16 years of marriage?

...we havent killed each other?

seems comparable :)

I loved my dress! When I watch "Say Yes to the Dress" - I look at them all & still think, "Mine is prettier" - that's saying something 16 years later.

You cant see it there, but the back has all those buttons up it with a hole in the center of the back... & the front has a sheer neck with pearls around the neckline ... & tuxedo cuffs on the end with big pearl "buttons" holding the cuff together... it was stunning...

There's a better look at it....

& by the way, my wedding day was the smallest I ever was... you'll never see me this tiny again. But I have proof that one day, a long 16 years ago, I once had a small waist :)

We loved our wedding cake too... our colors were black & white... & this was before black & white was chic. My grandmother had a fit knowing my bridesmaids were wearing black... TO A WEDDING? & black flowers on a CAKE? in the end though, she even agreed it was beautiful... even with her black icing lips :)

16 years ago...

where does the time go?

I guess if we've made it this long, we can make it another 16 :) We're at least shooting for 21... the anniversary where we can legally drink.

(Our first dance song - "Never Thought" -Dan Hill)

...unfading beauty...

2011-10-27T08:16:00.003-04:00

Its no secret...

40 is creeping on me... in just 63 days ...

I'm not happy about it either.

I've been looking in the mirror every morning & noticing more wrinkles around the eyes... lines on my forehead... sagging skin (that's the WORST)... gray hair coming in quicker then my 6 week hair appointments.

... I'm just not aging gracefully...

Being in the sun running isn't helping the skin... I've never been a fan of moisturizing (I do regret that now by the way) ... I'm just trying to learn to accept that my 40 yr old self doesnt look like my 20 yr old self. Its tough to swallow though, isnt it...

So how happy was I when my devotional gave me this scripture yesterday:

"Don't be concerned about the OUTWARD BEAUTY of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourself instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is so precious to God"

... The first thing I thought of was Mother Teresa.

Source: time.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

She was "aged"... had a "mature" face... OK, I'll say it - she had some wrinkles happening. Wouldnt you if you dedicated your life to working for OTHERS & not caring about yourself.

But I think of her & I think she's one of the most beautiful people in the world!!! ... & why? Because she has an "unfading beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit"...

...the beauty that is within is definitely something people see, I think...

... & I want THAT kind of beauty...

Afterall, its precious to God ... what more can you say?

Did he just call me an old horse?

2011-10-26T09:09:00.001-04:00

Saturday was my long run in my training... 10 miles...

I head up to a park for that one. Less hills... 10 miles is hard enough but 10 miles on my road is just torture

So I get there & this man, who had to be about 65 years old is moving along, speed walking. I'm standing at the beginning of the path & getting my watch sync'ed up & doing some small stretches for my quads.

The man stops & said, "How many miles are you doing today?"... that started the conversation.

This guy was asking me question after question.

"Do you weigh yourself before you run & then after you run?"
"Why 10 miles today?"
"What training plan do you follow?"
"Where is your next race?"
"How many hills will you have?"
"What is your pace?"
"How long will it take you today?"

He was the nicest man to talk to... honestly... we ended up talking for about 20 minutes....but then he told me that he trains race horses & that he loves to hear the training of running & how similar it is to training his horses...

ok...

Then he asked how old I was... Dude, you are old enough to know you shouldnt ask a woman her age. But whatever... I told him I'll be 40 in December.

He then told me, "You know you're not going to get any faster"

"Huh? Excuse me?"

He then went on to tell me how his horses, when they get older, they just never get faster. They do good to keep their pace, but to speed up? Doesnt happen.

I thought about all the younger people then me that have such fast paces that I would die for.. & then I felt old... I felt like a 40 yr old...

Last night though, I went for a nice walk.. that turned into the hardest training I've ever done. I kept thinking of that man & his words & it fired me up. I worked on my speed training. I would do short bursts of speed at a minute at a time. I was averaging around 7:30 & even had one pace that was 6:05 ...

I thought of all the people I know that are 40 & OLDER that are the most amazing runners.. have paces that I would also die for....I didnt feel so old last night :)

Call me an old horse again & see how much that pushes me...

Watch this "old" gal FLY!!!!

Your Trainer...

2011-10-25T07:47:00.000-04:00

I have 2 big races coming up.

When I first started running (which I thought I'd never do) I thought, how hard is it? Really, when you think about it, running seems simple enough. After all, its just moving your feet REALLY fast - right?

...I know everyone that has attempted to run just laughed...

There's so much more to running then you think of.

The placement of your foot matters
The way you hold your head matters
The way you swing your arm matters (dont get me started on that)
The shoes you wear matters
The SOCKS you wear matters
The stretching matters
The strength training matters

... I could go on & on here...

But its things that I've learned along the way. Its not as easy as I thought it'd be.

I've learned though from people ... people who know the right answers. They're like trainers.

Source: google.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Think of Bob from the Biggest Loser... (I love me some Bob Harper)... perfect example of a trainer. Someone who tells you things that push you to a better place - somewhere you want to be but are having a hard time on your own. Maybe because you dont know how to do it on your own. But Bob is there encouraging, pushing when its tough, giving advice - even if you dont want to hear the truth sometimes...

So I did a lesson last week to the youth on the Holy Spirit & really caught on & noticed how The Holy Spirit is kinda like our Bob. Is that weird to think? But honestly - think about it. The Holy Spirit is in us, helping us, encouraging us - giving us advice we dont necessarily WANT to hear - guiding us into areas where we may not know what to do....The Holy Spirit is taking us to somewhere we want to be - closer to God.

And just like any trainer that may push you... we have a choice to listen...

How many times have you seen someone on the Biggest Loser sit & cry & say, "I cant do it" to their trainer? But they keep pushing & in the end, what happens - they do it afterall...

I think I've sat on the side of the road of life sometimes & have that same argument with the Holy Spirit... "I cant do what you're asking"... "Its too hard"... but my "trainer" keeps encouraging & helping me... doing exactly what the Holy Spirit does.

So be encouraged today... when you accept Jesus, you too have a personal trainer that will help you...

... & you dont have to stand in a pair of shorts & a sports bra in front of the world to see either :)

Back to life..back to reality...

2011-10-24T09:11:00.000-04:00

My alarm went off again at 4:30 am...

back to it...

& yes, I actually cried real tears about coming back

But I kept repeating, "I'm blessed to have a good job" over & over... even though under my breath, I'd add "even if it means getting up at 4:30 am"

What did we do? Nothing & everything.

We didnt go anywhere special. A staycation at its finest...

But I didnt get done everything I wanted to do...

Here's the breakdown:

I didnt:
- get all my laundry done
- get my office/knitting room organized
- get the basement cleaned out
- get the garage cleaned out
- get as many runs/miles in
- eat out as much as I like to on vacation
- get relief from my arm
- get to shop for new Fall/Winter clothes

I did though:
- get to sleep in till 6:00 AM (how sad is that? 6 AM is sleeping in now for me)
- get to snuggle with my doggies EVERY DAY! (They're the saddest about our return to work)
- get to stay up past 9 pm without feeling stressed
- get to have movie night with Ricky & laugh & relax
- finish up a knitting project (its been so hard to knit with my arm lately but I was determined to finish a project I'd been working on)
- change over my closet & see that most of my clothes dont fit anymore. This is a good thing. 90% of my stuff is too big now ... YIPEE for benefits of running!!!
- have some fun & beautiful photo sessions with fantastic people (pictures to come!)
- get to stay in my pj's one whole day... on a cold, rainy day too! PERFECTION!
- start my Physical Therapy to get my arm/shoulder back on track
- go to the "Pie Kitchen" - & Dawn, if you ever come this way - its a MUST on things we need to do. Only the BEST PIE EVER!!!! Any kind you want too. Its like Heaven in a store...

So while I didnt get to do some of the things I wanted to do - its OK. Even though my house still looks like a train wreck, that's OK too...

time off is still nice...

its like they say, a rainy day off work is still better then a sunny day at work..

Now I'm ready to count down till my next time off....

Random Pictures Overload...

2011-10-19T10:39:00.000-04:00

Yep... still on vacation...

Yesterday, I didnt even get out of my PJ's... Ahhh - heaven!!!

But I worked on editing a Senior portrait session all day. I could get use to that - doing photography all day.

I noticed I had some pictures I never posted here... so here's some randomness for you.

My little Zoe just loves a camera... I think she's even smiling :)

Ahh - my Erin Condren planner. I'm in love with this thing & I take it everywhere. I can tell I'm going to be getting a new one every year.

Look at my fur babies together... Buffy was a rebel & wouldnt come over with the rest of the gang. You'd think someone who takes so many pictures could get 4 dogs in one picture, but I think its near impossible.

You may think those are sunglasses...NO - those are a GNAT SHIELD!!! I have to wear them lately because I'm coming home with HUNDREDS... no joke... HUNDREDS of gnats stuck to my face, arms, stomach, hair & even in my eyes!!!! The fun of running in the country... a gnat face! Now, I dont feel like I have to run with my hands over my eyes - which I was doing... that's safe.

Isnt this the perfect picture of LAZY?

These things on my arms - Compression Sleeves... I am in love. They make my arms feel so much better with the pain when I run - & generally all day long. I've been wearing them with my shirts & it just looks like a long sleeve shirt under a short sleeve shirt. They're going to give me funny tan lines though while running.

Here's the twin's birthday cake from this year... Angry Birds... I had never played before & one of the kids at their birthday party had it on their ipod so she let me have my first go at it. ... I'm not good at it...

I've been busy doing photo sessions this October too (LOVE IT)... but isnt this a fantastic shot of this family? They were so much fun! I love the boys arms on both ends of the girls... it fills the picture out. The expression on the faces is what I love too... And this was only taken in 2 jumps. I bet they woulda jumped as many times as I asked - they were up for anything.

I love this picture for a few reasons... first of all, look at how sweet this family is. Second, it has a baby - ahhh - who doesnt love a baby? Third - this is totally untouched. The sun light is all natural & hitting them perfectly. I caught this moment when I told the boys to make their baby brother laugh..... capturing natural moments is my most FAVORITE thing to snap!

I had an engagement session with this young lady... yes, you've seen her here on my blog MANY times as one of our youth kiddos... & now, she's engaged... When does that happen? Kids grow up... I stay the same age though. Its one of those mysteries in life... like how Paris Hilton is famous.

This is why you want to schedule a photo session in October around here... the colors are just perfection. I love everything about this picture & how "natural" & peaceful it looks... it didnt hurt this young lady was gorgeous .. inside & out!! She wants to be a photographer & work in youth ministry... Hello? She's a mini-me.. except much more beautiful. I need to talk her into dying her hair red :)

I got my hands on my first DUDE for a Senior Session too... I just called him Mr. GQ because he was a model in the making. He would stand in front of the camera & give me a straight face & then a smile & then a SMIZE :) ... he knows how to work a camera. Not bad for a football player.

Did anyone stick around through all the pictures? I coulda put a whole lot more... I'm a snapping fool...

I'm off to go to lunch with a friend, plan 2 more photo sessions for the weekend & suck in the joy of vacation.

Happy Day friends!

Broken....

2011-10-17T18:30:00.000-04:00

So today, to start off my vacation, I had to get up early to head down to physical therapy.

Who doesnt like to still get up early on vacation... & like to have a little physical torture?

I'm in so much pain lately... still... that it didnt even matter. I went with hopes that there would be some answers.

I get there only to get hit first with the reminder that health insurance totally bites. Reviewing how much I have to pay out of pocket is the hardest punch in the gut for me. Why not? I'm used to people telling me, "You're insurance doesnt cover ______, so you'll owe $____ (More money then I have laying around as spare change)"....

The physical therapist asked me all kinds of questions. Does it hurt to raise my arm? Does it hurt to lift anything over 5 lbs? Does it hurt to dress yourself? Does it hurt to do simple things, like write? ....

... the answer is YES to all of the above.

So he starts pushing, poking & pulling.

Next thing I know, he has me raise my arm... (insert POP POP POP in my shoulder when I raise my arm)

He then starts poking on my shoulder blade in my back. Has me stand up again & then grabs, yes GRABS my shoulder blade & tells me to raise my arm. Pain? Not nearly as bad as it was... I can almost say it wasnt there at all!!! What the heck? Is this dude a magician or something?

He told me he doesnt think I have tendonitis in my arm afterall... he thinks there may have been a touch of it at one point, & that it may come & go, but that isnt whats causing the severe pain in this arm.

What is? I cant even begin to tell you... it was like a 20-syllable word that sounded like a foreign language curse word.

So I ask him, "can you dummy that down for me? What do I tell people when they ask me because I'm not even going to ATTEMPT to repeat that word"

He said, "Your mechanics in your shoulder are completely out of whack"....ok... dummy-ed down...

But that means that somewhere along the line, the shoulder blade & my rotator cuff have gotten off track & its made the muscles weak & it has them stretched & pulled in the wrong directions.. in the front of the arm & the back where the shoulder blade is.

I thought he may be crazy at first because it hurts in my WHOLE ARM & my back & my shoulder blade has never been an issue. He then went on to tell me that the rotator cuff reflects pain to where the bicep reaches the rotator cuff... & that pain "refers" down to the bicep, down to the forearm, & even as far down to the fingers... & he pointed to exactly where all my pain is.

He explained that is why heat/ ice/ Alleve/ anything for inflammation isnt helping - because its not really inflammed. He used the word "impinged" & said its about building up the muscles again.

So, there's good news in that. They were saying that if the tendons werent getting better, then we could be looking at surgery... but now its not an issue.

But its still going to be awhile... he said that the muscle is pulling on the rotator cuff & that its going to take awhile to do these exercise he's shown me & for the body to adapt. Because when I left today, the pain wasnt bad at all... even felt better. But he said, "your body will adapt back to what its been used to - which is broken" ... "broken"... what a word... so its going to take months of repetitive exercises to train the shoulder to get back to where it needs to be.

... he was right too - the pain was back within the hour... even WORSE - which he told me it would be as I am trying to strengthen these mucles.

So - that's where I'm at... still in pain... but at least feeling like I have some answers...

but still broken....

Cutest Pumpkins EVER

2011-10-16T21:32:00.001-04:00

So I mentioned my brother had a booth at a local Fall Festival...

See the one with the blue eye shadow on? Oh yeah - I totally snagged that one up for myself! :) Gonna put a witches hat on her for Halloween, & a pilgrim had for Thanksgiving. ... its HUGE too so it'll fill up my front porch too... I'll have the cutest pumpkin on my street.

I headed over to the festival to check out his booth... mainly because I think his work is A-MAZ-ING... from the classy, beautiful work, to the fun, adorable, even constipated looking pumpkins :)

Tell me this pumpking doesnt scream "CONSTIPATED"

Arent these pumpkins awesome? I just think these faces are adorable... All the kids loved them too - they would come running over & just staring at the big eyes & big noses...

... I just love seeing my brother get out there & promote some of this talent because he definitely doesnt show enough the amazing things he can do.... all these are hand painted & air brushed...

....Am I sounding like a proud little sister?... because I totally am :)

Friday Fragments

2011-10-14T07:45:00.000-04:00

Friday!!!! Not just any Friday either... its the Friday before my vacation.... which means today will be busy because when you get ready to leave work for vacation, you have to make sure everything is finished... only to come back to have work piled so high on your desk, you're exhausted for another week. I don't care. Its one week I dont have to worry about getting up at 4:30... I plan on sleeping, cleaning my garage, sleeping, going to physical therapy for my arm, sleeping, relaxing, sleeping, letting my arm rest, sleeping.. & more sleeping... Until 3:00 gets here, we'll just frag away

*****

I'm still angry about Chynna Phillips getting kicked off "Dancing with the Stars"... that's 2 weeks in a row that 2 GOOD dancers have gotten eliminated. Even if she forgot her routine, she was STILL better then Chaz & Carson... & Hope! I dont see why anyone thinks she's good - I think she looks so "stiff"... As of now, I dont even think they have 3 good people for a final 3... If Ricki Lake or JR gets booted, I'll be watching "The Sing Off" on Mondays

*****

I'm ignoring a toothache that's coming on... that's the LAST thing I need right now with all my arm issues. And the last thing I need for my wallet. Hey - I remember my vacation last year also left me getting a root canal & a crown... there's my vacation fund right there every year... this pain is in a tooth where its already crowned & has been root canal... THAT right there folks is how lucky I am! Who can have pain in a nerve that isnt even there? geez....

*****

How cute are these leg warmers? I love that yarn pattern too - Noro is just BEAUTIFUL... but I would totally wear these all the time... with skirts - over jeans... to bed! I'm all about extra warmth with the cool weather coming.

Source: ravelry.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

******

My brother is setting up a booth tomorrow at a Fall festival selling some pumpkins that he paints. He does it every year & they are A-DOR-ABLE! He always gives everyone in the family one & his friends & every year we all tell him he needs to sell them. So he's doing it tomorrow. Wish him luck! I've gotta run by & cheer him on... take some pictures of all the pumpkins together so you can see once again his amazing talent!

******

SPAT OF THE WEEK: Anniversary Dinner... So, I dont gamble - at all. We have a Riverboat Casino near us. It used to be Ceasars but The Horse Shoe has taken it over. Last time I was on the boat was in 1999. No joke. But I have gone to their hotel for the places to eat... hello... Paula Dean has a buffet there. Heavenly Buttery Fat EVERYWHERE. But they have amazing places to eat there... so Ricky, who DOES love to gamble always is getting things in the mail from his Player Card. He & his best bud, Tony have spent more time there then anywhere else... wait, I take that back - 2nd to the skating rink I'll say. So this week, Ricky gets in the mail a discount for the most amazing steakhouse (steak for him - none for me thankyouverymuch) & it says, "To celebrate your Annivesary"... Our anniversary is Oct 28... the River Boat knows that... that's scary....

(The owners probably know that most men forget it & its their SLY way of reminding the men so they're not in trouble & can keep coming back to gamble... anyways...)

So Ricky says to me, "I think Tony & I are going to go use this to celebrate our anniversary"

....huh?....

...what?....

Since when did you marry Tony?

He went on to give me an explanation on why it makes sense to take Tony there.

.... so for the record, he's taking his best friend on our annivesary dinner & he's messed up our vacation being off on our anniversary. Its a wonder we're going to make it to our 16th year... good thing I love his messed up butt

*****

FYI - & I hate to admit this... the Spat of the Week a few weeks ago... Isaac liked Ricky's choice of toys - the Iron Man figure won out.... DANNNNNGGGGGG ITTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guys stick together is all I'm going to say about that

******

I've missed my books lately... I'm just not finding time to read & its making me sad

******

Speaking of books... I'm totally interested in this little gadget....

Source: amazon.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Kindle Fire!!! Anyone else looked into it yet? I bet they will be impossible to get around Christmas time though... & Yes, I'm talking about buying myself one for Christmas. Priorites :)

******

Anyone know why on Pinterest, you have to put your own settings for height/width? That's causing me stress...

******

This just freaks my mind out....

Source: reddit.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

OK everyone... Hope you have a FABULOUS FRIDAY!!! Mine will be even more FAB at 3:00...

(Did I mention I'm going to be sleeping a lot on my vacation?)

Arm update...

2011-10-13T06:19:00.000-04:00

...yep... still miserable...

... still in pain...

... still frustrated.

I went back to the doctor earlier this week. Y'all know how much I hate going to the doctor so that should tell you how bad this is still hurting. Its been going on now for 4 months... sigh...

The doctor gave me a steroid pack to try. Its called MethylPREDNISolone (dont know why those letters are captalized, but that's the way its printed on the box?) ...

Prescription medicine makes me nervous & I prefer not to take it unless its totally necessary, which after 4 months of pain, its necessary. But when I think of steroids, all I can think about it swelling up & gaining weight. The doctor told me this is such a short burst of steroids that that shouldnt happen. I wanted to say, "but do you KNOW me? have we met? because anything bad that can happen, usually will"...

I'm also afraid after this pack, I'm going to look something like this...

(Just imagine red hair... & a lot paler...)

Its only a 21 pack - & there is a schedule that has me taking like 6 pills the first day, 5 the next, down to one pill 6 days later.... so we'll see what happens.

I'm also supposed to schedule with a physical therapist & let them evaulate me & see what they can do.

... I just want to feel normal again...

...to you...

2011-10-12T08:19:00.000-04:00

My devotional for the morning has a simple verse:

"See, your king comes to you....."

Matthew 21:5

It was a devotional on Jesus going into Jerusalem & how the people were cheering Jesus' arrival when he entered, but how it sooned changed to screams of "Cruicify Him"

But all I kept thinking about were those 5 words...

& I kept thinking about how Jesus keeps coming to us... even when we're excited He's there & then turn on him just like the people long ago...

... & then I just kept asking myself, how often do we go to Him?

Thank you Jesus that you're always there, coming to me, waiting for me to always come to you... daily... hourly... every second of the day...

May our own lives say, "See, we go to our King"....

OK - I've got no excuses...

2011-10-11T08:19:00.000-04:00

My friend put a link up on my Facebook yesterday for me to check something out...

I click on it to read the story...

Its about the woman who gave birth right after running the Chicago Marathon.

(She's a red head... you gotta watch out for those... they do some crazy things! :) )

Wh-wh-WHAT?

I know runners are a tad motivated & push their bodies in ways most people cant understand... well, just chalk this up to that list. Maybe with a bonus for "extra" crazy... but in a good way.

This mom obviously was in good shape if she's heading out to do a marathon at 39 weeks.

I think running while pregnant is amazing! I ran my 2nd half marathon & saw a VERY pregnant lady out on the road. It was actually inspiring. But luckily, she didnt have a little baby running right out, there in front of me. I'd take off the other direction.. EEK!!!! Panic!!!

I told my friend that I cant hardly run even when I have a FOOD BABY ... so I applaud this lady.

I guess I have no more excuses on days I dont want to run.

My knee hurts? Try running while 9 months pregnant
I'm tired? Try carrying a HUMAN inside of you & then talk about tired
My feet hurt? Try running to the hospital while your in labor & then think about your FEET hurting...

...yeah - no excuses....

steps....

2011-10-10T07:15:00.000-04:00

We just started a new series in our youth group, talking about moving forward.

When we become a Christian, we sometimes think we're supposed to be perfect - make no more mistakes - we have it all together afterall... right?

yeah - those of us that have been Christians for awhile know that's a laughable statement.

But we get that idea in our head sometimes that we have to take giant LEAPS toward Christ - when all He wants is for us is to take steps.. .small steps actually... maybe even baby steps.

Its those steps that get us closer to Him because we're doing those steps thoughtfully & not the leaps that are usually out of excitement or emotion.

Have you ever came home from a retreat & was all pumped up & ready to change everything you do because you want to be THE.BEST.CHRISTIAN.EVER!!!! ....

How did that work for you? ... exactly.

Last night, in the youth small group, some of the kids gave me an even better understanding of this idea

(See? Again, this is why I ADORE working with youth - they teach me everytime I talk with them)

They said that when you take a step, at least you have one foot on the ground - it keeps you stable & balanced so even if you do take a misstep, you have some support to keep you upright.... if you leap & you take a wrong step, chances are, you're coming down in a mess & hurting yourself.

Isnt that a cool visual? Out of the the mouth of the teens of today :)

So be encouraged - you dont have to take huge LEAPS for Christ... He just wants you to continue to step towards Him... whether that be a nice stride, or even small slow steps... as long as its forward.

Friday Fragments

2011-10-07T11:46:00.001-04:00

I'm so lazy today, I'm not even grabbing the button for my header.... THAT's how my Friday is going...

*****

I know I sound like I'm Mrs. Whiney McWhineystein but I cant help it. My arm is making me miserable. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, but wondering if its worth it. I know they'll just still tell me its Tenditis, which actually its not... that only last 2 weeks I've learned. So its progressed to "Tendinosis" - which takes up to a year to feel better - IF at all.... did you hear that people? IF!!!! Its a breakdown of tendons - not an inflammation. Not sure what to do about this doctor's appointment. Waste of time?

*****

I got new insurance! Which is why I can go back to the doctor... I'm going to enjoy it this year because I know next year, the rates will increase so high, I'll have to go back to the poor-man-version - which is diddly squat.

*****

I'm so excited... doing new photo things this weekend! I've got a BOY to do senior pictures with. I've been keeping my eyes on "boy poses" on Pinterest & cant wait to incorporate them. He wouldnt appreciate holding a flower - not when he's bring his football gear with him. Maybe I'll put a flower in his helmet?

I've also got a family session with little ones - FUN! .. & doing another family session with grown kids for a Christmas card. My camera will be getting a work out.... just hoping my arm lasts with all the editing. (Yes, Whiney McWhineystein is back)

*****

I've got to run 8 miles first thing tomorrow.... my Fall races are going to be here in just a few weeks! Where did that time go? Did it RUN by me? haha!!! Oh, I crack myself up

*****

SPAT OF THE WEEK: Vacation.... We normally take vacation during our anniversary - which is October 28. So that would make it the week of October 24-28, right? So I tell Ricky to tell his work that's when he needs off. He kept putting it off... putting it off.. & putting it off some more. Next thing I know, I get a call Monday with Ricky saying, "I cant take off that week - I didnt put in for it & now 3 others are off that week"... really? So needless to say, we'll be taking our vacation a week early. Good thing we didnt have tickets to go anywhere. But now, I better get flowers at my work on our anniversary since I'll be at my desk celebrating....

*****

This is for my sister in law :) haha!!!

I hate the internet if only that it makes me feel like I'm going to die in a week... & I'm totally serious in that statement...

Source: thatswhatthatmeans.tumblr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

*****

No offense, I think our country lost a genuis mind - but why all the attention of the guy who died from Apple? I dont even remember his name - that's how much I know of him. I do think his mind created AMAZING products.. but the guy that made Doritos died a few weeks ago too & you didnt hear anything.

*****

Dancing with the Stars Shocker!!! Can you believe who got kicked off this week? Just know it wasnt Chaz - so you know from that it was an epic fail. I have to say though, Mark has developed a little attitude, has he not? I'm pulling for a JR, Ricki Lake, Chynna Phillips Finale!!!

*****

Hope you all are enjoying Fall weather... its absolutely beautiful here with all the color... so much for my dead-leaf theory of last week.

Have a Fabulous Fall Friday!

Thursday Letter: 4:30 am

2011-10-06T07:47:00.000-04:00

Dear 4:30 am

I know we have a new relationship together. Normally, I would ignore you & not even realize that you existed. But with this new change in routine & route to work everyday, I have had to grow closer to you over the past few weeks.

Its because of this closer relationship that I feel like I can write you this letter to tell you how I really feel about you. I'm sorry to say, its not pretty either.

I think you are some sort of evil creature that is sent to mess with me physically & emtionally.

Why emotionally? Because when I see you on my alarm clock every morning, it sends me into a state of depression. One that involves tears & a 2 yr old tantrum of kicking the bed & saying things like, "I dont wanna!!!"

Also I feel like this is an emotional game because I would almost bet you $1 million dollars (as if I HAD $1 million dollars) that I just laid down & I just closed my eyes. Mr. 4:30, do you have magical powers that speed up the time during the dark hours? I would bet $2 million dollars on THAT also!

Physically, you are taking a toll on me as well. I feel like my body is going through a wringer everyday. You make me want to take a nap every day because I feel like I cant even hold my head upright by lunch time. That's just messed up. And if I take the time at lunch to watch my TV shows I enjoy on Hulu during lunch, only because I have no time at night now to watch anything, I am almost in a "crawling" mode to get in my house for a quick snooze at your sister, 4:30 PM

Why do I need that snooze? Because I'm training for my next half marathon & the way my body is being effected by you, I think I can make it about 5 miles & it equals the same as 13.1 miles right now.

Mr. 4:30, we also dont even want to talk about how I have no time nor energy to keep up with my house. You have forced me to neglect my laundry & my dusting. My home has turned into a perfect mess... I'm just glad that is close to Halloween & I can make it sound like the dust & the mess is all part of a "Haunted House Feel"....

I'm hoping our relationships becomes easier. I'm hoping we even begin to LIKE each other. As of now, I'm doubting it though.

Regardless, I'll be seeing you tomorrow.

Your tired & grumpy friend,

Mom's Birthday - NOT the twins... yet ...

2011-10-05T06:02:00.002-04:00

.... with no pictures of my mom :)

I took my camera & ended up playing with the twins all day with my camera. If I had kids around my house all the time, I'd have 1,000 pictures a day - I'm sure.

It was such a beautiful day... after we went out to eat, we came home & pulled out the Frisbee.

Madi is a little pro...

Where did Madi's hand go?

My brother & I were raised throwing Frisbee when we went to our grandparents house. My uncle & my Papaw were always throwing frisbee's ... Papaw could do the coolest tricks with them... & whenever someone would catch them under the legs, it was like something out of the Olympics to me

Look at that determination!!!!

Sophia didnt want to play & she was being a little booger & didnt even want me to take her picture. So she kept putting her head down & flipping her hair up to cover her face....

I still think I got a good picture of her ... HA! I will prevail with a camera

Madi watching the frisbee action waiting her turn....

Then it was time for Uncle Ricky to play with the twins...

they love him... even if he takes their 3-wheeler

we were cracking up at him riding this thing...

Then he went to show Sophia a magic trick.

He had their complete attention ....

Madi then showed me her awesome swing jumping skills....

I was always afraid I'd break an ankle doing this... I probably would of too..

And then Sophia showed me her cart wheel skills. She really is turning into a great gynast. Watch out Mary Lou Retton! (Did I just age myself?)

Finally - a picture of the sisters together...

Showing off a gourd in dad's garden. He had so many gourds growing... they were everywhere - but this is such a weird shape one - the twins loved it...

Even though I didnt get a picture of anyone else - trust me, we all had a great time celebrating my mom's birthday.

Its the twins birthday this weekend - I should take pictures of my mom & dad all day instead.. only fair - right?