I got NEW schwag!

Today my friend Joy and I ran (okay mainly I walked) the Hell Run! It was insane! I had run the Warrior Dash (similar but not nearly as hell-acious) so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect - wrong!
Before starting we ran into a few people that we knew and they said, "it is really hilly." Already scared we tried to blow it off, then we heard a few people say, "it was really hard." This was concerning because these people have run 1/2 Ironman triathlons! Now I was freaking out a bit. Joy and I had agreed we would push ourselves but even pushing myself I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with her so we knew she'd finish first - we developed our after the race plan and proceeded to "challenge" ourselves with this "hard, hilly run."
I started off running with the pack, didn't last long before we went up a minor hill, then we went down a big hill covered with what appeared to be sand - okay... I'm dealing with this. I lost Joy and met up with a lady, Wendy. As we bottle-necked at the first "obstacle" a steep, narrow decline I began to realize that my hopes of actually running this race were coming to a grinding halt. The terrain was uneven, VERY jutted and rocky (not gravel, ROCKS - fist sized rocks that would roll under your feet as you walked/ran on them). As we came down to the bottom of the steep narrow decline we were presented with our next challenge - a VERY steep rocky incline. The math teacher in me would have said it was an obtuse angle, approximately 95 degrees! Oh my heavens! I wish I could have taken a picture, it was truly astounding how steep it was. So to sum it up I spent the next 45 minutes (okay closer to 65) doing more of the same, protecting my behind going down steep declines and then panting and praying up steep inclines all the while climbing walls that were about 4 feet tall, crawling under barbed wire, sloshing through mud pits, creeping through holes and running over makeshift bridges between those insane hills. Wendy - my new friend (because that's me, I like to make friends) prayed with me through a lot of the climbing and we decided that a better name for this race would have been Hill Run! It was seriously that bad. Later I found out that Joy had her own share of make-shift comrades, one of which complained loudly about how hard this was, to which her friend replied, "they said Hell Run, not Heaven Run!" Finally the run ended with scaling a 10 foot wall and flinging ourselves into a cesspool, most would refer to it as a pond but let's be honest about this thing, 7 other heats of 100+ people each had gone before us - they had stirred up every kind of micro-organism and piece of cow poo that was in that thing and it smelled disgusting. Finally there were tires to "jump" through and lastly a nice blazing fire to hurtle!
Did I rock this race - NO! Did I go out and do something, burn some calories and have a good time - YES! I had fun, I feel good (now that I don't smell bad anymore) and I'm proud of myself for going out and putting myself to the challenge. Oh and the best part - I have schwag - a new t-shirt, a cape (yep that is right I have a cape cuz I'm that cool) and a medal that says I finished!
Last note - notice our t-shirts (not planned but so funny). Joy is wearing a Longhorn t-shirt and I'm wearing my husbands "cut the horns off the wicked" t-shirt. We couldn't have done better if we had planned. Fun day!

Aw Man!

5:48 am! I had my alarm set for 7am but at 5:48am my sweet Z came in to let me know he didn't feel well - hoping that he didn't eat a "good" dinner I tried to convince him that he was fine, then I remembered he helped his daddy finish his dinner, he ate plenty! Sadly within minutes of telling me he didn't feel well he proved it! Aw Man! Now our big plans (that included me having an hour here at the house by myself -when was the last time that happened?): B's first baseball game, my hair appointment, taking a walk and going to do some shopping have been completely turned upside down. Waiting for 9am to see if I can reschedule my appt. Jason is going to try to take the girls to B's ball game and I am going to put together my grocery list. I suppose that the good thing (not Z being sick) is that when life does this it makes you slow down. Praying it is over quick and that we all stay healthy.

Miss me?

So I was told by a wonderful lady that I never did post pictures of my 11 year old - 11 years ago. Trust me she was a cute as a button. :)
March has been a crazy month - B started his scuba class, he has now successfully passed the test and only needs to complete 5 open water dives to be certified. He's very excited about his trip to the Bahamas this summer with my brother Mark.
K & I have been planning our summer trip and she is still playing the piano and participating in gymnastics. She is an awesome student, but how can she not be with 6 mothers watching over her every day at school.
Z is going to be the straw seller in the Kindergarten Piggy Opera in a few weeks, aw I am SO proud! He's learning tons and is now trying to read everything, I see him reading the Kix box in the mornings while eating his cereal. He and his little sister are in gymnastics every Monday night and I think it is a good outlet for all of his energy.
A can successfully write her name, sometimes she struggles with the E but she tries every morning to sign in at school and you can tell she really wants to read too. Love how much she looks forward to learning.
Personally I have been getting up early to exercise. Now I'm trying to get the healthy eating habits but I've not been very successful - will keep trying. Also trying to encourage my husband to join me and get healthier! Wish us luck!
Like I said CRAZY - maybe (no promises) we'll actually see pictures in the near future.

LG

To borrow from the LG company - Life is Good. Busy, but what do we expect from a family of 6? B just finished with his play, 'Beauty & The Beast' - he shared the role of Chip with his friend H. They were both fantastic and A was especially happy with the choice of script! They had practice every day (except Sunday) for over a month. In addition he was playing basketball at the same time. Now baseball and track start up.
K is still playing piano, practicing gymnastics and just tried out for middle school band. They requested that she play the oboe, because she has music background but she stood her ground and accepted the flute. What a girl!
Z is doing well in kinder and continues to be well-loved by all of his 'mothers' at school. Recently he and his little sister, A have begun taking gymnastics at the same place that K goes (they go an hour earlier). They both LOVE it and ask me daily if it is time for 'gyn-nastics' (A quote) day.
A is learning and growing, she's a smart one and I feel confident that she will keep us hopping and praying daily for a long time! She's full of it but OH so sweet!
Jason has been working hard - lately on a very high priority job, great for career - hard on family time!
I got my braces tightened and now I am wearing rubber bands at night - kind of like having your mouth wired shut, very weird feeling. Each time I go I get a new color on my braces, first - pink (breast cancer awareness month), second - purple (my class voted), third - orange (for my sweet Z, his favorite color). Any suggestions for my color in April? I keep wanting to get green - so it will look like I'm actually eating my green veggies - ha ha!
Next weekend I will celebrate 17 amazing years with the man I love & adore - how very blessed I am to have him to share my life. Funny thing is that on our anniversary I will be participating in a church bible study and then leaving right after that to stay the night with a bunch of lovely ladies - we ARE tough cookies (just one of the things my husband loves about me I'm sure!).
Life is Good!

Adorable 11 year old in the HOUSE!

Today our K turned 11 years old! We are so proud of her and love her so much. Let me count the ways:

10. She's a great cook.
9. She has an awesome sense of style.
8. She is great company.
7. She loves her family well.
6. She is intelligent.
5. She gives the best hugs.
4. She's as messy as I was when I was her age.
3. When she knows she has done something wrong she says, "I love you Mommy or Daddy!" And smiles sheepishly.
2. She's always a willing helper with a happy heart.
1. We've been given the honor of raising this incredible child to love, nurture and care for and we couldn't be more thrilled with this privilege!

Happy Birthday to one of the most wonderful people that I have the privilege to know!

By the way - she's growing (see pictorial proof coming as soon as my movie is over)!

Happy Birthday to a terrific 13 year old!

I have been blessed with an amazing family! One of those fantastic people is my son, B - he is turning 13 on Tuesday!
#1 like most people who are entering the uncharted land of teenager-hood I'm a little surprised that I found my way here.
#2 I am excited, because just like every new adventure with B I know that this one will be filled with fun, learning and excitement.
#3 My B is growing up - see the pictorial proof!



#4 One really positive thing about my children growing up - we can share & discuss things, something I couldn't do when I was changing their diapers (at least now I get a response)! B & I were able to discuss the sermon today after church and we agreed that we this quote moved us both, so I wanted to share it with you:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles," 1992 (commonly misattributed to Nelson Mandela, 1994 inauguration speech)

Rainy & Cold revisited!

Since a few weeks before Thanksgiving I started training, to do the Turkey Trot (5 mile strut/trot). Last year I developed allergies and was unable to run, so I walked the majority of it. This year I was going to try to do the opposite, run the majority, knowing that I might have to walk some since I've never run 5 miles before. Anyway - Thanksgiving came and we were in Arkansas, it was cold and rainy, bad combo! As a family we decided that our desire to stay warm and dry was far greater than our desire to accomplish this running goal. Since then I have continued to train. I've been getting up early to make it fit into my day. I was very successful over the Christmas holiday continuing my training but really loved getting up late and running when it was daylight! So after much discussion we decided that K could babysit after school so that I could run after school several days a week. Wow - I love to be able to stay up a little later and I love that I don't look at my clock until AFTER 5am!
Today was a rainy, cold day in Texas - not a common occurrence but it happens. What I would have given for a treadmill!! I really wanted to run, it was on my schedule but I did NOT want to get cold and wet doing it. When I got home, Jason was already here and I mentioned that I was supposed to run. He said, "you should go, it isn't raining right now and I'm here to watch the kids." I whined, I moaned and Jason said, "who is the warrior?!" Me that is who! I am! I ran today in the 39 degree weather (FYI: for Texans that is frigid weather!!), 30 minutes (even though I tried to convince myself between minutes 5 and 10 that I should 'give myself a break'), and I am a warrior!
Sorry for a rambling blog - just proud of myself! Thanks for reading.

Just so you know my goal is to improve my 5K time - I've got some races coming up that I would like to do better on. Front Porch Days, Tough Cookie duathlon AND that Turkey Trot (I'll kick that 5 miles in November!).