This year (and every year) I am thankful for so many things.
1. MM who works so hard to provide for his family. A man who is constantly trying to improve himself, making him a better man, husband, and father. He is not perfect, but he is perfect for me, he is all mine, and I love every bit of him. I know how lucky I am to have married a true friend. I look back lovingly on the last 12 years that he has been in my life and I look forward to the future as we continue to grow, learn, and change together, creating memories along the way and today I enjoy him.
2. Baby J who is the the smartest, sweetest, funniest, cutest little boy in the world and I GET to be his momma. It is amazing what a child can do to your heart and home. Everything changes and sometimes I am guilty of talking too much about the long nights, messes, and cries. And not talking enough about the way my heart is filled up with a feeling I have never known. One that makes me more joyful than anything in this world ever has. The way I am completely fascinated by this tiny creature I created out of pure love. He makes me smile, laugh, and feel pride multiple times every single day. Babies are nothing but a blessing!
3. Family, both mine by birth and by marriage. I feel very fortunate to have so many caring people in my life. I wish I could be sitting around a table with everyone at the same time, able to look into the face of each relative who means so much to me. My furry relatives are included in this group too... you can't think I would leave my Ruby girl princess head or little Wrigley bear out.
4. Friends, old ones, new ones, close ones, and ones who are oceans away. Friends are an amazing gift and as I grow older I recognize the difference between the people I have "hung out" with and the ones I have shared true friendship and connection with. Friends love you through it all; even when they don't agree with you, even when they are not happy with you, they continue to love and want the best for you. True friends really are the family we choose for ourselves.
5. Health, not only mine, but my husband's and son's too. There are so many functions of the body that are taken for granted until that function has problems. So to my eyes for seeing, my ears for hearing, my heart for pumping, and for all the other amazing things my body is doing every second I am alive... I am grateful.
6. Lastly and most importantly I am thankful for the mercy and grace my God has poured out on me. Sending a Savior to save me from myself and for always, always, always being there, even when I think He isn't.
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other. And cultivate thankfulness- so sing, sing your hearts out to God. Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of Jesus, thanking God every step of the way.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
November 7-10
Monday, November 7th:
My favorite part of the day would have to be group time this evening, we host a Quest church small group at our house on Monday evenings. Currently we are studying 1 John, having a different person lead each week. This week we talked about some touchy issues and experienced varying opinions. But I am so thankful for a group of strong believing friends who are respectful enough to listen to everyone's thoughts and feelings while always trying to guide the group by the Word of God. Growing in my Christian faith is not always easy and sometimes it actually hurts, but in the end it always makes me a better person with a deeper love for my Savior. And that equals joy.
Tuesday, November 8th:
The best part of today was hanging out with my friend Mandy. Her and I met, by complete chance, at a church MM & I visited once. I was bold enough to invite her to lunch and she was kind enough to accept and we have been friends ever since. We are both newish moms and we love getting together to drink coffee and girl talk while our babes play together. And by play together I mean that her little girl runs circles around Baby J, but it keeps him entertained.
Wednesday, November 9th:
My happiest moment today was sitting down the couch with MM and relaxing. Baby J is teething and he has a small cold so he has been a little fussy and quite clingy. I love him to death and don't mind cuddling him every minute of the day, but it sure makes it hard to get anything else that needs to be done, done. At the end of the day when we put him in his crib, I was happy to kick my feet up with a glass of wine and be engaged in some adult conversation.
Thursday, November 10th:
My happiest moment of today (so far at least because I am writing this earlier in the evening than normal) was the hour or so that Baby J and I spent playing in his room today. I read him stories, we played with his stuffed animals, he climbed all over me like a jungle gym, and I was able to get giggles out of him.
A notable event from today: Baby J ate dog food. And I am afraid he liked it, or at least didn't mind it. Baby J likes to get into the dogs' bowls if I am not careful or quick enough. Today I had forgotten about them and he had a great time throwing little food kernels all over the dining room. As I cleaned up the mess I noticed he was eating something.
My favorite part of the day would have to be group time this evening, we host a Quest church small group at our house on Monday evenings. Currently we are studying 1 John, having a different person lead each week. This week we talked about some touchy issues and experienced varying opinions. But I am so thankful for a group of strong believing friends who are respectful enough to listen to everyone's thoughts and feelings while always trying to guide the group by the Word of God. Growing in my Christian faith is not always easy and sometimes it actually hurts, but in the end it always makes me a better person with a deeper love for my Savior. And that equals joy.
Tuesday, November 8th:
The best part of today was hanging out with my friend Mandy. Her and I met, by complete chance, at a church MM & I visited once. I was bold enough to invite her to lunch and she was kind enough to accept and we have been friends ever since. We are both newish moms and we love getting together to drink coffee and girl talk while our babes play together. And by play together I mean that her little girl runs circles around Baby J, but it keeps him entertained.
Wednesday, November 9th:
My happiest moment today was sitting down the couch with MM and relaxing. Baby J is teething and he has a small cold so he has been a little fussy and quite clingy. I love him to death and don't mind cuddling him every minute of the day, but it sure makes it hard to get anything else that needs to be done, done. At the end of the day when we put him in his crib, I was happy to kick my feet up with a glass of wine and be engaged in some adult conversation.
Thursday, November 10th:
My happiest moment of today (so far at least because I am writing this earlier in the evening than normal) was the hour or so that Baby J and I spent playing in his room today. I read him stories, we played with his stuffed animals, he climbed all over me like a jungle gym, and I was able to get giggles out of him.
A notable event from today: Baby J ate dog food. And I am afraid he liked it, or at least didn't mind it. Baby J likes to get into the dogs' bowls if I am not careful or quick enough. Today I had forgotten about them and he had a great time throwing little food kernels all over the dining room. As I cleaned up the mess I noticed he was eating something.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
playing catch up after a busy weekend [11.03.11 - 11.06.11]
Thursday, November 3rd:
To be honest so much as happened over this past weekend that I can't really remember Thursday, so I can't really pick a happiest moment. I can say that I on Thursday evenings we have Financial Peace University class from 7-9pm and we are both really enjoying it. Some of the concepts we were already implementing, but the class has helped MM & I to really focus, set goals, and head in the same direction. FPU class makes me pretty happy. I respect Dave Ramsey and his advice/opinions.
Friday, November 4th:
We packed up and headed south today. The drive was beautiful with all the trees changing colors. We checked into our hotel and met up with Matt and Sheila. [MM's brother and sister-in-law] Once downtown we stopped for a high carbohydrate lunch in the "City Market" area. All runners must be registered for the race by Friday evening at the expo center of Savannah. We waited in a long line for over an hour to catch a ferry to the expo which sits right across the river. The weather was originally forecasted to be calm, sunny, and 70s. It was cloudy, windy, and a cool 50 degrees instead.
My happiest moment of today was arriving to the Health Expo, checking in to receive my bib {Runner #7095} swag bag, and sweet marathon tech tee! It made the marathon feel more real to have all my gear and know that the next day I would be trying to conquer a lifelong goal!
Saturday, November 5th:
MARATHON DAY!!!
5am: woke-up, ate breakfast, dressed in layers and gathered running gear.
545am: caught shuttle from hotel to starting line area.
645am: With our gear checked and our trash bags on we found out waiting area, corral 7.
725am: National Anthem for the 23,000 runners
730am: Wave 1 starts... Corral 7 started at 737am.
Miles 1-13 were awesome!!! MM and I both felt great! We made the rookie mistake of running faster than we had trained to run. We were caught up in the atmosphere and excitement. There were so many runners filing the road, spectators lined the streets with signs and balloons cheering us on, and because it was a Rock N Roll event there were bands playing every mile or so. The prettiest part of the run was from Mile 7-11; where we ran through some of the older downtown areas with big southern homes and oak trees covered in Spanish moss creating a canopy above us. Mile 14-16 we began to tire, we were settled into the race, some of the excitement wearing off and I was getting hungry. Mile 17 I started to hit my "wall". All marathon runners know about the wall. The wall is not a fun place to be. I just felt exhausted as if all my energy was gone, yet I knew I still had 9 miles left to run which was mentally challenging. At Mile 18 I cramped up, mostly in my left calf muscle. MM slowed back with me while I fought through these couple of miles. He was supportive and motivating, reminding me to put one foot in front of the other. By Mile 19 I was breaking through the wall and feeling stronger. Miles 20-24 were a different kind of challenge. This leg of the race as on a highway running into the wind. It was long, boring, and physically hard. Marshall hit his wall in this area, he felt light-headed and weak. I slowed to stay with him and he fought through it. At mile 25 we finally exited the dreaded highway portion. I can't describe to you how much we hated that part of the race! Mile 25 was still hard, but better because we knew we were approaching the end, completion finally looked like a reality. When we hit Mile 26 we rounded a corner and there was a 2/10 of a mile stretch filled with cheering crowds, blaring music, and a huge finish line banner. We kicked it in and finished strong, holding hands as we crossed the finish line, both so proud of our accomplishment!!!!
Matt and Sheila started in Corral 5 and ran a faster pace, because they were already finished they were able to loop back up and watch MM & I cross the finish line! It was great having familiar faces cheer for us!
Post Race:
Medals. Photos. Mylar Wrap. Iced Knees. Tylenol. Bananas & Bagels. Live Music. Free Beer!
A shout out goes to Matt for completing his 2nd marathon and to Sheila who set her personal best time. We loved being able to share this experience them. Way to go Jordans!!!
That night I treated myself to lots of food and some celebratory wine!
Sunday, November 6th:
My favorite part of today was eating lunch at Paula Deen's Restaurant (Lady & Sons) with Papaw & Gigi and the McChrystal Family. Family, friends, and delicious fried chicken!!! Mmmmm
To be honest so much as happened over this past weekend that I can't really remember Thursday, so I can't really pick a happiest moment. I can say that I on Thursday evenings we have Financial Peace University class from 7-9pm and we are both really enjoying it. Some of the concepts we were already implementing, but the class has helped MM & I to really focus, set goals, and head in the same direction. FPU class makes me pretty happy. I respect Dave Ramsey and his advice/opinions.
Friday, November 4th:
We packed up and headed south today. The drive was beautiful with all the trees changing colors. We checked into our hotel and met up with Matt and Sheila. [MM's brother and sister-in-law] Once downtown we stopped for a high carbohydrate lunch in the "City Market" area. All runners must be registered for the race by Friday evening at the expo center of Savannah. We waited in a long line for over an hour to catch a ferry to the expo which sits right across the river. The weather was originally forecasted to be calm, sunny, and 70s. It was cloudy, windy, and a cool 50 degrees instead.
My happiest moment of today was arriving to the Health Expo, checking in to receive my bib {Runner #7095} swag bag, and sweet marathon tech tee! It made the marathon feel more real to have all my gear and know that the next day I would be trying to conquer a lifelong goal!
Saturday, November 5th:
MARATHON DAY!!!
5am: woke-up, ate breakfast, dressed in layers and gathered running gear.
545am: caught shuttle from hotel to starting line area.
645am: With our gear checked and our trash bags on we found out waiting area, corral 7.
725am: National Anthem for the 23,000 runners
730am: Wave 1 starts... Corral 7 started at 737am.
Miles 1-13 were awesome!!! MM and I both felt great! We made the rookie mistake of running faster than we had trained to run. We were caught up in the atmosphere and excitement. There were so many runners filing the road, spectators lined the streets with signs and balloons cheering us on, and because it was a Rock N Roll event there were bands playing every mile or so. The prettiest part of the run was from Mile 7-11; where we ran through some of the older downtown areas with big southern homes and oak trees covered in Spanish moss creating a canopy above us. Mile 14-16 we began to tire, we were settled into the race, some of the excitement wearing off and I was getting hungry. Mile 17 I started to hit my "wall". All marathon runners know about the wall. The wall is not a fun place to be. I just felt exhausted as if all my energy was gone, yet I knew I still had 9 miles left to run which was mentally challenging. At Mile 18 I cramped up, mostly in my left calf muscle. MM slowed back with me while I fought through these couple of miles. He was supportive and motivating, reminding me to put one foot in front of the other. By Mile 19 I was breaking through the wall and feeling stronger. Miles 20-24 were a different kind of challenge. This leg of the race as on a highway running into the wind. It was long, boring, and physically hard. Marshall hit his wall in this area, he felt light-headed and weak. I slowed to stay with him and he fought through it. At mile 25 we finally exited the dreaded highway portion. I can't describe to you how much we hated that part of the race! Mile 25 was still hard, but better because we knew we were approaching the end, completion finally looked like a reality. When we hit Mile 26 we rounded a corner and there was a 2/10 of a mile stretch filled with cheering crowds, blaring music, and a huge finish line banner. We kicked it in and finished strong, holding hands as we crossed the finish line, both so proud of our accomplishment!!!!
Matt and Sheila started in Corral 5 and ran a faster pace, because they were already finished they were able to loop back up and watch MM & I cross the finish line! It was great having familiar faces cheer for us!
Post Race:
Medals. Photos. Mylar Wrap. Iced Knees. Tylenol. Bananas & Bagels. Live Music. Free Beer!
That night I treated myself to lots of food and some celebratory wine!
Sunday, November 6th:
My favorite part of today was eating lunch at Paula Deen's Restaurant (Lady & Sons) with Papaw & Gigi and the McChrystal Family. Family, friends, and delicious fried chicken!!! Mmmmm
Monday, November 7, 2011
Savannah Rock n' Roll Marathon Weekend
Friday, November 4th:
We packed up and headed south today. The drive was beautiful with all the trees changing colors. We checked into our hotel and met up with Matt and Sheila. [MM's brother and sister-in-law] Once downtown we stopped for a high carbohydrate lunch in the "City Market" area. All runners had to be registered for the race by Friday evening at the expo center of Savannah. We waited in a long line for over an hour to catch a ferry to the expo which sits right across the river. The weather was originally forecasted to be calm, sunny, and 70s. It was cloudy, windy, and a cool 50 degrees instead.
My happiest moment of today was arriving to the Health Expo, checking in to receive my bib {Runner #7095} swag bag, and sweet marathon tech tee! It made the marathon feel more real to have all my gear and knowing that the next day I would be trying to conquer a lifelong goal!
Saturday, November 5th:
MARATHON DAY!!!
5am: woke-up, ate breakfast, dressed in layers and gathered running gear.
545am: caught shuttle from hotel to starting line area.
645am: With our gear checked and our trash bags on we found our waiting area, corral 7.
725am: National Anthem for the 23,000 runners
730am: Wave 1 starts... Corral 7 started at 737am.
Miles 1-13 were awesome!!! MM and I both felt great! We made the rookie mistake of running faster than we had trained to run. We were caught up in the atmosphere and excitement. There were so many runners filing the road, spectators lined the streets with signs and balloons cheering us on, and because it was a Rock N Roll event there were bands playing every mile or so. The prettiest part of the run was from Mile 7-11; we ran through some of the older downtown areas that had big southern homes and oak trees covered in Spanish moss creating a canopy about us. We found our friend Wade at Mile 8. His wife was there taking photos and while we stopped to have her take ours, he came up on us! Mile 14-16 we began to tire, we were settled into the race, some of the excitement was wearing off and I was getting hungry. Mile 17 I started to hit my "wall". All marathon runners know about the wall and the wall is not a fun place to be. I just felt exhausted as if all the energy was gone, yet I knew I still had 9 miles left to run which was mentally challenging. At Mile 18 I cramped up, mostly in my left calf muscle. MM slowed back with me while I fought through these couple of miles. He was supportive and motivating, reminding me to put one foot in front of the other. By Mile 19 I was breaking through the wall and feeling stronger. Miles 20-24 presented a different kind of challenge. This leg of the race was on a highway and we were running into the wind. It was long, boring, and physically hard. Marshall hit his wall in this area, he felt light-headed and weak. I slowed to stay with him and he fought through it. At mile 25 we finally exited the dreaded highway portion. I can't describe to you how much we hated that part of the race! Mile 25 was still hard, but better because we knew we were approaching the end, completion finally looked like a reality. When we hit Mile 26 we rounded a corner and there was a 2/10 of a mile stretch filled with cheering crowds, blaring music, and a huge finish line banner. We kicked it in and finished strong, holding hands as we crossed the finish line, both so proud of our accomplishment!!!!
Matt and Sheila started in Corral 5 and ran a faster pace, since they were already finished they were able to double back and watch MM & I cross the finish line! It was great having familiar faces cheer for us!
Post Race:
Medals. Photos. Mylar Wrap. Iced Knees. Tylenol. Bananas & Bagels. Live Music. Free Beer!
A shout out goes to Matt for finishing his second marathon and to Sheila for setting her personal best time. We enjoyed sharing this experience with them. Way to go Jordans!!!
That evening I treated myself to lots of food and celebratory wine
Sunday, November 6th:
My favorite part of today was lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady and Sons. We ate there with Papaw & Gigi and the McChrystal family. Friends, Family, and Fried Chicken!!!
We packed up and headed south today. The drive was beautiful with all the trees changing colors. We checked into our hotel and met up with Matt and Sheila. [MM's brother and sister-in-law] Once downtown we stopped for a high carbohydrate lunch in the "City Market" area. All runners had to be registered for the race by Friday evening at the expo center of Savannah. We waited in a long line for over an hour to catch a ferry to the expo which sits right across the river. The weather was originally forecasted to be calm, sunny, and 70s. It was cloudy, windy, and a cool 50 degrees instead.
My happiest moment of today was arriving to the Health Expo, checking in to receive my bib {Runner #7095} swag bag, and sweet marathon tech tee! It made the marathon feel more real to have all my gear and knowing that the next day I would be trying to conquer a lifelong goal!
Saturday, November 5th:
MARATHON DAY!!!
5am: woke-up, ate breakfast, dressed in layers and gathered running gear.
545am: caught shuttle from hotel to starting line area.
645am: With our gear checked and our trash bags on we found our waiting area, corral 7.
725am: National Anthem for the 23,000 runners
730am: Wave 1 starts... Corral 7 started at 737am.
Miles 1-13 were awesome!!! MM and I both felt great! We made the rookie mistake of running faster than we had trained to run. We were caught up in the atmosphere and excitement. There were so many runners filing the road, spectators lined the streets with signs and balloons cheering us on, and because it was a Rock N Roll event there were bands playing every mile or so. The prettiest part of the run was from Mile 7-11; we ran through some of the older downtown areas that had big southern homes and oak trees covered in Spanish moss creating a canopy about us. We found our friend Wade at Mile 8. His wife was there taking photos and while we stopped to have her take ours, he came up on us! Mile 14-16 we began to tire, we were settled into the race, some of the excitement was wearing off and I was getting hungry. Mile 17 I started to hit my "wall". All marathon runners know about the wall and the wall is not a fun place to be. I just felt exhausted as if all the energy was gone, yet I knew I still had 9 miles left to run which was mentally challenging. At Mile 18 I cramped up, mostly in my left calf muscle. MM slowed back with me while I fought through these couple of miles. He was supportive and motivating, reminding me to put one foot in front of the other. By Mile 19 I was breaking through the wall and feeling stronger. Miles 20-24 presented a different kind of challenge. This leg of the race was on a highway and we were running into the wind. It was long, boring, and physically hard. Marshall hit his wall in this area, he felt light-headed and weak. I slowed to stay with him and he fought through it. At mile 25 we finally exited the dreaded highway portion. I can't describe to you how much we hated that part of the race! Mile 25 was still hard, but better because we knew we were approaching the end, completion finally looked like a reality. When we hit Mile 26 we rounded a corner and there was a 2/10 of a mile stretch filled with cheering crowds, blaring music, and a huge finish line banner. We kicked it in and finished strong, holding hands as we crossed the finish line, both so proud of our accomplishment!!!!
Matt and Sheila started in Corral 5 and ran a faster pace, since they were already finished they were able to double back and watch MM & I cross the finish line! It was great having familiar faces cheer for us!
Post Race:
Medals. Photos. Mylar Wrap. Iced Knees. Tylenol. Bananas & Bagels. Live Music. Free Beer!
A shout out goes to Matt for finishing his second marathon and to Sheila for setting her personal best time. We enjoyed sharing this experience with them. Way to go Jordans!!!
That evening I treated myself to lots of food and celebratory wine
Sunday, November 6th:
My favorite part of today was lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady and Sons. We ate there with Papaw & Gigi and the McChrystal family. Friends, Family, and Fried Chicken!!!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Multiple favorites today. It was a good day.
Today was an easy day, I actually had to narrow the list down and still couldn't pick just one. So here they are, my favorite moments of today...
1. Watching (and cracking up) while Jase & Ruby (one of our dogs) play a version of peek-a-boo around a laundry basket in my closet. It was too funny to not record! I'm adding a link to the video.
Watch them here.
2. Afternoon massage in preparation of this weekend's marathon. An hour of pure relaxation.
3. Laughing out load, multiple times, while watching Modern Family with my husband. That show has some amazing writers. And great actors. "Drink-a-doodle-do!"
1. Watching (and cracking up) while Jase & Ruby (one of our dogs) play a version of peek-a-boo around a laundry basket in my closet. It was too funny to not record! I'm adding a link to the video.
Watch them here.
2. Afternoon massage in preparation of this weekend's marathon. An hour of pure relaxation.
3. Laughing out load, multiple times, while watching Modern Family with my husband. That show has some amazing writers. And great actors. "Drink-a-doodle-do!"
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
budget
My favorite moment of today was while Baby J was napping. Last night we put him to bed late and he didn't sleep very well. It's amazing how much babies thrive on routine and how the slightest change in that routine and cause problems. This morning he also fought 2 different attempts at napping. So this afternoon as silence came across the baby monitor I made myself a cup of coffee and indulged in a couple biscotti while I worked on balancing our October budget and setting our November budget. Some people might think I am insane to use my small piece of "down time" for budgeting, but I enjoy it. Budgeting leaves me feeling accomplished and in control.
One more moment that is definitely worth mentioning happened just a few minutes ago. MM accidentally swallowed an ice cube from his water cup and as the cold lump worked it's way down his esophagus he danced around the kitchen rubbing his throat and chest. He reminded me of a sexy back-up dancer under a waterfall in a music video! Hilarious!
One more moment that is definitely worth mentioning happened just a few minutes ago. MM accidentally swallowed an ice cube from his water cup and as the cold lump worked it's way down his esophagus he danced around the kitchen rubbing his throat and chest. He reminded me of a sexy back-up dancer under a waterfall in a music video! Hilarious!
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