Short & Sweet

My Dad

2011-01-10T08:40:00.008-06:00

Below is what I read at my fathers burial:

I guess it seems fitting that I began writing this the other night at 3:25 am sitting at the kitchen table with an open bag of chex mix. As we all know Dad enjoyed staying up all hours of the night in his kitchen chair snacking on something.

I know Dad didn't want chit chat at his burial but I would hope he wouldn't mind me sharing some memories of him and why he was such a great dad.

Dad was a very unique person. I am pretty sure Karl & I had the "weirdest" dad around. Most people wouldn't describe their father as weird. But, I remember calling him that one time when I was a teenager. Dad said being called weird was a compliment! I didn't really understand what he meant at the time. Now I believe he was the expressing the fact that being weird is being yourself, expressing yourself, enjoying the things that bring you joy without caring what others think of you.

Dad was very unique in that he loved animals of all kinds. Dogs were his main passion as we know but he enjoyed reptiles (snakes and alligators) fish, and tigers to name a few. I have many memorable moments with dad's pets.

I remember the time he brought home a small snake. He was holding it for me to see and I decided to pet his head. The snake of course didn't appreciate my loving gesture.
I know that mom remembers the time that Grandma Nash & I came home and was greeted at the door by Dad's pet alligator.
Of course all my memories of all the dogs we had growing up and all the many dog shows we attended on the weekends. Sam & Rocky having puppies was an experience as well.
I love the fact that in the later years the cat "Stranger" became part of the family as well. Dad's love of animals says so much about his unconditional love and generous heart he showed every day.

Dad always was giving to others unconditionally. Not only did he work hard all his life and save his earnings to take care of us but he was always generously giving to others too. Without spoiling me, or maybe spoiling me a little, he always wanted to buy me the things I wanted. The many times he encouraged me to pick out the shirt or trinket that I wanted but to buy several of them in different colors. When I had friends spend the night, he would take us to the grocery store and buy us all the snack we wanted.

He knew that I loved panda bears so he always bought me anything and everything he could find with a panda bear. Once I told him that I wanted more cookbooks so I received countless cookbooks from him. Not to mention all the books & models he lavished upon Karl. He was also very generous with gifts for Mom. He was ALWAYS helping and sponsoring countless people and their dogs.

I was always so proud of how intelligent Dad was and knew that he would always have the answer to our question or would know where to find it!

Dad loved food and enjoyed eating to it's fullest! We always knew how to make him happy with his favorite foods! And of course he started our family tradition of New Years Eve Restaurant Hopping.

Dad also had such a great sense of humor. I hope that none of us with forget the sound of his hearty laugh! I smile when I think about it.

I have so many more memories that I could share but all of them would remind us of what a great father he was and a loving husband! A very unique man that had a huge heard and shared unconditional love to everyone he came in contact with. He also was a father and husband that kept his word no matter what. Just like the refrigerator magnet in the kitchen says "Make a Promise - Keep a Promise!

Keegan & Logan: I hope from the times that you spend with Grandpa/Papa that you learned all these valuable lessons from him. To be yourself no matter what others say or think. To love others unconditionally and give generously. To enjoy life to the fullest as you can. To be an honest, sincere, trustworthy, unselfish, hard working, loving husband and father. Your Grandpa/Papa sometimes was a quiet man but from his actions you could always see all these attributes in the way he lived his life dad to day!

Dad- We will miss you sitting in your chair at the kitchen table. We will miss your awesome laugh. We will miss all your great jokes that sometimes went over our heads. We will miss your teasing nature. Kevin will miss stealing things with you from restaurants. We will miss your generous heart and unconditional love! We will miss all your weirdness! As my friend Shana said to me in a text the other day, "You are such a wonderful woman, I am sure he (your dad) had a lot to do with that." Thank You Dad for raising us to be stand up, honest, caring adults like you were! We Love You!!! We will see you and all 20 dogs again someday! Enjoy the second part of your life to it's fullest! We know that you will!!!!

I love you, Dad!!!

Tom has inspired me!

2010-09-13T13:44:00.002-05:00

Amazing how one mundane Monday can turn into a special day? How one simple "have a great day", which is what the lady at Chik-fil-a said to me as I drove away from the drive thru this morning, can really be inspiring? Today has become that for me thanks to Tom! Or should I say Blake, the founder of Tom's Shoes. Have you heard of it? Unfortunately, I hadn't heard of Tom's Shoes until this past June when I took my son to his college orientation. A sign in the admission center was advertising that Blake of Tom's Shoes would be visiting the campus to speak to the students. It had no idea who that was. My son Keegan knew and he was very excited! Keegan simply explained to me that this guy started a shoe business and gave shoes to kids who needed them. Since June, Keegan figured out that this was the Blake he remembered from the reality show Amazing Race from several years ago. He has been really looking forward to hearing Blake speak.

Today as I was skimming over facebook, I saw that today was the day that the guy from Tom's Shoes was going to be at the university and I could watch the live feed on my Mac. I was excited to hear Blake's story and especially share an event with Keegan even though I am over 200 miles away. Technology, huh? Blake's story is very simple. He explained how he was inspired to start this shoe company so that he could help put shoes on children's feet. He explained how it grew from making 250 pairs of shoes in the beginning three years ago into a company that this year will have given over 100,000.00 shoes to children in need! It is a simple but so incredibly inspiring story!

I sat here in my quiet, humble living room listening to Blake tell his story with tears in my eyes. Touched by the giving heart that he has but tears for the longing in my own heart to find what service God would have me to do. A longing to know where I am supposed to be and who I am supposed to helping. A need to know what my purpose is as I approach my 46th birthday. I found myself sharing tearfully again with two people last week my need to find God's purpose in my life.

Please check out Tom's Shoes website and buy some shoes! Maybe that's mine and yours first simple step in helping others! And as we help others, God may reveal our true Divine purpose!

I'm Back!!!

2010-08-31T11:31:00.000-05:00

You Make Me Smile!!!

2009-08-10T14:55:00.001-05:00

You're better then the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow, that's right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me,
Lets me know that it's ok, yeah it's ok
And the moments where my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking the sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Don't know how I lived without you
Cuz everytime that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

by Uncle Kracker

Today's Bible Verse

2008-07-29T12:33:00.001-05:00

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Lizard Mania

2008-07-25T08:32:00.003-05:00

This cute little guy and his family members have been floating around our office lately.

He was hiding in my drawer -

YIKES!!!!!

P.S (he's not real)

Sushi Day!

2008-07-15T11:28:00.009-05:00

I have always heard friends talk about how much they love Sushi! I tried Sushi on the occassional trip to the Chinese Buffet - hmmmm - not that great I have always thought. After discussing with various friends to take me to a really great Sushi place - finally on my birthday my co-workers took me for my first "real" sushi experience. See pictures below:

Don't I look excited? I hate close up pictures by the way!

My mouth is full of Sushi here - Yum Yum!!!!

We ordered ALOT of Sushi!!!

And this is my Sushi Birthday Cake! Although, I would have like it better if it had been real cake! It's very pretty though, isn't it?

Shhhhh.... don't tell anyone!

2008-07-01T11:53:00.004-05:00

This has been under my desk since I started my job about 3 years ago. Sometimes I rest my feet on it. Today, I just noticed the little note on the side. I thought it was funny!

Danskin 2008

2008-06-10T21:38:00.000-05:00

My son is Wiley Middle School 7th Grade Athlete of the Year

2008-05-30T10:05:00.003-05:00

I am such a proud Mama!!!!!!!!

Our newest addition to the family....

2008-05-28T13:12:00.002-05:00

His name is Slider. Isn't he a cutie?

Visit to Galveston

2008-05-28T12:57:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year , I think?

2007-01-01T13:43:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday - we did!

I couldn't ask for more: Celebrating Jesus; lots of quality time spent with my husband, boys, friends, and family; much needed rest and relaxation ( maybe too much - I will explain); lots of presents from Santa Baby ( I got a new camera- yahoo); lot's of good food (too much of course); and fun, fun, fun. But just like any really good story comes the conflict, right?

I think I have injured my leg. The new year has started today and I'm not sure running a marathon is on the calendar this year. I am really hoping it is all my imagination, all the leg pain that is, and everything is going to be fine. I hope to schedule a little visit to the wise doctor this week to give me the verdict. My leg feels great as I am sitting here typing, even most of the time walking, but running- forget it.

My mind tells me I'm just being a wimp and I'm not tough enough but my heart tells me something is wrong.

We shall see!

Please pray for healing, for my leg and my heart.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-20T11:29:00.000-06:00

Time is literally flying or running by me. I can't believe it's been two months since my last post. I have been unusally busy with work and running the last two months. Thank You for those who have checked on me - I really appreciate it!!!!!

I wanted to wish everyone an especially Very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year.

I hope to post occasionally but I will check in after I run the marathon in February. Until then I'm not sure if I will have a chance.

God Bless You!

Any Suggestions?

2006-10-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

It has been over a year since we said goodbye to our sweet Kasey girl. I am just now seriously considering making the big plunge into adopting a new puppy into our family. I have never been great at making decisions, especially big ones.

The question: What kind of puppy should we get? I would really like a Golden Retriever but the rest of my family doesn't want a really big dog. I want a dog that will run with me but we all have to make compromises, right? The poodle mixes are adorable but apparently very expensive - Kev doesn't necessarily want to spend a couple thousand on a dog. I'm not sure I do either.

I definitely either want a dog that can be inside or out, minimum shedding and barking, and a friendly, lovable dog. And of course a dog that won't dig, chew, or destroy my carpet- lol. Decisions....... decisions.....

Anyone have any suggestions?

After I figure this one out than we have to think of a name........

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

2006-10-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

It is a gloriously cool breezy Autumn day! Right now the temperature is a fabulous 55 degrees with a high today of 62!

Now that is more like it!

I hope it is a beautiful fall day where you live, too!

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Busy Days of Autumn

2006-10-12T14:17:00.000-05:00

Is it really Autumn? I guess it is officially but we have only had a few days to tease us into thinking it is fall. I am patiently awaiting consistently cool breezes flowing through our hair. I know it is coming but it is so hard to be patient. I want to start wearing my hoodies, long sleeves, and jeans!!!!

I have been busy these days with working part-time, cheering my boys in football, and running.
The rest of my activities fill in the spaces: Beth Moore Bible Study on David ( really awesome), keeping L ( my 6th grader) on task with school and homework, watching all the new shows (thank goodness for DVR), keeping my house clean, and keeping my family alive (feeding them).

So, all of the above has taken me away from blogging - but I shall return periodically.

I so wanted to take a picture of this absolutely beautifully very large spider web in between two large trees in our backyard. I need to go take a photography class (and get a new digital camera) so I can share all these interesting occurances that take place in my back yard.

Anyway, let me know if the real Autumn comes your way. I would love to hear about it.

Speaking of birds.....ouch!

2006-09-21T12:51:00.000-05:00

My son called me the night of the "bird convention" in our backyard. "Mom, there was a huge bang on the window and there is a bird laying on our steps to the back door. He is still alive. What should I do?" My advice was just to leave him alone and I would check on him when I got home. The bird we hope survived because when I got home he was gone and I didn't see him anywhere in the yard. He left behind seeds from our tree and several loose feathers. Later that evening I noticed a mark on our window. It is an exact outline of where the bird hit. You can see his wings, his sideways body, and an outline of his eyeball. Ouch! He hit really hard. I wish I could take a picture of the outline but it won't work with my digital camera. It is so funny how you can see exactly how that poor little birdy hit.

It reminded me of times when I have been walking fast on a mission or running and without any warning I hit a huge obstacle. One time I ran directly into a street sign pole. I was too busy talking and didn't see it in front of me. The other time I was running on the sidewalk and didn't notice that the sidewalk was out of line and I tripped and hit the ground full force. It is painful and extremely embarrassing.

If I figure out how to take a picture and post it for you , I will. It is such a good reminder for me to slow down and pay attention.

I think the convention is over!

A Bird Convention

2006-09-18T12:57:00.000-05:00

I didn't get the memo that there is a bird convention going on in my backyard today. I could sit here for quite awhile watching them. I have seen black birds, humming birds, blue birds, cardinals, and various other colors of birds hanging out in my yard lately. I enjoy watching them but I suppose I should take some pictures or learn about the different kinds of birds. What if a very rare bird appears - I wouldn't have a clue. And then every once in a while one flies right into our windows - ouch - the loud thump makes me jump everytime.

They are so cute! I think it's time for me to get a pet.

Marathon Training

2006-09-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

As of September 2nd I started training for the AT&T Marathon in February 2007. As of today I have started a training diary of the whole five month experience. I am anxious, a little scared, and excited about my new endeavor. I truly believe that anyone can accomplish their goals - nothing is impossible ( especially with Jesus Christ). I just hope my fourty- one year old body will cooperate with this new goal. I am just going to do my best!

The training group that I am in is awesome. Approximately 200-300 people of all shapes, sizes and ages. Some are training for the half marathon and others will walk the full marathon and the rest will run. The groups are based on how fast you comfortably run one mile. I am in the 9- 10:30 minute mile group. I ran with my group for the first time on Saturday and I felt very comfortable with the pace. I was about in the middle of the group. It should be very enjoyable and challenging.

No pain - No gain!

Too cute!

2006-09-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

For those I love.......

2006-08-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Find Your Wings

by Mark Harris

(click above to listen to song)

It's only for a moment

that you are mine to hold

The plans that heaven has for you

will all too soon unfold

So many different prayers I'll pray

for all that you might do

But most of all I want to know

you're walking in the truth

And if I've never told you

I want you to know that

as I watch you grow

I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams

and that faith gives you the courage

to dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

so let my love give you roots

and help you find your wings

May passion be the wings that leads

you through your days

And may convictions keep you strong

guide you on your way

May there be many moments

that makes your life so sweet

Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams

and give you the courage

to dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

so let my love give you roots

and help you find your wings

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky

I'll have tears as you take off

But I'll cheer you as you fly

I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams

and give you the courage

to dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

so let my love give you roots

and help you find your wings.

An Angel to My Rescue!

2006-08-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

On Friday I decided to take my mountain bike out to my favorite running spot. I was fighting the "not really sure what to do with myself lately" blues! I packed myself up and put my car keys and my ipod in my running pouch. I attached the pouch around my handle bars and took off on the winding trail. When I got to a bridge that attaches the trails I decided to stop and put on my ipod. I pulled it out of my pouch, strapped it on, and went on my merry way. As I was retracing my way on the path back to my van I noticed an elderly man coming towards me on his bike. He was holding his arm up and dangling some keys from his hand. I couldn't hear him because I was joyfully listening to John Mayer's Daughters song. After I passed him I stopped, took off my earphones ,and turned around. He had stopped as well and asked me if the keys he was holding were mine. I squinted to focus on them. Oh my goodness, they were my keys. I walked over and snatched them from him as I was thanking and blessing him.

What a very kind gesture. What an angel. The trail we were on spans approximately eight to ten miles. I am not really sure when my keys flew out of my pouch but I was so relieved the nice man took time out of his day to rescue me. So...... I was thinking..... I obviously need to pass it on or like the movie titled " Pay It Forward" starring Helen Hunt.

I hope you encounter an angel this week or, even better, have the opportunity to be one!

Laundry, anyone?

2006-08-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

We never are lacking in laundry, are we? My older son K has this very annoying habit of leaving his wet towels on the floor after his shower, therefore he never reuses his towel.
How many times do I need to ask before he will break the habit?
The great thing right now is he takes his morning shower at school after football practice - it is really nice - and they do the laundry! I love it!

We went to K's highschool open house last night! Very impressive! It brought back fond memories of my highschool days. Although we didn't have things so great in our day. I am so excited for him - I pray the next four years are full of learning and great memories!

Laundry isn't so bad........ is it? Ugh!

Hope you have a bright,fresh, sparkling clean day!

2006-08-14T07:25:00.000-05:00

No, today is not July 28th nor is it a Friday. I hope I didn't confuse you this morning or get your hopes up. It is in fact Monday!

Are you addicted to coffee? Basically coffee motivates me to get out of bed in the morning. I can't wait to have that first sip. I drink mine with fat free half and half. This month I am brewing Snickernut Cookie. It's okay. Definitely not my favorite flavors. I can't really taste the cinnamon. What is your favorite?

I drink about five cups each morning or three mugs full. I am wondering....... is all this coffee bad for me? I heard one study that some coffee is good for you, but five cups each day? What do you think? My coffee is the only caffeine I consume all day. I drink water the rest of the time.

Hope your coffee is steaming hot and delicious this wonderful Monday morning.

Have a great week! (School starts - yea!)

An Amazing City

2006-08-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

Just returned from San Fran and Tahoe - Whoa - I am amazed at God's creation! I can't wait to go back!
Here we are on the "crooked street". The flowers are beautiful!

How many more days of summer?

2006-07-26T08:24:00.000-05:00

Don't get me wrong - we have had an awesome summer! It has been crammed pack full of fun, adventure, sun, sand, water, friends ,laughter, and lots of excitement ........ i am exhausted!

Before I go any farther.... update....... Logan had a great time at camp. He loved it and wants to go back next year!

So.... Kevin and I have one more adventure and then I think I am ready for reality to kick in and to get back to a normal schedule. My workout schedule has gone to pot. My kids sleep schedule is to not sleep. I need some major "Me" time.

I am a little anxious about my children beginning middle school and high school but nonetheless... i am ready.....i think?

how many more days?

I miss him

2006-07-21T07:43:00.000-05:00

My son L has been at Camp Peniel for five days. This is the first "real" camp he has been to where I haven't been able to talk to him on the phone or have any communication with him whatsoever.

What do I mean by "real"? You know, sleeping in a very primitive cabin, canoeing in the lake, riflery and horseback riding.

The camp takes pictures each day of the children doing various activities. Of all the 500 pictures taken this week he appears in 4 of them and they are all close-ups except for one of him swimming in the lake. It drives me crazy because I have no idea what he has done all week except swim in the lake!!! Ugh! And one of the pictures he has this really horrible look on his face! Why would anyone post that picture? We are supposed to see our children laughing and having fun at camp, right?

Kevin assures me that he is having the time of his life - not to worry.

Above is a picture of L & I on our family vacation at the beach! This is the kind of pictures I had hoped to see of him - my happy, comical, silly L!

Well, we pick him up tomorrow morning - I CAN"T WAIT!

Their Back

2006-07-15T09:12:00.000-05:00

Our cute little deer family has been visiting quite a bit lately. Usually bright and early in the morning and sometimes at dusk they come to visit our neck of the woods. It is hard to get a picture because when I open the door of course their cute little ears perk up. As you can see in this picture they are very aware of me. I was only able to catch one of the babies here but there are two. The other night we actually had two different moms and three babies visiting. It is a special treat to my day........ i imagine after awhile it won't be that exciting to me... but I enjoy watching them now. Not sure if they can jump over our fence. I might not be as welcoming if they help themselves to breafast in our flower beds.

And the question that I still ask is.... where do deer live? I know in the woods, but where?

OUCH!

2006-07-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

My husband and son were in an accident last Friday. An eighteen wheeler ran a red light outside of our subdivision. L and I happen to be right behind them and witnessed the whole thing. We actually saw the truck coming for them before they did. I was talking to my husband and I screamed when I saw it coming. Scary, huh?

God was protecting them because it hit in front as you can see and neither of them were injured.

Praise God!!!!!!

Extremly Eventful Weekend

2006-06-28T22:45:00.000-05:00

My uneventful weekend changed drastically on Sunday. K had a 10:00 am game and a 4:00 pm game. His team ended up winning second place. K was disappointed. He is very competitive. I was very proud of him! He had an awesome month of baseball. Out of I think twenty five at bats he only got out two times and he had the most RBI's of his team. During his last game Kevin called to tell me that L's team won their third game of the day making them one of the top four teams out of 32 in the South State AAA USSSA Select Tournament. L's team has been together three years and this was by far the most successful tournament they have ever had. Because they won they would stay over into Monday to play in the final four.

I decided I needed to be there to see them play. A friend and I packed up and drove to Beaumont at 9:45 pm Sunday night and arrived in Beaumont at 3 am. The drive wasn't bad at all. After a few hours sleep we woke up, ate breakfast, and went to cheer on The Jammers in their first State Championship Game. Unfortunately they lost 8-4 to a Houston team but it was so worth the drive to be there! We drove home later.

We are so proud of The Jammers!

Uneventful Weekend

2006-06-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

I shouldn't complain. I have been waiting patiently for one. And now that it is here..... ugh! I just can't stand to miss out on fun eventful weekends, but I am.

Kevin and L are away at our last baseball tournament of the season. K and I are home for his tournament. Unfortunately, we were awaken by a nice thunder storm with heavy rain this morning which would normally be wonderful except not on a baseball tournament weekend. We waited all day to find out that K's game was postponed until tomorrow. So basically we sat around the house all day. I did get alot accomplished but I felt like we were really missing out on the fun with Kevin and L.

We ended the day with a very nice shopping experience at Target. We lingered around the deoderant isle smelling Axe (that's good smelling stuff) . We had a nice conversation with the checkout boy about the fact that there must be subliminal messages unconsciously heard while shopping there to "buy, buy, buy". Am I the only one that spends way too much money in Target? We also visited Marble Slab and Hollywood Video. Came home, grilled chicken and in a few minutes I will be enjoying Tristan + Isolde and if I can stay awake Prime with Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman with a nice glass of Chardonnay. K decided after watching the soccer games recently he would rent a soccer video game- not sure how that is going.

The baby deer haven't come back for a visit yet.........I am waiting patiently.,,,, if they come to visit it would definitely be worth staying home this weekend. Of course, my quality time spent with my teenager is well worth it!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Fathers Day Weekend was Over the Fence!

2006-06-19T08:08:00.000-05:00

Whew! Today is my first day of rest, well besides the fact that my house is somewhat unorganized and I have loads of laundry to finish and lots of other stuff to do.

One week ago I completed my fourth sprint triathlon. I was competing against myself again this year. I wanted to beat my time of 1 hour 44 minutes from last year. Drum roll.........................

My time this year was 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My swim and bike were my best ever and I did better than last year on the run taking 6 big fat minutes off my time! Woo Hoo! I am very reluctant to post this picture (swim caps don't suit me well) but this is before the swim with my friend Mendy. This was her first triathlon and she definitely is a very tough cookie!

Anyway, back to this weekend. After a week at camp, I returned home on Friday to both boys baseball tournaments. K's ended up being cancelled because we had some really nice rain on Sat and Sun which was too much for the fields but L played. On Saturday I was late getting to his game. L's team was first to bat and he is the first batter. On a full count ( 3 balls and 2 strikes) he smacked one over the fence for his very first homerun!!! Another Woo Hoo! Of course I missed it because I was late which is quite a bummer, but very exciting none the less!

We finished off the weekend with an awesome steak and shrimp dinner grilled on our new Weber and a nice rest in Kevin's Fathers Day gift! Ahhhhhhhh!!!

Oh, I forgot..... as we were eating dinner we saw the absolutely cutest sight in our backyard. Two baby deer and their mom. The babies were playing in the greenbelt as their mom supervised. I didn't get my camera out in time, but I hope they come back for another visit.

The Lazy Days of Summer?

2006-05-30T09:29:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone - although I don't know who all is out there lately. I have been so swamped with end of school activities and training that I have neglected my blog. This week begins our summer which is so exciting to me although most of June will be unfortunately busy.

Our Memorial Weekend was quite nice. We finally broke down and purchased a pool table, which was unusually stressful for me, but I am good now. Of course, we have been pooling most of the time. I am raising young pool sharks.

We invited some friends over for dinner Sunday night. It was very nice, although I am still working on my hostessing skills. I tend to overdo when I entertain. I always prepare way too much food, which I guess is better than not enough. And I tend to fret too much about every little detail. I am trying to train myself to relax and enjoy, which I did most of the time. I think overall everyone had a good time and enjoyed themselves - I hope!!!!

This week, at least for a couple days, the boys and I will sleep late and be lazy. After that we will play baseball ( every weekend this month), celebrate K & L's birthdays, participate in VBS, attend baseball camp, K starts strength and conditioning camp which last for the first half of summer, Danskin is on the 11th, and on the 12th L & I leave for church camp in San Marcos for a week.

My definition of summer is sleeping in, laying around the pool drinking lemonade, and walking around barefoot in a tank top and shorts and doing absolutely nothing and having fun at the same time. Maybe in July?

What is your favorite thing about summer?

I am thankful God has given us so many wonderful opportunities this summer!
I hope yours is full of fun as well!

May flowers are here!

2006-05-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

May is an extremely busy month in my house. I have one son finishing middle school and the other graduating from elementary. They both have many end of year activities including the continuation of baseball. It is exciting, fun, and emotional!

I haven't been very faithful to my blog but I will be around every once in awhile!

I hope your April showers brings lots of May flowers!

Bless You!

Step by Step

2006-04-29T07:35:00.000-05:00

My twelve year old son wrote this poem for his english class.
My husband and I were impressed with it.

I think he is growing up........

Step by, step by step
She glided through the hall
Walking slowly, walking tall.

I suddenly got the nerve to say hello
Thinking about her soothing soul
She kindly said "hi" back to me
Then she walked off beautiful and pretty.

All day long I thought of the girl
Her and diamond pearls
The ones that shined ever so brightly
I suddenly saw them glowing in the night.

I ran over to achieve my destiny
Hoping she wouldn't get the best of me
I never thought it would turn out like this
She hugged me and gave me a kiss.

Cute, huh?

Tri Training - Yahoo!

2006-04-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

This week begins my annual Danskin Triathlon Training! I love it! I love it because I need the weekly guidance it gives me. My trainer telling me each day what I need to be doing, how far, and how fast.

Every Thursday and Saturday morning I will meet with my group to swim, bike, or run ( or a combination of two). The other days my trainer gives us a schedule to follow. I wish we could meet together everyday. I love Meredith, my trainer, cheering me along with every stroke, pedal, and step.

I need a cheerleader following me around every minute of my day. "Great job, Peg!" "Way to go." " It's okay, Peg, you will do better next time." "Get your butt off that chair, girl." That's exactly why I can't go hardly a second without Jesus walking by my side. He is the best cheerleader I know! He is always walking by my side, unfortunately I need to be walking by His as well. It is a constant challenge. But just like the triathlon it is an awesome one!

I want to do better this year! I want to get in that open water and swim with great confidence. I want to spin like crazy up those hills. And I want to run, run, run with great enthusiasm up that really big hill at the end of the race. I am sooooo excited!

I will be posting our weekly training on The Runner Inside of Me just in case you would like to train too!

Come on - you can do it!

Happy Spring!

2006-04-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter celebration! We did! I have been so super busy with baseball and other stuff but I wanted to make a point of posting a note before I get to all the must-dos today. There are way too many, unfortunately.

One thing I love about living in Central Texas are the Bluebonnets. I look forward to them every year and every time I drive by a blue patch I ooooo and ahhhhh! There are very few around my area this year but one day I looked outside my front porch and saw this lone bluebonnet in my bed. I don't know here it came from but I am blessed that it has made a home there! I hope to see her year after year!

I know one of you could turn this post into a very inspiring devotional! Simple minded me will just say:

Thank You God for flowers and the joy and peace you both bring to the earth!

Realization

2006-04-03T10:20:00.000-05:00

It came to my mind last night after dedicating a whole weekend working a baseball tournament for my son L's baseball team and watching Chef K's five baseball games; after reviewing our week's schedule of three more baseball games, two track meets, and another weekend of baseball and L's school carnival..... what will K & I do when our children leave and go away to college?

Cry, sleep, and work to pay for college? I can't even comprehend what life will be like......

I can't think about it.

"This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Five Wierd things about me!

2006-03-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

I am a perfectionist procrastinator.

I am obsessed with poptarts and cereal marshmallows (it stems from my childhood).

I have an odd, dry sense of humor.

I will do just about anything for a back massage.

I love just sitting and watching people.

Do we have anything in common?

Obsessions!

2006-03-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

One of my obsessions is sugar! I love all those chewy, gooey, smooth, crunchy sweets - Candy, cookies, cake, chocolate, cheesecake, and ice cream - anything with sugar involved. But, when I can't go a day without it there is a problem. So, on Ash Wednesday I decided that I was going to begin a forty day fast from sugar. In other words, rely on God, not sweets. Comfort in Him, not in dessert.

I have been successful so far and I will succeed because I have made a commitment. I am an expert at keeping commitments, It it just difficult making them.

Speaking of temptations....since that Wednesday ,Chef K has make chocolate chip cookies and then he made these beautiful delights during spring break - Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies - I can't even savor the crumbs. Shame on him!!!

But, together we made a wonderful meal last week from his Food Network - Favorites - Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs Cookbook. We made Dave Lieberman's Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Mango-Basil Salsa & Lime Jasmine Rice... and it was amazing! It had a subtle sweet spicy taste.

Here is another food picture for your viewing pleasure:

I was able to eat every single morsel - it was divine!
Bon Appetite!

Spring Break, already?

2006-03-10T09:09:00.000-06:00

We all say it, "I can't believe how fast this year is going!" My children even say it now. So of course in my mind I am in disbelief that Spring Break is next week, already! Unfortunately, I am not really that excited about it. Because of my husband's profession we have no opportunity of traveling this time of year. I guess the boys and I could venture out on our own but nothing exciting comes to mind.

So, we will hang out and spontaneously find fun activities to keep us entertained. Bowling, movies, shopping ( they are both into that now), hanging out with friends, eating out, etc......
My hopes are that I will actually get some bigger chores marked of my list. Cleaning and organizing the garage, organizing the millions of pictures I have in my upstairs closet and begin the daunting task of scrapping, finish lining my kitchen cabinets with shelf paper, plant some flowers in the empty pots in the front yard. K & L are really into running track right now so we plan on heading over to the park for some sprinting. I would also love for Chef K to try out some of the recipes in his Food Network cookbook he received from me for Christmas. If so, I will post some pictures.

Sounds really exciting, huh? Maybe not, but I hope we will find some adventures along the way. Trust me, I will let you know if we do. I am very thankful to spend quality time with my boys! Before I know it they will be off on their own adventures without me!

What are your Spring Break plans?

Getting on with my day.......

2006-03-07T10:08:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have the great opportunity of sitting around your house by yourself, in your pajamas, drinking coffee with bed-head hair , no make-up , really bad morning/coffee breath and doing absolutely nothing? Well, not really nothing....but close to it.

Well, that is what I have been doing this morning. It is 10 am! This is what happens to two hours of my day when I sit and email/blog on my laptop in my cluttered living room adjacent to my messy kitchen.

Okay, back to reality!!!!! I quit working about a month ago. My job was temporary. It was lots of fun. I really enjoyed being one of the millions of Americans that struggle getting out of bed, spend fifteen minutes figuring out what to wear, scurrying around the house to get everyone out the door, and joining the crowds that are sharing the roadways to experience THE daily grind. I liked the paycheck, too.

Now my job is getting my body back in shape and the other thirty tasks I have on my to do list!
What would I do without my list....... I would be lost!

So I am off to swim! Trust me, it's not fun putting on a bathing suit the beginning of March - UGH! But it will be worth it, eventually........

Hope your morning was much more productive than mine has been so far!!!!
Did you get anything crossed off your list?

Great Advertising

2006-03-03T17:24:00.000-06:00

This happened to me one day. Since we moved in our new home many companies leave pamphlets on our door for lawncare, softwater systems, blinds & windows coverings, and rain gutters. One day I came home and there was a pamphlet and flyer laying on my entry way tile floor. I saw it, picked it up and the whole time I was thinking: "How in the heck did they get this in here?" I checked the door - it was locked. I tried sliding the info through the door - didn't work. I was really freaked out. Then I noticed it was an ad for a security company. Wow - this was a great advertisment. They know how to get in my house......I was thinking- they have proved my need for a security system! Whoa!

Turns out they did slide the papers through the side of the door. Kevin figured out how they did it when he got home that night.

They absolutely got my attention!

Viva Las Vegas!

2006-02-22T09:51:00.000-06:00

Well, since you asked, jettybetty:

My husband and I had another glorious weekend in Las Vegas. This time we shared it with our special friends: Kim & Clark, Elvis, and The Blue Man Group! And not Barry Manilow, boo hoo!

My great friend Kim invited us to join them in Las Vegas to surprise her husband Clark for his 40th birthday. We have wanted to go on a trip with them for quite awhile and this was the perfect opportunity!

Kim had a great plan to surprise Clark. Kevin & I met a limo in front of The Venetian and snuck inside. Clark got in the limo and we yelled "Surprise" (of course). He was speechless and totally shocked! The limo took us to The Elvis Chapel! Kim had arranged for Elvis ( yes, he is alive) to renew their wedding vows! Awesome, huh? It was a hoot!

The chapel was very quaint. Not long after we arrived, Elvis greeted us! Elvis is looking really great for his age, don't you think? We took a few pictures with him and then we proceeded with the ceremony. Elvis walked Kim down the aisle as he sang a song. It looks like Kim was crying but we were all actually laughing hysterically. He led the ceremony- they exchanged vows and rings. He then sang another song. We took more pictures and went on our marry way.

The next night we experienced "The Blue Man Group". It was totally different than I expected it to be - really interesting and funny! The only disappointing part of the whole weekend was that Barry wasn't in town. We have to go back to see Barry! I missed you, Barry!

Other pictues from the weekend:
Shrimp Scampi, a famous scandelous ex-baseball player(do you know who it is?), The gardens in the Mirage, and dinner at The Venetian.
That's all the pictures I can show you because you know:
What happens in Vegas - Stays in Vegas! lol

My Romantic Valentine!

2006-02-20T15:46:00.000-06:00

Although Valentine's Day was celebrated by most about six days ago, my husband and I celebrated this weekend! My husband is always full of all kinds of surprises, mostly really great ones. This Valentine's Day (the actual day) we exchanged gifts. My theme this year was red. Everything I bought the boys was red. K got a new red baseball bag and Under Armor shirt. L got a red Nike shirt and shorts (really cool ones). And I bought my hubby red running shorts and an Under Armor shirt. I did all my shopping at Academy in about twenty minutes. My gift to my hubby wasn't quite as romantic as his to me! He bought me a necklace that I was admiring in the Brighton store on our recent trip to Las Vegas. I need to blog about our visit with Elvis while we were there.......

Anyway, we had decided because of our hectic schedules that we would wait until this weekend to go out on a Valentine's date. I knew he was making the reservations. What I didn't know was instead of dinner reservations he was making Bed & Breakfast reservations in Salado, Tx. (and dinner ones, too) We had a super romantic overnight date. I love bed & breakfast inn's. We spent our honeymoon in one and our first anniversary- both my husband's surprise. Anyway, this one was wonderful with a cozy fireplace in our room. The wintery weather this weekend cooperated nicely! It was perfect!

Thanks for my romantic valentine , Sweety Pie!

My new ride!!!

2006-02-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

Finally, two triathlons later, I am happy to announce I have purchased my very own road bike. It gives me a new excitement and motivation for this years race. Shopping for bikes is a little intimidating considering you can spend anywhere from $600 - $5000 on a bike. It is crazy! And then you add in all the accessories: helmet, gloves, clips, shoes, pants, shirts,water bottles, and other things that I don't even know about yet. I am very excited about my investment and can't wait to ride it!

Since I bought the bike, I have put about 65 miles on it. Oh, my bottom feels the pain. I haven't invested in any biking shorts yet. Note to self: Buy Biking Pants. They have a nice little cushion in the seat! I have a few more accessories to get as well. I definitely look like a real dork on my bike right now. Compared to all the seasoned bikers here in Lance Armstrong country, anyway! That's okay! The fact that I am out there pedalling my heart out is awesome!

Oh yes, and I had my official first fall, too. When you stop and you forget your foot is in still attached to the pedal, and you fall over - it is a very humbling experience - quite humourus as well!

Wow - that's somewhat accurate!

2006-02-06T09:46:00.000-06:00

I took "The Five Factor Personality Test" that I found at Gayle's blog and here are the results:

You have medium extroversion.You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time."

Conscientiousness:
You have medium conscientiousness.You're generally good at balancing work and play.When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:
You have high agreeableness.You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:
You have low neuroticism.You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:
Your openness to new experiences is low.You're a pretty conservative person, and you favor what's socially acceptable.You think that change for novelty's sake is a very bad idea.While some may see this as boring, many see you as dependable and wise.

Very intersting! This is all very accurate except for Openness to experience. I would say mine is medium but probably not high. I would like it to be at times, but I am very dependable and sometimes a little boring.

Take the test!

Odds and Ends pictures

2006-01-16T14:53:00.000-06:00

Our new chairs, Ziggy, and me!

Have a great week!!

A Blast from the Past!

2006-01-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

When I was growing up my absolute favorite comic strip character was Ziggy! Do y'all remember him? I still have a stuffed Ziggy doll in the attic (along with all my pandas, of course). That reminds me - I really appreciated all your great advice on my Panda collection. I haven't done anything with it yet. Well, it's been a little busy since then.....
Anyway, today I was shopping for a new calendar. I had seen a Ziggy desk calendar when I was Christmas shopping last month. I hoped it was still available. My second choice was The Far Side. I love that kind of humor. Well, aparently not a whole lot of people loved Ziggy as much as I did. There were a slew of calendars leftover from Christmas. When I saw Ziggy it just made me smile inside! Ohhh, what a great way to start everyday this year. I just love that little guy! I went to the ziggy website and downloaded Ziggy on his scale.

So, my question for you today is what or who is on your 2006 calendar? AND....

What is your favorite comic stip character?

Challenges for the New Year!

2006-01-04T06:25:00.000-06:00

Not in any specific order:

Be more disciplined in my prayer and quiet time with God.

Get back in triathlon shape. I haven't swam or biked in many months but I am purchasing a new road bike soon. I will post a picture when I do!

Update and improve my blog. Anyone have any tips or advice for me on this? I would like to jazz it up a bit...... And then start posting on my running blog again.

Work on my arms and abs. Two of my Christmas presents were an Ab Lounger, and weights( Yes, that's what I asked for).

Scrapbook - I am really behind.

Continue getting our new home decorated and organized. It is coming along. We bought some new furniture this weekend. A new recliner, a chaise lounger (I call it a "fainting couch"), and an end table. The end tables we have are ancient!!! I think they are a few years younger than me. I will post pictures when all of them get here. We still have many more purchases to make: A nightstand for me, a dresser, an entertainment center, chairs for the game room, a breakfast table, and more. There is also some painting I would like to do. It will take time!

Entertain more in our home! I have no excuses anymore. I have lot's of room to have friends over. Lot's of partying in 2006!!!!!!!!

I think this is the year that I need to train for the full Marathon for 2007! I am ready to do it but I need someone to do it with me! I know I can do it myself it would just be more fun with a friend.

So, I was curious what I challenged myself to do last year....hmm....oh yea....... here was my New Year Post in 2005. Let's see - I definitely did all these things more: ran, shopped, ate out, blogged, took pictures, and hung out with my guys. Hey, that was easy...... I'm sure this year will be a little more strenuous.

I hope yours is blessed!

Hook Em Horns!!!

Chicken enchiladas and coffee, anyone?

2006-01-03T05:13:00.000-06:00

I think it was "Hey, Babe" or something like that. It awoke me around 4 am. I was in the middle of Chuy's chicken enchilada dinner dream with friends. My eyed popped open. My husband was happily snoring beside me. Did he actually say that out loud as he was sleeping or was someone else communicating with me? Well, it worked. I am up! Been up for over an hour now.

Sometimes I think God wakes me up. "Spend some time with me - I miss you", he says suddely. Maybe I woke up because last night I was worried that our new alarm wouldn't beep at us at six. Or maybe those enchiladas were making me really hungry because my stomach was growling at me. After laying in bed for awhile, I decided I better get up and spend some time with God . When He speaks loud enough to wake me up, I listen! Then I decided to lay on my chair and a half in the living room and my mind just kept wandering. Some of my best blog post have come to me in the early hours of the morning. So, thanks to my new lap top I am blogging with my two fluffy pillows and my black fur blanket in the dark. It is now almost 5:30, I am still hungry, wide awake, and writing this post.

Back to reality today. The boys are going back to school. Kevin & I are back at work. Life continues as normal. Making lunches, basketball practice, carpooling, waiting in traffic, homework, erronds that have been put off. Two weeks is a nice length to have a break. Just enough time to rest. I am ready for the normal routine. Really?

Our Christmas break was a great success. I will write about our trip to Amarillo. My boys and I shared some great time together. I am so thankful for them. I love my reality !

Well, my early morning has come to an end. Time to get up and get in the shower. Time to take on the day. I am actually ready to go back to sleep now. Too late! Coffee, anyone?

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2005-12-24T11:59:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a fabulous Christmas! I hope you all feel the love and peace of our precious Savior ,Jesus Christ! Happy Birthday, Jesus! Have you heard that Christmas carol, Happy Birthday, Jesus? I love that song and I have yet to hear it this year.

I just finished a short run before I deliver some baked goodies to special friends. I have to run today considering all the tastes of sugar plums that have touched my lips in the last couple days. My boys are out golfing today. That would be a first for them, golfing on Christmas Eve, that is!
We will go to our church service tonight and then out for dinner. Then off to have a long winters nap before the jolly ole man comes to visit. Boy, part of me is sad that Santa doesn't visit our house anymore but the rest of me is sooooo glad. Christmas Eve is much more relaxing these days.

K reminded us that this is maybe the first Christmas we have spent alone, just the four of us, without other family. We will visit other family later in the week.

I want to share this photo of the boys. We went and saw Polar Express in 3D earlier in the week. It was sooooooooooo fun!!!! I cried, of course!

Oh, and one more note....before I logged on to my blog I noticed a story on msn that a woman swallowed her cell phone???? I hope she's okay! If someone called her would you be able to hear it ring? Never say never!

Merry Christmas!!!!

A lighter heart today!

2005-12-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

My heart is much lighter today. I was able to talk to my mom yesterday. She was waiting to go into another surgery. She sounded really well. The surgery went good. We think now all the complications are taken care of and she will be able to go home in a few days. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray that no other unforseen events will occur.

Merry Christmas!

Blessed to be Blogging, again

2005-12-19T09:39:00.000-06:00

How can I not blog when I have a new Dell Inspiron Notebook (early Christmas present)? It is a must especially when I can write anywhere - in bed under the covers, in the kitchen while I am cooking, in my big chair in the living room while I'm drinking hot mocha chocolate with a huge dallop of whip cream ( one of my favorite things by the way- the whip cream), at Starbucks (I haven't actually done that yet, but I can!) , in the bathroom while I am getting ready for the day and sitting outside on my backporch (although it is a little cold for that today).

So..... I feel led to share how blessed I feel today even though I have a heavy heart.

I feel blessed because (not in any specific order):

I am blogging in my unmade bed in my pajamas at 9:48 am.
I can be home with my boys today even though L is already bored.
I am able to celebrate the birth of Jesus and His love for me!
I have an absolutely incredible ,loving, giving, sweet, romantic, awesome husband!
My oven is working now..... I will share the story later.. and I can start baking goodies.
That I have precious friends that are always there for me when
I need them!
The opportunity to visit with old friends.
That I am somewhat finished with shopping and now I can just enjoy.
That we don't have to be anywhere this week.
That I finally got my Christmas cards finished (and almost mailed)

My heart is heavy because:

My mom is in the hospital this morning. She has been there since Wednesday. She had a new pacemaker put in but the doctors are struggling to regulate her blood pressure and prevent her blood from clotting. She if frustrated because she had been there longer than she thought she would and is anxious to get home. I can't talk to her because there is not phone in her room. I can't visit her because she is in another city. I called my good friend Kim yesterday and asked her to go visit her for me and possibly let me talk to her on her cell phone. I'm not sure if that's going to work but it is worth a try!

Please pray for her! I know God is in control!

Hope you have a blessed day!

Just not in the mood!

2005-12-06T17:04:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone! I feel like I am really neglecting my blog. Don't really know why, but I'm just not in the mood lately! Don't really know what to say.....my mind had just been blank and I really haven't felt like writing anything at all! Maybe because I have been busy, but I don't think that's it really. I am just speechless, which is actually very odd for me.

I miss you all! I will be checking in with all of you to see what is going on in your worlds.... and eventually I will be blog worthy again quite soon!

The one thing that I do want to share with you is something I heard at our church Christmas program:

This Christmas, think of what gift you can give Jesus - He has already given us everything we need!

Cute gift ideas!

2005-11-23T17:40:00.000-06:00

We had friends over last weekend and they brought us this cute "Smore Maker"(pictured on the left) for the kids to make smores. It is so much fun for any age children (including me). You actually toast the marshmallow over a small open flame- Yum. I love toasted marshmallows. I decided to buy one for our new neighbors for Christmas. I found it at Sears Grand for $19.99. Don't tell me if you find it cheaper....

I bought a "Fondue Pot" because I have been wanting to "fondue". I made a great Swiss Cheese fondue recipe that everyone loved. But of course I can't wait to melt chocolate in it -double yum!!

I think both of these would make great little gifts, don't you?

Gobble Gobble Gobble -
Happy Turkey Day!

Got any great gift ideas to share?

Just a little unexpected quiet time

2005-11-21T08:43:00.000-06:00

Last year about this time I was posting about all of the things I am so very thankful for and how I am blessed beyond belief and how Life is Good. This year I haven't slowed down enough to ponder God's blessings in my life. I haven't felt that sweet nudge in my heart, you know the one that comes along suddenly and makes you realize how blessed and thankful you are and brings a small tear to your eyes? I suppose I am talking about God's presence and the Holy Spirit.I know God is always with me and I know that I have the Holy Spirit within me - don't misunderstand. And it's not that I don't feel incredibly blessed for all that God has done in mine and my families life - I do - I just need to slow down, relax, and spend some quiet time with Him.

Since I began work my life has been hectic to say the least. A good busy, the kind where you still have all the various details under control. Weekends are usually for slowing down but very rarely this occurs in my home. This weekend is a total blur at the moment. As I am sitting here typing I can hardly even remember what took place this weekend. Seriously, that is not a good sign!

I do remember last night very clearly. As I was on my way home from doing a Pampered Chef demo (the first one that I have done in a year or so) I called my husband to see how baseball practice went. He informed me that there was "an incident". An incident? "Oh, did L perform poorly at practice?" "No", he replied. "Did you and L have a falling out at practice?" "No", he said again. "Okay, well can you talk about it over the phone?" There was quiet on the phone. "Okay, what happened?", I asked impatiently. Finally, Kevin informed me that while doing infield practice the baseball took a bad bounce and hit L in the mouth.

We decided to keep L home from school today. The whole right side of his top and bottom lip are swollen and cut. It is not pretty. He can't talk very clearly or smile. It has been awhile since either of my sons has incurred a sports injury. One time when K was younger he was hit in the face with a baseball so hard that the stich marks from the ball were indented in his cheek. Ouch!

So, because of this I am home today instead of at work and I am able to catch up from the weekend, put all the pieces of this house back together and ponder about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. I am really looking forward to some much need rest and quiet time.

Everyone is blogging about what they are thankful for this holiday season - I am thankful for a few days of r & r with my family (and shopping).

Stayed tuned to hear about my families annual early morning shopping excursion on the busiest shopping day of the year-woohoo!

Live like you are dying!

2005-11-17T05:45:00.000-06:00

"Live like you were dying" .... Have you heard the song? I have been doing a lot of radio station flipping lately and have come across this song a couple of time. A good song and a great concept.

Do you live each day like you are dying? In other words, do you live each day like it was your very last one? No tomorrow to do better and be nicer. No tomorrow to get this and that done. No tomorrow to tell that person you are sorry and how much they mean to you. No tomorrow to get it right with God. You get the point, right?

What would your last day be like? I would hope to have about a couple months to prepare. Most people don't have that luxury. In Tim McGraw's song the dying man decides to be a better husband and friend, took the time to go fishing with his dad, read the Bible, analyzed how he could live a better life, went sky diving, mountain climbing ,and loved deeper and spoke sweeter.

I would be making a lot of phone calls and visits or would it just be easier to write everyone a letter saying goodbye and sharing with them how they inspired my life. Of course there are those special people I would just like to see smile one more time - hug one more time - laugh with one more time.

Yes, I would love to go sky diving and explore Germany and Hawaii. I would walk barefoot on the beach and ski in the mountains one more time. I wouldn't be too busy to play ball with my sons or invite friends over for dinner. I wouldn't waste my time in front of the television. And I wouldn't want to be working because I would be too busy getting everything else accomplished.

I would spend every single priceless last second with my husband, children, and family. And, last but definitely not least, I would want to be in constant communication with God and reading His Word.

So again I ask you, "Do you live each day like you are dying?" Is it really possible? I want to spend all my time with God but what about all the daily life distractions? We can strive to better our relationship with Him each day. Is it realistic to see all the special people from my past one last time before I die? I try to keep in touch with most of them by phone or email and hope that I can see them again one day.

Realistically, I think all we can do is strive each day to be the best we can be to everyone we love and to our neighbors on this earth. I think sometimes we just need a reminder that our lives could end sooner than we think.

What would you do?

And the kitchen......

2005-11-11T10:50:00.000-06:00

Before:

After:

I am so excited!!!!!!

2005-11-07T22:11:00.000-06:00

Those who know me well won't be surprised that "I am excited"! I use to sing that song quite a bit: "I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it." And I am a very exciteable person meaning it doesn't take much to get me there.

As I was driving home from my new job on Friday ,I definitely was very excited. I am thrilled to be working and earning a paycheck. It is good to be doing something different and to have some new responsibilities. The hours are perfect even though my husband continues to tease me about not working 8-5 Monday - Friday. The work is easy and might get a little mundane, but I am not complaining!!!!!

Although my week is going to be insanely busy, it helps me to be a little more organized because I have to be. No time for laziness!

God is good! All the time!
I hope your week is good!

I can't remember the last time I.........

2005-11-03T14:03:00.000-06:00

I am starting a part-time temporary job tomorrow at a local accounting firm. I can't remember the last time I worked a "real" job. I have had my own business as a Pampered Chef Consultant going on seven years but I haven't been working very hard at that lately.

I am looking forward to dressing up and going to work tomorrow. It should be very interesting. My boss is really hot! Oh, I mean really nice. So, I will be working a few days a week for awhile. Hopefully I will have some interesting stories to tell (especially about my boss).

I also can't remember the last time I was sick. I never get sick. I just have a small cold but it has been at least two or three years since I have had one. I will survive!

Oh, by the way, my boss is my husband!

No tricks, just treats!

2005-10-31T08:48:00.000-06:00

Treat #1

I really like JettyBetty's definition of Halloween! We won't have visitors tonight except maybe the two neighbor boys next door because my whole neighborhood is under construction. Maybe we will spy a black cat or a skunk crossing the street. L will go out and about with friends in another neighborhood. He has always hated dressing up for Halloween so I'm not quite sure what he will be tonight. He says "James Bond." We will see.......

Treat #2

We had a really nice weekend. My mom and uncle came to visit and got the official tour of our new home. We did the touristy stuff on Saturday. Here are the boys with my mom before our "Duck Tour". It is a very fun, informative tour of downtown Austin. The Duck drives around and then you proceed directly into Lake Austin. It is a very strange feeling driving into the lake. After the tour we went to visit the bats that live under Congress bridge. There are millions of them literally - great activity right before Halloween!

Treat #3

As we were waiting for the tour we browsed around the Visitors Bureau store. My son K that is wearing his UT shirt in the picture wants a Hook 'em Horns room. For those of you who don't know it is University of Texas Longhorns. There was a UT poster on the wall in the store. I asked the sales clerk if they had any for sale. She came out of the back with one and told me we could have it for FREE! It was priced $30! We were thrilled! It is a picture of the UT Tower lit orange!
Treat #4

And last but definitely not least is the extent of my free halloween decorating: A real spooky spider and large web conveniently located on my front porch window!

Treat #5

The weather has been absolutely marvelous lately! Perfect autumn weather!

Hope your day is also filled with lots of fabulous treats!

HELP!

2005-10-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

You all know that I am a pack rat. Well, moving has motivated me to go through some boxes that have been around for a very long time. Three of those boxes housed my precious Panda Bear Collection!

When I was young I collected Panda Bears! If I remember correctly it began when I was in third grade and I did a report on Pandas. For about twelve years I collected with the help of my dad. When I got married the collection was boxed up and put in the attic of our first home. When the boys were babies some of the pandas appeared as nursery decor. We moved in 1996 and the boxes resided in our attic for the nine years we lived there. And that brings us to present day.

I have a dilema! I don't know what to do with my precious pandas! I just can't "bear" to give it all away! I need your help and advice! I am a little embarrassed that I am 40 years old and still loving my pandas!

What should I do with my collection?

Kim says give them away. My husband just keeps his mouth shut-smart, huh?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Running with Barry!

2005-10-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

I had a inspiring run with Barry this morning at my favorite place! My friend Karen gave me Barry Manilow 2 Nights Live cd for my 40th birthday (one of my best gifts, I might add). And just now folks as I was pulling out the cd case to share the info with you I realized something exciting: There are two cd's because it is 2 nights live! I have only been listening to the first night live. And what a night it is! I get chills just imagining if I was sitting in that audience with Barry, or on stage with him ( I can dream, right?) I have one more night to listen to!!! Woo Hoo! I am popping it in my computer right now!

Anyway, if you didn't already know I am a huge Barry fanatic. Well, fanatic might be too strong a word.... I don't obsess about him... but I do love his music very dearly and have felt this way almost all my life. As I was running this morning listening I was contemplating whether I really "love" Barry himself. On the cd someone from the crowd yells out "I love you" to him and he says " I love you, too" back. And it made me think about that concept of "loving" a famous person that you really don't know personally but feel like I do. Oops, I have gotten a little off the subject......
It was a glorious morning running with the sweet sounds of Barry in my ear, a cool autumn breeze on my face, and tree leaves falling all around. I never get tired of his music. It inspires me, makes me smile, brings tears to my eyes, and touches my heart! Some of my favorites: Mandy, Even Now, This One's For You, Looks Like We Made It, Can't Smile Without You, I Made It Through The Rain, Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again, Somewhere Down The Road.... I love them all!

I realized that he is now performing in Las Vegas and we will be there next year - guess which show my husband and I will be attending?

Okay, enough about Barry....

Who's music do you adore?

What is a topiary.....

2005-10-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

.....my sons asked........

Anyway, here is one that Kim made for my house. I'm not too keen with the candles on the side, but the topiary is beautiful, isn't it?

It was a fab weekend!

2005-10-18T11:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I was dragging with big ole bags under my forty year old eyes. Staying up all hours of the night doesn't agree with me now that I am an old lady. The weekend was fast and furious but extremely productive!

I picked Kim up from the airport Thursday around 11-ish. We immediately hit the stores on the way home and we shopped and decorated continuously except for eating and sleeping until Sunday about 3-ish.

I am ecstatic about the work we accomplished!

Here is my favorite, our master bath:
BEFORE:
AFTER:

Wah Lah! Cool, huh?

I will post more later in the week!

An exciting weekend ahead!

2005-10-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

I will be very busy this weekend because one of my best friends Kim is coming to visit tomorrow. She has been my friend forever and she is my personal decorator! She is THE best friend and decorator a girl could ever have! This will be her third official decorating assignment. The first was in my old house. The second was to help me pick out colors for my new house. And now she will assist me in arranging and picking out deco for the new house. I am absolutely helpless without her! So..... for the next four days we will be shopping, arranging, laughing, and crying (we always cry for some reason or another when we're together). I can't wait! !!!!!!!!

I wanted to post some before pictures of the house and then next week I will post what we actually accomplished. Our main focus this weekend is:

1) the kitchen

2) three bathrooms (the guest bathroom not pictured)

3) dining room (sorry no picture)

4) living room

I will update you next week!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Our neighborhood is going to pot!

2005-10-11T15:19:00.000-05:00

As I sit at my computer this is my view out the window to the front of my house. All day long trucks pull up in our cul-de-sac and stop here to use the facilities. Funny, huh?

Do you think it is odd that I have a port-o-potty across the street from my home?

I guess it doesn't really bother me, just makes me laugh. Our home is only one of four new homes in this section. The rest are under construction so there are a few p-o-p's in the area.

I really have some great scenic views from my house! lol

Welcome Home!

2005-10-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

The main question of the last two weeks...Are you settled in your new house? But a better question is: Will we ever really be settled or organized? I would like to think so but not too sure!

This week I have been a little anxious about getting things accomplished. We have made great progress but have had some very minor details hold us back. For example, We can't seem to get the trash men to pick up our trash. I have called a handful of times and spoken to the right people and our trash is growing much faster than the new Crepe Myrtle we planted.(Maybe another post about the Crepe Myrtle looking very ill.) Maybe today will be the day? I have also found that my telephone jack in the kitchen is silent. The phone guys are going to have to tear into a wall to find the problem. And then there is time, not enough of it. Oh, and my great inability to decorate has been a frustration....decorating doesn't come naturally to me.

As I work at getting there it reminds me of Saija's post last week and one of my favorite songs called "Welcome Home" by Shaun Groves. See the words posted below.

I love this comparison of the heart to a home. I have been putting odds and ends (mainly alot of junk that I can't seem to throw away) in closets, cabinets , and drawers but in the haste of unpacking boxes some have not been well organized or dusted. Some boxes of miscellaneous items have been pushed into closets. Therefore on the outside the house looks somewhat settled and organized but if you open some doors you might uncover clutter. The walls are bare as well because of my fear of placing a picture in the wrong spot.

I have been a Christian for almost thirty years and thankfully He has swept, dusted and filled up my empty heart but there are still lots of "creaky doors, dusty floors, guilty stains, and empty halls." And I know someday, "in a blink of an eye" , I will be totally renovated in a subdivision with streets made of gold, no trash to be found, and a face to face communication with Him - no dial tone needed.

Do I need to stress about all the details of life or in our home? It doesn't have to be perfect! "Take me, make me all You want me to be". And in our home Lord, "Spread Your love upon the walls and occupy the empty halls". "That's all I'm asking, all I'm asking" "Every closet's filled with clutter. Messes yet to be discovered. I'm Overwhelmed, I understand I can't make this place all that You can."

So, settled or not,"take a seat, pull up a chair, Lord and Welcome Home"!

What area of your heart can Jesus decorate for you?

"Welcome Home" by Shaun Groves

2005-10-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

Take me, make me all You want me to be
That's all I'm asking, all I'm asking

Welcome to this heart of mine
I've buried under prideful vines
Grown to hide the mess I've made
Inside of me, come decorate, Lord

Open up the creaking doors
And walk upon the dusty floors
Scrape away the guilty stains
Until no sin or shame remains

Spread Your love upon the walls
And occupy the empty halls
Until the man I am has faded
No more doors are barricaded

Chorus:

Come inside this heart of mine It's

Not my own make it home

Come and take this heart and make it

All Your own Welcome Home

Take a seat, pull up a chair

Forgive me for the disrepair

And the souvenirs from

Floor to ceiling

Gathered on my search for meaning

Every closet's filled with clutter

Messes yet to be discovered

I'm overwhelmed, I understand

I can't make this place all

That You can.

I took the space that
You placed in me
Redecorated in shades of greed
And I made sure every
Door stayed locked
Every window blocked, and
Still you knocked

Take me, make me all You want me to be
That's all I'm asking, all I'm asking.

I found it!

2005-10-04T16:45:00.000-05:00

The missing key has been found!

A strange sighting!

2005-09-30T11:58:00.000-05:00

I was enjoying the absolutely beautiful nice cool weather we are having - ahhhhh - in my new backyard. I saw some very unusual birds hanging out there yesterday afternoon so I thought I would do some bird watching and picture taking. No birds this morning but I have posted some of the sights in my yard...
This is the beautiful Live Oak that hangs over into our yard....

And then I spied this unusual sight....what kind of critter could this be?

So, I walked over to get a better look..........

Oh, it looks like a half naked Derek Jeter doll? Poor Derek...... but it's just in time for the Red Sox vs. Yankees series this weekend! Sorry about the view! It's a good thing they don't make male dolls more realistic.... or is it? Naaaaa

And one last picture... this our new pet that lives in our front window in our study. What should I name him? Should I give him freedom? The bug, not Derek!

Go Red Sox!

Not lost - just misplaced!

2005-09-29T15:40:00.000-05:00

Everytime we have moved, which has only been thrice, I lose something of importance. This time it is a key. I can see it in my mind. It is a key on a miniature pink duffel bag key chain. I have had it all my life. It opens a black trunk (which I have also had as long as I can remember).

I am not quite sure what we put inside the trunk. It was packed when we moved in June from our other house to the apartment. The mystery items inside must not be that important because at this moment I am not missing any other items. Maybe the key is inside the trunk?

Well, I was going to post a picture of the trunk, but I lost my digital camera connector..................

.........looks like I might me searching for things for awhile!

Have you lost something of value?

It's quiet.......

2005-09-21T08:58:00.000-05:00

It's almost nine. Today is a big day. I will leave in thirty minutes to close on our new home. We will shake hands with everyone, listen, and sign our names by the X probably about thirty or so times. Then we will leave with our new keys, garage door opener and nice big fat mortgage.

The boys are full of excitement today! Kevin says they are more excited than me. I will be thrilled when we are all moved in and settled but until then loads of boxes to be moved.

I can't believe we have reached this moment....... it's finally here!

I might miss this apartment a little bit........maybe.....maybe not!

I pray that God will guide us, protect us, and use us in our new home. On the back porch in concrete I scratched in this verse:

"Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 22:14

Tears and Laughter

2005-09-19T10:37:00.000-05:00

Mondays....ugh! Today has been a tough one. I felt like a turtle on my run this morning with absolutely no umph! The weekend was fast and furious but lot's of fun!

Last night Kevin and I watched Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Falon. What a great little chic flic and guy sports movie all in one! I love a movie that makes me really laugh and it was soooo cute and romantic! I love a good romance- especially in real life! Are there really great guys like Ben out there (well besides my husband)? What a cutie!

Before sitting down to the movie I flipped through some photo albums. K needs
to turn in a baby picture this week for his school year book. Cute idea for the graduating 8th graders. K was the cutest baby ever! One time we were at a Ranger baseball game in Arlington and a lady told Kevin and I that we needed to make babies for America because K was sooooo cute. Scary thought, huh?

Anyway, lately every time I look at baby pictures I seriously boo hoo! Well, especially because I found a picture of Kasey as a puppy plopped right next to K when he was a babe. If I can get my scanner to work I will post it. It terrifies me how fast the boys have grown up! Simply terrifies me! Maybe I just can't deal with the fact that I am getting old. Not sure!

Laughing and crying are good medicine for me! I hope this week finds you laughing all the way. Oh, speaking of laughter, you need to read this post!

Yes, It's almost time....

2005-09-15T16:58:00.000-05:00

I am having a hard time focusing lately.....lots of things going through my mind. I have been working on a couple posts but I can't seem to finish them... too distracted. The main distraction- moving again!

Many of you have asked about our house..... we are closing this coming Wednesday- hopefully! We will have another walk through tomorrow afternoon. A week ago we walked through with an inspector. It seemed as if there were hundreds of little imperfections that needed attention.

Everything is ready to be moved: furniture, boxes, storage, utilities, and the four of us.

Patiently waiting on the house........

Cute Story!

2005-09-13T09:51:00.000-05:00

On Sundays while I am teaching my sweet girls, Kevin attends a 40's Sunday School Class. During prayer request time this past Sunday, the teacher asked Kevin how our house was coming along and when we will be moving. Kevin answered and then he asked for prayer for our family because of the passing of our sweet Kasey this week. (L and I took it pretty hard.) The teacher immediately announced that he was passing around a sign-up list for meals for us. Kevin and everyone else in the class had puzzled looks on their faces. Everyone was thinking: meals for the death of their dog?

The teacher meant meals for us when we move into our new home! It got quite a laugh from the class. Although the gesture is very, very sweet, I cannot accept meals because we are moving. I know there are others who need help much more than we do. I feel uncomfortable enough in the fact that we are moving into a beautiful home when thousands of people have lost their homes.

I lost my sweet Kasey yesterday!

2005-09-07T10:04:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago I thought it was the end and I was right. I just didn't know how much time we would have left with my precious Kasey.

Kasey was our first baby! We adopted her when she was a puppy . Kevin and I were newlyweds. I'll never forget the day we went to pick her up. She was such a little cutie pie. A couple weeks later I didn't think she was that precious when she chewed up just about every item she could get those cute little teeth on in our house. The joys of puppyhood!

Our first Christmas with her I couldn't bear to leave her at home by herself for the day. She accompanied us to my parents house to celebrate the holiday. She had been majorily spoiled ever since.

I remember being nervous when we brought K home from the hospital because I didn't know how she would welcome a new little being into her space. She sniffed at him and that was all it took. Then L came along and she protected them both just like a big sister should.

About a year ago Kasey became very ill. We spent an outrageous amount of money to bring her back to health. We realized at the time that we needed to cherish our time spent with her!

It's so hard to believe she was apart of our family for almost fifteen years and now she is gone! She was my sweet, precious little girl!

Yesterday was a day filled with lots of tears and sadness.....

It's so lonely here at home without her.....

We will miss you, sweet girl...

FAITH

2005-09-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

If it can be verified, we don't need faith.....

Faith is for that which lies on the other side

of reason. Faith is what makes life bearable,

with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden,

startling joys.

Madeline L'Engle

This is my problem!

2005-08-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when I wrote " If I was a perfect wife and mom...", I wrote it because I was feeling sorry for myself. I go through these stages every so often when I feel like my children and sometimes my husband doesn't appreciate everything I do for them or listen to me. I feel like I am taken for granted.

Today, especially after reading JettyBetty's comment to my post "I will be the perfect wife and mom if I had the perfect husband and kids." it hit me! Am I putting the expectation on them to be perfect? Do I expect them to always understand everything I am saying? Do I expect them to keep a perfect room? Do I expect them to always smile at me and say "Yes, m'am"? To never lose their temper? To always tell me they are sorry? Do I want robot children and a robot husband? Well, it is tempting......hmmmm.....but I think life would get really boring fast! Although, my house would be really clean and sparkly. Oh, back to reality........

Of course their is no excuse for bad attitudes and disrespectful talking back, but I can't reasonable expect for that not to happen every once in awhile because they are human. I just need to continue striving to teach them to be respectful, responsible, God-loving children.

I know that many times I have taken my boys and husband for granted. I have not listened to them. I have been disrespectful. I have not appreciated everything they do for me. I have been selfish. I have been angry. And , yes I will admit it, I make mistakes. The list goes on and on and on........

So....today is a new day. "God puts each fresh morning, each new chance of life, into our hands as a gift to see what we will do with it. " Unknown Author

Thank You, Lord, for this new day. Thank you for my precious boys ,my wonderful husband, and my dirty floors and streaked mirrors!

"Take your everday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him." Romans 12:1

If I was a perfect wife and mom.....

2005-08-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

My children and husband would arise and call me blessed and praise me. (Proverbs 31:28)

Every word out of my mouth would encourage, teach, and motivate them.

I would always put their needs ahead of my own.

"My breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of my breath like apples, and my mouth like the best wine" to my husband. (Song of Songs 7:8)

The boys would always smile and gladly do what I ask.

I would have them trained to always have a clean room, picked up clothes, and clean bathroom.

When I walk in the door they smile and welcome me with joy.

They would graciously accept all of my wise advice and thank me for it.

I would anticipate their every need.

They could eat off the floors, a fresh clean aroma greets them everytime they enter a room, the mirrors and windows sparkle, and the kitchen smells of homemade bread and pies every afternoon.

I would always have a homecooked , healthy meal on the table and they would eat all of it without complaint and thank me for my hard work.

Everything would be put in its place and found when needed.

Laundry would always be crisp and clean, folded, ironed, and put in its place.

Only my love and deeds for them would be enough to sustain me.

I would put the color in their world, a smile on their face, and love in their heart!

Proverbs 31:10-31

Well....... unfortunately, I am not perfect - I will let you know when it happens!

Friday - already?

2005-08-24T16:32:00.000-05:00

Where did the week go? I can hardly even remember Monday but the days flew so fast! I have had so much on my mind this week and have wanted to sit down and blog about it but I never got the chance. So, before I pick up L from school and the weekend hits like a tornado I will do a recap.....

Are you ready for some football? Are you familiar with the song? ABC always plays it before Monday Night Football. My boys have always celebrated the beginning of MNF by singing, dancing, and shouting along with the song. It always motivates me to sit down and watch a couple plays and then I am off to the other television to see what's on. Did you catch that? I am not a huge fan like the other three in the house.

Watching my boys play football is a totally different story! I really get into their games! Anyway, both of my boys are right in the middle of the testosterone filled, tackling, grunting, sweating, kicking, and running game of football! The cracks of the helmets hitting and the cheers of the crowd - there's just something about it that even excites me! Basically I spent a majority of my week taking L to practices and scrimmages and picking up K from practice! Games will start next week! Go Mustangs! Go Hawks!

I also started a Bible Study at my church. I am doing "From Heaven's View" by T.W. Hunt and Melana Hunt Monroe. I am really looking forward to it. I hope to share some of it with you all as I go along!

My sweet dog Kasey was sick this week. I really thought we were going to lose her but I overacted a little bit. She is fifteen years old and I know she doesn't have much time left with us. She is fine but she spends her days sleeping- that's pretty much it!

The rest of my time has been at our house. It is really coming along. Here is a picture I took today of the backyard( view from my living room)! Ahhhh the trees............
I hope you all have a wonderful blessed weekend!

It is Official

2005-08-22T13:16:00.000-05:00

The Countdown has officially begun:

31 days until we close on our house!!!!!

Wow! I am getting a little nervous now! There is a lot to be done!

Luck vs. Blessed

2005-08-18T11:09:00.000-05:00

Several years ago I decided to quit using the word "luck". I would habitually say "I am so lucky" or "That was good luck", etc. I thought about it and I realized that it seemed silly to think that my life was just a bunch of good or bad luck. I trained myself to start using the word blessed instead. At first it was a little awkward but so much more accurate. Although when you are playing a game and you win, luck seems to be the better word choice.

Now when I am in conversation with other people it drives me crazy to hear them use the word luck. I almost always pipe in with my blessed version. Most people totally agree that they are blessed not lucky! There is a huge difference. For example, the definition of luck: The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events. They met one day out of pure luck is the sentence example. I believe when you run into someone at the store or at a restaurant it is part of God's plan. I would definitely say: "Running into my friend was a pure blessing." Good fortune, prosperity, success. I believe if you won the lottery or are very successful in life or business that is definitely God's blessing or plan for your life. To be successful takes hard work which wouldn't necessarily be luck, would it? One's personal fate or lot. Do you believe in fate or in God's Will and Perfect Plan for you life?

Now the definition of blessed is To invoke devine favor upon and To confer well-being or prosperity on.

Well, the reason I brought all of this up is to say that God blessed my husband and I this week. I took my wonderful Honda Odyssey to the shop on Wednesday because our sliding door wasn't shutting properly and the check engine light was on. I also knew that is was time to replace the brakes. The mileage on the van is about 74,000 miles. It is about five years old and has been a very reliable vehicle. We have had absolutely no problems with it. They called me back to tell me that my van's transmission needed to be replaced and they were going to pay for it because the warranty expires at 75,000 miles! Sigh of relief! They are also fixing the door and a couple other things free of charge. Whew! It does bother me somewhat that the transmission would only last five years, but what do I know about the mechanics of a van's transmission. Not much at all!

I truly believe that God blessed us with those fortunate events!

What are your views on this subject?

Besides "Luck Beyond Belief" just doesn't sound good!

Pringles Trivia time

2005-08-17T09:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, I bought a can of Pringles Prints Trivial Pursuit Junior. What a concept! My child can learn as he is eating lunch! So, I just ate the last five because they were too easy but here's one:

What do butterflies use to suck up the nectar from flowers?

Do you know?

Home Alone!

2005-08-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

I am home alone all day.................

I can run through my apartment naked
I can sing at the top of my lungs
I can lay around all day watching tv and eating bon bons
I can blog all day
I can go shopping, get a massage and pedicure
I can take a nap
I can go to lunch with friends
I can sunbathe by the pool

What I am going to do.................

Drive both boys to school
Go running
Clean the bathrooms
Straighten the apartment
Clean the kitchen
Do laundry
Go grocery shopping
Go to the bank
Eat a sandwich
Pick up the L from school
Drive home
Get L ready for football practice
Pick up K from school
Take L to football
Make dinner

It just doesn't sound as exciting, does it?

Hope your day is exciting!!!!!!!!

The calm before the storm.....

2005-08-13T10:58:00.000-05:00

I am sitting in my quiet apartment this morning. It is peaceful. Usually on Saturday morning the television is on. The boys are all doing their own thing. I am cleaning up the kitchen from a late breakfast. This morning is different. Kevin and L are at football practice. K is at a friends house. I went for a run at my favorite place. It always renews my mind and quiets my heart when I am there.

As I sit here in the quiet I ponder our summer as it comes to an end. It was different but good. It was quiet but fun. Ready to start a new school year. Ready for rythym and routine. Ready for driving here and there, back and forth? Monday will start everything in motion and the whirlwind will begin.....

I think I am ready for the craziness to start........... I need the discipline of routine in my life.

Last night I celebrated a night out with the girls. Dinner and a movie: "Must Love Dogs". I thought it was a cute movie. It made me very thankful for a loving and faithful husband. Tonight we will toast to a another great summer with some good friends over dinner! Sunday we will worship and a take a deep breath to prepare for the big week ahead!

Mixed emotions.......YAHOO!!!!!

Incredible words worth reading

2005-08-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

I have been in quite a "funk" lately. I just feel like I am wading through the unending days of summer. Not really sure what to do and no motivation to do it. A little lost. A little lonely. A little bored with life in general. I feel trapped. Anyway..........

I visited Paula's blog this morning.

You have to read this!

Wow!

Blue striped shirt day!

2005-08-08T09:05:00.000-05:00

We didn't plan this but my handsome guys coordinated so nicely yesterday for church. This is a real treat for me because for awhile L wouldn't dare wear a collared shirt because it bothered him. Now that he has to wear them to golf in he will wear them! Yahoo! We bought some really nice ones during tax free shopping weekend! Actually, both boys made a haul! Although he looks very unhappy in this picture it wasn't because of the shirt ( not really sure why). One thing I have learned: Don't take a picture of Kevin and L when they are looking in the direction of the sun because they squint. It doesn't bother K and I, maybe it has something to do with having blue eyes.... who knows! Being a very dark brown eyed girl, I love having a blue eyed husband and son! There's just something about gazing in those blue eyes!!!!!!!

I am really rambling on today...................................

Anyway, yesterday after church we went to Chili's with some friends. I really love Chili's but we eat there way too much!!!!! I love their Quesadilla Explosion Salad, though. Next time I will take a picture despite what Kevin says. After that we had to go by the house, just because. Well, I am so glad we did because we Kevin and K got to meet our new neighbors who are building next door to us in our cul-de-sac. We are the first two houses being built in this part of the neighborhood and the only two houses in this cul-de-sac. Y'all know what a cul-de-sac is right? L and I had already met the mom and two boys next door but Kevin and K hadn't. And we hadn't met the dad, make sense? Well, both families officially met yesterday. They are such a nice family! I already feel like I have known them forever! So very cool!

Well, it is even more cool if you know the whole story........

I talked about my friend Paula in It's a small small world post. What I didn't tell you is that before that happened we were talking and she said, "I know your new neighbors". They work together and at lunch one day figured out that they were building right next to us. And, my other great friend Mendy knows them as well. So, they were telling her what a great neighbor I will be and vice versa. Because I have prayed continuously about this house and the location and my future neighbors- really- I feel like it isn't a small world but God's plan that we have them as future neighbors! And for the third time I say "very cool".

Anyway, no, I wasn't wearing blue stripes and wasn't allowed in the picture. Although, my blue floral dress would have complimented the stripes nicely!

After analyzing this picture I realize it's not the most complimentary picture of Kevin or L, but the shirts are really nice, huh?

Apartment Life

2005-08-03T08:35:00.000-05:00

Things I love about living in an apartment:

1) No yard work .
2) A $12.00 water bill .
3) I get exercise walking up three flights of stairs several times a day!!!! How many calories do you think that burns?
4) A free pool and pool table to entertain my children . We have all gotten really good at pool - even me!
5) Free wireless internet from my neighbor (It's a long story but I am paying for it) .
6) A beautiful view out my patio window - really!
7) Not as much cleaning to do.
8) No decorating decisions .
9) Lot's of friend for Kasey (my dog) to visit with on our walks .
10) Being really close to my family all the time!
11) My boys are becoming more knowledgable about insects (cockroaches).
12) Free bug killing services.

The only one I am being sarcastic about is number ten. Apartment life has been surprisingly pleasant despite the stairs and cockroaches (we have only seen two). It is small but we are all getting along very nicely! Yesterday got to me a little bit. Not much to do around here. Just about everything I own is in a box somewhere (who knows where?). I need something to keep me busy (besides cooking and eating). Ha- everytime I say that my life gets really hectic!

I have no right to complain about anything. I know there are millions of people in this world that have dirt floors and a sky for a roof and no family to hang out with every day. I am reminded again that despite any situation we are in good, bad, temporary, or great that God loves us dearly and blesses us accordingly. Blessings overflowing!

I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessings. Ezekiel 34:26

So... I guess I will officially begin the countdown....

50 more days in our apartment.

I might actually be a little sad to move out - uh, we'll see.....

Our Summer Vacation

2005-07-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

Location is everything! We found this great spot at Schlitterbahn yesterday. I love this waterpark! We arrived about 10:30 am and at fifteen minutes later we were in line for a tube ride. I kept asking Kevin what time it was. "Ten fourty -five " , he said. Okay, we have eight hours and fifteen minutes to play! I just wanted to savor every single second of our one day vacation.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Schlitterbahn. It is rated America's #1 waterpark! I absolutely agree. I love it! Although, Kevin and I just aren't has energetic as we have been in the past. We always arrive at opening, play continuously all day and close the park down at 8pm. We did the same yesterday, but Kevin and I were pooped! I heard Kevin moaning as he was trying to get his bones out of bed at six fourty five. I felt like I had been hit by an eighteen wheeler this morning when I rolled out of bed at nine. But the day was absolutely glorious and worth ever single second of it! If you live in Texas you have to visit Schlitterbahn! If you can, go during the week when it is slighly less crowded.

Great vacation- just not long enough! But none of them are, right?

remember that summer when........

2005-07-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

Years from now we will remember our summer as "the summer we lived in the apartment". Other than that I believe it will be "the beginning of the golf addiction" and "the summer I gained ten pounds thanks to Chef K".

Last Christmas I purchased golf clubs and bags for all three of my guys. The boys had been interested in playing and Kevin enjoyed an occasional game in his post marriage years. I believed it would be a great testosterone activity for them to enjoy together. Well, not quite sure enjoy is the right word choice. They are all very competitive in nature so everytime the ball doesn't cooperate in flight they all get a little testy. You ought to see our family outings to Putt-Putt- not pretty.

The clubs really hadn't been broken in until a few weeks ago. Logan attended a golf camp with three of his friend the end of June. He had a great time and became quite knowledgable and pretty darn good at golf. After that he had to use his birthday money that was burning a hold in his pocket on a more improved golf bag, balls, tees, a towel, and a glove.

Last weekend for the first time in the K family history the whole family golfed 18 holes! Well, I golfed about 9 because I just plain gave up considering I have never learned or played in my forty years of life. It was fun, I guess, but very hot, long, and tiring. Notice, I didn't say relaxing! This week L is playing in a jr golf tournament. Not really sure how that will go - w'ell see!

The real problem I have is K! He has been cooking and baking all summer! Oh, yes, it really is a good thing. The problem is while he is cooking, I am eating and eating and eating! Blueberry muffins, grilled chicken, fajitas, brownies, and his favorite creation: Fudge Spoon Pie with ice cream. Oh my! I have no willpower! Now he wants us to have a cook off like the show Iron Chef America! Lot's of fun but lot's of food!!!!!!! It really has been a blast teaching him how to cook and explore some different recipes.

How many more days until school starts?

Ta Da.............

2005-07-24T08:06:00.000-05:00

It's a little dark (beautiful sunset in the background). The house is bricked, just need to finish the porch (which will be bricked). They have almost finished the bottom floor sheetrock! Yahoo! There will be an end to apartment life soon........ L posing in front of the house. When we were there last night a cute little deer was grazing by our lot! I love it now, but not too sure about when they start eating my flowers in the front yard.
Anyone have any advice on that?

Staying Hot, Baby!!!!!

2005-07-19T16:34:00.000-05:00

Well, again I am hanging out at camp all week with my girls and K & L! We are having a blast at Reunion Ranch in Georgetown, Tx! I have been exhausted and haven't had alot of energy to be blogging but.....

I wanted to share this Bible Verse with you....it is our theme this week........ and this verse always hits home with me...

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukeworm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. " Revelations 3:15,16

It is so great to be at camp with the kids and although the message is for them, I always receive The Word as well!

Have a HOT week!

A Powerful Song

2005-07-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

Tuesday coming home from my morning run I heard a familiar song on KLove.
The song is titled "Held" by Natalie Grant. You can listen to a portion of the song there. I have heard the song several times buy never could quite catch all the lyrics. I ran up the stairs to my apartment and immediately purchased the song and printed out the words. I have posted the words below for you to read.

The song(I am told) is about a mother who lost her child in her arms and two weeks later loses her husband. All day I listened to the song and meditated on the words. I thought about the tradgedies I have encountered in my lifetime. Thankfully, God has spared me from immediate personal tradgedy but I have friends that have experienced it first hand. These experiences have deeply affected my life.

Many years ago a friend of mine from my church in Amarillo lost her husband and three sons in a tragic boating accident. This incident still haunts me today. I still cannot imagine losing your whole family in the blink of an eye. It is incomprehensible. God obviously carried her through. How else could anyone heal from that experience?

Kevin and I had a very special friend named "Tuesday". She passed away in 1995 unexpectedly. She had a heart problem and died in her sleep pregnant with her third child. The last time I saw her was in our OBGyn office. We were both there for check-ups. I was pregnant with L at the time. Her child passed as well. We run into her husband and two children periodically. Life moves on...

The night before last after a day of listening to "Held" I slept very heavy and had one of those very emotionally charged dreams. I dreamt of car accidents, death, grieving, and celebrating life. It was so powerful it jolted me awake around 3am. I laid in bed trying to recap the myriad of events and details and the song played over and over in my head. It took me about 45 minutes to go back to sleep. When I awoke yesterday morning I was exhausted.

I don't fully understand why God allows tradgedy to take place in our lives. I do know that God has taught me some valuable life lessons from the unfortunate events that I mention. I can't even begin to understand what it feels like to personally experience it. I can't imagine how my friend Helen and Tuesday's families lives were changed after those tragic days. Somehow I know the only way they survived was because they were "held" by God's unfailing powerful love, peace, and strength. And I hope they felt His wise "hand open slowly to the lillies of the valley and tomorrow".

I know in the small tradgedies and minute trials in my life I have definitely felt "held". And in everyday life, for that matter. Praise God!

Wow - what a song!

"Held" by Natalie Grant

2005-07-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Two months is too little
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We're asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It's unfair.

Chorus:
This is what is means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred numb our sorrow.
The wise hands open slowly to lillies of the valley and tomorrow.

Bridge:
If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

Chorus:
This is what it means to be held.
How is feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

Uncovering God's Little Gifts

2005-07-13T08:03:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in "I'm Back" post that I was a counselor at Centri-Kid Camp in at San Marcos Baptist Academy in June. It was my second experience at camp and hopefully not my last. I have throuroughly enjoyed my camp counselor experience mainly because I have had the priveledge of spending five days hanging out with girls! What a treat!
Let me explain: Five days of strictly girly stuff; braiding hair, bows, pink and purple frilly things, hugs, girl chit chat, quiet voices (most of the time), compliments, and all around sweetness. Oh my gosh, I can't even express to you how much I enjoy every minute of it!

This year my special group included: Jordan, Madeline, Mikinzi, Kailey, and Lauren. Got to love all those cute girl names! I enjoyed all the girls and their uniqueness. I especially enjoyed becoming friends with Lauren.

Lauren was a little homesick most of the week and hung closely to me for those five days. Lauren is a beautiful girl. She has long straight golden brown hair, big brown eyes, and a sensitive sweet spirit. She reminded me of myself at her age. Lauren and I ate meals together, walked to worship together, sat by each other, and attended Kitchen Kaos together (one of the daily activities we were both assigned to).

I learned alot about Lauren that week. She and her mom are best friends! Her parents are divorced and she rarely spends time with her dad. He is remarried and has other children. Lauren was constantly putting the other campers before herself. For a third grader, I was extremely impressed with her positive attitude and huge sensative heart.

I really connected with Lauren that week. One of the counselors teased that I had a new adopted daughter. The truth is I would adopt Lauren in a heartbeat. Today I found the sweet little note she wrote to me during that week at camp. It reads:

Dear Mrs. Peggie

I am haveing alot of fun at camp.
Thanks for being there when my mom codn't.
I love that you are my conserier.

xoxo (she drew a cute little heart next to this)
Lauren

I teared up when I read it and gave her a big hug!

I have missed Lauren. She hasn't been at church in a couple of weeks. I will look forward to talking with her about how her summer is going. We are both excited about her being in my Sunday School class next year. Getting to know Lauren has been such a blessing to me. It has also made me realize (again) that I have real issues with not having a daughter and knowing I probably never will.

I love my precious boys with all my heart and I would never want a life without them but I definitely have a big empty spot in my heart for a daughter. In spite of that, God has led me to the great joy of sharing Jesus with girls through Sunday School and camp. I am glad I was listening when He called me because I would never have discovered His great blessings for me!

Good Friends, Date Night, and Rattlesnake!

2005-07-12T10:13:00.000-05:00

What in the world could all of these have in common:

We have these really good friends. Their names are Mike and Karen. It is really interesting how God brings people into your lives. We met them out at the baseball fields where we have developed many of our very best friendships! Friendships are such a blessing(tear in eyes). (Sorry, I tend to have these small emotional distractions when I am writing my posts.) Anyway, Mike and Karen have three children. Jon is K's age, Jason is L's age, and then they have a sweet, precious little girl named Lindsey who gives me great big hugs everytime I see her! I am a sucker for little girl hugs.

The boys are really good friends and even though they don't go to the same school they spend alot of fun times together. Fun times include playing baseball (of course), movies, birthday parties, air soft gun wars, swimming, and sleep overs, calling girls, etc...

About once every two months our wonderful friends Mike and Karen invite both of our boys over to spend the night with Jon and Jason. Do you know what that means?

DATE NIGHT !

YAHOO!!!

CELEBRATION!

A few years ago when the boys needed a babysitter this was a very nice treat for us! We could have precious adult time out on the town and not have to pay a sitter! Plus, when we got home we could relax and not have to return to parent mode ( wink, wink - if you know what I mean). What a great concept after years of raising our two precious boys. You know, we went many years without really going out on dates on a regular basis.

A year or so ago Kevin made me sign a contract - yes, made me sign it - saying that we would have a night out together alone or with friends (no kids allowed) every month. I thought it was really silly at the time, but it was a committment we made to each other and an important one! For the most part we have stuck with it!

Back to my story......

Sunday night was one of those nights. We made reservations at Hudson's on the Bend. Our realtor gave us a generous gift certificate to this restaurant. Please make note of their menu. This is what I call an "Austiny" restaraunt. I love "different" cuisine. Kevin might coin it "weird". He is a simple guy. But... we had a wonderful meal!

We started with the" Seafood Crepes - Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, Crawfish, and Crab in Saffron scented crepes with a rich Lemon Lobster Sauce". We shared this - it was good. We were quite conservative considering we could of had" Diamond Back Rattlesnake cakes in a pistachio nut crust coiled atop a spicy chipolte cream". Something in the word choice made me lose my appetite on that one. But, I am sure the rattlesnake cakes are delicious(hmmmmm).

I chose the "Pecan Smoked Duck Breast Shingles with Seared Diver Scallops nestled in Sweet Potato Hash and a Texas Blackberry Chipolte Sauce". It was an excellent choice! The duck and scallops and blackberry sauce was incredible!!!!!

Kevin had the most conservative item on the menu - "The Tejano Surf and Turf. Tenderloin of Beef Layered with Grilled Tomatilos, Jalepenos, and a Big ol' Tiger Shrimp with Melted Pepperjack and Guajillo Sauce". He enjoyed it.

I really wanted to take pictures of our meals when they came out to post for you, but Kevin wouldn't let me, darn-it! Both of our meals were served with a flower and I was wondering if they were edible flowers. I think they were.

Anyway, I would recommend this restaurant next time you are in Hudson Bend! And I recommend trying the rattlesnake (since we were too chicken ((I'm sure it tastes like chicken)) ). Okay, just ignore my punctuation!

The mysteries of my life......

2005-07-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

Why do my waffles only cook on one side in my beautiful stainless steel Cuisinart Waffle Maker?

Why are my boys best friends one minute and the next "hate" each other?

Why am I so facinated with lists?

Why do I still feel so young but have so many gray hairs (and all the brown ones are falling out)?

Why do some hand lotions leave your hands naturally soft and smooth and others leave them oily but dry at the same time?

How can my son L go days without taking a shower and brushing his teeth and when he does get in the shower I have to remind him to use soap?

The male species...enough said.

Why is my teenager so cooperative one minute and arguing the next?

Why can't I get my spell check to work on my blog?

Do you have any mysteries in your life you would like to share?