the rigdons

here and there

2012-01-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

I always love when other bloggers post random lists of things on their mind, but for some reason feel silly when I sit down to do it. Here's to getting over it and posting a random list.

I'm not sure what's up with Oklahoma weather this winter, but it hasn't really been COLD. We've had cold days here and there, but overall it's been a fairly warm winter. I'm not complaining- it's a lot easier to get out and about with a baby when it's not FREEZING.
Speaking of the cold, baby girl has totally messed up my temperature. I am hot all. the. time. I've pretty much lived in t-shirts and cardigans this winter, even on the coldest of days. Which makes me wonder how in the world I survived the heat of summer after I had JM.
I started watching my niece and nephew a couple of weeks ago. I only have them twice a week, and I absolutely love them to pieces, but man I am exhausted at the end of those days. You moms of lots of littles who are close in age, I commend you! You rock!
I'm pretty much obsessed with the website SkinnyTaste. It's got the best, simple recipes, and they're all healthy. In my effort to a- lose baby weight and b- be healthier, I've been using at least two of her recipes in my meal plan each week. So far they've all been awesome!
I joined a gym close to my house last weekend. It's tiny and doesn't have a ton of the extra stuff, but it's cheap, had treadmills and a few weights. That's really all I need. I went for the first time last week and attempted to run. I've got a long way to go, but it felt so good to get moving again!
JM is home from school today. He woke up last night with a fever and nasty cough. I gave him medicine and put him back to bed in our room. Of course, he woke up this morning feeling fine and fever free, but I kept him home and am giving him benadryl to try and dry up his snotty nose!
Something about nursing makes me hungry all the time. I think the last time I went to the grocery store I bought equal parts meal food and snacks. The snacks are all gone.
A long time ago I started a post about words I hope JM never says right. I need to finish that, because those words are quickly becoming right, and it makes me sad. I want him to stay little forever.
I have started watching Gilmore Girls again. I love everything about that show and have always wanted to live in Stars Hollow.
I started going to a mom's bible study at my church a couple of weeks ago. We're going through the book "What's It Like to be Married to Me?" It's such a great group of moms and I always leave feeling so encouraged. Plus it's nice to have real conversation during the day!

Baby Club

2012-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

Last March, Jamie and I met up with our friend Natalie in Dallas for a girls weekend. While we were there, Natalie told us that she was pregnant. It's been so fun going through this pregnancy with her. A few short months later, Jamie told us that she was pregnant too, due in May!

Natalie's little boy, Crosby, was born at the end of September and this week they flew into town so our babies could officially meet. We spent our days feeding babies, talking, changing diapers, eating and laughing. Nothing glamorous, but so much fun being together.

On Tuesday, we went to lunch with Jamie's sister-in-law, Robin, who had a baby only a couple of weeks before Crosby was born. It was so funny to see all of us with our babies, juggling car seats, diaper bags, spit up! I'm sure the people at the restaurant wondered what was up with all these babies!

Thursday we got around early and spent the morning drinking coffee, tea and frozen hot chocolate at Cuppies. Lucy and Crosby did a great job just hanging out and looking around at everything. We mommies enjoyed the quiet (it wasn't very quiet any time the two big kids were around!) and spent our time talking with each other.

We had such a fun week together. All our fingers are crossed that she and her husband will end up back in Oklahoma when he finishes his residency/fellowship next year!

Lucy Kate- month 2

2012-01-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Lucy-

Today I was thinking about your name. Everyone always comments on it and wonders where it came from. It started a few years ago, long before we ever knew you would be here! Your daddy has always loved The Chronicles of Narnia, and I've always liked the name Lucy. It was perfect. Anyway, your name means "light." Little did we know just how much we would need a little light at the end of a very dark year.

You light up my heart everyday. You've started to smile big when I come into the room and start talking to you. Nothing melts this mommy's heart more than that. You're also finding your sweet little voice and I love it when you "talk" to me. Precious.

You are sleeping really good at nights- sometimes 6 hour stretches- but you are not a fan of naps! You only like to sleep if I'm holding you... which I love to do! You eat every 2.5-3 hours, and your spitting up seems to be doing better. You wear 3 month clothes, and size 1 diapers.

This month you got to do several firsts. You stayed in the nursery at church on Sunday and did great. The ladies loved you and said you are the sweetest thing! This also means that you finally decided to start drinking out of a bottle. I started watching Ethan and Elliana a couple of days a week, so that makes those days much more exciting! You also got to meet Crosby- a whole post about that is coming soon!

2 month stats:
-Weight: 12 pounds, 6 ounces- 90%
-Length: 23.25 inches- 90%

I love you so much, my little goose! I thank God for bringing this beautiful light to us everyday.

Love, Mommy

just another morning

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those mornings that if you don't laugh, you'll cry. It all started with all of us oversleeping. Micah was going into work late, so he was home and at 8:15 he finally got me to wake up. John Mark was cranky, got in trouble because he refused to brush his teeth, so I was already not in the best mood. Here is a timeline of what happened next (all times are estimates...):

8:30- Make it out the door and into the van. Think to myself, 'I don't have keys to the house... I really should move those to my new key chain... oh, but that's ok we'll just go back in through the garage.'

8:31- Spend the entire trip to school trying to convince JM that there is NOT enough snow on the ground to make a snowman.

8:37- Drop JM off at school. Remind him of the things he needs to give to his teacher. Lucy starts screaming because it's time for her to eat.

8:42- Open the garage, get Lucy out of the car and run in. Grab the door and remember- I didn't leave through the garage, so that door is still locked. Start freaking out. Run around to the front door hoping maybe Micah didn't lock the door... no luck. Realize I'm going to have to just drive to his office.

8:44- CRAP! I left my cell phone inside too... this means I'm going to have to actually go INTO his office.

Here is where I point out that because of how late we woke up, I haven't done ANYTHING- brushed my teeth... looked at my hair... heck, I haven't even gone to the bathroom. Oh, and Lucy is still screaming because she's starving.

8:45- Back in the van. Start praying that maybe Micah got held up and will miraculously just be in the parking lot when I get there and save me from some embarrassment.

8:52- At a stop light, frantically try to make my hair look less like I just rolled out of bed (because, HELLO, I just rolled out of bed!) and search the van for gum or a mint... curse myself for making a vow to keep the van super clean and take everything inside. Decide I'll just have to keep my mouth closed the whole time.

9:00- Roll into Micah's office looking super classy. Try to sneak around to his office without anyone seeing me... fortunately, Lucy has decided she likes her pacifier, so the screaming has stopped. Get keys from Micah; talk a bit to the ladies he works with (from a safe distance, obviously).

9:08- Run back to the van through the bitter cold. Lucy has spit out the pacifier and is screaming her head off again.

9:12- Realize that there are a million police cars and fire trucks blocking off the road I need to turn on. Turn the van around right there in the middle of the street, not even waiting for the police to reroute us. Think to myself, 'I hope I don't get pulled over for that, since I also don't have my wallet with me.'

9:20- Arrive home. Get screaming baby back out of the van, and go inside. Leave her in the carseat crying while I run to the bathroom and grab two packages of valentine heart cakes to eat for breakfast.

And that is the story of the time it took me an hour to get home from taking JM to school. Anyone else have a crazy morning?

spare moments

2012-01-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

"Fill up the spare moments of your life with praise and thanksgiving."
-Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

I've been going through Jesus Calling for my quiet times and came across this line that stopped me in my tracks. *sidenote: I highly recommend this devotion book, especially for busy mommas! It's the perfect blend of quick but deep, with extra scripture to read when you have more time. Love it.* What would my life be like if I filled up my spare moments with thanksgiving and praise?

When I'm frustrated with John Mark because he's jumped off the couch for the 18th time- what if I took a moment to thank God I have a healthy boy who can jump... if I was thankful for the energy he brings to our home? How would that change my response?

When I'm picking up shoes and clothes and toys at the end of the day- what if I praised the Lord for those material possessions and a home to keep them in? Would I stay annoyed that others didn't put their things away?

When I'm driving around town or rocking my baby... when I'm in the carpool line or washing the dishes... when I'm talking to friends or eating my lunch...Life is made up of spare moments- moments that can be filled with grumbling and complaining or praise and thanksgiving. I'm asking the Lord to change my heart, to make me aware of how much I've been given. I want my days to be filled up with His grace and peace.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

a beautiful day

2012-01-08T15:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of those days that make me want to freeze time. The weather was beautiful. John Mark was in a great mood. Lucy was happy and content. I got sleep the night before...
There was nothing spectacular about the day. We didn't do anything amazing or spend a lot of money. We did ordinary things, together, and it was lovely.

John Mark and I spent a lot of time outside before lunch. He is always asking me to come outside with me, but it's always difficult to make that happen. Lucy was sleeping, and Micah was inside with her. We threw a ball at each other. We kicked that same ball. He spun around... he ran and jumped... he drove around in his gator... most of all, he just enjoyed my attention. Beautiful.

Tiffany, Russell & Tanzi met us at the house and we went to lunch at Cow Calf-Hay. It was so enjoyable to sit with family that I love and be together. Tanzi threw her crayons on the ground. John Mark played with Darth Bear. We talked and laughed. Beautiful.

After lunch we made the short drive to Crescent to visit Micah's grandparents. They hadn't met Lucy yet, so we spent the afternoon talking with them. They admired Lucy, laughed at John Mark and told us stories from their lifetime. Beautiful.

Life isn't always easy- there are days when we don't get out of our pajamas... the baby cries... John Mark is crazy and I'm cranky. Yesterday was a beautiful reminder that life isn't always about the big things. Great joy is waiting to be found in the little things, if only we will look for it.

"It's a beautiful day
Don't let it slip away..."
-U2

making friends

2012-01-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

God has blessed me richly with many friends from different stages of my life. I have friends who are younger than me and friends who are older than me... I have friends in high school, college, married, single... friends who have seen me at my best and at my worst. Like I said, I'm blessed. These relationships mean the world to me.

When we moved churches in the middle of last year, the thing that scared me the most was the prospect of making new friends. See, for all those relationships in my life, I'm not very good at actually making friends. My list of reasons for this is a million miles long- I'm not super outgoing. I've never been one of those people who is comfortable talking to anyone. I've been called "snobby" and "scary" more than a few times. Small talk and getting-to-know you conversations can feel so forced and awkward. Throw a kindergartner and new baby in the mix and you've got yourself a recipe to never make new friends again.

It would be so easy to take all these excuses and stay exactly where I am. I mean, didn't I just mention all the wonderful people in my life? But I don't want to be a person who just goes to church and never builds relationships. The early church was filled with people who loved each other deeply; believers gathered together and cared for each other. They helped to meet the needs of those around them. None of that would have happened if those people had stayed in closed circles.

One of the things I want in this new year is to build relationships with these new friends God has placed in my life. I want to pour my life into younger believers; I want to drink from the wisdom and knowledge of those who have walked a different path. I don't want to let my fear of people's opinions to keep me from obeying God's command to "love one another."

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... All the believers were together and had everything in common." Acts 2:42, 44

she smiled, i got a new camera...

2012-01-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

Lucy finally smiled for the camera. That plus my new camera and the lens a friend let me borrow resulted in lots of photos this morning... I apologize in advance.

peace out, 2011

2011-12-31T21:24:00.000-08:00

I'm ready for a new year. And while there are no guarantees this year will be any better than last year, it is my prayer that the lessons I learned this year have prepared my heart for whatever may come.

I don't have a ton of lofty goals for 2012. I know this year will be all about new lessons- being a mommy to TWO kids, juggling schedules, spending less, building new relationships... So I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to accomplish in this new year, and I came up with three goals.

Survive- life is different these days with a newborn in the house. I'm relearning how to handle a baby, and doing that with a 5 year old who has been our world for his whole life isn't easy. So surviving the year- all of us- is goal number one.
Meditate- I know that I don't have hours to spend in the Word... but I also realize that a little bit is better than nothing. And in order to achieve goal #1, I'm seriously going to need Him to be in the picture. Memorizing verses. Reading a few verses instead of facebook or pinterest in some of those quiet moments. These are the little things I'd like to do more of in 2012.
Simplify- Life gets so chaotic and it's easy to lose focus on what really matters. I want to find the things that bring me the most fulfillment and joy and focus on those things. I want to get rid of the clutter, both in my home and in my heart, to make room for the things that really matter. I want to stress less about the little things and let peace reign.

So there you have it. I feel like those things go hand in hand, and in achieving any of them, I will be finding growth in the others.

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."
Isaiah 43:18-19

my 2011 book list

2011-12-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

I love to read. It's one of my favorite ways to pass the time. In fact, I'd almost always choose to read a book over watching TV or a movie. I read more this year than I have in a long time. The Kindle I got for my birthday probably has something to do with that. Especially once the library started to offer free downloads to Kindles. I love that.

This probably isn't a complete list, because I wasn't the best at keeping track of my books in Goodreads (be my friend!) before I got my Kindle. Anyway, here is the list of books that I read in 2011.

Her Mother's Hope, Francine Rivers
Her Daughter's Dream, Francine Rivers
Sundays at Tiffany's, James Patterson
Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
American Wife, Curtis Sittenfield
The Nanny Diaries, Emma McLaughlin
Nanny Returns, Emma McLaughlin
Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
Mini Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella
The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, Ree Drummond
True Colors, Kristin Hannah
Winter Garden, Kristin Hannah
Night Road, Kristin Hannah
Redemption, Karen Kingsbury
Remember, Karen Kingsbury
Return, Karen Kingsbury
Rejoice, Karen Kingsbury
Reunion, Karen Kingsbury
Fame, Karen Kingsbury
Forgiven, Karen Kingsbury
Found, Karen Kingsbury
Family, Karen Kingsbury
Forever, Karen Kingsbury
Til We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, C.S. Lewis
A Billion Reasons Why, Kristin Billerbeck
Life's a Beach, Claire Cook
A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin
Something Blue, Emily Giffin
Baby Proof, Emily Giffin
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Bay at Midnight, Diane Chamberlain
Before the Storm, Diane Chamberlain
The Courage Tree, Diane Chamberlain
The Midwife's Confession, Diane Chamberlain
Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Ann Burns
Shanghai Girls, Lisa See
Dreams of Joy, Lisa See
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Stieg Larsson
Matched, Ally Condie
The Paris Wife: A Novel, Paula McLain
The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen
The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen
Safe Haven, Nicholas Sparks
Unbroken: A World War II Story..., Laura Hillenbrand
The Baby Sleep Book, William Sears
Bringing up Boys, James Dobson
Everyone Runs: Run to Win, Christine Caine

So there you have it. Some of those were re-reads (Harry Potter!) and some of those are boring mom books, but hey- I read it so it counts, right?

What have you read this year? Leave me a comment- I'm compiling my "to read" list of must reads for 2012!

a very merry Christmas

2011-12-29T21:21:00.000-08:00

I started this post 3 days ago and am still not finished. A little girl has decided the only way to sleep in the day is laying on top of me... but she's asleep in her swing right now, so let's try this again!

family of 4

We did Christmas with my family the weekend before Christmas, since my grandparents were going out of town over the holiday.

my two babies

In the past, John Mark has been the only kid at Christmas. Boy, was that different this year! We had JM (5), Tanzi Rose (1), Lucy and Wyatt- both babies. It made for an interesting, busy, LOUD weekend, but it was so much fun.

John Mark with his cousin Tanzi

We ate a big lunch and opened presents on Saturday afternoon. That evening we ate finger foods (my favorite meal!) and then played cards. It took us forever to play one game, thanks to diaper changes, feeding babies, etc. But so worth it.

miss Tanzi Rose

cousin wyatt

Sunday we went to church, then ate lunch at Nanny's. Lucy slept through the whole service and was happy to be passed around to all of Bebe's friends. It was a beautiful weekend, filled with the family I love the most.

our family

Christmas weekend was just the four of us. It was a little strange to be alone at home, but in the end I loved it. We baked sugar cookies, watched a couple of movies and opened Christmas eve gifts (PJ's and a movie for us to watch together). After JM went to bed, Micah and I filled their stockings. Stockings might be my favorite part of Christmas morning. It makes me smile.

showing the cookies he baked with daddy


Christmas Eve jammies

Christmas morning I got up at 6 with Lucy, then got to work getting everything ready for the big morning. By 7:30, I had Christmas lights on, lunch prepped, and cinnamon rolls baking. I woke up Micah and JM, and we all gathered in the living room to have our Christmas. We opened presents, ate cinnamon rolls and got ready for church. Mom & Dad met us at church, then came home with us.


baby girl with her presents

my present from JM

daddy and nart

It was a great Christmas weekend. I'm so thankful for my wonderful life.

Lucy Kate- month 1

2011-12-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

Oh Lucy girl, in one short month you have stolen the hearts of everyone who meets you- most of all mine! Spending my days with you is such a joy. I love holding you, kissing your squishy cheeks and staring into those dark, dark eyes!

You were eating for 20 minutes every 3 hours, but at your one month appointment, the doctor had me cut back on the length of time you eat to see if that would help you not spit up as much. We've cut back to 15 minutes, and it has helped so much. I'm extremely grateful that you are a quick, efficient eater because with your brother running around, I don't have hours to devote to feeding you. What can I say? You LOVE to eat!

Nights vary as to how long you sleep. You have gone stretches as long as 5 hours, but mostly it's awake every 3-4 hours. You usually drift back to sleep quickly when you're done eating. In fact, there are times I have to fight to get you to eat the full time. But I've learned it's worth it to do that when we're both awake rather than letting us both fall asleep for 30 minutes when you remember you're hungry!

You have moved on up to a size 1 diaper and are still wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes. Dressing you is one of my favorite parts of the day, although you're not so much a fan of having your clothes changed. You wiggle and scream the whole time I'm putting clothes on you.

Month One stats:
Weight- 10 lbs, 11 oz (90%)
Length- 22.5 inches (90%)

I love you so much, precious one and I am so thankful God chose ME to be your mommy. You have given our family a joy-filled bright spot. I can't wait to see what the next month holds.

Love,
Mommy

'tis the season

2011-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I love everything about it- the twinkly lights, parties, food, buying gifts for those I love... but I especially love the music! As I sat here this morning with my cup of coffee and sleeping baby (scratch that- screaming baby), listening to my spotify Christmas playlist I was inspired to write a little post about my all-time favorite Christmas songs.

1. O Holy Night- Point of Grace
This is my favorite Christmas song- hands down. And I will forever love the Point of Grace version of this song. Judge all you want, but that first Christmas CD they did will go down forever as one of the most played CD's in my collection of Christmas CD's...

2. Come Thou Long Expected Jesus- Chris Tomlin
A close second, the lyrics of this song make me want to cry from their profoundness. And the a capella version on the Chris Tomlin CD is beautiful.

3. Christmas Don't Be Late- Alvin & the Chipmunks
Don't try to be cool and pretend you don't love this song... and when Theodore belts "meeeeeeee I want a hula hoop" you can't help but smile.

4. Away in a Manger- Brad Paisley
When I think of this Christmas carol, I have vivid memories of sitting with my nanny in the little church I grew up in singing this. The Brad Paisley version of this song fits those memories perfectly.

5. Where Are You Christmas?- Faith Hill
I just love this song. It's sweet and perfect.

6. Baby, It's Cold Outside- Lee Ann Womack & Harry Connick, Jr.
This was a tough one to decide on my favorite version. This one edged out the new Lady Antebellum version, but just barely.

7. I Believe- Natalie Grant
The lyrics to this song are powerful and the true message of Christmas is so clear. And Natalie Grant has a gorgeous voice.

8. We Need A Little Christmas- Glee Version
I have always liked this song, but Glee put it on my top 10 list.

9. O Come, O Come Emmanuel- David Crowder Band
Another song with powerful lyrics. There are a lot of great arrangements of this song, this one just happens to be my favorite this year.

10. All I Want for Christmas is You- Mariah Carey or Michael Buble
This one is a classic that everyone knows all the words to. I love the original, but I love all things Michael Buble, so this one is a tie.

There you have it. My top 10 list of Christmas songs for your playlist. I was going to link to these songs on amazon or something, but that's a little impossible to do when trying to feed a baby and type. So go find them yourself. :)

What songs make the season for you?

introducing

2011-12-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Now that we have the past year out of the way, let's get back to life as we know it today.

One of the biggest blessings of this past year arrived on November 18, 2011. Introducing Lucy Kate Rigdon- 8 pounds, 7 ounces of pure JOY!

Lucy Kate

We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 Friday morning. They checked us in and we settled into our holding room until surgery. Micah and I sat in the room, watching random TV and waiting for 7:30 to roll around so we could meet this little one.

waiting for surgery

Soon the nurse was walking me back to surgery. They got me good and numb; I laid there shivering in the SO COLD room. Micah came in and we sat there talking. Before too long, I heard that sound I had been waiting 9 months to hear- the precious cries of my baby girl.

first glimpse of my girl

As they took care of me, Micah was with Lucy getting her cleaned up. It was so surreal to lay there, thinking this tiny person I had waited for was finally here. She was here and perfect.

first kisses for my sweet girl

When I got back to my room, they brought her to me. Micah and I sat there, just staring at our precious daughter. After we'd had our time with her, the family got to come in an meet her. To say that her big brother was in love would be an understatement. He sat on the couch, holding her and just talking to her in the sweetest little voice.

big brother love

And just like that, we became a family of four. My heart overflows with love for these precious gifts from the Lord.

family of four

"The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy."
Psalm 126:3

finally- a post

2011-12-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie. This year has been hard- quite possibly the hardest year of my 30 years. I've experienced enough change, heartbreak, and pain to last me for quite some time.

Throughout the year, as trial after trial has rolled over my heart, one thing has not changed. My God has been faithful. In those moments when I found myself overwhelmed with heartbreak, He was there. When the tears fell on my pillow in the darkness of night, He was there. On the days when anger and bitterness threatened to overtake the hope in my heart, He was there.

Is this the direction I would have picked for my life? Not at all. Do I miss the way things were? Sometimes. Am I happy? Most of the time. Am I at peace? Most definitely.

So, while I am not at all sad to see 2011 come to an end, I am ending it with a full heart. Surprisingly enough, I find myself with infinitely more blessings than when this year began. These blessings have come in unexpected places- lessons learned, deeper relationships, a new church family, appreciation for my husband. The greatest blessing of all comes from somewhere deep within- a place of deeper intimacy with my Savior. And at the end of the day, I would walk through another year like this one to know Him more.

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always
--always, by kristian stanfill

Week 29

2011-09-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Wow... it's been a while. I wrote a recap at week 26, but didn't have a picture that night so I was going to wait to post it. That seems to be what happens... I never remember I want to take a picture until night after I've put on comfy clothes and washed my face- then I don't think about it again until the next night. So here is week 29. JM was sick today, so we didn't go to church, so I have no makeup on. If you're lucky, I'll have Micah take a pic of me tomorrow and I'll post it. :o) I'll put week 26 at the end of this post.

How Far Along: 29 weeks

How big is Baby? 17 inches, 3.1 pounds- about the size of butternut squash

Total Weight Gain/Loss: at my last appointment I was up to 25 pounds... yes, that is 10 pounds in the month since the appointment before it. I'm hoping 10 pounds a month isn't going to be the trend from here on out...

Maternity Clothes: yes... and I am currently hitting the point where nothing is long enough for me. Come on fall, so I can get a few things to get me through to the end!

Gender: GIRL! Lucy Kate Rigdon

Movement: Yes! Man, she is crazy these days- especially at night, right around bedtime... a night owl, perhaps?

Sleep: It hasn't been great this week. I wake up a lot and am generally just more uncomfortable these days. Plus the heartburn keeps me miserable as I'm falling asleep.

What I miss: sleeping... picking up JM... bending over- HA!

Cravings: FALL FOOD- soup, chili... and dr. pepper- seriously, I want it ALL THE TIME. I'm exercising considerable restraint only drinking one each day... and cereal!

Food Aversions: Bananas... and we got some hummus the other day, and it just wasn't very good.

Symptoms: Heartburn is killing me!! And I have found I get nauseous if I don't eat frequently- kind of like the first trimester again, which is weird!

Best Moment: getting Lucy's crib! It's starting to feel like there's really a baby coming!

How Far Along: 26 weeks

How big is Baby? 15 inches, 2.2 pounds- about the size of an English cucumber

Total Weight Gain/Loss: at my last appointment I was up to 15 pounds- basically doubling my weight gain since the last appointment. My next appt is Friday, so I will know my official number then. Hopefully I didn't double again, but I definitely feel big!

Maternity Clothes: yes... I feel like this question is getting repetitive... let's just assume I'm only wearing maternity from here on out. I'll let you know when I outgrow the clothes I have right now.

Gender: GIRL! Lucy Kate Rigdon

Movement: Yes! Last night she was so crazy I literally felt nauseous for about an hour. Her wiggling was also super distracting this morning during church- ha!

Sleep: I've been sleeping ok, but I find when I'm asleep it's a really HARD sleep and I wake up stiff and sore.

What I miss: cookie dough... running... picking up JM (he's gotten too heavy for me!)

Cravings: cookies of any type- I found Keebler Coconut Dreams the other day and they taste just like samoas! Oh, and I ate an entire box of salt and pepper triscuits with cheese in a week at the office!

Food Aversions: I think I might be over most of these for now? Except for bananas...

Symptoms: Heartburn is back in full force! I have to sit up on the couch for quite a while after meals and I eat tums like candy!

Best Moment: Watching her wiggle around- even through my shirts! She's getting so big!

it's john mark TIMOTHY rigdon...

2011-08-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

It was no secret to both Micah and me that when we named John Mark, his name was probably going to cause some issues for the rest of his life. Every time we go to a new doctor or dentist, etc. they almost always call out "John Rigdon." It's become second nature to respond "it's actually John Mark" - you know, like the PAPER you're holding in your hand says on that "goes by" line. He is typically oblivious to any name other than his full name.

For the past few days, I haven't been able to figure out why he was never waiting in the designated place for my car when I pulled into the pick-up lane at school. I always have to hand a teacher my sign and soon, he comes running out and jumps in the car. Yesterday, the mystery was solved.

Me: "Hey buddy! How was your day?"
JM: "GREAT! Mom... you are not even going to BELIEVE it- there is someone who goes to my school and his name is JOHN RIGDON."

I couldn't contain my laughter. I laughed for quite a while and eventually explained to him that John Rigdon was, most likely, him. They probably just didn't say "mark" when the radioed in to the cafeteria to bring him out. I told him that whenever he hears that he really should just go on up to the front. And if there is, in fact, a John Rigdon who goes to his school, well they can say hello.

And the title of this post comes from about a week ago when JM and Micah went fishing with our friend Jason. I don't remember why, but at some point in the evening Jason said "John Mark Rigdon" and JM's reply from the backseat, under his breath and a little exasperated, "it's John Mark TIMOTHY Rigdon."

Moral of the story: if you're going to name your kid a complicated double name, just get ready. Because no one will EVER understand. Ha!

first day of school

2011-08-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school around here. I went to bed teary-eyed thinking about my sweet boy being at such a big school all alone for an entire day. John Mark went to bed excited about going to a new school. Typical!

He woke up this morning around 7:15 chanting "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!" He reminded me so much of Nemo- ha! After getting out of bed, we turned on magic school bus and he said "mommy, I"ll snuggle you a little bit since I'm going to school all day." After some snuggles, I got around and made him breakfast- he requested scrambled eggs and jelly toast cut into the little squares like Bebe gives him.

After breakfast and getting ready, we headed out to the porch for first day of school pictures. I still remember every morning standing on the porch with a piece of paper my mom had written our grade on. Of course I had to carry on this tradition with John Mark, but I decided to take it up a notch by using Lesley's awesome chalkboard.

Doesn't he look so big? I can't believe that just 5 short years ago, he wasn't even a month old. And now here he is, a great big Kindergartener. And think... in another 5 years I'm going to be doing this all over again...

I tried to get a cute shot of his backpack, but this came out a little dark. In case you hadn't noticed, we're kind of on a star wars kick.

And a lunch box shot- again with star wars and I don't even know what that pose is.

We loaded up in the car and drove to his school. I took a cute picture of him in front of his school sign and then headed into the building. It took everything in me to not cry as we walked down the hall. The thought of not wanting to be the crazy crying mom for the rest of the year was enough to make me pull it together. We walked into his classroom where his teacher was waiting. We found his cubby, put up his backpack and gave a few more hugs and kisses.

I left him there, walked out the door and down the street to my car. I got in the car and that's when I started to cry. I really didn't cry as much as I expected (I probably got most of my tears out in the weeks leading up to this morning).

I spent my day getting glucosed tested at the doctor (woo-hoo), buying JM bedding for his new big boy room and eating lunch with Mallory. It was a nice day and before I knew it, 3:00 had rolled around and it was time to go pick him up from school. I parked down the street, walked to the door and realized I had left the paper with his name on it in the car. So I walked BACK to the car, got the sign and back to the school. I was a sweaty mess by the time my boy was finally released to me.

We walked back to the car and took a trip to our favorite cookie shop for cookies and a juice box (or a large ice water for the sweaty pregnant momma!). JM told me about his day- his new friends, his teacher, what he did on the playground. He loved everything about school and can't wait until Monday. I guess I couldn't ask for more than a happy boy at the end of the day!

life, lately

2011-08-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

Life has definitely taken over and left me with very little time/energy/emotions to blog about anything! I've managed to skip blogging about a trip to Dallas with my bests, John Mark's 5th birthday and our anniversary-not to mention my last pregnancy update was 6 weeks ago! Let's just say I'm a LOT bigger... ha! I promise I'll post a pregnancy update this weekend.

For now, I just have to talk about my sweet boy. See, he's 5 now and where I come from- turning 5 equals one thing- KINDERGARTEN.

Not to make excuses, but because of the craziness of this entire year, I missed pretty much every deadline concerning school. I missed kindergarten information day in the spring, which means I've gone into this whole school thing pretty much blind. When I finally DID get around to enrolling him in school, I was under the impression he would be going to school half-day. I made arrangements to have childcare for him and thought I was good to go. It wasn't until two weeks ago that I found out his school ONLY offers all day kindergarten.

Let me just tell you, that was a meltdown waiting to happen. I managed to not cry until I hung up with the ever-so nice lady from the school. But as soon as the phone screen said "end" I was in tears. I cried for DAYS thinking about my baby being in that big ol' school for so many hours. And you don't even want to know the breakdown that occurred when I envisioned him eating lunch in a cafeteria!

But today was information day, and we got to go to school together and meet his teacher. I saw the cafeteria (not too scary) and walked through the gym. We saw his classroom, his cubby and where I will drop him off and pick him up everyday. And I managed to not cry- which for a 25 week pregnant mommy taking her baby to school for the first time, is a pretty big deal!

Now as for Friday, when I get him all delivered and sent to school for the day, I make no promises. My only hope is that I make it to the car before I hysterically burst into tears. I mean, I don't want to give JM a complex for having a crazy mom, do I?

sheryl irene rigdon, 1955-2011

2011-07-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

After a 5 month battle with cancer, Micah's precious mom went to be with her Jesus on Thursday. It's strange how so many emotions can be wrapped up in a single event.

There is sadness- a sorrow that her life on earth is over... weeping over the two grandchildren who will never meet their grandmother. Sadness for the husband and children who are left behind to pick up life and somehow move on.

There is rejoicing- her body is whole and no longer in pain... she is with her Maker, finally getting the answers to those questions, meeting those beloved attributes for herself.

There are sleepless nights- when the loneliness and depth of emotions seem too overwhelming to carry on... when the tears are so continual, it seems impossible to cry any more.

There is love- an awesome remembrance over the love shown to each of us, and a gratefulness for each day spent giving and receiving that love. Love between the family as each person comes together and forms a strength and bond that will carry on for many years to come.

There is thanksgiving- thankfulness for the life lived, the privilege of having lived life with such an incredible woman who overcame great difficulty to become a woman of faith... gratefulness at the 5 months given to us to prepare and say goodbye...

A thousand more emotions pass through our hearts and mind each minute of the day, but through every step of the way, there is an overwhelming sense of peace. "The peace that surpasses all understanding" has been so evident and real, that it cannot be argued that we serve a sovereign God. And while we cannot understand His timing or His purpose, we must rest in His goodness.

"Because of the LORD’s great love
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

*to read the obituary and for more information regarding the services, click here.

mommy guilt

2011-07-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

This pregnancy has been so much the same as my first with JM. And in other ways, it couldn't be more different. Which I guess is pretty normal...

Some of these differences I expected. I knew that I would be a little more nervous this time around. When I got pregnant with JM, I had nothing to really compare it to. I was one of the first of my friends to be pregnant and everything went so normal. In the years since JM was born, I've known a lot of people who have dealt with really hard things surrounding pregnancy. So I knew I would be scared.

The one thing I couldn't have seen coming was the GUILT I have felt over having another baby and what this means for John Mark. It's been the three of us for FIVE years- that's a long time. We have our ways of doing things... JM has been our world and life for so long- it's hard to imagine throwing another person into the mix. Throw in the 5 THOUSAND comments I have heard about his world being rocked and how much life is going to change... blah, blah, blah... I can quickly become a mess.

Don't get me wrong- none of this is coming from my sweet boy. He couldn't be more excited to finally be a big brother... and he loves this baby so much. Today he told me that he will change all of her diapers so I won't have to. Precious... But his world has changed so much just by other circumstances this year, that it makes me sad to know this is throwing something else into the mix.

So I've spent a great deal of time praying that the Lord will calm my heart. Reading verses reminding me that this is all a part of His divine plan- none of this is a surprise. I have learned so much in this past year about the sovereignty of the Lord. I just need to rest in that during this joyous time as I have learned to in the trials.

"The fear of man and what they plan will fade
But we know You alone are God of every day...
My hope is in the Lord."
--Day after Day, Kristian Stanfill

Week 19

2011-07-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

*let's just ignore the top half of this photo... it was 11:00 when I remembered I needed to take a picture and was too lazy to do anything but get off the couch with the camera... we'll just pretend my hair isn't a hot mess and I actually still have make-up on!

How Far Along: 19 weeks

How big is Baby? 6.5 inches, 8 ounces... although the ultrasound said 11 ounces- already a big one! :)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 9 pounds- but after tomorrow's 4th of July feast, I fully expect it to be more

Maternity Clothes: yes... I feel like this question is getting repetitive... let's just assume I'm only wearing maternity from here on out. I'll let you know when I outgrow the clothes I have right now.

Gender: GIRL! Lucy Kate Rigdon

Movement: Yes! She's definitely a wiggler... it was fun to see her moving at the ultrasound. And she still LOVES her big brother's laugh!

Sleep: another restless week... I guess I should just get used to it. I did bring another pillow in to put between my knees, and that has helped my hips not be as stiff in the mornings.

What I miss: normal clothes... sleeping... running

Cravings: water... is that a weird thing to crave? I have seriously been so thirsty all week!

Food Aversions: I think I might be over most of these for now? Except for bananas...

Symptoms: This week I had some serious pain in my right side and hips... ligaments stretching, no fun!

Best Moment: The ultrasound on Friday and finding out we're having a girl- and that she's healthy!

It's A...

2011-07-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

Lucy Kate Rigdon

Week 18

2011-06-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Edited to add: I wrote this on Sunday night after visiting the Taste of Edmond festival with friends. I was waiting for Micah to take a picture of me to publish when suddenly the heat and the fried food combined with the baby and I wasn't feeling so well... So that's why this post is late. And I have no picture.

How Far Along: 18 weeks

How big is Baby? 6 inches, 1/2 pound (that's right... we're in the pounds!)- about the size of a mango

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 7 pounds (per the scale in the office bathroom)

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much exclusively... again, I don't understand people that get by without maternity clothes... lucky!

Gender: Friday, Friday... gonna find out on Friday! Have you voted? So far the poll says girl!

Movement: Yes, yes, yes! My favorite thing! And the baby loves to hear JM laugh... whenever he's being silly it's going crazy in there!

Sleep: Eh... this week I haven't slept great. I find myself restless and waking up randomly in the night.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach... not thinking about my caffeine intake for the day

Cravings: WATERMELON!! and popsicles... probably because it's a million degrees right now!

Food Aversions: I think I might be over most of these for now? Except for bananas...

Symptoms: Um, I can't stop eating... or sweating (ha!)

Best Moment: Feeling those first baby flutters and also realizing how active the baby is when JM is around- makes me excited to see them together!

My 30th Birthday Surprise

2011-06-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last August, I emailed Lesley and simply reminded her that my 30th birthday was coming up- in June. Don't judge- my birthday is always in the busiest part of the year and sometimes gets overlooked. Since this was a big one, I wanted to bring in 30 with all my best friends! Oh, and did I mention that I wanted my party to be a surprise?

As my birthday neared, so did my questions about my birthday surprise. For those of you who don't know- I'm not really the best at keeping secrets or letting those I love keep secrets! I had several clues and things, so I knew that a party was in fact happening at some point. But I have to give it to my friends- they totally kept this secret.

I had a VBS meeting at the offices on Sunday afternoon. My friends and Micah had told me we were going out to dinner after the meeting, so I was dressed up and ready to go after it was over. At the end of the meeting, my boss was asking me all these random questions... when suddenly 3 monkeys in sombreros ran in speaking in Spanish accents...

They put a mask over my face, tied my hands and put a surgical mask (I still don't get that one!!) and led me out the door to a waiting car. The car took off and drove like crazy all around the parking lot. I told them that I get car sick (TRUTH!) and they let me take the mask off. We drove all around Edmond- through Taco Bell, where we got some strange looks (and cussed at!)- and all over. Eventually they put the mask back on me and we drove around a bit until they led me out of the car and up a sidewalk.

When they took off my mask, I was surrounded by my closest friends, who all yelled "Surprise!" and then started singing happy birthday.

John Mark ran up to me and grabbed me in a hug. He was so sweet and so excited to be throwing me a surprise party.

I grabbed a couple of pics with my captors-

and moved onto one of the best nights ever, filled with all my favorite things- swimming, eating super yummy food and my precious friends!

I have THE BEST friends in the entire world. The hosts, planners, cooks, kidnappers and everyone who came are all hold such a special place in my heart. I thank the Lord for bringing them into my life.

Week 16

2011-06-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

We've made it to 16 weeks- just 4 weeks away from halfway! I can't believe how quickly this time has gone. I've felt really good, just a little worn out from VBS preparation this weekend. Here's the run down. Oh, and please excuse my hair in this picture. The wind at the lake was CRAZY!

How Far Along: 16 weeks

How big is Baby? 5 inches, 5 ounces- about the size of a turnip

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 5 pounds (still don't have a scale, so that's from my last appointment)

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much exclusively... I still have a couple of dresses and stretchier shirts that work

Gender: July 1st is the big day!! Have you voted? So far the poll says girl!

Movement: I think I maybe felt something last night, but then my stomach growled, so I wasn't sure. It's still early.

Sleep: Besides waking up every night from 4:00-4:30, I'm sleeping pretty good.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, cold sandwiches and running

Cravings: Cold fruit- peaches and apples, cold from the fridge are so good! And cheese in any form.

Food Aversions: I think I might be over most of these for now? Except for bananas...

Symptoms: Um, I can't stop eating... I would really eat all day long. I'm feeling like John Mark these days- ha!

Best Moment: Seeing all of your votes for a girl, and getting everything ready for VBS at Henderson Hills. It's one of the hardest, most rewarding things I get to do in my job!

BOY or GIRL?

2011-06-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

In exactly three weeks, we'll have the ultrasound that tells us if this baby is a boy or a girl. People ask me all the time which I think it is, and I really don't know. There are times I'm certain it's a boy... and other times I just know it's a girl. With John Mark I always had a suspicion that he was a boy. I can't say I really feel either way this time. So I'll be as surprised as you!

I've added a poll to the side of my page- right over there above the "Meet Us" page. So take a minute and come cast your vote!

In order for you to make a well-informed decision, I'll give you a list of typical "gender-reveal" kind of symptoms and how they stack up against my first pregnancy. :)

-Sickness: I didn't have intense morning (or otherwise) sickness with either pregnancy. No puking or nausea or any of those typical things.

-Exhaustion: I can't be entirely certain, since I found out about JM so late in the game, but I was SO tired this time around. Maybe I can blame that on knowing I was pregnant and being more aware... I'm not sure.

-Emotions: With John Mark, I was crazy. I admit it... I had rage. This time around, I have tears... oh, the tears! I cry all. the. time.

-Cravings: I've craved lots of random things this time, but the consistent things would be sweets (anything sweet!!) and cheese. The first time around I craved meat... like ate batches of sausage balls at a time. I don't know if any of that matters... just a thought.

-Heart Rate: JM's heartrate, while high for a boy, was never above 155. This one has had a heartrate in the 160's.

Okay... I think those are the biggest wives' tales for predicting the gender. Now it's your turn! So come on over and cast your vote. We'll make the big reveal in about three weeks!

Week 15

2011-06-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm late getting this up... I've been busy with things, like turning 30. I had such a fun birthday weekend and as soon as I get pictures from paparazzi Jason, I'll tell you all about it. Somehow in the weekend festivities I forgot to take a picture, which is too bad because I'm starting to look for real pregnant!

How Far Along: 15 weeks

How big is Baby? 4-5 inches, 3-5 ounces- about the size of an avacado

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 5 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yep! I got some gift cards for my birthday and bought a couple new shirts and things... I don't for the life of me understand people who wear their regular clothes throughout pregnancy. I start showing and any ability to wear my old clothes flies straight out the window.

Gender: July 1st is the big day!! I need to put a survey thing on here so we can have a vote and see who is right!

Movement: still nothing... I'm anxiously waiting for those first flutters.

Sleep: Besides waking up every night from 4:00-4:30, I'm sleeping pretty good.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach... and cookie dough

Cravings: It's still mostly when I hear people talking about something, or see a picture of food, I am suddenly in desperate need of that exact food. For example, I stopped at sonic the other day for a drink, and the lady next to me ordered cheddar peppers, so I had to throw some of those in there too. Weird, I know.

Food Aversions: I think I might be over most of these for now? I had some coffee the other day and it didn't make me gag. I still haven't eaten a banana...

Symptoms: Besides feeling like I've grown a TON in the past week, I think it was a relatively symptom free week. Micah would probably tell you otherwise, I just can't remember- ha!

Best Moment: The doctor's appointment and hearing the heartbeat- 163! Also being surrounded by all my favorite people this weekend celebrating my birthday.

summer reading

2011-05-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

I love reading, and there's nothing better than laying by a pool with a glass of lemonade and a good book. Something about the sunshine and the smells of summer that just make me want to read!

I've read several books lately that I've really enjoyed.

I know, I know... I'm years late in hopping on the Karen Kingsbury train. But I started the Baxter family series a couple of months ago and I'm over halfway through the second series about family. Finishing this series is definitely on my "to-read" for the summer. If you haven't read these, I highly recommend them. You'll laugh, cry and finish the book secretly wishing you could be a Baxter!

I read this book in about a day and a half. I had heard so much hype about this book, and sometimes I think that ruins things. I don't know what I was expecting, but something more for sure. It was an excellent story line, with characters who made me love them and hate them. And as someone who isn't that much of an animal person, I found myself crying at the cruel treatment of the animals on the circus. So, I liked the book a lot, I just wish I had read the book BEFORE everyone told me how amazing it was!

I read another book by Kristin Hannah last year, Firefly Lane. I loved her writing style, so when I saw this book on the sale rack at Barnes & Noble, I had to pick it up. The story line started a little slow, but quickly picked up speed less than halfway through the book. Much like with Firefly Lane, once this book sucked me in, I was hooked. Hannah is an excellent writer when it comes to evoking emotion from the readers. I cried huge tears at multiple times in this book.

So there you have it- that's what I've been reading. What do YOU think I should put on my bookshelf for this summer? I'll post again in a week or so with my summer book list.

Week 13

2011-05-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

How Far Along: 13 weeks

How big is Baby? 3 inches, 1.5 ounces- about the size of a lemon

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 2 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I finally got those out of the attic... it was fun looking through everything and remembering wearing them when pregnant with John Mark. Unfortunately, my one pair of maternity jeans were missing... I have no idea what I could have done with those. I have my eye on these though...

Gender: We won't know for another 4 or 5 weeks... hopefully we'll schedule that ultrasound at my next appointment. Although JM is still holding onto his little sister theory!

Movement: nothing yet

Sleep: Pretty good- I don't remember too many restless nights, so I guess that's a good sign.

What I miss: Drippy eggs! I made breakfast for dinner this week and all I wanted was a sunny-side up egg with my breakfast potatoes...

Cravings: Wednesday afternoon I started thinking about chili cheese fries and I couldn't stop... I ate chili cheese tots from Sonic for supper that night!

Food Aversions: I'm still hating on bananas... and I find that I don't really enjoy burgers, which makes me sad because we ate at my favorite burger place this week and I had to get chicken. Yep- all of that is still the same.

Symptoms: Again with the tears this week... probably the fact that John Mark was graduating from pre-k didn't help my emotional state! I'm also finally able to eat a full meal without feeling like I might explode, which is nice.

Best Moment: Looking through old pictures of John Mark, and wondering what this new baby will look like and be like...

new beginnings

2011-05-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

"We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance." Psalm 66:12

It's not new information that 2011 hasn't been the best year for us. And while I don't know that the trials of this life are in any way over, I can say that we have reached a place of rest for this moment.

After three months of looking, Micah started a new job two weeks ago. God was so faithful and opened a door for our family at the exact moment we needed it. If you had asked us when this search began if this was our first choice, we wouldn't have said yes. But things changed- most importantly, our hearts- and we joyfully took the first step in this new direction.

Today we joined a new family of believers. After prayer and seeking, we felt led to become a part of Heritage Baptist. Micah grew up in their student ministry and his family goes there. We spent a few weeks going to services and today went to an incredible small group. It's strange going to a new church and making new friends, but I know the Lord is there.

I know that our journey isn't over... because there's so much more I have left to learn. But if there's anything I've learned in all of this- it's that God is good. He is faithful. And His ways are SO MUCH higher than anything I could ever imagine. So for today, I find myself on my knees, thankful for all that He has done for us.

And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compares to this love
Burning in my heart
--like an avalanche, hillsong united

Week 12

2011-05-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

I was lazy and forgot to take a picture. In the interest of getting this post up for those of you interested, I'm skipping it this week... it's pretty much the same as last week's anyway.

How Far Along: 12 weeks

How big is Baby? 3 inches, 0.5 ounces- about the size of a peach

Total Weight Gain/Loss: we don't own a scale... so I need to remember to weigh myself at the gym next time I go or else this will stay the same between each visit!

Maternity Clothes: Still rocking the belly band- seriously best $17 spent so far! And yes, I still need Micah to get the tub of maternity clothes out of the attic.

Gender: We won't know for another 5 or 6 weeks... hopefully we'll schedule that ultrasound at my next appointment. Although JM is still holding onto his little sister theory!

Movement: nothing yet

Sleep: I think I jinxed myself with saying I was sleeping good. I was awake for long 3 hour stretches twice this week... And I can make it until about 5:30 before I have to use the bathroom- which is annoying since I get up at 6!

What I miss: Drippy eggs! I made breakfast for dinner this week and all I wanted was a sunny-side up egg with my breakfast potatoes...

Cravings: Baby dill pickles from Target- I bought a small jar of them on Monday and polished it off before the end of the week. Don't worry, I went for the big jar this time. And today during church, I found myself thinking nonstop about onion rings from Johnnie's... so Micah humored me and picked up an order for me to eat with the bbq chicken I had made for lunch.

Food Aversions: I'm still hating on bananas... and I find that I don't really enjoy burgers, which makes me sad because we ate at my favorite burger place this week and I had to get chicken.

Symptoms: I think my hips are starting their first spread. All week when I got out of bed, they felt creaky and stiff.

Best Moment: Listening to John Mark say sweet things about the baby- I have a list going of things he has said that I need to post. Maybe I'll get to that this week... I still owe you all the stories of telling people!

Week 11

2011-05-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

How Far Along: 11 weeks

How big is Baby? 2.5 inches, 0.5 ounces- about the size of a large plum

Total Weight Gain/Loss: up 1 pound... only 59 more to catch me up to my weight gain with JM

Maternity Clothes: I have lost the ability to button any of my current pants, so I'm rocking the belly band... everything else is normal, for now. I still need Micah to get the tub of maternity clothes out of the attic.

Gender: We won't know for another 5 or 6 weeks... hopefully we'll schedule that ultrasound at my next appointment. Although JM is still holding onto his little sister theory!

Movement: nothing yet

Sleep: I've actually been sleeping pretty good. I wake up a couple times a night- usually from a CRAZY dream- but I fall back asleep fairly quickly.

What I miss: Sandwiches!! I've been to 3 different restaurants this week and all I wanted was a cold ham or turkey sandwich... also, RUNNING! I'm just now getting energy back, and I'm itching to get back to the gym. I don't foresee any intense running in my future, but now that I'm feeling better, I hope to be back in the gym this week.

Cravings: Don't judge me, but I've been eating pimento cheese sandwiches like nobody's business... Also, I could probably eat my weight in tacos!

Food Aversions: Bananas!! the thought of eating a banana makes me want to puke. I also don't want anything to do with coffee...

Symptoms: Exhaustion... and emotions... I could cry about anything these days!

Best Moment: Our appointment on Monday where we got to see our baby again and see the heartbeat... also making the big reveal. Praise the Lord no more secrets!!

finding out...

2011-05-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

John Mark is almost 5 years old. I'll go ahead and throw it out there that in the span of those years, I've had a few "I think I might be pregnant" moments... The cashier at Walgreens probably knows me as the crazy pregnancy test lady. Obviously, none of those tests came up positive. All that to say- thinking I could be pregnant for whatever reason wasn't that new of an idea for me- or Lesley. You'll see why she's part of this story in a minute.

One night, about 6 weeks ago, Lesley and Mallory had picked me up from the hospital to get cupcakes. We were laughing about pregnancy tests and I was saying I needed to buy one. Mal offered to bring one over. I took the test and the results were a little... inconclusive. I swore at just the right angle you could see a hint of a cross. We all laughed about it and held it up to the light, but nothing more was really said about it. But in my heart, I knew. I think I knew before I even took the test that night...

A few days later, Micah was spending the night in the hospital with his mom. Lesley was at the house keeping me company. Somehow the inconclusive test came up and I told her she should go to walgreens and get another test- and cookie dough. So, being the good friend that she is, she went- and ran into lots of people she knew trying to get the goods.

She came back to my house, I finished the water I was drinking and went to the bathroom. I came back and we continued watching That 70's Show, our netflix choice of the evening. I hopped up and went to the bathroom and saw THIS:

Immediately I yelled "LESLEY... OMG OMG OMG..."
To which she replied "what? wait, that's not funny..."
I ran out of the bathroom and showed her the test...

At this point the test is sitting on the couch between us and we're both just staring at it. We're alternating between staring at the test and at each other saying "OH MY WORD..."

the details

2011-05-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I posted this picture to facebook-
an announcement, one you've all waited for, I'm sure!

To say he's excited would be the understatement of the century.
In fact, when we told him, he did a double fist-pump and said:
"YES! I finally get the baby sister I've always wanted!!"
*note, we do NOT know that it's a baby sister...*

Now to answer all those questions-
I am due November 26th.
That puts me at 10 weeks and 4 days.
We've known for about 5 weeks.

I haven't really been sick (sorry!)...
I have been exhausted...
No, I did not run the marathon on Sunday.
I have been eating ridiculous amounts of food.

The Lord has given us a precious blessing in the midst of an otherwise painful, difficult time.
We are praising Him continually.
I'll fill you in on all the other stories soon!

"Let all that I am praise the Lord
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me."
Psalm 103:1-2

Life Goals

2011-04-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight while putting John Mark to bed, we were talking about growing up. He was sad about going to a new school and not being with his friends he's been with for the past 4 years. But then he decided that it was okay and he wanted to grow up to be 8, then 18, then 29 like daddy!

When I asked him what he wanted to do when he grows up he said- "play basketball."
Then he laid out the specifics:

1. Play in "The Big House" (we watched the state tournament with my parents there earlier this spring and he talks about it all the time)
2. Play in Boomer Sooner
3. Play in the Thunder

So there you have it... John Mark's life goals.

it's been a while...

2011-04-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while, since I posted.
I don't have anything of interest to say,
so I'll give you two awesome videos of John Mark.

stopped in my tracks

2011-03-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Do you ever read something and feel it resonate deep into the depths of your heart? It's a strange sensation, to be reading along and have something stop you dead in your tracks- like the words on the page were written specifically to you.

I get a daily devotion in my inbox each morning- Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman. I've got this in my inbox for years, and there are times in my life I pay more attention to it than others. Maybe it's because I'm living in the desert right now, but I've been reading it a bit more closely each morning. Yesterday, the words at the end of the passage stopped me. I felt them deep in the very depths of my heart.

"Beloved, do not try to get out of a dark place, except, in God's time and in God's way. The time of trouble is meant to teach you lessons that you sorely need... Premature deliverance may frustrate God's work of grace in your life." --The Still Small Voice

I've spent so much time in the past few weeks trying to figure God out... praying for things to work out in my time frame, in the ways I can see. And as I sat there in frutstrated silence, wondering how in the world things would ever work out, the Lord spoke to me.

I read the words above and KNEW. I've been trying to find my own path, light my own way. And in doing so, I had become frustrated, sad and a little big angry. As I've prayed and tried to release this anxiety into His hands, He has begun to do a work. My prayers have changed. Instead of praying for deliverance and escape, I'm asking for His nearness. Instead of asking for what I can see, I'm trusting in the unseen. I'm asking His hand of grace to be upon me, doing a work that only He can do.

"Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God."
Isaiah 50:10

Micah's Mom: an update

2011-03-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

After yet another emotional week of doctors, tests, procedures and the roller coaster ride that is cancer, Micah's mom finally came home yesterday afternoon. Last night was so nice to be together somewhere that wasn't the hospital. I think we are all adjusting to this new "normal" for our family.

Let me back up a bit to tell you where we are headed. We switched hospitals early last week to be under a doctor who specializes in the Pancreas. Our hope was that he would be able to do the Whipple procedure. Unfortunately, the cancer has spread beyond the operable area, making surgery no longer an option.

After a couple smaller surgeries, they were able to relieve some of the pain in her abdomen and she is able to eat. Yesterday morning they put a port in for her chemo, which will begin in about two weeks.

So that's where we are for right now... just sitting back and waiting. And thanking the Lord for little blessings along the way.

"Do not fear, for I am with you,
do not anxiously look about you,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you;
surely I will help you,
surely I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10

Marathon Training: Weeks 10 & 11

2011-03-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Wow... I can't believe I only have 5 weeks of marathon training left. It seems like just yesterday I was trying to decide if I REALLY wanted to do this... and now the moment is almost here. Unbelievable!

Week 10 was during that awful week So I only got in my Monday run and a longish run on Saturday. I don't even have an exact time for my 9ish mile run I did that Saturday. I had left my Garmin in my car, which was at the hospital with Micah. And can we take a minute to talk about how weird it feels to run without my garmin after being so attached to it over the past months since I got it? I was constantly checking my wrist to see nothing there.

Week 11 was more of the same as the week before it, but I was back to work and therefore back to my regular running routine. At one point, I considered dropping down to the half, just because I know this is so time consuming and I want to be available to Micah and his family. But he convinced me to go ahead and finish out my training- mainly because he wants me to get this whole "marathon" thing out of my system... ha!

Monday: We were scheduled to run a 5 mile progressive run. Having been off for almost a whole week, I was feeling sluggish. I did manage to push and mile 4 was 8:05. It was a tough run, but it felt nice to be back in my routine.

Wednesday: Another 7 miles, this time with 5 miles of tempo in the middle. I just couldn't get it in gear and my tempos were all right around 9:30. I also had my first marathon training wipeout during this run. I stepped off the sidewalk, and next thing I knew I was laying on the ground. I got up and finished, it was only when I got home that I realized I had strawberries and bruises on my knees and a hole in my favorite running capris. Oh well, it could have been worse!

Saturday: The elusive 20 miles... I went to bed Friday night super nervous about running 20 miles. That just seems so... FAR.

I met up with Carrie and Kala at 6:15, ran 5 miles back to the car and got some fuel. Then we set out on 10 miles with the running buddies from church. About mile 12, it started to get REALLY cold and drizzling. I hadn't dressed for the temperature drop, so when we got back to the car at mile 16 I was freezing! Honestly, at that point I would have stopped if Carried hadn't been there to push me on.

We took off on our last 4 miles. The first mile was into the north wind and it was COLD. After we turned, it wasn't as bad. The sun had (somewhat) risen and the drizzle had stopped. I was feeling really strong when we looked up and saw that a train was completely stopped on the tracks we needed to stop. We quickly took a turn and went across the bridge under the tracks. This made our mileage a little long, but I was so glad to be finished.

Long Run #11: 20 Miles
Average Pace: 9:49
Total Time: 3:14:58

Mile #1: 10:04
Mile #2: 10:13
Mile #3:    9:48
Mile #4:    9:55
Mile #5: 10:02
Mile #6:    9:35
Mile #7:    9:40
Mile #8:    9:37
Mile #9:    9:40
Mile #10:10:08
Mile #11: 9:45
Mile #12: 9:33
Mile #13: 9:31
Mile #14: 9:49
Mile #15: 9:37
Mile #16: 10:23
Mile #17: 9:52
Mile #18: 9:35
Mile #19: 9:38
Mile #20: 10:24

I can't believe we're almost to the race taper point. We've got 2 more weeks of hard training, then it's taper time. Speaking of, I've got 7 miles EARLY tomorrow, so I should go to bed.

blessings

2011-03-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

A sweet friend told me about this song last week.
It's been on repeat since then.
Every time I listen to it, a new part speaks to me.
I hope it speaks to you.

What if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know you’re near
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

what a week, round 2

2011-03-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

"I would have despaired unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage:
Yes, wait for the LORD."
Psalm 27:13-14

This verse sums up 2011 so far. Because without the belief that God's goodness is surrounding me in the wait, I would most DEFINITELY despaired.

Saturday evening I got a call from Micah's sister letting me know they had taken her mom to the ER. She was having serious abdominal pain and her skin was turning yellow. A CAT scan revealed something in her pancreas blocking her liver. They thought it could be a tumor, so she was admitted about 3AM Sunday morning.

Fast forward to Wednesday- the oncologist met with the family to tell them what he found in the tests that had been done so far. Basically they were met with a couple different scenarios- the cancer could have NOT spread and be contained in the tumor. This would lead to a very intense and invasive Whipple procedure. If the cancer HAD spread to other areas, we would talk about different treatment options depending on the extent of the spreading. Only 2% of patients fall into the first scenario...

A series of tests were ordered for Friday morning, a PET scan and a laparoscopic, centrifuge test. These would reveal a clearer picture of where exactly the cancer was in her body. We left the hospital Wednesday and Thursday nervous and asking the Lord for the cancer to be contained in the area capable of being removed.

Today was a day filled with waiting. John Mark went with my parents to hang out and play for the day so I was able to be with Micah. A little over 2 hours after she went back for the test, she was back and immediately taken back to be prepped for the next series of tests. They let us know the first test had revealed only 2 small spots on her liver, so she was cleared to go on with the next test.

After 8 hours of waiting, the surgeon came out to let us know the cancer appeared to be contained to the tumor. They removed part of the spots on her liver to be biopsied. If the results of the biopsy and the other test come back clean, they will move forward with the Whipple procedure sometime next week.

To say it's been an intense week would be an understatement. Through it all I have seen the peace that transcends all understanding in Micah and his family. I have felt the support of the body of Christ- through prayers, messages, coffee, sitting with me in the waiting room, staying the night with me... we are blessed.

There's still a long road ahead of us, and I would ask you to please pray. We know that the Lord is Sovereign and in control of every circumstance of our lives.

"there is a light
that burns brighter than the sun
He steals the night and casts no shadows
there is HOPE
should oceans rise and mountains fall
He never fails"
--take heart, hillsong
(aka my life theme song)

the only one

2011-03-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've always been a people pleaser... I lived the majority of my life believing no one would ever REALLY like me. I always thought I could never be pretty enough or funny enough or smart enough- so I took the backseat to life and followed behind whoever was willing to lead me. I went to college and hid behind a back-home boyfriend. When I did (finally) branch out and make one friend, I held onto her until I allowed her negativity to permeate my very core and drive everyone else out of my life. I got married and spent time trying to give off the constant appearance of having everything together.

A couple of VERY tough lessons came within my first year of marriage. I was forced to lay down my pride and arrogance, to ask myself a very difficult question, one pulled straight from the heart of scripture: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10.

So I spent a solid year in the Word and with some women I trusted greatly. I began to recognize the lies I had believed about myself for years. I started to finally see myself as the masterpiece God had created me to be. It was a beautiful, freeing experience. I got out of my comfort zone... I made new friends... I started teaching a small group of MS students... I began to believe that He who began this good work in me would be faithful to complete it.

That was a little over 6 years ago and since then my life has changed drastically. I wish I could say from that point on I never had anymore struggles with insecurity and my need to please people, but of course that would be a lie. A couple of weeks ago, after some things had been said to me by a couple of different people, I began to doubt everything about my life. I found myself in that place of doubt, wondering if I could ever be good enough. Then I read this quote and it stopped me dead in my tracks:

The ONLY ONE who has a right to shape our lives is Jesus Christ. --Francis Frangipane

I read that quote, closed the book I read it in and immediately fell to my knees in my living room. I had been allowing the people around me to shape my life. So I examined my heart against the only opinion that matters. And I found Him there with open arms, waiting for me to ask forgiveness and start again on this journey of freedom.

What has He taught you today?

Marathon Training: Week 9

2011-03-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

We are officially past the halfway point in our training. I can't believe I've made it to this point. After this weeks 18 miles, I only have one more distance I haven't conquered yet- besides the marathon, obviously! It's also a reason to celebrate- nice, spring weather is finally on it's way! For the first time, our early morning runs were in capris and long-sleeve T's!

Monday: The schedule called for a 7 mile, "hill" training run... however, our early morning coordinator- Rosemarie- was unable to run early that morning. And considering the hill workout Carrie put us through on Saturday, neither one of us felt up to running up and down a hill. So we set out on 7 relatively easy miles. My legs felt like lead, and I just couldn't get going.

Wednesday: I woke up feeling good, surprisingly ready for the 7 mile tempo run we had scheduled. Can I just tell you how bizarre it is that 7 miles is now our weekday run? I ran my tempo miles all under 9:00, which was exciting to me. I think I felt the need to redeem my 10k from the weekend before. I ended that run feeling better than I had on a weekday run in a while.

Friday: Instead of doing our long run on Saturday, it was easier to put those miles in on Friday. Kala had to go out of town early Saturday morning, and I was anxious to get these 18 miles out of the way. We were looking for a change of scenery, so we met at a park on the other side of town.

We did a 5.5 mile loop through the park, back to our cars for fuel and water. After some tummy and blood sugar issues on the past couple of long runs, I decided to try a different gel. Accel gel has protein mixed into the formula, so I thought it was worth a shot. I'm happy to say this is my new go-to fuel for long runs. My stomach didn't hurt once and I didn't feel lightheaded or woozy. Plus, I felt strong until the very end of this run. In fact, this might have been my favorite long run to date!

We stopped once during the second loop of our run to potty. I had some sport beans, and the caffeine in those really gave me a boost! I really think the combination of a gel with protein and taking in more fuel during the run was KEY!

It wasn't until the last two miles of the run that I started to even feel tired. And I was so angry, because I knew at that point, I wasn't even feeling tired physically. It was all mental! I started singing an old Rebecca St. James song- "You make the road rise up to meet me, You make the sun shine warm upon my face... God I lift You high, You are my Abba." That helped, and before I knew it, 18 miles were done! Another personal distance record for this girl is in the books.

Unfortunately, I once again messed up my garmin during the run, so my times are a little off. I only show 17.25 miles, but Kala assured me I ran the full 18.

Long Run #9: 18 Miles
Average Pace: 9:35 (according to Kala)
Total Time: 2:56

Mile #1:   9:40
Mile #2:   9:20
Mile #3:   9:34
Mile #4:   9:12
Mile #5: 9:46
Mile #6: 10:04
Mile #7: 10:08
Mile #8: 10:04
Mile #9:   9:51
Mile #10: 9:33
Mile #11: 9:42
Mile #12: 9:20
Mile #13: 9:31
Mile #14: 9:39
Mile #15: 9:33
Mile #16: 9:44
Mile #17: 10:00

Marathon Training: Week 8

2011-03-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

I know this is over a week late, but I am just getting around to posting.
I'll post week 9 later today.
Also, I promise this isn't turning into a running blog.
It's just all that's on my brain lately.

Monday: We met at our usual place and set off on a 6 mile progressive run. 1 mile warm-up, followed by a faster pace for each mile that follows. Our last mile was right at 8 minutes. It was hard, but not totally awful. I can tell I'm getting stronger.

Wednesday: I woke up with an awful allergy headache, and just generally felt yucky. I was in the bathroom getting dressed when I decided I just couldn't do it. It was partially that I didn't feel great physically, but mentally I was wiped too. So I texted the girls and went back to bed.

Saturday: The schedule called for 14 miles, but the Creek Classic 10K was that morning. Carrie and I decided to meet early, run 6, then do the 10K. This could also be called the time Carrie tried to kill me. We woke up that morning to temps in the 30s with wind from the north at 30mph. Just FYI, those are not ideal running conditions.

We drove out to deer creek and set off from the school parking lot. The first 4 miles weren't too bad, just cold. Then we turned and headed north... for 2 miles... straight UPHILL. Seriously. We turned around at the end and looked back to a complete incline. It was literally the most awful 20 minutes of my life. BUT... we did it. And I know that runs like that are what make us stronger and better.

After our 6 miles, we went into the school and warmed up. I changed my shirt into one that wasn't sweaty and ate my fuel. I started feeling much better and was ready for the 10K. I've only ran one other race that distance and that was several years ago. I ended up with a 10K PR- 54:43. I wanted so badly to come in under 54:00, but at mile 4 I had burned through all of my fuel and ended up bent over, praying I didn't pass out. I still finished with great times, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for.

I messed up my garmin during the first half of the run, but I have the splits for the 10K.

Long Run #8: Creek Classic 10K, 6.2 Miles
Average Pace: 8:47
Total Time: 54:43:26

Mile #1:   9:02
Mile #2:   8:36
Mile #3:   8:26
Mile #4:   8:37
Mile #5:   8:49
Mile #6:   9:07

Marathon Training: Week 7

2011-02-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

I feel like these are getting monotonous...
I ran.
It was cold.
I was tired.
I was sore.
The End.

Just kidding. I am writing these for my own memories of this time of training. It was a relatively normal week. I've got to get back in my Tuesday evening BodyPump groove though. It's been too long since I've been to a class. I bet I've lost all the strength I had gained.

Back to running. This was a step-down week after our first longer than half-marathon run. It was a welcome break.

Monday- The schedule only called for 4 miles! 1 mile warm-up followed by 2 miles of fartleks and 1 mile cool down. It was a welcome break from hour long weekday runs. I also figured out how to set up a workout and import it to my garmin. I'm sure that makes me a nerd, but it was nice not to have to look down every few seconds to see where we were in the sprints.

Wednesday- I definitely slept through my alarm. I woke up at 5:37 to Carrie calling me. We normally meet at 5:30, and I knew I had no chance of getting there in time. I was so sad. They told me that everyone gets one "sleep-in" so I have used mine up. Ha!

Friday- Micah and I had a disciple now over the weekend and Carrie was going to be out of town, so we decided to do the long run on Friday morning. It was SUPER cold when we woke up. I bundled up and headed out to our meeting place.

We made a 6 mile loop back to the car, got our water and honey stingers. As soon as we took off for our next 7 mile loop, I knew I should have eaten more stingers.

At mile 11, my stomach started to cramp SO BAD. I knew it was just that I needed more calories. I made it to mile 13 and the car and got some more stingers. As we stood there drinking our water, Carrie said- "so, have you noticed that those are SNOW FLURRIES falling from the sky?"

We took off for our last 3 miles. Those miles hurt really bad. At one point, we were almost to 1.5 miles and we were coming on a hill. I knew if I went down that hill, I'd never make it back up. Carrie agreed and we turned around. It required a little extra loop in the street, but we made it back to the car right at 16 miles.

Long Run #7: 16 Miles
Average Pace: 9:20
Total Time: 2:29:02

Mile #1:   9:40
Mile #2:   9:19
Mile #3:   9:22
Mile #4:   9:28
Mile #5:   9:16
Mile #6:   9:24
Mile #7: 9:32
Mile #8:   9:07
Mile #9:   9:22
Mile #10: 9:19
Mile #11: 9:14
Mile #12: 9:19
Mile #13: 8:54
Mile #14: 9:10
Mile #15: 9:20
Mile #16: 9:01

Funny random story- after I was finished, I ran into 7-11 to get some muscle milk (my favorite post long run recovery drink). As I was checking out, the girl asked me "what is that big ol' thing on your wrist?" I looked down and realized me she was talking about my garmin. I tried explaining that to her, but she just couldn't get it. I gave up after a minute and headed home.

I spent the weekend running all over the city and didn't really feel to bad. It was a great start to an amazing weekend.

Marathon Training: Week 6

2011-02-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

I know I skipped weeks 4 and 5... but basically- it snowed. I did a few runs on the treadmill. That's about it. Nothing exciting to report.

Let's move on to week 6- a personal distance record!
That's right- I ran 15 miles today.
But let's back up to the week of training leading up to the long run.

Monday- You know you've been training in dang cold weather when you wake up, see 39 degrees is the temp and get excited about how warm it is! We did 6 miles, a 1 mile warm-up, 4 miles of fartleks (speed intervals that are crazy hard!) and 1 mile cool down. My goal was to run as hard as I possibly could for those 1/4 mile intervals. I averaged in the 7's for them. Crazy.

Wednesday- Carrie was back! I hadn't got to run with her in a couple of weeks and had seriously missed my running buddy! We had a 6 mile tempo run on the schedule. The 3 miles we did in tempo were 8:20, 8:10 and 8:03. It was a great run, and I left feeling stronger and more confident about the 15 miler on the schedule for this weekend.

Saturday- Today marked a new personal distance record for me! I woke up to 60 degrees and 90% humidity. After running in freezing temps, I was a sweaty mess by the end of the first few miles. Carrie and I met early and did 5 miles before meeting up with the rest of the group for 10. This was a hilly course, and a few times, I kind of wanted to cry. But we pushed through and ended up with a great time.

Long Run #6: 15 Miles
Average Pace: 9:13
Total Time: 2:18:29

Mile #1:   9:50 (SUPER dark out)
Mile #2:   9:03
Mile #3:   9:25
Mile #4:   9:28
Mile #5:   9:18
Mile #6:   9:13
Mile #7: 9:12
Mile #8:   9:13
Mile #9:   9:24
Mile #10: 8:52
Mile #11: 8:57
Mile #12: 9:06
Mile #13: 9:05 (smashed half marathon PR)
Mile #14: 9:10
Mile #15: 8:53

Overall, it was an amazing week. Our mileage continues to move on up and I'm going to be setting new distance records every week. Hopefully we're through with snowstorms and negative degree temps. Today, although it was humid, was great weather! Now I need to go take a nap and recover...

a dream come true

2011-02-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, one of my lifelong dreams came true.
I heard Sandi Patty live.
And not only that... I met her.
And got a hug.
AND a picture.
I can die happy now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

my heart

2011-02-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

I love music.
It can make me happy, sad, excited or calm.
It can take me back to a memory.
It can take me straight to the Throne.

A couple of months ago,
I needed a healthy dose of Truth.
So I made a playlist of worship music-
songs that were full of Truth,
reminders my heart has clung to in recent weeks.

I wanted to share it here-
in case you are in need of a mini worship session.
Each of these songs speaks to my soul.

*Have Your Way- Britt Nicole
But you never said the road would be easy,
But you said that you would never leave.
And you never promised that this life wasn't hard,
But you promised you`d take care of me.

*My Brightness- Charlie Hall
Your presence always heals me
so I want to drink it in
You know where we're going God
You know where I've been.

*Your Love Never Fails- Jesus Culture
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

*Hanging On- Britt Nicole
And when the darkness falls
I can't see what's before me
Your voice is like the dawn
Always there to guide me

*You Are God- Andy Kirk
You are God and You’re unchangeable
You alone are faithful and true
We could search all of heaven and earth just to find
There is no other God, there’s no other God like You

*Our God- Chris Tomlin
And if our God is for us,
then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us,
then what can stand against?

*Hope Now- Addison Road
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

*I Have to Believe- Rita Springer
I have to believe that He sees my darkness
I have to believe that He knows my pain
I have to lift up my hands to worship
Worship His name

*Spoken For- Mercy Me
Now I have a peace
I've never known before
I find myself complete
My heart is spoken for

I hope these songs can bless you like they've blessed me.
What is your favorite worship song right now?

the day we met P-Dub (again)

2011-02-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

Do you remember a little over a year ago when all my dreams came true and I got to meet the Pioneer Woman in REAL LIFE? I do... it was life-changing, really!

Anyway, on Saturday she was in town AGAIN, doing a book tour for her latest book. Of course as soon as I saw on her website that she'd be here again, I immediately rallied the troops and we made plans to be there.

It all started with lunch at Zorba's. After filling our tummies with hummus, falafel and gyros, it was time. We headed to full circle to wait for the book signing to start.

We got our books and found a spot to stand in the crowd. In the corner, we noticed a random microphone on a stand... this started us thinking that maybe she was going to do a question and answer session with the crowd. Our heads started spinning for an awesome question we could ask...

A few minutes later, it was happening. PW took the stage and started chatting away.

It was at this moment, brilliance struck. We dared Lindsey to ask PW if Cowboy Josh was interested in a red-headed ballerina... She was the second person to be handed the mike. She was shaking and nervous and we were all laughing hysterically. The conversation ended with PW asking for Lindsey's number. Success.

Then we sat down and waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, it was time. We all go so excited and when we walked up to the table, the first thing she said was "I met you girls last time, didn't I?" That's right, people- the pioneer woman REMEMBERED us. Be still my heart. After laughing and signing, and dropping Lindsey's business card off, we took our picture and we were done.

It was an amazing experience, one we will remember forever. Thanks for being so awesome, Pioneer Woman! We crazy Oklahoma girls love you!

*all photos from sara e!*

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2011-02-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently I have moved to Colorado or Maine or something because it won't STOP snowing... I mean, I'm all for a good old fashioned snow day. But we've been snowed in since Monday night, and tomorrow it's supposed to be above freezing (38 degrees- woo!) for the first time in days. But don't get too excited, because MORE SNOW is coming next week...

So what have we done for the past week of snow? Tuesday we didn't leave the house because it was SO cold and snow was blowing like crazy outside. Lesley and I made a craft. I watched movies with Micah and John Mark... read a book... played a lot of words with friends... We never ventured out the door once.

Wednesday was still ridiculous and cold, but at least the sun was shining. JM had big plans to build a snow fort and he wanted all our friends to come over and play. We called up Lindsey and the Stulce's, who braved the roads and drove over. John Mark had a blast building an epic fort and having a snowball fight with the boys.

The girls lasted outside for a total of maybe 30 minutes, then went back inside. We played rummy-cube, ate taco soup and laid around doing nothing. Jason (who "lives for this!!") and Micah drove around to check things out and came back with coffee. A couple games of settlers later and the guys went back outside. Jason built an igloo for John Mark. He was so excited!

After eating Hideaway and some more settlers, Jason and Mal headed home. Lesley also found her way home and we watched a lot of Friday Night Lights.

Yesterday I went into the office for the day. I'm not going to lie, it was nice to get out of the house for a while. I'm not good at being stuck at home!

Today I went to lunch with a friend and then we actually went shopping. I made some cute flower/bows for a friend's baby shower on Sunday and my niece Elliana.

Tomorrow I need to go to the gym and run as many as I can stand on the treadmill... then we get to go see the Pioneer Woman at a book signing.

What have you done on these snowy days?

a snow day craft

2011-02-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard, it's snowmageddon outside today.
Last night, Lesley called and said she didn't want to be snowed in at home alone, so she came over. We went out last night and did a little stocking up of our own at Hobby Lobby. I mean, if we were going to be stuck inside for the next few days, we might as well have projects to keep us busy.

Here's project #1 of Snowmageddon 2011-
A valentine's day wreath.

This was a fun little project that didn't take long at all.
I started with a styrofoam heart from hobby lobby and some gray yarn.

I spent an hour or so wrapping the yarn around the heart. This is a good, mindless project to do while watching a movie (or a Say Yes to the Dress marathon, thank you netflix) and chatting with a friend (Sissy Bird).

After you have your heard covered in yarn, start making some felt flowers.
I forgot to take any pics of this process, but it's quite simple.
Step #1- cut a circle.
Step #2- cut the circle into a spiral.
Step #3- roll the spiral until you have a flower.
Step #4- hot glue the end piece to the bottom.
And there you have it- beautiful felt flowers in four easy steps!

Grab some tulle or ribbon, tie a big bow and hang!

A fabulous, simple wreath made on a snowy day!

Marathon Training- Week 3

2011-01-30T10:59:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad to be writing this wrap-up of week of training.
Mainly because it means this week is OVER.

Because of the events of this past week, my training was less than stellar- as was my eating, sleeping and everything else I've tried to be conscious of in recent weeks. Pretty sure the two boxes of valentine heart cakes and large sonic coke zeros with vanilla I've consumed is NOT part of my marathon healthy eating plan. And don't even get me started on my sleep patterns for the week. Anyway, I did manage to get my 3 days of running in for the week.

Monday- I woke up to a weather forecast of 16 degrees, feels like 8. I debated meeting the girls outside for our first day of speed work but then decided I was too much of a wimp for that. I went to the gym and did my 3 miles of fartleks the treadmill...

Wednesday- Considering I spent all of Tuesday night crying my eyes out and knew what was coming (and wasn't going in the office that day) I really thought I was going to just run later in the day. But Carrie talked me into going with them and getting it out of the way. I'm glad I did, because I'm pretty sure that 5 mile tempo run wouldn't have happened otherwise.

Saturday- The training plan called for 12 miles. Twelve miles... in week three, people. It really made me question what I'm getting myself into. I met Carrie and we took off. We had beautiful weather- sidenote: It officially makes me feel crazy that I wake up excited to see a temp of 38 degrees and think its going to be so warm!- and that made such a HUGE difference in the run.

I don't feel too bad for having run an almost half-marathon today. My legs are a little tight and my back is sore... the worst thing- my TOE. The middle toe on my right food it purple, swollen and HURTS. After some advil and staying off it this evening, it's doing better than earlier today. Hopefully it's just that my toenail is dying and will fall off (is that really the brightside?).

Long Run #3: 12 Miles
Average Pace: 9:07

Mile #1:   9:32
Mile #2:   9:25
Mile #3:   9:30
Mile #4:   9:12
Mile #5:   8:57
Mile #6:   9:02
Mile #7: 8:58
Mile #8:   8:50
Mile #9:   9:05
Mile #10: 9:03
Mile #11: 8:48
Mile #12: 8:50

Check out those totally awesome negative splits... and, I just have to brag, the only times we rested were when we stopped for water. No walking breaks! Could it be that we're ACTUALLY getting stronger?

what a week

2011-01-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

"Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you."
--Psalm 25:4-5

This definitely goes down as one of the longest weeks of my life. Last night we announced our resignation from the middle school ministry at HHBC. God is doing something new in our lives... that much is evident. What exactly, well, we're not so sure.

The Lord is good and does what is right...
He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
--Psalm 25:8-9

I'm learning a lot. About faith... about the goodness of my God... about listening and being still. I don't know where we're going, where this path may lead. But I know two things to be of utmost truth- my God is GOOD and what he does is good, and my husband is the most amazing man I've ever met.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
--Lamentations 3:21-24

I'm excited to see where this journey takes us. It will be an adventure, and there's no one else I'd rather have by my side on this adventure of life than the man I love. If you think about it, say a little prayer for us... for peace, wisdom and clarity. We'll take all the prayers we can get!

"the goal is not to frantically hang on to the end of our rope, but to let go. When self is done, Jesus is more than enough." --Louie Giglio

dwell in the land

2011-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

“Dwell in the land and be faithful…” Psalm 37:3

I read this verse on a friend’s facebook status today and it hit me like a ton of bricks. God is funny like that, isn’t He? He speaks to us at anytime, if we will only listen.

Life has been a little on the difficult side in recent months. I’ve had a lot of questions, and honestly haven’t received many answers. I’ve wondered what I’m even doing, and what God’s plan is in the middle of this chaos.

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Today I realized- these questions have already been answered. His Word has showed me what I am to do. Dwell in the land and be faithful… faithful to what? To justice, mercy and humility… if I have those three things, if I’m faithfully pursuing a walk with my God- it doesn’t matter where or what I’m doing.

Can I just tell you what relief came from this? My heart feels freer, ready to follow hard after my God. Because He is good, isn’t He? And what He does is good.

Marathon Training- Week 2

2011-01-22T20:33:00.001-08:00

Well, another cold week of marathon training is in the books! I don’t have much new to report. I ran, I did body pump and ran some more!

But in an effort to remember how this training went down, I’m going to go ahead and recap the week. I apologize now for the rambling.

Monday- Micah was with the Middle School students on their mission trip, so I couldn’t run early. I came home from work (where Micah and JM were napping, I might add) and went to the gym. I did 4 miles on the treadmill. I tried to mix it up a bit and played with the speeds throughout the run. It ended up not being too terrible, other than the fact that it was a million degrees in the gym!

Wednesday- I met up with Carrie, Kala and Rosemarie (from here on out, I will refer to them as “the girls”) and we pounded out a 5 mile tempo run. Our first mile was 10:24 and the next three were right around 9:00, followed by a 9:45 cool down. I love running with these ladies- it gives me motivation to get out of bed!

Saturday- Long Run day… we had 9 miles on our schedule, and since I had to leave Edmond at 9 to get to Central High, I met Carrie at 6:30 to do a quick 3 before meeting up with the Running Buddies to do their scheduled 6.

Long Run #2: 9 Miles
Average Pace: 9:21

Mile 1: 9:38
Mile 2: 9:21
Mile 3: 9:21
Mile 4: 8:56
Mile 5: 9:18
Mile 6: 9:26
Mile 7: 9:22
Mile 8: 9:31
Mile 9: 9:17

- On Tuesday I did BodyPump (my new obsession!) and on Friday I did 45 minutes on the elliptical plus some serious stretching. Thursday I planned to do push-ups and abs, but that just never happened!

It was another great week of training. Here’s to next week!

random thoughts

2011-01-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

1. I really love watching the weather. It's a quirk I picked up from my dad- who thought no day was ever complete without seeing at least one weather forecast. And considering in Oklahoma you have about 50 to choose from, this isn't difficult.

2. I love country music. I've been on an old school country music kick lately. Many thanks to Lindsey for teaching me how to create a playlist on youtube... I can load it up with whatever music strikes my fancy and listen to my hearts content. Today's guilty pleasures include- "What's it to You" by Clay Walker and "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Reba.

3. I have the funniest kid in the world. Now, I know what you're thinking- everyone thinks their kid is the greatest- but seriously, my kid is SO FUNNY. For instance, yesterday there was a rubber snake outside of my car when I left work. Today it was still there, so he suggested we pick it up and put it by Mallory's car... I can't wait for her reaction this afternoon!

4. Skinny Caramel Macchiatos are my obsession right now... The fact that my Monday/Wednesday running buddies meet in the starbucks parking lot is doing nothing to help this obsession. Temptation hitting me in the face after cold runs twice a week... it's a shame I'm not made of money!

5. I found this new website- Goodreads- and it's pretty much the greatest thing ever. I can see what everyone else is reading... then add it to my list... then go to the library and check it out. Last Friday I went and picked up the 5 books I had placed on reserve. When I saw the giant stack, I thought that maybe I was a bit optimistic in my ability to read all 5 books over the next 2 weeks.

6. From watching the weather, I hear we might have snowmageddon this weekend, which would give me time to read those 5 books.

7. We got rid of cable. In effort to simplify our lives, it was the easiest thing to eliminate from the picture. So far, the only thing I really miss is DVR. And the real reason I miss that is fast forwarding through the commercials!

8. Friday Night Lights is the greatest television show ever (besides friends, duh). Micah and I have been watching season 1 on Netflix and I can't get enough of it! Yesterday at lunch with Megan, she said "anyone, from any walk of life, loves Tim Riggins." A true statement, my friend!

9. If snowpacolypse does happen, I will be torn between my need to read all five books and watch Friday Night Lights...

10. I don't really have anything else, but I couldn't end on number 9. Does that make me weird?

slobbery Joe

2011-01-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

Let me set the stage for you. Micah didn't have a job when we started dating, so all of our dates were ridiculously cheap. In fact, I'm pretty sure that we are the reason Sonic stopped offering the totally awesome 2 corndogs for 99 cents special they ran that October. I mean, the awesome cheapness of that deal coupled with my love for corndogs meant we were there at LEAST three times a week... probably more.

During this time, Micah lived at home with his parents. That's not that weird, and it didn't bother me. However- he was allergic to their couch. I'm still not 100% sure how that's possible, but he was. I knew this before we started dating because I'd spent a lot of time over there with his sister. I never really paid attention to it though, until we were dating and went over to watch a movie and couldn't sit together...

So here is where our story begins. We were on our second date (99 cent corndogs, anyone?) and had gone back to his house to watch a movie. Because of the whole couch allergy, Micah sat in the chair beside the couch and I sat on the end of the couch. We held hands across the middle. Yeah, it was as awkward as it sounds.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am notorious for falling asleep during movies. This was no exception. At some point in the movie, I fell asleep on the couch, still holding Micah's hand. When the movie ended, I woke up and felt what could only be drool on my hand... I was a little embarassed by this, and then it hit me- I had been holding HIS hand... and if the drool was on MY hand that could only mean that the drool was also on HIS hand. I fell asleep and drooled on his hand on our second date...

Yeah, I'm lucky I got a husband.

Marathon Training- Week 1

2011-01-15T21:45:00.001-08:00

Technorati Tags: marathon training

1 week down, 15 weeks to go!

I wanted the whole 16 week plan on a single sheet of paper I could hang on my refrigerator, so I could always see my plan and where I was at in it. I really love how it turned out, and so far it’s keeping me motivated. Ask me in 10 weeks or so and I might be singing a different tune!

[click to enlarge]

Anyway, Monday morning began my training with freezing temps, 0* wind chills and a chance for snow! I loaded up and went to the gym to get my 3 miles in on the ol’ treadmill. I hate running on a treadmill- mostly because of BOREDOM. But also, it makes it all to easy to quit. I mean, you can always turn off the treadmill and drive home… when you’re outside and 5 miles from home, you’ve got no choice but to suck it up and run the 5 miles back!

My Wednesday run turned into a Thursday run, because I was too lazy to get out of bed! But I went to the gym early Thursday morning and put in 5 whole miles. I did the warm-up and cool-down at 6.0 and the tempo 3 miles at 6.8. Surprisingly, this wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be.

And today was my first long-run. Carrie and I pounded out 8 miles on this very cold morning. I have got to get some good gloves- my $1 target gloves just end up sweaty, turning my fingers into ice cubes! That was the coldest part on my whole body!

Long Run #1: 8 Miles
Average Pace: 9:14

Mile 1: 9:37
Mile 2: 9:42
Mile 3: 9:31
Mile 4: 8:48
Mile 5: 8:59
Mile 6: 8:57
Mile 7: 9:07
Mile 8: 9:03

Seriously, I can’t believe how much my running as improved. Speed work and weight training has made SUCH a difference in my running.

Overall, I’d say it was a great way to kick-off this training season. I can’t wait to see what the next months hold for me.

The Domino Effect

2011-01-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Lesley is hilarious. There’s just no other way around it. We all like to tease her because funny stuff just happens to her. Anyway, after much prodding from all of us, she decided to start a blog- “Why I’m Still Single.” Go read it. It’s so funny.

Anyway, one day she texted me and said that really, I could have a blog too. Only mine would be titled “why I’m lucky I got a husband.” It’s true. So that started the idea in my head of a series of posts on here. Really, they’re just embarrassing stories that I’ve probably never shared in public.

First of all, I must ask- please don’t judge me based on anything you read in this post. I was young. I was crazy. I was trying to scare off a boy who I was pretty sure liked me, but I was pretty sure was too good for me. This is the story of the first time Micah came to my parents house.

I was a senior in college and had planned a trip to Dallas for labor day weekend with some friends. For reasons I can’t remember, the trip to Dallas fell through and we ended up going to my parents house to hang out. Emily had asked her brother to go with us to Dallas, so he I went ahead and invited him to come with us.

That night, we broke out the double-nine dominos for a good ol’ game of Mexican Train. For the life of me, I have no clue why that’s what we chose to do. That’s really a strange thing for a group of college students to do for fun.

Now, here’s where it gets a little ugly. One of the girls with us played the game a different way. And when she told us how they play the game, everyone thought it was great. For some reason, I FLIPPED OUT. I proceeded to yell and throw dominoes… I mean, it was bad. It’s kind of funny now, but really- what was WRONG with me?

Ironically, Emily’s brother just sat there the whole time with a little smirk on his face. After my rant, and everyone else was more or less done with me, he leaned over and explained the new rule to me.

Ironically, I understood perfectly and we were able to move on with the game.

Ironically, 7 years later, he still sits with that same smirk on his face when I go off on rants and then calmly explains things to me.

Yeah, I’m lucky I got a husband.

New Years 2011

2011-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

I realized that I never recapped our New Year’s Eve from earlier in the month. It wasn’t exciting, but in the effort of documenting our year, here we go!

After much debating, Micah and I decided that we’d rather just hang out at home with JM than find a sitter or make any other plans. So that’s exactly what we did! Micah wanted steak to eat (when does he NOT want steak?) so I cooked that and some veggies. We ate at the table on fancy plates and drank sparkling grape juice. JM felt like such a big boy!

When we finished eating, we played a couple of games that JM wanted to play with us. Then I pulled in blankets and pillows onto the living room floor, where we made a big pallet. We ate cupcakes, drank hot chocolate and watched “Despicable Me.”

By the time the movie was over, it was 10:30. We turned on the NYE shows and watched that until the east coast rang in the new year. I got out fun glasses, put sparkling juice in them and we all “chinked” in the new year.

JM went to bed right after that and was out immediately. Micah and I watched a couple episodes of “Chuck” (our latest obsession!) and rang in the new year with a kiss and another “chink.”

It wasn’t much, but it was perfect. I loved being home with my two favorite people. I loved being in my sweatpants. And I loved that it was exactly what we wanted.

Monster Trucks

2011-01-09T13:45:00.001-08:00

On Friday night, we went to a monster truck rally at the Lazy E. John Mark’s buddy, Gwen, and his family invited us to go with them. It was so much fun!We started with dinner at Railhead BBQ- a hole in the wall restaurant out in Guthrie. I think it’s important to mention that John Mark proceeded to eat a fried chicken leg, a corn dog and french fries. After filling up on yummy burgers and fries, we headed out.We got there early enough to get some great seats. We were right above the parked monster trucks and I spent most of the night keeping JM from hanging over the edge of the rail… He and Gwen wanted to get as close to the action as they could.About 30 minutes into the races, JM started complaining that he was hungry. How it was possible he could be hungry, I’ll never know. He shared some cotton candy with Gwen and his sisters. I couldn’t get a picture because we were both covered in sticky mess!After the show was over, we got to ride in a Monster Truck. It was so much fun. I have an awesome video that involves JM screaming like a girl, but I can’t figure out how to upload it. I’ll have to put it on here later.

It was a lot of fun, and I’m so glad we went. Thanks for a great time, Mullin family!

2011 Goals

2011-01-03T20:58:00.001-08:00

I just love a fresh start, don’t you?
The first page of a journal…
The blank pages of a new planner…

And here we sit, 3 days into a new year, a whole 362 days stretch before me, wide open with possibility. I know there are people out there who don’t love resolutions or goals, but I am not one of them. I like having a clear picture in my head of what I’m working towards.

So as I’ve thought and prayed over my goals for this new year, I’ve come up with quite a list. Some of them are personal, between me and the Lord. But a majority of them I want to share here. Maybe they’ll encourage you… or you can encourage me. That’s what this whole community is about anyway, isn’t it?

#1. Spend time with the Lord EVERYDAY. I know this should be second nature by now, but reality is, I go in waves. This year, I want to live a life fully surrendered to Him. And I can’t do that if I’m not spending time with Him.

#2. Memorize two scriptures a month. I’d love to do more, and if that happens- great! But I want to end this year with 24 verses in my heart.

#3. Run a full marathon. I’ve said it before, but this time- I’m ready. I’ve got training partners, a kick-booty plan and MOTIVATION. I’m turning 30, you know… and this has always been something I’ve dreamed of doing. This is my year to find that dream.

#4. Blog more. I kind of fell into a rut last year, and now that makes me sad. I hate that I don’t have a clear record of our lives from the past year. This year, no matter how mundane or boring, I want to document our lives.

#5. Take more photos! I love pictures. I always have. But sometimes I start to feel silly taking my camera out wherever I go. No more. I’ve signed up for 365project and I’m sticking with it!

#6. Eat wholesome, real food as much as possible. This means less eating out and more cooking at home. This means making a meal plan and grocery shopping. I know that eating real food is the best thing for all of us- it’s just not always the most convenient.

#7. Be intentional in my relationships. I want the friendships that I have to be growing and full of the Lord. I want to encourage those around me in their walks. I want our conversation to be seasoned with grace and wisdom.

#8. Read at least 4 non-fiction, spiritual growth books. I love to read, and can devour a fiction book in no time at all. Give me a book that is about something important, and chances are, I’ll never finish it. It’s sad really, but something I know I need to work on!

#9. Date night with Micah once a month. Life gets so busy, and it’s easy to let the time we spend together at work and home count for our dates. But I know that we need intentional time set apart for the two of us.

#10. Get rid of all the junk we don’t need. I have an entire closet full of stuff that if it disappeared tomorrow, I would probably never notice. I need to seriously go through stuff and get rid of things.

So there you have it… my top 10 goals for 2011. I’ll leave you with my memory verse for this week:

Colossians 3:12 “therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. It's easily my very favorite holiday. All the parties, presents, time with family, FOOD... what's not to love?

This year, John Mark and I went to my parents on Thursday night. Micah had to stay in Edmond to be at the Christmas Eve service, so we rode down with Tiffany, Russell and sweet Tanzi Rose. John Mark loves his new baby cousin and talked and sang to her the whole trip to Central High!

Christmas Eve dawned cold and rainy. I spent the majority of the morning parked on the couch, loading music to my parents laptop. Grandad got Nanny an ipod shuffle for Christmas, and we wanted to give it to her loaded and ready to go!

Since I was little, we've celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve. We eat snack foods, read the Christmas story and open presents. This year was no exception!

After presents, Micah and I took JM down to my parents house and let him open his Christmas Eve present from us- it's always a movie and pajamas. This year he got Toy Story 3 with woody and buzz lightyear pajamas to match! Unfortunately, he was tired and cranky, so we didn't stay up to watch the movie.

After John Mark went to bed, Micah and I put together his stocking. I think putting together his stocking might be one of my favorite things that I do at Christmas. This year I went to a fun candy “boutique” in downtown OKC called Pinkitzel. Ladies, you HAVE to go there! It’s so much fun! I found lots of great stocking stuffers for John Mark and Micah!

The next morning, Micah and I actually woke up before John Mark. We went into the living room (at my parents), turned on the lights and made some coffee. We woke him up, and much to my surprise he told me “he wanted to sleep just a little bit more.” That was really just 5 minutes and he was running in, ready for presents!

The ONE thing that he asked for was a “Hot Wheels Color Changer Thing.” He saw it in the Target toy catalog and had his little heart SET on it. Every target in OKC was sold out of it… it wasn’t available online… After days of searching, I finally found it on the Kohl’s website.

To say he was excited it a complete understatement! We opened the rest of his presents, and then daddy put together his awesome hot wheels toy. Micah got the axe for camping that he asked for, and they surprised me with an ipod shuffle to use when I run.

After that, we got around and ready for the rest of the day. Family came over and we had a huge lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon laying around, playing games and chopping wood (that one was Micah!).

I had such a blessed Christmas. God is so good, and the best gift of all is that He sent His Son to earth. That’s what we celebrate. Everything else is just a bonus!

this is a new year

2011-01-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

this is a new day to rise,
shine, lift up your eyes...
this is a new year,
this is a new day to rise,
shine and point the way to God's great light
--charlie hall, new year

I've been thinking a lot about the new year, and all it will hold. 2010 wasn't exactly the best, and to be perfectly honest, I've spent the last couple of months wallowing. There's a lot of questions I have, and I haven't received any answers... so I've just sat back, pouting, and stopped actively pursuing the things I knew I should. My heart has been continually broken over this during the last week, and I have felt Him drawing me back to Himself.

So in 2011, I want to step it up a notch... to learn and surrender, fall more deeply in love with my Savior. I want to spend time with Him everyday and memorize scripture. I want to journal more and recount the things that He is teaching me. I want to intentionally meet people who don't know the Lord and share the gospel.

These are just a handful of the goals I have set for myself for the coming year. I have others, in other categories... but I know that ultimately the success of this new year lies solely in the hands of my Lord. And if I do all those other things, but neglect Him, I will have failed.

i laughed until i puked...

2010-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

literally.
AKA- our small group Christmas party.

Background information:
Every Sunday night, we meet with 10 other people for bible study, fellowship and prayer. It's a great thing, really. If you haven't found a small group in your church, you should. Anyway, last night was our Christmas party. We all gathered at the Fites house with snacks and $10 gift cards for dirty santa.

Here's the story:
After eating our weight in little piggies, sausage balls and other yummy snacks, we moved on to the other room for games. There's a couple of games that we play everywhere we go, and one of those is the bowl game. Everyone puts in 3 things and then you have 3 rounds of having your team guess them.

It was my team's turn and Dustin was giving us clues. He said a chocolate dessert, I said pudding... some more people yelled things and then time was up. The word was actually "malt" and so we were laughing. I took a drink of coffee right as Mallory asked "so, what was the deal with pudding?"

I started to laugh, with a mouthful of coffee and tried to stop and swallow and breathe at the same time... I ended up running into the kitchen, where I proceeded to start gagging, gasping and seriously could. not. breathe. I started to get scared because I couldn't catch my breath...

All of a sudden, I threw up.
With all my friends in the other room.
And Jacie offering to do the Heimlich on me...
Definitely in my top 10 most embarrassing moments of all time.

After I threw up, I was fine. My breathing went back to normal and my heart rate slowed back down... I drank some water and went back to the bowl game.

Moral of the story- don't drink and play the bowl game. Bad things will happen.

The Christmas Chain

2010-12-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Every year, our church does an amazing Christmas production.
Every year, I think how cool it would be to be a part of it.
Every year, I chicken out and don't to do it...

But this was the year! Several of the girls from the office decided that we should audition for choreography, and since John Mark is finally old enough to be a part of it, I thought I would give it a shot.

Now, I'm not much for dancing. I've never taken a class, and I've never really had much coordination, so this was DEFINITELY a step out of my comfort zone... but it was so much fun! I danced in one song- "Hot Chocolate" from the polar express, and was an angel in another song. Fortunately, that song only required standing still.

John Mark also made his dancing debut as a peppermint. He was lucky enough to get to dance with Lindsey and I'm pretty sure that's the only thing that got him to the performances every night.

It was so much fun to be a part of something so BIG. I met a lot of new people and even learned a dance step or two (Charleston, anyone?). But most of all, it was amazing to see a story come together and watch as over 6,000 people got to hear the gospel.

I think I'm ready for next year.

But maybe I'll stick to singing in the choir...

That's a little more my speed!

Cute Chalkboard

2010-12-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm telling you, I have become quite the crafty in my old age... maybe it's some of my perfectionism finally wearing off... or maybe it's the onslaught of crafty friends I have in my life these ways... I'm not sure what it is, but I am certain that I like it!

Anyway, this is a SUPER cute, cheap and easy craft that you can whip out in a couple hours on a cold, windy afternoon. I know, because I did. So let's take a little trip down crafting lane, shall we?

Step 1- grab your crafty best friend and head to your local thrift store. If you're as lucky as we are, your store has half-price Saturday. That's when you can pick up 7 frames for $1.89. Seriously- what a steal! Once you get your stack of frames home, take them apart and give them a good cleaning. You don't want any funky stuff left on the final product!

Step 2- Grab your freshly washed glass handy dandy Chalkboard spray and head outside. At this point, ask your husband if it's okay to paint in the grass... he will say yes, only hours later to say he really meant more of the BACKYARD than the front. "oops" Lay out the glass and spray the heck out of them.

Step 3- take goofy photos of yourselves while the paint dries. (optional)

Please note the chalkboard paint on my chin... yeah, I still don't know how that got there. I blame sissy bird.

Step 4- Set to work making your burned ribbon flowers. These are SO cute and so easy to throw together. All you need is some wide ribbon (I found mine in the floral section), scissors and a lighter. Cut out various sizes of circles from your ribbon. Hold the ribbon right above the lighter let the edges start to singe a little. The ribbon will curl and your house will begin to smell.

Step 5- go back outside and spray another coat of chalkboard paint on your glass. Pick out the grass bits that have dried in your first coat. Take a photo with your friends camera...

Step 6- Pull out your trusty hot glue gun and start assembling the flowers. Just stack a few of the "petals" on top of each other until you have the flowery look you want. Add fun beads or a button to the middle. The flower by itself is ridiculously cute and makes a great pin for your sweater or scarf.

Step 7- go back outside and spray another coat of chalkboard paint on your glass. You'll want at least 3 coats to make it easy to write on!

Step 8- Once your frame and chalkboards are dry, put them back together. Add the flower to a corner with some hot glue and there you have it! Packaged with a couple pieces of white chalk, you have an adorable chalkboard for cheap!

a crafty little Christmas

2010-12-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

I've always admired people who were crafty... Unfortunately, that hasn't always been one of my strong suits. This Christmas, armed with inspiration from some very creative blogs and my super artistic friends, I set out to make some of my Christmas presents and decorations. It is with great pride that I reveal to you my newfound craftiness. (I'm linking back to the original post where I saw a tutorial if you want to see how to make your own!)

Mod-Podge Clothespin Wreath

This was a super easy and fun wreath! All it took was a couple packs of clothespins, scrapbook paper, hot glue and an embroidery hoop. The night we made this wreath, I ended up with a 103 fever... so that should tell you how easy this wreath is to complete!

Mini-Muffin Tin Advent Calendar
(I don't remember exactly where I saw these, but if you google it, you'll come up with a ton of tutorials!)

I saw these one day and knew that I had to make these for the three ladies I work with. Squares of cardstock and scrapbook paper, stickers and some magnets made this cute calendar come to life. Inside each muffin tin, I put a scripture passage for them to read each day with their families. I absolutely LOVED how these turned out!!

Fabric-flower Grapevine Wreath

This is my favorite, favorite, FAVORITE thing that I've made so far. AND- it cost less than $5!! All it took was a wreath form, scrap fabric, hot glue and a couple of berry wreath picks. Lesley and I spent about an hour on Saturday twisting fabric into little flowers, then she positioned and glued everything down. Seriously- this was so easy and it turned out perfect!

I've got a few more crafts up my sleeve, but those are yet to be revealed to their recipients, so you'll just have to wait... But for now, don't be afraid. If I can do it, anyone can!

give thanks

2010-11-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

"give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever."
Psalm 107:1

I take so much of my life for granted- big things, small things, everything in between. It's so easy to get caught up in the details of life and things that are going wrong that I forget just HOW MUCH I've truly been given.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows."
James 1:17

But today, on this day of giving thanks, I wanted to take a quick break to thank Him- for every good and perfect gift He's given to me... for the good things in my life and even for the bad things. Because it's through every experience in life I have learned and grown.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits."
Psalm 103:1-2

Route 66 Half Marathon Recap

2010-11-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

13.1 Miles- DONE!

While this wasn't my first half marathon, this was the first one that I went into the race feeling mostly prepared. I knew that I could have trained harder, but I also recognized that things like sickness and life circumstances sometimes prevent a perfect training schedule.

But even still- I was able to set a new PR- 2:08:32, a 9:43 pace. That's a number I'm dang proud of! I've worked hard to get my times under 10:00. I know if I keep working at it, my times will have to keep improving.

This was a fabulous race. I've never ran this course before, and even though it was challenging (the entire first half of the race was UPHILL), I enjoyed it. It was very pretty and the race was very well organized.

The first 7 miles went all throughout the historic neighborhoods surrounding downtown Tulsa. There were some gorgeous homes and lots of encouraging families sitting on their front porches, cheering on runners. *sidenote: I think it's a new goal of mine to have a house on a race route... I would love to sit on the porch with my cup of coffee, cheering people on- when I'm not running, of course* I was feeling great, and sticking right alongside my running buddy, Julie. Mile 7 was a particularly steep hill, and I was beginning to feel the hills and humidity. At one point I started seeing stars and had to step off to the side and slow my heartrate down.

At mile 8, we crossed a tall bridge going over the river, leading us onto riverside drive. I was excited to see the stretch of flat road at the end of the bridge. I was NOT excited to be greeted by those 20 mile wind gusts into my face for the next 3 miles. This was also the mile where Julie told me to go on, so I was alone at this point.

By mile 10, I was starting to hurt. I knew that I was giving this race everything I had, but the humidity was killing me. I took a quick walk break, turned up my iPod and pushed on to mile 11. I stopped to walk for a minute or so and stretch out my calves and then pushed through. My pace was starting to drop, and I knew I was getting dehydrated. I ate a couple of chomps and kept going to the next waterstop. I was so happy to see the turnaround (we were running a strip of road parallel to everyone else headed to the finish line... seeing the stream of runners forever away in the distance running towards me was a little discouraging, I have to say. But it was nice to see a few familiar faces along the way- they encouraged me to keep going.)

Mile 12 was better- we had turned so the wind wasn't blowing directly into my face. When I saw the mile 13 sign, I dug as deep as I could and sprinted to the finish line. I stopped my Garmin as I crossed the finish line and saw this:

A couple of my other friends from church crossed right behind me. We went to gear check and grabbed our stuff. I was a sweaty mess, but so happy.

With my training buddy, Julie. She finished a few minutes behind me. I know I couldn't have run the race I did without her!

The rest of our runners came in and we ate our way back to the hotel for showers. I'm telling you- post race showers are some of the best ones! I rank them right up there with the first shower at home after camp!

When the rest of our group got back, we rushed to the finish line to watch the full marathoners cross the finish line. We missed the first two, but found out when we got there that our third friend, Kristen, had some serious tummy issues and wasn't doing as well as she had hoped. We waited around and talked with Laurie and Mandy about their race.

This leads to the best part of the whole weekend. We looked up and saw Kristen rounding the corner with her two daughters on either side holding her hand and her husband with them. They all crossed the finish line together... Oh man, we were all crying. It was THE BEST thing that we got to see all weekend So proud of these ladies for running the full 26.2 miles..

I have had the best time training with this fabulous group of women. I'm excited to see what adventures the spring holds. I'm hearing rumors of a full marathon... I guess we'll just have to see!

race weekend

2010-11-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

I leave today for Tulsa with some of my favorite ladies to run the Route 66. I'll be running the half, and this is my first time to run this race. I'm excited, if for nothing other than the fact I LOVE the ladies I'm going with and I know we'll have a fun time.

Originally, I set out to run a sub-2:00 half marathon. I know that goal was totally possible, but life got in the way and I'm not sure it will happen. I'm not too worried about it though, I know I'm stronger and faster than I ever have been before a race, so that's all that matters.

I'll be back tomorrow with a recap and fun photos of the weekend. If you'd like to track me, follow this link and enter bib number 3745. It will send you text messages when I cross different check points in the race. (that's mainly for my mom, but you can follow me too :)

family photos

2010-11-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

OH. MY. WORD.
Sara Wheeler has totally and completely outdone herself on our family photos this year...
I cried just looking at the sneak peek she put on her blog today.

So go, check us out now.

thankful

2010-11-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'm having one of those days where I take a look at my life and think "what in the world did I ever do to deserve this beautiful life?"

I have a husband that I love more than anything... and for some strange reason, he loves me too. Even when I'm cranky and emotional and competitive...

I have a little boy who brings joy to my life everyday. I can't even remember my life before him. And even when he does things that make me crazy (like put a ball of silly putty in the middle of my favorite blanket), I am so thankful that he is healthy and happy (and hilarious, but that's a bonus).

I have a family that is beyond supportive... a family that has taught me to love the Lord and how to have a relationship with Him.

I have friends that challenge me, love me and make my life fun! I love people, and relationships with these people make me smile just thinking about them.

I get to work with the most amazing students in the world each week. I never thought I would love middle school and high schoolers SO much. But they are a part of who I am, and I can't imagine a life without pouring into them.

Overall, I'd say I'm one blessed girl. I couldn't ask for a better life!

It's ordinary plain and simple
Typical, this everyday love
Same ol', same ol' keeping it new
Emotional, so familiar
Nothing about it too peculiar
Oh, but I can't get enough
Of this everyday love
--Rascal Flatts

My Halloween Fun

2010-11-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

I mentioned yesterday that while JM was at my parents, I got to have a little halloween fun of my own.

Our friends Dustin & Jessica had a fun little get together of friends on Friday night. Unfortunately, Micah was out of town, so I was flying solo. Before I realized he wouldn't be around, I tried and tried to talk him into going to the party with me as Sonny and Cher. He was less than thrilled, and I'm sure he was secretly happy about not having to be a part of my insanity! So I went alone as Cher (or an Indian princess, depending on how you viewed my costume).

My friends are all so much fun and we had everything from Ke$ha to Robin Sparkles at our party.

Lindsey, who has awesome curly red hair, went to the party as a beehive.

Lesley, our fabulously hilarious friend found an old Den-mother's shirt at a thrift store and a Boy Scout was born.

I baked some cupcakes to take the the party. Since we were celebrating halloween, I made (read: found on a blog and printed) mustaches and thought bubbles to "dress up" the cupcakes. We had a fun time taking photos with them.

I haven't dressed up for Halloween in a long time, so it was a lot of fun to get together and just hang out with friends.

Happy Halloween-ing

2010-11-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

We've had a very fun Halloween weekend around these parts! John Mark dressed up as a totally awesome robot thanks to my friend Lindsey.

Let me back up and tell you how this funny little costume came about...

John Mark goes to work with me every Tuesday and Thursday morning. He spends about an hour at me desk, then I walk him across the parking lot to school. Lindsey works with me (she's a graphic designer, hence the insane craftiness) and always has lots of paper boxes stacked up in her office.

One day, JM saw the boxes and started taping rubber snakes to the box. Don't ask where he got snakes at 8AM on a Tuesday morning... people at the office give him all kinds of stuff. Anyway, he decided that he wanted to be a creepy box for halloween. What is a creepy box, you ask? Well, a box with snakes taped to it with him INSIDE the box... as in, me carrying around an almost 50 pound kid in a box. NO THANKS.

So I asked if he would like to be a robot. After much begging, pleading, and otherwise negotiating, a "creepy-box" robot was born.

Micah has been out of town for a week, so it was just the boy and me for Halloween this year. My mom already had plans to watch him overnight for me while I went on a retreat, so he ended up just going to Central High with her. I came down on Saturday morning and we went out trick-or-treating that evening.

Our first stop was Nanny & Grandad's. We quickly realized that: a, it was going to be quite a chore getting him in and out of the truck with each stop and b, poor kid couldn't reach around the box to put candy in his own bucket! He was quite a trooper and went along with getting undressed and dressed at every stop.

Sunday evening, we went out to a Trunk-or-Treat with Micah's sister. JM and I had a bit of a battle, but in the end I realized that it was probably too warm to make him wear his wire sweat suit. So we compromised and super-robot was born.

Basically, he put the box on over his superman shirt (and cape) and wore that while getting candy. Then went as superman for the rest of the time there. He had a blast jumping in the bounce house, climbing obstacle courses and petting the animals.

I love my little creepy box robot! We had a fun Halloween and I'm glad we got to spend it with family. It definitely wasn't the same without Micah around to have fun with! I also went to a fun halloween party, but that's another post for another day!

getting my (blogger) groove back

2010-10-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

I've been in a bit of a blogging funk lately. There's a lot going on in our world, and I've felt a bit overwhelmed. Plus, I think I got caught up in feeling like I needed to post something profound or funny each time I post. But as I have thought back to why I started this blog, it's for myself- to remember what is going on in our world. Since I haven't really updated the ol' blog since JM's birthday, I'll give a quick recap of where we've been the past two months.

John Mark
*started pre-k in August at the church... this was a drama filled couple of weeks trying to decide at the last minute if I really wanted him in public school 5 days a week or not. We ended up sticking with the church school for his final year. He gets to be with his friends and we get our family Fridays together for one last year. I feel very much at peace with our decision to stay there.

*is unbelievably into superheros and wears something superhero everyday. Either a t-shirt or a cape.... sometimes even a full costume. I've had enough mom's tell me to embrace these days because they'll pass soon enough. As quickly as all the other stages have passed, I've decided to sit back and let this one play it's course. Besides, he gets lots of fun smiles from little old couples at the grocery store!

*has had several playdates with his friend Gwen. In fact, if I would let him, he'd have a friend at our house everyday! I love that he has lots of friends and likes spending time with them.

*still says so many funny things. The other night we were all laying in bed and we were talking about how much God loves us. JM said (so seriously) "God loves me more than you, mommy... and daddy, he loves you more than your mom and mommy he loves you more than your mom. It's like a... a... great big ball of hearts and love!" And then got so tickled that he couldn't stop laughing for a solid 5 minutes.

Micah
*is still trucking along with the Middle Schoolers at church. They keep us busy and we went to Falls Creek with them for a fall retreat a couple of weeks ago. We've been to a cross country meet and several football games so far. These kids stay so busy! It's hard to stay up with them.

*got to baptize a student in "big church" for the first time a few weeks ago. He baptizes several students every summer at camp, but this was the first time actually at the church. She is a precious girl who we love SO much and seeing her baptized was amazing.

*started a small group with another couple (and me!) that meets on Sunday evenings. We love getting to serve in this way and love every person who comes each week. Micah is gifted at leading small groups and it's so fun to watch him use those gifts.

Stephanie
*went to the Brooks & Dunn concert in August with my good friend Lindsey. That really deserves it's own post, but let's just say it was AMAZING! I mean, come on- it's Brooks & Dunn! The concert was incredible and we had the best time.

*has a new group of 7th grade girls that I'm teaching. They are so much fun! I love teaching and spending time with these girls one on one. It's so fun to watch them grow over the year and see who they become. I actually had every girl bring her bible to church last week, which was a total first!

*has been running a lot lately. I'm running the half marathon in Tulsa in a few weeks and have been aiming for a sub-2 hour half... we'll see how that goes! In fact, I ran 11 miles this morning and my body is telling me it's about time to head to bed.

There's a quick recap to get the blog up-to-date (kind of). I have pictures to go with a lot of that, but they're on the other computer and I'm too lazy to move to the other computer. I suppose a picture post is in order soon...

Hopefully I will get in a much better routine of posting now that I've remembered why I'm posting to begin with!

End of Summer

2010-09-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today is Labor Day.
The day that officially marks the end of summer.

I'm not going to lie-
I've been counting down to this day for about a month now.

This summer has been a hard one,
mentally, physically, emotionally...

But even though this summer was full of ups and downs,
I'm choosing to focus on the ups!

Hopefully now that life has slowed down,
I'll be able to update this little ol' blog more.
I have several recaps to write to close out the summer...

So check back soon to see how summer ended for us!

today

2010-09-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love... neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow— nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

I'm holding tight to these verses today... to the promise that no matter what tomorrow brings, my God is with me.

"And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against?"
--Our God, Chris Tomlin

Dear John Mark,

2010-08-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that you're a great BIG four-year-old and I'm trying desperately not to burst into tears every time I think about you growing up. Here's a rundown of your current stats and activities.

Physical Stats:
-Height: 45 1/8", 100%
-Weight: 46 pounds, 96%
-Shoe size: 13.5 or 1
-Shirt size: 5/6
-Pant size: 6 slim

You love:
-your grandparents
-going to bebe & poppy's
-candyland
-yogurt
-scooby-doo
-slushies
-corndogs
-singing silly songs you make up
-EVERYTHING superhero... especially IronMan and Wolverine
-dressing up in your superhero costumes
-the phrases "oh brother" and "haha, very funny"
-girls with curly hair (seriously)
-swimming
-chick-fil-a

You DON'T love:
-peas!
-sitting still
-being called a baby, or even little boy
-taking naps
-staying inside (unless you're watching scooby-doo!)
-spiders, unless they've been captured

Words to describe you:
happy, kind, smart, funny, quick, curious, handsome, TALL, loving, strong, great with adults, easy

Narty-noo, I love you so very much. These four years have flown by and it feels like yesterday you were brand new. I thank God for you everyday, and ask Him to keep you safe and strong. But more than that, I ask that He would start instilling in you now a love for Him and the things of Him. You are everything I could have ever asked for in a little boy. I'm so glad God gave me you.

Love,
Mommy

a very pop-py birthday

2010-08-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

Because of our intense schedule this summer, I decided to keep John Mark's birthday party low-key and family only (and a couple of close friends). After looking at my options, I decided to have his party at Pops on Route 66. It was a great place for a party- minus the 110 degree HEAT we had going on Saturday evening...

The week before the party was super busy- Micah was out of town and I was swamped at work getting the children's ministry ready to send 215 kids to camp on Monday. Friday morning, I was wandering around hobby lobby totally uninspired for the birthday party... thankfully, I have amazing friends who are super creative! The party ended up being perfect!

Here's a quick recap in pictures of the big day!

Fun straws/toppers

Fun party hats

Fun party favors

Fun friends

Fun presents

Unfortunately, my photographing friend's camera died before we could get pictures of cake- but they were cupcakes and they were cute, trust me.

Thanks Lindsey for making me look good with all your awesome party favor designs! Thanks Jamie for the fabulous pictures! Thanks Sissy Bird for the awesome invitations! Thanks Lisa for the super cute "4" shirt! And thanks to everyone who came and sweated to make John Mark's day super special. We love all of you!

4 years old

2010-07-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Seriously- how in the world is my baby FOUR?
It's not even right!

I'm too tired to write anything coherent tonight, so I'll leave you with a year of John Mark in pictures, starting with his birthday last year.

July 2009- third birthday

August 2009- first day of preschool

September 2009- playing soccer

October 2009- Halloween costume

November 2009- Indian at CLC thanksgiving feast

December 2009- Christmas Eve

January 2010- being silly!

February 2010- Mr. Potato Head for Daddy's valentine

March 2010- Medieval Fair Corndog

April 2010- Easter Egg Hunt at school

May 2010- Mallory's Wedding

June 2010- King of the Beach

July 2010- tilt-a-whirl with mommy

take my life

2010-07-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

These words were sung six years ago on my wedding day as I prayed for the first time with my new husband. At that moment, I didn't know much about the road ahead. I didn't know what our life together would bring. But I knew that I loved the man in front of me and that he loved me. I also knew that more than he loved me, he loved the Lord. As I knelt beside him, I prayed fervently that our life would be ever surrendered to Him.

Over the past six years, life hasn't always been what I expected. I have struggled, crying out to the Lord in the darkness. I have been overwhelmed by His goodness, crying tears of joy. My love has come through fire, with renewed strength and commitment. My faith has grown and matured as I have learned to truly surrender.

I don't know what tomorrow holds; I have no clue where our journey will lead us. But those things I was certain of six years ago- that I have a man who loves me and loves the Lord more- I am more certain of today.

Take my love, my Lord I pour
at Your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

home

2010-07-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling nostalgic lately. Maybe it's the fact that parents of friends from back home are selling their homes and moving to town... or maybe it's all the country music I've been listening to... maybe it's the fact that one of my favorite great-aunts passed away this week... or maybe it's just the heat. Whatever it is, I feel like my heart and mind have been flooded with a longing to hold onto precious memories from my past.

I've sat down to write this post several times since Friday and I don't seem to have the words. It's like the emotion is too thick for words. So I'll try again another day. But for tonight, I'll leave you with words to a song that has echoed in my mind all weekend long.

"The house that I was raised in still looks the same
The room I used to dream in of how I’d somehow change the world
Some things I’ve done better, some things its hard to say
But when I look in this old mirror and remember all my yesterdays
When I say my prayers, when all of my somedays
Lead me to somewhere...

The only thing that has me standing here is grace."
--Addison Road

summer... so far

2010-06-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

I've done a terrible job of updating my blog this summer... so here is a quick picture recap of our summer this far.

Weddings were attended.

Camp was awesome.

Birthdays were celebrated.

with dancing (obviously)...

Zoos were visited.

Babies were played with.

Volleyball was played.

Children were buried in sand.

and we've only made it through June...
there's two more months of awesome left!

birthday week

2010-06-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was my birthday.
29 years old.
My husband found it hilarious to tell everyone I was 30...
so then no one would believe me when I said I was 29.
He's so funny...

In honor of my birthday
(and not having anything exciting to say)
I will tell you 29 things about me.

1. I hate corn. (we went to a cook-out tonight and I was in charge of bringing corn. When I got to Crest, I realized that I had NO CLUE how to buy fresh corn...)
2. I don't hate the taste of corn... it's a texture thing.
3. I love peas.
4. Yes, I realize that corn and peas are very similar.
5. Sometimes I wonder if I still hate corn based solely on principle.
6. I love to read and usually have 2 or 3 half-read books laying around the house.
7. I typically only finish fiction books. I love to read non-fiction, I just have a problem finishing them.
8. My hair is STRAIGHT... my friends have always had fun, beachy-wavy hair... I have tried everything to make that happen. It never works.
9. Therefore, my hair is in a pony-tail 99% of the time.
10. I love to listen to songs on repeat.
11. I love how that causes my life to have a soundtrack. Songs I love can take me back to any place and time...
12. Currently, Faithfully from the Glee finale is on repeat.
13. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes... not so much.
14. I LOVE magazines... I get 4 different magazines every month...
15. I love blogs. Reading blogs is one of my favorite things to do.
16. Some of my very best friends are in high school.
17. I love routine.
18. For example, I have to start my computer and open things in the same order everyday. If the tabs at the bottom of the screen aren't in the right order, I have to close them all and start over...
19. I really love cooking.
20. I do NOT love baking- that requires too much precision and patience.
21. I love personalities and find them fascinating. In another life I would have loved to have been a people-analyzer...
22. I have a complex and think everyone hates me when they first meet me. (insecurity, much?)
23. I don't know if I want to have another child.
24. I really want a baby girl.
25. I'm really confused... :)
26. The song "revelation song" makes me cry and want to fall to my knees every time I hear it.
27. I love spider solitaire... and will play the same game over and over until I win.
28. I REALLY hate losing...
29. It drives me crazy this list doesn't end on an even multiple of 5... Oh well, I'm 29 not 30. :)

HOME!

2010-06-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

We made it home yesterday afternoon from a wonderful week of camp with 200-something middle school students. After some real food (read: vegetables and meat that isn't processed!) and a long nap, plus lots of snuggling with my boy, I've been able to process my thoughts from the week. Here they are...

1. The speaker this week was our good friend Chris. He shoots straight, isn't flowery and gave some amazing truth to these students. I was reminded that students will take what you give them- and they're capable of handling so much more than people give them credit for.

2. Sometimes people make mistakes... we are an imperfect people doing our best to serve a perfect God. I was encouraged by the improvements in things and the humble spirit and willingness to grow I saw. I think far too often I want to focus on the mistakes made by people. God reminded me that I'm far from perfect and I'd like a little grace from the people in my life, so I should probably give the same.

3. Winning isn't everything. :o) I'm a little on the competitive side... and to go from leading a team last year that not only won everything, but loved to talk and have discussions during group times to a team that came in a whole lot closer to last and weren't as willing to talk wasn't easy. But I loved each of them and was happy to see some of them seeking more of the Lord.

4. Hard questions require hard answers. One girl in my group had a TON of questions- difficult questions. I realized as I was talking to her that I don't have all the answers and I found myself praying the Lord would give me wisdom and words to say. Several times I found myself saying "I know that was God because I would NOT have ever thought of that on my own." It's refreshing to lean on Him and not myself.

5. God moves when His people pray. On Monday night, I was so heavily burdened for two girls I love so, so dearly. I stood at the back of the room, begging God to move in their lives. On Thursday night, the final night, I saw one of them get up and walk to her leader. I'm crying now just thinking about it... later that night, the other came and found me and we had a great conversation. I'm not saying my prayers alone made these things happen, because I'm sure I wasn't the only one praying... but man, God is good!!

6. I have an amazing husband who loves these students so, so much. I know his prayers for this week were to see God move, to have these students confronted with some hard stuff. His heart is so sincere and seeing him at a big event like this, knowing he gave it all he had but that ultimately, he has given it to the Lord makes me fall more in love with him. He's the best.

7. I love the church. Not just MY church, CHRIST'S church. One of the sermons was about being saved into community- that we are created to be a part of a body of believers. I am blessed to be a part of my church... but I want to always be certain that I'm not going to church for me. I want to exhaust myself and love the church the way Christ loves me. Whew... those were challenging words!

8. We have awesome high school students. Seeing 30ish of them come to camp for a week and pour their lives into these middle schoolers was incredible. I loved seeing them worship, hearing their hearts for the Lord. Plus they're just really cool.

I've tried to think of 2 more to make this an even 10, but nothing is coming to me... it was a great week and I'm glad I was a part of it. Yeah, I missed my bed and good food, I missed John Mark and friends that weren't there... but it was worth every second to see what God did. Because that's who deserves all the glory- not Micah or me or the sponsors, not camp WOW or the church or the students, not the speaker or the band- it was all the Lord. Without Him, we would have just been a bunch of tired and sweaty people running around for nothing. But isn't that all of life, really- apart from Him, we can do nothing of any lasting value.

whew!

2010-05-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Man, what a week! I feel like I've done nothing but run, run, run all week long. I haven't even had a chance to catch up on all my blogs. I think my google reader is at a million or something.

Why was I so busy this week? Because on Monday we load up with 208 middle school students and head to Camp WOW for an AWESOME week. MS Camp is hands down one of my favorite weeks of the entire summer. I love every aspect of camp, especially rec. It's no secret that I'm competitive... so I love getting to play crazy games and cheer like a maniac all day everyday. It also helps that I never lose my voice so I'm always still loud on the last day.

All the sponsors are divided up with partners and then the kids are put in groups. You're given a name and mascot and basically told to run with it... It's so much fun! I love coming up with crazy chants and cheers and dances for us to do. This year I'm paired with one of my favorite high school boys and we are the "praying colonels." I sent Spencer on a hunt for a colonel sanders costume and I'm in the process of making shirts that look like him. I'm not exactly crafty, so we'll see how it all turns out.

Do you have any brilliant ideas to help bring my team to victory?

a confession

2010-05-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I love Glee. I mean, who wouldn't love the perfect combination of music, dancing and teen angst? Anyway, last weeks episode featured Rachel singing Total Eclipse of the heart.

Now is the time that I embarass myself and admit that I absolutely love soft rock. When I was in high school, I was too scared to break out of the whole Christian music scene with the music all the cool kids were listening to. Instead I decided my rebellion would be in the (much milder, more appropriate) form of the local soft rock station- the breeze 99.5, soft rock favorites for a Lawton workday... I spent many nights listening to Fridey Eppley's dedication show (think a small town version of Delilah) and making mixed tapes of my favorite songs for my best friend Amanda Lyn.

Anyway, this song brought back many memories of those nights. So, after immediately purchasing this version of the song and listening to it non-stop on repeat for a solid two days, inspiration hit me. A playlist of all my favorite old school soft rock favorites.

My playlist includes only the greatest- "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine... "Insensitive" by Jann Arden... "The Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera... I could go on, but I'm afraid you might not be able to handle the awesomeness.

What did you listen to growing up?

i am SO cool

2010-05-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, I went for a run.
This was before the giant storm.
So it was CRAZY humid.

Anyway, the neighborhood where I run has lots of trees.
Cottonwood trees.
With blossoms that blow everywhere.

As I was running, I sucked one up my nose.
up. my. NOSE.

So I spent a good minute trying to remove the blossom from my nose-
without blowing my nose everywhere.

And then I carried on my merry way.
I am SO cool.

blessings

2010-05-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night I found myself being a little grumpy and jealous of some of my friends. Isn't it funny how we can look at our lives and see all that we've been given, but in one moment Satan can blind us to that by pointing out one thing someone else has.

I've been reading So Long Insecurity and the biggest thing that has stuck out to me so far has dealt with this very thing- that we can pinpoint areas of our own insecurities by what we perceive to bring others security. For example, so and so is skinny, therefore she must be more secure than me Or they have a big house and nice cars so they are secure. Or she has a husband so that gives her security. To say this chapter screamed "stephanie" is an understatement.

I digress. Back to Tuesday... I found myself sulking that other people had more stuff than me, that certain people were more well-liked than me, blah blah blah. I got myself nice and worked up about something completely ridiculous and far-fetched.

Since then, I've been made painfully aware of all the blessings in my life. A friend's husband leaves, another has a child in the hospital... People lose their homes and cars and jobs everyday... How could I possibly complain about all that I have been given?

I have a husband who loves me, a child who is healthy and happy... I have family who supports me and friends who put up with me... I have a home, a car, food... I have a church that strives to be biblical in every way... I have doctors that let us come to their house late on a Sunday to look at JM's ears and pray over him before we leave...

So I'm making it a point to be more aware of the blessings in my life. I want to start each day with a heart of thankfulness. Because, really, I could never ask for more than all I've been given.

What are you thankful for?

uh-oh...

2010-05-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

I took the baby center height predictor test today for John Mark...

Better dust off the old basketball shoes...
Gotta use that height for something!

a mother's day note

2010-05-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Dear John Mark,

Tonight you asked to sing "How Great" as we were putting you to bed. That song will forever remind me of being pregnant with you. As I sit here, on my third mother's day with you, I can't help but be reminded of all I have learned in these years as a mommy.

First of all, I've learned the meaning of unconditional love. I realize that it really is possible to love another human with every ounce of my being, and nothing can ever change that- that's the love I have for you. I've seen what love without boundaries or strings can do when given to another person- because that's the love you have for me. You've given me a tiny glance into the heart of God. Thank you for that.

I now recognize that I am capable of more than I ever imagined. I never thought I could have a son or be good at "boy" things. Now I see that God created me just for you- to be YOUR mommy. And I don't have to be perfect, or do everything right... I don't have to say the right thing every time or always look my best. You've shown me insights into the depths of my heart I never knew were there. You, as a three year old, have helped shape me into who I am today. Because of you I'm a better wife, friend, daughter, person.

Sweet, sweet angel- I love you more than words could ever say. I am so thankful that God chose me to be your mommy. You are the smartest, bravest, sweetest, most precious little boy in the whole world. I'm glad you made me a mommy.

Love, Mommy

All Because Two People Fell in Love

2010-05-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. It was a great weekend filled with family.

We started the weekend with dinner at Abuelo's. Mom and her sisters had planned everything to be a huge surprise for grandad and nanny. They thought they were stopping in the city to eat lunch with Micah, JM and me. Little did they know, everyone had flown or driven in and were waiting at the restaurant!!

After we all yelled "surprise" and heard "I can't believe you are here!" and "This is the closest I've ever come to fainting" (all quotes by nanny) we got to sit back and enjoy lunch. Sweet Jamie met us at the restaurant and got some great pictures of everyone together.

We took a ride on the bricktown canal to see downtown. They've done a lot of work to the canal and it was pretty cool. Photos were taken, ice cream was eaten and then we checked into the hotel. It was a fun afternoon. I think nanny and grandad were both still in a little bit of shock that we really were together.

The Redhawks were playing in town on Friday evening, so we went to see them play. Grandad played baseball in high school, so this was just for him. The announcer had them stand up and told the stadium why we were there. Then the whole stadium stood and sang "Oklahoma" to them. Such fun!

Saturday morning dawned cloudy, cold and rainy. Not the ideal conditions for the outdoor photo session we had planned with Sara. I talked to mom, tiffany and sara a few times and it was decided to go ahead and meet downtown, all the while praying for the weather to clear off. It rained the whole way downtown and my heart was nervous. I prayed and prayed and prayed. As we walked out of the parking garage, the skies were clear and the sun was shining. Praise the Lord!!

As we walked into the myriad gardens, we were met by a security guard who informed us the gardens were closed. There was some begging and he let us go in and take our pictures. If you are in need of photos, seriously, go check out sara e photography. Such talent!! She did a fabulous job getting exactly what we wanted.

Lunch was at Iron Starr, then we walked around the Oklahoma City Memorial. Several of our family members from out of town had never been there.

From there we headed north to Tiffany's where we ate cake, watched a slideshow of pictures I put together and told family stories. It was such a priceless treasure to be together for the weekend.

I am so blessed by the family God has given to me. We're not perfect, but we love each other. And I know that this love we have for one another and the Lord has been passed down to us from grandad and nanny. It all started 60 years ago- all because two people fell in love.

My Mommy -by John Mark

2010-05-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

My mommy is so special,
she likes tacos to eat.
My mommy has black hair
and her chicken nuggets just can't be beat!
Her eyes are a lovely brown;
They look really swell.
What I like best is that she
plays with me so well.
She's very smart and knows a lot, I'm told.
That's because she's 5 years old.
I know my mommy perfectly,
She will say it's true.
Because I know that loving me
is the greatest thing she'll do!

Underlined words given by John Mark
May 2010

all over the place

2010-05-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

I feel a little scattered, and I don't like it.
I think I need to take some "me" time and regroup.
Because as crazy busy as life has been...
It's about to get crazier.

"I want to sit at Your feet
Drink from the cup in Your hand
Lay back against You
Feel Your heartbeat..."
--the more i seek you, kari jobe

it wasn't pretty...

2010-04-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

but we did it!

At mile 2, Natalie's knee wouldn't go anymore...
so we walked the rest of the way.
3 hours, 22 minutes later, we crossed the finish line.

It wasn't what we trained for or expected,
but it was good.

week with the VZ's

2010-04-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Some of our very best friends moved to Houston a little over 3 years ago. We miss them terribly, and while the girls seem to get together with some regularity, it's very uncommon for all six of us to hang out for an extended amount of time. When Natalie emailed Jamie and me that they were planning to come to OK for a few days in April, I immediately turned in vacation requests.

We've had such a great time with them this week. Wednesday, all the girls went to the tea room for a fancy tea. Caroline got to come with us and we had a great time. We got dressed up and pretended to be fancy ladies drinking tea, eating scones and wearing funny hats. All the pictures from that day are on Jamie's camera, so I'll have to share those a different day.

Thursday was "kid-free" day because JM and Caroline had school. The girls went shopping (MAJOR sales at Gap right now, just FYI) and the boys shot guns or something manly. We all met up for lunch at Pops. The VZ's had never been to Pops, so that made it extra fun.

That evening we made PW's drip-beef and macaroni salad. Kelly & baby Darryl came over to see us too. The boys watched the NFL draft and the girls played banana-grams. It was a perfect evening and felt just like old times. I can't begin to remember how many nights we spent cooking dinner together, just hanging out.

Yesterday we went downtown to the Arts Festival. It was fun to walk around and see the different booths and art. The kiddos got their faces painted and we ate some yummy food.

Then we went to the race expo to pick up our race packets. Natalie and I are running the half-marathon tomorrow. This is Nat's first big race! We were so excited to get our bibs and t-shirts and goody bags.

Last night we went to dinner then cuppies to celebrate Micah's birthday. The guys played video games and the girls watched the blind side.

For today, we're just taking it easy, drinking lots of water and making t-shirts to wear in the race tomorrow. Oh, and Jamie's making us a fabulous carb-y dinner. I fully plan on being in bed by 9, since 4:30 is an early morning wake up call!

I'll be back tomorrow with a recap of our race. Expect lots of pictures- Jamie is going with us as our official race photographer!

completely random

2010-04-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

*I went to Edmond Memorial Follies tonight. This is not your average, run of the mill talent show. The talent these kids has is amazing!! Makes me wish I had listened to my mom when she said I should practice the piano because I could be good (but not enough to go back and do it again!). There was singing, dancing, a string quartet... serious talent!

*I did my last long run before the half marathon last weekend. I ran 11.5 miles. I thought I was doing 10 and being slow... turns out I was actually keeping decent time! Tomorrow I go in search of my race day outfit!

*I desperately need to work on my front flower bed. I always have grand plans of pretty blooming flowers and such, but I have a tendency to not keep them alive. Anyone know some easy, pretty plants or flowers for me to stick out there? I seriously need foolproof!

*VBS Registrations begins this weekend. I cannot believe that it's that time of year already! It means summer is right around the corner.

*John Mark has become obsessed with superheroes. He says that he is silver surfer, Micah is wolverine and I am spider girl. Hey, at least I'm included.