13.1- still smiling

I ran 13.1 miles this morning.
I ran it in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 23 seconds.
That's a 10:39 mile, if you were wondering.
As I sprinted across the finish line,
hands held high in victory,
clutching tightly to my friends,
I laughed and I cried.
It was one of the most inspiring, difficult, beautiful experiences of my life.

Inspiring-
because seeing 18,000 people take off in memory of those whose lives takes your breath away.
At the very first turn of the marathon,
we were going up a hill
and in front of us was literally a sea of people.

because in those moments I felt so weak and tired
humble people sitting on their front steps cheered me on...
my 2 best friends came alongside me and pushed me to endure...
my Jesus whispered words into my heart....
and I knew I would make it.

Difficult-
because for the first 8 miles a driving north wind cut into my face,
a cold drizzle melted into my skin for several miles.

because around mile 10 my ankles were so weak
I was afraid they might break.

because 13.1 is quite a bit further than 10!!

Beautiful-
because God met me there,
revealing a little bit more of Who He is.
At mile 7 I took out my headphones and listened-
to the pounding of feet on the pavement,
to my own breathing,
to the prayers being whispered from my heart.

because this was more than a race...
this was my life story
strung out across 13.1 miles of pavement.
Parts were fun and easy,
a little bit like a party.
Other parts were so hard I wanted to cry.
But I had sweet friends running with me,
each step of the way.
Without them I wouldn't have made it-
today, and in every aspect of my life.

because crossing that finish line,
holding hands with Marcy and Kelly,
gave me hope-
that I will be able to make it,
no matter what life throws at me,
as long as I have my Jesus and the people He has given to me.

"I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith"
2 Timothy 4:7

a friendly picnic

On Monday, Caroline came over to hang out with us while Jamie went to a meeting. We had a great time playing and coloring. That girl completely cracks me up. At one point she was singing the ABC's with so much passion her face was turning red and she was grunting.

Seriously- funniest girl ever!

Caroline calls me "stephie." She was running around the house saying things to me and the next thing I know, John Mark is running around saying "stephie, stephie." Fortunately he doesn't realize that "stephie" is "mommy."

I sat John Mark's coloring table in the middle of his playroom and gave them their lunch on it. They had so much fun eating their chicken nuggets and peaches. It was totally obvious that they really thought they were big kids for eating by themselves in the playroom.

It was a great Monday!! We love Caroline!

the perfect day

Today was the kind of day
that makes you want to stop-
to reflect on all the good,
the blessings.
To say "thank You"
to the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

We sang my favorite song in worship.

The wind was blowing just right,
causing the living room blinds to clap joyfully
as I sat on the floor reading.

I spent quality time with my Jesus-
studying for my breakout lesson
and running in spring air.

Children played in their yards,
daddys mowed,
mommys planted tulips and pansies
as I ran by.

I baked yummy fish,
with new potatoes and green beans for supper.

And the perfect end to my night?
Snow cones,
shared with John Mark
while sitting on the front porch.

"Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save...
Forever, Author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave."
--Mighty to Save, Hillsong

and in other news..

I have accepted a new job.
Starting in June, I will be the assistant to the children's director at HHBC.

It was a very serious, difficult decision.
We prayed, cried and discussed A LOT.

But after much seeking,
we felt that we couldn't deny that God had opened this door.

And so in June,
I will be leaving my baby for 32 hours each week.
If you think of me,
say a quick prayer!

rest

We moved last weekend
into a lovely house-
complete with a gorgeous kitchen,
clean bathrooms (YAY!)
and a PLAYROOM for all of little boys toys.

Our move did lose one thing-
our internet and cable.
2 streets from our old address
our internet package was not available.

So here i sit, in the dark
using wi-fi to post to this blog.
Random Micah music is playing through the speakers.
John Mark is sleeping in bed.

And for the first time in a long time,
I feel settled.
Peaceful.
My heart is at rest.

Listen, God,
I'm calling at the top of my lungs:
"Be good to me! Answer me!"
When my heart whispered,
"Seek God,"
my whole being replied,
"I'm seeking him!"
Don't hide from me now!
--psalm 27:7-9 (msg)

watering the flowers

Micah went out of town this weekend to visit a friend, so John Mark and I loaded up the car on Thursday evening and headed to mom & dad's. We had a great weekend full of playing, laughing, and of course- eating!! It was too cool to spend very much time outside (especially since I only packed shorts for JM- oops!) but on Saturday it finally warmed up enough for us to go outside. "Out" is one of John Mark's new favorite places to be and words to say. He loves to run to the window, pick up the blinds and stand behind them saying "out" over and over.

Because it was finally nice Saturday evening, we let John Mark play outside. He decided that mom needed help watering the plants she was putting out for spring. He had a great time pouring the "wa-ler" from his watering can into the flowers... on the sidewalk... on himself... you get the picture! He loves to do anything that we are doing!!

Last year at a garage sale, mom bought him an antique tricycle that she is planning on redoing for him to ride on. He found it in the garage and decided to take it for a spin. He doesn't quite get how to make it go, but he loved holding onto the handles and being pulled around the driveway!

When we got home this evening, John Mark ran in the house saying "daddy! daddy! daddy!" and running everywhere looking for Micah. I was very sad to tell him daddy wouldn't be home for a few more hours. But boy will John Mark be excited when he wakes up in the morning and daddy is home!

poppy's boy

When I was a little girl,
my parents always sang the same lullaby.
It was a simple song they made up
to the tune of "this is the day."

"This is daddy's (mommy) girl

This is daddy's girl

And her name is Stephanie..."

Over and over until my eyes,
finally heavy in sleep
would close for the night.

John Mark gets the same song.
Every night with them he hears

"This is poppy's boy

This is poppy's boy

And his name is John Mark..."

Over and over until his eyes,
finally heavy in sleep
close for the night.

Tonight was no different.
Dad had John Mark in his chair,
John Mark was laying there
when I noticed he was singing words:

"poppy's boy

poppy's boy

non-nart"

He was singing my dad's lullaby to himself.

8 miles

That's right ladies and gentlemen-
I just came in from running 8 miles.
And let me just tell you-
8 miles is FAR.
But not as far as 13.1 is going to be in 27 days.

I will give you a mile by mile rundown:
Mile 1- was an easy go with a stop to cross the street.
Mile 2- I hated my life.
Mile 3- more hating the streets right now.
(for some odd reason, miles 2 and 3 are the WORST)
Miles 4-6- I was in the zone. I found my stride.
Britney was blaring from my ipod.
My water bottle was mostly full.
It was as though my head disconnected from my body
(think floating head doctor from Scrubs)
and I no longer felt the pain.
Then came:
Mile 7- it was like we crossed that street
and my head reconnected to my body.
My legs hurt.
My lungs were burning.
Sweat was dripping in my eyes.
My water bottle was mostly empty.
But I pushed on.
And finally...
Mile 8- familiar street signs passed by.
I topped that final hill.
Home- I tell you this place has never looked so good!

pictures

I never got the slideshow to load, so here are the pictures from Easter. Enjoy!

playing in nanny's yard

feeding birds with grandad

swinging!

checking out the buffalo

in the hammock with our buddy Eric

looking for Easter eggs

full basket!

still hunting

John Mark & Jonas

John mark & Mommy

all the babies- from left: Eric, Katelyn, Jentry, Anna Grace, Lauren, Mady, John Mark, Jonas

babies & mommas

looking mischievous with Caroline at church

"dude, what's this chick crying about?"

family picture, Easter 2008

happy Easter!

What a weekend! We had planned on going to Central High to see the family on Thursday, but mom got sick that afternoon. After a round of phone calls, we decided to go ahead and stay with nanny. So on Friday we ate a fabulous lunch of roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, homemade bread... a meal that only nanny could "throw together at the last minute." That afternoon we went to the mountains to show John Mark the mountains and buffalo. Unfortunately, those pictures are on mom's camera because I didn't have mine with me.

Saturday morning, Nanny and I set the house up for a big Easter egg hunt that we were having with all the girls and kiddos. I am very proud of my Easter basket cupcakes that I made, so I am showing a picture of them here! The kids had a great time hunting eggs, eating and running around together. After all the fun at Nanny's house we went to lunch at the Bistro.

This morning we got up and went to church. John Mark looked so handsome in his dinosaur tie and fancy shirt. I kind of figured that he would hate his tie and throw a fit about wearing it (kind of like his daddy, maybe? :) but he actually loved it and cried when I took it off to resize it.

After church we had lunch with Micah's family, another egg hunt and then naps! We rounded out the evening with a cookout at Micah's grandpas house. It was an exciting, exhausting weekend. I took over 100 pictures, so I put the best of them in a slideshow. Enjoy!

Edit: I can't get the slideshow to work... so I'll have to post it later!

fancy dates, races and parties

Last night was our top secret, super fancy date.
Up until 3:00 yesterday afternoon, I was under the impression that John Mark was going with us.
At 3:00 Micah told me that he was staying with Chris & Kelly not going with us, but that was all he would say.
At 5:00 I found out we were going downtown.
At 6:00 we dropped John Mark off at Chris and Kelly's. When we got in the car, Micah handed me an envelope and inside were 2 tickets to ANNIE!!

So we ate supper at a fancy little restaurant downtown and then watched Annie at the Civic Center. Dinner was fabulous, and the show was incredible. THIS is why my husband is the greatest husband in the world- not only did he WILLINGLY go to see a musical, he dressed up in a suit and tie just for me. What a man!

This morning I ran in a 5K with Marcy to benefit the children of Sierra Leone. It was a benefit race for OCS Heroes week.
This is our before picture.
I have a picture identical to this from 7 years ago in our brown house.
(is that POSSIBLE?)
Yes, we are wearing matching shorts.
We have no shame. None.
You should just be thankful our shirts are different colors!

This is our during picture. I know it doesn't LOOK like we're going fast at all, but I promise you- we were trucking it! We both finished the race in under 30 minutes. We were freezing cold with snot running down our faces, and there were moments we questioned our survival... but it was totally worth it!!

And this is the after picture.
We are proudly displaying our certificates we got for completing the race. From here we went to breakfast at Panera and shopping at the mall. Yes, we stayed in our matching shorts.
Dirty stares and hateful glances don't stop us- no shame, remember! It was a GREAT morning.

Finally, we rounded out our weekend by wishing miss Caroline a very happy second birthday. She had a great party at her house with lots of cupcakes, juice and giant Cinderella balloons. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got all day because we were pre-occupied with the birthday girl.

It has been a busy couple of days filled with celebrating.
Celebrating love.
Celebrating friendship.
Celebrating life.

I love a good celebration! Don't you?

easter egg hunt

I love Easter. I think it might be one of my favorite holidays. I love the eggs, the candy, the clothes... I love spending time with family and opening Easter baskets. I love waking up early on that Sunday morning and getting all dressed up to go to church, knowing that this isn't just another day at church. On this glorious morning, so many years ago, my Jesus rose from the grave and defied the powers of death. Because of THIS day, sin has lost it's power and death has lost it's sting. The victory that was found in the empty tomb is the victory that gives me strength to face each and every day.

But along with that, I love the celebrations that go along with His resurrection. It just seems fitting to me that we celebrate all out the salvation that is here, that is living in us. That being said...

We had Easter parties and an egg hunt at school yesterday. I got to go outside and take some pictures of John Mark as he was hunting for his eggs. He didn't quite get the concept of leaving the eggs in his basket- he mostly wanted to put them in there and throw them out. But he ended up with a cute little basket full of eggs and a large amount of candy, that he ate up within an hour of being home!

I had a party with my class and an egg hunt too. This is a picture of me with my pre-k kiddos. They are precious and I love them so much (even when they are driving me crazy!). I love party days because they are always fun, but by the end of the day all the kids are hopped up on sugar and FULL of energy. Fortunately we spend most of our afternoon outside playing so they have lots of time to run it off. All in all, it was a great day.

sweet caroline

Happy birthday to my girl, Caroline.
She is 2 years old today,
and that just doesn't even seem possible!!

It feels like just yesterday I was anxiously awaiting the phone call telling me that she was here. And now 2 whole years have gone by... man, time does fly!

I want Jamie to know, on this special day, just how much I admire the mommy you are to this precious baby girl. You are a beautiful, loving woman and your passion for life has been passed on to your daughter in so many ways. I watch her, and I can see you in her. I can only hope that she grows into a woman like you, Jamie. Because I know that you are seeking to live your life each day for the One Who created this darling little girl.

I feel so blessed to have both of you in my life. When I think of "family friends" I automatically think of my nanny and her sweet friend Betty Hunter. They had babies together and walked through each stage of life together, and I always prayed that I would have that. I never guessed what a special, beautiful friend I would be given. Thank you, Jamie for teaching me so much about being a mommy. I love you guys!

long overdue

I know I am long overdue in my posting.
Life has been busy
and I've been sick.
Not a fun combination...
or maybe they go hand in hand.
Hmm... something to ponder.

Anyway- life has been great in the Rigdon household.
John Mark is chugging away in his little life
and loving each minute of it.
He loves running, climbing, and jumping...
ra-line (caroline) and mamie (jamie)...
singing songs, dancing and laughing...
giving kisses to his mommy and daddy...
and play talking on the phone.
He also went potty on his new big boy potty last night.
Keep your fingers crossed for no more diapers!

Micah is busy getting in the swing of things at HHBC.
He loves his new position, his co-workers
and the MS students.
(they love him too)
He is teaching his first series:
SEDUCTION
(jumping right in there with the big guns)
He also got to see U2 in 3D on the I-Max in Tulsa.
It was awesome.

I am getting over a cold, getting ready for spring,
and running. a lot.
I'm running in a 5K on Saturday with Marcy.
I got to spend a great weekend with my girls
and this weekend is super special date night with my boys.
Don't ask- Micah's not telling what it is.
I'm busy keeping up with a toddler,
11 pre-k kiddos and MS students.

All that to say- life is good.
We're blessed, busy and loving every minute of it!

a walk in the park

Could you believe the gorgeous weather today? Jamie and I took full advantage of it by taking John Mark to Hafer Park to play. It is so nice that they are old enough and big enough to actually play on the toys. They had a great time climbing, sliding and running. We had a great time taking a million and one pictures of them. But I have to say, we got some great shots. Of course, it helps that we have ridiculously cute kids to take pictures of.

After playing in the park, we ate some lunch and then took naps. Well, John Mark and Caroline took naps. Jamie and I had fun playing with the hundreds of pictures we had of the kiddos. Then Jamie made famous sweet & sour chicken for all of us. I know that's not exciting information, but I am trying to take up room so I can put my favorite pictures on here.

I have recently started making John Mark sit on the bottom step of our stairs when he is throwing a fit. (I know, you are all shocked that such a precious little boy would EVER do anything like throw a fit, but trust me, it happens) When he starts to get upset with me about whatever I have done wrong (usually not getting him is juice or snacks fast enough) I will tell him to go sit on his step. He walks over looking all sad and forlorn, and then sits there on the step screaming until he is done. I have to sit in the kitchen holding in my laughter because it is just too cute. Eventually he gets tired of it and walks over to me, holding his arms up saying "up, up" until I pick him up. It seems to be working though, because he is throwing fewer fits everyday.

And this picture, well, it's for their wedding slide show one of these days! :o)

"uh-oh!"

These are the words I heard as I was sitting in the hall getting ready for church tonight. This is the little boy that I saw walking down the hall. If you can't tell from the picture, he has an entire roll of scotch tape stuck to him. He was very proud of himself for finding something new and fun to play with. And he was just so darn cute that I couldn't be too upset. In fact, I just carried him down the stairs and took pictures of the little mess.

Which reminds me, John Mark's new favorite word is "mess." Any time he drools (which, if you can't tell from the pictures, is A LOT) he points to the item he has drooled on (read: ME) and says "mess... non nart (that's his name) mess." It's precious. And I've come to accept the fact that I will never have clean shoulders again.

Micah is in Dallas attending his first conference with the new job. John Mark and I are headed to my parents for the weekend since we haven't seen them in a while. If any of you are around, give us a call! We'd love to see everyone since we missed the big party last weekend!

happy valentine's day!

Just let me go ahead and apologize right now for my lack of Valentine pictures from John Mark. I tried all day on Wednesday to get a good one, with no cooperation from him. He stood by the tree holding a big red heart screaming "DADDY!!!" as loud as he possibly could. After 15 minutes, I gave up and we came inside.

We had a great Valentine's day though. There were lots of fun parties at school on Thursday. John Mark got to take super cool Diego valentine's to his friends at school, and he made quite the haul of candy himself. Micah had the day off from work, so he brought me lunch and a card from John Mark.

For our evening, we had a Valentine's picnic in the living room floor, complete with heart shaped pizzas from Papa John's. John Mark thought that it was very cool that he got to eat supper on the floor with mommy and daddy while watching his new movie Robots. He also enjoyed the hershey kisses that I sprinkled around the blanket.

Overall, it was a great day spent with my two favorite valentine's in the world. We hope everyone had a great Valentine's day! Stay warm this weekend!

nothing too new

It's been a while.
Partly because I've been busy...
Partly due to the fact that we've been sick...
And mainly because I don't have much of interest to say.

Today is Big Weekend. Jamie and I are doing a host/lead combo with the senior girls. This feels very strange because these are the girls we taught when they were in the 8th grade. These girls were my very first student ministry anything. It was also over Big Weekend that Jamie and I became friends.

Ah, a moment of silence to reflect.

Anyway, I really should be cleaning my bathroom, or kitchen. But instead I am upstairs wasting time by posting a blog that is nothing if not boring.

This will be Micah's first weekend on the new job. I think he will be spending most of his time going around to middle school houses meeting students. He wrapped up his job with Funds for Learning yesterday and is very excited for this new beginning with HHBC.

John Mark is spending the weekend with BB & Poppy. He has been a little sick with ear infections but other than that he is getting big and cracking us up. His new thing is taking the parts of the vacuum cleaner and pretending they are the guitar to guitar hero. I have tried for 2 weeks to get that on video, but he never cooperates. Crazy kid!

I guess that's all I've got. Be praying for us as we begin this new transition into ministry. We're excited, nervous and ready all rolled into one!

this is for nat

Since Natalie has been SO scared since I said that I had exciting things to post, this post is dedicated to her. :o)

A couple of weekends ago we had a rockin' 80's prom to celebrate Chris Howell's birthday. The Van Zandt's even got to fly in from Houston to celebrate with us. It was so fun hanging out with them and dressing up in our rad 80's clothing.

You might think pictures like this are the reason Natalie has been shaking in her shoulder pads, but no. I'm pretty sure the thing she dreads the most is this video right here. Give it up for p-hatty rockin' sabotage.