Thanksgiving Week...

We spent the week of Thanksgiving in Georgia. It was fun to visit with all of the girl cousins from Macon, GA. The weather was warm, actually hot a few days. It was such a relaxing week spending time together with family. We are thankful for that time away and to make memories with friends and family.

Still Thankful...

I am still thankful even though I haven't been posting...

I am thankful for this week away with my family. It is good to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and have an entire week of 'down' time. Brian gets to spend each day with us and we are loving every minute of it. We wake up a little late and snuggle in the bed with Carter (since he wakes up first). We get to eat breakfast, lunch and supper together - it's been so nice being together all day!

I am thankful for less laundry this week. There is a limited amount to wash and that is so great. I think maybe I should just get rid of the rest of our clothes when I get home! ;)

I am thankful for the warm weather this week. The kids have been able to play outside. I love sitting on the porch watching them laugh and play.

I am thankful for the tradition of our Thanksgiving dinner - especially the same dishes we have each year. I love the broccoli casserole, the carrot casserole, and the cornbread dressing. Mmmmm - can't wait until tomorrow.

I am thankful .... for this month of being thankful. It has been a blessing each day to remember how much I have to be thankful for.

Thankful... playing catch-up again...

The end!! Time was 2:22...

Afterwards with my people - they were so excited to see me and I was excited to see them. That thought carried me the last mile! :)

So today I am thankful that the half marathon is over!! :) It was fun (in a different way). Not 'woo-hoo' fun but fun like an exciting, nerve-wracking, adrenaline-pumping sort of way. I actually felt good the entire time and enjoyed running the route around Richmond. I never thought I could do it and am proud that I did. Looking back, 3 out of the last 4 weekends, I ran double digits runs so needless to say, my legs are tired!

I am also thankful that my husband got all 5 kids up and dressed and to the CRAZY race site downtown. He's such a trooper! I am thankful he didn't have to hurt the big tall man who tried to step in front of the kids after they had waited patiently for a spot to 'open up' so they could see me! ;)

I am thankful that he let me take a nap yesterday and basically do nothing the rest of the day!

I am thankful that he rewarded me with a Chick-fil-A peppermint chocolate chip milkshake last night.

I am thankful that he let me sleep in until 9:00 this morning while he got up and fed the kids.

Yes, I am blessed!!

Thankful...

Thankful today for ... our sweet homeschooling friends and the fun Thanksgiving feast we shared together today. Priceless memories of 20 or so little Pilgrims and Indians ... thankful for the blessing of sharing school times together with these friends!

Also thankful for the opportunity to go to our fellowship group Bible study tonight. Love studying the Word with other believers - and the best part is that I got to go with my best friend - and we were able to spend 45 minutes in the car talking on the way there and back! It's been a blessed day.

Thankful...

This afternoon, I sat for just a few minutes...and it was great. I find myself rushing from thing to thing ... always thinking of the next task that needs to be done, the next thing that I can check off my list. It makes life seem overwhelming at times - and I know that I'm not cherishing time with my children.

One of those sweet things just came up to me and sat by me so ... I just sat with him. And I cuddled with him and kissed his sweet head, knowing that it wouldn't be long before he ran off to play some more. What a gift - to love on him ... even if just for a minute.

I know I need to find more minutes in each day to do just that. If there's one thing I've learned recently, it's that the list never gets done, there's always more to do ... so why rush so hard and so fast to complete it all and miss the most important things right in front of me?

Thankful ...

Thankful that I read this quote today:

The cross must be my only story. I meditate today on what it looks like at each turn of my day to rest in its shadow.

Go read this blog for more truths like this ... prepare to be wowed!!

Thankful...I Have Some Catching Up to Do...

We are so thankful for the parents and grandparents in our lives! We are blessed that our children can know their grandparents and that their grandparents also love the Lord. Brian's parents live in the same town as us (what a blessing)! It is so special to be able to share our lives with them and to have special 'babysitter's who truly love our kids!

My parents live in Georgia but make an effort to visit several times a year while we also plan several trips down to see them as well. It's nice to get concentrated visits with them and see them love on their grandkids! We cram in as much fun as possible whenever we have visits.

We know that it is a rare thing for kids to know and love both sets of grandparents! We treasure that blessing and thank God for it so often. We love you all!

Thankful...

Today I am thankful the the little things: being able to run after the sun comes up, a husband that cooks pancakes for everyone on Saturday mornings (and today he unloaded and loaded the dishwasher too), watching my kids laugh and play together this morning, a warm and cozy home, laughing with my husband, and just being together as a family today...

Running Update!

The half marathon is next Saturday so by this time next week, I'll be done (probably in more ways than one). But I think I am actually getting a little excited.

The training plan I have been following had my longest run at 10 miles. But I have found that for me, half the battle in running is mental. I know some people say "if you can run 10 miles, you can run 13." But for me, I feel like 'if I can run 10, then I can run 10.' So I was hoping to try and do a 10-mile and a 12-mile run before the race.

A couple of weeks ago I did a 10-miler and it went better than I thought it would. Last week, I did my first 12-miler! I just decided to take it one mile at a time, trying not to think about how much farther I had to go. It went pretty good for the majority of it - but I did feel like I was slowing down on the 11th mile and then the 12th mile really hurt - pain in muscles that had never hurt before. I decided to just listen to my music and take it slow - my goal was just to keep going without stopping.

I finally made it and was sooo glad to walk again. I walked it out some and then got in the car to head home - then I found out really quickly that I hadn't walked it out enough! My calves started just burning like fire and my calves had never ever hurt after running before. I called Kim when I got home and she told me to ice them so I did the ice bath thing and popped motrin and that helped tremendously.

I'm sure I will get sore at the end next weekend but I feel better just mentally knowing that I have run 12 miles before and just have to go a little bit further this time. Hopefully adrenalin and the sight of the finish line will help me do that last mile!

Thankful for Surprises...

This past weekend we had the opportunity to surprise my parents for Halloween. They live about 11 hours away in Georgia and had no idea we were coming! We showed up at their door with the kids dressed in their costumes saying 'trick or treat'!

It was worth the ride just to see their faces! It was one of the first times my Mom didn't know what to say! ;)

The crew getting ready to head out - for a 3 hour candy collection!! (We had no idea)!

I think they were still in shock at this point.

It was fun for the kids to ride in the back of the car- but it got tiring lifting the littles in and out of the car - so I offered to drive and Brian did all the lifting (what a man)!

One of the many houses...One house left a big bowl out even though they weren't home...On Sunday evening, we got to go to the Fall Festival at Mom and Dad's church. I think Mom told everyone she saw the story of the weekend! Cute to see how excited they were.

The kids loved playing on the church playground.

Free pony rides...

Yee-haw Larry Boy!!

Needless to say, it was a whirlwind of a weekend and I think we are still recovering from traveling 22 hours within 3 days but it was so fun and such a great memory. I am thankful that I had a husband who thought of doing this and then sacrificed to make it happen!

Thankfulness...

It's that time of year again to focus on Thanksgiving (thanks for the reminder Kelly and Kim). (I'm a day behind getting started...)

Today I am thankful for freedom ...

freedom to vote...

freedom to speak ...

freedom to believe in God...

freedom to live our lives for His glory... (without persecution)

freedom to worship with other believers ...

I often take these freedoms (and many more) for granted. Today I am going to vote and let my voice be heard, all the while trusting in God's sovereignty over all things.