Marathon Weekend

First of all, thank you so much for all the sweet "good luck" wishes left for me about my marathon! I really, really, really, appreciated each precious comment! You all were such an encouragement to me---THANK YOU! Also, I really enjoyed hearing from many of you who are running and/or training for your own race in the very near future too!

Way to go...that's AWESOME!!! I hope to visit your blog (if you blog) and see how you do!

So our weekend went a little like this...When Corban and Alexis got home from school on Friday, I already had the car packed up and ready to go. Shane was out of town the last half of the week for work, so the plan was for me to head out with the three "big" kids and then he would meet us in Greenville LATE Friday night. Shane's flight didn't land in Charlotte until 8:30pm, and with Greenville being another two hours away, we knew he wouldn't get to our hotel until after 11:00pm.
My wonderful mom, graciously offered to keep the babies, in order to make our quick trip a little more manageable!
Thanks Mom!

The kids and I arrived in Greenville @ 6:00. We checked into our hotel, and then headed over to the race expo to pick up my race number and t-shirt.
We walked around the expo for a while before it was time to figure out dinner.
Panera Bread sounded good to everyone, and I knew I would be able to fuel up on a major dose of carbs there too;)

Love their sandwiches, bagels, and breads!

Did I mention what a treat it was for me to spend some time with JUST my "big" kids!
They are so much fun and keep me laughing all the time!

After we finished dinner, it was time to head back to the hotel where I hoped we would all get a good nights rest.
The kids showered up, got their cozy pj's on, and then climbed into bed just in time to catch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
By 9:00pm lights were out!
Shane, thankfully, arrived safely at our hotel a little after 11:00pm.
I'll be honest, I really didn't sleep well at all on Friday night! I tossed and turned all night long, restless and worried about my race the next morning.

When Saturday morning finally arrived we awoke to a simply BEAUTIFUL fall day.
Bright blue skies and a cool crisp breeze filled the air!
It was PERFECT running weather!

By 7:45am I was on the starting line. I quickly found my pace group, and introduced myself to several of the runners who would be running with me.
By 8:00 am we were off!

I waved goodbye to my little cheering section, as I crossed the start line and headed onto the marathon course!
The race course itself was great. A little hilly the first half, but THANKFULLY it was fairly flat the last 13 miles or so---that's when it really counts.

I got to see my little fan club again around mile marker 10. Shane and the kids were there, holding signs, yelling my name, and ready to slap me high five as I ran by.
Nothin' like some sweet encouragement to keep you going!

Surprisingly, the hours/miles went by quickly, and before I knew it I had hit marker 20. Miles 21-25 seemed to take FOREVER though.
My legs were tired and I was ready to be DONE!
Miles 25 and 26 were when that adrenaline finally kicked in.
Lots of people, including my sweet family, lined the streets, cheering runners on as we neared the finish line.
The race ended in the Greenville Drive Baseball Stadium, right across home plate. As each runner entered the Stadium, your name was called out over the loud speaker to announce your arrival. My kids thought that was AWESOME!



You seriously DO NOT have to watch the video of me crossing the finish line.
I just put it on here to document that special moment for me.
Crossing that finish line and realizing it was all over was indeed PURE BLISS!!!

Having my family there to welcome me home and congratulate me was PURE JOY!
Official ending time... 4 hours and 42 minutes.

23 days and counting...

Only 23 days left before I'll be lacing up my sneakers and running in my first ever marathon!!!! I am seriously just one big ball of nervous energy! Just thinking about it makes me quiver! I kind-of feel like I did on the days leading up to my wedding or the addition of one of our children. You plan for months, and really can't wait for that day to get here, BUT there's still so much nervousness before the big event actually arrives. Well, that's about how I feel right now!! Training wise...I think I'm ready. I did my big twenty miler on Saturday morning and felt pretty good after I was finished. (I can't believe I was able to run for twenty miles and still walk after it was all said and done---just CRAZY!!! I think I'm crazy sometimes for wanting to do this!) I have one more 20 to do in about a week or so, and then I'll start to taper down my mileage.

The big day is October 30th in Greenville, S.C.
The one thing I look forward to most of all, is seeing the sweet faces of my family cheering me on as I cross the finish line!



Can't wait to CROSS that glorious
FINISH LINE!!!!

Our trip to NY City...

Shane had to go to New York City on business this past week, and I got to tag along too. Needless to say, I was very EXCITED!!!! My wonderful mom and sisters kept the kids for us so we could enjoy this little get away. We truly had the most wonderful weekend ever. Time away, just the two of us, was exactly what we needed.

It was so AWESOME!!!
(I wish I could say everything was just as wonderful here on the home front, but unfortunately it was not. The stomach bug hit the house while we were away, and the results were, well, rather ugly...more on that later...)

We flew out on Wednesday afternoon around 3:00 and arrived in NY around 5pm.

(You know you've arrived in NY when there are pigeons waiting for you at the baggage claim:)!!
We immediately caught a taxi and checked into our hotel. After we freshened up, we headed out to grab a bite to eat.

Shane's boss had recommended we try a certain Italian restaurant in Little Italy, so that's were we headed. Our meal was absolutely DELICIOUS.

The weather was PERFECT, so we sat outside and enjoyed the biggest bowl of pasta I had ever seen. After dinner, we enjoyed an evening stroll before heading back to our hotel for the night.

Oh, and we had to stop at an Italian bakery for a canoli.!!!!

Thursday, Shane had meetings to attend, so I was on my own for the day. Now I am not one to venture out alone in NY city, so I just stayed pretty close to the hotel and enjoyed a rather quiet day. Shane's meetings were over by 4 and so then we were off to Canal street to do some SHOPPING!

A trip to NY is not complete without some NY style pizza.

So after our shopping trip, we stopped for some. It was AWESOME -of course!!!

After dinner, we grabbed the subway and rode into Time Square.

Time square was AMAZING!!!!

We enjoyed some more shopping there before calling it a day.

Friday was definitely the best day of our trip.
(Friday was also the day everything went south on the home front though, too. When I called home to check on the kids Friday morning, KK informed me that Riley and Cor had just started throwing up. Later that day, we were told Hudson was sick too! Sophie was the only one standing strong. I HATED hearing that my babies were so sick, while I was so far from home!!! I felt so helpless. I so wanted to be home with them, but Shane kept reminding me that they were in good hands and that they would be fine. Still, I was heartbroken.)
Despite all that was going on at home, we tried to still make the most of our time away.

Back to our trip...
Friday-We woke up early and went for a run beside the Hudson River.

The Statue of Liberty was within our view throughout our entire run.

It was so...cool!!.
After our run, we headed to George's (a cute river-side cafe') where we enjoyed the best french toast ever!!! After breakfast, we headed back to our hotel to clean up before catching the subway over to Central Park.



We spent the entire afternoon just strolling through the park, taking in all the sites and attractions offered there. Then we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out to see the musical WICKED on BROADWAY!!!!!

Oh.my.goodness!!!
It was completely breathtaking!!! I have ALWAYS wanted to see a Broadway musical, and Friday night, my wish came true!!

I seriously had to pinch myself several times just to be sure it was real.
The show totally surpassed all our expectations!!!

And with that...our wonderful trip came to an end. Saturday morning, we were so... ready to head home to love on our sweet, sick, little ones.

And needless to say, they were ready to see us too!!!

a quick thought...

I am reading the book The Remarkable Women of the Bible by Elizabeth George. Boy, is it good. I just love all of her books.

Anyway, in her book she writes... "Do you know that 50 percent of a child's character and personality development takes place by age three and 75 percent by the age of five?"

She also writes... "Parenthood is a partnership with God. You are not molding iron nor chiseling marble; you are working with the Creator of the universe in shaping human character and determining destiny!"

WOW!!!!

Some days can feel like a juggling act for me. Do this and do that. Get this and get that.
Juggle, juggle, juggle and try not to let any of the balls drop ---or in some cases a baby for that matter!=) lol

Reading this helps me remember that what I'm doing, even though it may seem trivial at times, REALLY does make a difference.

It's not really what I do, but more importantly how I do it that matters!

Wow...we as moms have such a high calling don't we?!?!?

Lord, will you grant me a passion for You and Your Word
that I may be a strong and godly example for my children to follow?

A few "Unexpected" blessings...

One day during this past week, I received the sweetest email from Jane, my Bible study leader. At the end of her email she concluded by saying... "May you find His blessings in unexpected ways...!" That line really grabbed my attention! Sometimes it is so easy for me to get wrapped up in my daily routine and with what's going on in my busy little life, that I miss the amazing blessings happening all around me!!! The Lord truly has been so good and has revealed Himself to me in so... many (unexpected) ways!!! When I step back and take a moment to look around, I can see that His blessings (big and small) are everywhere!!!

I just thought I would share a few of my unexpected blessings this week...

1- This Glider!!!

Now, I know this looks like just an ordinary glider to you, but it's truly a blessing to us from the Lord!! We have one glider already, but with another baby on the way, we really felt like we needed to have two. We didn't want to spend a lot of money on one, so I have been searching Craiglist and the Goodwill for several weeks now, just hoping I might stumble upon one. A few days ago I got a call from one of my neighbors letting me know she had a glider in her basement that she didn't need anymore. She wanted to check with us to see if we needed one before she gave it away to Goodwill!!!!
What an UNEXPECTED blessing!!!!!

2- Lots of cuddle time...

Riley, Sophie, and I have all not been feeling well this past week. We all have icky colds and coughs. No one has really slept well and overall we are just feeling yucky. On top of that, the weather has been down right miserable too...cool and rainy! Needless to say, we have spent plenty of time at home just snuggling on the couch together.
Being able to be home with my little ones, and give them the little extra TLC that they needed this week has been such a blessing!!!

3- A date night with my husband...

Shane and I have not had a date night in literally months!! Saturday night my family watched the kids so we could enjoy a little time away, especially before baby Hudson arrives! We went to our favorite restaurant- The Outback, and then headed over to Borders book store, where we sipped coffee and chatted. It was a simple date, but we enjoyed our time so......... much!!!
It was such a blessing to get away for a few hours and to be together!!!

4- A tub full of clothes...

I really haven't had to buy very many clothes for Sophie. Most of her things have come from many of our dear neighbors and friends. Again, just the other afternoon, a good friend dropped off a bin full of BEAUTIFUL clothes that her daughter had outgrown!!!
What an incredible blessing!!!!

Has the Lord blessed you in any UNEXPECTED ways recently?

I just started reading the book, “ What happens when women say Yes to God!” by Lysa Terkeurst. I am reading this for my neighborhood ladies Bible study. I LOVE Lysa Terkeurst, so it was no surprise that I am loving this book. This book is the new expansion of her previously titled book "Radically Obedient, Radically Blessed", which I loved.

Here are a few excerpts from her book that really convicted me and touched my heart…

“You see we have become so familiar with God yet so unaware of Him. We make the mysterious mundane. We construct careful reasons for our rules and sensible whys for our behavior. All the while our soul is longing for a richer experience-one that allows us to escape the limits of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell and journey to a place of wild, wonder, and passion.

Women who say yes to God will see life like few others. They are drawn in and embraced by a love like no other. They don’t have to wait until the next time they’re in church to experience God because they sense God’s presence all around them, all through their day. Instead of merely walking through the motions of life, they pursue the adventure of the moment-by-moment divine lessons and appointments God has in store for them. They expect to see God, to hear from Him, and to be absolutely filled by His peace and joy-and, therefore, they do and they are!

God, I want to see You. God, I want to hear You. God, I want to know You. God, I want to follow hard after You. And even before I know what I will face today, I say yes to You!

I've been tagged...

I've been tagged by my dear friend Kristin to list the Top Ten Things I Love About My Husband.

Rules: 1) Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules. 2) List the top ten things you love about your husband. 3) Tag 4 people and link to their blogs at the end of your post. 4) Let the people know they are tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

Top Ten Reasons I Love My Husband:

1. He is VERY handsome!

2. He LOVES to surprise me with gifts. He has surprised me with a trip to N.Y. city and a spa weekend get away. He had childcare lined up and had packed for me! He has even surprised me with a new car! It's not always big things though. It's the little things too; like cards, picking up one of my favorite movies, or bringing me my favorite candy when he runs to the store!

3. He works very hard to provide for us so I can stay home with our boys!

4. He is so silly sometimes and loves to make me laugh!

5. He strives to be a godly husband and to honor the Lord in all he does. He wants to leave a godly legacy for our children to follow.

6. He LOVES our boys so much. It is VERY important to him that our boys hear their daddy tell them that he loves them everyday. This is something he did not hear growing up so it is so important to him that our boys hear those words from him everyday.

7. He comes home in the evenings and jumps in and helps me with the boys. He cleans up the kitchen after dinner and enjoys giving the boys their bath each night.

8. He sees me with all my imperfections and still tells me I'm beautiful!

9. He opens the car door for me and always treats me like a princess!

10. He wants me to be happy and will do almost anything to make that happen!

Shane is my dream come true. I am so grateful to the Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful man to spend my life with!!!!!!

I am going to tag... Susan, Dawn, Beth and Kate

Worth thinking about...

This was forwarded to me from one of the pastor’s wives at our church. I thought it was worth putting it up on my blog. I hope it encourages you as much as it did me!!

Do you ever have days when nothing goes right? When everything you do or touch ends up being a total failure? Days when you feel like crawling back in to the bed and starting over?

The times I experience "these days" are when my days are focused on ME! Constant complaining that I'm not good at this, or I don't look good in that, or I wish I were like her, or that my hair could look like so-and-so....ever feel like that?

After my bible study yesterday, I opened the book to my devotional and there it was. It slapped me in the face...

I've found that when I'm down, a door opens to my mind and I begin thinking down too. It's the perfect opportunity for Satan to step in and do some damage. It begins with the "I'm nots."

I'm not as good of a mother as so-and-so...I'm not very dependable...I'm not on time...I'm not as good of a cook as my family deserves...I'm not a good friend...I'm not as good at speaking or singing as so-and-so...I'm not a good homemaker...I'm not doing enough at church. I'm not as thin as I should be...I'm not organized...

We even bring our family into our depressing thoughts...

My kids are not turning out the way I imagined. My husband is not in tune with my feelings...my friends are not interested in me....

Thankfully, I am not defined by what I'm not. The "I'm nots" of life aren't true. They are lies that the enemy wants me to believe.

For every "I'm not" Satan plants in my head, God says, "I Am." What I'm not, He is.

I Am the unconditional love you are able to give your kids. I Am your Redeemer. I forgive you; forgive yourself. I Am your provider. I Am there for your friends. You aren't supposed to fix everyone. I Am living in you; therefore, you have great things to say and write. I Am your audience, not the world. The hole that your husband, kids, and friends can't fill in your heart, I can. I Am your Creator. Love the body you were given and take care of it.

Satan's attacks may be strong, but God is stronger. He is always here for us..."I will never leave you nor forsake you".

The next time you find yourself thinking of all you are not, remember all that God is. He is the great I Am. He loves you dearly.

7 weird things about me!?!

Okay... I was "tagged" by my friend Dawn to write a blog about 7 weird things about myself.
So here it goes...

1. I LOVE roosters.
My kitchen is totally decorated in roosters. I even have a rooster here of there scattered throughout my entire house. I'm not sure what it is about them that I love so much, I just do!

2. I am a early riser. I wake up around 5:00am every morning and I enjoy it. Waking up early helps me feel like I can get so much more accomplished in a day. I am not a night person though. 9:00pm...I am in bed!!!

3. I love cookie dough ice cream!
Edy's Loaded Cookie Dough is by far the best. I do have a terrible habit though of just sitting down with the carton of ice cream and picking out all the cookie dough.

4. I LOVE the High School Musical movies!! There I said it!
I have watch both High School Musical 1 and 2 about 10 times each. I do like the music and dancing in 2 much better than in 1. I secretly wish I could sing and dance like Gabriella. =)

5. I HATE onions!!! I can't stand the smell, texture, or taste! YUCK!!!

6. I HATE movies or television shows with any suspense in them. I just can't stand it. When the background music changes to something scary, so does the channel!

7. This will come as no surprise to many of you, but I HATE to cook. I am just not good at it. I think that's why I don't like it very much. If I was good at it then I would maybe enjoy it, but try as I may, cooking is just not my thing!

My new addiction!

I have a new found addiction...RUNNING! I know it's crazy, but I LOVE running! I didn't think I would ever say that! My memories of running when I was a kid involve middle school P.E. class where every year we had the mile run. I always hated that day! I found myself huffing and puffing around the field with an cramp in my side! It is because of these wonderful memories, I just considered myself a NON-runner!!! As I got older, I have always tried to be involved in some type of physical exercise, for health purposes, but running was never on the list. That is up until now!!!! When we moved into our neighborhood I joined the ladies Bible study. Several of the ladies in the group run together. They encouraged me to join them. Anxious to make friends and get to know these ladies better, I decided to join them and give running another chance! I am so glad I did! We meet at 5:30am, five times a week for our run. It is great to have this accountability. I know there have been numerous mornings I did not want to get out of bed, but I know I have a group of ladies waiting on me. We run about 4.5 miles during the week and leave Saturdays for our long run. It took some time for me to build up my endurance, but the training had paid off. A few of my running buddies have been training for different races. I thought this was a great goal to have so I started training for a half marathon (13.1 miles). Last December my sister and I did the half marathon together. We trained on our own, but ran the entire race together. It was so much fun and left us with such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. There is another half coming up in April and I think I am going to run in it too! Most of my running buddies are doing this race, so it should be a lot of fun to do it together! I love these ladies. We spend our mornings just chatting about what's going on in everyone's lives. We pray for each other and hold each other accountable! I am so blessed to have such great running partners!!!

Best Valentines/Birthday Ever!!!

What I thought was supposed to be a pretty ordinary Friday turned out completely different. My day began with Shane announcing to me that he had made me an appointment at the Ballantyne Spa for a day of rest and relaxation. He dropped me off and told me I would have to wait to see what would happen after my day at the spa was finished. I received the total treatment-facial, manicure, pedicure, and a Swedish massage!!!! As I was having my manicure one of the girls working there came in and told me that after I was finished with all my treatments a car would be waiting for me outside. It would take me to the Ballantyne Lodge( a few blocks away from the resort) where we would be spending the night!!!!! She handed me a room key. After I finished at the spa I was taken to the lodge where the room was decorated with rose petals, chocolate, and sparkling grape juice. On the bathroom door was hanging a new outfit from my favorite store Ann Taylor Loft along with accessories. On the desk was a note letting me know that I needed to get ready because we had dinner reservations at 6:00pm. Shane and the boys had already brought all my things over to the lodge earlier so I had everything I needed to get ready. Shane arrived at the lodge around 5:30 and off to dinner we went to my favorite resturant, Nakatos! After a wonderful meal we headed back to the lodge where we hung out and talked by the fireplace!!!! It was so nice to just be a couple and to focus on each other. We just enjoyed being together. What a perfect end to a wonderful day!!! Like I said in my earlier post Shane is really good at surprises. He is so sweet and always knows how to make me feel so special! He is the best husband ever!!! I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man!!!!