Yes, I skipped Friday's post. Yes, it's true that I hibernated through the typical Thanksgiving post. Yes, this is what I would like to have right now...
...or one of these. I'm not picky, really.
Archive for November 2010
Sometimes the 'big' things get you down in life, plain and simple. Today, I am grateful for friends who are willing to walk through the big stuff with me, encourage me all the way down to the small stuff, and help me keep perspective of it all.
November 21, 1980. Mom. Wedding dress. Dad. Suit. Flowers. Family. Friends. Yellow & brown (yikes...). Ceremony. Rings. Cake. Smiles. Reception. Pictures. Get-away helicopter. And the rest was history.
Today, my parents celebrate 30 years together. They celebrate 30 years of happy memories, and they also celebrate 30 years of enduring life's struggles together. But the grace, love, and strength they've shown through it all is well worth the celebration.
So happy 30 years to the best parents, advocates, and supporters a child could ask for. I am so blessed to call them mine!
Sadly, I do not have a wedding day photo on hand to post. This is the best I could scrounge up; I think it was one of those Western-style portraits that were all the rage in the 80's. At least, that's what I'm going to go with...
In honor of the turkey/upcoming hunting season, I'd like to share a little photo with you on how to prepare the perfect bird for your holiday table. Really all you need to do is make sure and pull the tail feathers out. Dad showed me how. Here, it's like this: 
Happy Friday!
Went to a 'mega-church' tonight. And while it's not really my style to hang out in a place that big, I have to say, it's pretty neat to think about that many people being all in one place worshiping together at the same time. And then I heard this cool song on the radio on the way home. Couldn't find just the audio link, but here it is anyway:
The Birdsongs So Much More
1. Meet Callie, Amber's new pup. Not to be confused with 'our' new pup. She's a sweet, sporatic, 4-month-old Beagle/Aussie mix. Here she is with her stuffed dragon, which has already lost most of its scales.
2. Since Callie can be a bit of a troublemaker, I'd like to post a picture of the biggest troublemakers I know for the Flashback photo of the week. This is no doubt my favorite photo of the 4 cousins and shows our attitudes quite perfectly: Josh and DM conniving something up to torture Jerm and I with later that day, having just come from church no less... Me, staring blankly at the camera, hating having my picture taken worse than having to wear a dress... and Jerm all decked out in his little green suit, perfectly content and happy. Makes my heart smile. 
3. This week I worked 40 hours, which is my second 40 hour workweek since April. I think I'll actually enjoy the weekend now. Awesome.
4. Tonight I am watching Harry Potter 6. Gotta be ready for next week. Still wanting to go to Universal Orlando.
5. I actually thought of 2 good Christmas ideas this week that I'm excited about.
6. Discovered a new favorite: Chocolate-covered Chewy Granola Bars. To. Die. For.
7. Trying to get in one last camping trip before winter hits. So far, hasn't happened.
8. Pumped about the BCS Turkey Trot 5K, even though I won't be in attendance. If you're in CS for the holidays, get out and support Mercy Project!
9. 12 weeks til Houston. Yikes.
10. Not much else to say, but I felt like there should be 10 items to this list. Happy Friday!
Finally, a few relay pictures as proof that we actually made the journey. These are all courtesy of Aja, one of our awesome relay runners...
The entire group (drivers too) before we took off on Thursday night...
Aja and I tearing up leg #1...
Landon and Chris finishing up a leg...
Gary 'handing off' to Justin...
Matt finishes at Lake Conroe for Team #1...
Team #1 group shot... [Derick, Matt, Jared, Angela, Gretchen, Victoria, Chris, Chris & Russell]
Allison brings it in for Team #2...
Team #2 group shot... [Landon, Aja, Kevin, Ronnie, Anne, Jeremy, Allison, Gary & Justin]
Already counting down the days until next October!
Welcome to Friday!
One thing I miss about being in a big city is the chance to just get on a horse and ride. Before Dad brought home our first horse, Daisy, I started hanging out at the WT Horse Barn. I was probably 10 or so when I started taking lessons and spent as much time out there as possible. Every year til we were 15, my friend Amanda and I went to as many of WT's summer riding camps as they would allow. Certainly my favorite thing ever (at the time). While most kids my age went to basketball or volleyball camp, Mom dropped me off at the horse barn. Here's a little glimpse from the good 'ole days.
This first picture is me with my favorite horse, Dusty. Dad actually tried to buy him at one point but that didn't work out. Too bad; he was fantastic.
At the end of every camp, the group would put on a 'show' for our parents set to music, which pretty much included riding around in coordinated circles. It was awesome. My friend Amanda is on the left, and I'm one horse in from her. I believe we were 15 this summer...
I also went to an English camp one year and LOVED it. Check out my sweet riding hat (they made us wear them for jumping). Also, this horse was named Mary Jane. Can't beat that.
Several updates coming up on the blog: relay pictures, an introduction to our new roommate, and a few other items of note. November is starting out to be a busy month already...
I had written down step-by-step directions but still found myself wandering among the one-way streets and road signs. Finally, I pulled up to an open print warehouse, dimly lit and quiet. I walked up the steps and stuck my head into the open space, hoping I had indeed found the right address. Two other people were there, the volunteer organizers. They greeted me, I sighed a smile of relief, and we set to work. Laid out on the table were stacks of plastic bags, flyers, and coupons; the assembly line began. 2500 race packets needed to be stuffed for the Help the Homeless Walkathon & 5K, taking place here in Dallas a week from Saturday. I volunteered to help out from 10am-1pm. Simple, right?
The first hour went by fairly quickly. Then it began to rain. Warehouses get cold and damp when it rains. And they leak and are moldy. And my stomach started growling. By noon, I was checking my watch every 5 minutes. The monotony of doing the same task over and over and over for hours was about to flat drive me insane. Bag, 5 different flyers, a newspaper, a bag of peanuts, into a box. Repeat, repeat, repeat. But sometime in that last hour, I started thinking about the boys on Lake Volta. And how they do the same thing day after day, rain or shine. No roof over their heads and likely without food in their bellies. And I thought about the monotony they must feel with no hope of a 1pm finish time. And suddenly, stuffing race bags seemed like a really good task to have.
I mentioned the other day how the relay really helped me regain some focus that's slipped away in the last few weeks. I'm grateful for times like this morning that continue to remind me just how good I have it. Moments that put me in my place as a selfish person and remind me of things of far greater importance. I'm anxious for the day when Ghanaian boys and girls will no longer feel the monotony of never-ending work days. Instead, they will grin from ear to ear as they walk to their school classroom to learn for the day; they will know the joy of being a child again.
15 runners.
30-35 miles each.
Minimal sleep.
New friends and old.
Countless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
240 total miles.
5 kiddoes rescued. (technically equated from total event donations)
What an amazing weekend we had. I must say, it did my soul much good to get away for awhile and focus on something new, even if it was trying to figure out how I was going to survive 30+ miles on 2-3 hours sleep! But even more than that, it was important for me to refocus on Mercy Project and all the hopes and dreams we have for the kids still out on the lake. We were able to expand to two teams this year, enjoyed meeting new folks as well as friends from the run last year, and raised almost $6,000 from the weekend's efforts. So exciting!
I'm ashamed to report that I only took one picture this weekend, ONE, and it wasn't any good. Ha! But I know a few people got some team pictures and such, so I will hunt them down and see if I can get a few posted this week.
As always, a huge thanks to everyone for your prayers and support this weekend. It was so encouraging to read comments on FB, texts, etc. and know that we had so many people, many we didn't even know, cheering us on as we logged the miles.
Runners (or other brave souls), mark your calendars! Same weekend next year. 3rd Annual Run 4 Their Lives!
