Birthdays & kitties

Happy 14th birthday, Holl-small! And, what better way to celebrate than with a new kitty buddy?! We got this precious ball of fur from an animal rescue & she has THE BEST personality ever! She's about 6-8 months old, loves to do head-butts, & sneezes ALL THE TIME! Thanks to Honey Boo Boo, her name is Daphne "June". Haha!! We just love cats :)

 

Tis the season

Just a little holiday randomness......

Payton made the Honor Choir this year (yes, the same girl who said she would never ever join a choir, but had to because of a scheduling conflict and ended up loving choir more than any other class because she fell in love with Mr. Pianalto who moved her from regular choir to Honor Choir because she's that good), and they had the privilege of singing at the Fayetteville square. It was just lovely :)

Holland has some great friends. Some REALLY great friends. And, they've made it a tradition to get together every Christmas to exchange gifts, do crafts, eat, watch movies, be crazy & sleepover. They are becoming such beautiful young ladies, both inside and out. We are some pround mommas!

This one wins for most random. I took the picture because Payton was passed out a little after 8 o'clock (which really isn't all that unusual, but we keep thinking she's outgrowing the narcolepsy...), but Libby was not about to be upstaged. I was making that shirt for Payton for an ugly Christmas sweater party, and Libby fell in love with Rudolph. She can sometimes be smothering with her affection....

Marathoner....at last!!

And, what a crazy journey it's been to get here!!
So, when I was told in 2002 that I might come out of surgery walking with a limp the rest of my life, then to wake up with full control of my left leg, I made a promise to the Lord that since He gave me back the ability to walk, that I would run for Him. When I first started running, I had no intention whatsoever to ever run a marathon. Really? Who does that? Less than 1% of Americans - that's who!! But, the more I ran, the more I chased the challenge. I did a 5k, then another, did a 10k, did my first half marathon in March 2011, then another in May 2011, and another in November 2011, meeting my goal of under 2 hours that time with a finishing time of 1:53. Still, I desperately wanted to be among the ranks of true marathoners, so I set my sights on running the Austin marathon in February. I researched how to eat, how to rest, and how to train, and came up with a pretty good gameplan. All went perfectly according to plan until I hit week 16 in my 18 week training program and started having shooting pain in my right knee. I tried everything - resting it, running through the pain - but, nothing helped. I reluctantly made the decision to not run in Austin for fear of causing even more damage if something was torn or seriously injured. I met with an orthopedist who checked it out and told me I had some cartilage loss that couldn't be reversed or repaired, but that if I decided to train again, he would help me with steroid shots, meds, etc. I knew if I didn't at least try it one more time, it would be a regret that I would live with forever. So, this time I picked the Dallas Marathon. I'm a cold weather runner, so I pick the ones that are in the winter with hopes that it'll be 40 degrees, sunny, and no wind that day (yeah, right!!). This time I decided to follow my own training plan, which included fewer long runs and more days off from running during the week, and I had no knee pain, or any other injuries at all. So.... a week and a half ago, I got up at 6 on Sunday morning, laced up my running shoes, pinned on my number, and joined almost 25,000 other like-minded, determined people and ran my first marathon. Even to type that gives me goosebumps. The weather was less than perfect, and I didn't come near my goal of finishing in 4 hours, but I did it, and it's an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. "Now to Him, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think, according to His powers that work in us. To HIM be the glory."

Marking one off the ol' bucket list

We all know Payton, right? The cutie with the most contagious laugh ever & is all or nothing about pretty much everything in life?? Yeah, that one. Well.....she decided last year that football is one of the greatest joys in life & that the Broncos are the greatest team to ever play the game (thank you, Tim Tebow for lighting that fire). So, even though Tebow went to the Jets after last season, she couldn't betray her beloved Broncos. She has their app on her phone, her ringtone is a cheer for their team, & she can tell you when/who they play, who's on the injured list, what their stats are....the girl is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to her team. So, when it was brought up that her best buddy, Peyton, & her family were going to KC to see them play, we knew we had to tag along & make Payton's dream of seeing them play in person come true (as well as the fact that seeing an NFL game in person has been on my bucket list for some time.... 2 birds with one stone...:) According to P, it was "the greatest day of my life." Love that kid.

Peyton, Payton & Kinlee with their "I hope these get us on TV" signs

 Taking pictures in the parking lot before the game, & this random Chiefs fan thought he'd join in

 Arrowhead Stadium - honestly, not as big & impressive as it looks on TV....

 Me & my beautiful cheering partner. We make a great team :)

 

The man himself, Peyton Manning.

 

Thanksgiving 2012

It's that time of year again....time for family, fun, and oh-so-much food!! I love summer & would never complain if it was 90 degrees everyday of the year, but I don't absolutely hate the cooler days when you can build a fire & wear sweats & be lazy either. That was pretty much our Thanksgiving holiday in El Dorado - minus the fire part. On Friday, the family loaded up, & Randall & Alaine took us all on a little tour of where they grew up, went to church, where the grandparents are buried, etc. It was fantastic to see & hear about it all, & I love that the girls got to see some of their family history!

Fall 2012

Yeah, the title says it all....I'm so far behind that I have to do a post over an entire season! Aye, aye, aye....what can I say...I am one busy WORKING girl these days! I'm just sub nursing for the school district, but boy does it keep me busy! I'm not complaining...it's exactly what I need right now, & I do love it. But, I'm making the most of this OFF day!!

Where to begin?? How about the big cross country season finale?? Yes, the season has already come & gone. A part of me is glad to have our Saturday mornings back, but I sure do love to see Payton run & love to cheer on our team. We're so happy that she fell in love with running & truly hope it's something she'll stick with for a long time. Look at this smile -

We've also been spending time with friends

Then, there was the corn maze with Payton's church group. This is the 7th grade Springdale girls. I have the privilege of being a parent leader for this group & enjoy every minute of it! I'm so excited to see these girls grow in Christ & to be able to shepherd them along the way. Makes my heart smile :)

Halloween!! Just when you think your kids have outgrown costumes & trick-or-treating, think again! Hey, I don't blame them. I'd put on silly clothes & go door to door anyday for a bag of chocolate...
Payton went with her buddy, Peyton, & her dad, Vance. These 2, along with Bridget, make an awesomely fun family! Just ask Payton. She practically lives over there these days!

And, Holland went with a group of buddies, but this is the only pic & have & I had to steal it off of her phone! Guess they had better things to do than take pictures....

So, a few weeks ago, H & E came up with a plan to have a bonfire. They set the date, invited all of their friends, & advised us parents as to what was going to take place. I'm still not sure if we're all really cool parents, or just push-overs.... Anyway, we made it happen, & it was a blast! There was Chick-fil-a, hot dogs, cookies, smores....all the good stuff! And, there was football watching, trampoline jumping, hide & seeking, marshmallow roasting, & a whole lot of gathering around the fire. It was a lot of work, but our girls are totally worth it, & we'd do just about anything for them (obviously) :)

Elkins meet

Saturday #2 of getting up early to go run...I must say, I've been very impressed with Payton's enthusiasm when it comes to these meets. She definitely gets up with her game face on! This weekend's meet was in Elkins - a little bit of a drive, but the weather could not have been more perfect, and the course was short - BONUS! Actually, not that much shorter than 2 miles, and it had sort of crazy terrain, so we were all very pumped when Payton came in with a time of 15:47!! An entire minute faster than last week!

Kind of hard to tell, but she's in front of the girl in red -

Celebratory muffin after the race :)

And, this gives you some idea of how intense these things are! So proud of the Central boys AND girls - FIRST place for both at this meet! YAY!!