Me and My hubby

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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Snow Day 2010

Every other part of the state has had snow this year, except Austin. Until now!! It snowed most of the day and the flakes were huge!! Both kids were at school and got to go out and play in the snow for a while at their schools. When they got home, it was still snowing, so we headed out and played some more. The kids had a blast playing in the snow, throwing snow balls(mainly at me) and making a very mini snowman. Barrett also enjoyed playing football and falling in to the snow. It was a fun day for everyone. After being out in the cold, we all ate hot chocolate to warm up.




































And, poor Derek, he is always out of town when it snows or ices and he has to miss the fun. I took a picture to let him know I was thinking of him.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Abilene

Last weekend we went to Abilene. I hadn't been to ACU in 6 years and it was neat to see the campus and see how things have changed. And, I had forgotten just how windy it is there.

First, here is a trip down memory lane:
Here is me and Brooklyn in front of Nelson- my freshman dorm. I met my best friends right away. We all lived on the same hall. We went in the lobby and I showed my kids my window. Its been 16 years since I lived there.

Barrett running down the amphitheater steps- we used to run these steps for exercise!
The house I lived in my junior year. Many fun memories from here! We had a great time together!I have pictures when I was a little girl in front of this sign and throughout my life. Keeping the tradition going!Here is the post office. My mailbox was over here and the kids are standing by the door into the post office. I worked there for 2 years! Fun times sorting mail!

Brooklyn preaching at the Chapel on the Hill

There are many new buildings since I have been back. There is a jogging track around the whole campus, which I would have loved back when I was in college.And there is some new sculptures and such. The kids loved running around Jacob's Ladder, a cool metal and stone display. Brooklyn tried to take a picture of us.

On Saturday night, we all went to Perini Ranch for dinner. Yummy steaks! There were 20 of us!! The kids all sat at their own table and the adults all got to visit and enjoy each others company. The kids did get to run around on the stage area and play after dinner.



















The reason we all went to Abilene was to celebrate my dad. He was named ACU's Alumni of the Year! He was very honored to be chosen for this special award. We had a luncheon on Sunday where he received his award. They spoke of all of his achievements and professional accomplishments. Several congressmen made a video tribute to him and then there was a another congressman that spoke about him. It was neat to hear. Then all of us kids went up and spoke about our dad. We talked about the wonderful father and family man that he is. I was quite nervous about speaking in front of so many people, but my dad seemed to really appreciate our heartfelt and sincere words. It was a fun day for all of us to be together.










I am so proud of my dad. He is a great leader and hard worker and stands by his convictions. He has done many imprtant things in his career. He continues to do what is right and wants to make a difference in the world. But, I am most proud that he is my father. That he loves and supports us kids in everything. That he has always made us his number one priority and that he loves us no matter what. Way to go dad!!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Cap 10 K

The Capital 10K is April 11th.

It is a fun race that goes through cool parts of town. If you're interested, prices go up after Feb 28th, so don't wait too long.

I'm just throwing it out there....

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Celebrations


Since Derek and I ran the Austin Marathon on Valentine's Day, this years Valentine's Day was more of a weekend. On Friday, Derek brought both me and Brooklyn some beautiful flowers. And on Sunday morning, before the run, he surprised me with some beautiful pink roses. On Sunday afternoon, the kids opened their presents from us. On Monday night, we made heart shaped pizzas and had fondue for dessert.The kids have a blast doing fondue. Brooklyn decided to skip the food and just start eating the chocolate by itself. I love fondue and its so much fun, I think we will have to do it more often than just on Valentine's. We also got to go out on a date this past Friday. We had a great time just talking and hanging out. We also got to eat some yummy sushi!!




And on Thursday, we celebrated Brooklyn's half birthday. She wanted a batman cake, so we made a pink "batgirl" cake for her. She loved it! I can't believe my little girl is getting so old. She is a sweet, spunky little girl. She makes me laugh and gives awesome hugs. Here are some of her faves-

Song: Love Story by Taylor Swift and I& Love&You by the Avett Brothers
Show:Team Umizoomi
Food:chocolate candy
Toy: Tinkerbell phone and Barbie
Thing to do:play dress up
Person:Barrett
Thing about school: playing with my friends and singing about God

Some of you may remember around this time last year how Brooklyn had cut open her lip and had those awful stitches. But, we made it through the week with no major injuries, so I was glad.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

26.2- I did it!

On Sunday, Derek and I ran in the Austin Marathon. Running a marathon has always been something I've wanted to do someday. Derek really has gotten into running and after we did a 1/2 marathon in November, he wanted to do the Austin full marathon. I always figured I'd train and run a marathon when the kids were in school and had more time to train. Derek really motivated me to do it now instead of waiting for sometime later.

In November, my shin was hurting and so since then I have been wearing a brace whenever I run. It was really annoying. I've always run, usually short distances, but thinking about training and running a marathon injured seemed a little daunting. I ran once a week building my miles up to 21 miles, which I ran once before the race. I took off 2 weeks before the race from any running so that I could recuperate and hopefully feel good. Derek and I never ran together since I could run when Brooklyn was in school and he needed to run on the weekends. SO, we had decided not to run the marathon together. Our friend, Ryan, was planning on running the race as well, so he and Derek ran together. This was great for Derek. Ryan(an ulta-runner) has been so encouraging to us both throughout this whole time. He is very positive and motivating.

So, onto race weekend. On Saturday morning, we went to pick up our race packets and looked around at all the booths at the expo. Then, my parents got into town and we went and drove the course and figured out where my parents would be stationed along the way to see us. It was also good to drive it and see what the course looked like and to be familiar with a few mile markers. That night we went to dinner at Mandola's Italian Market and loaded up on carbs. It was so good!! Then we got all of our gear ready for the race.

On Sunday, we got up early, had some coffee and breakfast in the car. We picked up Ryan and headed downtown. I was feeling anxious and excited at the same time. It was great to be able to hang out and talk with Derek and Ryan before the race.

A little after 7 the race started and we were off. Since I had decided to run alone, I just took off. It was hard to get through the crowd of runners and my first miles were slower than I was hoping for. But, I was feeling good and did want to save my energy. I saw my parents at mile 5 and gave them some gear. It was already warming up fast! And soon after I saw my parents I saw my friends Andrea and Ashley holding some cute signs. It was so awesome to feel supported and know they were cheering me on.

I felt like I kindof hit a zone and felt good and just enjoyed the run for several miles. It was really hilly at the beginning and then again around mile 10. I didn't talk to anyone really much during the race, but when we turned on Enfield, by Hula Hut- for you Austinites- I kindof groaned as I saw big hills up ahead. Some guys next to me chuckled. They were encouraging and said"You can do it! You'll do great. Don't give up!"It was nice to hear. My tailbone was really bothering me and continued to get worse from miles 10 till I saw my parents around mile 15. I saw them and made some adjustments- shed more clothes, loosened my shoes, took some advil, gave everyone hugs and then got back on my way. Seeing my family and kids encouraged me to keep on moving.

The course had some really boring parts after that and around mile 17 I hit a wall. I thought to myself"what am I doing? Why? I don't want to be running anymore. I am ready to quit. I've got many more miles to go." My shin brace was killing my calf since I had it on so tight, so I took it off and held it. I can't tell you how happy I was to see my mom and dad and Barrett and Brooklyn. I gave everyone hugs and said to my mom" I want to quit, I don't know if I can keep going". My mom said" You are doing great. You can do it" And my dad said"You've got a great pace, you've got only a few miles to go, get going!!" They said just the right words. My kids told me they loved me and hugged me again and off I went. It has still mentally really hard, but I had some motivation to get me going.

The next 4 miles were hard too- my quads were getting tight, I was tired and getting slower. I saw my parents and the kids again at mile 21. It was great to see them and know that I was nearing the end. I gave hugs and high fives and kept going.

At mile 22 I saw Ashley. She was cheering me on and I needed it. I knew that would be the last person I knew personally out there cheering for me. There are so many Austin fans and it really means so much to the runners when they hear words of encouragement along the way. At mile 22, I knew I only had 4 more miles to go, less than and hour left. Mentally, I felt recharged, even though I was moving slower. I knew the course was headed back toward the Capital and Congress and that visualization helped. Those last 4 miles were hard and it felt like the mile markers were getting father and farther apart. I felt like I kept hearing voices in my head saying" You are almost there! You can make it! Don't let this beat you! This is hard, but you can power through and overcome" "Don't give up". Those positive, inner thoughts made those last few miles easier.

I can't explain the feeling I felt when I rounded the corner by the capital and saw all of the people lined up cheering. At this point the runners are thinned out enough that you know they are cheering you personally on, even though you don't know them. I saw the mile marker for 26, I felt so happy. I ripped my headphones out of my ears and just listened to the crowd. I felt so emotional knowing I had almost reached my goal. I saw the finish and I felt the tears come on. I had no idea I would feel so overwhelmed. I felt so tired, yet I had the energy to pull together and run faster to the finish. I raised my arms in the air with joy. I had done it!!

I wanted to finish under 4 hours and my official time was 3:53:36. I feel so proud. I ran all by myself and I am so happy with how the day went and with myself. There have been very few times in my life where I have felt like I wanted to quit so badly, where my body and mind were telling me to stop. I powered through and overcame those negative feelings and I didn't let it beat me. I did it!

I know I spent this whole post talking about my feelings and my accomplishment, but I would not have done any of this without Derek. He encouraged me to do this. And he is amazing! He's never really enjoyed running until this past year, and then he decides to do a marathon. He did awesome. I am so proud of him. He did it!! He ran with our friend Ryan the whole time and I know that Ryan was such an encouragement to him. Ryan is so positive and really said the right things to help Derek carry through, especially when it has really hard. Derek ran the race in 4:16:32. He reached his goal and it is a huge accomplishment. I am so proud of Derek. I love him so much and am glad that we did this together.

Thanks to my parents for being out there all day and cheering for me, encouraging me, supporting me, being there and never giving up on me. Thanks to my sweet kids who gave me hugs and high fives and lots of love. They gave me the strength and motivation to keep on going. Thank you Ryan for encouraging us both. You are such a good friend and Derek will always remember you staying with him the entire race and motivating him. It means so much! Thanks to Ashley for being out there and cheering us all on. It was so nice to see your smiling face and her you cheer me on. Thanks to Andrea who got up early to come out and cheer for me(and everyone else). It means so much. Thanks to the Walkers for coming to the finish to give us hugs and show their support. And to all of our friends and family who gave encouragement throughout training and on race day. Your prayers, texts, emails, facebook messages and words all mean so much to me and helped me make it to the end.
P.S.I know this is the longest post ever, but I wanted to remember all of the details and this seemed the best way. My dad took pictures, so once I get them, I'll add to the post. And, if there is anyone still reading at this point... thanks for reading till the end.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy Heart Day!

In honor of the day of love, here are some things I love:

Derek- I love Derek so much. He is awesome! He is so patient, encouraging, considerate, kind, and thoughtful of me. He is a great father and I enjoy watching him play with the kids. He is my best friend. I love to talk with him and laugh with him. He makes me so happy and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be his wife.

Barrett- I love my little man. He is so fun to be around. He is usually cheerful, easy going. He is very social and loves to be around people. He has a sweet, sensitive spirit that makes him care about other people and their feelings.

Brooklyn- She is such a sweetie. She gives the best hugs and loves to snuggle. She makes me smile when she is in her dress up clothes being a princess. She loves to help me bake. I love just listening to her talk about whats on her mind.


My sisters- Kellee and Kara are not only my sisters, their my best friends. I love to talk to them and have learned so much from them. They are there for me whenever I need them. And my sis-in-laws and bro-in-laws are loved too. They all teach me things, are fun to be around and are Christian examples for me and my kids.

My parents-they have been so supportive of me always. They are both Christian examples to me. My dad is a hardworker, has strong convictions, would do anything for me, believes in me and is proud of me. My mom is so patient, is a good listener, is thoughtful, and takes care of us all. I am so blessed that I have the parents I do. I am so loved by them and I love them very much. They also love all their grandkids and enjoy playing with them and hugging on them.

My in-laws- both of them love God and have a deep close relationship with him. I so admire that. They are a wonderful example of what marriage is supposed to be. I love that they are the parents of Derek and that they formed him into the wonderful man he is. Bob would happily do anything for anyone and is so fun with the kids. Narcessa is a very patient and has a quiet way of encouraging others.

My girlfriends- I am so blessed to have so many girlfriends in my life. They make me laugh, smile and love me no matter what I do or say. They are there for me when I need a shoulder to cry or an ear to listen or just to have fun with.

My care group- This group is awesome!! These people are supportive and caring about one another. Everyone encourages on another to grow as people and Christians. This group challenges me to be better, do better. I love that my kids have so many Christian examples to watch, learn from and be loved by.

Austin- I love this city! We love living here. There are many fun, unique things to do and places to go. There is lots of good food. The town lake trail is my favorite place to run.

Jesus- I love my Savior. I love knowing that am loved and forgiven, no matter what I do. Its amazing!

And here's a few others-
chocolate, pretzels, coffee in the morning, pizza, the beach, hot summer days, relaxing at the pool, reading, running, bubble baths, foot massages

What do you love?

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Lots of Loot!

The kids both had their valentine parties at school today. They got alot of goodies and sweet notes from their friends. They both busted into their boxes the second we got home(well Barrett actually ate a alot at school too). They are both enjoying lots of sugar!! And I'm sure I'll pay for it later. But for now- they are thrilled to eat lots of yummy treats!
Barrett's stuff

Brooklyn's candy

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Superbowl

The kids have been very excited for the Superbowl. Barrett loves watching football any time its on tv. Brooklyn has been wanting to help me bake alot. So, the kids decided we needed to make a football cake to celebrate. The kids enjoyed making the cake and helping to decorate.
Here's the finished product:

Way to go Saints!! It was a good game(or so I'm told- I was chatting throughout most of the game). What a fun night spent with friends!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Presents

Some women may expect fancy or expensive gifts from their husband when he travels. Me, I'm pretty easy to please. I just want Derek to bring me shower caps! He usually can get me one or two. This week in Miami- he hit the motherload. My sweet husband raided to housekeeping cart and brought me back these...

Its the little things that really matter!!!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Pink Roses

The other day were were grocery shopping at Central Market and Brooklyn saw these pink roses she just needed to have. So, she picked out 5 roses and we put them in a vase when we got home. She loves smelling them . And, they certainly brighten up the house on these rainy, dreary days.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

100 Day of Kinder

Barrett is having his 100th day of school this week. He has to bring in a collection or something that has 100 pieces. So Barrett made a lego design with 100 pieces. Here is his design




Tuesday, February 2, 2010

"It occurred to me that the child believes the parents behavior has everything to do with him, always, and that this then will be a source of a life's worth of misunderstandings." Julia Glass

I read this quote in a book recently and thought it was very interesting and true. As a child you think that every behavior and decision your parent makes has to do with you. And there are many other factors in their decisions. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with the child and everything to do with the parents situation. It just made me think and I thought I'd share.