Being Thankful

It is the time to acknowledge being thankful for what you have. I am very thankful again this year. I just have a bitter taste as well. I know my friends have been mentioning everyday something they are thankful for....but given my circumstances...I am going to try to list them all today for the month.  Good luck to me!

1. My husband (who I have become much closer to with our recent bad time)
2. My WONDERFUL daughter
3. all the wonderful and honest things that come out of her mouth
4. my parents
5. my brothers
6. my house
7. my job
8. decorating for Christmas
9. a comfortable bed
10. the ability to run (not that I am fast :-) )
11. supportive friends
12. being able to express my feelings and emotions with my friends
13. quiet in the morning
14. a good book to get lost in
15. health
16. experiences - good or bad- they provide me with something to take with me
17. homemade cookies
18. the feeling of giving to others
19. going to bed with the same man for 9 years! :-)
20. my kitchen....where I create a great deal of madness....and a lot of calories to burn off
21. a little money in my wallet...enough for my needs at least.
22. wishes and dreams
23. beautiful views outside (leaves, flowers,etc)
24. snuggling
25. laughing (especially a good belly laugh)
26. singing (even though I can't...it is fun to belt out a song when no one is listening)
27. Reflection time
28. smiling
29. holding hands
30. The sunshine after the storm. No matter how long the storm lasts the sun will eventually shine again.
 *Here are 30 in one day....how about them cookies? {grin}

Life is still good!!!

It is just a sad time. I have much to be thankful for and I am....just sad...

Video...

Sorry!! I tried to upload it two times and it took forever!!! So....I will have to show you when I see you! I am feeling fine. I am not AS tired this week. I am just as busy. Would things slow down....please???? I just want to sit on the weekends. Simply because I feel like I do so much running. Speaking of....I have been able to continue with my running. THANK GOODNESS!!! That is what keeps me sane! Peyton has finished soccer but now has moved onto ballet!!! I have no clue about dance. Maybe she will teach me something. Life is good! I am still fitting into my clothes. I am putting off buying too much just yet. However, my waistline may creep up on me before I know it.


Until next time....

Sleeping Spree....

Wow! I have been tired. Starting on Sunday I went on a sleeping spree....I went to bed at 8:30ish and slept. I woke up each day tired and repeated. Wednesday morning I woke up and felt awesome. I guess I needed some extra sleep for this one. Now I feel great!!!! Until the next time my body calls....



PS- I have a video I would like to upload. It is showing when we told Peyton about the baby. Nothing too exciting but there are some laughs. Especially since she mentions Beth in it. You are going to love it!!! ;-)

Exciting News!!!

We have told all of our family and now we are working on our friends!!!! May 30th is my due date!!! We are so excited!!! It has now hit our girl. She had us write letters to all of her friends at preschool explaining that her mommy is having a baby and she is going to be a big sister!!!

Two weeks in a row...

Two goals last week....
One goal this week...we are so proud of our little one!!!!

Recent events...

Getting ready to go to a fall wedding!

Fun at the pumpkin patch!

A long weekend at the beach!

What is new?

Well, I have a few pictures that I need to post. We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend. It is always so much fun. We went with another family and the kids as well as parents had a great time. There is nothing like a day keeping everyone happy.
I signed up for a local 10K race in November. I am looking forward to it. I have been running with some lovely ladies in the mornings. It has been wonderful. I am SO glad that we have worked out a schedule. We even ran 10 miles on Saturday and didn't even realize it because we were just gabbing away.
Boys and their ideas....my hubby has decided that we needed to mount our TV. I think that is a great idea. So we mount it. Which leads to ....we need a new media chest because this does not look right....and worse...this TV is too small...we need a new one!!! UGH!!! So much for new ideas. They cost too much money! :-) {grin}
School is moving along as always. I am getting into a routine with the students. Life is good.
Now that I am a soccer mom (pictures to post), it is interesting to me the whole thing. I enjoy watching and cheering the kids on. It is funny to see the kids (keep in mind they at 4 and 5) that stare at their shadows and those that kick the ball. Great laughs!
Now I am working on getting everyone's clothes switched over for this cool weather that has moved in. I love the fall. We have our mums and our pumpkins ready. The cold air just seems so sudden this time. I  will adjust and when the winter weather comes....I will accept it completely...as long as a phone call comes in the morning letting me know I can stay in my PJs!

And now it is halfway through September...

I have forgotten just how much is going on when school starts again. We are running here or there, practice and dinner are in there somewhere too. I haven't seen my friend and her new little addition. The baby maybe a year before I see her! UGH!!! I feel awful. But....I will eventually get into the groove of things again...just in time to yearn for Christmas or something like that. :-) Life IS good! Making some changes around the house. Savoring the few moments with my family are wonderful. I try not to rush around so much....but it is difficult. Anyway....a weekend of Festivals, soccer, running, baking and grocery shopping ahead.

And here it is...August!

Long summer days....
Sleeping in...
Spending the day with my daughter...
Smiling....
 Relaxing
Doing whatever
Meeting friends for play dates, dinner, and hanging out
Beach
Amusement parks
Playgrounds
swimming and swimming lessons
NO SCHEDULE!!!
LOVIN' Life
Runs in the early morning
Painting in the basement: painting cups, styrofoam, cardboard, and paper
Not knowing the time AND THAT IS OKAY!!!!
Fireflies!
Cold Drinks (new drink: blueberry & lemonade) YUM!!!
Not losing those few pounds BUT enjoying the ice cream!
Long days (lots of daylight)
Just a FEW things I can think of at this time (after 3 blueberry & lemonade beverages). I know summer is NOT quite over but it is close. It makes me sad. I LOVE the summer memories now even more than as I was a child. I know these times won't last long. One day I will enter a summer (not too far from now) and my "little" girl will say..."I want to hang out with my friends." Can't blame her....I am really NOT so cool. Just a hippie in a 32 year old body. :-) I am not looking forward to those days. So I LOVE these summers!!!!

Dare Devil

We recently took a trip to Hershey Park. WOW!! We had a great time. Here is our little Reese Cup. They measured the kids by candy bars. Our little dare devil wanted to be in the front of all the roller coasters. She put her hands up and screamed the whole time. She loved it. We enjoyed it as well. However, it was so worth seeing her face and her reactions. We stayed in a hotel and the highlight there was that it had a tv at the end of the bed. Poor girl!!! She doesn't have that in her room. Here are some pictures of our trip!

Running a race IS like having a baby!!!

I know great heading. I was thinking of this as I ran today in my half marathon. Struggling!! You prepare for it for months. You get your mind and body ready for whatever that day brings. You don't know what it will be like that day...rain or shine but you do it anyway. You endure ups and downs. You think you are doing a great job at times and have everything under control. Then you run out of whatever brain power you had going. But you keep pushing along because you can't just stop. You have to keep going! All these people (women) have done this before you, more than one time...you can do it too. You tell yourself while it is going on..."I am not doing this again. I am not going to prepare for all these months and put my body through this much again." You make it across the finish line. Sometimes it is faster than you thought, sometimes it takes longer than you thought. Sometimes is just the way you planned it. People cheer you on. You are glad that you could be part of the bigger picture of life. You are exhausted! You want to rest! You try to rest! You take a break for a bit. None of that stuff EVER again! I am going to stay away!!! You forget about the pain. You forget about the hard work it takes. The discipline. You sign yourself up for another race, because it just feels good to be part of a bigger picture. It feels good to say, "Yeah. I did that!" and know that it all was worth in the end. :-)

Summertime

I don't have much to say....just SO glad that summer is HERE!!!!! Can't believe a week is already gone.  I have enjoyed it so far.

Deeply Disturbed!!

So P and I went to the mall tonight to get her ears pierced. She has been asking and M and I agreed that it would be okay if that is what she wanted. So off she and I went. Well, I knew I wanted some place that would do both ears at the same time, because she might change her mind after the first one. We go into the store and are waiting and waiting. Then I realize why no one is helping us. The clerk caught a girl shoplifting. She had to be only 14 or 15. She lay out the items in her bag to reveal that she had taken from about 8 different stores. So the manager is calling security, the girl is making up all kinds of excuses as to why she has it. (It is not hers, some girl gave it to her, it is her friends bag of stuff) So sad for her and her family tonight. P is completely unaware of what is going on. She just wants her ears pierced. So we leave and go eat and then come back. They are still dealing with the issue. The girl is HANDCUFFED!!!! So crazy! Finally, we get someone to help us out. I am talking about what to get P, and she picks out the earrings that she wants. So cute, by the way. Then I am talking to the lady about the issue they are dealing with. She said it had been a very bad day. Numerous cases of this today. She also said this occurs on a daily basis. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! It just blew me away. Am I that naive to believe that people are honest? Well, P did great. They did both ears at once. She didn't even cry. She said it hurt, and that she didn't want to do it again. I am so proud of her for being so brave. However, the store event has left me wondering...when does all the bad come to a child? Because this girl is def. a child. I am sure her parents are going to be very upset and she is going to have a rough time. Goodness knows that I would be at a loss for words if I had to go pick up my daughter at the police dept. There is no guarantee that things won't happen. I just think of the scars that build a person both on the inside and outside. My hope to take this perfect little person and instill values that stick. Values that make her a good person. Values that help her make good choices. Life is SO scary! My little girl is growing up. Something as simple as getting your ears pierced is another example of the effects of our society. Choices a parent makes are scary!

More time...

More time is what I have. I still have to play catch up with stuff around the house. I am creating a mental list of all the things I would like to get done this summer and it is getting quite long.

First...I will be catching up on the things I love!!!! I signed up for a race in June. I have not been able to train for anything with class this year. I have been putting in my long runs and feel great about it.
Second....photography....I bought myself a new camera...it has been 5 years. My other camera is still good but this is my toy!!! I LOVE my new camera and can't wait to try it out on some subjects!!!! I have been working on some editing. I need to figure out the great stuff that I have. So I will have more time for that. So tell me what you think! I will attach one of my pics today that I have been working on!
Family...I am SO excited to be back with my family. I can't wait to get into things. So let me know if you want to get into something....we are up for it!

Moments

Oh the moments that occur on a daily basis. I drive in the car and hear my daughter say something amazing and my heart swells with pride or how she  can follow a set of directions correctly and I think, WOW! When did she learn so much? Then I feel sad because this moment as well as many more will quickly be lost in the everyday way of things. I will look back one day and think...when did she grow up? Of course, then there are moments when I want to scream because I NEED want a moment to myself. I want to scream, "Stop talking or stop whining! You are driving me bananas!" But then I think, you would be ungrateful because so many people can't have children or would give anything to have one more moment with a child they lost. Such a catch 22! It comforts me to know that I am not alone in my feelings of MOMENTS and the mixed emotions that go with them.
Sometimes I don't like feel like being nice. I just don't feel like acting! I act during the day for students and want to throw EVERYTHING out the window when I get home. I love to cook. I love my daughter. I love to workout. But wouldn't it be nice to just have a (dare I write it) no responsibility moment or just know then what I know now.
I struggle with an extra 5 pounds. Can we always be in control of EVERYTHING? I certainly am not. The food that goes in my mouth is sometimes impulsive. Darn it! I want the chocolate just because!!! Why is there ALWAYS a reason?
Many times I am running around in this crazy world and cannot make sense of it or it is an unorganized jumble in my brain. I don't know if this makes sense to anyone because it is running around in my head and not organized at all. Now that class is over and basketball is over...I look forward to an organized way of things again. Thank goodness! I wouldn't change a moment but I needed to throw somethings out there this evening!

Slacker....

So I know it has been a long time. I have thought of many things to write about but it is usually during my runs. I can't really type at that time. Lets start with ....my 10k. It felt SO good to get into the competitive part of running again. I actually pushed P and it was great. The others who were pushing their "babies" were a year old or less....so here is to 45 pounds of kid with the stroller on top of that. I felt VERY good about it. I was much slower...but it is not always about how quickly you finish but the processes of finishing too. Having her cheer me on was priceless. Although, she was done with the race by mile 4. UGH!!!
Here is the link of the elevation of the race. A tough one!
http://www.roxygraphics.com/fodderstack10k/Fodderstack_Color_Map_2-08.pdf

What else???? Work has been stressful. All I can say is that it is that time of year now. Needed a break but not before I got pulled over one morning on the way to school. So...I had bus duty...needed to be there early...I was driving and a sheriff deputy was ahead of me...I was talking to mom on the phone (I know awful). The deputy pulls over and I keep going...well he pulls me over shortly over. I pulled into a parking lot...well, I hang up with mom and get my license and registration....before he comes to my car...another sheriff deputy car pulls in behind him...I mean...I am SO THREATENING!!! Anyway, he asks, "Do you know the speed limit back there?" "Yes, at the sign it is 35." "Well, it is 45 up until that sign and I was going 45 and you came up on me fast." I am sitting there....ANOTHER deputy car pulls up...I mean SERIOUSLY....FIND SOMETHING TO DO!!! I was so embarrassed. Anyway...no ticket...just slow down. I was late for bus duty. But


Sunday...my hubby and I left for a work trip that he earned. I hate leaving our little one (who is not so little anymore) but it was easier this time especially when she was so excited to go stay at her Nana's house. So also told daddy one night when we called that he was interrupting her book and needed to get off the phone. STINKER! This place was beautiful.
Here is a link to the slideshow of the place. AMAZING!!
http://www.nemacolin.com/phototour/
It was rainy there...I really wanted to go for a long quite run with no time limit while M was at his meeting...so I just ran on the treadmill there. Then I got to finish a book that a WONDERFUL friend let me borrow. It was nice to just relax and not worry about anything or have to do anything.
We had a wonderful weekend here this past weekend. We hung out...went swimming, fishing, camping, and played. It was wonderful. It makes me long for the summer SO much! Only six more weeks and counting.
I have pondered other thoughts during my runs and may write about them soon. Hopefully, with my class finishing up, P's bball finishing up, and things slowing down as the school year approaches...I will have a few more moments to write my thoughts.  Until then...

Wow! I have been sitting here for the past hour reading blogs of people who put their stories out there for everyone to read. It is so amazing the hardships that some have to face. I wish we made the time to truly appreciate everything we have. I am thankful that I am healthy as well as my husband and my daughter. It is so scary to think about. The amazing thing is that people do it everyday. They face cancer with their coffee in the morning. They face the fact that their child may not make it to his 3rd birthday. They face losing a job. And I go on about life...I go to work everyday, my family is healthy, we have the ability to eat 3 meals a day, go on special trips, drive a car, wear clothes, and yet I don't appreciate it to the fullest degree. I try but I do get sucked into the craziness of life. We need to go here. We need to do this. We need to ...do everything!!!! So I am just taking a moment (because that is all I think I have) to reflect and appreciate the things that I have. I am sure I will forget someone or something, because don't we all? Wishing you all health and happiness!

So...I just have to say that I HAD THE BEST DAY with my ladies and daughter last weekend. We started off taking off around 3ish...got to Charlottesville...found us a Panera (is there any other place?) and then some Chick fil a for the girls....by that time is was almost 6. The girls were hoping to go to the park but we decided to head to the concert. We got there....inhaled our food...and went into the concert. We found our seats and Gloriana started singing...25 minutes later...Kellie Pickler began singing.....Peyton decided she wanted a treat....well, I wasn't going to miss Taylor....so I went out....came back....she ate 3 bites and was thirsty..... well, I wasn't going to miss Taylor....so I went out....came back....It WAS hot.....she and I both drank a bottle of water. After two hours of belting out Taylor Swift songs and holding my 45 pound daughter....my arms were shakin' , my ears where ringing, and my body was tired...I guess it is the price you pay for it all. It was SO worth it. In fact, the next time, yes, there WILL be a next time, I go I will be paying the extra money to get on the floor to see her. I better start saving now though. They are right pricey! I am ready to become a groupie RIGHT NOW!!! If Taylor can make me feel like a teenager again....I will pay for it and take it anytime! It does help that I had WONDERFUL company too!!!

Jokingly reminisces about life before a child.....embraces each daily moment with her....and welcomes the future moments with open arms!!!

Finds it bitter sweet to put her little girl in a big girl booster seat. It is difficult to move from the comfort of a secure seat to a wiggly one. However, you would have thought graduating to this seat was heaven for our girl!!!! :-) :-(

You know you love someone when....they get stuck in the driveway....ask you to help....yell at you because you are doing it wrong (and you don' t know what you are doing) and then leaves because they are late....LIFE....truly is interesting....it really wasn't bad but it is nice to know that I am not the only person who yells sometimes. :-)

LOVES THIS AWESOME SNOW!!!!! Can't get enough!

Went from mother to teacher to learner/student to mother to wife....and wonders how women don't lose who they are in the shuffle...

Loves hearing our daughter talk like a big girl. We have some great conversations with her. Amazing!!! Is also sad that I am no longer mommy.....just mom now. :-(

K....I am going to try do SOMETHINGS....we will see....my thought today....I just love cranking Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 in the AM.....try it....crank it up and see how you feel...oh and make sure you sing VERY VERY LOUD.....:-) have a great one.