hack

i am a hacker ya ya ya. evidently there are more people than just me trying to upload their pictures as a larger size. there is a blog site with some 'tricks' so i have been messing around and trying to get it right. this picture is a little too big, cut some of kadence out, but getting the idea. enjoy!

giving up

okay, i need help. ouch. any loyal followers know how to make this collage larger?? i created the collage in power point and saved it as a jpeg file but it loaded as a small picture, was hoping to have it as large as the header picture. let me know if you know! thanks!

lights

eric and i took the kids to see the local lights on the cumberland river before christmas. it was perfect. it was nearly 60' outside, so we really lucked out.

dinner and a date

eric and i were invited to join the other members of my bible study group for dinner at the home of our leader. we had the option to dress up or not - i opted to. we had a wonderful time. nice to be grown ups once in awhile.

laughin' at something!

ready to go

me and my man

dolls, make up and cars

it was eric's first christmas with ty, they had a blast. first time ever we all took naps around the same time ;). each got what they asked santa for (nice guy!). kadence wanted a doll named kaitlyn, kambel wanted make up and click clack shoes, ty wanted guy stuff. enjoy the pictures.

demo days

eric and i laid hardwood floors in the living rom, dinning room, kitchen and hallway. wow. it was a mess! we also took down a closet to open the kitchen up a bit more, added a larger counter to fit 4 stools and added a front to the cabinet backs. it is perfect. eric worked so hard. here are a few pictures of demo, middle and the finish.

back to business

wow. it has been awhile since the last blog - and believe me we have gotten so much accomplished. i will update each 'event' separately as to not miss all of the things we have done. so hold on tight and read all you want. welcome to all the new followers and of course, my loyal readers - here we gooooooo!

mile markers and mini vans

instead of running past mile markers today, i was driving past them. today was the day of the st. jude memphis marathon. shucks. instead of being in memphis, i came to illinois to spend time with my aunt kim and grams. eric is such an awesome daddy - staying at home and fighting it out with the kids. something about the quiet sound of driving past mile markers. alone. one by one. it does something for the soul. until you get sleepy and have to pull over! no, really, every mom needs to get away and focus again on herself. we are just relaxing this weekend and finishing up christmas shopping. it is so nice not to have to think about anything this weekend.

before i forget, kadence and i were in deep conversation about 'the olden days'. eric has been busy remodeling the kitchen and doing the floors in the house and we have been without our tv so we started discussing that people did not used to have tv's or cell phones etc. i explained to her that people used to talk through writing letters and they were even delivered by a guy on a horse because they didn't have cars back then. she was pretty excited and remembered something that she just couldn't wait to share. "mommy, i remember seeing that really old car that one time, remember mommy? ohhhhh it was called... um.... oh yea.... a minivan!" does this classify me as old?

new york minute

wow how things can change in a few minutes.

eric arrived safely and we are all adjusting to having him home. feeling a bit spoiled to say the least! the kids are having a blast and loving having their daddy back home - as am i! we enjoyed a quiet thanksgiving here at home with a few close friends and family members - it was perfect! we are so thankful for our family and to be together this year for thanksgiving.

the kids are doing wonderful. they are starting to get into the holiday spirit and counting down the days for santa to arrive. i recently started a chore chart where they get paid $.25 for each chore they do. the chart only has 4 chores, things above and beyond what they normally do (dirty clothes up, make beds, keep toys up, dishes up). they are loving it. so am i!! they have a pay day too. i have to remember to keep cash on hand - they wont take a debit card!

running. well. has been put on hold. yep that's right. 3 weeks before the marathon, weeks and weeks of training, miles and miles of running, coordinating for childcare, everything - has to be done again! what?!?! i have injured my feet by running in the 'wrong' shoes, i guess. i was able to get a doctor's appointment, thinking that i had morton's neuroma (previously posted), but every test they did pointed to something else. more like nerve damage in my toes - thus the numbness while running. ever since i completed the half marathon, when my running reached the 6 mile mark, i had so much pain in my feet it was impossible to keep running. after telling the doc this, he strongly advised me not to run the marathon. in fact out of all the doctor's i could have gotten on post, i got a marathon runner! he has ran 6 marathon's and was training for his 7th. God's hand was there, let me tell you! so with his advice (correct my shoes and my running style), take the next few weeks easy, and aim for the next marathon - i am doing just that. i will start training again in january for the nashville music city marathon. i can't just stop and give up on my goal of running a marathon. yes it sucks. yes it is hard to think i have to do it all again. yes it sucks that eric wont be there to see me finish, but yes i can do this. yes i WILL do this! so here's to the next training season!

y'all will have to stay up to date on my new training schedule!

....and counting.

5 and 1/2 hours and counting! yay! i can't wait... feeling like that kid on christmas eve once again... eric's flight arrives around 5:30p in nashville. we are heading out around 4ish, grabbing a bite and driving the 45-50 there. kadence has been home from school the past 2 days. yesterday she woke with a fever (102.6) and a slight one this morning. the fever finally broke, she is eating well and no one else is sick - yet! never fails! OMG I AM SO EXCITED!!

just wanted to post and make sure that everyone knows that i really do have a husband and it isn't all a joke, he will be home this evening! ;)

13/16 - morton's neuroma

during the half marathon around mile 6, i began to experience shooting pain in the bottom side of my middle toes (not the big toe and not the last toe). i just thought it was my new shoes being a bit tight or not quite broken in yet. regardless i finished the race and worked thru the pain, but now, my middle three toes on each foot are still numb (some nine days later). i have completed a few short runs, and the numbness is still there. my research has led me to morton's neuroma, which is just swelling of nerves between the foot bones directly above the padding of your foot. this stinks. i am going to do my best to get into a doctor and possibly get a cortisone shot... i have to get in a 18-20 miler in the next few days in order to feel completely comfortable running the full on december 5. ouch. it is not a comfortable feeling. the numbness really makes running difficult!! i can't believe this.

sunday: rest
monday: 3m
tuesday: spin
wednesday: rest
thursday: 6m
friday: rest
saturday: 7m

12/16 - HALF MARATHON

would have to say that this week was the most eventful! i completed my first half marathon with a time of 2:03:09. not too shabby. i had a goal of 2 hours, but got it pretty close. i have so much to learn! pacing is rather hard, not getting caught up in the competition of the race is hard, and just enjoying it is hard! i have to admit i was cursing the full marathon the entire race. thoughts of how easy it would be to stop training and just be happy with what i have done were running wild. the training isn't difficult at this point, just time consuming, for me it is now a mental war. i have to stay motivated. i have four weeks left until the marathon. i have one more long run in my training. i will run this marathon.

sunday: rest
monday: 3m
tuesday: cross train
wednesday: stretch, foam roll
thursday: 4m
friday: rest
saturday: 13.1 - half marathon

let's talk numbers

a little brain storming led to this entry. listen to these numbers...

in december 2006, me and the girls left georgia to live with my dad while our home here in tennessee was being completed. we stayed there until march 2007 without eric. we were all united by may 2007, where we lived together from may to september 2007. he then deployed to iraq until february 2008. met ty the first time in february, then left april 2008 until october 2008. we were all together again for a month before he left to korea in november 2008. he was able to come home for a month, july 2009, and will be home in 8 days. for 4 months.

if we add this time up from december 2006 until november 2009 - we have been a 'together' family for 8 months. not 8 in a row either. how hard has this been!!! i can't wait to have a somewhat 'normal' life for awhile. meeting him for lunch. taking the kids to the park together. watching tv together at night. going to church as a family. playing with the kids in the evenings.

i am aware this is the military way of life, but it doesn't make it easy! but it does make me proud!! we are doing it, we are living life, and we are deeply missing our hero. only 8 more days! hurry up eric. we haven't spent 4 months in a row together in two and a half years. this should be interesting!!

frozen in time

found this old chair at a antique store in town... looking forward to refinishing it. got most of the dirty work done and had a little fun taking pictures. enjoy

11/16 - good bye to old friends

this was my last long run on my friendly route here close to home. can't say i am gonna miss it! this week was uneventful, a 'normal' week. pushing time to get a new pair of shoes, my feet were throbbing on the 16 miler. 5 more weeks!!

sunday: rest
monday: 3m
tueday: stretch/foam roller
wednesday: rest
thursday: 9m
friday: rest
saturday: 16miles

trick or treat

a butterfly, dragon and ballerina

we dressed up for our bible study group as witches for a volunteer project at the zoo

pumpkins galore

good friends

good friends are hard to come by. i know that i have just a few close friends and i love them dearly. that's why when a dear friend of mine came to visit, it made me realize how lucky i am to have her in my life. we haven't seen each other in 7 years! what? actually, allison, was the first girlfriend i met out of college and we hit it off. she traveled all the way from missouri with her beautiful children lucas (13) and reese (10) and spent the weekend here. we did absolutely nothing, just caught up and played with kids... i am so lucky to have this girl in my life. thanks for visiting us!

what??!!

look at what i found!! i can't wait to use it, someday. it weighs about 65 pounds, is solid iron, and it is for a full size bed. perfect for a guest room bed, with a quilt....ohhh! the best part?? $10.00. yep that's right - $10 stinkin' bucks!

10/16 - 10k race

well this week was a turning point. be careful or get hurt. i am not going to get an injury at this point. after my 14 miles, my recovery time took a bit longer (meaning my IT band was killing me). after much appreciated advice, i took the week 'off'. i did some preventive maintenance and stretched, iced, rested and foam rolled the heck out of my body. i felt so guilty after taking two days off, i went to the gym and ran a short distance just to see how i was feeling and more importantly how i felt afterwards. i am doing good now! back on track and no turning back...

week 10:

sunday: rest (stretch, foam, ice)
monday: rest
tuesday: 2.5m stretch
wednesday: rest
thursday: 5m
friday: off
saturday: 10k race - fabulous. no pain. best time for me.. right around 54 min - i could have run faster, just didn't realize it. endurance was wonderful. now for the half marathon in 2 weeks.

9/16 - IT band

i know i am a bit behind on posting my running updates, so here is to catching up. training is beginning to get intense now, to the point where you don't want to wake up saturday morning because you know a long run is looking back at you. i ran 14 miles saturday. yuck. but i am so proud of myself. i did it! it was loooong. the sad thing is, is that a marathon is 12.2 longer than that! wow! my IT band has been hurting me. your IT band is a thick bundle of fibers that runs from your hip to the outside of your knee and can become irritated in runners (especially females b/c of our body layout), it just needs rest and stretching and probably some ice. regardless, week 9 is done and as you will see i will need plenty of resting.

week 9:

sunday: rest
monday: 1m, bike (IT band aches)
tuesday: 4m
wednesday: foam roller
thursday: 8m
friday: rest
saturday: 14m

the count down

the girls and i cut out shapes and numbered them for the final count down. they also got a quick lesson on patterns, colors, shapes and turn taking. was pretty impressed with myself...we are slowly making our way to number one!

innocence

it is fall break here, which means we are out and about again - which means plenty of opportunities for public 'displays'.

we were at cici's pizza (again) and there was a very helpful employee of mexican descent (big assumption, but a good one) that was tending to us, making sure we had what we needed and delivering kambel's pineapple pizza (of which she only eats the pineapples). as he was clearing the piles of napkins and half eaten pizza, kambel asks "mom, why does he talk like alicia?" my eyes get big as to tell her to be quiet. you see, alicia is diego's (dora's cousin) sister and yes they speak spanish very well. quite the observer kambel.

kambel, while at wal-mart, is in the back of the cart starts shouting, "mommy, mommy, mommy, is that our great grandma??" just as an elderly lady walks by with bright bright white hair. i don't think she heard us. lol. i did leave skid marks on the floor trying to maneuver between the isles to get away.

here in town we have a free local magazine that talks about community events, sales, birthdays and even highlights certain monthly topics. of course this month is about breast cancer. we always grab one and look at it together. on the cover was a family with a husband, wife and two children. the wife (kelly) is bald, due to her treatment for her breast cancer battle. kadence was very interested as to why she didn't have any hair, so i explained that the medicine she is taking to help get rid of her cancer is very strong and it is making her loose her hair. she was very concerned. or confused. probably both. a few days later while at mcdonald's playland, that same family walked into the playland too. her hair was a tad bit longer (fuzzy), but she was still enjoying her day with her children at the playland. kadence spots her and says, "mommy is that the cancer lady, look at her hair, mommy is that her?" yes, kadence i believe it is. "go tell her hi mommy." i explain to kadence that i have to clean up and get the kids together, she can tell her hi if she wants. "she walks over to her (i can hardly hear her) and says "miss kelly? we saw you in the magazine and we are praying for you." my heart melts and i start crying! omg, my baby girl just made me so proud. i walk over to miss kelly and tell her that we are praying for her. she thanks us and says that it is wonderful to see the innocence of a child. we should all be innocent. nothing in the world is worth getting worked up over when God is on your side.

8/16 - HALF WAY

5 boats, 10 dead frogs, 4 horse trailers, 4 empty mcdonald's apple pie boxes, 1 playboy magazine, 1 dead cat. that is what i saw on my second 12 miler. i seriously kept track of this while running - what else are you supposed to do when you run for nearly 2 hours? 2 hours. making progress.

sunday: rest
monday: 5m
tuesday: spin
wednesday: rest
thursday: 8m
friday: rest
saturday: 12m!!

i know i will be looking back at this week in about 2 weeks and wishing i were back here running these numbers. half way baby!!

october 24th, i run my 3rd 10k, november 7th i run my first half marathon and december 5 i will run my first marathon.

found the cord!!