We did it! Anything you set your mind to you can do!

We did it! We did it! We did it! And I am so proud of us! Nicole, my fantastic running partner, and I ran our first half marathon down at Surfside beach yesterday and boy did we beat the obstacles before us. These included (but were not limited to) an amazingly strong headwind from a storm coming in. It literally felt like we were pushing weights in front of us as we ran for 5+ miles. Pelting rain that blew sideways and caused almost all spectators with umbrellas to run for cover. And a hip injury at mile 6 that was excruciatingly painful by mile 11. But even through it all, we did it! And it was good. The trials were hard but the satisfaction at the end was worth all of the hard work we've put into training. And listening to the waves sent a soothing calm to all runners.

And I learned. I learned again that you can do hard things, that you can do almost anything you set your mind to with the help of the Lord, family and friends. As we were running through that headwind I just put my head forward and ran looking up on occasion for the oasis (which to us were water stops). I thought how this is a lot like life. Sometimes when the going gets tough you just put your head down and work looking up occasionally for an oasis. But then as I ran further I felt someone lift my chin up and I had the thought, "Look up." And I did. And I saw so much. I saw the sky again, the waves, all around me, and even though it was harder to look up then just putting my head down and plowing forward, I found that I could do it. And I learned we can walk tall, keeping our heads held high, seeing around us, and even though it may seem harder it is possible and we see better and learn more at His side. The Lord truly teaches in all moments that we are listening. I am grateful.

So 13.1 miles we accomplished! Triathlons, iron mans, marathons, the world here we come! And if we can do it so can you! The feeling of accomplishing what you've set out to do is well worth the price paid! Thanks for being such an incredible running partner Nicole!

Testimony bearing

I bore my testimony today to 4 mean, teeth baring....

DINOSAURS!

and one sweet little boy who decided that we were going to have an impromtu testimony meeting outside.


While he and his sister decided to bear their testimony from the top of the slide, I opted for the quiet of the grass. How I do love them and how much they teach me!

Make-up mishaps

Ah children, you love them but sometimes you wonder where they get their antics from. For example, yesterday I had a wonderful 10 mile run in two hours with my great running partner Nicole. I was on an endorphin high heading home as I returned the phone calls I’d missed from my husband. I’ll now tell the story from his point of view.

“I was sitting in the living room studying for 15 minutes when I noticed how quiet and good the kids were playing. I thought I’d go and peak in on them and return to my studies. As I opened my sweet girl’s door, low and behold I found my 2 children indeed playing with their kitchen toys and every piece of their mom’s make-up. They had gone into our bathroom, loaded the bounty in a small wooden toy box and had now poured the base out to make a soup in the play skillet. They had decorated themselves, the carpet and of course their clothing and anything else they had touched. Aaaaa! Okay, breathe, I can breathe. I took a picture for posterity’s sake and then proceeded to give them a bath (Did you know eye make-up does not easily come off), a lecture, a 10 minute time-out on the couch to think about what they had done. I had them draw pictures for their mom and as soon as she walked in the door humbly apologize. Later that night they helped me clean out the carpet. Thank goodness for good carpet cleaner."

That’s one way to clear out the make-up drawer. Maybe not the most preferable but I guess it does the job. It’s a good thing we love them so much and that they’re so stinkin’ cute!

Reflections: A Mother’s Heart

Holding my sweet daughter tonight, I once again felt the sacred love that a mother has for her child. As she lay in my arms I felt that I would willingly give all, do all to help her succeed in this life and truly thrive. How I do love her! I found myself singing “You are my Sunshine” and crying on the last stanza. “Please don’t take my sunshine away.” It’s amazing how someone who wasn’t even a twinkle in my eye a few years ago now owns a great piece of my heart. How grateful I am to a loving Heavenly Father who placed the seeds of love in a girls’ heart long ago that are now manifesting themselves in my children. What a wonderful, sacred thing to be a mother!

How to Steal a Mommy's Heart

Tonight my 2 year old walked into the washroom where I was folding clothes.
I said, "Hi you cute boy."
He replied, "Hi you cute (pause) Mommy! Cute Mommy!"
Stolen heart? Absolutely!

A Night of Great Scouts

Congratulations to our newest wood badge recipient! We are so proud of you! My dear hubby, you worked long and hard and you did it! I love you!
And congrats to my 2 youngest brothers for getting your Eagle and Life tonight!

Beach Blunders

Look at this pic. Isn't it a beauty?

Now take another look.

This is what almost killed me. What is it? It’s a Portuguese-man-of-war that I almost stepped on while taking a picture of a blue heron in flight. Want to see that pic?

It didn’t turn out so well because my sweet, wonderful, heroic husband grabbed me and pulled me back as I was about to step on one of these amazing creatures. There are so many facts about them I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Maybe that on average their tentacles reach at least 30 feet when bobbing in the ocean, that when their tentacles have been frozen for 2 months and taken out they still have the same potency of poison that can kill in them. The list goes on. I’m just glad that I didn’t get to experience their venom. What a great, watchful husband I have!