On November 7 - 9 I participated in the 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer. I feel so honored to have been part of it. I walked with a team of 7 others. Our team was formed because we all knew and loved one incredible woman, Kim Harlow. Through the blisters, wrapped ankles, sore legs and all, I would definitely do it again.
The 3 Day team does such an amazing job preparing you for the walk. They send out weekly virtual training schedules that help build your endurance for the 60 mile walk. I was following along pretty closely until I injured myself on a 12 mile training walk. I had a partial tear were my calf and achilles come together. I was in a lovely black boot for 4 weeks and then went to physical therapy 3 times a week for 4 weeks. I had my last physical therapy 2 weeks before the walk. I was allowed to walk only one mile until there was no pain in my leg and then was able to add one mile at a time until there was no pain. I managed to get up to 6 miles right before the walk. Needless to say, I was sooo nervous about walking. I had no idea what to expect. God is so good though. I felt called by him to be part of this walk and He was faithful to the end. I walked the 60 miles (not very fast at times) but I did do it. I love the people at the Medical tent! They treated my blisters and sore leg and were able to get me back on track.
My tent mate and I won the tent decoration contest. We had our tent decorated like a Longhorn in honor of the Ultimate UT fan. I know she was smiling down on that one!!
Through all the ups and downs of getting ready for this walk, I was able to see how God is faithful to the end. When you are called and follow, God provides. He will not leave nor forsake you. It was such an amazing thing to witness. There we people from all age groups, all shapes and sizes, all levels of physical abilities, yet each of us was called to be part of this walk for one reason or another. Such an amazing thing to witness.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
First Day of School
He started school this morning
And he seemed so very small
As I walked there beside him
In the Kindergarten hall
And as he took his place beside
the other in class
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass
Remembering I saw him as
He first learned how to walk
The words that we alone made out
When he began to talk
The little boy so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems that he must have grown
To boyhood overnight.
My eyes were blurred but hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar his first big day
Oh how I longed to stay with him
And keep him by the hand
To lead him through the places
That he could understand
And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride
I knew that he would no longer be
A baby by my side
But he must have this chance to live,
To work his problems out.
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about
And I must share my little boy
With friends and work and play;
He's not a baby anymore
He's in kindergarten today.
~author unknown
First Day of Kindergarten - August 26,2008
And he seemed so very small
As I walked there beside him
In the Kindergarten hall
And as he took his place beside
the other in class
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass
Remembering I saw him as
He first learned how to walk
The words that we alone made out
When he began to talk
The little boy so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems that he must have grown
To boyhood overnight.
My eyes were blurred but hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar his first big day
Oh how I longed to stay with him
And keep him by the hand
To lead him through the places
That he could understand
And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride
I knew that he would no longer be
A baby by my side
But he must have this chance to live,
To work his problems out.
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about
And I must share my little boy
With friends and work and play;
He's not a baby anymore
He's in kindergarten today.
~author unknown
First Day of Kindergarten - August 26,2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
First Day of Kindergarten - Round 1
Today was Luke's first day of Kindergarten. We had meet the teacher on Friday and after a summer filled with anticipation, we found out Luke's teacher was Ms. Beakley. She is a Texas Tech grad (Woo Hoo!) and recently graduated from SMU Law school. She is sweet as can be and I know she will look after my sweet little boy.
Frisco actuall has what I call 2 "First Day's" of Kindergarten. Today, Brian and I got to go with Luke to school for about 2 hours. We had orientation and he got to meet some of the specials teachers. (PE, Music, Art, etc.) Tomorrow he goes to school all by himself for the whole day. He is totally excited and can hardly wait! Brian took a bunch of photos from today and I know we will have a bunch from tomorrow. I am smiling in the ones from today but I know there will be tears in the ones from tomorrow. I know I keep promising to post pictures. I will do it, I promise! I have a hard time gettting my laptop to connect to the network and I am rarely upstairs in the office to post them. I will do it tonight though.
Frisco actuall has what I call 2 "First Day's" of Kindergarten. Today, Brian and I got to go with Luke to school for about 2 hours. We had orientation and he got to meet some of the specials teachers. (PE, Music, Art, etc.) Tomorrow he goes to school all by himself for the whole day. He is totally excited and can hardly wait! Brian took a bunch of photos from today and I know we will have a bunch from tomorrow. I am smiling in the ones from today but I know there will be tears in the ones from tomorrow. I know I keep promising to post pictures. I will do it, I promise! I have a hard time gettting my laptop to connect to the network and I am rarely upstairs in the office to post them. I will do it tonight though.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Miles, Miles and More Miles
Oh my gosh.. my legs are so tired. So far I have walked 16 miles this week. I have an 8 mile day Saturday. I am not sure the legs can make it! It is a good thing the virtual trainer spaces them out!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Help! Where has the summer gone!
I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by! It seems just like yesterday we were planning our trip to NYC and our trip to Surfside. Now both of those trips have gone by and Luke starts school in 33 days (but who is counting).
In 16 weeks, I will be walking 60 miles for the Breast Cancer 3 Day. I can't believe it! It seems just like yesterday that the virtual trainer started sending me my weekly mileage schedule for the 24 week training plan!
I guess time flys when you are having fun! In addition to all our trips the kids have been busy doing VBS, gymnastics, Pump It Up Camp and Music Camp at the church next week. Next thing we know it will be August and then I will start back to work.
I had such plans for this summer. I haven't accomplished all of them but the most important thing was to make sweet memories with my boy before he started kindergarten. I knew that this was our last summer before the grind of school started and I wanted to make the most of it. I can definitely say I accomplished that. He is so sweet and precious.
I also have gotten some great time with Emma this week. Luke has been in camp, so she and I have done some fun girlie things this week. She has gotten to experience what life without Luke around all day will be like. She has missed her "brudder" a lot but really enjoyed getting her nails done today and having lunch with Grandma! What a treat! She was so cute!
Before I know it, I will be blogging about the end of Luke's first year of school. Time has sure gone by fast! That is the importance of living each day to the fullest. To be the best God has called us to be and to live the life he has so graciously given us to max. I am so thankful for the time God has given me this summer with all my family (my immediate family, my parents, my in-laws). I am sure it is cheesy but I can't help but think of the 10000 Maniacs song "These are Days". Brian has that in Luke's baby video and every time I watch it, I cry. I end with this:
In 16 weeks, I will be walking 60 miles for the Breast Cancer 3 Day. I can't believe it! It seems just like yesterday that the virtual trainer started sending me my weekly mileage schedule for the 24 week training plan!
I guess time flys when you are having fun! In addition to all our trips the kids have been busy doing VBS, gymnastics, Pump It Up Camp and Music Camp at the church next week. Next thing we know it will be August and then I will start back to work.
I had such plans for this summer. I haven't accomplished all of them but the most important thing was to make sweet memories with my boy before he started kindergarten. I knew that this was our last summer before the grind of school started and I wanted to make the most of it. I can definitely say I accomplished that. He is so sweet and precious.
I also have gotten some great time with Emma this week. Luke has been in camp, so she and I have done some fun girlie things this week. She has gotten to experience what life without Luke around all day will be like. She has missed her "brudder" a lot but really enjoyed getting her nails done today and having lunch with Grandma! What a treat! She was so cute!
Before I know it, I will be blogging about the end of Luke's first year of school. Time has sure gone by fast! That is the importance of living each day to the fullest. To be the best God has called us to be and to live the life he has so graciously given us to max. I am so thankful for the time God has given me this summer with all my family (my immediate family, my parents, my in-laws). I am sure it is cheesy but I can't help but think of the 10000 Maniacs song "These are Days". Brian has that in Luke's baby video and every time I watch it, I cry. I end with this:
These are the days These are days you’ll remember Never before and never since, I promise Will the whole world be warm as this And as you feel it, You’ll know it’s true That you are blessed and lucky It’s true that you Are touched by something That will grow and bloom in you These are days that you’ll remember When May is rushing over you With desire to be part of the miracles You see in every hour You’ll know it’s true That you are blessed and lucky It’s true that you are touched By something that will grow and bloom in you These are days These are the days you might fill With laughter until you break These days you might feel A shaft of light Make its way across your face And when you do Then you’ll know how it was meant to be See the signs and know their meaning It's true Then you’ll know how it was meant to be Hear the signs and know they’re speaking To you, to you
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Vacation - Round 2
Just when we were recovered from our trip to NYC, we headed off to the beach for 7 days! I know life is rough but when your kids get up every morning at 6:00 a.m. requesting sunscreen, it gets to be a little tiring.
We headed down to Surfside, TX for a fun-filled 7 days at the beach. My parents rented a beach house and it was AWESOME! The name of our beach house was the Nirvana. We just had to walk across a little bridge to the beach. It was perfect. The kids had the best time playing in the sand and ocean.
We did do a couple of other things besides being beach bums. One day we went to Galveston and played mini-golf and then enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Gaido's.
We spent another day playing golf. My dad, brother, Brian, Luke, Emma and I all hit the links at Freeport Muncipal Golfcourse. We had the best time. Luke did so well. I only played one hole but I did good. I impressed Luke, so that is all that matters.
In between outings to the beach we would go to Buc-ee's. It was the highlight of our afternoons! Luke was consistent getting his Deja Blue Water and Lucky Charms. Emma's snacks varied every trip and I discovered Oreo cakesters. Those are so yummy! Buc-ee's is pretty awesome. I will say that we were pretty excited to go again. Where else can you get Reef Flip Flops and fishing bait! You can guess which one I purchased!
On our last day at the beach we were able to spend some time with my Aunt Alix, my cousin Tim and his wife Tiffani. We realized we hadn't seem them since their wedding last May. We had the best time and the kids really enjoyed spending time with them.
We were so sad to come back home. This week it has been rough not being able to roll out of bed and look out the window and see the waves rolling in. Oh well.. there is always next year!
p.s. - I will be posting pictures from both vacations soon! There are just so many to choose from!
We headed down to Surfside, TX for a fun-filled 7 days at the beach. My parents rented a beach house and it was AWESOME! The name of our beach house was the Nirvana. We just had to walk across a little bridge to the beach. It was perfect. The kids had the best time playing in the sand and ocean.
We did do a couple of other things besides being beach bums. One day we went to Galveston and played mini-golf and then enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Gaido's.
We spent another day playing golf. My dad, brother, Brian, Luke, Emma and I all hit the links at Freeport Muncipal Golfcourse. We had the best time. Luke did so well. I only played one hole but I did good. I impressed Luke, so that is all that matters.
In between outings to the beach we would go to Buc-ee's. It was the highlight of our afternoons! Luke was consistent getting his Deja Blue Water and Lucky Charms. Emma's snacks varied every trip and I discovered Oreo cakesters. Those are so yummy! Buc-ee's is pretty awesome. I will say that we were pretty excited to go again. Where else can you get Reef Flip Flops and fishing bait! You can guess which one I purchased!
On our last day at the beach we were able to spend some time with my Aunt Alix, my cousin Tim and his wife Tiffani. We realized we hadn't seem them since their wedding last May. We had the best time and the kids really enjoyed spending time with them.
We were so sad to come back home. This week it has been rough not being able to roll out of bed and look out the window and see the waves rolling in. Oh well.. there is always next year!
p.s. - I will be posting pictures from both vacations soon! There are just so many to choose from!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Our Big Vacation!
I haven't posted in awhile! After school ended we were in high gear getting ready for our big trip up the East Coast. It is amazing how you can plan and plan and then all the sudden it is time to leave and before you know it, your vacation is done!
We left on May 31st right after Luke's baseball game. I guess we got on the road around 10:30. Brian's parents followed us in their car. We had ourselves a caravan. :) Somewhere between McKinney and Greenville, Luke wanted to know if we were there yet. I told him we hadn't left Texas yet. He wasn't pleased with my answer. Needless to say, the first day of driving felt like an eternity. We drove to Nashville and spent the night.
The next day we woke up ready to drive to our nation's capital. The kids did great in the car and were so excited when we got to D.C. I had no idea what Luke would think of it or if he would really care at all. He loved it! He loved the monuments (especially the Lincoln Memorial) and asked all kinds of questions. We took a quick tour that night and then headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. The next morning we got up and spent about 5 hours walking the mall area. We hit all the monuments and got some great pictures of the White House. I was so moved when we visited the Vietnam memorial. I got tears in my eyes and cried when I read some of the things that people had left for their loved ones that passed away. It was so moving. Brian and I hit some of the street vendors carts and got some treats for the kids. I love a good bargain! At about 1:00 we left D.C. and headed for Connecticut.
We spent 3 nights in Connecticut. On Tuesday we rode the train into NYC and went to the Statue of Liberty. The kids loved riding the train and thought Grand Central Station was so cool. They were also huge fans of riding in the taxi cabs. (I, on the other hand, am not!) Luke was so excited to see the Statue of Liberty. It was pretty amazing. After our trip out to Liberty Island, we walked around Battery Park and I got some t-shirts from the street vendors there. Once I again, I love a good bargain. Luke posed with the guys dressed as the Statue of Liberty. He thought that was so cool. We took taxis back to Grand Central Station and walked across the street to Model's (kind of like Academy sporting goods). Brian was in sensory overload! He managed to score some nice Yankee t-shirts. The kids did pretty well too! They each got Yankee's back packs, t-shirts and Emma got a hat. (all of her items were pink).
Wednesday in Connecticut Brian took the kids to all his favorite places and showed them were he grew up. We went to Stew Leonard's (worlds largest dairy market). They have singing animals and food samples everywhere. It is a good thing we don't live there because it would take me about 5 hours to do the shopping. Emma had to watch all the little shows multiple times! She was a big fan of the Farm Fresh Five. They even have a petting zoo! Not to mention the Ho Down (outdoor eating area). It is insane. I had fun watching Brian with the kids there... not sure who likes it more!?!
On Thursday, we made our way to the Big Apple. We stayed at the Hilton Rockefeller Center. It was so nice! We could get pretty much everywhere we wanted just by walking. We checked into the hotel and then made our way to Serendipity III for lunch. It was yummy but the best was the frozen hot chocolate for dessert. YUMMY!! After that we made our way over to FAO Schwartz. The kids (and I) had a ball. They each got treats and were in total sensory overload. Emma got herself a new baby doll and a barbie and Luke got a sports guy and Yankee's travel Yahtzee. After all that fun we headed back to the hotel for a little R&R. After our brief rest we headed for Times Square. We ate dinner and then headed to the world's largest Toys R Us. Emma, Brian and I rode the Ferris wheel. It is a great way to check out what each floor has. Brian's parents were tired and headed back to the hotel. We stayed and checked out the Toys R Us. They had the coolest Lego sculptures. (as did FAO Schwartz). The Toy's R Us had a Yankee's helmet, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Chrysler Building all made out of Legos. FAO Schwartz had Darth Vader, R2D2, and Chewbaca made out of Legos. The kids of course got more treats (both got a Geoffrey Giraffe dressed as the statue of liberty and Emma got a Hello Kitty pencil case that had I love NYC on it.) When we left the Toy's R Us, Times Square was all lit up. The kids loved the lights. While Emma and I hit a few of the gift shops, Brian and Luke stayed outside and watched the billboard over the M&M World. Luke loved it! It had the M&M's dressed as various characters and he thought that was so funny. We finally finished shopping and headed back to the hotel. It was another fun but exhausting day.
Friday morning we all slept in. We ate breakfast and then headed to the Museum of Natural History. Both the kids were so excited to go. They love the movie Night at the Museum and we of course had to find the T-Rex and the Easter Island head. The kids were cute and acted like they were part of the movie. Emma asked me if I had gum for the Dumb Dumb. :) I brought a big smile to my face. We spent a couple of hours there and saw a bunch of really neat things. For lunch we headed over to Central Park and had picnic. We bought hot dogs and drinks from the street vendors and had nice time. After lunch we headed back to the hotel for a little rest.
Friday night was our trip to the Yankee's game. We went in style! We got to ride in a limo to and from the game. The kids loved every minute of it. This was the whole reason for our trip. Brian is a huge Yankee's fan and has always talked of taking Luke to a game at Yankee stadium. He remembers going there as a kid and wanted to share that experience with Luke. This is the last season the Yankee's will be playing in their old stadium before they move to the new one that is right next door. It made my heart full as I watched my boys walk through monument park. Brian pointed out all the great Yankee's from seasons passed. Luke smiled but Brian smiled even bigger. There really is nothing quite like it. It is quite a unique stadium that is full of history and full of fans that love their team. You can't help but become a fan while you are there. We really enjoyed the game and the kids loved every minute of it. Emma asked Brian all kinds of questions and really watched the game. Luke cheered and enjoyed every minute of it also.
Saturday we were up early and headed for the Today show. Unfortunately, the show wasn't on in Houston and all my friends were up doing the Race for the Cure so nobody could tape it for me. However, Brian's aunt was watching and saw Brian and the kids on TV. They were on there at least 2 times, maybe 3. They were so excited. On the way home they were playing "Today Show" in the car. Emma was Al Roker and did the weather. After that we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and then met Brian's friend and his mom for lunch at Mickey Mantle's. We then went and did some more shopping at the World of Disney, M&M world, H&M, and a few other places.
On Sunday we loaded up the car and headed back home. We drove to Knoxsville and spent the night and then on Monday we made it back to our house. It was a fabulous trip and we have so many great memories. It was really something special! I am so glad that we could do this and that the kids had such a great time. Believe it or not, the driving wasn't that bad. I have over 500 pictures. I will post a few of them. Now we are trying to recover and get ready for our next trip. We are heading to the beach for 7 days with my parents and brother. It will be nice to have a relaxing vacation!
We left on May 31st right after Luke's baseball game. I guess we got on the road around 10:30. Brian's parents followed us in their car. We had ourselves a caravan. :) Somewhere between McKinney and Greenville, Luke wanted to know if we were there yet. I told him we hadn't left Texas yet. He wasn't pleased with my answer. Needless to say, the first day of driving felt like an eternity. We drove to Nashville and spent the night.
The next day we woke up ready to drive to our nation's capital. The kids did great in the car and were so excited when we got to D.C. I had no idea what Luke would think of it or if he would really care at all. He loved it! He loved the monuments (especially the Lincoln Memorial) and asked all kinds of questions. We took a quick tour that night and then headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. The next morning we got up and spent about 5 hours walking the mall area. We hit all the monuments and got some great pictures of the White House. I was so moved when we visited the Vietnam memorial. I got tears in my eyes and cried when I read some of the things that people had left for their loved ones that passed away. It was so moving. Brian and I hit some of the street vendors carts and got some treats for the kids. I love a good bargain! At about 1:00 we left D.C. and headed for Connecticut.
We spent 3 nights in Connecticut. On Tuesday we rode the train into NYC and went to the Statue of Liberty. The kids loved riding the train and thought Grand Central Station was so cool. They were also huge fans of riding in the taxi cabs. (I, on the other hand, am not!) Luke was so excited to see the Statue of Liberty. It was pretty amazing. After our trip out to Liberty Island, we walked around Battery Park and I got some t-shirts from the street vendors there. Once I again, I love a good bargain. Luke posed with the guys dressed as the Statue of Liberty. He thought that was so cool. We took taxis back to Grand Central Station and walked across the street to Model's (kind of like Academy sporting goods). Brian was in sensory overload! He managed to score some nice Yankee t-shirts. The kids did pretty well too! They each got Yankee's back packs, t-shirts and Emma got a hat. (all of her items were pink).
Wednesday in Connecticut Brian took the kids to all his favorite places and showed them were he grew up. We went to Stew Leonard's (worlds largest dairy market). They have singing animals and food samples everywhere. It is a good thing we don't live there because it would take me about 5 hours to do the shopping. Emma had to watch all the little shows multiple times! She was a big fan of the Farm Fresh Five. They even have a petting zoo! Not to mention the Ho Down (outdoor eating area). It is insane. I had fun watching Brian with the kids there... not sure who likes it more!?!
On Thursday, we made our way to the Big Apple. We stayed at the Hilton Rockefeller Center. It was so nice! We could get pretty much everywhere we wanted just by walking. We checked into the hotel and then made our way to Serendipity III for lunch. It was yummy but the best was the frozen hot chocolate for dessert. YUMMY!! After that we made our way over to FAO Schwartz. The kids (and I) had a ball. They each got treats and were in total sensory overload. Emma got herself a new baby doll and a barbie and Luke got a sports guy and Yankee's travel Yahtzee. After all that fun we headed back to the hotel for a little R&R. After our brief rest we headed for Times Square. We ate dinner and then headed to the world's largest Toys R Us. Emma, Brian and I rode the Ferris wheel. It is a great way to check out what each floor has. Brian's parents were tired and headed back to the hotel. We stayed and checked out the Toys R Us. They had the coolest Lego sculptures. (as did FAO Schwartz). The Toy's R Us had a Yankee's helmet, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Chrysler Building all made out of Legos. FAO Schwartz had Darth Vader, R2D2, and Chewbaca made out of Legos. The kids of course got more treats (both got a Geoffrey Giraffe dressed as the statue of liberty and Emma got a Hello Kitty pencil case that had I love NYC on it.) When we left the Toy's R Us, Times Square was all lit up. The kids loved the lights. While Emma and I hit a few of the gift shops, Brian and Luke stayed outside and watched the billboard over the M&M World. Luke loved it! It had the M&M's dressed as various characters and he thought that was so funny. We finally finished shopping and headed back to the hotel. It was another fun but exhausting day.
Friday morning we all slept in. We ate breakfast and then headed to the Museum of Natural History. Both the kids were so excited to go. They love the movie Night at the Museum and we of course had to find the T-Rex and the Easter Island head. The kids were cute and acted like they were part of the movie. Emma asked me if I had gum for the Dumb Dumb. :) I brought a big smile to my face. We spent a couple of hours there and saw a bunch of really neat things. For lunch we headed over to Central Park and had picnic. We bought hot dogs and drinks from the street vendors and had nice time. After lunch we headed back to the hotel for a little rest.
Friday night was our trip to the Yankee's game. We went in style! We got to ride in a limo to and from the game. The kids loved every minute of it. This was the whole reason for our trip. Brian is a huge Yankee's fan and has always talked of taking Luke to a game at Yankee stadium. He remembers going there as a kid and wanted to share that experience with Luke. This is the last season the Yankee's will be playing in their old stadium before they move to the new one that is right next door. It made my heart full as I watched my boys walk through monument park. Brian pointed out all the great Yankee's from seasons passed. Luke smiled but Brian smiled even bigger. There really is nothing quite like it. It is quite a unique stadium that is full of history and full of fans that love their team. You can't help but become a fan while you are there. We really enjoyed the game and the kids loved every minute of it. Emma asked Brian all kinds of questions and really watched the game. Luke cheered and enjoyed every minute of it also.
Saturday we were up early and headed for the Today show. Unfortunately, the show wasn't on in Houston and all my friends were up doing the Race for the Cure so nobody could tape it for me. However, Brian's aunt was watching and saw Brian and the kids on TV. They were on there at least 2 times, maybe 3. They were so excited. On the way home they were playing "Today Show" in the car. Emma was Al Roker and did the weather. After that we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and then met Brian's friend and his mom for lunch at Mickey Mantle's. We then went and did some more shopping at the World of Disney, M&M world, H&M, and a few other places.
On Sunday we loaded up the car and headed back home. We drove to Knoxsville and spent the night and then on Monday we made it back to our house. It was a fabulous trip and we have so many great memories. It was really something special! I am so glad that we could do this and that the kids had such a great time. Believe it or not, the driving wasn't that bad. I have over 500 pictures. I will post a few of them. Now we are trying to recover and get ready for our next trip. We are heading to the beach for 7 days with my parents and brother. It will be nice to have a relaxing vacation!
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