i was running

Couldn't help throwing a little Forrest Gump quote in the title :)

On Saturday evening I ran my first 5K. The first of many I'm hoping. Leslie got the brilliant idea at the beginning of the school year that running was a good thing. I of course thought it was ridiculous because I do not run and the few times I broke the "I do not run" rule I passed out...literally. Once was during a conversation with a friend after I had run at our city park in Enterprise. However, after a bit of convincing and coaching I decided that maybe I could do this after all.

After the first of the year we both set a goal to run a 5K. Our church bulletin had an advertisement for one that RER (rockdale emergency relief) was doing as a fund raiser. I didn't see it in there but that Monday when Leslie came to get the kids she asked me about and then said "we're doing it." We finally had our deadline so the training kicked up a notch! We ran at night after the kids were in bed and by this time Steph had decided to join in the 'fun' too. We 'trained' for about 3 weeks, so not super long, before the run and the first time I ever got close to the actual distance was the day of!!

I know for a lot of people 3.1 miles is not a big deal but let me just say that I was RIDICULOUSLY PROUD of myself when it was all said and done. This race had nothing to do with how fast I could run, what time I got or if I won anything. It had everything to do with me setting a goal that I never considered trying for and accomplishing it. I wanted to try something new and do it with friends that I love and support who love and support me back. I wanted to make myself proud and my husband proud by setting a goal and reaching it and I did it!! I ended up finishing in 36 minutes and 54 seconds and since I was trying for under 40 I thought that was pretty dang good. Stephanie was a little ahead of us for most of the race (she's the speedy one and has some long 'ol good for running legs!) but Leslie and I were pretty much side by side the whole time and God bless her for it she shared her neck cooling thing with me around mile 2.5 and sang Dixie Chicks from her IPOD to keep me going. We all had agreed to sprint as soon as we saw the finish line but her sprint was way sprintier than mine!

It was fun, exhausting and exhilirating all rolled up together and I am so proud of all three of us and can't wait to try it again!!

Steph, Me, Kayla and Leslie before the race

and we're off!

'sprinting' to the finish

praising the Lord that I made it in one piece!

post race picture

Me and my supportive men.

jupiter, fl: beaches and pool

Each day we had lots of pool time with a little beach time thrown in. The bridge to the beach was out which turned our five minute drive to the beach into a twenty minute drive. Not that I'm complaining at all, it just meant it took us a little longer to get there so it cut out beach time since we were working around connor's naps and zach's brother's wake up time (seriously forgot how long people can sleep in when they don't have kids!).

On Monday afternoon we had our first beach experience there and Connor's very first beach experience ever. It wasn't technically Micah's first but the first he'll remember. Atlantic sand is not so sandy and soft but it wasn't as bad as people seem to think. It was full of different colors because of all the different shells that make it up. The boys didn't seem to mind a bit. They both dug right in to the sand and were basically covered with it the entire time we were there which meant I was too. It took me a total of ten seconds to realize that I might as well get used to it because if I actually wanted to be a good mama and have fun with my boys I was going to get dirty!

Micah was super excited about getting in the ocean which was another shocker. FYI he was super adventurous on this trip. I was one proud mama. He went in the ocean with Zach to jump over the waves, he swam around the pool all by himself with his floaties on, let Zach throw him probably about 6 feet in the air and come splashing down in the water, and on another beach where they had tons of rocks he climbed in and out and through them for almost an hour with not one bit of hesitation, and learned how to go completely under the water!!! For my cautious little boy all of this was a huge deal. His other activities during the week included hunting for seashells, building and then smashing sand castles and fishing with his daddy and uncles.

Connor loved digging in the sand though it did take a few tries before he realized that eating the dirt was not the best idea. He had mixed feelings about going in the water. Some days he liked it and some days he just wanted to run around and pretend he was going to get in. Silly boy! He pretty much spent his time eating, sleeping and running around like a big ol' goof ball :)

My favorites from our trip were:

* biking/running with Zach.

*visiting the beach at blowing rock cove. The formations of the rock because of the water was interestingly beautiful.

*watching Micah and Connor experience new things and collect new life experiences. One of my favorite things in all the world will always be watching my children learn and experience new things. Seeing Connor laugh at the bubbles in the waves and watch Micah let go of some of his inhibitions and get excited about new things like fishing and swimming and climbing rocks was awesome. LOVE it!

jupiter, fl: travel and house

Last Sunday we made the long drive to Jupiter, FL to spend a week at the beach with Zach's family. It was an 8 hour drive with an hour and a half of stop time in the mix. The boys did exceptionally well on the trip. I was shocked actually. I had been expecting the absolute worse. Connor spent the majority of the trip (in between naps) DESTROYING his seat with cheerios, bubbles and anything else I handed him, but he was entertained and happy. Micah read a little and drew a little but honestly when driving with kids this age having a DVD player is just the way to go. They watched one movie and ALOT of monkeys (aka curious george) for about half of the trip which is just fine with me. They're two young to understand any kind of car games so between screaming craziness a little tv time I'll probably pick tv any day of the week :)

We got to Jupiter around 7:30 Sunday evening, met up with the rest of the family and drove to the house. Now I want to pre apologize if the remainder of this post seems boastful. This is not my intention. I am just honestly astounded by the absolute amazing generosity of the owner of the home we stayed in and want to remember it. Zach's grandmother, Mimi or Grand mimi to the boys, had a friend who offered us his vacation home for FREE. Yes I said free! He married his wife in 2001 and had the house built for her. They were married for 6 years before he lost her to cancer and since then has put the house on the market but let's people just use it in the mean time. We had the privilege to meet him on our last day there and he was the kindest man. He reminded me of a christian version of Carl Reiner in Ocean's 11. Same face, same clothes but different language! Every other word was God bless you, Praise Him, and my dears.

Here's a peek into our temporary beach home :)

front of the house

formal living room

dining room

master bath

backyard pool

back of the house

embrace the camera: beach edition

We've been in Jupiter, FL since Sunday evening. I will not go into detail now about the fabulous house, gorgeous weather and insane amounts of sand that have been covering me due to my children ;) Just know we are having a great time and feeling blessed to be able to have this family time away and being able to {embrace the camera} at the beach!



We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon :( and I'll be sure to post all about it when we get back.

10 years

This past weekend we attended my 10 year reunion. Yes I (and Zach too just at a different school) were members of the amazing class of 2000!! I always thought when my reunion came around I'd feel so old, but I didn't. I felt like a young adult, amazingly content with her blessed life, ready to face both friends (and a few foes), show off my hott husband, my adorable kids, and catch up with friends.

We had a three different events. Night one was a meet and greet at the Rawl's Hotel. Basically we sat in a back room, ate food, talked and listened to an overview about our new high school that is opening this next school year. Our previous high school was destroyed in a tornado in 2007.

The next day we met at the park to eat lunch and see/show off our children. It was RIDICULOUSLY HOT!! We stayed for about an hour and half and only survived that long because the boys ate cup after cup of ice. As usual everyone was very impressed by the blondness of the boys hair.

Saturday night was the official reunion. It was called the Black and White Classy Affair and somehow I never assumed this meant you were supposed to wear black and white. I asked specifically when we got the invite and was told you could wear any color but every time I talked to someone about it they said they were wearing black. I got a little panicky two days before we were supposed to leave but didn't have time to search for anything and finally bought something online. When it finally arrived it hit mid thigh while standing up and a lot higher when sitting down. I gave up and wore blue. Thankfully there were at least a few more girls in 'non black' dresses as well! Zach and I ended up having a good time despite the color of my dress. We enjoyed a few cocktails (malibu bay breeze = YUM O!), hit up the dance floor, and talked a lot. I think Zach had longer conversations than I did with people there which I thought was awesome. I loved looking over and seeing him being involved with my past and enjoying himself.

I did come away from the event with a few observations however. There were a lot of people who didn't want to talk to anyone else. They were content to talk to only those they always see and basically ignore everyone else's presence. Honestly this baffled me A TON! I guess in my head I thought well why wouldn't everyone want to see what other's were up to and see how they've changed, who've they become and basically just what they're like ten years later. It made me thankful for the friends because besides the fact that they love me and are truly interested in what I like, believe, etc. they reach out to others as well.

Growing up I always assumed I'd be one to stay close to marry someone I'd known forever, move back home and be involved in that hometown. But I am beyond grateful that the plan's God had for me were quite the opposite.

cousins

Thursday night we headed down to Enterprise for my 10 year reunion festivities (more on that later) but our first event for the busy weekend was hanging out with my cousin Jason, his wife Abbie and their three kids Hannah, Owen and Bennett. They currently live in China teaching at one or more universities and are in the states for the summer. They are absolutely wonderfully amazingly fun people and we had a blast hanging out, talking, grilling and shooting each other with 'guns' from the Chinese Market. I am really hoping Zach and I can take advantage of them living there to visit and experience that culture. Plans may be in the works soon!

embrace the camera

In honor of Father's Day this weekend I'm giving Zach some camera love! Enjoy some pictures of the adorable men in my life ;)

Check out {embrace the camera} for some more awesome pics!

sunday song

This is the PERFECT song for me right now. I've made lots of changes, or should say God is reworking my brain, recently. Our pastor went through a series on spiritual disciplines recently and I felt a light start to flicker inside that is slowly growing and growing. I honestly feel like I am just showing up in my life right now in a bigger way full of thoughts and desires for something different, good different, and more. Still haven't quite figured out what that is. Could be more of the same but with a totally different perspective on it or it could be just totally different. I guess time will tell but in the mean time I am trying to be ok with the 'who knows' of it all and just happy that I've showed up :)

Just Showed Up

Sara Groves

Spending my time sleep walking
Moving my mouth but not saying a thing
Hoping the changes would take by working their way from the outside in
I was in love with an idea
Preoccupied with how a life should appear
Spending my time at the surface repairing the holes in the shiny veneer

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

I'm going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that's honest and real until I'm truly amazed
I'm going to feel all my emotions
I'm going to look you in the eyes
I'm going to listen and hear until it's finally clear and it changes our lives

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

Oh the glory of God is man fully alive
Oh the glory of God is man fully alive

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

when i get bigger

This afternoon in the car Micah shared this little tidbit with me...

Hey Mama.

When I get taller bigger I'm gonna get my little daddy some milk

and read him a 'tory and then he's gonna go to bed and I'm gonna get in my own bed

when i get taller bigger but I'm only little bigger right now.

hahaha! Glad to know we'll be taken care of in our older and apparently littler years!

embrace the camera

Yesterday Micah, Connor and I joined Steph and Silas, and Missy and Jack at Missy's neighborhood pool. I spent a lot of time with two little boys attached to me in the water but it was fun nonetheless!

And just so you think I don't love my oldest know the lack of a picture of him and me has nothing to do with my heart and everything to do with 3 year olds having more opinions. Just so you know he was present and accounted for...

go check out more of {embrace the camera}

13 months

I know I have posted this picture before but it cracks me UP! Not only that but it totally summarizes how we all feel after this past month...slap worn out!! The short month between Connor's first birthday and now has absolutely flown! We've had two family weddings, the end of preschool, two weeks of full time with 4 kids, a holiday, a photo shoot, an extra weekend visit to Gainesville and weekend visitors from Enterprise. WHEW!! I'm ashamed to say because of all this I was reaching to find pictures of Connor from this past month. I do have one ADORABLE video of him dancing and clapping to his Leap Frog Fridge Farm but I have to wait on Zach to help me post that one because sadly I still, after 3 years of owning the video camera, have no clue how to download anything from it.

There's not too much new going on in the world of Connor except for...

*he is finally out of his pack n' play. We currently did a fruit basket turn over in the house and moved his crib into the playroom so he can be in a real bed. Thankfully the bedding matches the playroom perfectly so my anal brain is happy about that.

*is up to 7 teeth, 4 on top and 3 on bottom.

*can say bubbles (bubba) and uh oh (oh oh) however he refuses to say daisy or bye bye now (either that or I totally just assumed he was saying it but he really wasn't)

*walks everywhere and does a marathon at night. seriously he runs from the couch to the back door over and over.

* loves to dance to any music and LOVES it when Micah dances too.

*has started to kind of catch on to sign language. We've only done more, finished and please...you know the basic manners ;)

* is catching on to certain games. one in particular is chase. He loves to have Zach chase him down the hall and then catch him. You can see him kind of glance back to make sure his daddy is coming.

* likes watching Thomas the Train. Micah has become interested in it lately and it's the only show Connor will stop what he's doing for for at least a few minutes.

*is still my little koala bear and is not happy to go to anyone else if i'm in view.

summer fun list

After seeing it on several blogs like this one, I decided to write up a summer fun list. The point is to try to be intentional with all your time off. Being a stay at home mom and not having any children in school yet summer isn't exactly our only time off, however, it's something I want to continue to do for years to come so we might as well start it now. This year I made up the list by myself with things I (and Zach when he's off) want to do with the boys while including things I know they'll just like or would probably choose on their own. In the future they will have a much larger part in making the list with me.

There might be somethings we don't get to and I know they'll be somethings we do that aren't on here but I can't wait to get started and experience the fun and memories checking our 'fun' off the list.

family photos

When your husband is the photographer it's hard to get good pictures of the four of us so last weekend Zach took pictures of the Cardozas and we got all gussied up too so that Leslie could take pictures of us too. I was a little nervous about how it would go with our 4 crazy kids running around but it went a lot better than I expected and thankfully friends don't mind getting dressed up again to take more pictures just in case the first set doesn't work out. I thought Zach got some GREAT shots of everyone. Here are a few of my favs from the Mays.