Spared and SCOTTY!

Here it is Thursday, the morning after the storm, and I am happy to report that we missed any major storms…just having had heavy rain, some wind, and thunder and lightning.  Thank you, LORD! 

As we watched local and national weather all afternoon – yes, even interrupting Oprah’s finale – we were amazed at all the tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings that were popping up all around us.  At one point, we counted 13 tornado warnings at one time.  But, like I said, thankfully we were spared any damage. 

However elsewhere in our county, about 20 miles east of here, there was a massive tornado that cut a path through a neighboring town.  But Praise God, there were no injuries or fatalities!  But check out this picture of that twister:
 

Yikes!  This picture was taken by a highway patrol officer from his patrol car.  When his wife put it on Facebook, she said she thought he was WAY TOO CLOSE!  For sure!

 

Once the storm threat was over, we settled in to watch the finale of American Idol!

Did you watch?  Did you have a favorite??

Well, we did and were beyond thrilled in the results!

We have watched young Scotty since auditions and have fallen in love with his smooth country voice and his young spirit.  Love love him!!  I am so happy he won, and we all know that Lauren is going to tear it up also…she is amazing!  What made my heart smile was he consistent profession of faith.

 

"

I've got to thank the Lord first; he got me here," McCreery said in front of a cheering audience.

Yep.  Love it.  Thank you, Lord, for allowing Scotty to bring Your Name to the main stage and to bring Honor and Glory to You.  Awesome.

Something else to be happy about: Today is the kids’ last day of school!  After today, I will officially have a

sophomore in HS,
an 8th grader,
and a 2nd grader! 

Whoa.  Please time, freeze right NOW!

Smile today.  Find something to rejoice about.  And appreciate the little things.

xoxo

Under The Gun

Well, dangit. 

Fall has officially taken the position as my favorite season.  I used to say that spring and fall were my two favorite times of the year, but with this year’s flooding and all the severe weather I have officially jumped to TEAM FALL.

This is our outlook for severe weather including TORNADOES today!  Yes, we are in the white.  Yikes! 

My anxiety level is super-high right now.  I have been watching the weather channel [which is not helping my panic level] and checking the maps online, trying to determine when the nasty stuff is supposed to get here so I know when I need to go get my babies.  Best I can determine, they are saying around 3-4pm so I’m going to go to the school at 2 to pick them up.  Normally I would be able to handle this much more clearheaded, but with all that has happened in Joplin I think everybody is a little extra ramped up about all this crazy weather.

But I’m reciting to myself that God does not give us a spirit of fear and I KNOW that He is in control.  I know this, and yet my stomach is still in a knot…maybe it’s the spicy hummus I’m eating?  Hmmm….

Ok, I’m getting ready to get my kids and hide in our basement until tomorrow!

Y’all be safe!

xoxo

Fellow Missourians

Yesterday started with a great worship service at church and ended with us staring at the television at the utter devastation in Joplin.

Joplin, MO is a good 3 1/2 hours west of us, and was hit yesterday with a massive tornado.  the footage we watched on the weather channel last night left us with our mouths hanging open.  I heard numbers this morning like “at least 89 confirmed dead,” and “75% of the town is gone.” 

Gone.

I cannot even imagine.  Even as we watch it all unfold on the screen, it just doesn’t seem real.  I am so sad for the people of Joplin and their friends and families.  My fellow Missourians.  They are all on the top of my prayer list today.  Maybe they could be on yours, too?

On a MUCH happier note, I had a GREAT run this morning!  I set out not really knowing how far I was going to go, just that I wanted to go for as long as I could without “pushing it.”  Coming back from shin splints, I certainly don’t want to take a step back and reinjure myself!  I did 10 miles this morning, and felt AMAZING.  I made sure and kept my pace a little slower than normal.  I was very in tune with my body, waiting for the slightest twinge or pain to tell me to stop but it never came!  Yippee!  In fact, at the 10 mile mark I had to make myself stop and not go another mile or two. 

“Born To Run” audiobook was playing on my run this morning.  If you are runner, you should definitely check it out!  So interesting.

I came home and iced my shins (preventative shin splint thing) while I did some Facebook-ing and blog reading.  I went over in my mind what all is going on this week.  We have a full week ahead of us.  It’s the kids’ last week of school and there are awards ceremonies, field trips, picnics, and play days…there is something going on every day!  Today is Tyler’s first athletic banquet (HS students) and Zachary’s middle school awards so I better get crack-a-lackin on my day!

If you would, please say a prayer for Maggie, as she’s having her last breast cancer surgery tomorrow!!!!!  Tomorrow is implant day when they take out the expanders and put in soft, new boobies!  Yay, Mags!!!!!  And keep her Mama, Marcy, in your prayers as well as she is recovering from a nasty staph infection that resulted in surgery to take out one of her expanders.  These poor girls!  But it will get better…one day at a time.

Appreciate the little things, check your boobies, and call someone you love.

xoxo   

16 Years and One Day Late

Welllll, this post was actually supposed to go up YESTERDAY…on our 16th wedding anniversary.  Oops!  I worked on it some during the day, then got bogged down in looking for pictures and combining that with all my usual “stuff” that goes on during the day…are you really surprised it got minimized and not finished?!  I mean, really.  So here we go…

****************************************************************************************************

Happy Anniversary to my forever sweetheart!  I cannot believe it has been sixteen years since we said “I do.”  In some ways it seems like yesterday, and in others it feels like ages ago. 

It is impossible to put into words what our sixteen years has meant to me, and all the love that we share.  I attempted this morning on facebook:

Even that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of our lives together.  So, rather than trying to tell you in words that I know will not be enough, I have decided to show you in pictures instead.
 

 

It was a pretty low-key anniversary.  Of course, after going to Vegas last year for our 15th, almost anything would seem low-key!  We kept it simple and went out to dinner and then watched the Cardinals game with our kids.  Simple, yes, but that’s what we both wanted to do.  It’s the little things, really.

Cherish a special relationship today, and don’t take one day (or year) for granted.

xoxo

Living Life

I love this saying.  So, so true.

 

I had the best run of the week (thus far) this morning.  It was glorious, and I just cruised for an easy 7 miles.  I love runs like that.  I wanted to go further, but didn’t want to push it since taking my two weeks off because of shin splints.  But oh, how I wanted to!  I am loving our weather this week.

Something that has never happened to me before on a run this morning: I startled a baby deer as it lay in a pile of leaves beside the road.  I didn’t even see it as I ran down the road, but as soon as I got next to it, he (she?) took off like lightening the other direction!  Of course, I jumped in the other direction when I heard the leaves rustle and saw movement out of the corner of my eye!  I felt so bad because I know I scared it to death!  Poor little thing.  It still had it spots and everything…it just tried to scamper away on new little legs.  As I circled around, I saw him (her?) hiding under a picnic table,

 

Poor baby.  I hope it’s little heart settled down before too long!  I could tell it was scared.

In other news, Bulldog Baseball is over for the season as the boys lost their semi-final game in Districts yesterday.  BUT…no fear, baseball shall continue.  Summer league starts tomorrow.  No, we don’t get much time to breathe around here.

Tomorrow is another trip to STL to see Jack’s allergy dr and see if his blood work from last week showed any more indications of a fish allergy.  Praying that that’s not the case.

The countdown is on: only 6.5 days of school left! 

And only 2 more days until Jack and I will celebrate our 16th anniversary!  

Love madly and give extra kisses to someone today.

Stay in His Grip.

xoxo

Back At It

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice

and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

I’M BAAAACCK!  To running, that is!

After church yesterday I headed out for my first run in two weeks…I couldn’t hardly WAIT!  My legs were seriously itching for a good run.  I haven’t had any pain from my shin splints for a few days and I’ve taken 2 whole weeks off from running so I was beyond ready!

And my run did not disappoint!  7 miles done and done!
 

I started out a little too quick, I’m blaming it on my excitement!  Then the hubby called during mile 6 and I walked for a few minutes while I talked to him.

Then TODAY, another fabulous run!  The temps were in the upper 40s-low50s – what it going on with this weather?!  Last week it was almost 90 every day!  But the sun is shining beautifully today and that made for another beautiful run in God’s country.
 

Woot woot!  My spirits were lifted as I ran this morning to praise and worship music that just left me thanking God for giving me the strength in my body and my mind, and for the beauty that surrounds me.  Our God is an AWESOME GOD!!!!  Any doubt??  Just look around.

I’m off to district baseball today!  Come on VBHS Bulldogs…let’s take districts!!!!

Cheer for your team, thank God for EVERYTHING, and feel your boobies ladies.

xoxo

Burnin’ Up The Roads

Yes, yes, we have been keepin’ the roads to St. Louis

HOT HOT HOT!

Yesterday was a another trip to the dr, but not for me, for the hubby to do some allergy testing.  There is a possibility that he may have a fish allergy, so we are checking that out.  Thankfully nothing showed up with the skin test yesterday, so the dr ordered a blood test to check further.  We will find out the results next week…when we go BACK to St. Louis!

And can I just state the obvious here…gas prices are not our friend right now.

One thing I will look forward to for next week, though, is JUICE!!  Yep, juice.  Check this out:  I found OR Juice and Smoothie via Clare at her blog, Fitting It All In.  After she mentioned it, I could not wait to go.  And get this, there is one is Central West End, too!  That’s down by Siteman, our stomping grounds!  I had no idea there was a good juice/smoothie place there close.  So glad I know now…the hubby, notsomuch. 

Oh yeah!  So pretty in my cup!  This is 100% pure, organic juice from carrots, celery, and red beets.

It’s the C.C.R. on the menu.  I actually had a really hard time deciding what to get!  It took me awhile to look at all the different juice and smoothie menus.  So much goodness to choose from!  Needless to say, the hubby didn’t get anything, and wasn’t impressed. It’s ok.  I still love him. 

I wish I could say that I was absolutely in LOVE with the juice though.  But I wasn’t.  It needed to be chilled I think…blended up in smoothie form with some ice would’ve been good!  I’ll have to remember that next time.  Jack had major fun watching me drink it.

Before we headed home, we hit up Olive Garden for an early dinner and I had my usual soup and salad.  I LOVE their minestrone!  Doesn’t this picture make you hungry?!  Yeah, I know.

Ok, I’m off!  Kids are getting out of school early today so my time is short!  Love y’all!

Eat your veggies, kids!

xoxo

Mother’s Day Wrap Up

Well hey guys

I don’t know what it has been this week, but I just can’t seem to get caught up!  Do you ever feel that way?? 

I could probably list everything that has been occupying my time [read: 3 kids and hubby] but then that will lead to a whole new list of things that still need to be done.  And I’m not going there.  I honestly can’t believe it’s only Wednesday.

I thought I would share with you a couple of pics from Mother’s Day:

The Mamas are in the house! 

My favorite Mama – mine!  Missed you, Layne!

And just to prove that, yes, we do know how to look at a camera: [with Brayden on the run by!]

Our spread.  We never have a shortage of food!

As you can see, it was a great day for us Moms.  After church all the men cooked us dinner AND even CLEANED UP their mess!  It was so nice to sit at the kitchen table and visit rather than scrubbing pots and pans and wiping off counters! It felt kind of weird…but in a good way. 

Doesn’t he look happy?  What a good son.  I’m so glad to know he can do this now.

But can you believe that out of all the cameras floating around, I did not get ONE picture of me with my kids?!  Epic fail.

If you have noticed that I have not updated my running log lately, it is because I’m not RUNNING.  I am kickboxing, squatting, lunging, and doing a lot of WALKING but no running.  My legs feel 100% better but I am being a very good patient and giving them until next week before I run again. 

See?  Aren’t you surprised??  I know – I think everyone around me is, too.  They’re probably also surprised that I haven’t choked anybody yet.  I have had a kid or two that have almost made my “list” but thankfully have managed to survive the running hiatus.  So far, so good.

Now I am off to attempt to get more dirt stains out of WHITE BASEBALL PANTS.  Whoever chose the color of these pants needs to come and spend a day helping me to get get all the stains out of them.  It’s so bad that every time Tyler slides, or has to dive to get a ball I just cringe and think of all the elbow grease I have in store for me.  I miss my Nana…she was the all time STAIN MASTER, Tyler’s baseball stains wouldn’t stand a chance, I promise you.

If your Nana is still around, go hug her. 

xoxo

Diagnosis Perspective

Hello friends!

I am happy, yes HAPPY, to report that yesterday’s trip to STL for my doctor’s appointment and bone scans were great!
 

Diagnosis: Shin Splints !!!

And yes, those are exclamation points behind that diagnosis!  WHY am I so happy about shin splints??  Well because out of shin splints, stress fractures, and cancer, SHIN SPLINTS are definitely the least of all evils.  For sure.  So I will take me some shin splints…and a little respite from running.

So…I am now in search of low impact workout I can do until I can run again.  I hit up ExerciseTV this morning, for some great lower-body workouts by THE Jillian and then did my own kickboxing set.  This morning’s workout looked like this:

• 125 plié squats with toe lift
• 15 curtsy squats each side
• 25 side lunges with knee raise each side
• 10 forward lunges each side with row
• kickboxing – roundhouse kicks 20 each side x3, series of jabs and punches
• pilates ab work
• yoga cool down

I was definitely sweating up a storm when I was finished and my legs were trembling.  The whole workout, plus a couple of interruptions, took me about 45 minutes or so.  Whew!

It’s crazy how our perspectives can shift, huh?  Before cancer, shin splints would certainly not have been a celebrated thing.  But when your life now involves cancer, the things that were once so “life-changing” are not so bad anymore. 

I was just sharing this with Kristin.  A friend of a friend, who, is now beginning a cancer journey.  Not her though, but her husband Daniel.  He is inpatient right now at Barnes-Jewish receiving care for leukemia; a diagnosis that has completely blindsided them and their family.  They have 3 beautiful little girls and their life has been turned upside down right now. -Whoa, been there.-  

My heart aches for them, as I know what a battle it is to face a cancer diagnosis.  The places our mind goes and the mental battle that we must fight every day is not something I would wish on anybody.  Some days are great, and cancer is just a blink in the back of your mind…and others it is clearly in focus and you are wondering what your future holds.  But one thing is always true and we can hold on to this truth:  That God is not startled by anything, and He only wants what’s best for us ALL OF THE TIME.  God is good ALL THE TIME, and He holds us in the palm of His hand and lets us hide beneath His robe.  Thank you, Jesus. 

I would ask that you would keep Kristin and Daniel and their family in your prayers.  That our God, our Great Physician, would touch and heal Daniel’s body and give them the strength and the peace they need to get through this journey.

So hug your kids, check your ta~tas, and don’t forget that tomorrow is Mother’s Day!

xoxo