2010 in pictures part 1....

in january, my niece stella was baptized.

and we had the "storm of 2010" and our pups LOVED romping in the snow...even if it was difficult at times!

in february, the family got together to celebrate birthdays and just spend some time together!  kayla made the cake.  those cake decorating classes at joann are really paying off.

 little kate was as cute as ever!

and great gramma got to meet little alex!

in march, we celebrated my nephew, elijah's, 5th birthday.  his mom made the really cool dragon cake.  he was pretty happy about it!

april was a busy month.  first the easter egg hunt at church...

even the big kids got into it!  love this pic!

at easter, we got a family pic with everyone...well almost everyone.

i got the opportunity to to go to san diego for a national council of teachers of mathematics convention.  it was fantastic!  i have never been to california!  beautiful state!!

breathtaking...

both girls got involved in sports.  kayla tried out softball for a second time...

 tea tried soccer for the first time.

in may, we surprised kayla for her 13th birthday, by taking her to melting pot with 2 of her closest friends...unfortunately, one of them couldn't make it, but she was there with us in spirit!

 and a few days later, she was confirmed.  we are very proud!

and my nephew alex was baptized in indiana!

june brought the girls' birthday party

aunt steph brought our newest "niece" harper to play with our canine girls.

and lucy was looking too cute!

part 2 to come...

Candlelight services. | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

Candlelight services. | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

very funny post! the comments are hilarious!

60 years ago...

today, i found myself being very nostalgic. as i was wandering the rooms at my gramma's house, i found myself remembering how my cousins and i used to "hide" and play in different rooms of the house.  i have so many fond memories of growing up and celebrating christmas with my family.  they seemed to come rushing back to me today as i was able to celebrate with my family.  we are all grown, and having children of our own, but we still come together each year, because that is what families do.  i love watching my own kids make memories.  my husband and i talked about how my cousins would use him as a jungle gym when we first started dating.  and how now, those same cousins take time out to make sure they say hi to him and talk about the browns...or other important guy things.  my gramma revealed today how it was 60 years ago on christmas day that my grandpa gave her an engagement ring.  boy, am i glad she accepted!  he's been gone for almost 20 years, but i still miss him!  and even more,  i miss seeing them together. they were (and still are) the best example of  what a marriage should be.  i miss him calling her "boss lady" and her singing "you are my sunshine" to him.  


today was an amazing day. i love watching christmas through my girls' eyes.  tea has not put her american girl doll down yet!  and kayla was upset that she didn't have a light she could use to read from her kindle on the way home.  God has blessed me with such an amazing family.  i give praise and thanks to Him today for giving it all for me!


i will post pix later this week...another family celebration tomorrow!!  more memories to be made!  


merry christmas to all....and to all a good night!

a christmas eve to remember

so...usually on christmas, we will make cookies, go to church, wrap gifts, and drift off into a lovely sleep while the girls have "visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads".  


this morning, i got up and got everything ready for the cookies, made the dough, made the icing and chilled the dough.  while the dough was chilling, i made 3 pumpkin pies, did a crazy incline workout on my faithful treadmill. then we went to pick up my car from the repair shop after her accident. (i missed her so much...),  stopped at chipotle (yummy...) on the way home and ate lunch.  got home and began to roll out the dough and cut out the cookies.  i pre-heated the oven while we were doing this.  after about 10 minutes of rolling and cutting, we were ready to put the first batch of cookies in.  now, let me tell you how good these cookies are.  my grandma's recipe, and it is truly the BEST cut out cookie i have EVER eaten.  so, we have all been craving these cookies since last week!  i open the oven, and i feel....nothing.  no heat..at all.  after tearing apart the oven, my husband concludes that the starter is, well not starting.  so...no cookies for us. 


we all took a few moments to mourn the loss, and then cleaned up the cookie mess, and began to wrap presents for the nieces and nephews and such. my daughter then had to be at church at 4:00 for her puppets and bells performance for the 5:00 and 7:00 services.  between services, we went to one of the only places open at 6:00 on christmas eve...wendy's.  yea, i know, a wonderful christmas eve dinner.  went back to church and watched kayla perform with her bell choir, and then home.  the girls set out (store-bought) cookies for santa, and wrote their letters and off to bed.  then began the marathon wrapping of their gifts.  it is now 11:00 pm and i am just now sitting down to relax for the first time today, but i am feeling very blessed.  


as i was wrapping gifts tonight, i began to think about how much i will miss playing "santa" when the girls are older and no longer living with us.  it changed my attitude from one of "can i hurry up and get this done so i can go to bed" to, "i want to enjoy this while i am still able".  


i am so thankful for all that my Savior has given to me, and i am looking forward to 2 days of celebrating His birth with my loved ones. i pray that all of you also have a wonderful day and are able to really enjoy the small things!  


i want to leave you all with my FAVORITE christmas song of all time.  god bless and good night!

Gear Review and Giveaway: Zensah Arm Sleeves

Gear Review and Giveaway: Zensah Arm Sleeves

running outside and other things....

i have been dying to get outside and run and the last couple of days have been relatively warm...so... i got up this morning and ran on the path around reynoldsburg beginning at blacklick woods.  to begin, the path was pretty clear.

however, if you look closely at the pic, you can see the thin layer of ice covering spots of the path...and as i got further into my run, i found lots of ice and snow.  pretty to look at, not so nice to run on.  i finished my run...4 miles in a little over 34 minutes.  despite the slick conditions in parts, i think that is pretty good.  


after my run, i came home and hubby and i went out to columbus running company to get some new shoes.  i have almost 400 miles on my current shoes, and it is definitely time for some new ones!  i was this close to getting the nike gortex shoes for running outside this winter, but i am way too loyal to my brooks....so i got a new pair of adrenalines, and a set of yaktrax.  hoping this will be enough to allow me to get outside a little more often!  


i began to think about my goals for the coming year...here is what i have come up with: 
1. run a half marathon in less than 2 hours.
2. run and finish a marathon.
3. run a 5k in under 24 minutes. 
4. run more often with my girls. 
5. keep my depression away for the winter months 
6. lose 10 more pounds to get to my goal of 50 pound weight loss. 
7. take the time to smell the roses and enjoy life!
8. remember to thank God every day for the gift of life He has given me!
9. post to my blog at least once per week!


What are your goals for the coming year? 

december!

it's been a good month. i have been running on the treadmill because of the cold, but i did run in the jingle bell run at the beginning of the month and ran a 5k in 24:36...a full minute faster than i thought i would be able to! it was a great run. i can't wait for some nice weather so i can get out and run in the great out of doors! it's 4 days before christmas, and i still have a ton of shopping to do. i will be going out tomorrow and thursday.

wishing everyone a very merry christmas and a happy new year!