Sweet Abundance

Monday, August 10, 2009

This Is Where I Beg Your Forgiveness And Promise To Blog A Little More Frequently ...

I have been a VERY bad bloggy friend this summer ... VERY bad.

And, here and now, is where I promise to make up for lost time and tell you a bit about our summer.

I spent most of the summer training for a triathlon ... an event which I, sadly, did not even get to participate in. And, for the record, shin splints do NOT get better by just pushin through the pain. I did get to go to the event and cheer my friends on...

... and take a whole ton of pictures - I am workin on a little slide show. That guarantees a post for another day! Because my sweet, heroic friends who DID participate deserve a post of their own. Especially Kelly

and Jane

who came in 1st and 3rd for the women (Jane, by the way, was robbed and SHOULD have come in at least second. Unfortunately she missed a turn on the bike portion and rode a couple miles or so before realizing her error and turning around. Girlfriend was NOT happy!!!)

I also had a birthday last month. Now, I knew that the hubby had something up his sleeve but wasn't sure what it was. I could not have even begun to prepare myself for what he had planned....

Here is a glimpse of my surprise ...

Yeah, that would be my mommy - who flew in for my birthday! Please ignore the fact that I had just woke up and had been cryin my eyes out over my surprise!!! We had a whole 36 hours together before she flew back. I had a stinkin blast with her and could not have felt more loved. Thanks Honey, and thanks mommy!

We also spent a day at the beach, just my little fam and me.

The girls had a blast - until it was time to go home of course. THAT was not so much fun at all!!!

And, given the fact that we were parked DIRECTLY in front of the police station, draggin two screaming children and (because our keyless entry thingy does not work at the moment) setting off the car alarm, it was NOT the highlight of the day for mommy and daddy either. Just sayin!

We have also spent a LOT of time with this sweet thing too...

... Miss Belle. Our Monday dates with her are numbered though because her sweet mama, Mrs. Erica, is bout to give birth any day to a bouncing baby boy. I am TOTALLY lookin forward to that even because I have been asked to attend said birth and be the official photographer!

I do hope that it doesn't happen next weekend though. Because NEXT weekend I will be camping, with a few thousand of my closest friends, in little pink tents.

Because, for the 5th year in a row I will be participating in the Breast Cancer 3day. I am a member of the crew - which means I do not do the walk, but I work the event and support the walkers in ANY WAY I can! I am also raising money to benefit the Susan G Komen foundation in their support of breast cancer patients, awareness and the search for a cure. I do it for Marla, Holly, Alice and Donna - who all survived the dreaded disease. I do it for my Bev, who is fighting it right now! I do it for my Grandma who won HER battle and lived to be the sweet age of 95 years young before going Home to Jesus!

And I do it for Paula, my BFF, whom we lost to this stinky stuff 5 years ago. I will fight to the end to be sure that her girls do not have to face that battle. IF you feel led, at all, to support this endeavor, please visit my fundraiser page. Every little bit helps!

OR, support me with your prayers - prayers for a safe weekend for all involved, for my man and girls at home without me, and for a CURE for cancer. ALL types of cancer. Because EVERYONE deserves a lifetime!!!!

I have so many other things to share about the summer, and I will, but given the fact that Sesame Street just ended, my time for blogging is up for the morning. So, I gotta go for now, but in the words of Arnold, I'll be back!!!!!!!!!

Monday, July 27, 2009

I have so much to tell you about my weekend, and I will ...

But right now, that is not as important as the need to be on our knees for this sweet baby boy and his family.

Please, take a moment right now, wherever you are to pray for him and his family, as well as those caring for him, for God's peace, wisdom for the doctors and healing for Stellan's wee heart.

Thank you so much.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Bring It On

In a few short hours I will be participating in a mock mini-triathlon: 300 meter swim, 14 mile bike ride and 5K run. This is in preparation for the actual event, happening next week. I am both excited and scared-outta-my-ever-lovin-mind, all at the same time. I have been training for this for a while now, but still feel ill prepared. And yet, there is a part of me, way down deep, that is screamin loud into the night "BRING IT ON"!!!

'Cause, that part, it is insane!

Ya see, in a few short hours I will ALSO be turning another year older.

I will be 41.

And, in these 41 years, I have NEVER been one to swim for anything other than pleasure, ride a bike - AT ALL or run - unless something was chasing me. In short, I have spent these 41 years avoiding, at any and every cost, any form of athleticism at ALL!

BUT, a few months ago, I looked at my two little girls.

I saw Hattie, five years old and a tiny, petite, slim little frame. She doesn't eat much. She would rather read a book than run and play - unless she is outside and there is dirt and/or water involved. She is a blue eyed blond with fair skin and straight hair. She is shy until she is used to you and will always prefer to be out of the limelight. She is utterly beautiful, inside and out.

And, I saw Sophie, one year old with a fuller, more athletic frame. She LOVES food, loves to move and will dance even if there is no music to be heard ... and LOOK OUT if there IS music! She is the life of the party, lights up any room and enjoys every ounce of attention that she can get. She is an olive skinned, curly headed brunette with deep brown eyes. And SHE is is utterly beautiful inside and out.

These two little lights of my life could not possibly be more different.

And, simply because they are girls, there will always be the tendency to compare.

I also took a look in the mirror ... a good look long look. Something I just do not do very often at ALL!

Because, I know ALL about that tendency to compare. And, in my own eyes, I always seem to come up short - leading to a long standing, very poor self image.

And, that very day I realized that there is no way that I can ever teach my oh-so-opposite little girls to like THEMSELVES until I can learn to like MY self.

And, thus began my journey ...

Now, I realize that I am just never gonna be a small, petite kinda girl. I will never be skinny - but that does not mean I will never be HEALTHY. And that doesn't mean I can never LIKE myself.

So, I started working out with Jillian Michaels ... the Shred. I hurt in places I had never even know about before. But, in a way, it felt good ... really good.

So, I kept going.

And then I got the invitation to do this triathlon.

I was pretty sure it was a joke, that they had never REALLY intended for me to actually DO the thing, but I was intrigued. So I started training. I started living and breathing fitness ... and I started feeling so much better!

Better physically and better mentally.

I started to see that maybe I COULD do this thing. Maybe I WAS able to be a physically fit person ... and I started to actually LIKE myself.

In the last few weeks I have found myself with shin splints that are KILLIN me and threatening to keep me from running in the triathlon. BUT, I have chosen to continue - because, even if I walk, or CRAWL, that last leg of the race, I WILL finish this race.

I WILL.

I KNOW that this is the body that God has Blessed me with. THIS is my temple to host the Spirit that lives within me. This is the only chance I will ever have to give God my very best.

And THAT is what I intend to do ... give HIM my best.

And, at the same time, give my girls someone that they can look up to, learn to love themselves from AND have fun with, play with and run around with. For a LONG, LONG time.

And, give my husband both the woman he fell in love with and the woman that he deserves.

And, that is the best that I can do.

Psalm 45:11 tells me that the King is enthralled with my beauty.

The KING!

And, really, who am I to disagree with the King?!

So, tomorrow I will turn a year older ... but, then again, isn't it just the first day of the rest of my life?

Monday, July 20, 2009

I Heart ... FEET!

This week at I Heart Faces they are trying something a little different ... namely, feet.

Which means that. instead of the usual stream of the cutest faces around, you get the sweetest feet! How fun is that?

Last summer we took a trip to the beach ... where my daughter found a mud puddle. If you know Hattie at all, you know that this was the best day of her life! I managed to time this shot so that the motion of her rapidly moving feet can be seen as well as the splashing of the mud. It is one of my very favorite pictures, because THIS is the epitome of my girl - sun, mud, motion and fun. LOVE it!

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see more FEET this week ... or enter your own!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Project 365 - Weeks 25, 26 and 27

OK, here we are in July - MID July, no less - and I have not posted a Project 365 since JUNE!!!

I am ashamed ...

So, time for some catchin up, wouldn't ya say?

June 29 - My VERY favorite part of summer ... breakin out the ice cream maker. This time it's STRAWBERRY! YUM!

June 30 - Sophie - pretending she has long flowing hair - decided she needed to spend some quality time with the fish. She even has the fish-face thing down.

July 1 - Hattie girl ... gettin her groove on.

July 2 - A rare phenomenon, rarely seen by man nor beast ... Hattie taking a NAP!!!!!

July 3 - CAUGHT YA! Jumpin on the bed ... some people's kids!

July 4 - She loved the water ... till her sister dumped a bucket of it over her head!

July 5 - Self Portrait ... I was testing to see if the new batteries worked ... and sadly, it was the only pic I took that day!

July 6 - Again, workin on the camera, iI look up to see Sophie playin with the remote. It suddenly got REALLY LOUD and she KNEW she was busted!

July 7 - I had filled the sink with soapy water to do some dishes. A breeze blew in through the open window and sent bubbles flying through the kitchen ... it was fun for a good 20 minutes and it has since become a near daily ritual to fill the sink and play with bubbles! My floors have never been cleaner!

July 8 - Tri-athalon training ... on a bike ... NOT my fave part of this whole thing ...

July 9 - Remember the one of them jumping on the bed? Well, this was the day I caught them standing in the window sill and jumping from sill to bed to floor. We promptly rearranged Hattie's room - thus cutting off window sill access... we hope!

July 10 - Hubby brought me home a flower basket for my porch table ... pretty, huh?

July 11 - This is the area of the dish rack that has been reserved for bottles ... please notice that said area is now empty. We are officailly a bottle free zone. And, to be honest, it breaks my heart just a little ...

July 12 - Hubby was driving home and noticed these pretty wild things growing along the side of the road. Being the wonderful man that he is, he stopped and picked a few for his wife.