One question nagging at me...

I saw the story this morning about the mom who literally died during labor, the doctors did an emergency c-section and the baby wasn't breathing either. Miraculously, both mom and baby started breathing again after 5 minutes of no heart rate. They both talked this morning and are doing wonderfully, like nothing ever happened. The key word here is miraculous, right?! So the doctor on the same show was trying to rationalize how her heart started beating again, something to do with the uterus cutting of blood flow, yadayada....why can't the doctors just say, it was a GOD THING, a true miracle?!

Wow! What a December! It just flew by. Can't believe 2009 is almost gone and a new year will be upon us. Every year, I say the same thing about the months of Oct, Nov, Dec...they just go so fast with hunting seasons and birthdays and Christmas and just doing everyday activities. And then you add 20 inches of snow on top of everything to shovel, shovel and more shoveling, it really makes for an exciting month. Our Christmas was spent at home with just the 5 of us. We watched Christmas Vacation and Star Trek and had a bottle of wine. The snow was nice then, not having to go anywhere, not having to hustle here and hustle there although I did miss not being able to go to church on Christmas Eve. Now, I'm kind of tired of the white stuff. Tomorrow we finally get to have Christmas with my parents in Sioux Falls and I can't wait. Just to get out of the house is all I need! So with all the birthdays past, the Christmas programs done, the gingerbread house fallen down and with all the snow, I am ready to just. be. Scheww. I'm glad I got it all done and everyone is happy. That's all I can ask for this holiday season!

I am beginning to wonder...will I ever have it all together?!

I find the more I try and get done, the more my list grows. Carey's post reminded me that my procastination problems really show up this time of year. I have lists...all kinds of them...but I can't seem to write them down. I keep telling myself, I'll remember...how can I forget that? And then I do. So then I have to make another trip back to where I was, yadda yadda yadda...I am so looking forward to Christmas. I can sit back, relax and just.be.

So I will admit, amongst the chaos of trying to get presents bought, another birthday party planned, presents wrapped, cupcakes made for birthday girls class, b-ball games, cards mailed, miles ran...I have cracked open my wine and enjoyed it. To the fullest. Wine is good for you, right?! I think it's good for the heart. So, I don't feel guilty about drinking a few glasses and hoping all this stuff will get done. I just hope I don't mistake the xmas presents for the birthday presents and the wine for the oil in the cupcakes...HA! At any rate, the lists will get done whether they are on paper or in my head. I'll eventually get them done.

By the way, please understand if you Christmas card is late! :)

Thank you for waiting so patiently! I swear I am the worst blogger in the world...sometimes 2 posts in one day and then weeks will pass before I get one up. One of these days, I'll get into more of a routine but then again, routine is not my vocabulary! Life is good. Even on this snowy day which has destined me to run on the treadmill, life is good.

1. Photo business just keeps growing! Just when I think, okay, this is it for the year, I get a few more appointments. It's been so great. What's even better is making people so happy. It's why I love doing what I do. My school job is awesome, love the teachers and all the people I have met. It's a perfect scenario.

2. Hubby and I are putting our tree stands away for awhile and heading west! Us, along with another couple, have set the date to take an adventure to Las Vegas. Not the destination we originally chose, but since none of us have ever experienced Vegas life, we decided to stay away from the scary mean guys in Mexico and stay in the states. March is the month and I guess we'll really find out if what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

3. My little Emerson turned 8 years old on the 1st. I just have a hard time believing that! To me, she is still just..little. She is my baby afterall so maybe that is normal. I find myself baby-ing her at times but who can resist the little peanut?! I have accepted the fact that she will always remain my baby, no matter old she gets.

4. Brody started basketball this month and 7th grade ball takes on a whole new meaning! Practices everyday, 6:30 a.m. 3 times a week and until 5:30 on the other days. I am amazed at how the boys just tower over him! Obviously some have hit puberty slightly earlier than Brody. We keep telling him he'll catch up but honestly, I don't think he'll catch up to a few of them! He doesn't care though. He just goes out and plays his heart out because he loves it. Made the honor roll again and is handling everything just great.

5. My Madison is going to be 10 in a couple of weeks and boy, oh boy, she is changing fast too. Her manerisms kind of freak me out every once in awhile because so many things she does are the exact same things I used to do. And I never even told her about it. Such as, eating the top of the hamburger bun first, could eat mac and cheese everyday, cries easily at sad movies, does not like math nor does not care to understand it, is the last one at the supper table because she talks so much she doesn't get much eating done and loves monkeys. She loves the social part of school the best, just as I did!

6. Still running and running. If it weren't for the runners club on these cold mornings, I probably wouldn't be getting the miles that I am. They are a great group of people and they're all "older" like me so we give each other a great pace. I have tentatively decided to run the Chicago Marathon next Oct. with my best friend from high school. I'm not going for a record time or even think I'll be able to run the entire 26 miles, but just to say I did it before I turn 40 is kind of a thought I've always had on my mind. I just decided life is too short to say maybe next year. So i'm going to do it and hope for the best!

7. Hoping the Vikings start winning again. It makes my hubby grumpy when they lose! But then again, my Packer-roid son is happy when they lose. I'm stuck in the middle usually, but gotta admit...meeting Adrian Petersen would be sooooo cool! (Susan, you have to help me with that!)

8. Loving this time of year...tree is up, some presents are wrapped and the lights are twinkling! Yes, my friends, life is good. I really don't know what I would do not having your blogs to read to make me laugh, make me think and make me a better person. My simple life seems boring to blog about at times but thanks for waiting for a update!

Happy snow day!!

New post tonight...promise!

Okay, so enough of the hunting stories! Schewww...what a crazy season! Now that my hunting season has pretty much come to a close (I hear a collective sigh of relief!) I finally got my family to my personal outdoor studio for a few shots. When I say a few, I mean that literally. My boys don't like to have pictures taken much but they cooperated graciously and this is what the self-timer captured!

Now I can get take advantage of early bird specials on holiday cards...

I know...I promised no more dead animal pictures but this story is just too amazing not to share. This is my buck I got Saturday night. My first deer ever in my life. What makes the experience so special is 1) I got him with my bow which is very hard to do 2) I've tried for over a year to get a deer and 3) I did it with my husband, a hunter for his whole life.

Seth has taught me everything I could ever know about bowhunting. We talk about it over supper, we watch the hunting shows together and analyze each hunt, we plan future hunting trips together. He guides me, teaches me and we love doing this sport together.

Bowhunting is so much more than I ever thought. There is so much planning, so much research and technique is everything. Seth has several game cameras on the land we hunt. He brings home the memory cards and we sit by the computer and see what kind of deer happened to roam by. He studies the wind direction, moon phases, dusk and dawn times, it all plays an important role in getting as close to the deer as you can. Unlike rifle, the furthest away a deer can be from me is 30 yards. Seth can shoot further but I'm a rookie. So basically it's a whole year of planning, putting up tree stands, setting game cameras, studying the tracks, scrapes and signs of deer. And then deer season opens.

Seth and I went out a few times before this weekend, got my turkey and he got his monster buck. But my deer luck just hadn't panned out. I would sit in my stand for hours and maybe would see one or two deer, always too far away. So I told Seth...take me out Saturday. I feel like it could be lucky.

We checked the wind direction, drove the 40 minutes to my stand, told Seth goodbye until dark and there I sat. I was up in a tree 10 feet off the ground. I smelled like a tree, thanks to the special bark soap I used before we left and settled in for the next 3 hours. It was quiet. I started thinking about stuff, the kids, life. I was actually pretty close to God (literally) being so high up off the ground. Still quiet. I could hear rabbits, birds, squirrels messing in the trees but nothing else.

An hour went by, another hour went by. I was starting to get a little antsy. You see, you can't move much while you're in the tree. Why are there so many deer pics on the game camera on this exact trail but when I'm here, nothing shows up? So I started talking to God. I mean He was right there. I whispered to Him, "God, just send something out in my view. I don't care if I can't shoot at it, I just really want to watch something. I'm getting anxious! so please, God, send me a raccoon, any critter at all. Thank you, God."

I swear, it was not 15 minutes later...a buck came out of nowhere on the trail. It was a little buck but I secretly whispered, "thank you God". Then a BIG buck came right behind. He was in my range! I stood up slowly, drew back my bow, grunted to make him stop...and shot. I missed! He ran behind a tree and came out a minute later with this curious look on his face. He looked around, put his nose back on the trail and went on his merry way. Darn. I was bummed. There was my chance and I missed. But then a couple of minutes later, I heard rustling right beneath me. I saw it was a deer and it was heading right in the clearing below me. So I stood up drew back and the minute I saw antlers, I grunted, found my spot and shot. I hit it! I couldn't believe it. I was in shock. It all happened so fast. The deer ran off and I heard a loud crash in the trees. Then silence again. I sat shaking for 10 minutes, talking to God the whole time, thanking Him for how He continues to bless me and how awesome His land is. I thanked Him over and over again. I couldn't WAIT to tell Seth.

Seth came to pick me up, I muttered out the news and all he could say was, "no way, no way..."

I cried out of pure excitement and adreline. He asked me how big it was and I told him I had no idea. I only had this tiny window of opportunity so when I saw the horns, I just let the arrow fly. It was the most amazing thing I have done in my life.

We went back the next morning, Seth turned on the camcorder and this is what we found. This is my trophy. A 5x4 buck I shot at 11 yards. Seth and I hugged, I cried (again) and he was just as excited as I was about it! There is no feeling like it in the world.

We donated the deer to charity so my buck is feeding lots of hungry families in the area. The horns are going to mounted on a plaque and displayed so we'll never forget this most special weekend. Know what else? Halloween night also marks 19 years ago when Seth and I met...if that's not a God thing, I don't know what is.

Thank you again, God. You are always there listening. Always.

enough of the dead turkey picture already...i know, i know. i'll be posting some new exciting pics soon....as soon as i get them taken!!

My first turkey! It was just like crossing the finish line in record time but doing it with my hubby made it even cooler. We had been out for a year now trying to get a turkey. I never had a shot. The little buggers would scare off or i would miss or we just couldn't find them. But not last weekend. We spotted a group of turkeys a LLOONNGG ways away. But Seth told me I could do it. I was determined so I got down, picked one out, waited 'til he stopped, took aim and hoped for the best! I shot it at 100 yards, one time. Seth thought I got it but told me to go see if I could find it, he wasn't for sure. So I hauled across the field, looked around and sure enough, there my turkey was under the cedar tree. I started jumping up and down, trying to get Seth's attention. "I got him, I got him" was all I could say. I picked him up and started running back to Seth. The craziest emotion came out of me...I started crying! I was so excited and thought about this day with Seth for the longest time! He hugged and hugged me and we just laughed and high fived each other! It was so amazing, being in God's land and experiencing this. Seth took some pictures, I called Brody (who was just as excited) and then we went to sit in tree stands to archery hunt for deer. No deer that time but I loved the day, absolutely loved the day. Seth has now ordered me a buck tag to go along with my doe tag. I think I may just get one this year because I have the best guide in the world. So that is my first turkey story. I will feel proud on Thanksgiving when we are eating the bird that I waited a whole year for. I still smile when I think about it...and you know what? I think Seth does too.

It's been a whirlwind for the last couple of months, the days are just flying by. I keep asking God to slow down the time a bit but I guess even God is showing me how to enjoy every minute instead of wishing for more hours in a day. Makes sense. The kids are in school, Brody has football everyday, comfirmation classes. the girls start dance again and just when I think my little business from my house is slowing down, I get more appointments booked. My job at the school is great, I simply love it. It's wierd to have a "real job" after all these years. But still getting to be at home with my kids makes it perfect. Everything seems to have fallen into place.

So all of this explains my lack of blogging. I read yours though, everynight, as I sit up late getting caught up on pictures. I always wish my posts were as good as yours, as interesting and inspiring as yours. Lately my words are having a hard time coming out on paper. Which is why I run. It's a great time to think. Someone asked me once how I can run so much. I laugh and say it's the time for just me. Which it is but there is another reason. Before running came along, I had really low self-esteem. I had a hard time believing i was a good mom, a good wife, a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend. I remember praying for something to make me feel pretty, to make me feel like I am doing an okay job. Then God brought me to try out this running gig about 8 years ago. It's the one thing I do that makes me feel good about everything I've done up to this point in my life. Just when I start thinking crummy thoughts, running puts my mind back to where it should be. Aside from the fact it's good for my heart, it's also a theraputic exercise for me! and it seems like I'm getting faster as I get older so that's a good thing!! And now I've introduced my son to the world of 5K's and it's something I can do with just him. It's so special to me.

So last sunday, I ran the Sioux Falls half marathon again and didn't know how I would do. I had the nasty flu the week before which kept me down for a few days. But I came in excited and anxious to run. And run I did. I want you to know, even though my lack of blogging and commenting has happened lately, I thought of every one you. Carey, Chris, Bobbi, Karen, Rani, Jill...you guys are kept me going, especially through mile 9. My kids and my mom were sitting at mile 12 cheering and hollering, that made me pick up speed. I was high fiving complete strangers. When I came down the home stretch and saw the time clock, I almost started crying. I shaved 5 minutes off my time from the june half. 1:41:53. I met up with the Yankton group for a photo and just soaked in all the festivities. My adreline was flowing. It was 13 miles of blessed thoughts of God, Seth, Brody, Madison, Emerson, my friends and family. That's ultimately what made me go faster.

So to answer that question of why I run so much? I just love the thoughts God puts in my head while I'm out there. Seriously. I do it because it makes me feel close to all the people around me. It's awesome and I'll do it as long as I can.

Exciting moments in school:

*My Madison was elected to student council! Woohoo! She had to write and give a speech, put up posters and her peers voted. She was so excited, she could hardly speak! 4th grade is starting off good for my girl!

*Brody is playing tackle football this year and his pads are worn in already. It's the highlight of 7th grade...getting to knock his buddies down on the ground! He has the official playbook for the first game is coming up, I hope his limbs survive!!

*Emerson loves 2nd grade! She got to make her own ice cream sundae and eat it for being a super summer reader achiever! Yum!!! She's as happy-go-lucky as ever with school!

I can only hope these little moments that make 'em smile last for a long time. I know they won't but for now, we're savoring them...

It was the first triathlon I had ever been a part of and our team did great! I somehow talked my hubby into doing the 1/4 mile swim, another friend did the 14 mile bike and I finished with a 5K. After watching a couple hundred serious triathloners, I know I could never do it myself. It's a very tough competition and it was amazing to watch these guys transition from one event to another. Seth had the hardest part of the race...the swim in the lake which was over his head except for about 100 yards! So you never get a rest in the water. The men team competitors went out first in the water...he's in the first photo swimming his heart out to the orange buoy. He really thought he was going to die, no joke! I lost him when the individual men started their swim. I got even more worried when I saw a rescue jet ski motoring into the group. But 11 minutes later, he raced in. He was tired but I was so proud of him!!! Then Kevin took off on the bike ride and Seth got to rest and cough up any lake water inhaled! 48 minutes later, Kevin came pedaling in, transferred to me and I ran my 5K. I came in at 21:59 giving us a total time of 1:24:05. We didn't win first but we didn't place last and we had such a great experience doing it together. I especially loved being in a team with my hubby. I don't know if I'll ever get him to do it again...the swimming part anyway...he's just glad to still be alive!

I am too!

All summer long, I have been searching for a coffee table. You'd think it would be easy to find but I've never found one I fell in love with. I almost just settled a couple of times but held off. They say there's a reason for everything and I believe that...even when it comes to something as simple as coffee tables. It was Riverboat Days here last weekend and we were all strolling through the park when this particular booth caught my eye. I beelined myself through 100,000 other people to catch a glimpse of this table. This was it! I grabbed my hubby who by this time was so ready to go home and he oohed and aahed over it to please me. I walked around a bit more, came back to the guy and he offered me $25.00 off if I bought it that day.

So I did. Brody helped me haul it out of the park which was no easy task by the way! Brought it home and love it. It sure will come in handy on game days for snacks and drinks. Funny how these things just fall right into your lap when you're not even looking. What do you think?

Wow. So much has happened these last couple of weeks, I don't even know where to start. I don't have any bridge story or any great recipes to share or even some sweet deals to tell you about (I just read yours for all of that! :))

1. We went to the big town of Onida, SD for Seth's 20 year reunion. For a little town, they sure know how to have fun! His best buddies from Sully Buttes high school made me laugh until my stomach hurt. And until 4 a.m. Amazing how I lasted that long. That's a once in blue moon time to come rolling into Grandma Shirley's house. She didn't even hear us though. It was fun to see her again and hang with her pets. She talked my ear off Friday night until 2 a.m. Needless to say, not much sleep was happening with me or Seth. Saturday I rolled out of bed at 7, tired and headed to a little 5K race happening in town. I ended up beating my last PR and finished in 21:42...don't know how that occurred although it may have had something to do with knowing after I was done, I could go back and take a nap. At any rate, I got first place, a medal, a shirt and got to know some Onida folk.

2. My busy season with pictures is in full swing. The senior market has really taken off for me which is good. I love taking senior pictures. The kids are great and we have such a good time. So amongst seniors, I have some families and children pics. thrown in and it all comes down to very careful planning. I plan shoots around my kid's activities, Seth's schedule, my own schedule and somehow, we manage to make everything work. I am surprised at how much business I am getting and it makes me feel happy!! I just don't get as much sleep this time of year!

3. Even with my booming business, it does slow down. Especially when school starts. There are no appointments during a school day typically. And things really taper off in Jan, Feb, Mar before picking up again. I decided to accept a job in the school district as a paraprofessional, a.k.a. teacher assistant. Same school hours as my kids, same vacations, summers off...perfect scenario. What a perfect way to fill those days surrounded by friends, get paid, still get to be with my kids and do my business. I'm excited to go to school with my kids!!!

4. Brody got all checked in for 7th grade, found his locker, got it open so life is good for him. My girls find out their teachers next Tuesday. I think everyone is pretty much ready to go back. Then tackle football starts, confirmation at church begins, a new dance schedule kicks in and I've got another half-marathon coming up.

5. Life is busy and full but I realize how blessed I am to have this life. Brody was really nervous about school coming up with all the homework, etc. he'll have. I told him to take one day at a time....don't think about 3 months from now or even next week. Look at today, do what you need to do today giving it all 100%. Then he won't feel so overwhelmed. It's a lesson I learned the hard way but it sure works for me. I hope I gave him good advice.

6. God is good. Very, very good.

In the middle of senior pictures...here's a taste of the class of 2010...

my dad loves his flowers...these are pics from his backyard. beautiful. last week, we got to celebrate my dad's retirement from banking! it was a great event with a couple hundred people atttending and wishing him well. what is even more amazing, is my dad retired on his 50 year aniversary of being in the banking business. wow. it's such an accomplishment, he got a big award in rapid city for it and received a travel voucher to vacation anywhere he wants to go. i'm so proud of him. he started banking when he was 18 years old and worked so hard to support his family. he had a very successful career. he was ready to retire a few years ago but had a hard time letting it go. i mean, after 50 years, it's not like he just wanted to give it all up! but finally, he decided it was time. so there was a big party in his honor. i actually got to see people from my childhood. even my cousins whom i haven't seen in 5 years. it turned out to be a great night. now he'll have more time to spend with his flowers, more time to golf, more time to travel and more time to just be. God has blessed him and he knows it. he never takes it for granted. way to go, dad. you're my hero!

this post makes me happy and sad all at the same time. don't know quite why yet but maybe i'll figure it out once i tell the story. brody is 12 (yes, i know, pretty crazy how that happened already!) and getting into those teenage years. but even with all the changes coming up for him, he has remained this sweet-hearted kid. i know i'm his mom and maybe slightly objective, but the pride i feel for my boy has never been proven more than from a story i heard last weekend.

i was at a bridal shower and the mother-of-the-groom introduced herself and said she recognized me from the school. after chatting for a few minutes, i found out her grandson was in the same class as brody. this boy has been adopted by his grandma and permantly lives with her in yankton. i remember this kid, quiet, shy and seemed like he had no self-esteem. this lady continued to tell me he is transferring to another school in a small town outside of yankton. he just couldn't take the bigger schools and the teasing he endured. i guess kids teased him for living with his grandma and not his mom. he was teased for being "different", his food would get stolen at lunch, he would come home crying. my heart just fell for this boy. she mentioned some of the kids that did the teasing. i knew all of them. i was angry at them inside. then she said how austin talks about brody to this day. austin said brody was one of the only kids that was nice to him. he liked brody because he always said hi to him in the hallway. my heart swelled with pride and the tears welled up (as they are now).

i went home and told brody how his actions impacted this kid probably for the rest of his life. austin will always remember the few positives even amongst all the negative. brody made some mighty fine choices without his parents around making sure he was being nice. he did this one on his own. to me, that shows a lot about him. yet, i feel bad for austin. i hate the idea that some kids think teasing is cool. i hope the smaller school will be good for austin because he deserves the same respect as any other kid. it was a life lesson for my son and he knew it. so, again, i can never be more proud of brod-man yet am sad for the child who is being forced to switch schools because of the actions of others. i just hope and pray for his happiness this coming year. and i hope and pray that my soon-to-be-teenager will stay on the right path, even with all the temptations that will come before him.

love ya, brody...

Life is good here. Just not so good at keeping up on the ol' blog. I've been reading yours, stalking I guess. And you're all in my prayers.

I knew the month of July would go fast. But this fast? Crazy. Last weekend, we went to my high school reunion. It was a weekend planned with events...golfing, Canaries game with all the food (Brody even got to be batboy for the night!) Nutty's north, picnic, tour of the pavilion and the Sugar Daddys' playing at wileys for us. And more food there too. I graduated with about 500+ people and about half came for the festivities. I went to everything, except golfing, and saw as many people as i could. I stayed out until 2 am both nights, just catching up with my girlfriends from 20 years ago. It was the best weekend, so much fun having the kids play together and us moms talking like no time had ever passed between us. It was awesome seeing people I haven't seen in years. People came from all over...CA, Washington, Phoenix, Colorado, Illinois. So the next reunion is supposed to be in 10 years but we may make it 5.

So, here's a shout out to all my Washington Warriors. You guys rock! I'm proud to be a 1989 WHSH graduate!

We made it back from wisconsin dells and man oh man, it was awesome! I have never felt so young! We waterparked it up for 3 days, non-stop. We made our home at the Wilderness Territory. The cabins were beautiful. This particular resort gave us 3 waterparks, over a million sq. feet of body slides, tube slides, the hurricane (name says it all) hot springs, lazy rivers, worlds largest wave pool, slides that made you scream, slides that made you really wet and cabinas for the times when you just wanted to relax. They were indoor, outdoor, some that were a little of both...it's undescribable really. Even our littlest, emerson, went down the black hole body slide like it was a walk in the park! It was a little unnerving sending her down this big dark hole, not knowing how she would react. But at the bottom her smile was bigger than i had ever seen it. It's definitely a vacation we'll be doing again. But even with all the fun, the truly best part was spending this vacation with my brother, sister-in-law and their kiddos. You would think the kids just saw each other last week. It was like no time had passed. Morgan cried when we left. that's the worst part, saying goodbye. I hate that part. But we'll be back again. Together. And we'll have just as much fun as we did this time. So for now, I have the memories. That's just the best.