I need help! Especially from all of you vintage experts. Our youth group at church is redoing their youth room and this chair was going to go in the dumpster. I saw it and thought it might make a really great photo prop. The fabric is from the 70's and my husband thinks it's ugly. But it spins, sits low on the floor and I think it would make a great chair for children. What do you think??? I need to know. Honestly. Should I leave it? Should I recover it? Should I go with the original plan and throw it away? Is it just plain ugly? My gut tells me it has potential. Just give it to me straight...and soon. I have some appointments this week!

I've gotta do it...I've gotta ask...why does there always seem to be a wet towel laying on the floor in the bathroom? With 3 kids taking showers nowadays, damp towels are a daily thing. But why do they end up on the floor?

We have 2 bathrooms, each with a shower. "My" bathroom is upstairs which seems to be the favorite with the kids. So, hubby gets the bathroom downstairs essentially all to himself. I always say in my perkiest voice, "Hey, why don't you guys use the bathroom downstairs?" Response? "No, it's too dark" "Ewwww, that's daddy's bathroom" "All my stuff is up here" Alas, I get to deal with the towels and the water that somehow makes it way outside of the tub. I've asked, I've blackmailed, I've demanded that all towels need to be hung up or else! But they somehow manage to fall back on the floor. Must be that little invisible man that does it, according to the kiddos.

Um, yes, this is a pet peeve of mine. No more being a softy. I mean business this time! Maybe I should putting up a sign...

Cupid made a stop at our house...and he did good. Real good.

Last night went out for a steak supper, ate forever, made a pit stop at this quaint, sophisticated bar downtown, had drinks and dessert, came home and watched a movie. It was a perfect valentines day with my valentine.

Hope yours was full of love!

Thanks to Susan, I decided I better get back to blogland too. For what is supposed to be my slow time of year, things seem to be pretty steady. Brody finished up basketball which frees up a bit more time. Although whenever his last game rolls around, it bums me out. I love going to the games, watching him play, cheering on his team. But now we will wait for track. And soccer. and I'll be cheering again. I ran a race a couple of weekends ago, hence the photos attached. It wasn't as cold as it appears even though it's called the Frostbite Four. Last year I was registered but it was 20 degrees below zero. I opted to stay home. This year, it was 35 degrees and beautiful. Only problem...my ipod died only a few minutes after the race began. Note to self: Charge ipod before races no matter what. I messed with it, hoping for a miraculous charge. No luck. So I gave up and tried to focus my attention elsewhere. The race had an impressive turnout...about 400...for such a small town event. It was fun and a nice getaway from doing taxes, getting out picture appointments, making sure everyone is where they need to be, etc.

So life is good. And I'm seriously glad I've had your blogs to catch up on while I try and figure out what to write on mine. Welcome back to blogland.

I am addicted to facebook. When Carey first asked me to her friend, I honestly didn't get it. Of course I wanted to be her friend so I accepted and it's all been downhill from there. It's been amazing to be reconnected with people I graduated with coming up on 20 years ago. Some of those friends I have known all my life. I think it's realizing how small the world really is. Kind of makes you feel safe and content knowing you have so many friends in your world that you thought you'd never see again.

But, last week I got a few of those "you've been tagged in a photo" comments. When I clicked on the photos, I almost died. Um, these are pictures from cheerleading days when my hair was huge and kind of blondish-orangish color. So I realized these pictures could turn up at any time for everyone to see and comment on. And they're in my facebook albums. But I never put them there. Oh yeah, someone else did. ugh. I'm kind of scared! I wonder who will tag another crazy hair photo? It's out of my control I guess. I will just have to hope and pray no photos turn up that I would rather have in the confines of my high school photo album for my eyes only.

Either way, I love this facebook thing. Big hair or no big hair.

I don't know what it is about being in church that makes me want to cry. I don't know if it's watching my son diligently taking sermon notes, soaking in the words. Or maybe it's listening to my girls sing their little hearts out on songs they know, even if they're off key. Or maybe it's seeing a guy with a pink mohawk sitting in a pew all by himself, worshipping God because God doesn't care what you look like. Or maybe it's just God revealing himself.

I don't know what it is but if I think about too much while I'm sitting in church, the tears would stream down. It's kind of strange. Or maybe not. All I know is, Sunday mornings sure have more meaning now than they ever did before.

And that's a good thing.

...some beautiful kids from a few recent appointments...

Ow.

That's all I can say right now. It's 3 in the morning and i can't sleep because I am in pain! Making a long story short, no one told me it was going to snow today. So I put on my snazzy brown boots with the cute heels and headed out. Then it started to snow! Who knew? Apparantly more people than me as I was the one of the few people out and about with high heeled boots on. Anyhoo, I needed to drop off a CD to a client of mine after picking up my girls from school and before going to Brody's BB game. Needless to say I was in a hurry, got out of my jeep, took a few steps and boom...there I was, on the ground. It was a hard fall but yet, slow motion. I remember thinking as I was heading down, "...my race, my race..." which is not for a few weeks yet but still...

Thank God I didn't break a bone, hit my head or really anything else serious. But as I sit here with an ice pack on my hip and some sore muscles, I feel like I got hit by a car. Ow.

Note to self...pay closer attention to the weather forecast and don't wear my snazzy brown boots on days where there is even a slight chance of snow. Ugh.

Thanks for your vacation advice. And I'm glad Vegas was vetoed out of the list. Personally, I never really wanted to go there but didn't want to miss out on something. Just in case it was great place to visit. Belize sounds heavenly, so does Cancun. But hubby wants to stay in the country this year. If you knew him you would know he just couldn't relax in Mexico. So, we're leaning towards San Antonio. The Riverwalk, the Alamo, warmth...I'm already looking forward to it. Thanks again to all you seasoned travelers...

In the meantime, I'm going to cuddle up in my blanket and sit in front of the electric fireplace which surprisingly enough, warms even me up. And i'm always cold.

So today as we wait for the big vikings/eagles football game, hubby and I are contemplating where to go for our 15th anniversary. It's not until May, but this cold, crappy weather is starting to get old. It doesn't help when the current football game is in Miami where it's 80 degrees, sunny, warm...did I mention warm? And I just got a family picture from my wonderful brother who spent the holidays at their home in Palm Springs. Everything is green, lush, warm...did I mention warm? Umm...next time I may just invite ourselves along.

The finalists for our getaway in May have come down to:

San Antonio
Arizona
Vegas
Anywhere warm

Any advice here would be great. The last place we went together childless was Sacramento/San Fransisco. We honestly don't know places that don't involve amusment parks, zoos, reptile gardens...you get the idea. I want this to be just for us. No kids. Must do some more research and hope it warms up here in the meantime.

Did I mention Miami is 80 degrees today?!

This is what I did today...now I better get to more important things!

Christmas cards...check.

Christmas cookies...check.

Presents wrapped...check.

List of presents still needed...check.

One last trip to the store to get the Santa present for Emerson who changed her mind...check.

Hubby just bought a new bow and said that was his xmas present, decided to still give him the coat I already bought him...check.

Birthday cake for Madison tomorrow...check.

Ready for the blizzard...check.

So why does it still seem like I have a million things to do?!

Did you know Santa can fly a plane??

He can. Now you know. His reindeer were sick so the plane brought him to town. If you look closely, you can see him in the plane as he landed at Yankton's airport. We were lucky enough to see him land safe and sound. Brody came along to help me with keeping track of his sisters (although he did admit this whole event was kind of cool for the little kids)): So the girls got to tell him what they wanted which is totally different than the first list so we'll see if Santa pulls through. Whether Santa comes by plane, car or sleigh, the kids were just oohed and aaahed over the deal. That really was pretty cool.

Madison and her friend as blue angels in the Nutcracker...

Ringlets, ringlets, ringlets...

Here is the Yankton Lewis & Clarks Runners Club after we ran the Nike Cross Country race in Sioux Falls. We placed 3rd!!

Dress rehearsal night...oh she looks like an angel!

NO, I HAVE NOT FALLEN OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH...although there are days when I think I may have. Or should have at the rate I was going. So I have been following your posts, keeping up with your stories and adventures, smiling, laughing and learning from them. I always knew this time of year was busy for our household, but the last month seems to have been one of those months when something was always going on. Unfortunately, my blog has suffered in the busy-ness of the season. But here I am, watching Y&R from the DVR (which I have learned is an amazing feature to the television techonology..do you know it really only takes 30 minutes to watch a 60 minute program?), eating doritos and just enjoying my time. No monkeys but hey, you can't have it all. Where do I begin to catch up? Maybe just a short summary will do the trick...

-joined facebook

-managed to ringlet daughter's hair for Nutcracker production and endless rehearsals (pictures to follow)

-photography business boomed for last minute family xmas photos

-enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving with family

-ran a Nike cross country road race with the runners club from Yankton, placed 3rd with the team and 5th individually

-celebrated youngest daughters 7th birthday!

-planning other daughters 9th birthday party on the 20th

-son started basketball practice with his school

-learned after a panic attack that pictures that corrupt on a memory card are really not gone forever. $40 later, clients pictures were retrieved.

-hunting with hubby one more time before season ends

-xmas shopping for friends and family

-thinking about my wonderful, amazing friends all the time

I am sorry for not being in blog-land for awhile. I mean it when i say, even amonst the chaos of everyday life, you are always on mind and in my prayers.

See you in the next post...

My little elves...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I bought starch today. I've never ever bought starch before in my life. But today I did. And it's not for clothes or anything related to laundry. It's for madison's hair. yes, her hair.

Because madison is a little blue angel in the Nutcracker production, her hair needs to be in ringlets. I think I posted that before. So I have these foam rollers and began practicing. It worked! her hair was ringlet-y to me. I thought we were set. But come to find out, we're not. Apparantly, roller ringlets are not the ringlets they want. They want the "Nellie Olson" ringlets. You know, from Little House on the Prairie. Tight, glued together curls. Being a newbie to the production, I asked some other moms how they got the infamous "nellie" ringlets. This is what I found out:

Take an old curling iron, spray a section of hair with starch, roll it up in the iron, spray some more starch, slide iron out leaving a solid lump of hair hoping to resemble a ringlet. After dress rehearsals and shows, curling iron will need to be thrown away. Seriously? Starch? Since my blue angel is in the front, I figured I better get my starch. Saturday is a full dress rehearsal, so I'll be sure and post a photo of the starch-girl.

I wonder, did Nellie Olson use starch in her hair? Hmmmm, I guess we'll never know...

I pulled out one of my favorite Christmas figurines this weekend...I have a few from Fitz and Floyd but this one tops them all. I wish you could see the details from the photo but it doesn't do it justice. I don't know, I may just keep him out all year long but for now, this Santa really gets me in the spirit of the upcoming holidays.

Packers 37
Bears 3

Life is good for the Pack-Man.

The new Discovery Bridge in Yankton...connecting our town with the state of Nebraska. Pretty impressive. Especially at night with all the lights luminating on the river. It's one of those bridges we drive across just to drive across. If you ever come this way, you must drive into Nebraska, even for just a minute. It will give you goosebumps, I promise.

Packers 27
Vikings 28


Need I say more?

You may have noticed our son's hair is a little different lately. It's called, "I give up on arguing about getting a haircut.: He's a great kid but if there has been one thing we disagree on, it's his hair. He has wanted to grow it long forever. He likes that shaggy look. And it didn't help when his Chicago cousin came to visit and had the shaggy hair he loves. So I decided a couple of months ago to stop fighting him about it and just let it be. I thought he would see how "bad" it looks long. I thought a cute girl would tell him she likes short, clean cut hair. I thought he would come home begging for a haircut. But instead, the curls are showing and after getting used to it, I honestly think it looks pretty good on him. The down side is, he has to shower every morning or it resembles a bird's nest. So long hair it is for awhile I guess. Could be worse...like wanting it green.

It doesn't happen very often with varying schedules but everyone was home tonight. So I bribed my family, set the self-timer, had 10 seconds to get into position and this was the picture we got. Not bad for scrambling. Funny how I take hundreds of other people's families but to get one of my own is, well, not so easy! But again, it's not bad. Maybe Christmas card material?

I am working late tonight, catching up on weekend appointments. I was completely booked. I had everything...a wedding, families, kids and a senior boy thrown in the mix. And since it was so nice outside, everyone wanted in. So I did my best to accomodate. And thanks to supportive friends and family, I got my appointments in, my daughter's made it to dance and Nutcracker rehearsal and the boys went pheasant hunting. I even managed to run some miles, in the dark but nonetheless, they were miles. Scheww. I was wiped last night. Thought you might like to see a sample. I can't complain about business but honestly, it tired me out. I treated myself to a Mike's Lemonade, put my feet up and didn't get on my computer all night long. Now that was relaxing...

I'm halloween-ed out but Hannah and her buddy, the princess witch, could go all night. They had a blast and I even scored a few pieces of the goods from the candy bucket. Yes, there is one child missing from the photo...he decided he was just too old to trick or treat. He came along anyway and got some candy from a good friend who always makes up a special bag just for the kids. He loved that bag. No matter how big a kid gets, he always looks forward to that special treat bag. Happy Halloween 2008.

I've had this paint for over two months now, waiting for me to redo my daughter's bedroom. It took me so long to go through with it because I was scared about colors. I am not good at this picking out paint color from a 2x2 paper swatch. It seems like it never looks like the same color once it's on the wall. Anyway, I really wanted to make my girls' room look a little more grown up. They were ready to give up the pastel yellow walls and go for more of a big girl look. I am hooked on brown. I love the color on walls. And for girls, I am in love with the brown/pink combo. So that's what I decided to do to their walls. Now usually I have hired a professional lady who comes over and tells me the color and I do what she says and I usually love it. But for this one, I wanted to pick on my own. So last Sunday when the wind was blowing 100 miles an hour and all of my photo appts. had to reschedule because of it, I decided it was the right time. I dove in. I painted one wall pink and 3 walls chocolate brown. I painted their lamp stand pink and left the shelves and dresser off-white.

Their room was transformed to a girls' room that we all love. The room turned out fabulously. I totally love the colors. I just sat in it and soaked it in after it was done. Wow. And to think I was scared I was going to make the wrong color choice. My decorator lady would be so proud. I must take a photo when I get a chance and see what you all think.

Now i'm so pumped, I'm ready to find another wall to paint. Which one will be next?!

So this morning I'm driving my son to drop him off for school. I picked up my cell phone to check for a call and he says,

"Who are you calling...your peeps?"

He just grinned like this was normal everyday language. Oh yeah, I forgot. This is middle school language, completely different than ours.

Did you know that "peeps" means friends? Now you do. Welcome to the world of 11-12 year olds.

They're changing by the day. Sometimes it takes looking at a picture to realize how fast they are growing. Thank god for pictures.

My first hunting weekend with the boys and all I can say is...it was awesome. I never, ever thought I would enjoy the outdoors as much as I did. We chased turkeys through some really rough terrain which doubled as a great workout for my butt muscles. The land we were on was so cool. So my hubby trekked us through trees, hills and draws before coming up on 15 toms (and I thought they were all just called turkeys!) My son got a shot and ended up with his first turkey. He was so excited he could hardly speak. Way to go!

So then it was my turn to sit in a treestand and see if I could get a deer. On our way to the stand we spotted 13 huge doe wandering around. We watched them until it was safe to get in the tree. This is where I became one with the tree. I tell you what, climbing a cedar tree 14 feet up is a little scary. And I didn't realize there isn't anything really holding you in. I just decided to not look down. My hubby left me reminding me not to fall out of the tree. Easy for him to say, he wasn't sitting on a wooden treestand no bigger than my butt. So after the vertigo went away, I started seeing deer. They were coming my way, then they would turn off. Everytime they came towards my stand, my heart started pounding. Literally. It was truly the most exciting thing I have ever experienced. I sat and just watched. I found myself talking to them..."come this way...don't go that way..." After awhile of just watching them, one doe started coming closer and closer to me. I didn't move and my hubby's instructions roamed through my head. "find the spot, draw back, anchor, shoot.." The deer kept coming closer. After a half hour of waiting, she came in right under my stand. She was a mere 10 yards away. I could see her eyelashes. It was amazing. I held my breath and slowly, slowly drew back. Hubby said no sudden movements. I anchored the arrow, lined up my sight and was ready. But the deer kept walking. She was going to be out of my sight pretty soon. So i made a quick decision...I had to get her to stop. I grunted. Just like the grunts they make on all those hunting shows. It worked. She stopped and looked up. But she was stopped right behind a branch of a tree. I could make the shot...she was so close. But the dumb branch was right in front of where I needed to shoot. I couldn't do it. I couldn't let go and risk wounding her. So we stared at each other for a minute and she kept going on her trail. I relaxed my bow. I was so close to getting it but it just wasn't meant to be. I started breathing again.

My hubby came in after dark to get me which by the way, sitting in a treestand in the dark is an eery feeling. I was glad to see him coming down the hill for me. Even though I didn't get a shot this time, it was truly awesome. The whole experience was so much more than I ever imagined. So i'm going back again in a few weeks to try again and I can't wait. I loved being with my hubby and son and learning how hunting is so much fun. I now understand why all these years, he wished he could quit work and just hunt all the time. It's a sport and my sore legs are proof of it. It's not easy let me tell ya, but seeing how beautiful nature is humbled me. It made me appreciate it in a different way. And it was all because of a wonderful hubby who introduced me to it.

So thanks, honey, for the weekend and for not forgetting to come back and get me from that treestand in the dark. (Yes, I was a litte worried about that!)

Last flag football game of the year for my son. Season went fast and I'll miss going to the practices and games. I'll mostly miss the "flag" part of the game. Next year it's tackle. Normally it wouldn't bother me but sure enough last weekend at church, a 7th grader walks in with a cast on his arm. My sons whispers he broke it in the football game. Sheesh. Just what a mother needs to see right when the "safe" game of flag football comes to an end. He did an awesome job at quarterbacking. Now we have a small break before basketball begins.

So it's been a busy month at the studio. With Nutcracker practices in full swing, my clientele building and sporting events, fall is definitely the busy season. But it's also my favorite time of year.

This weekend, I planned to have "off" and with all the busy-ness we've had, I'm anxious for some down time. So I had a choice...half-marathon in Sioux City or hunting with the hubby. Run...hunt....run...hunt...I decided I've already made the long 13 miler twice this year. Maybe I'll give this hunting gig a try. My hubby is already stratigizing our outing. I'm actually quite excited about the whole thing. My shooting is good, my patience is good, don't know about climbing a tree stand but how hard can it be?! So that's the plan. I'm putting away my Asics for a day and donning camouflage. Hunting with my husband. I hope I don't scare him off. My husband that is, not the deer. I sure hope I at least see something. He tells me my odds are good. So grandma is coming to spend some time with the kiddos and I'm going to spend some time in the trees.

Wish me luck. I don't think the wilderness knows what's it's in for. Or my husband.

Hannah Montana came to visit us! Isn't she cute?!?

Hunting season has begun...beginning with my son's first doe he brought home last night. He was pretty excited and so were we! We gave the deer to a local locker that processes the meat and then gives it to needy families. Our son did good. Real good.

Here's my funny kid story for the week...

Middle daughter comes out of her room with a halter style top on that is a bit too large.

"Maybe you should find a different shirt. That one is kind of low cut."

She says, "Oh yeah, I don't want my niblets to show."

It took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts and realize what she meant by niblets. The first thing that came to my mind was the jolly green giant, the jolly green giant with...well...niblets. I laughed and laughed hard. Where do they come up with these terms?!?!

Crap.

Packers and the Vikings lost today. Makes for a bad afternoon for the boys in the house. My new rule...I tape the games on the dvr (once I figure it out) and then allow them to watch it if it's a good game. There's my solution. Beats the mad/sad/frustrated fans of the house! Wonder if it will work....

This morning I got up and drove to Vermillion to run a 5K for the Susan B. Koman Race For The Cure. I seriously thought about not going. With a week of a cold and laryingitis, I really wasn't all that prepared. But it was such a beautiful morning, my shoes were calling my name. So I went and ran a race for a really, really good cause. What was even better than the finish line on the 40 yard line of the DakotaDome was seeing people there, celebrating for being a survivor or knowing a survivor. And even those in tears, remembering those they had lost. It was a great event. I know so much more about the foundation now.

So i ran my heart out for people I didn't even know. For 23 minutes, the last thing on my mind was a lingering cold. For 23 minutes, I thought about how lucky I was. For 23 minutes, I was helping find a cure for breast cancer. And it felt really good.

How is it that a 6th grader knows so much about technology? We got the new HD box hooked up to the family tv which has so many features on it, I don't have it figured out yet. But as I'm sitting here watching my son watch college football, he's rewinding plays, pausing the game for a mountain dew break, using the dvr to record another game and pausing one game to watch another. What is happening? I don't even know how to turn the darn thing on yet. Somehow I feel a bit like I'm losing control. Yep, I just don't have it anymore.

So I guess I'll just have to break down and ask the boy for directions on how to watch tv. Darn technology...just when you think you've got it all figured out, an 11-year old is always a step ahead.

www.photographybydeann.com

it's my new website for you to check out. what do ya think?

3 little things you didn't know about me...

I figure since you are all pretty close blog friends now, I thought it would be okay to reveal a few things I enjoy and have my whole life. Let it be known, I have not shared these little secrets with just anyone. In fact, I don't think there has been anyone. I just had to finally share them. They are my own private pleasures that make me happy. (please don't misconstrue that comment!)

Anyhoo, here you go...

1) I love monkeys. When I was a kid, I would ask for a monkey every Chrismas. Never got one. Except for a sock monkey. I wanted a real one. I mean, I really love monkeys. Someday, before I die, I would absolutely love to hold a baby monkey. Maybe even just hang out with one. Or two. Yes, I am the one at the zoo that can't leave the monkey displays. I just think they are so darn cute.

2) I still love watching The Young and the Restless. Especially late at night, when everyone is asleep. I'll do my work on the computer and at the same time watch this silly show that I've watched ever since high school. I lost track of it during college and my 20's. Kind of funny how you can miss 10 years, turn it on and it seems like you never missed an episode. It's my own little entertainment and I know it's really, really dumb. But it's kind of nice to escape my own world and sneak into the pretend lives of these people for an hour. It's like an escape. Just for me. I don't tape it or anything, and I don't go into panic attacks when I miss shows. It's just nice to do every once in awhile when the house is quiet and i get the whole tv to myself.

3) I could eat a whole bag of Doritos in one night. I love Doritos. My fave are the nacho cheese kind. They sure put more nacho cheese than in the years past. Mmmmm. There is usually a bag in the cupboard and it's usually open. And I usually sneak a chip here and a chip there. If there isn't a bag when I get the craving, I get kind of bummed. I never say anything out loud, but man, if someone eats all the Doritos and I don't know it, I am bummed. Even a little mad. Is that normal?!?

I was just thinking...the ultimate secret pleasure would be watching Young and the Restless late at night, eating nacho cheese Doritos with a handful of monkeys.

Now that's quite the picture.

"sup."

oops. I mean, "what's up." can't get that middle school language out of my head...

I still have a blasted cold. My voice is gone, my nose is stuffed and I'm wondering how I'm going to cheer my son on in the football game tomorrow night. I've noticed a different language in my middle schooler. When I pick him up, he gets in the jeep and says ," 'sup." I think it's supposed to mean what's up. So while I'm learning his language, I'll be cheering him on in the game. I'm sure I'll find a way, even if it's just a squeek. Because it's all worth it.

Today my middle daughter found out she made the part of Blue Angel in the upcoming production of the Nutcracker in November. Tryouts were backed up 2 1/2 hours and we waited and waited and waited. She finally got her chance. I heard Blue Angels have to wear their hair in ringlets for rehearsals. Um, have you seen my daughter's head of hair...I will be ringlet-ing for hours and hours when all is said and done. That too will all be worth it.

My little one can't wait for her turn at the Nutcracker. It's hard for her to understand this show is every other year and you have to be at least in 2nd grade to tryout. So her turn will come in 2 years. She gives me a pattern of hugs n kisses when I drop her off the school. Two kisses on the cheek, one on the lips and a hug for keeps. Even when we're running late and there's just no time left, I still get the hugs n kisses. And it's all worth it.

Kids make everything worth it, don't they?!

I have a cold and felt like I could have slept in this morning. But I didn't. And I'm so glad. My oldest boy is in confirmation now once a week which requires sermon notes. I think it's neat to watch him listening so intently, I really think he's learning a lot and it kind of gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. But even cooler was during communion. I went up, came back to the pew and watched the pastor come down to an old man at the end of our pew. He was in a wheelchair, hooked up to an oxygen tank and a couple of other tubes. I thought, "wow, all that and he still came to church." Kind of made my whining about my cold seem ridiculous. I watched as the pastor gave him the bread, the wine and told him his sins were forgiven. To my surprise the man started to sob. It was like he was so happy to be taking communion. He was so happy to be blessed. I just couldn't control myself. Even now as I write this, my eyes are welled up. It was just one of the most awesome things I have seen. I find it so remarkable how we experience things like this, almost like we were meant to witness it.

I don't think I will ever forget that old man. Taking communion just took on a whole new meaning.

...finished in 1:50:25. I thought of you guys the whole way. Thanks for being there with me.

My son has been playing a couple of different positions during the last 3 years of his football playing career, running back, wide receiver and defensive back. So what happens last night at his first scrimmage? He's named starting quarterback for the upcoming season. He's pretty excited and we're really proud of him at any position he plays. But we're a little in shock! My hubby hasn't been doing quarterback drills all summer. In fact, it's been HIM playing quarterback, doing plays with my boy. So now, we'll have to reverse it. With my son throwing passes to his dad. Now that should make for some interesting footage. At any rate, the first game is Tuesday night and we're hoping this new position will treat him good. Maybe all the studying of Brett Favre will pay off.

P.S. The BIG game is Monday night...Vikings vs. Packers. It's always a crazy household here when those two teams play each other. So wear your purple (or your green) and be sure and watch. And hope we all don't go to bed mad at each other.

In between football, confirmation, dance, photo appts. and the normal everyday life, I have been really trying to get in my miles for the upcoming race. Another half marathon on Sunday morning and I'm not very confident. My miles have been sparatic, getting them in when I can, not so much on a schedule like before. Once school started, things just seemed to have gotten, well, a little busier. But....I'm glad it's going to be a beautiful day Sunday, I'm glad we get to stay overnight at my dad's, I'm glad I get to see my mom after the race and I'm glad my whole family will be waiting at the finish line. That is enough to keep me going. I think. This will be the 5th time I have done this and I'm nervous. I can't explain it but I am. So, if you get a chance, even a few seconds of prayer time, could you ask God to give me stamina? To give me confidence? And to give me strength?

Thanks from the bottom of my heart...