14 Years

Then

Now

Happy Anniversary Nate.

Christmas is Over. Wow, That Was Fun.

Here is my Christmas recap, four days later.

We celebrated with Nate's parents a week early. They were the guilty party who bestowed upon us the new love of my life, Guitar Hero World Tour. And also, try not to be jealous but we all got these:

The only thing better than actually going to Treasure City, is reliving that experience everyday by wearing the shirt.

On Christmas Eve morning, we had our own Christmas at our house. Gemma's dreams came true and she donned the makings of a "pink princess". We weren't really sure what that entailed but we were happy that she was pleased with our interpretation. An interpretation that slightly resembles a square-dancer waving a wand.


The girls took their gaming to a whole new level with DS for each that matches their pajamas. Because if we are going to game, we are going to do it with style.


Don't worry, the boys got presents too, and I promise they didn't open lumps of coal. It was tempting though...

That night we continued the family tradition of sleeping over at my parents' along with all of my siblings. There are 18 of us in that house. Let that sink in for a little bit. Actually, despite what you would think, it's really, really fun. We look forward to it all year. On Christmas morning, we all get up early and Dad shares his Christmas letter to us. There are usually lots of tears. Then the chaos begins. So much wrapping paper. I mean, check it out.


Please forgive me for that dark, nasty photo. It was before I got MY NEW LENS. I love, love, love it. Same lighting conditions, different lens:


Notice his sweet hat. My sister Holly knitted it. She may have Lyme's disease, but she is turning lemons into lemonade and using this down time to knit like no other. She even learned mittens and I am sporting some pretty cute ones thanks to her.

Ok, so then we headed down to my Grandparent's house and had one more Christmas there. This is where the annual wrapping paper war happens. Man, that is some serious stuff. Nate even suited up in homemade armor, hoping to survive unharmed.


Since then, we have had fun game nights and snacks. The kids are off until next week and we are spending a whole lot of time with the Wii. I'm really excited about getting this house put back together. It looks like someone opened the front door, threw in a bunch of presents, and then shook the place like a snow globe. It's that bad.

I'll leave you with this picture of the crew. It's a Christmas miracle, no one blinked, everyone is looking at the camera, and no one is crying.

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Hello Guitar Hero

We are a little behind the times. We finally got Guitar Hero. Thanks Jim and Yvonne! That game is genius, genius I tell you. Where has it been all my life? So my Christmas cards are all sitting here in a stack, none addressed or stamped. Guitar Hero is to blame. Even the kids are in love with it.

But we play with our own rules. Style points. None of this standing still, glassy eyed at the screen. And don't you dare sit on the couch and play. You will get zero style points. You had BETTER rock out, and I am not afraid to rock out. Either is Gemma. Or my mom.



So Merry Christmas everyone.

If you need me, I'll be dancing around my living room with a guitar strapped to my shoulder rocking out to "Spiderwebs" until the wee hours of the morning.

One Week Out

My Christmas/Winter observations and ponderings so far:

Number one: Wherever the socks went, the gloves and mittens have joined them. I must be missing something here because even the new gray gloves I just bought for a certain child (that will remain unnamed) didn't even last a week. The remaining lonely glove has now joined the three other right handed mittens without mates in the top drawer of the hat and mitten bins.

Number two: It has become readily apparent that my kids have a different interpretation of the nativity story:


Number three: The lights on the Christmas tree are sticky and covered in finger prints. Look closely. I tired to capture it.


Number four: Last night the kids had their last practice for the Christmas program coming up on Sunday night. I'm hoping that this year none of my kids feel the need to make a performance that stands out. Let me set this up for you. What we have here is last year's video. Initially it appears that the culprit is Caedmon, the squirrely kid in the striped sweater. Not so. Jack strikes again.

Ringing Bell

Last Saturday I had the privilege of doing something I have never done before. I rang the Salvation Army bell. At the last minute, they needed someone to step in and fill an empty slot so I went along with Noelle and one of her friends. We had a two hour time slot outside of Walmart on a fairly warm but windy day. As soon as the sun started to set, my toes started to lose feeling. We kept warm with cocoa purchased at the little cafe right inside the door.

The two hours passed fairly quickly, people coming and going constantly, some with a couple bags, others with carts piled high. Many people stopped and smiled as they put in some change or some bills. We sang for awhile. Well, the girls did. We repeated jingle bells about a hundred thousand times.

There was one moment that I will remember fondly. I watched a family approach from across the parking lot, a mom and her friend and a few kids. When they were about a stone's throw away, one of the boys picked up the pace and practically ran, pulling away from the rest of his family. I'd say he was about 9 years old or so. I thought he was just trying to get inside sooner where it was nice and warm. Nope. He ran straight towards us and our bucket. With a shy smile he reached in his pocket and pulled out a little black wallet. As he opened it I could see four or five bills all in a row. He pulled out a dollar and stuffed it into the bucket and then turned and ran back to his mom as we thanked him and called out Merry Christmas. His mom smiled at me and as they walked into the store I heard her ask him, "Did you use one of the dollars in your wallet? Good job buddy."

It was a sweet moment. A little boy giving out of his own wallet, on his own. No one putting change in his hand, no one coaxing him to the bucket.

Just precious.

Why I Haven't Been Blogging

There is a reason I haven't been blogging much. I'm about seven years behind the times on this one.


I discovered podcasts.

I remember a friend talking about podcasts about three years ago and I was like..."whatever, I don't even know what that is." My sister has been telling for a few months now about some amazing messages she has been listening to and I finally succumbed to the peer pressure. And that was it, I was sucked in. Deeply.

I loaded up my iPod with about 50 some podcasts. I can't stop listening to them. I always used to make fun of people who would walk through public places with headphones wedged in their ears. People shopping at Walmart and while listening to their iPod? Really? Can't you just shut it off for a half an hour? I'm on the verge of becoming one of them. I drive through town with my coat collar pulled up to my chin to hide the cords attached to my earbuds. It's a great way to drown out the fighting in the back seat. Turn the volume up on high and ignore your children while listening to a preacher talk about the grace of God. Am I the only one who sees the irony in that?

The two podcasts that I'm subscribed to and working my way through right now are Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. The other is Matt Chandler at The Village somewhere in Texas. Mark Driscoll just finished up a series called The Peasant Princess teaching on the Song of Solomon. Oh my goodness. I was blown away. Loved it.

So if you see me around town and try to talk to me and I don't answer you, it's not that I don't like you or am trying to be rude. Most likely I'm listening to a podcast. Sorry.

Someone Stole the Frankencense

Jack is giving the baby Jesus some shelf supports to celebrate His birth. I'm sure He'll be thrilled, what with His carpentry skills and all.

Everyone Needs a Match

I just got done sorting socks.

I ended up just dumping the sock basket in the middle of the floor and started matching. I am not exaggerating when I say that I ended up with 70 socks that did not have a match.

70.

Not seventeen, seventy.

Good gracious.

I Dare To Wear

Mama Belle is hosting a little fashion challenge over at her place. She is daring us to wear that one thing that takes us out of our comfort zone. Well, I'm always up for a fashion challenge. Fashion challenge is my middle name. In fact, I was such an over achiever that I went a day early. (Either that or I'm breaking the rules.)


I went for it. I wore my new high waisted skirt to church. It was scary but I did it and I came out alive. High waisted skirts are all over Hollywood but they haven't quite made it to the rural Midwest yet. Well actually, they have been around here for a long time but they go by another name. High waisted skirts are closely related to the "mom jean". I guess that would technically make it a "mom skirt".

Mom jeans and mullets. I'm trying to bring it all back.

I'm Thankful That I'm Royalty

Yes, it's official. I have a crown.

After a bit of a delay, I finally got a real, white, pretty, eye tooth. Or as I like to call it, my iTooth. It ended up being quite the experience. The first appointment was a slam dunk. Everything went well and she put a temporary on and sent me on my way with instructions to carry toothpaste in my pocket in case it came off. Very reassuring. The second appointment didn't go so well. The tooth came back from the lab and she wasn't happy with how it looked, with the shape of it. I laid there in the chair as she put it in place and I watched her and the assistant exchange a curious but knowing look. I knew right away something was wrong. She didn't end up using it because, in her words, "it looked like a snaggletooth." Snaggletooth is not the look I am going for here. So she put the temporary back on and told the lab they needed to try again.

I cried. Because I'm mature like that. But I waited until I got home to cry, crying at the dentist's office is reserved for novocaine needles but even then it's just silent tears that escape the corners of your eyes against your will. So I had two more weeks with a temporary. Then on Monday I went in for my coronation. No novocaine was needed. She popped that baby in and did a little tweaking. Mostly painless. She did mess with my gums a lot and after doing so she made the most interesting comment. "Your tissues are going to be upset." All I could picture was being chased down by an angry box of Kleenex.

So number one on my Thankful list this year is a very superficial, very cosmetic, "I'm thankful for my smile." Since I was 14 years old I've dealt with an iTooth that didn't fit with the rest of my teeth. Now it finally does.

I have all of the typical things to be Thankful for. All the things I take for granted on regular old days. God forgive me for being so dismissive of huge blessings in my life.

My kids haven't gotten the thankfulness memo yet. Not ten minutes into Thanksgiving Eve and they were at each other's throats. There is no school today and it is very, very clear that they are not at all thankful for each other's presence. Or for the selection of cereal. Or for one t.v. to be shared by all. Looks like a crash course in Thankfulness is on the agenda for the day. Thankfulness boot camp.

It will involve cleaning for sure.

We Put Ketchup On Our Ketchup

Ketchup runs through our veins, not blood. It's genetic. I submit exhibit A. My Dad. Ketchuping his eggs while wearing the very appropriate shirt I bought him for Father's Day.

Nate's condiment of choice is Cookies Bar "B" "Q" sauce. No other barbecue sauce counts. Pity the wife who tries to buy a different brand.

So if a little is a good thing, then more must be awesome.

There is no such thing as "too much condiment".


.

Shattered Expectations

Nate really had his heart set on trying the new Gourmet Mushroom Swissburger from a certain fast food chain.




False advertising?

I Hope This Doesn't Mean She Has Been Feeding Him Worms

This morning, an ever chipper and enthusiastic Gemma told me, with many exclamation marks, that: "Mom! Mom! I like Toby! and Lizzy! (grandma's dog) and Randall! and all our pets!"

Two things:

1. Randall the salamander is our only pet...that I am aware of.
   
2. Toby is her little brother.
   

But whatever.

Quick, Before Someone Puts Something Down

For Posterity's Sake

It's no secret that I tend to be a little...cluttery. Every flat surface in this house is fair game and everyone, myself included, puts things down where it is most convenient, not where the item necessarily belongs. Yesterday something came over me, I'm not sure what, but I got on a roll and tackled my kitchen counter. You know that I don't mean I literally tackled it don't you? That would be an interesting battle. And an unevenly matched battle, me being inferior.

Let me just give you a cross sampling of the various things I found on the kitchen counter. Keep that in mind, this was the kitchen counter.

• A VHS tape
• A tree!! Similar to the ones they give the kids at school on arbor day.
• A flashlight
• 16 Magnetix balls
• hydrocortisone cream, Desitin, and three tubes of carmex
• tattoo sleeves
• all the hardware for a wardrobe that still isn't assembled

Do I need to keep going? Because I can. For a long, long time.

It took me over four hours to clean that much counter space. FOUR HOURS PEOPLE! That is just not right. Notice I didn't post a picture of the before. It was just to shocking, too horrific. I'm really hoping that now that it is cleared off, it will last for more than just a couple hours or even a couple days. This must be apalling to those of you who manage to keep you counters this organzized all of the time. I have these two things to say to you:

1. You must be an alien.
2. You don't live with my family.

It's not me. I swear. I am not the cuplrit here. I have nothing to do with it. If I had no children or husband, my house would be eternally spotless and all counters sparkling at all times.

I'm gonna just keep telling myself that.

Breathing. It's A Good Thing To Be Able To Do Well

Whew!

What day is it? Wednesday?

I have spent the last four days at the hospital with Noelle. Bronchitis gone bad, really bad. She had been fighting a cough for few weeks. On Sunday morning she was struggling to get a deep breath at all, her breathing was rapid and shallow so I took her in to the ER. I didn't expect that they would keep her there until today. We are home now and she is doing much better.

Bless her sweet, sweet heart.

What Not To Wear Would Say No.

(Disclaimer: this post is not for men. Or for the faint of heart. I'm just warning you.)

It has turned cold. Suddenly.

Earlier this week I ran in capris but for this morning's run I pulled out all of the cold weather clothes. The temperature was right at freezing, 32 degrees, so I wore running tights, a long sleeved shirt, a vest, a hat, and gloves. The tights are something new for me. In the past we have gone inside to the treadmill at the first sign of cold weather but this year we are tough. This year Kelsey and I have decided to stay out as long as possible until there is ice on the ground ready to slip us up or the threat of frostbite. Thus the tights. And they live up to their name. They are tiiiiight. But we run in the morning, in the dark and no one is ever around to be traumatized by my tights.

This morning we ran 8 miles. It was beautiful out on the trail. We were pretty much the only ones out there, the snow was falling softly and all was silent except for our constant stream of conversation. The trees have all shed their leaves now and the fields were dusted with a sprinkling of white powder. Serene.

We finished up at our cars and stood and stretched for a bit. It was still fairly early but light out. We parted ways and I jumped in my car and started it up, trying to get warm. I pulled out of the parking lot and was about to make a right to head home when I remembered that I needed a few things at the grocery store. I went left instead. I was feeling pretty good about how much I was going to accomplish before 9 am, a good run, getting the fridge stocked back up, yay! I grabbed my purse off of the passenger seat and headed in to the store. It was as I came up to the door that I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection and abruptly remembered. I was wearing tights. Tight tights.

It was too late, I was past the point of no return. I have never been so self conscience while grocery shopping in my whole life. I was aware of every step I took and where every other customer was in relation to my backside. I strategically maneuvered my way to the broccoli, to the Mayo, to the pasta. I spent as little time as possible at the meat counter, feeling very aware of the rump roast staring at me from the other side of the glass. It seemed that there were a lot more teenage boys working this Saturday morning shift than usual. As I bent over into the freezer case and reached for a bag of mixed veggies, I closed my eyes and sent up a prayer beseeching God to strike all shoppers in aisle six with temporary blindness for just a few seconds. I paid quickly and me and my panty lines exited the store as fast as humanly possible. It was the fastest grocery shopping I have ever done.

A sprint.

Records were broken.

I am a much humbler person than I was just hours ago.

I Surprised Her Real Good

For a couple weeks Nate and I were keeping a secret, we had plane tickets to the East side of the country. We had hopes of surprising Nate's sister Ann and her husband Eric. They moved out there last year and had resigned themselves to the fact that it was just too far away for us to drag the whole crew out for a visit. Driving would take us weeks at the pace we travel, with bathroom breaks every five miles. Can you imagine how angry the people behind us in the security line at the airport would be if we flew out there with the whole crew? Taking off four hundred pairs of shoes and jamming up the x-ray machine with all of our carry-ons? What a nightmare.

But what if somehow, someway, just Nate and I could sneak away for a couple days? They would never see that one coming. My parents were more than willing to take the kids so that we could complete this mission of secrecy. Nate's parents were in on the plan, they were out there visiting Ann and Eric themselves and quickly came up with a great story that would allow them to sneak away and pick us up at the airport.

Saturday morning, the plan commenced. We boarded a plane and began our kidless journey. We were both giddy with anticipation, and also with copious amounts of Starbucks purchased along the way. Send me on any kind of a trip and I will order a venti caramel macchiato at every Starbucks I see. Nate's parents picked us up right on time and the four of us giggled practically all the way back to the house. About a block away they dropped us off and they went ahead without us. We waited a few minutes and then walked right up the sidewalk and rang the door bell. Here is what took place next.

It was awesome.

(Her perspective of the whole thing is here.)

Victim Number Two

The Great White strikes again.
It's dangerous business living in our driveway.
Skateboard now joins tricycle up in toy heaven.

Trick Or Treat Aftermath

Look what I found when I went to roll the trundle bed away. Half eaten secret stashes. Are they my kids or what?!


Tonight we trick or treated. Not sure why our town decided not to trick or treat on the actual night of the 31st, but whatever.

After school we carved pumpkins. Might as well try to cram as much craziness into one day as possible. It's a good motto to live by. You can tell from the expressions how they felt about pumpkin guts. Poor, poor, traumatized Camryn.


Please don't judge me by my kitchen walls. So I filled some nail holes and never painted over them. Does that make me a bad person?

"I get to use a knife and touch this awesome slimy stuff inside this pumpkin? Awesome. This is the best day ever."

More pictures of my kids dressed up . Because it's my blog. Notice that Gemma and Jack have decided to wear something different than they did last night. The hulk costume is a classic around here. It will never die.

The jack o' lanterns, all lit up.


And finally, the loot. Oh good gracious, I can feel my blood sugar levels rising just looking at that pile. If we make it out of the next couple days without slipping into a sugar induced coma, it's going to be a miracle.


I'm going to have to run a marathon every day to burn off the amount of chocolate I'm consuming. I'm not even kidding.

Costumes Revealed

Good guesses, good guesses. But sorry, none of you guessed right.

Last night was our church's Harvest party and we pulled all the costumes together just in time.

Here we have Noelle, the garden gnome, making her most garden gnome-ish type face:


Then there was Camryn, the Geisha:


Caedmon was a caveman. See how warm he is in this photo, all bare chested and barefooted? This photo was taken before he had his messy caveman hair and mascaraed uni-brow and beard. Gemma threw on one of the many princess dresses from the dress up box. Lay-Zee Heth.




Poor Tyler, Jack, and Toby. The three kids who don't exist in photo form. Ty was some sort of an escaped convict complete with dreadlock wig, sparkly bling, orange jumpsuit, and tattooed arms. Jack wore Tyler's old Link costume. Toby wore a dragon costume. Pull it over his head and voila, dragon. Again, hooray for the kids who make it easy on Mom.

I made a couple of cakes for the cake walk. These were fun. And time consuming.


We scored on the candy again. I had my own little stash of Reeses in my shirt pocket all night, just incase. Incase what? I don't know, but just in case. The big green popcorn bowl is full of candy once again and we haven't even trick or treated yet. That's tonight.

I am fully aware that as I type this, the littlest hooligans are up in their room gorgeing themselves with candy they secretly stole from the kitchen. Am I stopping them? No, I am not. Go ahead, make yourselves sick. I've tried to hide it and this is what happens. (That is one of my most favorite photos ever.)

Now excuse me while I go pour another cup of coffee with a couple mini Snickers on the side.

Costuming

I would write something but I'm busy creating costumes one day before we need them. Does that come as a surprise to anyone? If you know me at all, you would think I'm actually ahead of schedule.

Some of the ingredients of the various costumes include:

Red Felt
Bubble wrap
Masking tape
Black tights
A wig
Rubber Boots

Any guesses?

Back to crafting. Good times.

Make A List. It's Monday

The suspense is killer. Did the cam-bolt come in the mail? Did the wardrobe ever get assembled? These are the pressing questions. How could I leave you all hanging?

No. It did not. Thank you automated customer service for living up to the low expectations I had for you. The 5-7 business days has come and gone. Your time is up. You let me down and you left me hanging. This is a job way beyond duct tape.

Also, since we are on an update theme here, let me just tell you that Randall the Amazing Salamander is thriving, thriving I tell you. He has survived a full month of living under our roof and he is looking quite plump. That is commendable. There is never a shortage of things to eat. For the first three weeks, he was brought a steady offering of worms, crickets, and grasshoppers with their legs ripped off. Yes, with their legs ripped off. When Caedmon reported that he had fed a grasshopper to Randall I was initially very concerned. What if it was still alive in his belly and would rupture Randall's stomach with one powerful kick? Caedmon reassured me "Don't worry Mom, I ripped it's legs off first." Phew. Now that it is freezing outside and all the worms are hibernating, our fridge is stocked with nightcrawlers from the bait shop. Randall, don't worry. You will eat well this winter.

Running is going great. I had a beautiful 10 mile run on Saturday morning. I had my iPod playlist all ready with the album "Counting on God" by New Life Worship. Thanks Ang. It's a gorgeous worship album. It went perfectly with the gorgeous fall landscape I ran through. A perfect run, just me and God and the trail. Sometimes He meets me when I'm least expecting it, out in the middle of a run.

That run may have been a little too much though. My knee is a little angry at me right now. I'm trying to baby it. Maybe even bribe it with a little lower mileage. This morning we ran just over three and a half. Come on knee. Please? I'll serenade it, sing with me and my almost-but-not-quite mullet:

"But don't tell my knee, my achy breaky knee
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my knee, my achy breaky knee
It might blow up and kill this lady"

Geez, I better end this post. It's getting out of control.

Wheee! Haircut!

I just got my haircut yesterday. I went in with no idea of what I wanted to do, which is typical for me. I was inspired by one of the posters hanging on the wall in the salon. When she asked what I wanted, I pointed to the poster. It's a little crazy. It's a little different. I like it a lot. My hairdresser is my hero.

Life is too short to keep the same hairdo for 30 years. I want to guarantee that when my kids look back at photos of me, they will cringe. "What were you thinking mom?"

I was being brave. I was trying new things. I was keeping it fresh.

Can you pick me out of these three photos?

I Need a Do Over

My list of awesomeness:

1. I went to a meeting at the school this morning and was proud of myself for being early. Turns out I was a whole day early. Right time, wrong day. Awesome.
2. At 1:00 I got a call from a friend who was at the school, in the parking lot, with my kids. Turns out there was an early out at 12:40. I knew that when I dropped them off this morning. Forgot it somewhere between then an lunch time. Awesome.
3. I am sitting at my computer chair and I looked down at my running shoes that I took off this morning after my early morning run. Both blue, but two completely different shoes. Awesome.

I'm really knocking it out today. Try not to be jealous.

I'm Trying, I Really Am

So project "O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.E" was going really well but has hit an unforeseen roadblock. Yeah, that acronym doesn't really stand for anything, it just looks more official.

Step one was assembling that closet organizer thingy, which by the way is working out splendidly. Step two was supposed to be assembling the wardrobe. For the record, I started it. Not the same kind of "started it" as I did when I emptied the closet of all the girls' clothes and then let them lay on the floor for days. (the clothes, not the kids) This was real. I emptied the box of all the parts and was well on my way through the first step on the instructions. It quickly became apparent that there were some significant parts missing. Counting and recounting "cams" and "cam-bolts" confirmed the worst case scenario. I was going to have to place a call to customer service.

And I did.

And they are quickly approaching the dead line of "5-7 business days".

I mean, I am on a roll with the quotation marks today people!

So, the makings of a 200 pound wardrobe are leaning up against the wall of the girls' room and sadly, I have a legitimate excuse for the delay of my "O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.A.T.I.O.N". (Just keeping the quotes thing going.) Usually my excuses for my procrastination are blatantly lame, but this time it's out of my hands. And in the hands of an automated customer service department.

I have faith they will come through for me right on time. Right? Riiiiight.

Gamer

It can't be stopped, it's in their blood.

I AM The Princess

Every girl dreams of being the princess, maybe some more than others. The beautiful dresses, the glass slippers, the tiara. Sigh.

I recently took steps to attain my princesshood. I pursued my crown. But it wasn't a glamorous crown, it was a painful crown. A dental crown. Oh goodness gracious sakes alive, what an experience.

I have had my share of dental work in my 31 years thus far. Orthodontics, oral surgery, root canals, wisdom tooth extraction, etcetera, etcetera. It it weren't for modern dentistry, I'd be a full blown hillbilly. Crooked teeth, missing teeth, who knows what else. At least I could wear bib overalls with pride. And go barefoot all day with a baby on my hip. Wait...

I showed up for my first appointment unsure of what to expect. I knew it would be a long process but I didn't know exactly what would be involved. The little mouth-holder-opener was a lot of fun. I felt like a kid with vampire teeth that were permanently fixed open. They started with the grinding and grinding. I'm assuming they were chunking away at my tooth, belt sanding the thing down to nothing. At some point they took a couple molds. That's fun too. Having your teeth cemented to each other and not being able to swallow properly. Oh the sensations of suffocating.

At one point she put something in there that tasted absolutely horrific. I gagged and grasped at my chest, and tried to partially sit up with my mouth secured open, and a vacuum sucker shoved down my throat. It was a beautiful moment of dignity. Very princess-like. And then there is the looming questions of what to do with your eyes during dental work. Stare into the light and burn your retinas thereby distracting yourself from the uncomfortableness of the actual dental work? Look straight into the eyes of the dental assistant? Count ceiling tiles? Or the option I always choose, close your eyes. But that can be dangerous for a mother of seven. Reclined in a chair with mostly silence save the Muzak, it is very tempting to doze off. How embarrassing though if I would do the infamous leg-jerk-awake reaction. Not the safest thing to do with a drill in your mouth.

I triumphed. I exited the dental office with a little less dignity and a temporary false tooth. They warned me that "in case it comes off before your next appointment" I should come in to have it recemented. But until I get in, I can temporarily attach it with toothpaste. Now THAT would be classy. In the middle of a dinner out, mid bite, my cuspid goes flying across the table. Excuse me sir, but my tooth is in your soup. Just a minute, I need to fish it out and then go reapply it in the bathroom with this travel sized toothpaste I carry in my purse.

I hold fast to the truth that Sara Crewe said so well, " I am a princess. All girls are." Even if they are repressing their inner hillbilly while sporting temporary false teeth.

By the end of my next appointment, I will have my crown. I WILL be a princess.

Boring Old Updates About Closets, So Much Fun

Because of my love for overpriced coffee, I busted out the closet painting as fast as humanly possible. It had to dry so I might as well make a trip to nearby town to have a beautiful Iced Caramel Macchiato. That is one pretty coffee drink, let me tell you. I never want to stir it up, I just want to look at it.



And look at that muffin. What I wouldn't give for one of those muffins right now...

Back to the closet.

So I'm in the process of The Big Organization of the Fall of 2008. Do not confuse this with The Great Organization of the Spring of 2008 or the Let's Get Organized 2007, or even The Laundry Pile Family Attempts Organization 2006. None of those were very big successes. But THIS will be successful. IT. WILL.

I don't have a photo of the closet before. Picture it with me. Small closet with bifold door. Shelf and rod about six feet up wit all three girls' hangables on it. Two dressers side by side inside the closet, one of the dressers missing a drawer. Not necessarily the best plan. So I bought this organizer thingy with the hopes that it would be a change for the better. We want to get rid of as many dressers as possible in order to maximize space. Maximizing space is the ultimate goal at this point.

The closet was painted and I attempted the assembly of the organizer, as Gemma would put it, "All by my fel-s" (self). I did a pretty good job and put the shelving system together without help. But I consider myself a wise woman in some manner and I knew when it was time to call in the big guns. Nate finished out the job of anchoring it to the wall and installing the rods.

I give you...The Girls' Closet:


This will be complimented with a large wardrobe on the other side of the room to house the rest of their clothes. It has yet to be assembled. But that is another post for another day.

Let's summarize:

• I painted the closet in a timely fashion.
• I was able to obtain my Starbucks drink in a timely fashion
• My girls now have a place to store their fashion.

My life is complete.

Same Blog Different Purpose

This is an accountability post. Three days ago I took EVERYTHING out of the girls' clothes closet with plans to paint it a fresh coat of white and then install a new closet organizer. Three days ago. I put all the clothes that were on hangers on the top bunk. But when evening came around and the closet wasn't reassembled, Noelle had nowhere to sleep. So the clothes were moved to the floor. You see where this is going don't you?

So now their room is carpeted in clean clothes and the closet still isn't painted. The first night they asked if they could make a little bed in the closet and sleep there in their little "fort". Sure! Now they have slept there two nights and I think they are getting used to it.

I have GOT to get that thing painted. Today. Today I have to paint it. This is the day.

Please, if you see me around the internet, ask me about the closet. Ask me why I'm playing online tetris and not painting the closet. If you see me at the grocery store, ask me about the closet. Ask me why I'm buying toilet paper and not painting the closet. Wait, buying toilet paper is excuseable, we are down to the end of the last roll. That is dangerous territory.

While I was typing that last paragraph, my mom called and invited me to go shopping in nearby-town-that-has-a-Starbucks...

I WILL paint that closet today. (or maybe tomorrow)

Something To Think About

This quote really struck me today. I'm going to be thinking about it for quite awhile.

"We try to get joy through entertainment. We pay someone to make jokes, tell stories, perform dramatic action, sing songs. We buy the vitality of another's imagination to divert and enliven our own poor lives. The enormous entertainment industry in America is a sign of the depletion of joy in our culture. Society is a bored, glutenous king employing a court jester to divert it after an overindulgent meal. (emphasis mine) But that kind of joy never penetrates our lives, never changes our basic constitution. The effects are extremely temporary, a few minutes, a few hours, a few days at most. When we run out of money, the joy trickles away.

Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Now What?

Can you bear another post about running?

So I'm three days past the big race and I feel a little bit of sadness. I have been consumed by training for four months. The nightly question was "what's on tomorrow's running schedule?". Now there is nothing on any running schedule. I can do whatever I want. What I want is for there to be a schedule telling me what to do.

I really liked having goals. I really liked having that big thing out there that I was working towards. Surprisingly, I really liked the discipline as painful as it was sometimes. So I've been thinking a lot about "now what". I'm not sure yet. I'm working it out with myself.

My legs are mostly better. I went out this morning and got them moving for 3 miles. It felt good. Stairs are becoming easier, I don't have to lean against the wall while I go down them sideways anymore. It took my shoes three days to dry out.

Thank you all for your sweet words of encouragement and for sharing in this moment with me. I can't tell you how much it means to hear congratulations from all over the internet. Next time I fully expect you all to be standing along the curb, ringing a huge cowbell or running along side me. Now THAT would be fun. The Internet runs a marathon.

Marathon: Race Report

I'M ALIVE!

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. What an experience. I have so much to say. Let me just give you the option of not having to read through a novel to hear how it went. I give you the short version and the long version.

Short version:

Despite down pouring rain and freezing winds, race day ended up being perfect. I much preferred it to heat. Ran it exactly how I wanted to, I wouldn't change a thing. It was an amazing emotional experience and I am so glad I did it. Finish time 4:15:32

Long version:

Get a big cup of coffee and maybe even a snack, because this is going to be long and possibly very boring. I really want to write this all out though because I don't want to forget anything.

I picked up Kelsey at 7 am on Saturday morning to drive up to the race. We wanted to spend all of Saturday at the expo and the Mall of America. We arrived at the expo, and after a parking fiasco, we made our way through the sky walks and tunnels to the convention center where the expo was held. Let me insert at this point how proud I am of myself for driving a stick shift in the big city. Small town rural girl meets skyscrapers and city driving. Yee Haw!

We met up with my Internet friends. None of them turned out to be axe murderers, so that's good. That brings my total of people-from-the-Internet-that-I've-met-in-real-life up to twelve. 100% of them have not been axe murderers. Pretty good statistics so far! But it only takes one.

Ok, so we met them and they were FANTASTIC! And I was so excited and probably talked too much and they were probably rolling their eyes at me on the inside, but if they were they didn't show it. I loved meeting them and I'm so glad it worked out.


Kelsey and I stayed at the expo for quite awhile. We hit every single vendor and got every single sample. Again, Yee HAW! We aren't newbies or anything. At this point it was really sinking in that we were here for a reason, to actually RUN. I bought a race t-shirt as a souvenir. I also picked up two Bondi Bands. They are great for bad hair days. Kelsey bought one and wore it during the race. Super fun. We headed to the mall but got a little bit lost. Not a lot lost, just a little bit. That little bit of lostness put us in a traffic jam caused by an accident and we missed hooking up with my internet friends at the mall. It was a bummer but we made the best of it and went to Ikea instead. Now THAT was good times. I love that place.

Then we headed back to the pasta feed to meet up with Michelle, my old running partner that moved away. She has run one marathon before, this was her second. We were so excited to be able to do this with her. We ate a whole lot of pasta and then headed back to the hotel. Nate and my support team (family) arrived at about 9. Nate was staying at the hotel, everyone else was up at my brother's house. Now it was really sinking in. Big race tomorrow.


I laid everything out and made all my lists. Then I tried to sleep but I was so excited, I didn't doze off until after midnight. As soon as the alarm went off at 5 my first thought was "Wow, I was just sleeping really, really hard." I felt refreshed, excited, and ready to go. We met up at 6:30 and walked the few blocks to the start line. The forecast was rain. Great.

Once we got to the start, we met up with the internet crew again and hung out until it was time to line up. We all kind of went our own ways at that point. We dropped our sweat bags at the sweat check. (You can put warm clothes and cell phones and keys or whatever you need in a bag and they bring it to the finish line for you) Then I headed to the start line by myself. It was insane. Remember, the biggest race I have ever run in was 500 people. This was 11,000 people. That's a lot of people. It was so crowded and so tight, I came in at the back of the crowd and was trying to make my way to the 4:30 pace group. I knew that was the general area I wanted to start in. The closest I could get was the 5:00 marker. I felt so rude trying to weave through the crowd of people, but I did it anyway. Heck, I'm a first timer, I don't know any better!

This is me at the start. See my rock hard abs? See how everyone else is giving up because they know I am going to win? Oh wait. That's not me. That's the elites...




Back to reality. I heard the gun go off somewhere up there in front of me. We all just stood there waiting for the crowd to move. Initially we were walking, I'd say it took at least five minutes or so to get to the official start line. As we crossed the start everyone began to jog. There were so many people. Can I just keep saying that? I hit the start button on my Garmin as I crossed the start line. This is me at the beginning of the race. I'm in the green long sleeved shirt. I ditched it shortly after this photo and then was wearing a blue tank top.



Initially we ran through downtown, skyscrapers and buildings surrounded us. My garmin kept losing it's signal and it was already off by the first mile. It beeped "one mile" at 8:30 something and the one mile mark wasn't until later, more like 10:29 or so.

As we ran under a tunnel in the first mile, every one yelled as they went through. I could hear them doing it before I got there and sure enough, as we approached, all the people around me yelled and cheered. At that moment I became so overwhelmed. It was like it finally became real in that very moment. I was running a marathon. I teared up and then quickly pulled myself together and tried to focus. There were a lot of miles ahead of me.

I really wanted to keep it slower and closer to 10 minute miles for at least the first six miles or so. There were a few small hills in there and I played it safe. But the weather. Oh, the weather. It wasn't raining at the start line. In fact I don't really remember when it started raining. It must have started as a sprinkle and then increased from there until it was a full blown downpour with crazy freezing winds. I wore that green long sleeved shirt and threw it to the side once we started running. Now we were at mile 4 and my hands were almost numb. I was wearing a tank top and skirt. I took a Gu our of my pocket at 4.5 and tried to open it. My fingers weren't cooperating. I did finally get it open and it was fine but boy were my hands cold. I think if I would have had that long sleeved shirt on though, it would have been heavy and cold anyway. So I was fine in my tank top.

We dodged puddles as much as we could but it was so crowded and the road was so narrow at some points that it was unavoidable. I'm not in this photo, but see how narrow it was? Geez!


I wasn't expecting to see any of my family or friends until mile 11. All of a sudden, out of the blue in the middle of the down pour at mile 7, there were Nate and my dad. It was awesome to see them at that point. The photography conditions weren't ideal, but this is me going by at mile 7.


It was around that time that I cam up on the 4:30 pace group. There were a lot of people in that group and it was so narrow that they were really congesting the trail. It took a lot of weaving and even going up on the curb and the grass, but eventually I got by them and then it really opened up. I stayed at 9:50-10:00 miles through that time and took another Gu at mile 9. Then I knew it would be flat for awhile and that this was the time to settle into a good pace. I dropped down to the lower nines and held a 9:12-9:20 for miles 9-20.

There were some really fun moments along the way. The crowds were so amazing. I couldn't believe how many people came out despite the weather. There was music from string quartets to "Eye of the Tiger" to some guy playing a tuba. Everyone was great, cheering for all the runners and calling out encouragement. I was so glad that I had written my name on my left arm. A lot of people cheered for me. My favorite "spectator" wasn't a spectator at all. It was a runner. Some guy that was right around me for quite awhile during the middle of the race, kept randomly singing songs when there weren't many spectators. He would bust out into "EVERYBODY.....ROCK YOUR BODY!" It was hilarious. I couldn't help but smile.

The middle miles were my favorite. I fell into a great pace and felt really strong. It was really, really fun. I had held back enough at the beginning that I was passing a lot of people at this point. That was a great feeling. I was expecting to see my family at mile 11 but they didn't make it to that mile marker. I was a little disappointed but then out of the blue I saw Gabe's girlfriend, Naomi. Her sweet smile was such an encouragement. Then around mile 16, I saw my dad. He was holding up my green shirt from the start and asking if I needed it. It wasn't raining anymore so I stuck with my blue tank top, I was warmed back up by then. Then a few steps later I looked up and saw my kids' faces. Here was the whole fam. My mom, brothers and sisters, Nate, and the kids. I immediately started sobbing. This race was turning into such an emotional event for me. I totally did not see that coming. I wiped away the tears and hoped that they didn't think I was crying because I was "hitting the wall" or something. I was having a great race and seeing them at that point was perfect. I'm sure the runners around me were wondering what was up with the crazy crying lady in the blue.


The miles all began to blur together and I just focused on keeping the pace until mile 20. I knew at mile 20 things were going to get hard. And they did. There was a slow and long hill all of miles 21-23. It didn't even really LOOK like a hill, it was that gradual, but boy could you feel it. Thankfully, the crowds were so, so thick all along that part of the race. I was getting really tired by this point and I could feel my legs really getting sore. This was new territory. This was further than I had ever run before. This was when I really started to pray. I thought of the verse in Hebrews about running the race with endurance. I realized that this was the part where the endurance needed to kick in. I knew there were friends and family following me online and praying for me. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not walking. I had been walking only enough steps through the water stations so that I didn't spill all over myself and so that the water actually made it into my mouth, so just three of four steps. Now towards the end it was more tempting to walk as I saw those around me walking more and more. But I never entertained that option. I kept plugging away trying to maintain a decent pace even when my legs didn't want to.

I saw my family again at mile 23. They were all wearing shirts that my sister Holly had made as a surprise. The back had "Team LaundryPile(it actually said our last name)" and the front said twenty-six miles.2 miles (of spectating). She even made them for Toby and my little nephew baby Austin. So cute. Here are the shirts at the finish:

The last miles are a blur. I met up with another first timer somewhere around mile 24.5 and she had no garmin or no idea what the course was like. I was able to give her a heads up on the hill near the finish and we ran together for a little while. When we hit the last water station, she stopped for water but I decided to just keep going, we were so close. As we came up the hill at mile 26, I could hear the crowd and I saw the cathedral. It was awesome knowing that the finish line was just over the hill and that it was all down hill from there on out. I let gravity do it's work and tried to go as fast as I could down that hill without tripping on my unreliable legs. There were people flying by me who had a lot left in them but I had given it my all. I had enough to do about a 7:45 pace down that hill, and I focused intently on that finish line. There were crowds lining the left and right sides of the road but I didn't even look for my family or anyone. I zoned. Sara was at the finish line and got the only photo of me coming down that last stretch. Sara, you are awesome.




I crossed that line, got my medal and shiny blanket. Then I heard Nate yelling at me from the side. I walked/wobbled over to him and again burst into tears. I was so, so happy. I did it. I couldn't believe it.


I ate some stuff and got my warm clothes on and then went out to meet my family. I was so glad they had people there to help us step up the curb. I was questioning the sturdiness of my legs at that point. I made it over to where we were going to meet and we took lots of pictures.

"Wait a second, I just ran a marathon. Oh my gosh!"

We stayed and met up with Michelle and Kelsey. Michelle ran a 4:08:17 and Kelsey ran a 5:03:06. We were all happy with our times and were so glad that we could share this day with each other. It was surreal.



You know, I don't think I would have changed a thing. This was one of the most defining moments of my life. It was so emotional and such a time of growth for me. I am so glad I did it.

I ran that race exactly how I wanted to and my body held up for it. My knee could have gone out on me but it didn't. The weather wasn't perfect but it turned out to be just fine. I am awfully sore today. I'm hobbling around and I look ridiculous. My legs hate me. But I saw Kelsey this morning and we both said that we so enjoyed the whole experience that we definitely want to do it again. Maybe next time we'll pick a little flatter course, but there will for sure be another marathon in our futures.

This could possibly be the longest post I have ever written in my life but isn't that fitting? A marathon post about a marathon.

And you deserve a finishers medal for sticking it out to the end.