We've lived in Hog country for almost 3 years, and this is only the 2nd game we've attended. The kids were excited - they were taught to call the hogs in preschool when we first moved - they learned it probably their first week (and taught it to their cousins - hilarious!).

So we got them all dressed in their hogs gear (ignore the Arizona A on Amara's cheek - she says it's for Amara) - and we headed to the game. It's a good crowd tonight for their homecoming - a sea of red.

I am praying that the guy behind me loses his voice. He's yelling so loudly that my hair is moving with his shouts. It's so obnoxious and loud. At least he's not using foul language, but still - my ears are ringing!

It's a beautiful night for a game. Go hogs!

Oh... and I do have to add comments on attire. I will never understand why guys wear suits and girls get all dressed up for games. The guys in the stands with their chests painted to spell out RAZORHOGS make complete sense to me. But the fancy pants.... I'm sorry, but I just don't think I'll ever get used to it. I will also add that I fell into neither category -- I was in jeans and a long-sleeved Razorback shirt. No heels. No pearls. Just in case you were wondering. :)

Perhaps I'm a total geek, but I loved school. And even now, as I walk into Amara's school to visit, I'm filled with giddiness.

That's how I felt today as I joined their Halloween party. They were supposed to dress as their favorite storybook character. Each child got to stand up and share about their choice. Then they decorated masks and cupcakes, and then they played a mummy game.

It was a fun day, but can I just say...God bless teachers! I'm SO thankful for Amara's teacher and all those called to be teachers. I am NOT one of those, and by the time we were dismissed, I was more than ready for some peace and quiet!

A year ago, I blogged about 1,287, a Homelessness Awareness Event unique to our area. It was an amazing event to be a part of, because in the span of 1 month, a friend of Jon's called him with the idea, implemented, and executed the idea. One month after the idea was shared, they were able to sit down and discuss the event that took place as a result. Here's Cobblestone Project's recap of the day.

Now THAT is a man of action. I was blown away.

A year later, Mr. Mark Horvath is returning to revisit 1,287. You know WHY he's returning? Because of all the communities he visited last year, our community was among the top of those who accomplished the most following his visit.

I'd say that our community must have several like minded people of action.

It's a cool thing to witness. It's a cool thing to be a part of.



So on Saturday night, our family will once again be counted at 1,287 revisited. Last year, a homeless census was taken, and it was estimated that we had 1,287 homeless people in our area. Of those, a large portion are women, children, and veterans. Of those, a large portion are people who would be able to find a manufacturing job in another city - but we have very few blue collar opportunities in our region. Of those, many are good, solid, hard working people, who have just come across hard times and have no support network.

The face of homelessness is changing. The face of poverty is changing. It's awesome to be a part of the movement trying to solve the problem.

I'll come back after the event on Saturday night and share with you some of the things Mark talked about. Where possible, I'll link you up to the things that have been implemented since last year. I know for sure: Our Step and The Farm. But I'm certain there are more: Laundry Love, Shear Kindness, the DC... I can't wait to return to share more!

Last night Jon and I were invited to a dinner party whose purpose was to consider the global orphan crisis. There were people from all over our area in attendance, some of whom I knew, others of whom I didn't know. The common thread was that all of the people in attendance have been called to serve and have a love for God and what He calls us to do.

And what does God call us to do? In fact, quite a lot, and here are a few examples:

Psalm 82:3 "Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy."

Psalm 10:17-18 "You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."

Matthew 25:31-36 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"

Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

We are surrounded by several friends and acquaintances who have been called to adopt from countries such as Haiti and Ethiopia -- countries where the orphan crisis is staggering. At this point, we are not feeling called to adopt, but we are absolutely feeling called to do something. And that's why we were at the dinner last night.

Chris Marlow was the guest speaker for the night. He is from Austin, TX, and is the Director of Help End Local Poverty. This organization has a division specifically focused on Haiti, with their initiative "We Have Not Forgotten."

I wish I'd have taken notes as Chris shared his testimony. Some of the things he said rocked me. I won't remember the countries he visited, but I'll do my best to recount some of his stories.

As he visited one devastated country, a young boy, about 10 years old, approached him and apologized for the state of his country. He then proceeded to say he didn't want to beg for food, but hasn't eaten in 3 days and could he please work for it? Imagine the devastation Chris must have felt as he had to tell the boy no because he didn't have any, and the grocery stores literally did not have any food on their shelves?

Can you imagine that? No food on a grocery store shelf? Because of how this country was set up (I think it was Zimbabwe), they had to get groceries from a neighboring country, and if that neighboring country didn't deliver, they were out of luck. And the inflation and cost was a ridiculous number I can't even begin to fathom. But to turn away a child in such away -- wrecked. I can't imagine.

In another country, he visited with a family whose father had been killed in a natural disaster. He was a pastor, and the church crumbled as he was preaching. His family watched him get buried by the rubble. The family was surviving on $1 a day. That alone is mind-blowing to me. A visiting pastor with a seminary degree (i.e. not a business degree) wrote up a business plan. He hooked up local women with someone to teach them how to make and sell purses. That family is now living on $8 per day. When asked how she feels about the change, her response was that she feels rich.

Wow! Rich on $8 a day. Here, we complain if we only make $8 an hour. I will grant you that things in the US cost money, and it would be nearly impossible to survive in the US on $8 a day. But the stark contrast is again mind-blowing. I may not be able to survive here on $8 per day, but certainly I can survive on less than I currently am.

Following the earthquake in Haiti, he visited the country. He visited with a young girl who lost both of her parents in the devastation. The person who was leading him through the country commented that the little girl had no hope. He asked why. The response was that she'd be raped at least 3 or 4 times before she's age 18. Tears immediately sprung to my eyes at that statement. They also commented that Haiti really is no different now than it was immediately following the earthquake. There's still so much devastation and work left to do. We are being begged to not forget Haiti. If we've been, we've been asked to return. If we haven't been, we've been asked to go. Or help others go, as not all of us are able to go.

A couple weeks ago we went to a going away party for a local couple who is serving for 6 months in Haiti. I introduced you to them about a month ago. When we were at their going away party, Jon sent both kids with some money to them, and told them to say, "Thank you for serving in Haiti for us -- while we're unable to go, thank you for going." I know they were prompted, but the message is the same.

On Saturday, we were shopping and there was a food bank outside of the grocery store collecting cans. As an FYI, food banks, homeless shelters, non profits in general, get crazy-low in the summer because people "forget" to help. It's easy for them to raise money, obtain donations, etc, during Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it's pretty lean during the summer months. Anyway, the food bank was collecting. So as we bought our groceries, I purchased an extra bag of canned goods for the kids to donate. When we went outside, I had Dominic give the bag to the workers. They applauded. I was SO tickled that they showed their appreciation in that way -- that they made a big deal out of his donation to illustrate the importance of doing so. What struck me, however, was that Amara asked why they clapped. She has grown pretty accustomed to giving, that she doesn't see it as out of the ordinary. She sees it as just something that you do, rather than something that deserves applause.

Back to last night, and the purpose for the title of this blog post.

In another country Chris visited, they brought a bunch of food to a pastor at a church. Upon delivery, they asked how long it would last, and were told a couple weeks. They were visibly disappointed that it wouldn't last longer. I wish I could remember the exact words, but essentially the pastor said, "You American's. Always pursuing the American Dream and needing to know the answers so far out. Where's the faith the God will provide for today? God not only provided for today, but for a couple weeks!"

That was very sobering to me.

We're so focused on future planning, keeping up with the Jones's, wearing nice clothes and shoes, providing the best for our kids, investing for the future. And I'm not suggesting we DON'T do those things. But at the same time, sometimes in doing those things, we're taking all the control upon ourselves and trusting God for nothing.

The American Dream, in many ways, is self-serving and self-reliant. God calls us to serve others and be reliant upon Him. There's a huge disconnect for me with the American Dream and God's calling. I know I've not been reliant enough upon God. I know I've been selfish and controlling, determining to accomplish things on my own.

I may be living the American Dream... but is it's God's dream for me?

I'm not sure yet what direction we'll move. I know that in his job, Jon's challenged with these ideas daily. I'm thankful for that. I'm also thankful that his job provides me opportunities to immerse myself in those ideas. In the corporate world it's very easy to get sucked into all things material -- and I don't want that.

So we'll see what's next. I don't know when, I don't know how, I don't know what it looks like. But I want to be open to what God has in store.

The other night we went to a going away party / fundraiser for this couple who will be traveling to Haiti on July 1 to be mission leads there for 7 months. I want to introduce you to them and their story. It's pretty incredible.

Living For A Cause from Michael Drager on Vimeo.

They also have a website: Living for a Cause -- please visit them, follow them on Twitter, donate if you feel so led.

I'm an official half-marathon survivor.

How did that happen, you might be wondering? Good question... since I admittedly avoided cross country and distance track in high school because i didn't want to work that hard! Prior to Christmas 2009, the farthest I've ever run is 3 miles.

So here's "the rest of the story."

Back in August (was it really August?), I joined an online Christian bookclub called Bloom. I really wanted it to just be a Bible Study, but it became so much more. I developed friendships with a select group of these wonderful women. One such friend is Reese.

(This is us PRE-RACE on March 21, Downtown Atlanta)

Reese came up to visit us in November, which happened to be our local Girls on the Run race. I was on our office's committee to work at the race, so she came along as well. She mentioned that she'd always wanted to run a half-marathon. I believe I responded that I'd NEVER wanted to run a half-marathon. Jon of course jumped in and gave me a hard time about my comments. Then he added that he'd give me a back rub for every day I trained.

For whatever reason, the two combined challenges made me take the bait.

Just before Christmas 2009, I put on my running shoes and actually used them for their intended purpose again. I had taken basically 5 years off. I had essentially quit working out the day Amara was born. I hated that fact, but hadn't taken the opportunity to get back into the habit.

Admittedly, I didn't train well. There were many opportunities for excuses, not the least of which was the crummy weather we had, the cold temps, and the unexpected amounts of snow. I effectively used those excuses and trained poorly. Infact, I trained so poorly that the farthest I ran pre-race was 6 miles. Most of my training was indoors on our elliptical.

That said... I finished!


(Me crossing the finish line.)

It wasn't pretty, but I did it.

Remember that I said I'd only run 6 miles in training. Well, as you might know, a half-marathon is 13.1 miles. I had hit nearly 8 miles on the elliptical, but it doesn't mimic well the pounding that your joints take in an actual run.

And my joints felt it!

I started off well -- the first 2-3 miles felt pretty good (other than being oh-dark-thirty). The next couple miles I didn't like real well. Then after a bathroom break at mile five (oh the joys of having children), I felt great through about mile 9. Somewhere between miles 9 and 10, I began to wear out. I was still able to talk (ok, so I was singing), but my legs and joints were screaming at me. I was very happy about my lung strength though -- because that had gotten ridiculously bad in my time off.

So anyway, miles 10 to 13 were painful. I knew that the pain was temporary and not an injury, so I pushed through. But I won't lie and tell you I enjoyed it! When Greg said, "Only a 5k left" I thought I might have to punch him! Never had a 5K sounded so long!

But then I saw the finish line. The gray drizzle that had been present through the last half of the race was still there. The orange finish line, balloons, crowds, music -- all the stuff that had been absent through much of the course due to the rain was there again. I dug in and kept going.

As we got within a block of the finish line, Greg said, "Go for it!" I just laughed and said, "Not a chance." I didn't have any more in me to sprint across the line. But I did run across it! I saw my family on the side lines cheering me on and gave them as much of a grin as I could muster.

When all was said and done, I ran about 11 of the 13.1 miles. Not too bad considering my lack of preparation! It would have been more like 12, but the last 2 miles really did me in. I registered with a 2:30 goal time, and finished in 2:35. Again, not bad.

I do owe it all to this guy though...

(My brother, Greg)

You see, Greg's a GOOD distance runner. He thrives on this kind of running and these distance races. He slowed his pace down to a crawl to run literally every step of the way with me. He took my verbal abuse when I didn't like his encouragement ("halfway there" doesn't sound so good when all you want is to see the finish line). He told me my pace was good and my form was solid. And maddeningly, he talked on the phone to my family, who was enroute, AS HE WAS RUNNING and WITHOUT GASPING FOR AIR. Crazy runners. Seriously though, I couldn't have run as much as I did without him by my side, because I certainly wanted to walk more of it!

And of course my kiddos. You can't see their "Run Mommy Run" shirts, because it was too cold to go jacketless, but they wore them with pride.


(Post race hug from Amara & Dominic)

You see all those shirts that say "Running is my life." During the race, I saw a shirt that said, "Running is my hobby. My children are my life." Still not quite accurate as far as my priorities go (God, Jon, Kids), but it echoed my sentiments much more closely. They are a big reason I chose to run this race. They need to see me modeling healthy lifestyles -- and my couch potato lifestyle just wasn't cutting it.

They're also the reason I signed up to run it again next year.

And next year... I plan to run all 13.1 of the hilly Atlanta miles.

I've had service on my mind for basically 2 years now. The thoughts get stronger daily, and circumstances are placed in my life (books, people, events) that I don't believe are any coincidence. Rather, I feel that God is taking a boot to my head to make sure my eyes are opened -- or my heart is opened.

Last night our family went to "Present in the City" presented by Cobblestone Project.

It was a beautiful night. A heartbreaking night. A challenging night. A powerful night. A hopeful night.

The night opened up with a video clip and music montage of people in need contrasted by the plenty that we all are blessed with. Dominic turned up to Jon and said, "Daddy, this is a sad movie." The purity and innocence behind that comment -- may his little 3-year-old eyes be open to the reality of this world and may his little heart be stirred to do something about it.

Amara said to me, "Mommy, I saw picture of little kids in jail (they were behind barred windows), and it made me sad." May her compassionate heart drive her to action and obedience when it comes to following God to serve others.

Through the night, we heard several different updates from "normal" people doing things daily to serve others. And they're EASY things to do - relatively speaking.

- The Garden came from a local restaurant who began as a company wanting to donate a portion of their profits to global orphanages. When they were out of money in a mere 6 months, the owners felt God telling them to "give it all away." His initial thought was "there's nothing left" -- but he gave it all away anyway. Now there are 3 soup kitchens in the area with talks of more, and they just bought an industrial kettle that alone will serve 750.

- Out of The Garden came The Farm, which logically plants and harvests food to make soup and other meals. Even more than just serving this community, however, they are using heirloom plants that can be harvested and shipped around the world to help other communities begin their own farms.

- Jon got up and spoke about Our Step, and was followed by an incredibly powerful video about Don, who was a homeless man just placed in an apartment. Because of this placement, he was able to get custody of his 3 year old daughter. Not a dry eye after that video!

- Another initiative that truly, anyone with a roll of quarters and a jug of laundry detergent can undertake is Laundry Love. To hear the stories and relationships built from Laundry Love is absolutely humbling. It takes what, 2 hours to do a full cycle of laundry? You can have a 2 hour conversation with anyone in there -- or paint women's nails, color and read with children, seamstresses have been there to patch blankets and sew on buttons. The opportunities for community are really endless, and seriously -- for a $10 roll of quarters and a bottle of detergent. How easy is that!? They said that the volunteer list for this service opportunity is several months out!

- Shear Kindness is another initiative that has my heart. As a female, how much better do you feel about yourself and life in general after you've had a good haircut (and color as the case may be)? I'm seriously going to change my hair stylist to the salon that supports Shear Kindness. I'm going to do some digging on this one. I'm certainly not a stylist, but I CAN wash hair, and maybe even better, I can braid the hair of any of the little girls who come in. I'm good at that!

Part of our sermon on Saturday night focused on serving too. In short, I finished the weekend with a hole in my heart where "service" to others is missing. I know that a big reason for that is that I'd prefer to serve WITH my family so that we can make it a family event. However, I also must acknowledge that Jon's JOB is service. So he needs (and deserves) a break from that during our family time. So I came out of the weekend with a few things:

1) I asked Jon to call me with volunteer opportunities at his work that would allow me to work alongside him. Even if that means me taking a few hours or a day off of my own job. As the situation permits, I'd love to spend a few vacation days working alongside my husband serving.

2) I need to make it my DAILY prayer that God soften my heart with my attitude toward serving my family. Currently, I see cooking and cleaning as an obligation, not an opportunity to serve. If I can make that simple mind/heart change, it will make all the difference. I absolutely hate obligation and typically try to avoid them. Having a "guilt complex" like I do, that's not always easy...which probably makes me dislike obligation even more! However, I LOVE to serve! And admittedly, I'm not always good at serving my family -- most probably because I see much of it as obligation. Imagine what that simple change in focus might do!

As the night came to a close, a full hour past the kids' bedtime, I was grateful that we didn't drive separate so the kids and I could leave when they got antsy. They did get antsy. But they also saw and heard service.

You want to see a fast event tear down? Go to an event designed to celebrate service and those who serve. The whole place was cleared, torn down, tables loaded onto trucks, etc -- in under 1/2 hour. It was incredible. The cool thing -- the kids got to be a part of that. The kids were putting the decorative stones back into their respective bags, hauling chairs all over the place to be stacked, helping me fold up tables. And seriously - they were as happy as I've ever seen them. They "get" that it's wonderful to serve. The love to be able to help others. And I was SO thankful to be able to give them that opportunity -- even if it meant this morning was a struggle to get moving (for all of us!)

The quote of the night came from Greg Russinger, founder of Just One: "The Holy Spirit can't comfort you if you're not living an uncomfortable life."

I don't think I'm uncomfortable enough.

How about you?

I've had the unique opportunity to watch this event come to life from the beginning. We were in a hotel in Des Moines when Jon's friend, Mike, called with this idea.

In only a month, Mike, along with the help of others that he has listed at The Cobblestone Project, the event will be held tonight. And I will be there to be counted.

I'm excited to go. I'm excited to take the kids.

The guest speaker will be Mark Horvath, who is a former homeless person currently on a road trip interviewing homeless people across America -- giving them a name. He's the founder of InvisiblePeople.tv. Go check out some of his videos and interviews. They're very powerful.

My husband has been in non-profits since graduating from college. Until last year, he worked with troubled kids. Last year, he had the opportunity to become the Executive Director of a homeless center. It has been eye opening for both of us.

Just last weekend, we passed a homeless person on the corner of the interstate exit. Off the cuff, I asked Jon if he knew the man. Jon nodded, "Yep, he's a regular."

For the first time in my life, homelessness DOES have a name.

Does it for you?

I urge you, if you're able: Stand Up and Be Counted!

Or at least check out:
The Cobblestone Project / 1,287
InvisiblePeople.tv
Mark Horvath's Blog
and think about ways that you can make a difference in your community.

I blogged about this a few days ago, but the more I watch, the cooler it gets. Go check out my friend Hugh's Mother's Day Gift to his wife on her first Mother's Day. Specifically, watch the video. It'll get you. And if you're able, please make a donation for Breast Cancer.

To summarize: Hugh's wife Amy was born in 1980. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was pregnant with Amy, and was told she wouldn't survive if she didn't terminate the pregnancy. She refused, giving birth to Amy. She celebrated Mother's Day that year, but died of breast cancer the very next day.

My Mom later told me that she knew Amy's Mom and was on her floor in college -- described her as a darling, fiesty girl whom everyone adored. Small world, eh?

As a Mom, I can understand how you can love your child so much that you would give your life for theirs. In honor of Amy's Mom who gave her life, in honor of my own wonderful Mother, in honor of my wonderful Mother-in-Law, in honor of my Grandmothers, in honor of all the other amazing women who have influenced my life -- I share this link and request with you. Please go check it out!

Some weekends there's not much going on, but then others, it's jam-packed. This may be a jam-packed weekend. Hopefully we'll still have SOME time to work on the house. I have my doubts though.

The first event is Saturday from 10-2. Initially, I thought it would be a fun Father Son date day, and I'd take Amara somewhere else. But I do think she'll love it, too.


Touch a Truck is a fundraising event for an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The event will have all sorts of trucks: buses, construction vehicles, dump trucks, emergency vehicles -- all very hands on and interactive. They'll also have face painting and the live characters (for whatever reason, the kids LOVE these characters and totally mob them, rather than run away crying). So that's option one.

Option two is the reason Jon won't be able to have a Father Son Date at Touch a Truck. The Kansas City Barbeque Society (bet you didn't know there was one of those) is coming to the area for "Smokin' in the Ozarks."


I love me some good barbecue! :) Jon has to be there, because it's also a fundraiser, this one hosted by HomeAid NWA. This organization donates a portion of the monies raised at the event to Jon's organization, Seven Hills Homeless Center. I'm not sure the kids will have as much fun at the BBQ.

However... we do need to eat lunch.

So... the verdict.

Since Jon has to be at the BBQ anyway, and the kids are more fun if we're out DOING instead of home vegging, I think we just may have to do both. We can start at Touch a Truck, then go eat lunch at Smokin' in the Ozarks, and then head home for naps.

Wanna join us? ;)

Random...
That pretty accurately describes me most of the time! So welcome to my world. That (i.e. random) will be the theme of this post. There's lots of things I wanted to share -- probably would be worthy of individual blog posts, but I'm too lazy to do that. So hop on my wavelength and consider yourself randomized! :)

The Boob Fund
Ha! That feels weird to even write! However, it's completely serious, and I want you to check it out. My friend, Hugh (aka Dude to Dad) is raising money for Breast Cancer as a gift for his wife's (Amy) first Mother's Day. You see, his Mother-in-Law discovered she had breast cancer while she was pregnant with Amy. She died the day after Mother's Day in 1980. Hugh and Amy's daughter is named after Amy's mother. What a beautiful way to celebrate and honor a life -- and what a touching Mother's Day gift. Please go check out http://www.theboobfund.com/ and donate if you're able. You can watch the video and laugh and cry, just as I did.

So... now for pics from this weekend. I already shared pics from the Komen race we attended on Saturday. On Sunday morning... oh yeah, that was my other random thought...

We went to church, and the pastor spoke on the Church of Thessolaniaca (I'm sure I completely messed up that spelling). He talked about their misunderstanding of the time in which they were -- they believed they were in "The Coming of the Lord" and past the rapture. I'm not going to summarize the sermon, because I'm sure I won't do it justice. But it was one of the better sermons we've heard. Anyway, he went on to talk about the Rapture and how all Christians being taken up would leave the earth void of the Holy Spirit (because the Holy Spirit indwells all believers). Then he used a great quote from C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" illustrating non-believers who choose to believe in the Lord once He's plainly visible. It's the quote that just really stuck with me and that I wanted to share:

"God is going to invade this earth in force. But what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream, and something else -- something it never entered your head to conceive -- comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us, and so terrible to others, that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature.

It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we have really chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back, to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.." ~ C. S. Lewis "Mere Christianity"

I just thought it was SO powerful -- it's easy to put off believing and having faith when Jesus Christ isn't right there in your face saying, "here I am -- believe!"

Anyway... on to my next random and how we spent the rest of Saturday. It was spent here (or at least part of the afternoon following naps):

I had seen this park a few times as I drove past it, and thought it would be a fun new place to explore with the kids. And it was. Except it was sand. And we were intending to go out to eat when we finished at the park. And we weren't intending to go home first to clean up. Read: MESSY!

So, we instilled a "no touching the sand" rule. Yeah, that was successful! (please hear the sarcasm dripping).

Actually, it was pretty successful for Amara. She kept looking longingly at the teens building sand castles. Then she'd look up at me and say, "Look mommy, I'm not touching the sand. I'm building a giant sand castle with my feet." They didn't really play on the equipment at all -- they longed for the sand.






Dominic, on the other hand, not so good at the no hands in the sand rule. He plopped right down next to the teen girl building the castle and asked if he could join her (hey -- at least he asked!). She looked hesitatingly at me, and I granted permission for him to hold the cup and tip the sand castle into place. It was semi-clean. Of course, then he immediately took his hand and smashed the castle to the ground so he could rebuild it. Not so clean!

Now if you don't know me well, it's imperative that you understand that I AM NOT A NEAT FREAK. I truly love few things more than just getting totally sloppy dirty in the mud, sand, or whatever. I loved playing in sandboxes as a kid. The biggest challenge we faced on Sunday was the desire to go to a restaurant without first driving home. Wet wipes and restaurant bathrooms can only accomplish so much. Jon, on the other hand, is much more of a neat person. He's the only person I know who can sit down to a 4-hour crab-picking meal (think Baltimore Blue Crab covered in Old Bay) and come out of the event with not only clean hands and arms, but also a clean glass. Me -- I'm covered in the stuff!

So I expressed to Jon how much I used to love playing in the sand and that I wanted the kids to experience that, too. Jon said, "I used to love playing in the sand, too... until one of my friends got worms from it."

My instant response: "OK, kids, let's go to the restaurant." We'll find a new park next time! EW!!!

On the remodeling front, here's the photo of our Sunday efforts:

I do realize that the photo doesn't look much different from the most recent photo. However, the differences are significant -- about 3 hours worth significant! From the old photos, you'll see that the top left cabinet was filled with grey fluff -- that grey fluff was insulation. We removed all of that into a black plastic garbage bag to be returned to the attic. The other thing you'll notice about the earlier pictures is that there was a frame work of 2x4 studs and a sheet of wallboard framing off the area above the cabinets that used to be the soffit. Additionally, there was a frame around the door. Removing all of these pieces of wood and framework was a very tedious and challenging project. Not only did they continue in the immaculate design by the carpenter, but also their location and tight spaces made it very hard to maneuver the hammer and pry bar. And the nails were HUGE nails and at angles opposite each other to provide strength -- all making it challenging to remove them!

But we did! (or Jon did). Yay us! (Yay Jon!) :)

This week may be challenging to get time for renovation work. Monday night I started a new Bible Study called "Lord, Change My Attitude." I'll admit, it speaks directly to me. The first chapter last night was on complaining. Yep -- totally convicted me. Why is it that when I'm at a loss for what to say I can't settle for silence, and must instead complain about something (it's so hot, I'm so tired, etc., etc., etc.). As if people need to know a play by play of the negative things in my life. The convicting thought was this: our complaints of the few little things in our life that are "wrong" are a direct slap in the face to God, who has given us bountiful blessings. Why can't we focus on them instead and trust that God will get us through the "small annoyances." And if we choose to focus on the good things, and choose a positive reaction to the "bad" things -- how much more joy filled will our lives be!

Yep, it was a brick upside the head night last night. Stop complaning girl!

OK, I'm off my randomness now. Out of topics for today. At least I mixed it up with some pictures. :)

Today was the annual Komen Race for the Cure. We walked it last year and did it again this year. Rather, Jon and I walked it, the kids rode -- last year in the stroller, this year in the wagon. I think they could have walked the mile, but since we had to work at the event as well, I wasn't sure they'd be able to stand for as long as was necessary (7:30am to 11:30am).



















I always love this race. So much hope, energy -- it's fun to be part of "a cause" with the kids. It's fun to teach them to give back and to work to better things for others. We didn't have the official pink paper on our shirts, but we were racing in celebration of Great Grandma. Having a personal connection to breast cancer certainly makes the day that much more meaningful.

Amara wasn't much into the race until the end, when she discovered the finish line. Then she took off running towards it -- only she didn't really know where she was going, and instead was just trying to avoid all the people. So she ran straight into the street! Thankfully police and race officials were blocking traffic and it wasn't an issue -- but it did draw a few chuckles! Dominic, likewise, enjoyed running bits and pieces of the race. He'd take off, weaving in and out of people, just to see how far away from us he could get and still safely make it back. He never let us get too far out of his site, but he did enjoy himself as well. More than the race though, the kids enjoyed all the booths and freebies that were given out in the pavillion area. As my co-workers' wife said, " This is a little girls' heaven -- lots of free stuff, and it's all pink!"

On the home renovation front, we didn't get as much accomplished today, which is understandable, considering we were gone until noon. When we returned from the race, we were beat, so we joined the kids for a nap.

Following the nap, we decided to start on the house. Jon had been determining how to best get out the little desk area in the kitchen so we could remove the last of the "extra stuff" attached to the central wall. To begin that project, we determined that we first needed to get into the attic and remove all the insulation from the soffits. Because I'm the smaller of us, and the one with the "best" knees, I was nominated. Jon suggested that I put on long sleeves and long pants before undertaking the task, but I didn't want to be bothered with that, so just put on gloves and climbed into the attic.

Mistake!

I forgot that insulation is made of fiberglass. And our insulation isn't the pink sheets -- it's all the loose gray wooly stuff. I was probably up there for 1/2 hour pulling insulation out of the soffits. In the photo, you can see where there's still insulation in the cut-out area. That's one I could get to, because the air return duct was blocking it in the attic. But you can see what my project was -- I had to clean out the other areas above the desk area -- one handful at a time. And the area I was cleaning out was about 2 feet below where my feet were safely able to stand without busting through the ceiling. Nice and fun project!

The more "fun" part came later. As I got out of the attic, I realized that my legs and arms were fire-itching. All that crazy fiberglass deposited nice little fibers all over my skin. Duh! Should have worn long clothes, despite the crazy heat in the attic. Three showers later, and it's a little better, but definitely still irritated.















Anyway, because of my need for showers, that's all we got done before the kids went to bed. Once we put them to bed, we set out to remove the desk built-ins. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get them fully removed. As I've said before, the man who built our house did it right. The sheetrock was over the area above the desk/cabinets, and metal "corner" edges lined the bottom and each corner of it. And again, there were nails upon nails upon nails -- so Jon really had to work to remove all the sheetrock. Because there was really no "open space" behind it, we couldn't really just take a sledge hammer to it and bust out the sheet rock. So the photo illustrates the work we got done today. Unfortunately, the time and effort it took really isn't accurately illustrated by the photo!

This weekend's goal: to remove those wood built-ins!

Oh, and the tally....
- Fuses Blown: 0 (though we did see sparks once with that outlet above the built-in)
- "Whew" Moments: 1 - Jon stepped on a nail, but it stuck in the heel of his shoe and didn't reach his foot
- Lessons (Re)Learned: 1 - shorts & tshirts don't mix well with fiberglass. We're long sleeves and long pants when handling it!