Black Friday - We just don't get it

Black Friday is madness, pure madness. I've never had the desire to get out in the middle of the night, wait in long lines in cold weather and bombard a store as the doors open simply to save 75 percent on a flat screen TV. As I heard reports of men being tasered over a Kindle and a grandfather being arrested for trying to protect his grandson from being trampled, I had to wonder what God thinks of all of this. How does He feel about how we, His children, have turned His Son's holiest birthday into a shopping bonanza?

I'm certain He doesn't like it. Just like we aren't too happy when our children do things like fight with their brothers or sisters over a toy, pitch a temper tantrum when you won't let them have a piece of chocolate before dinner or worse, tell their grandmother this wasn't the gift they wanted for Christmas. We get upset, frustrated and disappointed, but we still love them. Just as God still loves us when we fight over the latest Nintendo DS games in the middle of a crowded Wal-Mart at 3 a.m. He still loves us, even though sometimes we just don't get it. We don't get what Jesus' birthday truly means. We don't get that it meant God came down in the form of man to save us from our horrible sins. We don't get that it means everlasting love and joy for all who will simply love Him back. We don't get it because we're human and we're flawed. In God's eyes we often act like a 2-year-old who doesn't get her way.

However, we are all capable of getting it, at least as best as our human minds will allow. So as we prepare for the birthday of the One who has saved us from our crazy antics, my prayer is we will all take a moment to be still. A moment to realize the true miracle of Christ's birth. I challenge us to do something for others this holiday season, whether it's feeding the homeless, visiting a nursing home, or simply turning off the television and spending quality time with the family.

I mess up everyday. I do stupid things to make God wonder where He went wrong. So this holiday season my goal is to make Him quit shaking His giant head at my childish acts, and have Him be a proud parent of His child who is trying her best to get it.

13.1 trains me to be thankful

I did it!!! 13.1 miles in 2 hours 52 minutes! If someone had told me six months ago that I would be running a half-marathon in November, I would have laughed in their face. It’s amazing what we can do when we truly put our mind and body to it.

The training process was long, but all worthwhile and it wasn’t something I decided to do on my own. Back in early July my friend Helen approached me with the idea of training to run the half in honor of her sister-in-law, Lynn, who was recently diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. She wanted to raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association to show support for Lynn. This was the push I needed to make this dream a reality. I made my decision to run and never looked back.

A couple of months into our training I had the idea to add an honoree to my fundraising efforts. My boss’ daughter, MK, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the young age of 14 years old. It wasn’t until after a 9 hour surgery they were blessed with the news of MK’s tumor being benign. She has now grown-up to be an amazing young woman and is a freshman at Auburn University. While MK hasn’t battled cancer, she has dealt with the numerous side effects, which come from major brain surgery and she’s handled it all with inspiring courage.

Lynn and MK have both been my inspiration throughout my days, weeks and months of training. On a morning when I just didn’t feel like getting out of the bed, I would think of Lynn and how she has fought so hard every day to beat this cancer. When I just didn’t think I could run another step, I would think of MK and all of the physical therapy she has endured over the years.

There are so many Lynn’s and MK’s out there. We all have our own trials and troubles. We all have days when we just don’t want to get out of bed. When I have days like this I think of the blessing of my health and how I should NEVER take it for granted. The stories of Lynn and MK have opened my eyes. I thank God everyday for the little things like being able hold my children, hug my husband and run down the street. This 13.1 miles has taught me many things about myself, but most of all it’s taught me to be thankful to Him for each and every moment of LIFE.

(Oh, and yes, I’m now proudly sporting the 13.1 magnet on the back of my car!)

Training

This Sunday is a huge milestone for me. I've been preparing for four months to run my first half-marathon. 13.1 miles. Five months ago I could barely walk one mile!

Training for a run of this level brings a new realization about what you're actually capable of handling. Taking the risk of running 13.1 miles and making it happen has allowed me to realize I can succeed at anything I put my mind to. No matter how impossible it may seem.

Writing is my passion. I've missed writing this year and I never imagined training for a half-marathon would lead me back to it. This experience has made me want to focus on writing, wherever it may lead me.

I look forward to sharing my next post about the excitement of finishing the race and finally putting that 13.1 magnet on the back of my car.

"A" for Effort

It never fails, you finally make a decision to get back into shape. You wake up early to walk/run several days a week to be prepared for a 5K, and ultimately a half-marathon. You get super pumped about the 5K, even buying new running apparel for the big day. You load up the kids bright and early on that exciting morning and drive out to the race. You pull up to the race with that feeling of "I can do this.." and then you hear from the back seat....Blllluuuggghhh...and then "Eeeewwww Mommy, Chelsea threw up!"

Really?

Seriously?

Both of my kids are prone to car sickness? This isn't fair.

So, I put on my Mommy hat and went to work. I basically bathed my baby in a public bathroom. I'm not sure which was nastier, the puke or the bathroom. I eventually get her cleaned, myself together and everyone settled. My friend/running buddy Helen and her husband David were lifesavers by helping me with both kids. David agrees to watch J.K. and their son, while Helen and I planned to push Chel and their daughter in a double jogging stroller. As we are loading the girls into the stroller we realize that the race is starting...without us. We rush to get the girls piled in and take off, leaving David to hang with our boys. In the end, we finished in about 36 minutes, which wasn't too bad considering how our morning started.

As ridiculous as the morning was, the 5K was for a wonderful cause. It was the 3rd Annual Baby Steps 5K Memorial Run. The race supports The Amelia Center, a grief counseling center offering free services to those who have lost loved ones. The Center has been a wonderful source of hope for us over the years and I believe we are blessed to have a place like this in Birmingham. A big thank you to my friend Abby Nicholas for being one of the founders of this race. Everything she does is to remember her twin boys, Braden and Brody, and I'm so proud of her efforts and to have her as a friend. So regardless of how my morning started, it ended with lots of smiles and a few tears as we remembered those we love.

Respect for the SAHM

Every time I stay home alone with the kids I always end up with much respect for my SAHM friends! When I'm at the office I have to deal with things like deadlines, paperwork, emails, phone calls, etc. I don't have to come up with creative projects like making toilet paper roll puppets or baking Dora cupcakes (see previous post). I've never had to pull a crayon out of my co-worker's mouth and I most definitely haven't had to build a fort out of my office furniture. And I promise you I've NEVER had to forcefully pry a fishing net off of anyone's head after their big brother "caught" them as if they were the big catch of day! Luckily I was able to handle this last task without calling the paramedics, which I thought I was going to have to do after I was unsuccessful in removing the net with the first few attempts.

So, yes I have serious respect for the SAHM. Anyone that ever said it was easy has obviously never spent a day in her shoes!

Cupcake Disaster

I'm thinking of opening one of those cute little cupcake shops. What do you think?

The Poo Incident

Hi there...remember me? Yeah, I know it's been forever, but we'll just move on as if it's only been a few days since my last blog post.

So anyway, I have one of those glorious Mommy moments to share. One day last week I woke up at 6 a.m. as I usually do and began my day by rolling out of bed and walking to the kitchen to start the coffee, only before I made it to the kitchen I found that our finicky French Bulldog, Lily, decided to leave me a lovely surprise of poop on my living room floor. Oh, what a lovely way to start the day. So I proceed to clean up her nasty mess and of course, I used entirely too much toilet paper and plugged the toilet. Fabulous! Time to bring out the plunger and put my plumber's daughter skills to work. I unstop the toilet, yay me!

Finally, it's time to start the coffee and jump in the shower before the kids wake up. I get out of the shower and hear Chelsea chatting up-a-storm in her room. I go into check on her and notice that she's soaked from head to toe. I knew better than to let her sleep in a LUVS diaper. Time to put the brakes on getting ready and give Chel a quick bath. I bathe her and then let her play in the tub while I get ready in the bathroom with her. Now, from where I'm standing I can see her every little move in the mirror. Then I see it...the face...you know what I'm talking about, the squished eyes, wrinkled nose and red coloring. I scream, "Nooooooooo!" But it was too late. Yes, there it was in the tub with my adorable (oh-so-proud-of-herself) baby girl...poop. Mind you, in my 3 1/2 years of motherhood this has NEVER happened to me. This was a true holy-crap (no pun intended)-what-do-I-do kind of moment! So I grab the baby, who proceeds to scream at the top of her lungs because of course she's perfectly happy playing in poo-water, get her cleaned up and dressed. I then go back into the bathroom with a plastic cup in one hand and bleach in the other to begin the removal and clean-up process. After disinfecting everything in sight, I was finally able to resume my morning routine and get J.K. up and ready.

We get out the door to head to the car when J.K. finds a rolly-polly, picks it up and then drops it. He thus begins a crying fit because he's lost his new-found pal. I ask him to search for him while I buckle Chel into her seat, then I smell it...you know the smell. I pull back the diaper and not only do I see it, but oh yes...it's all over my hand!!! I mean seriously? How can this much poo happen to one person in less than 45 minutes?? So I get the baby into a football hold to carry her in the house and clean her up...again! Meanwhile, J.K. refuses to come inside because he can't find the dang rolly-polly. I finally lose it and scream, "It's just a BUG and I have POO on my HAND! Now get in the house!" I think I scarred him for life at that moment, but we'll deal with that another day. I finally get Chel cleaned up, both kids in the car and after an unbelievable poo-filled morning we were finally on our merry way to school and work.

And no, we never found the poor bug.