Monday, April 25, 2011

Funnel Cake Fun

Jennifer is one of the cutest, sweetest moms I know. As the mother of two pretty daughters, the life she describes is foreign to me, seemingly years into my future, since her girls are 13 and 11 while Georgia-Lee is barely nine. Jennifer's life is full of laughter and love for those two girls. With the teen years in full swing, giggles, drama, and even tears can happen in less time than it takes a teenager to send a text message!

I love hearing the special stories she share. Just the other day, she described a delicious moment from their time spent together. She and the girls decided to cook funnel cakes at home! Whereas I would think of all the mess and probably quickly talk myself out of the experience, Jennifer Google-searched a recipe, made some changes, and soon filled a pastry bag full of dough for the pan of hot grease. And what a fun time it sounds like they had - frying delicious hot danishes in lacey designs, dusting with powdered sugar, and eating them all gone long before cleanup was ever considered! Mmmm!!


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Letter to God

Georgia-Lee recently wrote a letter to God; she addressed the envelope to Him too. Last week, she asked me to mail it. I told her I wasn't sure that the U.S. Postal Service would allow the wooden cross to be taped to the outside of the envelope.





Her letter made me think about how important communication is. Her letter also made me think that I need to be in prayer with God more often and be thankful for my many blessings.







Saturday, April 9, 2011

It's 'DEGA, Baby!


For more than a year, I have entertained the thought of running a half marathon, which is 13.1 miles. Last Sunday, April 3, 2011, running my first half became a reality! In June 2008, I ran in my first organized race, the Summer Solstice 5K. The evening race was steamy and hot. While I didn’t win any medals for speed, it felt great to set a goal and then meet it. Over the course of the last couple of years, I have continued running. Usually I run on the treadmill at the gym but sometimes do run outside on our trail at home, at the park, or at the beach. Running 13 miles seemed like so many! I actually started training for a half in 2010 when the kids went back to school in August. In October 2010, I ran my first 10K in the Apalachicola, Floridia, Running for the Bay race. No one was more surprised than I when I actually finished first in my age class! Around that same time period, I got such horrible shin splints that I could not continue running. Sometimes it even hurt to walk. My legs really just needed a rest! In spite of what I wanted to do, I decided to take a break from the training schedule and the running. The half marathon would have to wait. With the beginning of the New Year, my goal of running a half marathon remained the same. I started training using the Hal Higdon Half Marathon for Novices training schedule. After the training began, I started looking for a fun race. The Talladega 21000, a half marathon at the track, sounded like an exciting and cool place to run my race. Proceeds from the race benefit prostate cancer education and research. Sister Jill and I both registered and continued our training. It was so nice to have a partner in training, even if she lives five hours away! :) By the time the pace car led the way for us runners, I was ready, eager, and excited to run! I ran around the track, beneath the grand stands, around the perimeter of the track, through the campgrounds, and in lots of other places too! I enjoyed water and Gatorade at all of the stations (and found five different bathrooms!). Two hours and eight minutes later, I crossed the finish line. What a great place to run, and finish, a half marathon! What a great feeling of accomplishment to set a goal and meet it! It’s ‘DEGA baby!