What's Been Happening...

Well, once again, it's been too long since I've posted anything, but... I won't bore anyone with excuses.

I had the ultimate WORSE experience of my life a couple weekends ago and finished the Half Marathon with my sister Libby, brother Drew, sister-in-law Liz and brother-in-law Mike. Of course, they all SMEARED me, but my fat butt made it across the finish line. That's all that really matters, right? I'd like to brag that I did finish in 2:42. That equates to about a consistent 12:30 miles, but I won't even lie and begin to act like it was consistent. After all, the first five miles at about 10 minutes each well balanced out the last 8 miles... need I say more?

I think I pushed to hard at the beginning. Perhaps it was the lack of training (hush Libby and Drew...)? Perhaps it was the 10 Diet Cokes I drink daily? Anyway, I RAN over the finish line... that's all that matters, right?

Steve and I also went to the Brooks &Dunn concert for Valentine's Day. We actually didn't have tickets, thinking we could easily get some from scalpers.

Two lessons learned:

1. Don't try to buy two tickets together to a country concert on Valentine's Day.


2. Not about the concert, but worth mentioning... Do not waste your time or money at Winstar Casino. I'll just put it nicely.... I was in hillbilly HELL!

As always, I am the lucky one and somehow always get an unbelieveable hook-up. I'm not bragging, just telling the truth (more examples later, or ask my sister Libby), but just when the concert was about to start a woman and her husband came up to the doors and she said she was too sick to go to the concert. He appeared perplexed, so I jumped at the opportunity and asked if he wanted to sell us his tickets. He gave in and the rest was "Neon Moon" history. We got 6th row, very comfortable seats, for less than the couple paid for them.

I was in heaven. (Posting a video from my phone soon).

What else?

Landrie is full-on reading now. I am so proud of her! And the coolest thing is she WANTS to read all of the time.

I am also the coach for her t-ball team, the WaterDogs. Needless to say, her WaterDog will have a pink bow on its head, she'll be using a sparkly pink bat and all pink accessories. My sweet niece Mikayla is also on the team. Can I get a - "Girls Rule, Boys Drool!" Well, they are the only two girls on the team and they are - in my humble opinion - the BEST on the team. I can't wait to share more of that adventure in a couple weeks.

Branden is finished with basketball and from his entire team, he won the "sportsmanship" award. The other players and the parents voted on the one kid on the team that displayed the best sportsmanship and BRANDEN WON! I am so proud of him, I can't even put it into words.

Steve is also doing GREAT. He is the best husband and father and is on track for straight As in school again.

Until next time...

January 2009

Well, the new year has come and I think we're looking pretty good in the resolution department.

Steve wants to continue doing well in school and he hasn't had a class yet, so he's still on target.

Branden is kicking booty in basketball. Not only is he making most of the baskets on his team, but he's also got AWESOME defense.

Landrie is beautiful, wonderful, happy, super, smart, gorgeous, angelic and PERFECT in every way. Not sure what her new year's resolution is/was, but she can do no wrong, so I'm sure she's still on track.

I have a few resolutions - lose weight (always - just had to throw out the worn-out treadmill. hope steve gets me a new one for my birthday, Jan. 23 - wink, wink...), focus on work, focus more on family, and learn to play a musical instrument. I am making headway on all of these. Hope I don't fall off the bandwagon!

I've also decided to write a children's book. I have the BEST idea, but don't want to let the cat out of the bag. My friend Jan says I have to set a goal for myself - so many pages per week. I've decided to write five pages per week. I should have this book done in NO TIME!

Now, I keep telling myself that I have to write down funny things the kids say, so here's from this week:
I was playing trivia with Steve this past week and I had to name each state capital. Later that night, I asked Branden if he's learned his capitals in school yet. He said, "Of course! Capital 'A,' capital 'B,' capital 'C,'.". It was too cute!

I was doing a puzzle with Landrie a couple days ago and kept calling her (as I always do) "Lanj." It's just a quick, easy name to call her. In the cutest little 5-year-old voice ever she sqeaked at me, "Mom, if you wanted to name me Lanj, you should have named me Lanj when I was born. I am 5 and a half and my name is LANDRIE!" I about fell out of my chair!

Anyway, Steve begins school again Tuesday so we're all ready to get back in the books with daddy (we love to study classes with him). He and the kids have Monday off for Marting Luther King Day. By the way, if you haven't taken the time to read his "I Have A Dream" speech, you really should. It's amazing, if you take the time to read it word for word. What a sensitive, kind, intelligent, non-violent, humble man. I wish he would have lived long enough to see his dreams come true.

By the way - couple non-family-related items... I just found out that the gentleman who owns the rafting company, Mountain Man Rafting, that we frequent in Colorado was diagnosed with a brain tumor a couple months ago and passed away this week. Lots of prayers and love to his family and everyone who worked with him. He was from Fort Worth - imagine that! - and he gave up a Mercedes and a cush job in Dallas to follow his heart. He moved to the mountains and started the rafting company. What a lesson in life!

Also, an airplane crashed into the Hudson River in NYC yesterday. Miraculously, the pilot landed the airplane safely in the river, which is the first time this has ever been done without a fatality. Again, this highlights that life can be over at any moment. We need to cherish the people in our lives for the short amount of time we have here with them. Every day of this life is a blessing.

Happy journey!

2008 Holidays in the Colorado Mountains

Instead of enjoying the frenzy of post-Christmas shopping and 60 degree temperatures in Texas, we decided to head to the Rocky Mountains to sled, ski and enjoy toasty warm evenings for our 2008 holiday vacation.

Actually, it was exactly nine years ago - when businesses, neighbors and friends were terrrified of what would happen as the world flipped the switch to a new mellinium - when Steve and I decided to spend New Year's Eve removed from the anxiety and hussle-bussle of the city to enjoy the peace and serenity of the Colorado mountains.

I remember watching CNN as the world celebrated the Mellinium with a bit of anxiety, fireworks, champagne and the question-of-the-year: "Is our world going to continue rotating on its axis at 12:00 a.m.?" as Steve and I snuggled up next to the fireplace with hot chocolate, a flannel blanket and the most spectacular view of the snow-covered mountains. If the world ended at the stroke of midnight, we wouldn't have noticed or cared a bit. It was then that I noticed there is something magical about spending the holidays in the pine- and alpine-covered mountains far away from anything commercial, convenient or artificial.

Now, two rambunctious kids later, we - once again - celebrated the holidays covered in snow. Both of my parents have cabins in the southern Colorado area, so we spend time near Creede or South Fork, Colo., both of which are remotely situated in the mountians, without a hospital, gas station, or Wal-Mart within a reasonable distance. Less shopping and planned activity = more family time... something we can always use more of.

This trip, Landrie caught the flu and was in bed the first couple days here, but a quick shot of Phenergren at the closest clinic about 50 miles away, and she's back to her normal self.

Branden and Steve jumped right into winter activities on Day 1. A few summers back, Mom gave Branden and Steve the nicknames "Lewis and Clark" because they are always on an adventure. Sometimes their adventures take them just a mile up the road and other times they're gone the entire day. No matter how long their gone, my two men always come home with tales that would make Mark Twain envious. In fact, just this morning, they showed me pictures they took of Big Foot's tracks in the snow. I almost want to believe them, they really appear to be the REAL THING!

This Colorado vacation, like all other winter vacations we've spent here, are delightfully cold, white, crisp and short-of-breath when we're outside. Inside, we spent the week playing board games, creating our favorite cold-weather dishes (potato soup is my favorite!) and napping. I used to feel a little guilty when I napped during the day, but now I've decided it's one of my "mountain-life guilty pleasures," along with pancakes for breakfast every morning.

Our 2008 holiday vacation has come to an end today and I'd have to admit, I'm a little sad...

This morning, we went to a reindeer ranch. The white reindeer and gi-normous elk were absolutely beautiful. We've seen the reindeer (aka caraboo) and elk in the wild before, but didn't get the chance to see them this trip, so we drove the kids up to a ranch where they are raised. The little secret we didn't share with Branden and Landrie is that - just 10 feet away in the silver metal shed - is where they were "processed" into jerky and hamburgers that we are going to have for dinner tonight.

We're going home tomorrow morning. Hopefully, we won't get stuck in a snowstorm like we did last year, when we spent almost two days in one spot - LITERALLY - on I-40 waiting for state troopers to open the interstate.

The past week has been full of wonderful memories. The images I've posted here can never express the magnitude of the memories we've made over the last eight days.

Snowball fights, snow angels, eating newly-fallen snow, the way to snow sparkles when you see it first thing in the morning, hugging my entire family when the clock struck midnight, kissing Steve with snow falling around us, watching Branden flying down the mountain and "catching air" as he jumps a mogul, waiting patiently to find out if Landrie was laughing or crying at the bottom of mountain then hearing her say, "I want to do that again!" with her squeeky 5-year-old voice, seeing Steve's excitment when he spots a deer, fox, moose or bear that no one else in the world would have noticed, piling our wet socks next to the fireplace, cuddling up with Steve, Branden and Landrie to keep warm....

These are the captured moments that make life worth living. These are the memories that will live in my mind and in my heart - the memories that take my breath away - that I will cherish all of my life.

Day One

Only 10 days until Christmas and, while I was thinking about the BEST gift to give my children and my husband, I thought about the gift of memories.

As a writer, I have been HORRIBLE about chronicling my own family's daily experiences, thoughts, funny saying and highs and lows... but get paid to write about everything everyone else around me is doing!

This blog isn't merely a gift for my entire family, it's a New Year's resolution for me to keep a journal and share it with the world. It will get personal, it will get mushy and sad, it will get funny, but - most of all - I will get all of it "down on paper" so my children and their children will remember the good times (and the bad).

Thanks for sharing this life with us!