I was not an athlete growing up. I quit softball half way through my first season when I was 8 telling my dad, “I hate it. You get all sweaty and dirty and stuff!” (The fact that I had gotten hit in the face twice with a softball didn’t help either).
In eighth grade I found myself at a new school and decided to play lacrosse. My friends were all playing and it seemed like fun. I remember the look of shock on my mom’s face when she picked me up from practice the day this pictures was taken. What happened to her little girlie girl? Here I was covered in mud and smiling!
I had a great time playing lacrosse. Basically it was time after school each day to hang out with my friends. And I had to suffer through some running on the side. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to be good, really I did. But to be honest, the only reason I was on the team was because our school was small enough that they didn’t have cuts. I held the role of bench warmer aka team encourager. I have many “spirit awards” sitting in my box of high school mementos. I sat the bench for 5 years. When the team was ahead by enough points, the coach would let me go in and play. And my loving parents faithfully came to watch for those short moments in the spotlight. I think they were the real encouragers.
Visit We are THAT Family for more blasts from the pasts!
Anyone want to guess what this picture shows….
That is the roof of our "white" Ford Escape. I guess you could say its been awhile since car washing made it to the top of the to-do list.
You know it’s time to go it again when your kid hears the term ‘car wash’ and responds with a giggle, "You can’t wash cars! That’s silly!"
Ummm….yea…the last time we washed our car this is what my son looked like.
2 years later… the picture has changed somewhat.
And we’ve acquired a little more "help." 
Seems the circus life has kept us a bit distracted over the past 2 years… Yes, I am embarrassed to admit the last time we washed our car was May of 2006. Our middle daughter is actually older then our son was that last time. Pathetic!
But now that we have such eager helpers, I am sure we will make it out to wash them again before our son is in kindergarten. And maybe another 3 or 4 times before he is driving them? Maybe….
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**Updated…for those those that asked Movie Review Below**
I’m going on a hot date tonight with my hubby and I am SO excited!! My legs are shaved, eye brows plucked, and I’m even going to wear a skirt and put on make up!! Perhaps I’ll even add a little jewelry for sparkle!!
This time we aren’t going to Toys R Us! I got free movie tickets at the grocery store earlier this summer so thanks to Sarah’s raving review, we’re going to see the new Batman Movie and eating dinner too (one where we don’t have to cut food into tiny pieces, sop up spilled milk, AND we can even have a complete conversation)!
I love my kids TONS, but I am super duper excited to have a night out on the town with my man!
Since many of you kindly asked, I thought I’d share a few quick thoughts on the movie. My hubby and I thought it was excellent! It was well written and superbly acted. I will say it seemed a bit long, almost like it ended at one point and it went into a second movie. But it was really well done and I thought it had such an interesting plot that I didn’t mind. Bob, you are right, the joker is sorta depressing, but one of the things we like about Batman is that the bad guys are truly evil, there is no ambiguity. Heth Ledger did an outstanding job of portraying a truly mad and evil man… I’d say it was an award winning portrayal. You can see the effects of sin and evil on the town of Gotham. If you want a picture of a city void of God’s common grace, Gotham is such a place. I would recommend the movie. However, I would not recommend it for children, just wanted to set the record straight. It is not called Dark Knight for nothing!
And to those that wondered, Scott and I had a fabulous night out together. It was fun to get dressed up and eat and talk and hold hands. Thanks to Nana and Pop for babysitting for us!
I had a great post written "in my head" Saturday morning. I was setting off to do a 6 mile run. It would have been the longest run I had ever done in my life. Before training for the Annapolis 10 Mile that I am working towards at the end of the summer, the farthest I had run was a 5K (3.1 miles) So, this would have been about twice that.
Ya know how they say don’t count your chickens before they hatch?
Yea…don’t write your blog achievements before you actually do them.
I learned a few more things on my run Saturday morning.
- The later in the day you run, the hotter it is and thus the harder it is to run. Sleeping in on Saturday was SO not worth it once I was running in the sun.
- Starting on a hill is the way to go. I clearly do not know how to pace myself. At home I start going up hill which really helps. This time I started down hill and then flat…I burned out fast.
- When given the choice of running beside the water or under the shade of a building, I go with the shade. Views are nice but when you are hot and tired, you’ll slow down for every tree you find.
- There is no stopping to get a rest for a minute… this is a deadly trap.
Yea, I tried that and I am sad to tell you I didn’t finish my run. I was tired, and I gave up. And the long walk back to my family waiting at the playground stunk.
I have never considered myself to be a competitive person. I played lacrosse in high school (by play I mean I wore the uniform while sitting on the bench). I didn’t really care if we won or loss, I was just there to have fun with my friends.
But walking back from my run, I felt like crying. I had a goal. I wanted to run 6 miles that day and instead I ran less than what I had done in the past. I couldn’t blame it on anyone. I had no excuse. I stopped. I didn’t meet my goal. I felt like for the first time I could relate to a receiver who was wide open but let the ball slip through his fingers, or the basketball player who missed the free throw shot…no one to blame but yourself.
By the time I met up with my crew, I had a new resolve. I would try again Monday. I would not give up. I have 4 weeks to prepare to run 10 miles. Currently I know I can run 4 without a problem. 6 to go… Had I not set this goal for myself, I am confident at this point I’d give up. I do not see that as an option since I have registered, blogged about it, and signed up with friends and family to run with me.
So today I will try again. I can only hope that the thrill of victory will be all the sweeter after tasting the agony of defeat this weekend.
But I won’t write that post yet…
There were a few blogs I read regularly this winter before I started blogging myself. One of these is Confessions of a CF Husband. Nate and his wife Tricia have had an incredible year, filled with many scary and uncertain moments. It is obvious to me from reading their blogs that they love the Lord and they truly trust in His sovereign will for their lives. It is both humbling and inspiring to read about their journey.
After reading his posts this week, I have been incredibly impressed with Nate and his wife Trica’s strong faith during discouraging and uncertain times. When the test results they received this week weren’t the ones they were hoping for or expecting, he wrote with honesty and candor about their feelings, and yet truly praised the Lord through the difficult times.
I want to encourage you to take some time this weekend to read his posts from this week, starting with this post and working through the week. They are a great example of a couple deeply in love with each other and their Lord, trusting the Lord each day for each and every breath.
Please also spend some time praying for his wife Tricia, and their daughter Gwyneth.
Weekend Thoughts:
My posts typically relate funny anecdotes about the happenings here at the circus. While my days are seldom “normal” enough to leave me without a “post worthy” moment, I use my last post of the week to highlight something a little more “thoughtful” and significant. If you had a thoughtful post from this last week, or choose to make a new one, please feel free to add a link in the comments section below. I’d love to hear what others are learning.
