Learning New Things

While never-ending scrapbook project(s) are coming along. (You may remember that I embarked on a journey to get everything scrapped, which included about 3 years worth of pictures.) That project is coming along. 2007 is virtually completed, 2006 still has a long way to go, 2008 is kind of hit and miss, and 2009 is about half-way done. It seems like a lot still to be done, but it is progress.

Along they way, I purchased a ScrapRack when I was at the scrapbook convention. Well, I actually started my purchase. I say started because I have added to the contraption about 3-4 times since August. It's a very cool thing because almost every piece of scrapbook "stuff" is filed almost neatly in it. That project took a long time, but I am feeling a little more in control of my stuff (instead of it controlling me). I also found a bunch of stuff I had been looking for, had forgotten I had or just plain needed to get rid of.

So, since that is almost done, I have tackled another project that has been sitting in my inbox for weeks and weeks. Molly convinced me to sign up for a digital scrapbook class to learn how to use Photoshop. (I have had that for almost a year and cannot figure out how to use it.)

During my week off, I finally got started on it and wa-la. This is what I did in the first lesson. Pretty cool, huh? It's a 12x12 scrapbook page. I will probably never print it out, but I did learn quite a few things about Photoshop. The photography world should beware....here I come.

More of CBT's Birthday

I'm sure I've mentioned before that we tried to really set Christopher's birthday apart from Thanksgiving. There was the spend-the-night party a week before and then the day-long celebration on the date. There was the remote-controlled race and more cake. It was an awfully cute little birthday cake that Mama Grace got for him.

I had a few funky candles and for the second time this year, CBT was blowing out candles.

With only nine to blow out, he handled it quite easily.

After the singing and cake, it was back to play with more of his birthday toys. He loves NERF guns. We are now the proud owners of a NERF tommy gun. He is quite the special ops guy for a 9-year-old.

I think all-in-all he had a good birthday.

RC Races

I have to admit that it took a bit to put 2 and 2 together. The fact that RC stood for Remote Controlled...well, RC just wasn't part of my lexicon. But after CBT's birthday that all changed.

After the course was carefully set and the timer was ready to go, the races began. There were actually a series of races - one with each of the cares. The best cumulative time would win.

The competition was fierce and, of course, we had hurt feelings.

Concentration was key....

...but, form was also helpful.

We all participated....CBT, JST, Aunt Carol and me. It was actually a lot of fun once we recovered from feeling like we were treated unfairly.

It was a good day for a birthday. (Did I mention this was actually Christopher's birthday? We tried to make as much of it as we could since it falls so close to Thanksgiving.)

In the end practice paid off and you really could control that car.

The score tabulation became quite involved and the timer/scorekeeper had to sit to keep from overloading.

In the end, the competition was close except between 3rd and 4th place. James won and I came in last. A very distant last. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my trying to keep everyone having fun. I'm not afraid to let others laugh at me....especially, when I've done something ridiculously funny.

CBT's Birthday

It seems that once a week is working for me right now I'll go with it. After this post I will have you caught up to just before Thanksgiving. Well, you sort have part of Thanksgiving already, so maybe this gets you to the middle of Thanksgiving. But, as usual I digress.

Christopher was a Thanksgiving baby. He was supposed to be a Christmas baby with a due date of December 23rd. Thankfully (at least I think so), he was born the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in 2000. (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that everyone was at our house for Thanksgiving that year since I couldn't travel.) I went into labor early (for the second time) and announced to anyone that would listen at the hospital that I was not going home until I had Christopher. (I wonder where his strong will comes from.)

All that to say that often his birthday gets all mixed up with the Thanksgiving festivities or traveling. This year, we made a plan to have his party before Thanksgiving so it absolutely would be separate. You must understand that his parties are in the planning phase for a good six months before they occur. We agonize over all the details. He handles picking the theme and planning all activities. Unlike his older brother who has had most of his parties at a venue, Christopher always wants his at home so he can control events.

After several close calls with Stars Wars, Indiana Jones and Batman, the Army theme won the day. He carefully picked the decorations and the plan for the cake. Yep, he even decorates his own cake. Has for years. He threw me a curve ball this year, though. Usually, I just have to get icing of his choice on the cake and then he decorates. This year? Camouflage, of course. Have you ever tried making icing that is black, brown, gray and various shades of green? A challenge to say the least.

The red stuff on the lower right corner? It's a rocket from a rocket launcher on the left hand side. It's all the flame/fire that comes from the hit. He really doesn't leave out any details. The men were carefully positioned to look like a real battle. (Just ignore the turkey candle holders in the middle of the table. We got them off before it was time to blow out the candles.)

I love Luke's face in the background of this photo. Have no idea what they were saying or why he was reacting this way.

Did I mention it was a spend-the-night party? Did I mention that at 3am, I had to get up and make them turn off the light? Did you know that when you have an army theme, you have to play war for hours on end?

I think they had a really good time and they seemed to be in pretty good spirits when they left. I cannot be held responsible for what they were like after they got home (exhausted) and the sugar from the doughnuts kicked in. I had to reward them for protecting the homefront.

Another Book

Honestly, where does the time go? I have some cute CBT birthday party pictures to share and some others, but I just haven't had a spare minute. That seems to be a common theme among all the other mothers I speak, too. Another common theme? That our kids all think we're cranky. I met a woman yesterday whose son I also just met made it is goal to let me know mom had been being cranky. I re-assured her I understood the difference in our definition of cranky and the mom definition. It was our little secret.

One thing I have been doing more of, even though I really don't have the time, is reading. I have come across several, really thought-provoking books. The one I just finished is The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian.

Parts of it just made me sick, others made me think. It really made me want to protect my children from all kinds of things. I highly recommend it.

More light-hearted fare soon. I hope you all are enjoying your Christmas season.

It's a Star Wars Invasion

The Star Wars Symphony...it couldn't get any better for the young Jedi at our house. He loves theater/music and he love Star Wars so we splurged a bit and got tickets. We had heard it was very good and we were not disappointed.

There was a museum with items displayed from the movie. We saw Chewbacca, Yoda, Hans when he was frozen, and lots of clothing items.

What surprised us were how many people who just dressed up and let you take pictures with them. It soon became clear that we couldn't tell who was there because they were with the Symphony and who was there because they love Star Wars (and as Christopher explained, they wanted to make little kids happy).

Either way, it was a lot of fun, the Symphony was great and it was even greater hearing him hum along and keep the beat with his hands/feet/head - whatever was convenient at the moment.

Belated Happy Thanksgiving

Well, I had great intentions of catching you up and sharing quite a few pictures during any downtime on Thanksgiving Day. And, I will still share those stories (of course, over time...don't want to overload you), but not today.

On Thanksgiving, we go to my mom and dad's, have some stress of some sort about the food, eat way too much and then play a football game. Every other year, my cousin and his family come up so the game takes on all new meaning. I usually have a couple of pretty good photos from the day. Not this year.

I won't bore you (or gross you out) with the details, but I got sick about 1:30 am Thanksgiving morning. It's been a long time since I've been that sick. You can imagine all the downsides. Well, maybe one not so obvious one. I didn't get to visit with my cousin's family....I literally didn't get out of bed on Thursday. I really enjoy them and his wife is a sweetheart. (I really like her.) She went to Wal-Mart with me for one of the multiple trips I made because I forgot something. And, well, you know small-town Wal-Marts, you see people you know. You may not have seen them for 20 years so you have to catch up. She was so patient.

The upsides? Well, for the first time ever, I didn't overeat on Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, I didn't eat even one bite. I think the best upside, though, was seeing how all my boys were so concerned and trying to take care of me. Of course, my mother did too, but that's what mother's do - we can't help it. Love her for it, but it wasn't the same as Christopher coming in to pat on me and put his face on my cheek. Or, James hearing me at 1:30 and coming to check on me and get me a wash cloth. My sweet husband who checked on me every little bit and sat in the room with me in case I needed anything.

It wasn't what I had expected, but I had so much to be thankful on Thanksgiving day.

We Have Girls

My dad has always wanted granddaughters. Finally, after years and years, there are girls in our family.

I am pretty sure this is not what he had in mind. James researched and researched and studied. He made a budget and a list of things to do and how often to do them. After months and months of waiting and planning, we got Pumpkin and Bristle.

I have to admit they're pretty cute.

Last Guatemala Story...at least until Next Year

This is the last and probably my most heart-wrenching story. Several years ago we started sponsoring a couple of boys at Mana de Vida. It's a school that is affiliated with the church and ministry that we work with in Guatemala. The two boys, Daniel and Brayan, are roughly James and Christopher's ages. We were so fortunate to be able to meet them when we were there 18 months or so ago. I felt like we had an instant bond.

This year we were able to once again set up a meeting. We were really looking forward to seeing them. Unlike last year when we went to their school to see them, their principal brought them to us, which was a big trip for them. Unfortunately, there is never enough time, but the guys did get some playing in.

They had hoped that Christopher would be with us this time, but they were content with "just" James. After they played a while, we had a short visit with them and Jessica, the principal. She gave us an update on how they were doing in school. It's amazing how much they seems like our guys. Brayan, the younger one, is the class entertainer and is very outgoing. (Sound like anyone you know?) Daniel is one of the best students in the school and more...shall we say controlled. But then heart-breaking part, she said that his mom had tried to pull him out of school before the end of the year. Fortunately, they talked her into letting him stay. (Their school year ends in October.) She was very concerned about next year.

His mom is a street vendor and makes about $12 a month. I'm sure that every little bit helps, but for him to start street vending now means that would be his life. He stood there and just cried. I really could hardly stand it (and have tears welling up again to think about it). We really don't realize how good we have it.

We look forward to seeing them again next and hope and pray that Daniel will be there for us to see.

Happy Halloween!

After our trip to North Georgia, Christopher painstakingly carved his pumpkin with a little help from his dad.

It had to be just perfect. He plans for Halloween night for months - picking out exactly the perfect costume.

James didn't trick or treat last year, but he couldn't be outdone by his little brother. Quite a stroke of creativity from him...a redneck. I think his dad was concerned that much of the wardrobe came from his closet :) You probably can't read it, but his name tag says, "Hi, my name is Joe Bubba." I think that sounds more like south Alabama than south Georgia.

Never to be outdone....Christopher as a commando or army soldier or something like that. The best surprise was that his spend-the-night company came as a soldier, too. No advance planning. They were a pretty cute cool pair. (Boys are not cute I was told every time someone told them they had great costumes and looked cute.)

Pretty vicious.

I just thought they were cute. (And, oh, did I mention we came back with 15+ pounds of candy in what must have been the most miserable trick or treating I have ever done - cold and raining. The payoff has clearly been worth it. They have spent a really, really long time sorting and trading candy.)

Guatemala Photo Journal

Most of my favorite shots from the trip with just a few saved for a post of their own.

Part of the week was at the Mexico border near the Pacific Ocean. A lot of tropical floribunda (and malaria medicine)

The first village was high on the side of a volcano - maybe 7,000 - 8,000 feet up. It was so isolated and the people were a little aloof and hungry and in need of so many things.

James participating in the children's program. He told me Miss Susan told him she was glad to see he could finally color in the lines. (She was his Sunday School teacher when he was four.)

This man had the most wonderful smile. He was missing most of his teeth, but it was such a gracious, thankful smile. I tried to get him to smile for a picture, but just wasn't successful. He gave me a great one when he saw his picture, though.

These guys were at that first village. They LOVED getting their picture and videos made.

Some of the team with Pastor Marco Antonio. I really enjoyed trying to chat with him. We worked with him at his church plant.

James sharing the gospel with an Evangicube.

The road to the first village. I use the term road loosely.

This little girl still haunts my memory.

Roadwork

Hope you enjoy.

Great Book

I am really not great about reading books. Don't misunderstand, I do like to read but when do I ever have time? I have decided to try to make the most of my travel time and read more. So to that end, I read The Case for Civility by Os Guiness. I will leave the book critic job to my cousin, Lisa, but I will tell you this is a really good book. (You should drop by and read Lisa. She's awesome on so many topics and I really am not biased a bit. Just to prove it, I have read an article by her in a magazine my mom had...)

Any way, I won't try to review the book and critique it, but I do recommend it. Guiness takes some of our political issues on quite directly. He's not from the U.S. so he has a very nice, somewhat detached perspective. He takes on the far right and the far left and challenges us to approach our issues as Christ would. Love to hear what any of you think if you pick it up.

I have a couple of more posts from Guatemala cooking and some pics from North Georgia...just be patient. I'm getting there.

PS Miss Jane, the boys said they felt bad for you when I said I didn't feel bad for any Tennessee fans :)

Home

We're home after a very quick week. Quite a few of us feel like this week went so quick. I have more to share and pictures to share, but it's late and I'm really trying to get unpacked.

As always, it was an amazing trip. I especially appreciated hearing Hermann talk about his vision and what exactly he's trying to accomplish there. Sometimes there I find myself forgetting that Guatemala really is a third world country - they treat us so well and sometimes it feels like the villages we visit are the exception. They aren't and there is so much need there on so many levels. Some need clean water and some need food, but on this trip I was struck how much uncertainty there is. Guatemala borders Honduras, where there are significant political issues. I was more keenly aware on this trip and the concern that some have about Chavez's attempt to expand his sphere of influence, shall we say.

We take our freedom to worship, to get news, to work hard and be compensated so much for granted. I appreciate what this team does day in and day out to transform there country starting where we all should - showing people that our only hope is in Jesus Christ.

We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. More soon.

Thursday

I had no idea how long today would be. It seemed like it would be an easy day given we only had to drive about 30 minutes. The little church we visited is one that is just getting started. They just had their music equipment stolen so they changed locations and had only been there a week.

I think this was my favorite day. The people were much talkative and open. I had a kind of conversation with the pastor, Marco Antonio. Between my very bad Spanish and his broken English, we were actually able to communicate. It was so encouraging to see him encouraged by our visit. It was so neat to see his heart for Jesus.

I realized during our first trip that these trips are more for us than the Guatemalans. Don't get me wrong....I think amazing things happen, but the way I am changed is also amazing. I see the needy in Atlanta so much more differently. I see needs around the world differently- I am more eager to give. So while our Guatemalan friends could do this without us, I think there wisdom in coming if only briefly.

I hope to get some pictures up soon. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Wednesday Backtracking

It was chilly Tuesday night, but it was beautiful. We were near the Mexican border and the Pacific Ocean. The plants and birds were tropical. I woke up early again - it was dark still and the skies were absolutely gorgeous. Devotion was, well, it was one of Hermann's devotions. I think we wrapped up in about 2 and a half hours. Hermann always encourages and challenges us.

We were then off to the clinic. Breakfast was waiting and was really good. We had some lemonade from a fruit that was a combination of tangerine and lemon. It was so good - it was still warm since they had to boil the water for us. The tortillas were excellent, Mexican style they called then because they were thinner.

Thr clinic was really good, but heartbreaking at the same time. The people were so open to the gospel because they have nothing else to hope in or trust in. I sat with two women who broke my heart. The first, Helen, was taking care of her siblings. Her mother died recently and although she was old enough to leave home, but believed she needed to stay with the kids because her father is so angry. I just felt for her. The other had a precious baby named Fernando. He could barely hear or so. He feet turned in. His mom had such a sweet spirit - they will stick with me for a long time.

We were there all day, leaving around 3:30 for the long drive home. We rode through a gorgeous coffee plantation. It was dotted with shanty-like homes that the plantation owners provided for the workers. It is the rainy season so it rained and rained. It quickly got dark and driving on those roads without lights was a new interesting experience. Radio driving gained a new meaning (they radio to each other when it's clear to pass, etc). It can be unnerving.

It was a late night and we were exhausted.

Backtrack Tuesday

Tuesday found us driving to a very small place near the Mexican border. We left early hoping to avoid the traffic (5am), but nevertheless got stopped behind an accident. In the end I think it took us about 5 hours to get to the church that was serving us breakfast. It was the typical beans, tortillas and picante. This small church is trying to plant churches in even smaller villages.

From there we driver another hour up the side of a volcano - Volcan Tajumtulco. The volcano is about 12,600 feet. We think we were about 7,000 to 8,000 feet up. But, I am getting ahead of myself. We travel in donated suburbans, some of which are getting old. The road wasn't a road at all. It was stones pushed into the dirt an was about as wide as the vehicles. They had obviously been hand laid. This road didn't see much traffic - there were plants growing among the stones. As we neared the top, the rear differential stopped pulling, is, the transmission was acting up. We went to front wheel drive and then that differential started overheating. In His way, this happened at the only spot where there was level ground to the side of the road. We were able to park the suburban and leave it during the clinic.

We were literally perched on the side of this mountain for the clinic. It was so beautiful until the clouds descended on us. We were in mist most of the day. The youth had prepared breakfast and the men fixed lunch. Real tamales wrapped in plaintain leaves. There was something else that was like a polenta consistency wrapped in corn husks. The men outdid themselves.

The clinic itself was interesting. This area had been ravaged by the 30 year civil war. The government killed thousands across the country and the communist guerillas weren't much better. The area was very poor and the people were not very trusting. For the first time in all our trips there was someone who said she had never heard of God. I found it hard at times to not break into tears.

The women covered dinner. Amazing how different ways you can have beans, tortillas and rice and it still be good. The best surprise was our accomodations. It was a retreat center. There were two small pools and it was beautifully landscaped. A true treat.

Christopher, love you and miss you. Keith, love you. Record the Alabama game, please :)

Wednesday

I will have to backtrack and catch you up on yesterday tomorrow. Today was a very long day. Up before 5 and dragging into Guatemala City at 9. I think this trip we have seen the most poor of all our trips.

Ok. So not much of an update, but my battery is dying and I am very tired. I'll backtrack tomorrow for both days.

Monday in Guatemala

Interesting 24 hours. Last night we lost power for about 2 hours. We had plenty of food, but of course Susan and I had to be difficult. We needed a Christopher special so we went to Hermann's house (with a gas oven) and toasted our peanut butter, Nutella and marshmallows on tortillas. Yummy.

James and I were up around 4:30 so we had a lot of time to kill before devotion at 7. Dr. Alb was on a roll and it lasted about 2 and a half hours. We were loading everything up when suddenly Hermann came in and called us all together. Today is their "Columbus Day" and there were protests all over. I have tried to understand exactly what it is about. Something about foreign companies coming in and then something about the lack of control by Mayans who were here when the Spanish landed. A lot of political undertones that i don't understandvbut am fascinated by. One news report was saying some thought the government turned off the power in anticipation of today. Roads were blocked by the protesters everywhere so they decided we wouldn't venture out today. It's been a good day for getting to know the team and visiting with the translators we already knew.

The plan is now to LEAVE at 5am. Yikes! (That also means devotions have to be tonight. We were harassing them asking if God would know tonight's devotion is really for tomorrow.)

By the way, we watched a movie by the same folks who made Facing the Giants. Faith Like Potatoes. I bawled my eyes out, but would recommend it.

Tip Wednesday....

Sunday in Guatemala

Today was church at Vida Real. A special treat today because Hermann preached. He taught about God showing us His supernatural power...pretty good stuff.

Lunch was at Chili's. Bless Denise's heart - she convinced everyone that instead of going to the food court and having 10 people go to different places we should just go to Chili's. I didn't care that much about the food, but I was beginning to stress about having to collect all those receipts. (Don't think I've mentioned that I'm the accountant for this trip - I avoided it the last two trips, but Susan roped me in this time.)

Sunday afternoon is always reserved for House on the Rock. It's a children's home with hundreds of children who have been abused, abandoned, or dropped off because their parents can't care for them. We go over and just play with them. Today we just played with the "angelitos" or little angels. Their play area is covered and since it was pouring (we just can't escape the rain), we got to stay in there.




The kids are so starved for attention and love. It seemed to me that this trip more of them just wanted to be held and loved on. Angela jumped in my arms and just cuddled for a long time. They were just so cute.

The camera is always a big hit. They like seeing themselves and they like taking pictures. Of course, the focus or focal point is really not important.






James hit it off with Antony (on the left) and some other boy. I never could understand his name, but his friend just kept calling him bad. It was heartbreaking to see all his little front teeth just totally rotten.






James really had to cultivate Antony. He just ignored us for the longest and didn't respond to anyone calling his name, but James just kept loving on him.





When it was time to go, James didn't want to leave...he just wanted to stay and hang out with Antony.

Time to go back for tomorrow. We are headed to San Marcos, which is close to the Mexican border and relatively close to the Pacific Ocean. It's supposed to be really hot there. Fortunately, the next day will be in the mountain where we've heard there's been a lot of rain (of course) and cool. We spend the night out in the villages the next two nights so no updates until hopefully Wednesday.

We're Here!

We arrived around lunchtime after a fairly uneventful trip. The day of arrival involves unloading all the bags and making the grocery list for the trip. We have to plan for certain meals for about 20 people. I always find it fascinating to shop in the Guatemalan version of Costco. (They have just about everything we do, except marshmallow fluff. The Christopher specials just won't be the same with regular marshmallows, but we will do our best. For those who don't know what that is, it involves peanut butter, Nutella and marshmallow fluff...you will have to ask for more details.)

We now kind of hanging out (trying to stay awake) before dinner. Hermann is taking us out for Italian.

It's odd how this kind of feels like coming home. This is going to be a good week.

The Countdown

Well, I survived the redeye back from San Fran last night. I have to admit I became very curious after three hours in the airport (and I had two to go) about what possessed someone to get on a plane at 1:45am EST to arrive at 6:17am EST and miss an entire night of sleeping. I really never came to a good answer, but I have some serious concerns about all the people on that overbooked flight.

I say I survived, but it actually wasn't horrible except that I woke up with a migraine. Lack of sleep, migraines and a very long to-do list doesn't make for a very pleasant mama. Thankfully, my family have been very patient with me and my very sweet husband has done a lot to help me and James get ready. (Maybe he's just looking forward to that week of peace and quiet, but he has been such a big help!)

Two other team members are supposed to arrive here at 6:15am and Keith, CBT and my parents will bid us adieu. I do hope I have everything. I had this wonderful list prepared, which of course I couldn't find. I do hope it is an adieu to everything that is supposed to be going with us.

Thanks again to all of you who are supporting us financially and with your prayers. Next post should be from Guatemala!

Deep Thoughts

Last post I had thought that maybe getting to this once a week would be good for a while. Alas, I think it's been a couple of weeks. We've been busy, but I have to confess that that is really not the reason that I have neglected posting.

For those of you that don't know, my house follows things politic closely and with great interest. I carefully have avoided that subject....well, 'cause you know, religion and politics...those subjects that should be avoided in mixed company. That said, I feel myself slipping into commentary and so, I have avoided blogging at all.

I have been so bothered by so many things we have been hearing. Both "sides" have been harsh and both sides have been spending more than we have. I have been reminded of Ron Blue's testimony before Congress years ago of how to become wealthy. Spend less than you make and do it for a long time. I have also thought about freedom a lot and what it means. I feel less free than I did even ten or fifteen years ago. Maybe I'm more aware or maybe I really am less free.

We have talked at home about how there is really only one answer. It all comes down to a heart issue. That's why our forefathers set up our government the way they did. That's also why they knew that a democracy would be doomed to fail as soon as its people lose their moral compass.

I have been fascinated by a group of moms that have been on Glenn Beck's program. They feel that they need to protect their children. From what? So many things. It felt like they want to protect them from lies and liars. They were concerned about history not being taught and children being taught world views than their own. They are getting out and speaking truth as they believe it to be.

And then this morning, Steve Brown spoke at church. If you've never heard him, he has the most incredible deep baritone voice. I love to hear that voice, but more importantly, I love to hear him teach. This morning, I think I heard the best sermon I have ever heard. Ever. Period. He said all things that I have been mulling over and trying to make sense of for the past weeks and even months. Things I knew, but not all put together. Explanations about what is going on in our world today. If you ever listen to podcasts, this is one I would highly, highly (overkill to say highly again?) recommend. The bottomline is that there is absolute Truth. If you don't believe it, it changes your worldview and your view about white lies....and deep, dark lies. It also means that your agenda means more than truth. Granted, we all have agendas, but without truth agendas become crazy dangerous. It was profound and enlightening. It also brought peace because there is One who has a plan, even if I hate am not crazy about it.

You can catch it at iTunes under Perimeter Church. It would have today's date (October 4th) on it. I really recommend it. If you can't find it, let me know because I will get you a CD of it. It was that good.

I'm curious now how I will see Guatemala next week. I'm going to blog from there so stay tuned.

Blogging?

Just as there are seasons of life, I have determined there are seasons of the year. I know that sounds like a stupid statement, but I don't mean like spring, summer, fall, and winter (although there does seem to be some correlation to my seasons). I mean that there are times I have time to do the things I enjoy and there are times where I can only do what I have to.

Lately, it's been one of the times I just have to get done what I have to. Unfortunately, blogging falls into one of those things I do for me so I'll just have to settle for trying to get to it once a week. I'm not sure why I don't have time; we're in the cycling off season and CBT isn't doing a sport this fall.

Work has been a little more busy. I volunteered to be the team leader for 3rd grade discipleship. That has been a little busy. It's time to start focusing on getting ready for Guatemala. We leave in about 3 weeks - I haven't even begun to make my packing list. Don't get me wrong, I don't pack until the day before but I do usually have my list all ready. I've been fighting a cold so I have been a little focused on getting enough sleep.

All that said, after careful analysis, I think the main culprit is our new approach to eating. I never quite got those 10 pounds off (even though I did take the camera with me to Nationals). In my sweet husband's quest to get me to eat more healthy, he shared with me Jillian Michaels' book Mastering Your Metabolism. (Yes, I know the titles of books are supposed to be underlined, but I can't find that option in Blogger so deal with it.)

After reading it, I was very intrigued by a lot of what she said. Sprinkled in between her basic mantra that you gain weight if calories consumed add up to more than calories burned and vice versa, she admonished us all to be more aware of what we eat, where it comes from, and how it is packaged. So....after reading most of it, we embarked on trying it out. Her exercises will kick your fanny, but the food is good.

Healthy food, however, takes a lot longer to prepare. So, when I am negligent in blogging you'll know that I'm being healthy. I'm probably mincing garlic or chopping red bell peppers. That's what I seem to do the most. (Just for the record, The Flat Belly thing was working when I stuck to it, but I got tired of the same meals over and over again so I needed to try something else.)

This picture really has nothing to do with the post, other than I have spent a ton of time with him catching up on Math and I just really like the picture. Here's wishing you all beach thoughts and a hope that you'll dry out soon.

The Season is Over

We've had our last race of the year so it's the off season. Life is slightly more calm at our house. Slightly. Christopher is not playing soccer for the first time since he was 3. I do miss seeing him compete, but I don't miss the practices and the coaxing to get him ready. This fall, he opted instead for guitar lessons. This could be interesting.

The Summer Finale was our last couple of races. Boy, was the Saturday race a doozy. It had a hideous uphill finish. Being just off vacation made it particularly challenging for James, but he wasn't phased before the race.

We were way (and I mean way) out in the boonies. It has been a long season and I found myself looking for things to photograph besides more cyclists. The laps were long and he was only going to come around once, then finish. I had find something to occupy my time, right? The red on these whatever these were was spectacular. Really had punch.

And then, there's always the subject that follows me around. On this day, he snapped a few of me, too. He loves being behind and in front of the camera.

There were just neat things everywhere. So I stay occupied during his race.

It was a grueling race. He had nothing left after his 3rd place finish. I felt so bad for him that I let him stay the ENTIRE day to see his friends race. Did I mentioned Keith and I had to be there at 7 am to help with set up? Did I mention I thought the entire day would end around 2. That'll teach me to not pay attention to the race flyer....4:20 pm we left for an hour drive home. (Keith and Christopher escaped right after James's race - they were smart.)

I was saved by the country store/local feed and seed. One small cooler with a few drinks. A freezer with a few bars of ice cream. (Boiled peanuts cooking out front - smelled good, but it was just too hot.) I made a couple of trips to it and they were super nice in there, but I knew I wasn't in the city any more when one good old boy with cow &*^% on his boots (and I mean all over his boots, up to his knees) came in looking for something. It was hot and that smell....the Starbucks coffee flavored ice cream bar dipped in chocolate made it all ok.

I think I may actually miss the race season...just don't tell James. How else would I have all these experiences?!