I don't run.

That's what I have always said, anyway. I remember dreading having to run a mile in P.E. in Middle School. I usually walked the second half of it. In my defense, I was in Texas and it was hot. Imagine my joy when I learned that marching band counted as P.E. credit when I was in High School! I did play JV soccer my junior year and although I loved my team mates, I did not love all that running. I retired from soccer after that.

In college, I'd run a mile or two at the track to keep in shape or get a little cardio. But, I wasn't a consistent runner. These were the days before MP3 players and I had a better time at the gym where I could watch TV or tune into the radio stations. AND enjoy the air conditioning. Again, I was in Texas.

Now, Rudy has always been a runner. He ran Cross Country in High School and after completing his first marathon last year, I officially "didn't get it". How can you run for four hours? I can't do anything for four hours! Except sleep. I all but declared that running is not for me.

But, last year I heard about a 5K on Thanksgiving Day that benefits a local charity. Hmmmm. I wasn't exactly sure how far a 5K was, but I figured it was for a good cause. It was cold that day, but I survived it, walking about a half mile in the middle of it. I kind of treated my 5K like I treated soccer back in H.S. One and done.

Then last month, I heard about another 5K benefiting another local charity. I was moved by their mission and decided I would support it. This time, I also decided I was going to really run it. I trained a little more this time and low and behold I ran the whole thing....and then some. Turns out this course was 3.6 miles long instead of 3.1.

I felt great afterward and loved running it with a friend. I have NO aspirations of doing a marathon. There is a big gap between 3.1 and 26.2. But, I am registered for another 5K at the end of this month. Yep, it's for a good cause, too.

I guess I run.

Memory Lane....

...some days, you just feel like taking a stroll. Looking back can be so much fun!

Today as I re-discovered some of these pictures, I just let the memories wash over me and was overcome with gratitude. The past few years have been so amazing, and as we approach Aron's 6th birthday in less than two months, I am so thankful for the blessing that he is.

Stopping the Clock

I'm not talking about aging. Well, at least not MY aging. I am referring to my sweet boy who has started Kindergarten and the aching feeling I have had the past few weeks while thinking, "Where did the time go?"

It seems so cliche and we all rolled our eyes as we heard parents and family remark about how tall we'd gotten and how they remembered when we were just "this tall". But there is truth in it. Time flies. And it accellerates as soon as they put that child in your arms, it seems.

Today, Aron did not have school. He starts tomorrow, so I decided to spend the majority of my day just soaking him up. He's five, so he really didn't notice me breathing in the scent of his hair as we snuggled on the couch this morning and watched his favorite cartoon.

When I suggested we have a pic-nic lunch at the park, his emphatic "YES!" made my heart overflow. I wanted to memorize every detail of this day and him wanting to be with me.

We spread out a blanket under a tree and shared lunch. He was too busy munching on his sandwich and shoving in apple slices between bites of it to care that I was watching him. I didn't remind him to chew with his mouth closed today. I just chuckled inside at the sound of him being a little boy.

After we ate, we read together. He decided the pattern of our reading: he sounded out the words one at a time and then when he pointed at me, I read it to confirm what he had done. It was a sweet little game and I loved the ease of it. No rules had to be set. No explanation necessary. It's the way he likes to do it and I know that about him. I know that a day will come when I don't know him best. I am so thankful that today, I am the one who does.

After some reading, he was ready to hit the playground. I followed him into his imaginary play and let him lead. We went from the castle to the ship after using our secret code to enter it, of course. After I struggled to balance across the obstacles, he would said, "Well, you could have just used those stairs over there." Thanks, bud.

I hoisted up the anchor and he steered the ship. We explored and found treasure. It was locked so we had to find the right key. (A piece of mulch from the playground- but not just any piece. The one with the secret code on it that only he could find.) We burried our treasure and then ran back to the ship, weighing anchor and taking off right before a bomb exploded.

When it was time to go, I was as sad to leave as he was. It meant the clock would start ticking again. He'll be at Kindergarten again tomorrow and he will have new, more agile friends to play his games with. And I'll be watching the clock for the hour when my little guy gets home.

Catching up!

I am hanging my head in shame that my last blog post was almost four months ago. I am a bad blogger. A very bad blogger....

BUT, if there is anyone left out there who checks my blog- well, even if there's not- I wanted to fill in the gaps and try my best to get back in the groove.

Hmmm....maybe I could blame the weather! We've had plenty of it here in TN this year. It started out with snow, snow, and more snow. I lost count of the number of snow-days that were called by the schools. But, it was fun for the kids. Especially when it iced on top of it and Aron and all of his neighborhood friends were able to sled down our driveway!

And, of course, there was the epic flooding just a few weeks ago. Actually THAT should have prompted me to blog, both because it was so dramatic and because we were trapped in our house for three days. Praise God, we had no water IN our home- just a little damage to our driveway and some of the landscaping.

But inbetween those two inclement events, we did travel home to Texas for Easter. It was a great time catching up with our families and having lots of fun. Like feeding big fish....

...and catching little ones!

Another highlight of our trip was getting all of the cousins together, which happens far to infrequently. We crammed a year's worth of memories into just a couple of days, dying Easter eggs, hunting eggs, decorating cupcakes, making crafts and lots of play.

I think the sweetest moments for me were seeing Aron with his little cousin June. Becoming and aunt has been such a joy for me and there is something about seeing my son with my sister's daughter. We took them down to a patch of bluebonnets and did the Texas thing. This was the best photo we got:

And that it is totally OK with me because the memories that go along with it are full of laughs. Like Aron trying to force June to look at the camera...

...or showing her how to smile

All in all, it was a pretty good spring. Now that summer is here, there will be a lot more to share on the blog. Aron's recent Pre-K graduation, our upcoming home remodel and a trip to the beach in June will be appearing here soon. Thanks for stopping by and for not giving up on me. I hope that everyone is enjoying these long, sunny days!

What did we do before the internet?

I just got my computer back last night. It had been out of commission with a virus for over a week and then we had complications with our wireless connection after that.

In a way, it was nice to not feel obligated to update a facebook status or answer an email right away.....for a day or two.

Then it just got annoying. If I wanted to contact someone I actually had to PICK UP THE PHONE! UGH! If I wanted to know what time the football game was on on Sunday I had to actually consult the TV menu and I had to check basketball scores on ESPN's bottom line instead of pulling them up on their website. OH, the horror!

It is hard to remember the details of life before the internet. What did we do before Google? I don't think I actually ran to the library to research random trivia. Maybe that's why I can't remember anything anymore! I have filled my head with usless information and now the stuff I need to remember won't fit.

Anyone else remember CALLING the movie theater to listen to the recording and scrambling to jot down all of the movie times? And I guess we were just left to wonder what ever happened to those long lost friends who moved away. There were no "social networking sites".

But, I am glad for technology. I am glad to share things with friends and family via my blog and facebook and to pass on information via email! Here are a few of the things we've been up to since my last post...

We cheered Rudy on as he completed his first full marathon!

I met Pioneer Woman and she signed my copy of her cookbook!

Aron played the part of a wiseman in his preschool Christmas program.

AND my sister brought her ridiculously cute daughter to my house for a visit!