On Saturday...

*I'll post about the 1/2 marathon that I totally kicked butt on...

*I'll post some Oliver goodness...You should see his "sad face"...OK, fine. Teaser shot:

*I'll get this lil ol' blog caught up and STAY caught up!!!

See ya Saturday!

Joining Along with this MeMe craziness!

My friend Dana and her pal Supah Mommy have started a fun little blog hop called All about Meme Mondays. This week is.....

What are the 5 items I would die without on a daily basis?

Photo courtesy of PatrickQ on Flickr

1. VENTI AMERICANO WITH ROOM FOR CREAM BABY!

Photo courtesy of slowburn on Flickr
2. iPhone. Yes, I went to the dark side. Scarey thing is I have apps now just to entertain Oliver and he TOTALLY knows how to use my phone!




3. Keys. To the car. My classroom. My house. My mailbox. My cabinet at work where I hide the chocolate from my students (oh, and my purse, but the chocolate is more important...).


4. Ice Water. Not warm, not fizzy, not room temp. ICE water. I might be a "water snob" here, but I've discovered it's really the only way I like it.

5. Rubberband for my hair. While I love my long hair, it ALWAYS ends up off my face in a ponytail of some kind by the end of the day! My current obsession is braids. Yes, I know I am 35. Who cares if I still wear my hair like I did when I was a 24 year old camp counselor?!?!?

Wish to be better

I wish to be better at:
showing those that I care about how I feel
that I don't take their love for granted
that I see what they do for me

I wish to be better at:
showing my son what it means to live
to live, not to exist, but to LIVE
life is not about what is coming next;
it's about appreciating the moment you are in
and hoping the next will be as good or better

I wish to be better at:
showing my husband what I need
not just expecting him to know
not expecting him to feel the same way I do

I wish to be better at:
managing my money
it's not my childhood
food will come, needs will be met
it doesn't matter what you have

I wish to be better at:
not being so hard on myself
I'm a GOOD teacher! I'm a GREAT mom!
I'm a GOOD person, and striving to be more so

I wish to be better at:
Letting go
Letting God

I wish to be better at:
Me.

So much fun!

I just checked Ali Edward's blog about her GREAT "A Week in the Life" project. Basically you document every little nuance of your life for one week, photos, notes about what you did, and collecting "stuff" like receipts and notes you wrote to people. Kolby-it would be such a cool project for you! I'm going to do this next week, but I had commented about involving Kori, Oliver's daycare provider.

So cool-Ali Edwards actually answered my question! OK, it's a silly thing, but she's a big one in the world of scrapbooking and it was kind of like my brush with fame. HA!

Wow, this world of blogging really starts to make you feel connected with the world. In a simple click, I can share ideas and comments with people around the world and they ANSWER! Just think about the possiblities...

Tagenator and the Lawrensons

Just a quick note about the blogs I "follow". Tage Daniel is the son of Shawn's cousin Kolby. She and her hubby Justin welcomed Tage into the world in January with a few challenges. With mommy and daddy's caring hearts and hands, and a crew of great doctors at Children's Hospital in Denver, Tage is now growing like mad and breathing better every day. Take a minute to give the Carriers a note of support and see the cute smiles that Oliver's cousin is showing to the world.

While I don't personally know the Lawrensons, their story really inspired me to explore my faith again. Nate and Tricia (who has cystic fibrosis) were working to get Tricia listed on the transplant list last fall for the new lungs she so desperately needed due to her advanced CF. Surprise, surprise, a different prayer was answered for them at the same time-they were expecting their first baby. Rather than terminate and put Tricia on the transplant list, they opted to carry the pregnancy as far as they could. Baby Gwyneth was born at 24 weeks, mommy was on a ventilator, and placed back on the transplant list. Prayers were answered and Tricia received her new lungs on her husband's birthday!! Tricia and Gwyneth are now home, dealing with some issues from the baby's prematurity and post-transplant lymphoma (seriously, could these people have ANYTHING more to get through!) but are doing well.

The part that stuck with me, besides it being an amazing story of love and hope, was their faith. I would be mad at the world, hating the place that I had been put in. Instead, this family uses their situation to show people just how thankful they are to God for every day they get. They are also huge advocates for paying it forward, and their site is worth the read. Take a minute to read about this amazing family. It will not fail to inspire. Nate, if you ever read this, thank you for showing me just what I could have missed in my life without a major change in outlook.

Here's the reason I write, the reason I strive everyday to make myself the best person I can be:

Love my boy...