CD Giveaway at Blissful E!

My dear friend Elisa at Blissful E is having her first ever blog giveaway! She is giving away a Seeds Family Worship CD to one lucky recipient.

Click here for details and to enter!

Entries close on Friday 4/2, Australia time, so there's not much time left to listen through the samples and enter the giveaway. The music sounds great. I think whoever wins is really going to enjoy the CD.

Don't hesitate! Go visit Elisa and sign up now!

CCC Update - Getting Closer

OK, so our CCC construction has been complete since December. And why haven't we opened to the public yet?, you may be wondering (or maybe not... it's been a long time since I've written about it)...

Well, we had several construction certifications we were required to obtain before we can officially being operations. Here is our list:

• Wastewater certification -- Check! Received in January.
• Solid Waste certification -- Check! Received on Monday.
• Stormwater certification -- Check! Received on Wednesday.
• Potable water certification -- Pending... Hopeful to receive within the next week.
• Building Certificate of Occupancy -- Pending receipt of potable water certification, again, hopeful to receive within next week.

So, we are getting closer! Now the big discussion is whether or not to have a ribbon cutting. At first I was all for it! Now I just want to get the darn thing open and am willing to bypass all the pomp and circumstance if people can go ahead and use it. I can always go out there and cut my own ribbon. :)

If we receive all the certifications, look for pictures of the site in operation by mid-April!

Natalie's Craft Project

Natalie's teacher recently sent home a note saying that they would like each child to make their own Easter basket as a family project, then bring it in for their class egg hunt next week. Although I had some time before it was due, yesterday was a rainy day, so I figured there was no time like the present to work on this project. We decided to make a bunny basket out of an old milk jug, and had a great time doing it!

First, I cut the front quadrant off the milk jug and cleaned it thoroughly. As it dried, I cut ears out of white card stock, which Natalie colored:



After gluing the ears on, we glued 2 cotton balls on the back for the tail (Natalie was very specific about 2 cotton balls; no more, no less). I drew on the face using a black Sharpie, and Natalie selected a button out of our spares collection to glue on as his nose. Once that was in place, Natalie had a great time using our glitter paint pens to decorate her bunny basket with lovely colored polka dots. We finished off by writing her name on it in green glitter pen, and voila!

It was a fun and easy project to do. I'm so glad Katie had made one of these in class a couple years ago, which provided my inspiration. :)

Worst Time to Have a Screw Loose

I had been volunteered to play the prelude at church today, both services. Kathy, our organ/piano player, had found this wonderful, dark, funky, interesting version of "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy", and it was easy enough, so I said I'd do it. We practiced after orchestra rehearsal on Thursday, and then I met her again early enough this morning to run through it a couple times before she needed to warm up the choir. And it sounded OK, but as we did it the second time, I felt like I was flubbing a little more than usual. Once Kathy got up from the piano, I took a good look at my clarinet and saw the problem.

I had lost a screw.

Not just any screw, a pivot screw that pretty much holds the keys for my left hand in place. I could make it work, but without it, things would be challenging. Kathy and I looked all over the floor near where I'd been standing. We retraced my steps back and forth around the sanctuary a good 3 or 4 times. We dumped out my case and searched for it. Repeatedly. I shook out my skirt and top in case it had been stuck to my clothes. People must've thought I was nuts with all this weird behavior. I pulled Craig out of choir warm-up for his assistance. As a retired band director and MacGyver sort of character that can fix about any instrument, I knew I'd need him if we DIDN'T find the screw. Craig went back to where we were rehearsing Thursday to look for it there. Rev. Mac helped me search the floor in the front of the sanctuary when Kathy had to go in to choir.

After 10 minutes, frustrated, I sat on the piano bench to think a bit. Staring blankly at the spot where I'd been standing to warm up, with the light at a different angle, I saw the tiny screw (think the size that holds your eyeglasses together) almost immediately. Amazing! I grabbed it and held it triumphantly in the air as Craig was walking down the aisle, dejected at not finding it in our other rehearsal spot. Oh, I was so happy to see that thing! I keep a tiny screwdriver in my clarinet case, so Craig used that to put it back together for me as Rev. Mac and I cheered him on and tried to relax from my near hyperventilation. All that, and 5 minutes to spare before I had to play my solo. :)

So, of course, after all that excitement, actually playing the prelude is a piece of cake! It went well, both times. After the first service, while on my way to sit with Colin, Rev. Mac was standing in the aisle near him and gave me a big hug before I sat down. That was so nice of him after being there as I overcame that panic that my instrument may not work.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our anniversary, 6 years of wedded bliss. Since I read somewhere that it is the Sugar anniversary, I decided to bake Colin a cake this morning. Katie wondered who was having the birthday, since that's usually the only time we have cake, so I tried to explain to her about anniversaries. Like a birthday, only it celebrates the day you got married, not the day you were born. She seemed to understand.

The bed was our gift, so I wasn't sure if we'd do anything else to celebrate. Colin surprised me by lining up his parents to come over in the afternoon so we could go out shopping and for dinner. He didn't pick a restaurant, though, so I chose Carrabba's. Delicious! We skipped dessert so we could come home and have cake instead. :)

And for our shopping? Best Buy and Home Depot. Romantic, huh? Colin was looking for some gadget at Best Buy that we ended up not being able to find, and we went by Home Depot to price fencing (since Colin almost knocked over a section of ours with the lawnmower... oops...). But we had a nice evening out, just the two of us, and spending that time together is what it's really about.

I love ya, baby!

King-Sized

For our anniversary this year, Colin decided, and I reluctantly agreed, that we should get ourselves a new bed. He often complains that our queen-sized bed is too hard and that he doesn't have enough room. I like the firmness of it (after all, it was my bed before we got married), but I agree that we could use a little more room.

Saturday we went shopping and picked out our new king-sized bed! It is a Kingsdown and oh-so-comfortable!!! We were able to find one where we could both agree on the firmness. It even compares well with that beloved Marriott bed that Colin has been obsessed with since our Colorado trip. :) We had fun afterwards shopping for new bedding -- my favorite part! The girls enjoyed using our new comforter for a boat before I got it washed and ready.

The bed arrived today, and it looks ENORMOUS compared to our previous bed! I can hardly wait to start sleeping on it...

Great Season, Alligators!

Today was the last game of the season for the Alligators, our fabulous co-ed 3 & 4-yr-old basketball team. Cherie and I had great fun coaching the kids this year, and it was fun to see their improvement. During the last game, we had some good displays of teamwork as they were passing the ball to their friends instead of always trying to be the superstar and get the shot themselves. We've also made huge strides on dribbling! I was so proud!

Colin captured this picture of Katie right after she shot the ball to make her 2nd basket of the game. Too bad you can't see the ball going in the hoop!

I hope the kids enjoyed themselves and will consider playing basketball again for the summer season. Thank you Katie, Madeline, Gavin, Tyler, Aiden, Cole, Jacob, Ethan, and Nicholas for a great season!!!

Magic Kingdom!

Although we pooped out early and didn't get to see as much as the park as we would've liked, we all had a great time at the Magic Kingdom after my race! We can't wait to go back, and our wheels are definitely turning for a planned group vacation there with family and friends in a couple years!

The first picture is actually at our hotel, near one of the pools. The Little Mermaid is probably my favorite princess movie!







Cinderella's Castle! I got to run through it, and Katie could not wait to see it live and in person!

After lunch, they had a parade, which we watched part of before moving on to some more attractions.

We took turns riding with the girls on Cinderella's Carousel. Natalie had a blast!

We also liked the Pooh play area. Katie liked running and jumping and sliding, but Natalie was obsessed with Pooh's house. You could hardly get her out of there!

We also got to tour Mickey's and Minnie's houses. Here are the girls in Minnie Mouse's living room.

And finally, we got to go into part of Cinderella's Castle and check out the beautiful mosaics. It was a nice way to end our day.

Exhausting, but fun! We can't wait to go back again!!!

Race Follow-Up

OK, after this, I promise I will have some pictures of the girls at the Magic Kingdom!


I just wanted to do a little follow-up on the training and actual half marathon itself.


I hatched this idea back in the fall and was convinced by my princesses Jill, Jen, and Kelly that there was no time like the present to go for it! Colin agreed, so I looked online, worked up a training plan, and presented it to my manager Patty way back on my birthday. I was surprised at how supportive she was of me chasing one of my goals, even if some of the workouts would mean leaving work a bit early from time to time. So, between September and the official start of my 12-week program in December, I mostly just prayed about it and tried to run and be in good enough shape to actually start the training!

I think the 2nd week was the hardest. As much as I like to run and work out, until I started the actual program, it was hard for me to find time to run every single day, so I was a little sore at first, but I kept on going!

The whole process was really such a blessing. You moms out there know that being a mom, you don't always get a lot of "me" time. Colin worked hard to make sure I got my running time, which is my "me" time. I couldn't have done all this without him taking care of a few extra things around the house so I could fit in my training. Katie and Natalie were so excited that I was going to do a "big" race. My co-workers and Patty were really supportive and understanding when I had to juggle some work items around planned hard workouts. And my family and friends were just so full of love and encouragement! It was overwhelming at times to feel everyone behind me like that!

I fell once, during training. I think it was the 2nd week, and the sidewalk jumped up and got me when I still had a mile left to go before getting to the Y to lift weights. Knees and palms scraped and bloody, I picked myself up and kept on going. I had days where I felt a little under the weather, but I got myself out the door and got going. People called me crazy, but I felt I was determined. I set this goal, and I was going to achieve it! Besides, I am fully convinced I had God on my side for this. He gave me the strength to keep going on days when I didn't feel like it. When the weather was looking crummy, He brought out the sun for a little bit so I could run outside. When I was afraid it was going to be too hot for my 9 miles, He blew a few clouds over for the rest of the afternoon. We had some cool days, but I never once had to run inside on the treadmill.

And the race itself was just such a positive experience. Yes, it was a tad lonely sitting out there in the dark all by myself in that staging area before we walked to the starting line. But once in the start corral, just talking to so many people, uplifted by their stories, I had no doubts that I'd be able to pull this off. I knew you were all behind me, and I knew I could do it! It was challenging at the end, but God gave me that strength to follow through.

Sooo, now that I'm done, would I do it again? Probably. Just not right now!!! :) My legs are still too tired to think about that!

13.1 -- I Did It!!!

Yesterday was the long-awaited Disney Princess Half Marathon, and I did it!!! I easily accomplished my A and B objectives of finishing the race and not throwing up on myself. I also accomplished my secret C objective, which was to finish closer to 2:20 than to 2:30.


Drum roll....


2:18!!!


That's about a 10:31/mile average, almost exactly what I was aiming for, and not too bad considering the crowds and the potty stop I needed early on.


Disney is very organized at running these events, and although I was a tad grouchy about having to be up so early, everything did run smoothly, and I was pleased with that. They have great employees and volunteers, and so many spectators cheering you on! With some sort of entertainment almost every half mile or so, I never got bored, even though my mp3 player had flaked out and I had no tunes. I never thought it was possible to smile so much while running 13 miles. See, everything at Disney is magical!!!


Here I am after I found my family after the finish line:

Now, if you've made it this far, I'll give you a more detailed play-by-play:

0300 -- My watch alarm goes off. I had everything staged in our bathroom and was able to slip into my running gear, gather the rest of my belongings, and get out the door quickly and without waking my family. I got an extra bottle of water and headed for the bus pick-up.

0330 -- On the bus and headed for the staging area! Still having trouble believing I was actually awake at that hour.

0400 -- In the staging area outside of Epcot, I sat on a bench, shivering in the 40-degree temps, eating 2 Luna bars and drinking a bottle of Gatorade for my breakfast. Thankfully they had a DJ there to keep my toes tapping!

0445 -- The DJ announced that everyone needed to get through the bag check area and be on the way to the start corrals within the next half hour. I filled the water bottles on my hydration pack, stripped off my sweats, checked my bag, and joined the crowd walking nearly a mile to the starting line, again, shivering since now I only had on shorts, long-sleeved tee, and short-sleeved tee.

0520 -- I made one pit stop at the port-a-potties in complete darkness (yikes!) before entering Corral C. I stretched and chatted with those around me, finding out that one of the ladies I was standing next to lives in my subdivision! Wild. :) Closer to 0600 and the official start, I had my pre-run Advil to help my shin splints and my Razz Clif Shot.

0614 -- With words of encouragement from the Fairy Godmother and a burst of fireworks, Corral C was off and running! With all the shivering and anticipation, I was starting to get a full bladder, and on the lookout for the next port-a-potties.

Mile 1 -- A little slow, but feeling good. Mostly still having trouble waking up.

Mile 2 -- Again, a little slow, but did find and use a bathroom, so I was glad to have that taken care of. We got to see a bunch of the Disney princes posing for us!

Mile 3 -- Picking it up a little... The sun was actually out, and it was fun to see the ship and all the pirates from the Pirates of the Carribean movies!

Mile 4 -- Still feeling good and having fun waving to all the drivers from the Richard Petty driving experience!

Mile 5 -- Entering the Magic Kingdom! I was slowed a little as the course narrowed as we got into the park. But it was OK, because we were starting to get into all the volunteers and spectators cheering us on! What a boost!

Mile 6 -- We went through Cinderella's Castle, with trumpeters on the balcony heralding our arrival! How cool is that!?! Continued winding through the park.

Mile 7 -- Exiting the Magic Kingdom, my 2 bottles on the hydration pack were getting close to empty, so I filled one with Powerade and refilled the other with water at the next aid station.

Mile 8 -- We went past the Disney golf courses. I had my Strawberry Clif Shot (with caffeine!) and picked it up a little. Starting to get warm...

Mile 9 -- Again, keeping up a good pace, but I was sick of wearing those long sleeves, and went through a long process of extracting my long sleeved tee out from under my short sleeves while in motion. OK, so it would've been easier if I would've stopped or walked, but I was not about to let my momentum slow. Besides, my left shin was starting to hurt a bit and I didn't want to let it get to me.

Mile 10 -- Back up to a good pace, I high fived a bunch of clarinet players in the marching band that was playing for us! How cool! Shin still a little sore, but otherwise feeling great!

Mile 11 -- This was a little tougher, up a ramp to the top of an overpass. I was cheered on by the Little Green Army Men from the Toy Story movies, which was very awesome. But still, feeling great!

Mile 12 -- All downhill! And thank goodness for that! This is where we entered Epcot, which meant the course wound around a lot with hairpin turns... My momentum wanted me to go in a straight line! All those turns were a challenge.

Mile 13 -- Besides the left shin, now my right Achilles was giving me grief. Determined not to let it bring me down, I focused my energy on having strong arms to pull me across the finish line, and willed myself forward. Something was working, as I believe this was actually my fastest mile of the whole race!

And the 0.1 -- Sprint to the finish!!! Past a full gospel choir! I DID IT!!! I got my medal and my sprinkling of pixie dust from one of the Sleeping Beauty fairies, and found my family!

After retrieving my bag from the check-in tent, we made the looooong walk back to where Colin had parked the van. I stretched a bit there, and a bit more once back at the hotel. When I was all cleaned up, we checked out and enjoyed some time at the Magic Kingdom. But I'll save that for another post... :)

I'll do one more wrap-up post after this since I've gone on long enough... Thanks for reading, and thanks for supporting me in my big race!!!

Princess Packet Pick-Up

I took Friday off from work to drive over and pick up my race packet for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I just HAD to get my photo taken with these fabulous gentlemen, manning the doors of the Fit for a Princess Expo!




Once inside, it was pretty much like any other race packet pick-up event, but much more pink and sparkly. I got my bib number first, then my shirt and goody bag, then perused the various booths looking for items to buy. I did get myself a purple long-sleeved tee that says "Kick Assphalt" on the front -- I found that quite humorous.

Also, when some of my friends teased me that I needed to wear a tiara, I resisted. I did concede that if any of us could find a baseball cap with a picture of a tiara, I would consider wearing that instead. And I found one!!! Here it is alongside my personalized princess bib:



I'm getting so excited!!! We drive over later today and will be staying in one of the Disney hotels that provides race-day transportation so I can get myself to the starting line without waking everyone else up.

It's almost here!!!

Hasta La Vista, Invisalign!

Last week I had my final Invisalign appointment at the dentist. Hooray! I was then able to make an appointment with the orthodontist for the very next day to get impressions made for my top retainer, which will be in next week. Also, while there, I found out that I can go to nighttime wear only for the bottom retainer. Another hooray!

It has been a long road. I got my first Invisalign trays in December 2008, and I had 23 sets of top and bottom. Once I got through all those, we did a case refinement on my top teeth, consisting of another 6 sets, while I went to the retainer on the bottom. And now, I'm nearly complete! I can hardly wait -- it has seemed like a terribly long time!

And not without drama, of course. I started the treatment with my general dentist, who I had been seeing for 4+ years, because I trusted him and was excited he was offering Invisalign at his practice. However, miscommunication about insurance coverage and poor customer service by his office manager has led me to get the retainers from an orthodontist just so I don't have to deal with the general dentist's staff anymore. I have also started going to a different general dentist for my cleanings, and was just soooooo relieved to walk out of my old dentist's office that last time!

Has it made a difference? Absolutely! I think my teeth look very nice now, and I'm satisfied with the results. However, if you are thinking about Invisalign for yourself, consider the following:

• Will your dental insurance cover Invisalign? Many will not, claiming it is "cosmetic", not orthodontic.
• If your insurance does not cover it, are you ready to make a big financial commitment? Mine was over $5,000, and the dentist was not exactly flexible on a payment plan.
• Even if your general dentist offers it, think about whether you should get your Invisalign treatments there or with an orthodontist. An orthodontist may be more concerned with your overall alignment, whereas your general dentist may be more concerned with aesthetics (this was my experience). They may also recommend traditional braces instead of Invisalign, based on your individual needs.
• Are you ready to floss and brush after every time you eat, before putting the aligners back in? I likely have the cleanest teeth in the county from all the flossing and brushing.
• Do you like to slobber? Gross, but true. Invisalign seemed to make me awfully slobbery and affected my speech from time to time. This is the one point I brought up to my sister-in-law as a major dislike I had with Invisalign.
• Can you give up chewing gum? I had a very hard time with this and would sometimes sneak gum, like some sort of addict, for a few minutes after eating and before heading to the sink to floss and brush.

All in all, I'm glad I did it, though there were things that could've gone more smoothly. I'm really glad it's over, though, because I'm ready to move on!

Half Marathon, Here I Come!

Less than a week until the half marathon! In case you can't tell, I'm getting pretty excited for it. It's been a while since I've had a goal like this, one where I've had to put significant time and effort into achieving it. And I'm almost there!

When I started on this path in December, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it. Running 13.1 miles seemed like a VERY long way for someone who barely ventured out over 4 at a time! My objectives for the race were to: A. Finish, and B. Not throw up on myself. Now I am fairly confident I can accomplish both of those, but I am still hesitant to publicly admit to a time goal for the race. I have one, I just won't say it out loud.

That's probably silly, I know, but I'll keep it quiet for now. I mean, the race starts early. Very early -- I have to be to the starting line before 5:30am and am wondering how I will eat breakfast and feel ready to run on less sleep than I'm used to getting! But I know I can do it. I was encouraged by Pastor Richard's sermon on Sunday, based on Joshua 1:1-9. It's time to cast those doubts aside, focus on the plan, and have faith that God will lead me through! That is what I keep repeating to myself this week.

Also, if I needed any more proof that I should cast those doubts aside, check out my split times from my 10-mile training run on Sunday. This is what I would call "stupid fast" in my world:

Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 10:08
Mile 3: 10:14
Mile 4: 10:07
Mile 5: 10:21
Pit Stop: 1:04 (refilling water bottles at my front porch before venturing back out)
Mile 6: 10:14
Mile 7: 10:00
Mile 8: 9:47
Mile 9: 9:58
Mile 10: 9:56

Total Time: 1:41:56

But that was run mid-afternoon, when I am well-fueled and loosened up. Hopefully I can hang around a 10:30 per mile in the pre-dawn hours with the big crowds!

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement as I pursued this goal of mine. Your support has meant so much to me! Be on the lookout next week for my race results!