happy birthday, momma!!!

today, is my momma's birthday!!!!

i'm a bit bummed because she was actually planning to be in town visiting, but a few things have come up so, she has instead decided to come for Christmas. i was really looking forward to see her + celebrating her special day! no worries, though...she'll get the special birthday treatment later this month ;)

here's my FAVORITE pic of her + i....i've posted it on the blog before, but i just can't get enough of it...i just makes my heart smile!!!

it's christmas card time!!!! shutterfly to the rescue!!!

so, those close to me know that i dabble a bit in photography...yes, dabble.

a few years ago, my then fiance' {now, hubby - just to be clear} blessed me with an awesome camera for Christmas because i had been mentioning how much i wanted to start tapping into my "gift". well, two years later, i hadn't really made moves forward in terms of getting better with my camera...much to the chagrin of the gifter.

well, things are starting to change *insert applause here*

i begged offered my photography services to my brother + father for their Christmas cards. it started out as a joke, but, in the end, i'm really excited that they took me up on my offer...also, i think it's pretty cool that they'll have father/son cards :) gotta love family!

so, last weekend, while the hubby + i were in my hometown visiting, we held my first "real" photo shoot. my hubby served as my "assistant" helping me to scout out locations {daddy's backyard} + offering encouraging words {gooooo crys!}...it was REAAAAALLY cold outside, so we weren't outside that long, but we managed to get a lot of really great shots.

after taking the pics, i had to decide whether i was going to design them myself or use some other method. the answer was EASY...very easy - SHUTTERFLY! for the past several years, i have been using shutterfly {www.shutterfly.com} for allll of my photo printing needs + in checking out their Christmas card selection earlier this month, i was, again, blown away by all of their choices - {http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards}. today, i spent the day selecting a few options for my daddy + bro...it was a hard decision because there are so many awesome choices, but we finally selected a design! {i'll show them to you AFTER Christmas...of course, we don't want to spoil the surprise for those that will be receiving cards}.

seriously. i love shutterly. seriously. each year, i design "photo books" {http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books} with pictures of the hubby + i over the past year. they have proved to be wonderful keepsakes that we cannot wait to show our future children later in life. here's the cover of the one i made of our china trip back in 2007...it has a home in our living room :) it's always fun to take a look back at the book + reminisce!

we also used shutterfly photo cards - {http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery} to create invitations for an informal "day after the wedding" event for our family + friends.

 {btw, i "blacked out" some of the details for privacy purposes...shutterfly didn't do it - PROMISE!}

if you haven't checked out shutterly, you really, really should!!! you can thank me later!!!

ciao!!!

happy birthday, daddy!!!

today, december 2, is my daddy's 30th birthday!!! in celebration of the birthday boy, here are a few pics!

we wish you many more years of good health, love, and God's grace!!! enjoy your day! we love you!!!

kkkkk {5k}

this past saturday, i ran in my first 5k (3.1 miles). the race was a part of my "training" regimen for an upcoming half-marathon. in an earlier post, i spoke about what's behind all this running...

i must say after the race, i was a little disappointed. yes, i did finish, but it was much more challenging than i had expected. the course had hills GALORE. although the course that i typically run with my hubby has hills...they don't compare at all to the ones from saturday. okay, so that's my excuse disclaimer - ha.

my goal, well, hubby's goal for me was to finish the race in under thirty minutes...which would be about 10 minutes per mile. my unofficial finishing time was 30:25. i'm not really disappointed in my time as i'm not a fast runner by nature. what i was a little perturbed about was the fact that at one point during the race, i had to walk. i probably took about ten strides total, but i haven't had to do that in any of my training runs prior + i'm up to over 4 miles now....womph. womph. also, had i not walked, i definitely would have come in under the goal. anyhooo....

here's a brief recap of the day:

• about the event itself: the event was very well put together + serves a great cause. it is a memorial race for a teenage girl, aubrae gunderson, that was killed while practicing with her high school cross country team six years ago. the proceeds for the event go towards college scholarships. to show our support, hubby + i plan to run this race on a yearly basis. it's neat because her parents have organized the event in a way that really speaks to aubrae as a person. feel free to check out their website.
• it was a coooold morning - cold, i say
• again, loved running in my vibrams...even in the cold with no socks...loved it!
• i felt AWESOME the first mile of the race, i ran it in about 8 minutes
• the second mile was KILLER - i think that's where the majority of the hills were. when i finally got to the two mile marker, i was devastated surprised that it wasn't the finish line
• it was great having a personal cheerleader running the course with me {my hubby, of course} who left my side only to run ahead to take pics of me during the race + at the finish line

i periodically try to make myself feel better by reiterating that it was a really hilly course {see above}, lol, but i just need to stop making excuses + up my training a bit. i must say that i am pleased that i finished...i've never run more than two miles in my life prior to a month ago, so, for that, i'm proud.

we're planning on running a 10k (~6 miles) new years day...so that's my next goal....wish me luck!

here are a few pics...

me + my piece of heaven here on earth {my hubby}

run, crys, run!!!

 

us after the race

the prize for the "high heel hustle"...cute idea :)

happy thanksgiving!!!!

just wanted to take a few moments to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! here are a few things i am particularly thankful for...today + always...

• my relationship with God: He continues to guide me + shows me unconditional love...even though i am not worthy!
• my husband: his friendship...his laughter...his smile...it is truly a blessing to be able to make the conscious decision to chose love, to choose my husband, and be forever humbled that he also chooses me. 
• my family + friends: i am surrounded by people that i love + care for beyond words. i am thankful for each relationship + the individual ways they impact my life.
• my career: the ability to earn a living doing work that i enjoy {most days, hehehe}. 

today is a wonderful day to share with family + friends, but we should do our best to live with a spirit of thanksgiving in our daily lives!

motivation

i'm loosely following a running training plan which suggests that i do "long runs" one day each week. this past wednesday, dude came home + suggested that we do a long run this saturday + he mapped out a four mile course for us - my longest previous distance is about 3.5 miles, but on different terrain {flat, less hills}. so, all this week, i was dreading looking forward to saturday. i did a few 3+ mile runs by myself over the course of the week, so i felt pretty prepared.

then comes saturday morning.

my morning started off pretty dreadful...i wasn't in a good mood - at all. our initial plan was that we were going to get up + start our run at about 8am because dude had plans to play football + i usually walk kennesaw mountain saturday mornings with a girlfriend of mine. well....we ended up waking up late, so we postponed the run until later that afternoon, which i was 100% cool with, lol.

then comes saturday afternnon.

i was still in a stinker of a mood, but we decided to run any way. we head out on the course, armed with our respective ipods + dude with his "i wish another dog would run after us" stick since we're apparently prone to having dogs chase us while running. it's happened. twice.

the run started off pretty good. i ran in my vibrams, so i felt extremely light on my feet. well, fast forward to the last mile of the run...i was starting to feel a little tired + had serious thoughts of just "walking it in" once we made it back to the entrance of our subdivision which is about 0.2 miles from our house. i started to slow a bit, so at that point, dude ended up being in front of me - he usually runs behind me so that i can run at my own pace. as i'm starting to run out of gas, i look up + see this running in front of me...

all i could think of was "boy, hush" how i really wasn't 'giving it my best' at that point, so i got a second wind + put just a little more pep in my step. when we finally reached our driveway...i was pretty excited! honestly, no one would have been able to sense my glee because i could hardly breathe was stretching + cooling down, but believe me i was stocked. then, hubby gives me a big hug + tells me that he was proud of me. <--- the best part of it all ;)

next saturday is our 5k, so i'll be taking it easy on long runs this week.

ciao!

lead me with strong hands...

marriage is a very beautiful thing - very beautiful. i believe it's the most challenging, yet most rewarding relationship two people can enter with one another here on earth. there is so much responsibility required on both sides, yet the reward cannot even accurately be described in words.

in a previous post, i spoke of how it's so important to put the needs of your spouse before your own needs...with the understanding that he/she will be doing the same. when that happens, you no longer have to "worry" about your own wants + needs because, by design, your spouse is taking care of them. of course, there will be times you'll need to communicate your needs to your spouse + vice versa; however, this is truly an awesome method by which to approach marriage between two people that truly love + respect one another.

yesterday, while driving in my car, a particular song came on the radio. i had heard the song many times before, but i never really paid attention to the lyrics. for some reason, this particular time, i took notice.

the song, "lead me" by sanctus real, speaks of a husband's role in the home....

chorus {from a wife/child's point of view}

“lead me with strong hands
stand up when i can't
don't leave me hungry for love
chasing dreams, what about us?

show me you're willing to fight
that i'm still the love of your life
i know we call this our home
but i still feel alone”

and it speaks to his desire to fulfills the needs of his wife + children...

"so Father, give me the strength
to be everything i'm called to be
oh, Father, show me the way
to lead them
won't You lead me?

to lead them with strong hands
to stand up when they can't
don't want to leave them hungry for love,
chasing things that I could give up

i'll show them i'm willing to fight
and give them the best of my life
so we can call this our home
lead me, 'cause i can't do this alone"

i have the utmost respect for the role of a husband in a Christian home...as the head, the lead. of course, the wife has the responsibility of being his 'helpmate'; however, the husband is fully accountable to God for his family.

this song is a beautiful representation of this + would be an awesome prayer for husbands to pray as they strive to be the husbands they are called to be + a gentle reminder to wives of how much is required of our husbands...that it may not be as "easy" as we may think it is...

check the song out below...complete with lyrics so you can sing along in no time!