An overabundance of activity.

Where the heck have I been? Here... I have things to say... but I have been too lazy to post them. For example, I had a busy weekend. I took Friday off and Jake and I went to the Timberwolves game... we ate popcorn and drank pop and howled when the howl-o-meter came up as our opponents were shooting free throws. Jake chased down the cotton candy guy and we had a great time over all. Got home by about 1:30 and then I got up the next morning at about 7 am. I was in charge of the technology for the Beth Moore women's conference that was held at our church on Saturday. It was the first women's conference I have ever attended and it did not disappoint me. There was a lot of hugging and hand holding... kind of what I expected. Beth Moore is a pretty good speaker though. So that was good. It snowed about 12 inches over the weekend, so I had to blow out the driveway with the tractor. That is always exciting... and then after Church on Sunday, we went to our friends and snowmobiled with a bunch of friends pulling kids on sleds with snowmobiles and 4 wheelers. Which was fun, until the tire of the 4 wheeler I was on ran over my best friend's daughter. Fortunately, we were not going real fast and it was kind of a freak accident that was tough to avoid. When you would slow up, the sled would run along side of the 4 wheeler because of momentum and then the wheel would run over the rope and then draw the sled in towards the wheel. Kind of spooky seeing it all happen. The problem was that I had a nine year old girl riding with me thinking she could control the trottle and I told her that she needed to slow down because she was going too fast... so I was trying to control too many things... including a little girl that doesn't follow instruction well. Anyway, Regan was fine... just a little spooked... and who can blame her.

So, that was my weekend... full of howling, hand holding, hugging, snowblowing and spookiness.

It was a plethora of activity.

Happy Valentine's Day

Here are some socks!

Nothing says " I love you" like a few pairs of socks... don't you think? Not any old socks, but fuzzy, warm, multicolored socks. When I gave Sydney her present last night... (Because I was so excited to give them to her that I couldn't wait until today) the look on her face was great. She was extremely excited. I believe her comment was, "Cool!"

and then...

"You took notes!"

She was completely surprised; AND I was able to give her something that had "Sydney" written all over them.

I didn't give her a card... but I think the socks said it all.

I love you Sydney. Happy Valentine's Day.

Running like crazy.

It is official. I am signed up for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth Minnesota. The 26.2 miles will be run along the shores of Lake Superior. Monday was my official first day of training... so I am counting down the days. The race will be on June 16th... so internet stalkers, if you want to hunt me down and shoot me... that would be the day to do it.

That is if you can find me in the crowd of nearly 9,000 runners.

Looking forward to it though... well, as much as anyone can look forward to 26.2 miles of pain.

Consequences...

No one likes them. Poor choices in life result in consequences... they, in themselves, are a painful reminder that we are accountable for our actions. And while they are painful, it is easier to handle them when you are the only person that has to experience them. That said, the worst kind of pain comes when someone that is close to you carries the brunt of those consequences rather than yourself. If there is anything that I have difficulty handling, it is when the consequences of my past actions affect someone else more than me. You have to live with the fact that your poor choice has affected someone else more than you. There is an overwhelming guilt that you struggle to get past.

If it weren't for God's grace, it would be unbearable.

Thankfully, there is grace and forgiveness.

It gives you the ability to keep walking forward... knowing that you have been forgiven.
... knowing that there is hope.

2 Corinthians 4:6-9

6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.