a life beyond running shoes.

ninja with his sister after his class party okay, is she a teenager?? we only made it about 5 minutes before the wig was tossed.  zombie soccer player, ninja, and rapunzel. our cul-de-sac!! trick or treating with friends was SO fun!!! best year ever. (maybe because we didn't have a stroller and didn't have to carry anyone!!)

because i am behind and i have things i want to share.... i will start with this: sweet pea turned 4.  not sure how that happened but it did.  peanut turned 8.  now, that seems impossible!   and here is our easter:

we had a great thanksgiving with my mother-in-law in town.  we visited "the city" on the best weather day of  her visit.  we feasted with friends and had my new niece come visit.  we took her to a local brewery. i also trained and ran my first half marathon on this coast.  i got  my personal best time!!! 2:10 guess all that backyard circuit training we are doing really might be making a me a stronger runner.  and of course threw in some advent wreath making!!  merry christmas!!!

(by the way those are two ninjas and one rapunzel) the day was full, full, full. each boy had a party in his classroom - which sweet pea and i attended both.  then had a parade at school. than trick-or-treating.... that ended in rain.  phew.  and now the battle over candy.  yipee!!!

was full..... we had a passover meal and a good friday service. it was delightful. then an easter morning with egg hunts and friends over for lunch. can't complain at all.  strange not to celebrate with our normal brooklyn crew or a house full after service but still quite able to celebrate a risen savior. and a side note, i ran a 5K over the weekend and got my fastest time yet (28:27) for a new PR..... there was even a hill in there. i was actually second in my age group. that is just crazy! 

christmas in florida feels different than christmas in new york.  (notice short sleeves.....and my new hair cut) but the blessing is that we got to be here at all. we had not planned on traveling this xmas, so the fact that we got be with family was a blessing for sure. it reminded me that in the midst of grieving loss there are amazing things to celebrate and being with family this season really helped make advent real..... that we really do look forward to what is coming. and while we have gotten to do fun things.... like play outside all the time, run in shorts, grill out....... we look forward to what god is bring in 2012. by the way, hubbie was out running trails and this is what he saw...... if you look closely it is a 12 foot gator. it was about 10 feet from him.  yup, life in this here florida.

may all your wanderings this week, good friends, family taste the good of god and saver long -- not wolfing anything down because life is dessert and worth licking the bowl right clean.              -- ann voskamp

unless you are the 25 year old running in front of me wearing hot pants and a really tight hot pink racing shirt with a rear-end you could bounce a quarter off of..... then yes, i am competitive because i really , really wanted to pass her. i ran a 5K today.  i was telling myself that i was just out there to have fun....nope, i had a goal. i got to run with two of the ladies from the early-morning running group.  it is so much nicer to run with people than by myself...... and yet.... i left them at mile 2 to see if i could push myself to the finish. it was flat and i had the straight shot to the end.  i got a PR (personal record)! it felt so good..... 29:20. YEAH, me!!! what a fun way to end the thanksgiving weekend. it was a full weekend, full of lots of family. i got time with all my in-laws...plus some of my side of the family. my mom & her hubbie joined us in florida and got to spend some time with all her grandbabies. what a ...

.... well that would be our easter. guess that is what happens when sunday is a work day..... and easter is the biggest work day of the year. i did have to pass off the camera in the midst of the egg hunt and never got a chance for a family photo.... there is always next year. the school we use on sunday mornings let us use the courtyard for our egg hunt. it was awesome! 250 jelly bean filled eggs!

we had a bit different good friday this year. it is the time to reflect on jesus.... his sacrifice, the magnitude of his love for me, the weight of my sin.... looking forward to easter and the glorious resurrection. yet, this year.... it marked the two year anniversary of my father-in-law's passing. all my in-law's were together.... we were not able to be with them. we had to carve out our own space to remember, reflect, grieve, celebrate..... we watched the video from his funeral... i miss a lot about him. these are his hands. something so memorable about him. i miss his laugh. the way he loved my kids. the way he loved me. the husband and father he was..... "may the god of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with the hope by the power of his holy spirit." -rom 15:13 happy easter.

christmas in the city. our annual lessons and carols. christmas eve. our first trip to train exhibit at new york botanic gardens. thank you nanee and big for this fun adventure! christmas morning. reading the luke story.....just a bit blurry without my flash. (still hadn't had my coffee) sweet pea's first baby doll. christmas sweatshirts.

our first time to go and engage the macy's day parade..... we saw them blowing up the balloons. done and done. my family thinks we can mark it off our "new york to do" list. i vote we try again in about five years. turkey trot. my fastest race ever!!!! 5 miles - 47:10 stef and i rocked it!!! turkeys fried. table set. napkins sewed. wine poured. tiramisu eaten. advent begun: three days ago we celebrated the beginning of advent. tree decorated wreath made. charlie brown christmas soundtrack playing. as with every year, i try and figure out how to make this season more theological than material... more about the what....or actually the who. in the church calendar this season is marked by the color purple. (and this year g'ma sewed the church vestments.... all weekend) we have a christmas tree with purple lights and purple ornaments. we light the purple candle this week. we will take down the purple ornaments the week before christmas and put up all of our ...

trick or treating with dad! he had two batmen and a dinosaur (4th year using the costume that we aren't quite sure if it is a dragon or dinosaur) with him plus some friends from church. thanks you for joining my family!!! of course, peanut (who is allergic to milk) traded all of his chocolate candy before i could get home and intervene.....so that i could have it for myself. selfish mommy!