13.1 Because I'm Only Half Crazy

"13.1 Miles 'Cause I'm Only HALF Crazy"....I saw this on the back of a vehicle the other day while I was driving in to work.  And it made me laugh because I thought I am full blown crazy.  This last week Big Daddy and I signed up for the Indy Mini Marathon.

Go ahead...sign up...you know you want to.

I am not sure what to say about it other than that I am a big combination of emotions right now.  I am excited, scared, nervous, worried, proud for wanting to do this....and the list goes on.  I can already imagine the nerves I will feel come race day.  I do think this will be fun a thing for the hubster and I to do together.  I think it will be fun as long as we don't get too competitive with each other...which we sometimes do.  Truth be told, I have been wanting to run this mini since I was in junior high.  No joke.  Why has it taken me around 12 years to sign up for this????  Who knows.  Probably just plain laziness. Anyways, we are going for it now.

I even bought these lovely ladies for the occasion.  I am super excited about running in them.  Especially since my other shoes were in serious need of retirement.

Check them out

This is my first foray into a minimalist style shoe.  Or at least a beginners minimalist shoe.  I am hoping this will help me with my heel striking, which is a serious pain in my legs.  I have been trying to learn to run and land more forward on my foot and it's kind of like trying to learn how to ride a bicycle differently than you always have.  I am not sure if that is a good analogy, but basically I have ran one way pretty much my whole life and now I am trying to do something different.  These shoes actually have a slight slope that is supposed to help direct your foot one way.  So I'll keep you updated there.

I will try and update you all on my training as it goes along.  My goal is to finish and not get picked up by the golf cart of shame.  Which I have decided that if I were to get picked up for running too slowly, I may suddenly be overcome by an injury.  Ok, maybe I won't fake an injury.  Maybe...actually let's just hope for no golf cart picking up injury or otherwise.  And maybe it's not the golf cart that is so shameful.  What did it ever do anyways.  Ok I am seriously getting side tracked.  So, wish me luck!  I will probably need a few prayers and a some TLC...both the band and tender loving care.  

What have you wanted to do forever that you haven't??  What's stopping you?

Wedding Bliss

Happy Monday!

A little over a week ago my little brother got married.  He and his beautiful wife Georgia said I do. The wedding was in Brown County at an old farm.  There is a pretty farm house that has been remodeled and a nice finished barn with pretty landscape and all.  The ceremony itself was originally planned to be held outside in front of a big tree that had a cute swing hanging from it.  Unfortunately the weather had different plans.  We held off all day through little rain drops and lots of clouds, hoping for that outdoor wedding, and finally at 5:00pm when the wedding was scheduled to start at 5:30pm we decided to move the wedding inside due to the pouring down rain.  So we packed it all up and moved it in.  It was a nice intimate setting with the ceremony and reception all in the same area.  It was a beautiful, relaxing and wonderful time.  I think that they had a fabulous wedding and a nice time.  And as someone put it during the open toast, we hope that their life together isn't nearly as eventful as their dating relationship in Japan.  If you aren't familiar with the story you can read it here and here.  Or you can even find a little bit of it on CNN.

Here are some details from the day...and my beautiful girl. 

And of course the handsome groom and his lovely bride...

I couldn't have pictured a better day for my brother.  And I couldn't have dreamed up a better wife.  She is beautiful and sweet and perfect for him.  Their eyes just light up looking at each other.  I pray that they light up when they see each other for the rest of their lives.  I pray that their love only grows stronger and the joy they felt last weekend grows daily. 

I hope you enjoyed the pictures from their wedding.  I know we enjoyed it and loved being able to celebrate with them. Now they are off for a new adventure. They leave this week to move to New Zealand.  Well Zack is moving and Georgia is just heading home.  They will also have a second wedding there to celebrate with Georgia's family and friends.  How lucky they are to have TWO weddings!  For someone who loves to plan and decorate, I would be beside myself with excitement! 

We will miss them so much, but love them and can't wait to hear all about all of their new exciting happenings....and hopefully we don't hear about anything else in their life from CNN...or MSNBC...or Fox News....you get the picture!

Have a wonderful week bloggies!!

Victory!!

I am going to go ahead and say it...step out in faith and declare a victory.  A little over two weeks ago Ryan and I declared a war against our toddler.  We decided to reclaim captured territory and take back what is our God given right.  Ok that may be a bit much and I am not sure it's a God given right, however we took back our bedroom, we took back the night!

Ready for war!

A year ago when we sold our condo we hadn't closed on our house yet, so we moved in with family.  While our families were super gracious and we are super thankful for the opening of their homes once again to us, it threw our little girly's schedule into a serious tailspin.  I should really say there was an overall lack of schedule and that was the problem.  We were all, but Lincoln, in the same room and basically rising and going to sleep at the same time.  Once we settled into our own home, where Arabelle has a wonderfully purple room, she refused to sleep there.  It was as if World War III had broken out on nights that we tried to make her sleep in there.  And thus in our weakness we just continued to let her sleep in our room on the floor as an act of avoidance.  It was our peace treaty.

Then a couple of weeks ago we decided we wanted our own time.  I mean we should have that right?  Just an hour or two with no kiddos asking questions.  Some time to talk or not to talk to each other.  So we just buckled down and prepared ourselves for the oncoming war.  But you know what??  It wasn't so bad.  She maybe had one night where she was upset and we were upset and it seemed hope was lost...maybe not lost...just fading...or hiding in the midst of the toddler tantrum. She has overall done amazing!  She is sleeping in there every night and doesn't scream or cry when it's time.  Granted getting her to sleep in there has a long list of requirements ranging from a fan blowing on her face, to a cup of water in her play kitchen, to lastly but certainly not least having the Glee soundtrack playing.  (She likes the Glee soundtrack and who am I to argue?)  An added bonus of her sleeping in there is that for four consecutive nights she has slept all the way through the night and hasn't tried to come back into our room at some crazy hour when everyone should be sleeping.  This is definitely a bonus because we had resigned ourselves to her coming in between 12 and 3 in the morning and that would just be the way it was for a while.

I am so proud of my girl.  She is growing up and learning to be just a little more independent.  I don't want her to be too independent...I still like to snuggle with her and hold her little hand as much as I can.  I love that girl!  She is a gift from God and is teaching us every day what it means to be a parent.  She may do things with a little more spunk and a little more fight, but that is just how God intended her to be.  I think it will serve her well one day.

I am also very proud of us. We stood our ground and made it happen.  We took back our time together and we are loving it.  We are actually getting to read books and talk about our days and catch up on TV shows that can't be watched when there is a four year old roaming around.  We get to be a husband and wife again and not just parents....we get us time. We love it!

Stand strong today bloggies, in whatever it is that you have been avoiding facing.  Stand strong!

This is a long one....Part Two

Ok so on with the show....this is the best part I think.

Zack finally got to come home in June for a quick visit.  By quick I mean like 9 or 10 days.  We were super excited to see him and super excited to hear all of his good news.  If I tell you I will ruin his story telling skills.  And since I think he can tell this much better than I could ever re-create so I am going to just share his email...with his permission of course.  :-)

----------------------------- From Zack

Hello friends!

So....I did it! I proposed, and it was a success! I had a good solid 28 hours worth of traveling with very little sleep to try and think of a way to romantically propose. I had thought of trying to have a romantic dinner set-up on the beach; surprising George with flowers, candlelight, and a personalized song as she walked in the door from work, or trying to take Georgia to this nice overlook in Kuji to watch the lunar eclipse, etc. etc. etc. But as I pulled into the train station in Ninohe, I couldn't help but feel like those were rather stereo-typical proposals and that I was driving myself insane trying to think of the "perfect" way to ask Georgia to marry me. I had those 28 hours to think of something "special" in yet nothing I came up with felt that way and then all of the sudden like a bolt of lightening it hit me how incredibly special and unique our relationship already is. I guess I have just been so wrapped up in my thoughts lately I have been unable to fully appreciate the truly romantic nature of our relationship and story and the settings in which it has developed. I mean I was riding on a bullet-train over the mountains and through the back country of northern Japan, pulling into a station bathed in Moonlight from the full-moon and cloud free starry sky above me, with the woman of my dreams and mother of my unborn child standing on the platform in excited anticipation of my arrival. What could possibly be a more romantic setting than that? I realized then and there as the train was coming to a stop that I needed to stop trying to be something I wasn't and just be the hopeless romantic I know I am and revel in the moment. 

As I hopped off the train and passed my ticket to the conductor, he smiled and slightly motioned his head towards the direction of Georgia (the only other foreigner in sight) as if he were trying to say to me "Go boy, she`s been waiting." As I walked to Georgia I could see the impatience beginning to grow in her as she could barely stand still; her feet tapping, her body swaying to and fro. I walked through the gates and just peered over her and felt my heart begin to flutter; it was as if I was looking at her for the very first time again. She stood there with her hair in adorable, Shirley Temple-esque curls, a black silky top, and a bright blue skirt. As I was finally in grabbing distance she ran and grabbed me and hugged me so tight that my suitcases literally fell from my hands. We told each other how much we had missed the other and I promised to never leave her again.

From there we began walking to the car, hand in hand, as I shared my stories of America. The weather was amazing that night; it was a cool crisp evening, with a completely cloudless sky and a big full Moon above. It wasn't until I was finally off the train and out of the station that I was able to completely take in the amazing weather. As we neared the car I felt like I never wanted that moment to end. I began stumbling about my words as I told Georgia "I have something I want to give you before we get in the car." She grumbled about it being cold and I told her it was worth it. I literally lunged to take my backpack off as I began searching through its contents for the ring I had bought just a few short days ago. Once my hands found the smooth black box in which it was resting within, I grabbed Georgias hand pulled her close to me. I told her again, for perhaps the 1,000th time how much I had missed her and told her I couldn't bear being away from her for that long ever again. Then, I pulled the box from my bag and assumed the proposal position on one knee as Georgia gasped upon the realization of what was happening. Then I opened the box; the moon and bright stars made the ring sparkle and dance in the dark parking lot. I told Georgia that she is my one and true love and that she is the romantic I have longed for my entire life for, then I asked her to marry me, which she very quickly said "Yes, Yes, Of Course!"

So there you have it! The complete proposal! I woke up the next day wondering if I had rushed the proposal, but as soon as I saw Georgia's hand and the ring on it I knew I had done the right thing. She is going to make a beautiful bride, and even greater wife and best friend. I am so incredibly blessed to have her in my life, and I am equally as blessed to have such an amazing and supportive family such as all of you.

Love,
Zack
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So there it is!  Wonderful right??  I am getting a new sister-in-law and a new niece or nephew!  What a huge blessing.  God is so good and so amazing and his blessings are never ending.  Through all of this, I think my brother will be a stronger man and husband and father.  I am sure he has learned a lot about himself in this short time.  I can't wait to be a new Aunt and sister in law!

It was hard to see Zack leave again, but I know he is where he belongs with Georgia.  This is what was meant to be for him.  God had a plan and knew what was best.  It may have been a different road getting there, but he got there in the end.  

Thanks for listening to my long long story.  I just couldn't hold it all in any longer!

Love you all!

Amber