A Runner's High

So - I ran my first half-marathon (13.1 miles) ever!! I'm very VERY excited about it. It wasn't necessarily easy but I would do it again with ALL MY HEART AND SOUL!!!!

If you want to see pictures click here!

Here's the break down of the race:

We were told that we had to be parked no later than 5:30 a.m. and that roads were closing at 6. The race was supposed to start at 7:00. My friend Ashley, who went to Guatemala with me, woke up at the crack of dawn to take me to the race only to find out it was postponed until 7:45!! It was RAINY, WINDY and COOOOOOOOLD!!

I had my favorite breakfast: Ice Cold Milk and Bananas. And like 2 bottles of water. And in my fuel belt I had water (Gatorade during runs makes me puke) and M&M's!

Mile 1-3: I run this distance often so this part was the easiest (which I'm proud to say practice has paid off). I had to tell myself to chill and to take it easy because it was just the beginning. At the beginning of races, you're adrenaline is on HIGH you want to take off like Speedy Gonzalez. I stop to take off my long sleeve shirt because it get's really hot when you run! I think I was running at an ~11 minute pace here.

Mile 4-5: I ran most of this but I told myself it was okay to walk. My 3-1 fartleks began. It's my favorite way to run. 12 min pace.

Mile 6: PAINFUL. Like excruciatingly painful. I got the worst stitch of all time! I was talking to a lady about how it's my first half and she asked it if was okay if she ran with me (she is a lot older and has several under her belt). As soon as I agreed, this pain came in directly under the right side of rib cage and I wanted to curl over into a fetal position and cry. She left me saying, "Breath deep...I promise it will pass!" It was seriously like my insides were being split open. (I'm not exaggerating...it was painful.) It lasted a full minute...
12 min pace

Mile 7-9: A complete blur. Except that here the 1-1 fartleks began. I was happy.

Mile 10: I remember celebrating the fact that I had kept a pretty consistent pace. They pace person said: 12.23! I replied back: ARE YOU SERIOUS? Pace person: Yes, keep it up!
I told everyone around me that we should be soooo proud!! They sorta looked at me like I was crazy. I was really HAPPY!!

Mile 11: I prayed aloud: "DEAR GOD - HELP ME! BE WITH ME NOW!"
People asked if I was okay. My response: "My toe really hurts."
My index toe on my left foot usually hurts when I run, but the pain was a bit exaggerated since my feet were cold and wet and I also tend to be slightly dramatic. I started counting to a 100 over and over to get my mind off my hurting toe. That is until I remembered a chant I learned at a VBS 2 years ago. It goes like this:

RUN, RUN, RUN the RACE!
KEEP, KEEP, KEEP the PACE!
RUN THE RACE! KEEP THE PACE!
KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!

I was still at a ~12.23 pace

Mile 12-13: I slowed down to a 12.40 pace. I walked a lot more, but still managed to run most of it. I saw a girl who had been running really well the whole time look like she was throwing in the towel. I ran up to her and said - COME ON! WE CAN DO THIS! WE GOT THIS!! KEEP GOING!! We ran/walked together until the very end. She runs better than I do, so she said see you at the finish line and she took off, but not before giving me a pep talk!

In the middle of all this, I was soooooo incredibly encouraged to see one of my students and her mom under HWY 59. They had a poster that said: YOU CAN DO IT, MS. MARQUEZ! I almost cried, but instead I stopped to give them both a hug. They handed me a bag of snickers!! :o)

The last bit: The finish line was after you turn a corner...I would have loved to have sprinted from the corner...but I waited until I got a little closer. I started yelling - I FINISHED before even crossing the finish line! The clock read 2.47...my watch said 2.45. I'm waiting on the official results to know what my time was. But the bottom line I FINISHED!! AND I DID IT UNDER 3 HOURS!

This is really one of the most incredible feelings I've ever experienced. After saying my whole life that I would never ever in a million years like running, I have developed a love for it! Crossing the finish line was pretty emotional for me. I couldn't do it alone - Christ is my strength and thank you Regina White for crossing the 5k finish line with me in April 2010 and assuring me that if I could run/walk my first 5k, I could run a half!!

In Memory of Jonathan A. Harris

Job 19:25-26

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." God, help me to keep my priorities straight. I will see You one day, and how much money I had or lost won't matter, only how I used what You gave me, and how I acted in the trial. God, give me grace.

-Excerpt from Jonathan's Journal, January 13, 2007

**********

Jonathan was born April 15,1980 in Morrilton, AR to David and Yolenda Daniels Harris and died November 3, 2010 in Bossier City, LA after a courageous battle with cancer. He was a member of Shady Grove Baptist Church and sent from the church as a missionary to Spain.

Jonathan Andrew Harris came into the presence of his Lord. As most of you know, Jonathan had been battling cancer for many years, and as testimony to God's immeasurable grace, Jonathan continued to serve his Saviour in every way he could. He was a gentle husband who strove to love his wife Melissa as Christ loved the church. He was a careful father who sought to bring up his two little girls in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He was a humble son who honored his father and mother in all things. He was a treasured friend and brother whose communication was free from corruption and edified everyone around him.

Jonathan taught at Helmers Street Christian School for several years while going through intensive cancer treatments, making a lasting impact for the Gospel on all his coworkers and students. From a very early age, Jonathan had a burden to minister on a foreign field, and in 2009 he made the step of faith to begin full-time deputation as a missionary to Spain. The Lord, however, has seen fit to get more glory from Jonathan by taking him home, and transforming Jonathan perfectly into the image of Christ His Son. As Jonathan would want, let's honor his memory by honoring his Saviour, and striving to serve Him no matter what obstacles we may face in our lives.

*********

So, much could be said about Jonathan. He was faithful to the end. Spending the weekend with his family and friends makes me want to do so much better. To love the Lord more...To tell/show those special people in my life that I love them so much...to prioritize....

Please keep Melissa and her girls, Katie (8) and Emma(3) in your prayers.

During

It's true that it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to get a teacher ready for school. I don't know that what I would have done without my family and friends!

I want to be sure to let everyone know that my favorite thing about my classroom is not necessarily the fact that it looks AWESOME (oh - and it does!). My favorite thing about my classroom is that when I walk in I think of my family and friends who helped me put it together! I'm INCREDIBLY BLESSED!

First, my mom and younger brother came. Mom cleaned EVERYTHING - even the unifix cubes that my students will use for math and science. My brother Tim helped me put the bulletin boards together and he also hung up all the posters that are out of my reach - which is practically every poster. HAHAHA!! My brother Aser came by one day and helped me punch out the pre-cut letters for the bulletin boards. He also had fun writing funny things on my white board.

Look at the difference in the WINDOWS (top right clean!)!!

On this day, I had promised we'd leave early and I didn't follow through.
BUT we had a delicious lunch! The room by this time was lookin' pretty good.

Aser had a lot of fun writing on the white board.
Ask him to read what he wrote to you! You'll laugh because his accent is HILARIOUS!

Another day, Angela was SUPER sweet to come help me with what Tim and I hadn't finished. We got 3M strips and covered up a chalkboard that I don't use. Now I have more "bulletin board" space and everything looks more uniform.

I didn't get a picture of Angela...but this is a cute one of us at a friends wedding.

And finally, this past Thursday I sent a picture text saying: "Are you good with scissors?!? This is how I'll be spending my time tonight. :o)" Look at that! It's a never ending roll of laminated stuff and I was going to do it BY MYSELF!

Looking at the amount of laminated stuff made me want to cry! (not really - I just whined about it until I got help)

It would've taken me all night and I still wouldn't have finished. Luckily, one of my friends - Ryan - said that I should go over to his work place and bring scissors. OMG! I jumped on that! I brought 5 pairs of scissors and put them to work double time!!

Ryan is THE super star for offering the much needed help!

Corey was either cutting out stars or showing off his guns...still haven't figured out which!

Chad was multi-tasking!

Jeremy said he wouldn't help unless he got to use the Christmas Tree scissors. haha!

Real men help first grade teachers cut out stars and such!

There were other people that work with Ryan that helped & aren't pictured.

I feel like saying THANK YOU isn't sufficient. The work EVERYONE did is seriously priceless!!

A Free Saturday

Today I had nothing planned, except to get my inspection sticker that was four months overdue. I know...embarrassing! But I've gotta say that my car, Pearl, although I love her...I can't stand her. She is expensive!! And I can't stand the dealership either. I didn't go there today, but finding out that I have no other choice but to go very soon makes me want to punch them (the VW dealership) in the face!! I think I've mentioned all this before.

So I say this with all sincerity - Say HECK NO to Volkswagen!
But I do encourage you to say yes to other things like:

• Super cute Poodles that get so hyped when they get to go for a ride!! (notice they aren't in the ridiculous booster seat I bought last year for safety! ;o) )

• Say YES when your friend, who is practically your sister, invites you to Crave & Starbucks!

• Then move the party to the Apple store where you get "Macs"! ;o)

• And finally, say yes looking for the lost opportunities left at the Apple store!

I love days like today! They are RE-energizing!

Thwarted Plans

This weekend, I was supposed to go with some friends to New Braunfels to stay at an amazing house, spend all day today at Schlitterbahn, all evening in a jacuzzi, and eat homemade ice cream and other delicious foods! However, plans on my end fell through and continue to. I'm not complaining though - no, not at all!

Today, I woke up and had breakfast with my dad. We both talked about how we were SO excited that my mom and brother Tim were coming home from their mission trip to Puebla, Mexico. It was a nice time. Then, I raced to Memorial Park, where my friends changed up the games a bit and instead of playing sand volleyball to old school sand lot style baseball. The fields we were hoping to use were locked up, so we made do with an open field. IT WAS FUN! Trust me - it was fun! Whew, I was drenched though! I took off wet clothes as if I had been in a pool, only it wasn't chlorine water...it was my SWEAT! Gross, yes! Oh but it felt great afterwords.

Most of us went to have lunch afterwards, where we talked about structural engineering (which seriously I don't know the first thing about, but Praise the Lord there are those who DO!), and books we've read/are reading. I got a call from my dad that my mom was home!! So, we finished up and I went home and gave my mom the biggest hug ever! I'VE MISSED HER SOOO incredibly much!

My family hadn't eaten so they were on their way out as I was coming in. I ran to my room changed my clothes redid my pony tail and hopped in the car with them! I had dessert while everyone ate their lunch!! Conversation was fantastic! (And I was still gross! ha ha!, but I wouldn't have missed this lunch with my family for all the world!)

We finally came home, and after getting cleaned up I took a nap! WOW - I need to do this more often! Sleep is good.

And of course, the Saturday dinner that I thought was planned for SATURDAY, was changed to Sunday lunch...and frankly no one is to blame and again I'm not complaining. Because if I were I'd be saying that I didn't enjoy my evening, WHICH I SO DID! My brother, Aser, has been telling me about this movie that he knew would be an instant favorite. So I took him up on it. My brother and I went to the movies and watched my new "You've Got Mail." Seriously, I love it THAT much.

His pick for me was Julie & Julia! GO SEE IT! It's perfect. It's directed by Nora Ephron also directed you've got mail. It's no wonder I love it so much...but seriously, it's perfect.

Someone not too long ago mentioned how all movies show couples when they finally decide to commit to each other and the end they live happily ever after. However, this movie is proof that there are movies of relationships AFTER they've made the commitment of being each others better half. That's the sub story though. The STORY is of Julie and Julia finding themselves in cooking! And it's truely worth your time and money.

And seriously, if you like food, love, and accomplishments then WATCH THIS MOVIE!

I've also got a new favorite song. I've been singing it nonstop since I heard it on Pandora...Enjoy.


And now I'm off to bed.
Good night!

The Talton's part 3

Okay...so, I have to share this video with you cause it's so fun!




Afterwards, all of Tyler's friends came up to Beyer and asked how in the world she got him to shake his groove thing! It was awesome!

My friend's got skills!

The Talton Wedding

Last weekend, I took my first ever trip to the Carolinas and it was worth it! My friend Jenn W. Beyer got married to a great dude whose name is Tyler Talton. Perfect is the word to describe every detail of the weekend!

So, although her name is now changed, I think I’m going to have a really difficult time not calling her “Beyer.” I hope Tyler doesn’t get upset if I’m honest and say, “I don’t really want to try! Beyer is classic!” (consider this post a practice session for calling her "Jenn")

Okay, so where do I start?

1. Getting to see old friends and meeting new ones was great! Healthy Laughing with Your gut happening all around!

2. Soaking up the Southern Hospitality was one of my favorites! Okay, so there are VERY few guys in Houston who do this and I want to applaud them and make sure they know that I'm not taking them for granted, but EVERY guy that was around when I was near a door made sure to open/hold/close the door for me! I hardly touched a door while I was there! I loved it!

3. Carolina beaches! OMG - Why aren’t they closer to home??? I’d spend every waking hour there, so it’s probably not too terrible a thing. Guess what? I learned how to boogie board! Yeah, that’s right it’s taken me a while….I ended up with scraped knees, but not too bad. It was FUN!!

4. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Here’s Jenn and her Dad!


Gorgeous right?
I don’t know how one person can be gorgeous, extremely smart and have an amazing personality. I don’t know that it’s common, but she got it all!

5. And here’s a picture of Jenn & Tyler. All of Tyler’s friends were amazed that Jenn got Tyler to shake his groove thing for their dance! It was great! ;o)



6. Desserts! DELICIOUS! Seriously. I had too much dessert I think! Here’s the cookie cake that was at the rehearsal dinner…the groom’s cake had the same Seven-eleven design! So clever!!

I still have sand in my shoes...

Why the 3 day weekend couldn't actually be a month or two is beyond me! :o) I had a great weekend with friends and family. If we could get paid to invest in the people we love most, I'd be so rich!

Friday: I watched movies with the fam on Friday.

Saturday: Got up extra early to get ready to hit the beach with some friends.

Sunday: Went to church with the family and had friends meet me there. Lunch was delicious. After church I went home to plan the VBS and got a lot of stuff knocked out (well, at least the planning part - now it's the follow through that needs to happen...FAST!). I'm amazed that right after that I got all prettied up fairly quickly and got to a friends wedding before schedule. That in itself was amazing, not to mention the wedding! It was fantastic.

Monday: I ran errands in the morning and then had dad help me pick out some art stuff at Texas Art Supply. As soon as I got home I got to work on this big poster. I got to mix tempera paints to my hearts content!

The weekend was super full. Time well spent. And I'm back in the trenches with sand in my shoes.

Teaching Math...

My friend who kicks ass at teaching statistics sent this to me for laughs. I think it's HILARIOUS and rather than junking your inbox with a forward, I'm posting this on my blog so you can read it if you want...(it's hilarious! I've read it and so should you!).

1. Teaching Math In 1950s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
2. Teaching Math In 1960s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math In 1970s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Math In 1980s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Math In 1990s: A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok.)
6. Teaching Math In 2009: Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

March Madness

Are we already in the third month of the year? Seriously?! WOW!

Well, I ended the month of February with a bang:

I'm so proud that I had the courage to let go! I have trouble letting go...

And then, we had 80's prom, which was an absolute BLAST!
See more pictures here!

So – at the start of every month, I look at my goals to see where I am. Boy, I am behind!!!

• I’m doing alright with reading. One book a month. Not bad. I'll save the list for the end of the year.
• My projects are at a stand still...oops. I should probably get on it. Starting tonight, or something. I'm inspired by her...
• I AM TICKET FREE. Let’s hope it stays this way.
• Weight – up and down. What’s new? Running, although I’m still hating it, makes me feel good in the end.

Things that didn’t make the original list that I’m happy about is:

• I’m journaling more.
• I’m definitely spending more time with people which has been GREAT…I just need to get some balance I think. I'm an introvert in the sense that I get energy from being alone...so balance is needed.
• I'm memorizing scripture!

This month is exciting because:

1. I get to see Peanut Preston Paget for the VERY FIRST TIME!
2. I get to go to the Prison Entrepreneurship Program Class XI Kickoff with my friend Jeannie!
3. I’m going to meet my BFF Jennifer in Dallas!
4. And my friend Jessica has her housewarming party which will be exciting to celebrate!
5. BRACKETS – need I say more? Thanks Beyer for introducing me to basketball fun!

Valentine's Day

So, I had a REALLY fun Valentine's Day.

1. I spent the mornin' CHILLIN' like a VILLAIN! ;o)
2. And then I went to a friend's wedding. It was BEAUTIFUL! And so fun! The bride and groom had a secret handshake before the kiss - very fun!
3. The quotation tree turned out great! Here's the picture I promised.
4. And to finish off the night I went to a SUPERB dinner hosted by the Mosaic Men. They went all out for us. Walked us in, served us, even had the strawberry syrup drizzled on the dessert plate. They even WROTE A SONG! Yeah...I know. After the dinner, we played some fun games. It was a fun night!
   

And Then...

Update on Mexico:
The trip was sad, yet enjoyable. I spent a lot of time with my family - cried some, laughed more than I cried, and ate more than either of those. :o/ (oops...I should have sat on my hands.)

It wasn't the same going to the market, knowing the purpose of the trip wasn't tourism. I went and bought maybe 3 items. I did go to walmart to pick up disposible cameras and other things the family needed...the lines are more ridic than they are here. One thing that I love about Mexico, other than having the BEST tacos on the planet, is that you can buy 2 kilos of strawberries for less than 2 dollars. I mean SURSLY.

I learned a lot about Mexican tradition. One of the things I learned is that on your birthday they will play "Las Mañanitas" on repeat right before the day break until you leave to go to work (I suppose this depends on the family). I'm not sure that I like it. Especially being the neighbor. :o)

This is the first time EVER (which I've been there endless times) that I could imagine myself living there. I wonder if that means something...

5k:
My training prior to Mexico was on the up and up - had momentum going like nobody's business. However, I ate more than I should have in Mexico and therefore GAINED pounds I had lost and it made it difficult to get back into the swing of things. And add to that a wretched cold. I can't wait to get back into it.

Valentine's Day Wedding Project:
Some of Tim's friends are getting married tomorrow and I volunteered myself to do a center piece for the guest sign in table (is there a name for that?). I started it early, but procrastinated. Ergo, I freaked out last week and it's come together faster than I imagined and also prettier...I think so anyway. I call it a quotation tree. I'll have to get a picture to show you. It has LOVE quotations hanging from the branches. My favorite one is:

Do you love be because I'm beautiful or am I beautiful because you love me?
-Cinderella

Okay, So I guess I've promised a picture...I'll have that for you next week.

Silliness

Lately, some friends and I have been speaking in a British accent. Once we get going it’s REALLY hard to stop…and what makes it funnier is that when we go get coffee or ice cream, the people behind the counter join us!

Need an example?

Mimi (with a British accent and a cheesy smile): May I have a small cup of hot chocolate?
Taylor the Latte Boy (with a British accent and a pirate look on his face): Would you like to add some Gray Poupon to your order?

HA HA. We're just spreading the cheer - don't be annoyed. :)

Famous All Over!!

So...my super smart bio-statician friend, who is also hot and recently engaged, Jenn Beyer, has a wonderful mother who is a homestager. Well, Mrs. Becky Beyer is famous! Yes. If you haven't heard of her, YOU MUST!

Go and get the February issue of:

And flip to page 14. (or click on the logo. It'll take you to cyber page 14)

Isn't that cool? So cool.

ROCK-tober

October has been like the elevator business. It’s had its ups and its downs.

Oct. 3-4, Mosaic Fall Retreat. My Sunday School Class had a "retreat." It was a NICE dinner and AMAZING dessert prepared by our Martha Stewart - Jeannie. We carved pumpkins. Played some Sharades. Stayed up until I couldn't handle it anymore (11:30pm for me). And the next morning, we had breakfast, bible study, etc. It was really nice. See Pictures Here.

Oct. 5-9, I was in DC. I got to do fun things like:

1. Spend more than enough time at Union Station.
2. Stopped By St. Matthews Cathedral where JFK’s funeral services were held.
3. Took the over-rated Double Decker Tour. It was good for my grandmother otherwise money not wisely spent. I say – get a map, comfortable shoes an start walkin!
4. Went to the Holocaust Museum (Not sure this qualifies as “fun” per se).
5. Evening walk around the National Mall – I am still and forever will be amazed by my grandmothers endurance! We chilled at the Washington Monument for a bit. Sang silly songs and laughed at each other…or was it with each other…I can’t remember.
6. A visit to Mount Vernon! THIS WAS MY FAVORITE…I felt like I could be Elizabeth Bennet walking through the hilly landscape to visit Mr. Darcy – or something.
7. A walk through the Arlington National Cemetery. Saw the changing of the guards and a really HOT guy in uniform. Thought it would show extreme disrespect if I slipped him my number.
8. After Arlington Cemetery, we walked to Iwo Jima. Kind of funny that the President of Slovakia was there. Secret service told to me stay on the grass. I barely even touched the pavement…

I went back to work on the Friday the 10th.

Oct. 16, Without asking for my permission my brother Tim turned 17 years old. I gave him a cool wallet for his birthday. I still owe him Korean food. MMmmmm, can’t wait.

Oct. 18, Annual Pumpkin Carving Party. While I was in college I carved my first pumpkin and LOVED IT! Every year my friends would get together to carve pumpkins. When I came home I thought – UH HELLO! This would be fun with the FAMILY! This tradition started in 2007 and will continue till kingdom come! It’s my favorite party to host for the family. Talk about TONS OF FUN! The pumpkins are amazing…and some of us still face pumpkin carving challenges, but I won’t single anyone out (one of my cousins ended up cutting their pumpkin in Half!!). Oh - and I totally have to share with you a Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe! It's SOOOOO delicious!

Oct. 20-25, Crazy week at work. Parties, Seminars, Board Meetings, lots of food. I did sneak in some fun with friends! (snort, snort) And Saturday the 25, was my Sunday Schools second Flag Football game. I and another friend decided to be team “moms” since we weren’t playing. Fun stuff – and AMAZING PLAYS!

Oct. 31, Dressed up as an 80’s girl. And went to Long Point’s Fall Festival.

Nov. 1, HoeDown. My church has an annual hoedown for the singles ministry. It was A TON of F-U-N!

I'll post pictures...It's amazing I even got this post out.

A Wednesday Word: making wednesday worthwhile

en·cour·age·ment [en-kur-ij-muhnt, -kuhr-] –noun
1. the act of encouraging.
2. the state of being encouraged.
3. something that encourages: Praise is the greatest encouragement.

My bestie did a cheer for me over GChat. I am addicted to COKE (as in Coca-Cola) and I'm having great withdrawals. And it makes me really sad that I can't and shouldn't have something that tastes so GOOD because it's SOOOO BAD for me. I wanted to share it with you because it makes me laugh and honestly provides encouragement without being preachy.

So - here it is.

GIVE ME A "W"
GIVE ME A "A"
GIVE ME A "T"
GIVE ME A "E"
GIVE ME A "R"
WHAT DOES THAT SPELL?
WATER!
WATER! He's our man. If he can't do it, NO ONE CAN!
WATER!
YEAH GET SOME TODAY
GET SOME it's FREE!
Great for your wallet
Great for your skin
Great for your butt
Great for your C-H-O-L-E-S-T-E-R-O-L

Oh man, was that the "C" word? Yes, that's right. That's the OTHER problem that I'm addressing. It sucks.

oh and my 9.5 stress level. I'm working on that too!

:o(

Global Heart Warming – yes.

A while ago, I saw a little blurb on TV about Young at Heart. This musician decided he’d go to the older generation to sing modern music (Rock n' ROLL) and I tell you what, I LOVE IT!! There is something so special about this group. Older people have so much to teach us and they have stories we know not of...They’d tell us if we’d stop to listen. These guys don’t know if their friends are going to make it to the next concert. “It’s a part of life,” they say.

Watch this video – This is one where they practiced with the lead singer. The lead singer didn’t make it so they invited another YOUNG at Heart to sing Coldplay's, FIX YOU. The oxygen tank – you can hear it. It gave me chills, and, of course, I had to reach for the Kleenex. I can't wait to see the movie.



And friends - I want to give you HUGE hugs!

Paola & Mike

It is so beyond comprehension how something that is so routine could change your life forever. Paola took Mike to the oral surgeon for a routine procedure and rode with him to the emergency room in the ambulance where he was pronounced dead. He was only 20 years old.

I'm sad. Sad for Mike. Sad for Paola. Sad for his parents. Sad for his friends. Sad for Paola's family who was excited about him becoming family!

You can't tell someone that it's going to be ok, because it's soooo NOT! It's not fair at all.

A Wednesday Word: making wednesday worthwhile

From J-Good's quotation stash:

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the word you first thought of.
Burt Bacharach (1928 - )

I do the above. Reading that made me laugh because it's TRUE! Don't lie!! And thank goodness for God's invention of a brain that never stops soaking new vocabulary. I love words. Have I ever mentioned that?

**********

Today's word is in honor of three great girls - well, really FOUR great girls! We all used to work together and still make it a point to get together and celebrate birthdays, friendship and, OF COURSE, CHRISTMAS!

soi·ree [swah-rey] : -noun, an
evening party or social gathering, esp. one held for a particular purpose.
Also, soi·rée.

Here's my favorite picture of us - old, but good!

Check Patricia's blog for recent pictures!

Checkity Check

It's always around this time of year that I am amazed at how fast time flies.

Tomorrow is SATURDAY!

A quick overview (of last weekend) -

• Friday night: Went to see Gabi's Orchestra Concert. I was really impressed that they learned such a difficult piece in two weeks. I'm also extremely proud that she is SECOND chair! I could never make it to second chair. :o(
• Saturday: Read for a while in the morning, cleaned the kitchen, went to gramma's for lunch and ended up taking the longest nap ever in my life. I must be tired or something because I'm not a napper. I went to see my cousin Mikey go from cub scouts to boy scouts. It was funny to see how "serious" he gets when he's in formation. My Tia Mimi worked hard on the "arrow of light." I need to get an example of that because it's serious work. Then, I met up with some friends at the Lights in the Heights. That was Christmas fun and festive. We went back to their house and had some soups - not that it was wintery cold outside.
• Sunday: Went to LA IGLESIA and then had birthday lunch with Amy and Rosy (cousins), who turned 24!! And then went to watch Shane & Shane and Bethany Dillon. These people sound so much better live!! Something about recording in a studio that kills the edge of live music.

Wednesday Word: I've neglected it. But have not fear, it will be here (next week?). I have to get Jennifer to send me the quotation that is perfect to go along with the Wednesday Word. And guys: Check this out. Learn new words while feeding the hungry! Great way of combining charity with education! And speaking of words: Patricia posted this cool link about important 3 words. It's amazing!

And just for the heck of looking at a cute growing girl go check out Susanne's blog. Her daughter Lindsey is SUPER DUPER CUTE!

Merry Christmas!