11 years ago today . . . .

. . . . I was rudely awoken in the middle of the night by the worst nightmare ever. After the blur of phone calls, ambulance, hospital sounds and smells, my Dad was pronounced dead. He died peacefully in his sleep from unknown causes . . . still unknown to this day. He had a complete physical only days prior to this and was completely healthy.

I’ve constantly missed my Dad over the years . . . sometimes more than others. He wasn’t there when Mike and I announced our engagement. He wasn’t there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. He wasn’t there to hold our newborn daughter. He wasn’t there to hold our newborn son. He wasn’t there to celebrate when Samara was placed into our arms. He wasn’t there when we bought our first home or moved to our second home. He wasn’t there when we needed a handyman or needed advice about something. These are the times I’ve missed him the most. What a fun and loving Grandpa he would’ve been to the kids. I’m saddened by the fact that the only way my kids will know their Grandpa is by pictures and stories they hear about him.

BUT I also know that none of these things matter because by the GRACE of GOD, he’s in a place far greater than anyone could ever imagine. AND someday we will be together again. I can’t imagine living without the promise of EVERLASTING LIFE.

Miss you Dad!

Six months . . .

. . . and waiting.

Austin and his sisters

Austin's a pretty lucky guy. Some people grow up not having a sister at all and he has TWO! He may not always think he's lucky but at times like these, I'm thinkin' he loves it. These girls can't resist cuddling with a handsome brother like Austin.

10K Run

On Saturday morning I laced up my shoes to head out and run my first ever 10k race.

To give a little bit of history, back in July or August I joined a running group of women as a way of keeping myself motivated to run. At that time there were five of us and now the group has grown to nine women with another member joining us next week. I'm so glad my friend Michelle convinced me to join even though I originally told her there was no way I could get up that early in the morning to run. If anyone knows me, you'll know that I am SO NOT a morning person. This group runs at 5:30 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, meaning I have to get up at 5:00 am at least. Crazy? Maybe! But oh so worth it.

As some of you know, I have run a few 5k races over the past year or so and I always said I had no interest in running a 10k. But since everyone else was doing it . . . talk about peer pressure eh?? Due to my recent breathing/reflux issues, I wasn't even sure if I could do it so I left it until the last minute and finally signed up three days before the race. I'm so glad I did . It was a great feeling to actually complete a 10k race!

Here we are before the race began. The sun was shining but the wind was chilly. See how cold we all look?

Here's a picture of Deb and I halfway through. We kept each other company the entire 10k.

Here I am finishing up the race - don't I look thrilled??

And here we all are again after finishing the race. I think the after picture is much better than the before picture! See the sense of accomplishment on our faces?

Thanks TPTW Ladies! It's been a pleasure running with you all. See you all bright and early tomorrow morning. Yawn!