R & R

Bear with me, my posts are a little out of order.


Brian came home for his mid-tour leave in May. He was home for 2 weeks. It was so great to have him here after 7 1/2 months of missing him. We took one quick trip to Kansas City for a Royal's Game and a stay at Great Wolf Lodge. The rest of the time we spent just being at home together.
He surprised the girls at school. They all shed a few tears.


Brianna and Brian in the lazy river.


Brian so proud of Vanessa for catching a delicious bass.
We are looking forward to this fall when he will be home to stay!

Marathon #4

In April my friend Amy and I ran the Nashville Marathon. It was a much needed break for me. As I look back on it the whole training process was a blessing to help me through the first leg of Brian's deployment. Instead of counting down days until I could be with Brian again I was focused on how many weeks I had left to train for the marathon. Like other marathons I've run it's not so much about the event as it is the 4 months that lead up to it. I learned a lot about myself and gained a new friend for life. You can't spend hours and hundreds of miles running together through blistering head/humidity and freezing sub zero temperatures and not become friends. Thanks Amy. - and Cori and Sarah too for inspiring me to even begin this insane addiction.

At the Expo the night before I thought it would be a lot of fun if Amy and I got matching temporary tattoos. I look tough right? Okay, maybe not but it was pretty funny...until the next day. I neglected to use sunscreen so today (2 months later) I still have a now white 26.2 burned into my skin. Hmmm, I think I'll rethink that next time.
Speaking of the heat...the day of the marathon was record setting temps with the heat index being 100 in some places on the course. Needless to say my performance wasn't great, but a good memory anyway.

My partner in insanity and me in Nashville. I was almost as excited to buy a hat as I was to run the marathon.
I get the question a lot lately "so what's your next marathon?" To answer...it will be a different kind of marathon - birth. Yea, We're expecting baby #4 in February.

DAD OF THE YEAR

WHEN GOD MADE FATHERS.

When the good Lord was creating Fathers, He started with a tall frame. An angel nearby said, "What kind of a Father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put the Father up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, play pretend drinking tea, and kiss dolly goodnight, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without stooping?" God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a Father's hands, they were large. The angel said, "Large hands can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails, or even remove splinters caused from baseball bats." Again God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets and a little girls paper dolls and jump rope, and to teach her to turn cartwheels, yet small enough to cup a child's face in them."

Then God molded long slim legs and broad shoulders, "Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap?" the angel chuckled. God said, "A Mother needs a lap. A Father needs strong shoulders to pull a wagon, to balance a bicycle, or to hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

When God was in the middle of creating the biggest body any one had ever seen, the angel said, "That's not fair. Do you honestly think that form is going to get out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries, or walk through a birthday party without crushing one or two of the guests?" God again smiled and said, "It will work. You will see. It will support a small child who wants to ride to Banbury Cross or scare mice away from a summer cabin , or walk in shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the Father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied he can love as much as a Mother can?"
The angel said nothing more.

~~By Erma Bombeck.~~