Defining moments in your life. We all have them. This is something I have struggled with a lot in my life. And recently I just have really worked through some things and understand a lot more about my life and those moments.

You see everyone has defining moments in their life:

• graduating high school/college
• being married
• having children
• loosing a parent/sibling/child
• clearly hearing/feeling God in their life
• being assaulted physically/emotionally/sexually
• a tragic accident that took away something from them (a person/a sense/body part, ect)
• overcoming a certain circumstance in life/ rising above whatever that circumstance is and moving on

The list is unending. What seems earth shattering to me may be laughable to you. The point is that we all have them.

It can be almost anything that moves that person, something that changes them – whether good or bad. My mom lost my grandmother to cancer when mom was only 19. Joey was in a horrible rollover car accident when he was only 15 that led to PTSS for a couple of years. Dad spent 9 months in Korea for work. My pawpaw fought and lived through colon cancer. And when I was 15 I was sexually assaulted by my best friend.

For years I was angry. Hurt. I was led to believe this was my fault. That I was worthless of love. I put all my worth and everything else into the fact that no one loved me. Which is horrible logic – but it was how my brain had been changed and led to believe a new value of worth. No one showed me true genuine love. I still struggle with being single, and it is because I put my worth into being with someone. I crave that affection from someone. I lived with this secret. I told my youth minister in 2005 and went to counseling not really dealing with anything. I then told  someone who is a precious friend now for the first time when we roomed together in Kenya in 2008. I told my parents and brother in 2011. I lived believing that being a rape victim was my only defining moment. It was WHO I was, what I was. Damaged goods. How wrong is that?

I was just talking with my mom about this exact thing last weekend, that I am lucky that my brain has found a way to protect me and I know some people do not have it this lucky. I can remember the events of that day clear as day. I was asking for a ride home from D since I had missed the bus. We went by his house so he could pick something up. I followed him inside. Thankfully from here on out I remember things like I was watching a movie. The personal feelings are gone and I am ok with leaving it like that. I remember everything that happened, the things he said, but do not remember any feelings of pain. Or desperation. Or lack of hope. And then I remember coming home.

From the age of 15 to 23 that is who I was. Another girl. Another abused, worthless, un-lovable girl. It hurt. Was hard. I thought about suicide. I drank a good bit in college and smoked weed with some people. I was trying to self-medicate. I think that is part of why I decided to go into psychology, to study the mind, especially in cases like mine where a traumatic defining moment had occurred.

I was and am still jaded when it comes to men. I struggle with anxiety when I think about being alone with a guy I don’t know terribly well. I get scared when I think of Lord willing one day being married, how much I want a healthy sexual relationship but how much I will have to work through things to get there. I have a hard time being single still. Almost 10 years later I feel a lot of worthlessness and that when D said I wasn’t worth being loved that he was right. It is a life long battle that I will continue to work though.

Fast forward to 2011 and we come to a conversation I had with a dear friend who was so much more than a counselor to me. I remember talking to Brenda about how things went down with D and how I felt for years. I learned that yes, this was a defining moment in my life but that thankfully, it was not THE DEFINING MOMENT of my life. What? Excuse me? But what do I do with this pain/anger/confusion from the last 10 years? You let it go. You forgive D. You pray for D. (that was the hardest part)

THE DEFINING MOMENT in MY life was when Jesus brought me to him truly. Not when I was 13 and walked the aisle with my mother, not when I was baptised. Not when I went to church for years. It was when I was 18 and He covered me with grace. When He became my Father. My love that would never hurt me. The comforter of my soul in countless nights of nightmares. My purity when I thought of how unclean I was. My true love. He became so much to me. The healer of my pain. The completeness of my heart that I had longed for so many years. He was someone to listen to me and actually KNOW the pain I felt. He was peace. (I say was but it also means IS, just trying to explain what He became that day)

I still struggle. I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t. I had and still have a mediocre relationship with God. I struggle with feeling so unworthy and unable to come before the throne and speak to God. I have a hard time moving on sometimes and I do get angry with God. And then seconds later I am thankful for what happened. Not that I would wish this on anyone – it’s a hard recovery. But the kind of person I am is strange. Coming to church would have never been enough to bring me to Christ (Yes, He is the only one who can do that), I am the person who needed something big to happen. Go big or go home. I needed something to just throw me at and forcefully drive me to the cross. While it has been hard, I am thankful for the amazing things He has done through this. The people he has let me talk to about this and help them out.

The difference is that now when these thoughts creep into my head I know the truth. I have hope to move on and not focus on the pain that still lingers. I know that God was there even then, working out amazing things.

I’ve seen D around town since he has moved back here. The first time I saw him I felt disgusted. Literally throwing up in my own mouth. It was something I hoped I would never have to face. But now I pray for him. I even pray that if God ever opens doors for me to speak to D that I will be patient, and loving, and share the gospel with my words and life to him. I have forgiven him, and I cannot explain the peace and joy I felt when I let go of that harbored anger and bitterness. The way it just eats at you is unreal.

I pray that D will come to know Jesus in his life if he doesn’t already. And if he ever comes to me and asks me for forgiveness then I know it will be a sweet time of fellowship and closure in our life. And if that never happens I know that it is ok also. While it can never compare with how Christ must feel daily by just MY actions, I have an incredibly small feeling and insight as to what that must be like.

To you, the girl, boy, woman, man who has been through THAT circumstance. THAT struggle. THAT continuous thorn in your side, THE never ending pain that you can’t seem to work through. THAT (whatever it is) is NOT WHO or WHAT you are. It IS part of you,yes, it will always be there and God is using that for some purpose He has planned out. But that will NEVER be you. Use it in your life, but don’t let it control you/define you/mark you for life. You CAN and WILL move on with Jesus.

I don’t have a specific day of departure yet but I’m planning June. I am saying June 23rd because it seems that would be my first weekend that I could leave so all my family could be there to send me off. I work until the 11th. And that week is my dad’s birthday, father’s day and my parent’s anniversary. So if the 23rd is the date then that only leaves me 151 days left. 151. sheesh. Seems farther off when I say June 23rd vs. 151 days.

I try not to think about all the things I will be leaving behind that I won’t get to experience until I come home (tentatively) for Christmas.

• Watching G for July wyncamp.
• Elynn turning 2.
• Laura turning 21.
• Mawmaw turning 81.
• Grandma’s birthday.
• Joey and Laura’s possible engagement.
• My cousin’s wedding in September.
• Thanksgiving
• Kathy turning 31.
• Epps family christmas get together.
• And depending on when I leave – New years.

I know there is amazing technology so I won’t really be to far away thanks to FB, Skype, Blog, Phones, Email. But I really learned with Dad how different things are celebrating them over the internet versus being there in person. It can be overwhelming to think about.

Please just continue to pray that the Lord will give us great church capabilities, and amazing teachings and feedings for us workers as well as the children to be fed spiritually. I will miss Mview for sure. I’m so blessed to be part of a church that has such a clear goal and focus on sharing the Gospel in everything it does first and foremost.

It really just comes down to the fact that I absolutely love to read. I cannot get enough of it. On a rainy gloomy day, much like what today has turned into, I would rather get into my jammies with some hot tea and curl up with a good book over watching movies any day. I’m thankful that I grew up with parents (mostly my mom) who had an insatiable desire to read. I’m pretty sure that was borne into my DNA the moment I was conceived. And I’m completely ok with that.

Here is a list of books I have read, and a small critique of them:
1.The Evil Within (Horror Anthology)- a collection of short stories by 8 different people. It was really enjoyable and really creepy. They did not skimp on gross and crazy details. I screamed a couple of times and almost barfed (excuse me being so candid) when I read one story. I would recommend it if you do not have a weak stomach.
2.Cat Calls by Cynthia Leitich Smith – a story set in a traveling circus. A grandmother gets her granddaughter to spend the summer with her. While there, the young girl starts crystal ball gazing to see if she has the gift. After meeting a strange young boy she feels new sensations in herself that she has never felt before. After following him into a field at night she discovers that like her father whom she never knew, she can transform into a cat at will. Not a good story really. And badly written.
3.Laundry Day by Stacy Juba – a horrible short story. A husband and wife find their neighbor has been brutally murdered, whom was the wides best friend. The neighbors husband ended up killing his wife when he found out she was having a lesbian affair. And the other woman ended up being her best friend. The husband tries to kill her also but is stopped by her own husband who has to come to terms that his wife was not only having an affair but it was with another woman.
4.The Emo Bunny that Should by John H. Carroll – part of a series of short stories for “demented children”. All 3 of his stories have been funny. I enjoyed them when I was only wanting a little light reading.
5.Unholy Cow by John H. Carroll
6.Attack of the Sugar Plum Fairiesnby John H. Carroll
7.The New World by Patrick Ness – my first alien story. Also a short story. A planet full of beings that have been living in their ships for generations after their own planet has become inhabitable send a family to a new planet to initiate colonization. Their first people sent have never reported so this new family is essentially going into the mission blind. After a horrible crash landing one lone survivor must learn how to survive with no way of reporting back for help. This is an introduction to a series and I’ve really considered getting the other books because of how good this one was.
8.Teddy Bear by Linda Lavid – HORRIBLE short story. Full of smut and raunch and really not much of an actual story line. I kept reading in the hopes that it would get better and it continuously got worse. Super disappointed.
9.Croaker: Kill Me Again by Paul Bishop – great book. He has about 5 other books on my kindle. Paul is an ex cop so he brings legitimate knowledge of how the system works to his writing. This is about a murder of a lady who died 10 years earlier and the chase that occurs to find out who she really is and what has happened over the last 10 years. Amazingly written. I could not put the story down. Literally read it in about a day I believe. It was my first read after getting the gift.
10.THEY by Vincent Hobbes – my next scifi read. Not sure really if it was about aliens to be honest. Most of the story was written to let your imagination control. It reminded me very much of something you would read from Stephen King in his early days. I would very much recommend this short story if you want something to freak you out.
11.Bear Season by Casey A. Childers – good story. Couldn’t tell you for the life of me the exact plot of this story. It was good and fun. Written a good bit like the viewpoint of a child over summer break, but I’m not sure if the adventure the three children and the bear they met was really happening or just how they rationalized their summer to themselves. It was good just very confusing on the whole.
12.Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens – just a collection of his Christmas time stories. Read this the last week of December and was surprised at how many classic holiday stories I had never read. I very much enjoyed it.
13.The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka – FAVORITE short story of all time. Very easy for me to say. This is about a man who wakes up one day and has turned into a large beetle without any idea of how or why or any knowledge of whether or not he will stay that way or ever return to normal. It was written amazing. Sad ending that I did not expect but it was an amazing look into a writing genius mind (in my opinion). I cannot wait to read more of his works.
14.Grimm’s Fairy Stories by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm – great stories. I never realized how many of our children’s stories were based on, or similar to the Grimm stories. They are a good bit more dark and disturbing though. More like an older persons fairy tales. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone of they are looking for a good read.

I follow a blog on the kindle and it send out a post with two or three free books in the kindle store have in there. I’m not allowed, by myself, to add any more until these are all read. Or there is only one or two left.
1. The First 200 days by David Barron
2. The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
3. The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare by G.K. Chesterton
4. Croaker: Grave Sins by Paul Bishop
5. The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft
6. Short Stories by Franz Kafka
7. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Sorry this post is so crazy long. Like I said, I enjoy most anything that has to do with reading. I hope you will check into some of these books. You can always get something out of a story whether it is good or bad. It opens you to a world that most forget how to get into once they get out of innocent childhood. And who couldn’t use an escape now and again?

Here are some things that I was happy happened before the end of 2011:

1. Pawpaw was officially cancer free.
2. Dad came home from Korea.
3. I lost 10 pounds.
4. I made several acceptable shirts and skirts on the sewing machine.
5. E’s family gave me a kindle for Christmas.
6. G’s family announced their plans for adoption.
7. They also gave me a caregiver angel for christmas.
8. I really got involved in the life of my friend Vega.
9. Rekindled a strained friendship with Alaura.
10. Saw a good friend get married.

I spent new years with my best friend Vega, and some new friends I met in Old Cloverdale. We started the night at El Ray’s and then ended it at 1048 down the street. It was something new in my life. I had never spent ringing in the new year outside my house really. Never partied it into the new year. It was nice. I probably won’t drink again for a while, but I would like to go back and dance with some friends at 1048 this year.

Here are some things I plan on doing would like to do this year:

1. Move to Kenya.
2. Go skydiving.
3. Go on a successful/fun date.
4. Get a tribute tattoo for mawmaw and pawpaw.
5. Turn 25 in Africa.
6. See Joey and Laura graduate college.
7. Get rid of a good bit of the physical junk I’ve accumulated.

I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life in the last couple months. We have had to get used to dad being back into the house after 9 months of being gone. To say it has been a challenge would be a slight understatement. The Lord is teaching us all something right now, and unfortunately we just are not getting it. As Pastor Shawn has said, becoming disciplined by God is not a painless thing. I don’t really want to go into any more details to be honest. It is just hard some days, I don’t want to think about life. I just want to be a child with the kids – be simple.

I have realized how much I love to read again. I’ve missed sitting back and just reading at night. It seems without my knowing, and much to my distaste I started watching too much television and ignoring the world. That made me a bit uncomfortable when I realized it. I haven’t taken the kids outside as much as I used to. Or sat them down to read a book. Or play blocks with them. And that makes me sad. I did not want to be that nanny. So now that I realize that, I plan on being more proactive with my time and the kids time.

I’ve had a hard time with the moving opportunity. I WAS going. Then I wasn’t. Then I was. Then it was if I do. Then it was I’m not going. It’s been a lot to think about. I have about 48560137509645 questions in my head. And what if’s. I’ve got my own problems to work out. I don’t read my bible. I feel so guilty that most days I don’t pray. How am I going to go to Africa and teach these children about a God I know is real. A God that works daily in my life. But a God that I don’t put my own hope in. The only I don’t 10000% trust. What is wrong with me? I’ve been working through so much. I am going, unless the church comes back with information I don’t know and do not think this is a wise thing, I am planning on leaving in June. God, do I have so much I need to get right in me. That alone is overwhelming. Then there is medical questions. Or I think about the things I think I will be missing. What if I get over there and hate it. What if I get incredibly homesick after only a couple of months. What is there is a death in my family? What will I do with my car? Will I find a church that will keep me accountable or fed like Mview? What if I can’t keep up with the pace of construction, the daily demands? What if the medlin’s leave after I’ve only been there a couple of months? I cannot do that on my own. How will I leave Elynn and Grafton? I drive myself crazy daily thinking about 654321 things.

I feel like my brain may explode some days, it seems when one thing happens it is 200 things. It can be so overwhelming. Why can’t I just trust God? Why do I try to rely on my weak self? Please someone give me some advice on what I can do to rely on God instantly.

Then there is my health. I’ve got slightly high cholesterol already, and I’m trying to get that under control. I’ve changed to the paleo lifestyle. All I can eat regularly is lean meats, fish, nuts, fruits and veggies. No dairy and no starches or sugars. It has been a bit hard. I’ve cheated now and again but overall I enjoy it to be honest. I just need to get myself in check now. I refuse to be like dad with my health.

It was my grandmother’s birthday last week and I really wished I could have met her. It seems like she was amazing lady. Sometimes I wish I had the ability to go back to a different time. Just so I could watch and see what people were like. Not like time travelers wife back in time, more just being there but invisible to others going back. See what my parents were like before they had kids, what they were like when they were just kids. To see my grandparents when they were carefree teens in love without any kind of cares. To see who I used to be before circumstances made me jaded. I wish sometimes that I could just walk through my life and learn all those lessons I obviously didn’t get until it was learning them the hard way. Wish I could walk through all those memories I didn’t cherish of my friends and grandparents because I was a snotty teen who thought they knew everything. What I would give to remember every. single. spend. the. night. party. with my mawmaw and pawpaw. Remember exactly every smoosley and smosley story pawpaw told me. Remember everything my mawmaw told me about life while we were putting together a puzzle. Remember every phone call I had with grandma and grandpa.

No, I’m not depressed or suicidal or anything. Just thinking about the person I am and what I would have been like if I had really given more attention those teen years.

I’ve contemplated going back to school when I move back home. I want to work with children the rest of my life. That I do know for sure. I’ve thought about getting a masters in child development. Or child psychology. I would like to work in a development center. Or a daycare. Or a child advocacy center. This is all just a thought in the back of my head at the moment, nothing concrete. Just weighing my options. If you have schooling in something along those lines please talk to me! I would love to hear from you.

I know this is random. There really is no theme holding this post together. It’s just me writing the many things going on in my life. I’m not saying I will post regularly again because we all know life happens. So we shall see where this blog goes the next couple of weeks.

*time for me to go to bed. Ugh. I may regret being up this late tomorrow.
*I can’t seem to find motivation to get seriously back into the gym after a week off last week. I can’t afford to gain my 10 pounds back though.
*I’m hoping to finish a new skirt tomorrow night.
*finished a new sewing project tonight but cannot debut the pictures until after they are given as a gift to a sweet friend at her baby shower Saturday.
*I have to go shopping for lingerie for a shower Saturday and even though I love the girl, I’m not sure I love her that much. Talk about awkward moments about to happen.
*I’m really excited that Joey is  getting his life together and going back to school on Monday.
*absolutely LOVED spending an hour with a sweet friend this afternoon. I NEED to keep up with her and her husband better. Auburn is not far enough away to legitimately excuse my lack of attention to them.
*unless we hear from the doctor on Monday otherwise, it looks like Pawpaw does not have throat cancer. PTL!!
*I need a hair cut like whoa. Something new. Layers? Side bangs again?

*at the top is a sweet picture of g today watching the rain while e was sleeping.

 My AWESOME JoAnn savings.  Here is the lot: 4.5 yards of fabric. I spool brown triangle ribbon. 2 sets of buttons. 4 patterns for 0.99$ when they are originally $14.99 a piece.

I could not wait to get home from the gym last night to start on a new project!

Sunday I decided I wanted to try making something. I picked an easy pattern and mom helped walk me through my first attempt.

It actually was not that bad. The worst part about the whole skirt was getting the elastic into the right part of the waistband and then sewing the waistband down correctly. I thought I was going to lose it for a minute there to be honest. Mom had to remind me to get up and take a breath. So it took about half a day. And I really like how it turned out. I cannot wait to wear my new skirt on Sunday to church.

I decided for my next project to try a dress. But mom keeps telling me it will be hard anyway because it calls for jersey knit fabric, which even in cutting the pattern out last night was a bit harder. Plus this one has a zipper. And sleeves. And putting a waist and top together. But I am excited. What better way to learn than just trying? Here is what I will be attempting this week.

I was able to get all the pieces of the pattern and fabric cut out last night before I was exhausted from the gym and just the work day in general. Plus, for something this hard to me I figured it is probably a good idea to wait until mom and I are better rested and focused to start the actual sewing process. PLUS, looking at the sewing directions kind of gave me a panic last night. But, I am ready to learn. And I am a doer so this is perfect for me.

Until I get around to it though, I now have this LOVELY, TAUNTING reminder of fabric to look at on the dining room table. I may know what my plans on Friday night are.

P.S. – excuse the horrible quality of the pictures. They were taken on my phone. I plan on using the real camera for the rest of the project to get decent pictures of my progress.

*UPDATE* so yeah. Jersey is a bit harder than I’m ready for. I will only be doing one piece at a time here and there until my ability is higher. Planning on picking up some interfacing tomorrow and starting on a vest or something soon.

Either way, my music for yesterday was already thought and planned out. While getting ready for a friend’s 80s halloween party I’ve been getting some of the hits together so we can have an awesome playlist. While getting music together I came across the greatest hits of REO speedwagon and decided to download it. They are no stranger to me. I listened to them a lot growing up because mom liked me. I have a few fond memories of some of their songs though. While moving joey and I decided one day to make motions to go with the words (who knows what hour this was in the car). In our young minds they were PERFECT and AMAZING and we were going to grow up and be famous one day because of them. The only song I can vividly remember us doing this to is In My Dreams. Mom and I were listening to them this past weekend while running errands and I had moment where I remembered us doing that.

I’ve got a composition notebook in my room for each person of my family to write down these kind of memories in. Lord willing, one day I would like to show them to my own family. Or if the day comes where one of us don’t remember who we are, I would like to have that way to share it with them. I’m sappy – yes, the notebook helped me come to this idea/decision.

Anyway, here is mine and joey’s song. In My Dreams

There was a time some time ago
When every sunrise meant a sunny day, oh a sunny day
But now when the morning light shines in
It only disturbs the dreamland where I lay, oh where I lay
I used to thank the lord when I’d wake
For life and love and the golden sky above me
But now I pray the stars will go on shinin’
You see in my dreams you love me

Daybreak is a joyful time
Just listen to the songbird harmonies, oh the harmonies
But, I wish the dawn would never come
I wish there was silence in the trees, oh the trees
If only I could stay asleep
At least I could pretend you’re thinkin’ of me
‘Cause nighttime is the one time I am happy
You see in my dreams

We climb and climb and at the top we fly
Let the world go on below us
We are lost in time
And I don’t know really what it means
All I know is that you love me
In my dreams

I keep hopin’ one day I’ll awaken
And somehow she’ll be lying by my side
And as I wonder if the dawn is really breakin’
She touches me and suddenly I’m alive

And, we climb
and climb and at the top we fly
Let the world go on below us
We are lost in time
And I don’t know really what it means
All I know is that you love me
In my dreams

And we climb and climb and at the top we fly
Let the world go on below us
We are lost in time
And I don’t know really what it means
All I know is that you love me
In my dreams oh oh oh oh in
In my dreams

Another personal favorite is Take It On the Run. I actually really enjoy most of their songs to be honest, so I will limit this post to 2 or 3 songs so you won’t get really annoyed with me. I just watched a REO concert from 2010 on TV and really enjoyed watching them continue to perform so much time later than they started. (Thankfully, none of them have such bad hair anymore. The clothes was a completely different story unfortunately.)

Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who
Heard it from another you been messin’ around
They say you got a boyfriend, you’re out late every weekend
They’re talkin’ about you and it’s bringin’ me down

But I know the neighborhood
And talk is cheap when the story is good
And the tales grow taller on down the line
But I’m telling you, babe, that I don’t think it’s true, babe
And even if it is keep this in mind

You take it on the run baby
If that’s the way you want it baby
Then I don’t want you around
I don’t believe it, not for a minute
You’re under the gun so you
take it on the run

You’re thinking up your white lies
You’re puttin’ on your bedroom eyes
You say you’re coming home but you won’t say when
But I can feel it coming if you leave tonight keep running
And you need never look back again

You take it on the run baby
If that’s the way you want it baby
Then I don’t want you around
I don’t believe it, not for a minute
You’re under the gun so you take it on the run

You take it on the run baby
If that’s the way you want it baby
Then I don’t want you around
I don’t believe it not for a minute
You’re under the gun so you
take it on the run

Take it on the run baby
If that’s the way you want it baby
Then I don’t want you around
I don’t believe it, not for a minute
You’re under the gun so you take it on the run

Heard it from a
friend who, heard it from a friend who
Heard it from another you been messin’ around

Lastly is Keep on Lovin’ You. This is actually from the concert I watched.

You should’ve seen by the look in my eyes, baby
There was somethin’ missin’
You should’ve known by the tone of my voice, maybe
But you didn’t listen

You played dead but you never bled
Instead you lay still in the grass
All coiled up and hissin’

And though I know all about those men
Still I don’t remember
‘Cause it was us baby, way before then
And we’re still together

And I meant, every word I said
When I said that I love you
I meant that I love you forever

And I’m gonna keep on lovin’ you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep, I just wanna keep on lovin’ you

And I meant every word I said
When I said that I love you
I meant that I love you forever

And I’m gonna keep on lovin’ you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep, I just
wanna keep on lovin’ you

Baby, I’m gonna keep on lovin’ you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep, I just wanna keep on lovin’ you

Keep on lovin’ you, baby

Friday through Sunday we had a missions conference. It was nice for me to really think through going overseas and evaluate myself. It was amazing. But, that is about all I can say on the subject.

Friday night, Caleb and I went to Montgomery’s first Zombie Walk and Prom downtown. It was to raise food and awareness of the Food Bank here. The slogan was something to the effect, Hunger is real – Zombies are not. It was beyond entertaining to say the least. We started off at the fountain on court square and then walked, following Hilda – of Montgomery Haunted Hearse Tours – to the alley. There we had the zombie prom. Of course they finally played Thriller, and then we left because it was getting a little raunch. The best part of the night were the people who were in the alley on a date that obviously had no clue what was going on. Their reactions were the best. We had a couple celebrities join our festivities. We raise almost 1500 pounds of food, and this will deffinately be an annual thing so you should really check it out next year. Here are some pictures:

Saturday morning I then ran the Montgomery Marathon 5k with some friends from church. It was a beautiful day outside, and the weather was amazing. I was able to take 4 minutes and 16 seconds off my time from last month making this race a new personal record. I ran/walked it in 34.22. Not to bad I don’t think. Since my first race in May I have gone from run1/walk1 to run3/walk1 and I have shaved off 10 minutes from my first race. Joy and her sister ran and for Joy’s first 5k she was only like 4 minutes behind me. Those long legs of hers seem to help. :)

I think I have become addicted because I planning on running the turkey burner in november, the jingle bell run in december, and am going to try for my first 1/2 marathon in March if I can get myself trained enough. Here are a couple pictures her husband snapped of me during the run.

Lastly, dad came home on Saturday night. I was crashed and in bed when they made it home from the airport and he has been pretty sick but he is home. He had some bloodwork done yesterday and today an upper GI. Good news: no ulcer. Bad news: why is he then still so anemic? Doctor’s appointment this afternoon so hopefully they will have some answers. He has another week off to get back into the swing of things and feel better/get his health figured out. All in all everyone is slipping back into a normal routine. We are just happy we didn’t get a call on Friday saying his flight had been cancelled/his date changed/ or some other funky issue going on.

Hopefully this junk will go away so I can go back to the kids tomorrow but I am also not going to rush it. I don’t want to chance getting them and their families sick either. So I may be laying around the house tomorrow also. We shall see.

Here are the lyrics: