Fall

The weather today was pretty much perfection in my book. The morning air was crisp and cool. The sun came out and warmed it up a bit, but I still wore long sleeves, long pants and socks. Socks are my favorite! I got two walks in. The trees are turning such beautiful colors. It was glorious. I hope you got the chance to be outside and enjoy it a bit too!

Before-40 goal #2

Almost exactly a year ago I verbalized two before-40 goals to a friend of mine, while we were out running. My 40th birthday was just over a year away at that point and I wanted to do a couple things before turning 40 that would take dedication and be a bit of a stretch for me. The first thing I mentioned was to run a half marathon. At that point the furthest I'd EVER run in one stretch was about 5 miles. In my head I thought maybe a late spring or early summer half in 2014. But over the summer as I was training for a 10 mile race that I had signed up for for September of 2013, I decided I had enough of the training in as it was and I might as well shoot for a fall race. So sometime in the summer, I signed up for a half marathon for late October 2013. Then I proceeded to freak out a little (or maybe more than a little) and question what I had just done. Fast forward to October 26, 2013 and on a chilly, windy Saturday morning I crossed a half marathon starting line. 2 hours 7 minutes and 37 seconds later I crossed the finish line. Yay! Goal #1. Check!

The second goal I made for myself was to grow my hair out long enough to donate. I had tried once before, but couldn't handle it once it got to a certain length. (cue my frustration with my hair for the past few months now!) But after my mom's cancer diagnosis and two of my daughters donating their hair, I knew I wanted to do it too. (I am SO thankful that my mom didn't need chemo and never lost her beautiful hair, but lots of people DO need chemo and DO lose their hair and I wanted to help.) So, I am starting to think about the end of this long hair! It's pretty much driving me crazy at this point. It bugs me when I'm sleeping (when I try to roll over I can't, because I'm laying on it). I was taking off my shirt one night, getting ready for bed, and my hair got stuck in my armpit. How gross is that! I know there are lots of people with hair longer than mine, but I'm pretty much at my limit. I've had relatively short hair for a good portion of my life. More often short-ish than long-ish, anyway. I'm thinking I'll cut it next month sometime. Or maybe not until June. I'll probably go chin-length or shorter. I want to donate as much hair as I can.

So I have to make a decision (Have I mentioned I'm not really a fan of making decisions? I would rather someone just tell me what to do!) about what style to do with when I chop it all off. As my friend noted at church this morning (Hi Catherine!) I've been pinning short hair dos like crazy on Pinterest lately.

Here are my top few choices (my top few TODAY at least. Tomorrow I may very well change my mind).

I think this one is pretty realistic. It's not TOO styled (I'm a pretty low maintenance girl when it comes to hair. If I have to do too much -- or ANYTHING, really -- to it, it's not going to happen!) and she has thinner hair, as do I ::

I like this one too, but I think it looks like it might take more work than I am willing to put in ::

I think that, right at this moment, this one is my favorite. (Although that may just be because she's wearing gray and I LOVE gray!) I think her hair is a little thicker than mine, so I'm not sure I could pull it off. Also, I'm not so good at the nondescript-part-thing, my part is usually pretty defined. But, still, at this point this one is my favorite. That may change tomorrow, but for now, I think this is the direction I'm leaning ::

What do you think? Any preference? Are they all bad? All good? In the end I'll probably just tell Jill (my VERY talented friend who cuts my hair) to do whatever she wants! I like it better that way. She's never done me wrong and I get out of making the actual decision! Yay!

Have you ever had a bucket list or things you wanted to do before a certain age or at a certain time in your life? How'd it go for you? 

Flashback Friday

2013 was a year of renewed health for us! During the 12 months of 2013 (actually mostly in the first half of the year) Kirby and I lost a combined 70 pounds (give or take a few) and got way healthier and feel significantly better than we have in as long as we can remember. We are so thankful for the changes that has brought to our lives. Many people have asked us how we've done it. What's the secret? So I thought I'd share. It's not magic and it hasn't always been easy or without sacrifice, but it has been so very worth it! Every treat not eaten, every dollar spent, ever minute of exercise. All worth it to get to this place.

Here we are in August of 2012 (or maybe early September . . . we were at the state fair when it was taken). I am amazed when I look back at old pictures at how far we have come!

I finally had had enough! I was tired all the time, didn't feel good overall, and certainly needed to lose some weight. I also wanted to get in shape and just be healthier overall. I had tried changing my eating, exercising more and nothing ever seemed to work. Or to stick.

I had an acquaintance (friend of a friend) that I knew had lost significant weight with the help of some natural, whole food-based supplements. I was curious, but skeptical. Finally one day I asked her about it. Turns out it was more than I wanted to spend and I wasn't sure it was worth it -- or that I trusted it would work -- so I just kept on doing nothing. Then I found out that another acquaintance of mine (wife of a guy Kirby used to work with) had regained her energy and health AND lost weight (I wouldn't have thought she had any weight to lose, but the 15 pounds she lost were a bonus on top of the new-found health!) using the exact same supplements. I got more curious and less skeptical. I thought about it a few more months and finally bit the bullet and ordered the starter kit of supplements. They have a 30-day 100% money back guarantee, so I figured I had nothing to lose.

I started on the supplements in November of 2012 and lost about 6 pounds the first week and proceeded to slowly and steadily keep losing until I'd lost a little more than 30 pounds. I have kept that 30 pounds off now for nearly a year. Kirby joined me in using the products in January of 2013 and he lost about 40 pounds over the course of a few months and has kept his weight off as well.

Here we are in August of 2013. Almost exactly a year after that other picture was taken. What a difference a year can make.

More important to use than the weight we have lost is the fact that we have gained energy. We have gained health. I was able to go off a prescription that I took for asthma -- which, with the weight loss and overall health gained was no longer an issue for me. Kirb used to suffer from pretty regular migraine headaches and has not had one now in about a year. We can do better all the things we love to do and enjoy more the time with our kiddos without getting completely worn out. Being healthy is really quite wonderful and fun!

Anyway, it has been a life-changer for us! We both feel good enough and energetic enough these days that we've taken up running. I ran a half marathon last fall :: something I never imagined myself doing (or even wanting to do!) Kirb went on quite a few long training runs with me and was my cheerleader. We have made changes to our eating. Mostly in the times of day that we do our eating (earlier in the day, rather than later) than in the foods that we eat, although there has been that aspect too. We are so thankful to have discovered better health. What a blessing!

The supplements are from a company called Xyngular. The have a product line of about a dozen different supplements (what you think of as traditional supplements -- pills that you swallow with water as well as juice, freeze dried powder that you add to water and drink, protein powder to make shakes, etc.). They are fabulous, not only for weight loss, but for improved health over all. I started out a skeptic, but now believe that they are wonderful and have my own (new) life as proof of that. I had heard stories of people finding relief from migraines, chronic pain, eczema and psoriasis, asthma, increased energy and focus, improvement in ADHD symptoms, improved blood sugar levels for diabetics, less illness, improved immunity and many more. It's not magic and won't happen all on it's own, but I know it has made all the difference for us. We couldn't have done it without the help these products gave us. We continue to use some of the products to maintain our health, and I feel like that won't ever change. We don't use the entire line of products every day, but it has become a part of our life now and we are so thankful.

It is no where near as important to me as my faith in God, but it feels very similar in many ways. I feel evangelistic about the products, but also reluctant and timid in sharing that with others. They have made a major change in my life -- as has my faith. If you are at all interested in hearing more. Just let me know, I'd be happy to tell you.

flashback friday

Me with my (beautiful) aunt, Denise (my dad's only sister). Looks like maybe it was my birthday (or SOMEBODY'S birthday, anyway). I don't know how old I was exactly, but it was sometime in the first half of the 1980's.

She was just in town last weekend and it was wonderful to see her! (she wasn't wearing overalls this time, however).

flashback friday

A happy sister-brother pair.

flasback friday

puffer vest and cords :: I was a pretty hip 6-year-old {if you disregard the hair, that is}

flashback friday

sometime in the 1980's

no. 2

I ran my second 5K yesterday morning. It was the "Run for the Roses" race, which is part of Roseville's annual Rosefest. Running it was kind of a last minute decision. When I checked the weather on Friday afternoon, the Saturday morning forecast looked beautiful, so I decided I'd give it a go. The race started at 8 on Saturday morning, so I got there about 7:15 to register. I got my bib and my official shoe-lace race timer thing, took a last potty break and headed to the starting line. There was a 5K and a 10K, as well as a 10K "Roll for the Roses" that people did on roller blades. The "rollers" started 5 minutes before the runners. All the runners started together and then the 5K and 10K routes diverged a ways down the road. Not too far into the race I picked two ladies :: one I was NOT going to let cross the finish line before me and one that {although a bit of a challenge} I was going to work hard to beat. The first lady has worked out at the same Y as me for years, and although I haven't ever had a conversation with her and don't know her, I remembered that I ran pretty much neck and neck with her in my 5K last month, and so I was determined to beat her. The 2nd lady was a little ways ahead of me for most of the race and so, I figured, she would be a good challenge and push me a little harder. Shortly after the first water break, a particularly good song came up on my iPod and made me cry. Now, I'm a cryer, there's no doubt about it, but I wasn't expecting this. It kinda hit me out of nowhere. Nice, just what I wanted, to be crying mid-race. Then, right before the finish, a woman just ahead of me ran by her husband and kids who were near the finish cheering her on and she grabbed her little guy's hand {he was probably 3 or so} and ran the rest of the way with him. So, not surprisingly, I started crying again. Perfect. So very me! I came to the finish line {with one shoe untied -- it came untied when I was nearly at the end and I figured I was safe to finish before I tied it. Thankfully, I was right and didn't trip or anything} ahead of both my two goal ladies {whoo hoo} and more than a minute ahead of my time from last month. So, I was excited about all that. However, on the downside, I did get beat by the first two 10K finishers. {Turns out they run twice as fast as me. Super!} And also, there was a lady just on my tail that I overheard telling someone that she was a great-grandma. Holy cow! So, there you have it. My second 5K is in the books!

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2251. kids rolling down grassy hills
2252. a great dinnertime discussion following by the kids praying for each other
2253. field day :: potato sack races and tug-o-fun
2254. the escape found in reading a good book
2255. the closing of a really great chapter of life :: 3 years of watching Vince :: what a blessing!
2256. Joe washing dishes
2257. Sara's ever-expanding vocabulary :: I can barely keep up with her new words
2258. waking up to birds singing a beautiful song {loudly!} outside my window
2259. a full decade of Lydia :: Happy Birthday LJ!
2260. Anna asking me :: "Mom, how do you spell 'I love Lydia and I love everyone in our whole family except the mean people.'?" :: silly girl
2261. Sara telling me "dress off!" when I was changing her clothes
2262. an amazing beautiful double rainbow :: possibly the most beautiful, clearest, sharpest rainbow I have ever seen
2263. post-rain sunset
2264. a great first game of the season for Rebekah's soccer team
2265. last day of school
2266. a tangible, almost immediate answer to the sincere prayer of an 11-year-old :: thank you Lord!
2267. great, wonderful, fabulous, caring, excellent, passionate teachers
2268. having Luis {our basement contractor/carpenter} join us for our last-day-of-school BBQ
2269. four kids with check-ups at the dentist and zero cavities!
2270. Rebekah's first shift at the library
2271. a Saturday morning family walk {before it got unbearably hot}
2272. a freshly mowed lawn
2273. much-needed rain
2274. stopping in time to not hit any of the 3 deer that tried to cross the road right in front of our van. in the dark. in the pouring rain!
2275. a good run, despite the heat
2276. kids literally COVERED -- head to toe -- in dirt!
2277. godly, encouraging parenting commiseration

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

seventeen

seventeen years ago tonight he asked.

seventeen years ago tonight I said yes.

after more than 3 years of dating and nearly 4 years after we met.

with much fanfare and a big {surprise} party waiting for us at my parent's house.

two kids took the first major step into a life that is now so much more than these 2 could have imaged.

i might not be wearing that ring he gave me in the picture on my finger today {it's in a safe place, though}, but i'd answer the same again in a heartbeat!

TTFN

I'm taking a little break. I'll probably be back later. Just thought I'd let you know

{In case you aren't familiar with TTFN, it stands for "ta ta for now" and, although it was around before this, I'm pretty sure it was made popular by Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh books by A. A. Milne}

flashback friday

Since just the 3 of us are spending some time together today, I thought a picture of when it was just the 3 of us would be appropriate. The Carlson family, circa 1976. Aren't we a handsome bunch?

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1641. volunteering with friends and being stretched and coming out of my comfort zone
1642. a {wonderful} home to live in :: safe and warm
1643. 15 years a marriage
1644. an adventure with my mom
1645. a powerful message
1646. a wonderful, wonderful concert :: and sitting only about 10 feet from him made it all the better!
1647. a new family member :: our family decided so sponsor another child {through Compassion International -- we've sponsored Marilyn from CSC for years now!}. Melvin is 7 and lives in the Philippines. Welcome to the family, Melvin!
1648. worship
1649. fabulous, much-needed, wonderful night away for our anniversary::






1650. 1 football win and 2 soccer wins during the 27 hours we were gone
1651. a massage
1652. wandering around the farmers market on a chilly morning with my love
1653. a long, leisurely walk::

1654. the History Center :: I'd never been there without kids and it was such fun to take our time and look around
1655. the majesty of an eagle in flight
1656. home!
1657. dinner with friends
1658. a good, hard laugh

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

flashback friday

another couple wedding pictures in honor of 15 years::

thankful thursday

Today I'm thankful for all the years. Yesterday was our 15th anniversary. 15 years since that day of excitement, shared vows, a motorcade of VW Beetle convertibles, light rain showers, bubbles hanging in the air, clinking glasses and kisses. A decade and a half. Lots of life lived and unimaginable adventures still to come. I am so thankful for the blessing -- the grace in my life -- that is my husband. I love him more each day!

{I'm also SUPER thankful for, and excited about our just-over-24-kid-free-hours that begin tomorrow afternoon. Whoo Hoo!}

verse 8

It's time for verse #8. Rebekah and I are taking part in Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Challenge this year. Rebekah picked our verse for this time around::

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. {Philippians 4.13}

If you want to join us in memorizing 24 verses in 2011, that's great! You can "register" the fact that you are taking part in it on Beth's blog. That's where you can log your verses each month and just generally be encouraged by all the other people resolving to do something so beneficial along with you. Blessings on you!

flashback friday

I'm reading a Karen Kingsbury book at the moment. Did you know I had the opportunity to meet her? I did. 5 years ago now. She was speaking at a conference at Northwestern and I was asked to be her gofer {for lack of a better term} for the day. Basically, we ate a few meals together, I did a bit of crowd control at the autograph sessions and I got her a couple bottles of water . . . oh yeah, I also told her that her sweatery-thing was inside out {it looked pretty much the same inside out, except for the fact of that tag sticking out in the back}. I'm nice like that!

verse 7

It's April already . . . no foolin'. That means it's time for verse #7. Rebekah and I are taking part in Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Challenge this year. Rebekah and I are doing the same verse this time around::

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. {I Corinthians 15.58 NLT}

If you want to join us in memorizing 24 verses in 2011, that's great! You can "register" the fact that you are taking part in it on Beth's blog. That's where you can log your verses each month and just generally be encouraged by all the other people resolving to do something so beneficial along with you. Blessings on you!

flashback friday

Me {I'm the one with the SUPER short hair!} and Kirbs 2 sisters::

March 2006

Back at it/Happy New Year/Resolution

UPDATE::Rebekah is going to do this with me too. How fun is that!! This time around we're going to work on the same verse, but we might not necessarily do the same verse each time.

______________________________________________

Yup, I'm doing it again. Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Challenge, that is. This year I have 2 fabulous girlfriends that are going to do it too and maybe, just maybe we'll have a little girls weekend in Texas next January {me, Catherine, Melissa . . . and Beth . . . and thousands of other women}. Melissa already lives there, but it'll be a little miracle if Catherine and I can swing it somehow to join the party. Plus, who doesn't want to leave Minnesota and head for Texas in January? . . . heaven, I tell you! The goal is to memorize 2 verses of Scripture each month for all of 2011. That's 24 verses. I did it in 2009 and I think I can do it again!

Usually I'm not one for new year's resolutions. Yes, most years I think to myself that I want to drop a few pounds, be a better wife, exercise more regularly, etc. But I don't normally make intentional resolutions and plans to actually do those things. Anyway, since Beth Moore was challenging women to Scripture memory again this year, I knew I wanted to join her once again. It was a wonderful discipline for me in 2009 and I'm looking forward to doing it again in 2011. If you don't know Beth Moore, I'm so sorry!! You really should do something about that . . . she is one of my favorite people {I even met her once . . . and she hugged me. Although I'm pretty sure she doesn't remember} and I am so thankful for her! She is an author, speaker and teacher who writes Bible studies {mainly} for women. I think I've done 8 or 9 of her studies and have learned so much from her. Anyway, again this year, Beth's challenge is to memorize 2 scriptures a month for the whole year. So, knowing that I'm the kind of person who needs a little external motivation and who is also motivated by accountability and my need to be responsible and follow through on things I've committed to, I decided that I'm in; I'm gonna do it! So, it seemed only natural to, once again, add this journey and resolution of mine to the blog. Feel free to join me {and thousands of others} if you want, I think it's a wonderful, worthwhile goal for 2011, but you'll be gettin' no pressure from me. If you do decided you want to do this too, I would love to know it. It's nice to know that others are with ya in stuff like this. Anyway, the plan is that you can memorize whichever 24 scriptures you would like, and ones that would be especially meaningful and helpful to your personal life. So, here is the first scripture that I'm going to memorize in 2011:

By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13.35, NKJV)

If you want in, that's great! If so, you can "register" the fact that you are taking part in it on Beth's blog. That's where you can log your verses each month and just generally be encouraged by all the other people resolving to do something so beneficial along with you. Blessings on you!

The plan is to start the new scripture on the 1st and 15th of each month. So, keep your eye out for my verses twice each month. Ready, set, go!!