Friends

guess who came to play with us yesterday?

 

brooke and annie! 

the girls took a bike ride down to the pond to throw rocks in the water.

 all done.  running back to their bikes.

these two are hilarious.  they rode like this the whole time.

eating lunch

and the day won't be complete without changing into jammies in the middle of the afternoon to watch a movie.  well, at least 10 minutes worth of a movie:) 

they all have sleepy eyes after lunch.

i love these girls.  and this one right here, brooke w, she has the sweetest smile in the whole world. 

65

nana turned 65 last tuesday, july 19th.  we loved celebrating her.  she gives so much of herself to us all.  



singing "happy birthday"...

yummy strawberry cheesecake icecream cake from cold stone

 

 lots of gifts.  bryan did the shopping for her.  AND the wrapping!

 reading bryan's card. 

 opening a gift he gave her

nana, you are so loved and appreciated.  not a soul exists this side of heaven, that is as selfless and as serving as you.  i would wish you a happy 65 more years, but by that time we will both be basking in the splendor of our King.  and He will be saying, "well done, thou good and faithful servant". 



Blessings

listen to laura story's new song. it's beautiful. and so true. listen, and be blessed!

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Suprise!

we don't talk nearly as much as i'd like too.  7 kids between the two of us keeps us both pretty busy.  never mind the fact she lives in georgia.  but she called me today.  what an unexpected and much needed, blessing! 

jaye, it was so good to hear your voice.  thanks for making me smile. 

i love you so!  

Beyond Hot

the kids and i were at an all-star relay carnival today.  fortunately, bryan's relay swam in the very beginning of the meet.  we weren't there for very long, but it was BEYOND hot.  i kept thinking, "i am so glad i know for sure, i am going to heaven when i die.  because in this heat, it feels like i'm walking around in hell".  do i hear an "amen"?



Water Play

the kids are enjoying hunter's water slide. 

notice how hunter is always looking after brookie?  some things never change:)

see his face?  i think brookie won the battle to climb up the ladder first.

the two of them go at it all the time.  some things never change:) 

faith.  sweetness right there.  i hope that never changes:)

 

Piggy Died

brooke did it.  it was an accident.  nevertheless, tears were shed. 

i can't tell you how many nights i walk into faith's room and piggy (piggy is the name of her purple piggy bank), is "sleeping" in her beanbag chair.  she even puts blankets on him.  in the morning she carries him downstairs to watch tv, eat breakfast, play toys... 

this time she took him potty with her.  and left him there "sleeping".  piggy's blanket happened to be a bath towel that brooke needed.  the rest is history.  

guess i'll be headed to target tomorrow to bring him back to life again. 

Whatever It Is

the girls and i went to target yesterday for issy's birthday present.  i saw this dress and just HAD to get it for brookie.  the color, the style, everything about it screamed "brooke!".  it actually reminds me of a "kid's" version of a dress i wore when i was in a miss fairfax pagent an eternity ago, but i would never tell her that :) 

she put it on in the car even before we left the parking lot.  i was right.  she's absolutely beautiful in it. 

 several months ago i took her into one of those fancy dress shops at the mall.  just for fun.  you know, the kind the girls buy their prom dresses at?  her face glowed as she picked out all the pretty ones she liked.  bright and colorful and bold.  just like her.

yes hunter, i know what you're thinking...  

she hasn't taken it off.  everytime i see her in it, i want to sing the zac brown band's song, "whatever it is".

 i'm not exactly sure what the "it" is that they are singing about, but whatever "it" is, brooke has certainly got it

   i love you brookie!

   

Girl's Day Out

bryan was at a friend's house...so the girls got to play!  on our way back from south wales, we stopped by the carousel ice cream place.  we'd never been there before.  the girls LOVED it!

did you know the girls choose their icecream by the color not by the flavor it is?  brookie wanted blue and faithy wanted purple.

yes, faith is still in her jammies. 

 we started eating at the picnic table, but ended up sitting on the ground. 

 then we went to get our toes painted!  they love that. 

faith picked green toes.

 brookie picked blue with sparkles in it, toes (and a flower)

 next, off to visit my dear friend ken.  he gave brookie some highlights while we chatted. 

then, a quick drop off of the girls at home with nana and back out to south wales to pick up bryan. 

seven years ago i would have told you i wanted all boys.  no girls for me.  my mother-in-law will back me up on this one.  but the Lord doesn't always give us what we want.  He gives us what we NEED.  and His grace makes up for what we lack. 

i'm so thankful He knew i needed two precious little girls in my life.   

More... of Bringing in Bob

here's another video of our adventures in portland.  it's our age-group race re-cap.  look for bob and j.d.  

that mountain is amazing isn't it?  

Rev3 Portland Age Group Race! from REVOLUTION3 Triathlon on Vimeo.

Bringing in Bob

meet bob.  he's 70.  he had brain surgery earlier this year. 

and he just completed a 70.3 half-ironman (or half-rev, as we like to refer to it). 

how many of us can say we will be doing THAT at his age?

the awesome guys that surround him are from multisport ministries.  i like to think of them as angels.  their job is to come along side of the last person on the race course and encourage, support, and coach them to the finish line.  today that guy was bob.  and his angel today was j.d.  (the guy in the middle, standing directly behind bob).

my words will not do justice to the events that happened today, but God's can.  

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  -isaiah 55:9

we thought j.d. was going to do the swim and bike portion of the race that day, and then come out on the last part of the run.  he had major surgery on both of his legs less than 5 months ago.  completing a half-marathon was not part of his rehab plan.  but God's ways are not our ways.

j.d. began his "angel work" in the water.  bob was floundering, and j.d. is a fish.  who better for God to have chosen to help him?  our rev3 staff was astonished back on the beach watching the two of them in the lake.  they kept saying, "i just don't know how he can tread water for that long!"  

with j.d.'s help, bob completed the swim.  as only God could have planned, the bike was bob's strength.  he did not need his angel.  instead, his angel had mechanical issues and had to return to transition.  just God's way of saying, "Rest your legs.  I know what is in store for you."  bob rocked the bike.  he rode 56 miles and finished entirely on his OWN!  what an amazing accomplishment!

but his legs were tired and his lower back was in pain.  he needed his angel again.  so him and j.d. hit the run course together.  run.walk.stretch.run.walk.stretch.  hours passed.  the run course closed.  the roads reopened.  bob was over the race time-cut off.  but he pressed onwards to the finish line.  his wife and angel by his side the whole way. 

this is a picture of him on the road to the finish line.  it is breath-taking.  look at mount hood in the background.  literally, hours were spent running, walking, and staring directly into this majestic mountain.  i will never forget it.  ever.

below is a video of j.d. "bringing in bob" to the finish line.  it is a day i know he will remember for the rest of his life.  bob, you are my hero.  i hope we made you feel loved.  you are amazing and an inspiration to us all. 

j.d., isaiah 55:12 sums up your day.  "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst in song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."  as you ran with bob into the mountain, God was watching.  and He was giving you a standing ovation.

 watch and enjoy:)

Bringing in Bob at Rev3 Portland from REVOLUTION3 Triathlon on Vimeo.

The Trumpet Sounds

" It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength, and charges into the fray.  It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;  it does not shy away from the sword.  The quiver rattles against its side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;  it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds."
-Job 39:21-24

this is bryan, in training mode.  "afraid of nothing".  his feet "eat up the ground".  he "cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds".

today is a day i've been waiting for...for 9 years maybe?  i drove the kids to swim team.  bryan was going to play wall-ball with his friends during brookie's practice.  i was going to lift weights.  BUT, he ASKED if we could go running on the battlefield.  

a word about the battlefield.  it's not just a run, it's a RUN.  all of us, our group, train on the battlefield.  our blood, sweat, and tears are all over every square inch of that place.  it's where long runs, hill runs, stake runs, runs in the snow, ice, bitter cold, to the blazing sun, are done.  there is almost an unspoken code among us there, "what happeneds in the battlefield, stays in the battlefield."  it is littered with memories.

but i said no.  it was hot.  i had already run 6 miles.  besides, i didn't think he truely wanted to go anyways.  he asked me again.  even begged almost.  it doesn't take much convincing to get me to go for a run.  again.  especially on the battlefield.

we arrived.  his feet "ate up the ground".  i trailed behind him, occasionally yelling for him to pace himself.  after all, it was a 6 mile run.  he was "afraid of nothing".  the run is mostly all UP hill.  on trail.  and these are big hills.  but the "trumpet had sounded" and he was off.

he slowed at around mile 4.  i paced and helped him with the last 2.  we finished with a hard sprint to the car.  i won't tell you who won.  he was exhausted.  we high fived, got brookie, and went home. he lay watching movies, motionless for maybe 4 hours.  i thought for sure, he'd never want to do that again.

when he finally got off the couch  he said, "mom, can we go running now?"  really bryan?  he has talked about it ever since.  we already have plans to run it again tomorrow...after his 2 hour swim practice.   but the trumpet has sounded in his heart. 

he is hooked. 

 and i soooo love it. 

  

Best Friends

brookie's best friend in the whole world is brooke worshman. 

brooke and brooke.

her and her family are such a blessing to us.

the girls have been best friends since they were in preschool. 

how precious is this picture?

we love you brooke worshman! 

you are a gift from God.

"a friend loveth at all times,
 and a brother is born for adversity."
 -proverbs 17:17

Happy 4th of July!

sore throats and colds have come to visit us.  who gets sick in the summer?

but we still had fun!

sparklers, in the sprinkling rain...

 

 

 that boy with fireworks is dangerous!

then, we set up camp in the family room to watch the "real" fireworks on tv.

had to buy these dasies at wegmans.  they're my favorite.

happy 4th!

X-rated

jd, i'm blaming this one on you.  :)

 i believe the last words you said were, "it's hot today kids.  go play in the sprinklers".

well, she did.  only she forgot her swim suit.

this pic had to be cropped.  :)

the rest of the team joined in later, with their bathing suits on.

what can i say? 

if i was 4, i would have done the same thing.