{Kalyssa's First Communion}

Before I share all about Kalyssa’s big day, I will warn you that there are A LOT of pictures. I spent the past couple of days going through three different cameras!!!

As I sat in church Thursday evening, I was completely overcome with emotions. Holy Thursday in itself is very meaningful but, for us it also marks a day of new spiritual beginnings. Almost one year ago, Bryanna made her way down the aisle at Holy Trinity in anticipation of receiving communion for the very first time. After weeks of preparation, Kalyssa took similar steps towards the same alter that welcomed her as a child of God.

Over the past few months Jason and I have been able to watch Kalyssa grow spiritually. It has been quite the journey for her. She dedicated her time and made a commitment not only to herself but also to God. I wasn’t sure how exactly she would do with all of the lessons that would eventually come her way. My first thought was her age. After going through the experience with Bryanna, I wasn’t quite sure that Kalyssa would grasp what was being presented to her. I must say, she completely surprised me. She embraced her teachings to the full extent and even taught us a few things in the process.

I shared before that I believe that one of the most beautiful rituals during mass is being able to receive the body and blood of Christ. It is so very powerful and unlike anything else. Kalyssa has been waiting patiently for the day when she too would be able to walk up during mass and receive communion.

This year things were a little different. Last year, we were very fortunate to have Grampy and Grammy sitting with us. This year not only did they join us for Kalyssa's special event but so did Granddad!!! The BEST part was that he wasn’t the only new face smiling as we sat in our family pews because Daddy was with us too!!!

I can’t even begin to explain how much it means to be able to share moments that are so important in our children’s lives with our family and friends. To be able to sit in our church and be surrounded by that much love and support is absolutely incredible. The feelings that ran through me were completely out of this world. As we walked up to receive communion for the first time with Kalyssa, Monsignor took Jason’s hand in his own and said “how wonderful it is to have you here this year as your little girl prepares to receive this sacrament”. It took everything I had to keep it together but once we made it back to our pew, I kneeled down next to my family and cried. I thanked God for blessing me with the life he has given to me. I thanked Him for allowing me to be a part of a family as amazing as mine!!!  

The pictures that I am sharing pretty much tell their own story. Kalyssa was absolutely stunning in her white dress and veil. You might notice that she looks an awful lot like her big sister. The girls decided early on that they wanted to share this occasion in a very special way so, Bryanna passed down her dress and her veil to Kalyssa. We had to make a few alterations but other than that, it was absolutely PERFECT!!!!    

  

Congratulations Kalyssa!!!

{The Jelly Bean}

It’s been a while since I lasted posted anything about running. It made me a little sad to realize that I let something so important to me slide away. Although not completely gone, it’s been tough to keep things at a steady pace.

As I sat down to write this post, it dawned on me that I never shared the aftermath of our big Goofy Challenge. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with long drawn out details, I will however share that my injury set me back quite a bit. Running 40 miles on a freshly healed foot wasn’t exactly the brightest idea and I am very lucky to have gotten through it as well as I did. The race was a bit rough on my foot. When we got back from our trip, I was pretty much told that if I didn’t take time off to heal properly, the chances of making it to my next race were pretty slim. I know that I’m getting older and regardless of what my husband says, I still consider myself to be pretty dang young! =) I have a lot of life to live yet and many races to check off of my "running life list"! Needless to say, the words time off were like a big slap across the face. It’s quite ironic how back in high school I dreaded that 1 lap around the gym before volleyball practice when nowadays, I can’t imagine my life without running. I get upset if I can’t run at least a 5k every time I lace up my shoes.

Before I got hurt, I had gotten to a point where I could get up, drink a protein shake, lace up my shoes, turn on my I-pod, and hit the road for an easy 5 mile run. I strived for a very long time to reach that goal and I was very proud to be able to do that. Over the past few weeks, I have been trying really hard to build up not only my strength but also my endurance. It’s been a very tough road for me. I tend to be very hard on myself and don’t always take the time to look at the overall picture. It’s hard for me to get excited about being able to run a full 3 miles without stopping when not so long ago I averaged a 5 mile a day run. Sometimes I find it really hard to read the miles that others are logging in on a weekly basis. I even stopped logging my own miles which turned out to be a huge disaster for me.

Another thing that I have been struggling with lately is my weight. My weight is a very sensitive subject and it’s no secret that I have struggled with my self imagine most of my life. I will admit that running freed me from a lot of the negativity I have carried around with me for years. It’s amazing the transformation that took over the moment running became a part of my life. When Jason deployed last year, I made a commitment to myself to get fit. I wasn’t necessarily looking to lose weight, I just wanted to be healthy and strong. There are so many goals I want to meet as a runner. I know it takes determination, attitude, and strength. Attaining those qualities for myself was something I had hoped to achieve. I worked really hard while Jason was gone but unfortunately, depression was a stronger force and the weight I lost was dramatic and completely unsafe. In a matter of 6 months, I lost over 35 pounds. Don’t be too alarmed, since Jason has been back home 20 pounds has found its way back. Obviously I’m not thrilled about it but I also know that the weight I was at wasn’t that healthy either. Trying to find that balance has been a challenge...I’m still a work in progress.

A little off topic so let me back track to running. This past week, I put myself up to a challenge. Up until now, I have been taking things easy. I have been slowly working my way back up on my treadmill. My hope was to be ready to do a 1/2 marathon by the end of this month. I haven’t quite made up my mind on this challenge just yet. I have until April 20^th to decide...I did however decide to put myself up to a 10K challenge. 


One of my favorite running blogs is Run With Jess. I can’t even explain how inspirational she is. She always has something amazing to share, she has some pretty fabulous giveaways, and she even hosts some pretty awesome running events. Remember how I ran for cupcakes??? That was all Jess!!! 

This past week she held her 2^nd annual Jelly Bean Race. My only option was virtual but someday maybe someday I will join her for real!!! This was my first “official” race since running the marathon event in Florida.

She listed 4 different events: 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon, or a 21K on a bike. Do one, two, three, or all four. The choice was yours! My original plan was to make it through the 10K but as the week got closer, I decided I wanted to give a little more of myself.

I started my week with the Jelly Bean 5K. I wasn’t sure how I’d do considering my runs have been steady and on a treadmill. Running on a treadmill and running outside are two completely different worlds!!! My hope was to come in at around 30 minutes.

My official Jelly Bean 5K time

After my time on Monday, I decided to take my 10K on with full force. On Wednesday, Jason and I hit the base to get our cardio on! I wanted a change in scenery and a few less hills to tackle. Little did I know, I would have to make loops in order to get in my full 6.2 miles. Did I mention that I absolutely detest making loops?!?!?! Unfortunately, it slowed me down quite a bit but I was determined to get myself through it.

My official Jelly Bean 10K time

I wasn’t quite ready for the 1/2 marathon challenge but I did make my way out for a 13 mile bike ride. The best part...

I had someone to join me on part of my little outing!

My official Jelly Bean 21K bike ride

I truly am taking this as a sign to get myself going again. When I first got the email about this event, I was excited but there was one thing that truly caught my attention.

Remember this little creation I made?

It’s my most favorite piece I’ve ever made for myself because I truly believe that those exact words are inscribe on my soul every time I lace up my shoes.

Here is the shirt Jess made for the run

Pretty amazing...right?!?!?

Unfortunately I didn't get to wear my new shirt this week because I messed up my own order but it should be on its way by next week!!!


Meant to be??? I think so!!!        

  

{One & Two}

How can it be that we are already through the first week of April?!?!?! I truly planned on sharing a thing or two but apparently time is not on my side these days!!

In case you didn’t know, we have had some very special visitors in our home the past couple of weeks. The kids have been so excited to have some extra special one on one time with Grampy, Grammy, and Granddad. Our last visit with Grampy and Grammy was over Christmas and that was “like 4-ever ago”. Our last visit with granddad was almost two years ago so, you can only imagine how long ago that was. 

I don’t know if this is a saying but it should be

A house full of grandparents makes for three extremely happy children which in turn makes for two very content parents!

I will apologize in advance because I do have a few things to share. I will do my best to not overwhelm but I can’t make any promises....

First

Girl Scout season is slowly coming to an end. The girls did absolutely fabulous with cookie sales this year. THANK YOU!!! TAHNK YOU!!! Thank you again to everyone who helped to support our troop. They all worked really hard at meeting their goals and I think I can share that they were ALL successful!!!

We still have a few more things planned before we finish our year up. After all, a Girl Scouts work is never truly done. There are a lot of things that these girls try to do in order to make the world a better place. Before the end of the year, the girls decided that they wanted to make a special contribution towards St. Judes and they also wanted to do something special for our firefighters. Our St. Judes project is still in the works but, we were able to put together a special surprise for one of the fire departments in Bossier City. The troop worked hard to put together a basket full of yummy goodies for the fire fighters. As a special reward, we got a personal tour around the station.

As you can see from some of the pictures, we were in the midst of some really bad weather during our tour. Our tour was the same day that all of those tornados hit the Dallas area. The weather left there and headed straight towards our area. Needless to say, I wasn’t complaining when the girls posed for their last picture!!!!

Second

Our Spring Break was last week so while most were sleeping in this week, we got up every morning and headed out the door in order to catch the bus. But, we aren’t complaining too much because we still get a small break for Easter and Travin got to take part in an “egg”citing event at school. On Thursday, the whole first grade class got to participate in a special Easter egg hunt.

I’m not sure if the grass was supposed to be as high as it was or not but I will say that it provided great conditions for the egg hunt.

The only thing that would have made our day with Trav more perfect is being able to share it with Grampy, Grammy, and Granddad. Unfortunately, I had a lesson to teach in front of the camera so Jason and I spent some extra time at Stockwell. The good news, we will be able to share an egg hunt with them and with our favorite family from Texas over the weekend!!!!