Reindeer Ramble

Yesterday morning we ran the Reindeer Ramble - and by "we" I mean me, Shane, Natalie, & Tab. The Ramble is a 5K Run/Walk event that supports YMCA Campaign for Kids, our annual fundraiser. It was pretty cold out when we woke up... though thankfully most of us were prepared for the bitter temperatures. When we left the house it was 19 degrees and was probably about 30 degrees by the end of the race. I had on what seemed to be 15 layers of clothes to keep my body from breaking out in hives (ugh!) and was actually successful! Shane has run in these temperatures many times before so it wasn't any huge deal for him. Natalie & Tab had to borrow gloves because they don't own any... are you kidding?! How does someone not own a pair of gloves? Though I guess living in Georgia doesn't really require them. I live in a very different world coming from upstate New York! :) In any case, I was able to run just about the entire race - with the exception of one HUGE hill - and I'm pretty proud of myself! I wasn't sure how my lungs would hold up in the cold, but once we got going it wasn't too bad. After the race, the four of us got back into the car to head home and we all began coughing. You would've thought we smoked 3 packs a day the way we sounded!! It was quite an adventure - but a pretty fun one! I'm glad I ran the race this year... it was certainly more fun than sitting by and watching. You should've seen some of the costumes people had on. There are always awards given out for the most creative individual and the most creative "Santapede" team. This is a team of 3-10 people who tie themselves together and must remain connected throughout the entire race. They also must be dressed either to match, or to stay within a certain theme. There was one group dressed like the cast of "A Christmas Story" - so classic! I wish I had my camera so I could share the hilarious sights of the morning. :) But for now you'll just have to take my word for it! There was also a team of Christmas ornaments - they had large decorated discs covering their fronts & backs, as well as these silver hats that looked EXACTLY like ornament tops. I must say, whoever put those costumes together spent a lot of time and money! These people go all out :) All in all, it was an exciting morning and a great way to kick-start the day. Hope we raised lots of money this year!!

'Tis the season...

... to be missing family. Okay, so here's a serious blog for once. It's tough being this far away from our families - though I know I'm certainly not as far away as I could be. My cousin is living overseas so I really shouldn't complain, but it's still a struggle for me. I always thought I was such an independent kind of girl - not worried about leaving one place and moving on to the next. Not afraid of a big change. But as each year passes I wish we could be closer to family. The more I consider starting a family, the greater my desire is to be near mine. Don't get me wrong - I'm so thankful for this time in Kentucky. It has stretched me in ways I didn't know it could. God has given us a beautiful home, wonderful friends, and great jobs. He has taken care of us in more ways than I can count. But being here has also helped me to appreciate my family so much more. I think I took it for granted - the fact that we were an hour and a half away from both families when we lived in Orchard Park. And now that we're far away, I find myself longing to be back where everybody knows my name... oh wait, that's Cheers... but I digress. I think what's keeping me from calling Kentucky "home" is the fact that I know we'll be leaving here once Shane is done with school. At least that's the plan at this point in time. We want to move close to our family - and only time will tell where that place may be. My family is a treasure... and I hope that they will always know that. I need to be more deliberate about telling them how much I love and appreciate them. How blessed I am to be a part of the best family I can imagine. How amazing it is that God has given me parents & siblings who "get me" and can laugh at my randomness. How thankful I am to not only have been raised in a home where Christ is at the center of everything... but how I came to marry a man whose family believes just the same! And now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the Christmas season is upon us, we find ourselves wishing we could be closer to home - because for us "home" is wherever family is.

My husband

My good friend, Cherith, tagged me to answer the following questions about my hubby...

1. Where did you meet? We met at Houghton College a few days before classes began. We were in the same FYI small group!

2. How long did you date? We dated for 1 year & 5 months before we got engaged.

3. How long have you been married? almost 5 1/2 years

4. What does he say that surprises you? "I want a baby." (just today!) This picture is of him and our friends' daughter, Harmony. She really does love him - but she was upset that he was making her go back in her highchair :)

5. What is your favorite feature of his? his awesome blue eyes... or his rockin' booty - I really can't keep my hands off!
6. What is your favorite quality of his? his selflessness, his ability to say it like it is, his sense of humor, his love for his family, I could go on all day...
7. Does he have a nickname for you? "mama" (but only to the dogs), "gorgeous", "fun buns", "pleasure pod" (though I usually punch him when he calls me that), "Aimer"
8. What is his favorite color? blue
9. What is his favorite food? either pizza & wings (from NY) or Rob Engler's ribs
10. What is his favorite sport? tough one... he likes so many that I'm not sure I can say any ONE is his favorite. He loves golf, football, baseball, fishing, lacrosse, and triathlons.

11. When and where did you first kiss? we first kissed on the bridge connecting the South Hall walkway to the Randall townhouses. It happened on the night that we decided to "officially" date. It was a long time coming :)
12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? again - not just one thing; watch movies, travel, go out to eat

13. Do you have any children? not yet, but we have 2 dogs that we love (Tugger & Maggie)

14. Does he have a hidden talent? he writes music :)
15. How old is he? 27
16. Who said, “I love you” first? well... I had to hold off until he said it first, because I swore that I would never say it to anyone without being sure that I would hear it in return. We first said it on the front porch of a Bed & Breakfast in Wilmore, KY - kind of ironic!
17. What is his favorite type of music? no favorite, his tastes are very ecclectic!
18. What do you most admire about him? his determination - he decided one day that he wanted to run a marathon... so he did it! And now he's determined to do a full triathlon - so he's working towards it! I love his discipline and wish it would rub off on me :)

19. Do you think he will read this? absolutely - he's sitting next to me as I write this post!

YOU'RE MY FAVORITE, SHANER! Totally irresistable :)

And now I'm tagging Kristen!

6 Random Things

So, my cousin Kristen tagged me to tell 6 random things about myself. Here we go!

1. I cannot enter a room at night without first turning on the light and looking at all 4 walls. I watched this movie "When A Stranger Calls Back" when I was in high school, and the villain in the movie paints himself to blend into the walls so you can't see him. He can also throw his voice, so he'll call out your name to get you to look in the other direction and then attacks. YIKES! Why did I ever watch that movie?!

2. I refer to Shane as "Daddy" whenever I'm speaking to the dogs. I know it's lame, but we got into the habit after getting Maggie - not real sure how! If they're upstairs and it's time for bed I say, "Go find Daddy!" and they scurry away. :) I'm pretty sure that our kids will have some severe issues with this fact.

3. I will not eat anything with mushrooms or broccoli in it. I can't stand the smell or taste of either food. Honestly, why would I put fungus into my mouth? And broccoli... that's just about the worst tasting vegetable EVER. My mom used to force me to eat chicken & broccoli casserole - and let me say that I had to hold down the vomit during each bite. GROSS.

4. I love the smell of the air right before it snows. YES - there is a distinct smell in the air before the snow flakes fly... it isn't something I can really explain, you just have to trust me. And even though I'm allergic to cold temperatures, I will always go outside right when the snow starts to fall. Bundling up for those few quiet moments is definitely worth it!

5. I am the only child in my family who didn't have braces or glasses. My sister had both, and Jordan & Tyler had braces. Both of my parents wear glasses/contacts, but somehow I avoided these 2 obstacles. Why, you ask? Probably because God knew my middle school years were painful enough ;) Kidding...

6. Whenever I sing along with the radio (or cd) I always sing the harmony part. I'm not sure when I started to do that, but now it's tough for me to sing the actual MELODY! My sister and I will sometimes sing duets in church and before we decide parts we typically sing a few lines - and every time, without fail, we both go for the same vocal part. Not sure why we do this, but we laugh every time! :)

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random facts about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post. (Sorry - I'm only tagging 3!)
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the taggers know when your entry is up.

I am tagging:
Cherith
Rachel
Becca

A Beautiful Wedding Weekend!

This past weekend we drove up to Michigan for Dorian & Kristen's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and Shane & I were so honored to take part in their special day. The weather was perfect, the ceremony went off without a hitch, and everyone had a blast!! Here are a few shots their photographer took... simply breathtaking!

CONGRATULATIONS, MR. & MRS. DEHAVEN!!! WE LOVE YOU GUYS :)

Answers to Prayer!

Shane & I flew to NY for the long weekend to be with my family, especially Tyler, while we waited to hear the results from his doctors. And although we're still not 100% sure what's going on with his elbow, the results that we received on Friday evening all pointed to something other than lymphoma. PRAISE GOD!!! He had some fluid extracted from where his elbow is swollen and typically with lymphoma the levels would be around 10. Tyler's fluid level was 1.5 - definitely good news! The fluid was also clear, which means that there is no infection in the area. The doctors said it was possible for him to have an infection where the bone had been damaged from previous chemo treatments - but with clear fluid, that's clearly not the case. Tyler also had a PET scan Friday afternoon and the only uptake they saw was in his elbow - so even IF the lymphoma is back... it's only back in his elbow and nowhere else. He's also had blood work done on a couple different occasions and those have come back normal, too! At this point we're still waiting to hear the results from his bone biopsy which was done this afternoon, and at that time we will know with all certainty if the lymphoma has returned or not. So far it's all good news and we're trusting God to bring even greater news with the results of today's biopsy. GOD IS SO GOOD!! When Shane & I got in the car to leave work on Friday afternoon for the airport, I looked at him and said, "It feels different somehow this time... I feel like even though things are scary right now that we'll receive good results and that this weekend will be one big party." And God certainly gave us that gift for the weekend. We had a blast with everyone - and even Jordan was able to get away from school responsibilities on Sunday afternoon to join us for lunch at PF Chang's. Here is a picture of all the kids right after we stuffed our bellies full :)

We can't thank everyone enough for all the prayers and well wishes sent our way over this past week - and throughout this past year as Tyler has walked through cancer treatment. We serve a God that is greater than all of this and we THANK HIM for what He's done and what He continues to do not only in Tyler's life, but in the life of our entire family. I'll leave you with one of my favorite benedictions, coming from the book of Jude: "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

A Pitter-Patter in Pittsburgh!

We spent the weekend in Pittsburgh with our friends, Mike & Rachel. Their daughter, Harmony, is just about the cutest child on EARTH! :) We had a blast with them, and with my parents, Mis & Rob. They were all involved in a wedding this past weekend (which was also in Pittsburgh!) so we were able to spend time with everyone - it was amazing! Here are a few shots of Harmony and one with Shane wrestling with her so she could get dressed for the day. This girl has quite the iron will! :)

Here's our girl... could she be any sweeter?!

Just before she got into her pajamas... and yes, she was dancing with the pole!

She was such a flirt with him :) She wasn't quite ready to get dressed after breakfast!

A Midsummer Night's Run

I ran my first official race last night!!! Lexington has a 5K race each year called "A Midsummer Night's Run" which begins at 8:30pm. The city shuts down the major roads in the downtown area and runners take to the road - it's such a blast to run at night through the city! :) Mom & Dad DeHaven, Dorian, Kristen, Shane, and I all ran the race along with our friends Richard, Katie, and Natalie. Everyone ran well, though Shane's time killed the rest of ours ;) Here are a few shots Natalie took last night:

Me, Natalie, & Katie before the race (not real sure what we're doing!)

Me running hard!

Katie, me, & Natalie after the race (and that's water on my shirt!)

The whole running DeHaven Family :)

Summer Blockbusters

This has been a pretty decent summer for movies! It began early with the release of "Sex and the City" - my personal favorite :) - and more recently continued with "The Dark Knight" (AMAZING!!!) and "Mamma Mia!" (pretty impressive!). Some predictable cinematic moments, others... not so much. But all in all I've loved every one so far! We've also added a bunch of movies to our home collection - both new releases, old favorites, and a few necessary sequels. Here are just a couple of the additions:

"Oceans Twelve" and "Oceans Thirteen"
"27 Dresses"
"Juno"
"National Treasure 2"
"300"

Last night we also watched "21" - a movie about a team of students from MIT who have been coached by their college professor to beat casinos through counting cards. Pretty decent flick! As you can tell, we like our movies! We welcome any and all suggestions for other films worth seeing - any ideas?

Back-to-back weekends in NY

Yes... it's true. We drove to NY 2 weekends in a row - the first weekend for Tyler's graduation, and the second for Kristen's bridal shower. We also had the opportunity to spend 4th of July with Shane's extended family at his grandma's cottage on the lake. Gotta love reunion time! Kristen & Dorian are getting married on September 27th and my mother-in-law hosted a shower for Kristen at the church. Mom D., Danielle, and myself all took part in planning the event and it turned out really nice! Everyone said they had such a fun time and it was certainly a treat for them to learn more about Kristen. We are more than happy to welcome her to the family and initiate her into the "DeHaven Way." :) While we're still trying to catch up on sleep from these busy weekends, it was all completely worth it to spend time with family!! These are just a few shots of the shower set-up, though more pictures will be coming.


The table set-up (can you tell our girl likes pink?!)

The cake table

Close-up of the cake
And who can resist Princess Hannah?! I LOVE this baby!!

Tyler's Graduation!

This post is LONG overdue... especially considering this happened 3 weekends ago! But it's taken a while for me to get pictures to post - and what's a blog posting without pictures?! Tyler, my youngest brother, graduated from Webster Christian High School on July 27th and was the class Salutatorian! Needless to say, I couldn't have been more proud of him. He's had quite a year with his diagnosis, treatments, sports, college applications, and many more things. I am thankful every day that God has healed Tyler and has blessed our family in such amazing ways. He deserves all the glory!! Here are a few of Jordan's shots from the big weekend:

Here's Tyler making his way to the stage
Tyler giving the Salutatorian Address
And here we are... all 4 Smith kids!

AFI's 10 Top 10

So my friend, Katie, and I have decided that we're going to watch every movie on this year's AFI 10 Top 10 list - this means the 10 best (voted on by AFI) movies in 10 different genres... and for all you math majors, that's 100 movies total. I know we're a bit pathetic, but let's be honest folks - I live in Kentucky. :) I used to think that I had seen more movies than most since Shane & I are both huge cinema fans. When reviewing the list, however, it became clear that although I have seen a CRAP-load of movies, most of them wouldn't even come close to making this list. While I'm not terribly surprised by this fact, we received shocked responses from Shane and some other friends when listing off the movies I/we have yet to see. Here's just a snapshot of our list:

It's a Wonderful Life (I know... I'm terrible)
Finding Nemo
Snow White
Bambi
Caddyshack (which we actually checked off last night!)
Scarface
Good Fellas (which Katie has not seen)
Pulp Fiction
Shane (probably worth a look considering...)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Roman Holiday
The Ten Commandments

Goodbyes...

So this past Friday was my boss' last day of work for the YMCA of Central Kentucky. Jan has accepted a position with YMCA of the USA - which is a huge opportunity for her! While I'm more than excited for this new phase in her life, it makes me sad to think that she won't be right next door, or stopping in to do her "happy dance" because of an email/phone call she just received, or simply getting hugs from her for no reason at all. Jan has certainly been more of a friend to me than a boss, though she's done a phenomenal job here at our Y. We had a farewell celebration for her last week and to hear everything that people had to say about Jan made me so thankful to have had this opportunity to work with her... even if only for a short while. Jan - I miss you already! The plus side to this story is that she doesn't have to relocate, so we'll still get to see her around Lexington. I'm grateful for all she's taught me and hope to maintain our friendship for many years to come.

On a much more difficult note, a friend of my cousin's passed away last Friday morning. Ryan Sweeney has battled Cystic Fibrosis for 27 years. He has struggled greatly over the past 2 months and on June 6 around 5:30 am, Ryan asked to be taken off the ventilators. He said he was tired of fighting and was ready to go home to the Lord. I can't imagine what it must be like to hold that decision in your hands, knowing what you're leaving behind. And yet... he knew exactly what he was entering into! His wife, Kristin, and twins, Lily & Wyatt, said goodbye to Ryan in a Celebration of Life service yesterday morning. He was truly an inspiration to all of us for how to live life to its fullest, how to be thankful in all circumstances, and how to love God and others unconditionally. While I only interacted with him a few times throughout his life, he has left a lasting legacy. If you have some time, read some of these stories from a family who has walked through the fire and have been upheld by the hand of God each step of the way. Kristin writes so eloquently and displays a strength that can only come from our Heavenly Father. She, Lily & Wyatt will certainly appreciate your prayers for the days and weeks to come. I can't imagine the loss that they are experiencing, but what hope they have in knowing that they will see him again!! Praise God for His gift of salvation and eternal life! He is worthy of ALL the glory!

The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa

This place is AMAZING!!! We went there for a long Memorial Day weekend (Saturday through Wednesday) and met up with Corey & Danielle. It was a great few days and I have lots of pictures from Danielle (thank you!) since our camera is dumb and runs through batteries like there's no tomorrow. If you want to check out the Grove Park Inn website, click here. I highly suggest you go there if you ever have the opportunity. The resort is beautiful, there's a lot to do, and you're close to downtown Asheville and the Biltmore Mansion - all places we visited during our trip. On Tuesday we spent our time at the Spa... unbelievable. Check out those pictures if you get a chance! I'll leave you with just a couple to give you a preview of the albums. Enjoy :)

A Weekend to Remember

This past weekend we had the privilege of attending the wedding of Kurt Perkins & Lindsay McCoid - 2 friends whose lives (now joined) bring together so many different "worlds" if you will. We first met Lindsay at Houghton where she was living down the hall from my sister. Mis & Lin have been very close friends ever since - over 10 years! Kurt was introduced to us by our friends, Mike & Rachel, when he was living/working in Buffalo during his last year of chiropractic school. He also knew my brother-in-law from that time at school. Missy introduced Kurt & Lindsay during an annual New Year's weekend in Philly with a large group of friends. That entire crew was gathered again this past weekend for the celebration of their wedding - and what a party it was! :) The wedding was beautiful (despite the weather) and if you click here, you can view more pictures. Here's just one that I took from Rachel's website. Beautiful job, Rach!!

After the wedding we spent the rest of the weekend in New Jersey & Philly with the group of friends I mentioned before. It was great catching up with all of them - and meeting their beautiful kids! Shane also celebrated his 27th birthday on Saturday, May 17th so we had real Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch and then went out for dinner with everyone that evening. We had a blast during our visit, and even though the drive was long... it was worth every minute!

What a big girl!

Our niece is getting so big!! I can't get over how quickly she's grown in less than 2 months. She's just shy of 8 months old and I wish we could live closer to Corey, Danielle, & Hannah so we could be there to watch her grow... but I guess that will have to wait until a later time. For now, here are some pictures of Miss Hannah, our big girl:

I've been tagged...

A few people have sent this to me to do, so here we go!

I am: a child of God, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a dog-lover, and a friend
I think: about what I want to do when I "grow up"
I know: every line from "The Sound of Music"
I want: to sing for a living :)
I wish: that we could live closer to our families
I hate: mushrooms
I miss: New York
I fear: having ugly babies - seriously... it's a problem
I feel: tired, but happy
I hear: a lawnmower next door
I smell: fresh-cut grass, which means Spring is officially here!
I crave: sweets
I search: for a solid Bible-preaching church with a great music ministry team
I regret: wasting time worrying
I love: being a part of God's family
I ache: for people who don't know the love of Christ
I care: about serving others
I always: straighten the things on my bulletin board at work
I am not: a big fan of leisure reading
I believe: in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth... And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord... I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN
I sing: all the time - even when I don't realize I'm doing it!
I cry: everytime I sing the last verse of "Victory in Jesus"
I fight: for things worth fighting for
I write: emails all day long
I win: every puzzle on "Wheel of Fortune" - I own that game
I lose: myself in music
I never: go to sleep without telling Shane I love him
I confuse: people with my randomness
I listen: to Christmas music WAY before the season actually begins
I can usually be found: on the computer or watching tv... kind of pathetic, I know
I am scared: of spiders and bees
I need: to pull up our carpet!
I am happy about: having such wonderful friends
I hope: to record a demo sometime this year... we'll see how it goes!

Goodbye, Jeep!

Yes... it's sad, but true. We are no longer Jeep owners - it's a tough reality to swallow. But with the rising gas prices and the engine only giving us 17 miles per gallon, Jeep just had to go. Here are a few pictures of it before it was driven away to New York. So long, old friend!! :(

Good Samaritan Law...?

If you saw the final episode of "Seinfeld" you know the meaning behind this blog title. On my way home from work today my car ran out of gas. Mind you, last night after Shane took it out for a Krispy Kreme run (about 35 minutes away), he said, "You can definitely get to work and back on the gas in your tank right now. I promise." Well... so much for that! As I attempted to get to the side of the road, I realized I wouldn't be able to completely pull into the driveway off to my right. I'm fairly close to being out of the road and am extremely visible from both directions - a blessing on these back roads of Kentucky! I immediately turned on my 4-way flashers and picked up the phone to have Shane bring me some gas. About a minute after I hang up the phone a woman slows down to help me, and she decides to pull over. What she DOESN'T see is the massive ditch that she's about to go into. So I'm waving my arms trying to get her to stop... but does she see me?? Of course not. She realizes what's happening about 3 seconds too late. And as she attempts to stop, the ground beneath her car starts to sink in. Before you know it, her car is teetering on the edge of this ditch and all I can think is, "Dear God - PLEASE don't let this woman get hurt for trying to help me! PLEASE don't let her car tip over!!!" I immediately dialed 911 for help. Thankfully some guys in a pick-up truck pulled up as this was happening and jumped out to help steady the vehicle. They were able to get it up far enough where it wasn't going to tip over anymore, and the woman was able to get out. I'm apologizing left & right as she comes towards me and all she can say is, "Are you okay?!!" I was stunned to think that her first thoughts were about ME!! Are you kidding? Am I okay... are YOU okay??!!

About a minute and a half later the cops arrived on the scene - not a shabby response time, I might add! They asked the woman (whose name I now know is Kelly) if she wanted to file a report, and she simply says, "There's nothing to report. I pulled over to help her because I saw her flashers on. As I went to pull to the side of the road, the ground sunk in from underneath me. We didn't have an accident, no one is hurt. Everything is fine." At this moment I am so grateful for God's gift in sending THIS woman... as opposed to others that could've acted entirely opposite in this type of situation.


After quite a long time passes - and both of our husbands are on the scene - the 2nd round of tow trucks is able to pull her out without ANY damage!! PRAISE GOD!!! As the Chevy Tahoe was being lifted out of the ditch I was saying the same prayer over and over - "Thank you, Jesus; thank you, Jesus!! Needless to say, I'm still trying to process this entire thing. Below are some pictures of Kelly's Tahoe in the ditch: