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