Fair, Rodeo, and Randomness

In about a two week span, I was only able to run three times.  I am starting to get nervous that I may never be ready for my 1/2 marathon but I plan to give it my very best.  The other night, I knew I had to get a run in despite that darkness was upon me.  Thus, I ran as fast as I could to get a mile in.  I was so excited because it was my fastest mile ever.  I know to many of you that might not be that fast but for me and my ever aging body, I was rocking it!

I have also been trying to find neat things to do with my classes at church.  I stumbled upon this and thought it looked fun and cute.  Of course, it doesn't scream "Do this at Church" but I still think I will do this at home with my kiddos or maybe I will make them and take them to the kiddos schools.  

We went to the fair and rodeo this past weekend.  In our family, there always has to be some type of drama when we leave the house.  So for this trip I failed to grab Luke's old boots but we were headed to Harrison to get him a new pair so I thought we were good to go.  Of course, we arrive at the boot store around 5:35 because we thought they stayed open till 6:00 (according to their website).  They were locking everything up.  Then the tears start falling because as you can imagine a cowboy can not go to a rodeo without a pair of boots.  It took a lot of time to convince him that sometimes cowboys wear tennis shoes (says no cowboy ever, LOL).



While at the fair, Luke wanted to ride the farris wheel (I imagine because his buddy Landon rode it the week before at the Baxter County Fair).  I figured he might get a little nervous or even back out but of course my adventurous little Luke loved it.



Even sweet little Evan wanted to ride but I told him he wasn't tall enough (AKA I am too chicken to ride with him).  So instead, we watched and rode a few more appropriate rides (AKA, rides I do not have to get on at all).



I thought that each boy would quickly jump into a car and take off but not these two, they wanted to ride together.  I only wish they could get along like this every other minute of the day.



I was so proud of Luke because he helped Evan get buckled in (because the carny just stood there watching them).  I also failed to get any pictures of the rodeo but it was so fun.  I have not been to a rodeo since I was in the 9th grade which seems crazy because I love them so much.  I guess sometimes life just takes over.  The boys got stick horses (which we are currently hiding in the back of my car because they think they are swords).  Luke couldn't get enough of the rodeo and Evan was ready to go home and go to sleep (which he screamed for 30 minutes straight making sure that everyone around us knew he wanted to go home).  We made it through the barrel racing and then Evan and I headed to the car.  Overall, I think it was a wonderful weekend and I was so thankful to spend the time with my precious family.

Family and Fall evenings

Fall seems to have arrived and the boys are enjoying the cooler weather so we have been spending extra time outside.

We roasted marshmallows for smores!

God sure has painted some beautiful skies for us to see.



These sweet boys bring us great joy.



Another beautiful picture.



And another.



Fire to keep warm



Precious Evan has had a few days of being sick over the past two weeks,



Luke and his dad went to the farm to play around.



Luke feels all big and thinks he can drive the 4-wheeler all by himself.

Friends, childhood memories, etc

The past few weekends have been very busy.  My BFF through a "new beginnings" party for one of our mutual friends.  It was a great time and below is a canvas I made for the sweet lady.

Most of my childhood was spent in the house below.  Its hard to imagine this old house was were I spent so many birthdays and time with family.  I remember most that I finally got my own room as a result of my parents giving up their closet.  The best memories were playing basketball in the back yard.  We didn't have much but my dad poured a concrete slab in the backyard and my house became the hang out for all the kids in the neighborhood.   

Luke also received a great note home from school which made this momma's heart burst with pride.  I am so proud of him.



We visited the Newton's and the boys had so much fun.



I believe these two will be big buddies when they get older.

Pressures in Life

It has been said that God will not give you more than you can handle.  This is a principal I have been raised on and believe to be true.  I know that if I rely on Him to handle my problems, He will or He will give me the tools to handle them.

So, why is it that as believers we often find ourselves trying to handle situations on our own?  We often take on too many things (teaching at church, exercising, dieting, working, being a mom, soccer practice, t-ball practice, family gatherings, bible study, etc).  Then, when we take all these things on we wonder why we are stressed.  I have said this several times lately, "it sounds easy to turn over our concerns, stresses and various other aspects of our life; however, the world expects us to handle all of these aspects and to do so NOW!"  Can I get an AMEN??

In conclusion, is there a simply answer?? No, there isn't an easy answer.  Today I was given wise advise, take one aspect at a time.  Look at the situation and see if there is anything more you could do.  If not, then let it go.  Another piece of advice I have been given lately, trust the knowledge you have.  God allowed you to be in these various situations and he also provides the tools to handle them so trust the tools he has given you.  Finally, it is okay to say NO sometimes but be sure that you aren't saying NO to those aspects in life that bring you Joy.  Joy is why we do what we do so embrace it.