http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2008/10/im-not-voting-for-man-im-voting-for.html

Please read this in it's entirety and watch the second video, may it move you like it did me.

running...or lack thereof...

So, having lost my running partner to vacation this week, running in the morning has become a VERY hard thing to do. 1. It's hard getting up that early when no one is expecting to meet you, 2. It's getting super cold out there now, 3. It's SCARY when you're alone in the dark that early in the morning! I had decided last Friday when I did it alone I would take Cooper with me next time, I figure no one would dare mess with a big black 140lb dog, for their sake I hope they wouldn't. I'ld hate to add human to the list of things that have met Coopers jaws!


Seriously! Who would want to mess with this fierce looking dog!!

Who am I kidding, he's actually just a big, lazy puppy!

Jenna Page Patten

my niece

Kevin's sister had a baby girl on October 15. She was 6lbs, 11oz, 19.5in a cute little girl who they named Jenna Paige. Paige is her dad's middle name. I may have spelled her name wrong, not sure :) I'll post some pics a little later :) Praise God!!

Bigby!

Thank you Bigby's on Ivanrest for appreciating your customers this week!! It's been fun trying all your different drinks...for FREE!!!

Whew! I had a blast this weekend!

My mom, aunt Jean, Chris and Melissa went with me to a ladies retreat and we had so much fun!! My sisters "heard" from God and have a joy about them I haven't seen in awhile. We laughed so hard and did cry a few times but the laughter!! So good for all our souls!! Thank you LORD for blessing us this weekend with fun, laughter, challenging and encouraging times. Thank you for the great weather also, it made for an even more enjoyable time! What a great God You are!!!

5k

About four or five weeks ago I started training for a 5k. I might not ever run one but I wanted to be able to run a mile or two (and eventually three) without completely dying. So far it's going well, I'm doing better than I ever did in college when I was in pretty good shape! I had to get new shoes and now I have a running partner that pushes me (more than she pry realizes). We both have young kids so to work our schedules out so that we don't give up precious family time, we decided early in the morning works best, 5:30 am early! It's great cause I'm a morning person and by the time 7am rolls around I've gotten so much done! It allows me to spend some much needed completely uninterrupted quality time with my God too, which then in turn makes the day go so much better cause I've started it off with the One who loves me most in this world! I am sleepy however so my bedtime is about the same as Owen's!

our birthfamily

His birth cousins are right behind him and sort of to the left, Alexa and Quinton.

Jazzy, Kevonte, Sabrina and Tez, is my son cute or what! Check out his little pose, I love him.

Birth Aunt Marissa and Uncle Chad (he's Sabrina's brother) and Chase

Nana Jan (Sabrina's mom)

Kevonte his half birth brother

A fun little Thomas card game.

This is the day the Lord has made...

Kevin, Owen and I went to a park that was so big and so fun today. We met Owen's birthfamily there to hang out with them. His half birth brother and sister, birth grandma (nana Jan), birth aunt and uncle and 3 cousins were there along with pry 700 other people. It was such a fun day! There was a petting farm with sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, a hog, horses and pony's. Ton's of blow up/bouncy things to play in, a mini ferris wheel, tons of different foods, a playground that was HUGE with a HUGE sandbox - every little boys dream!! It was sort of like a fancy glorified carnival only better and cleaner. Then we went to lunch at Cheesy Luigi's, good pizza and breadsticks! My heart was so full. I really don't have words to describe how I feel, GOD IS SOOO GOOD!!! They gave him a holloween bucket full of his favorite things- they pay very close attention to the letters I send and get almost everything I mention he has fun with. It was precious to see him run up to Jazzy his half birth sister and grab her hand a walk around with her. Here are a few pics, more to come later, enjoy looking at them, I bet you can't help but smile :)

Grace, Mercy & Peace...

I love watching You work God. I can so clearly see You working in my sisters lives right now and it's so exciting. The stuff they're going through is not fun, one bit, but seeing how You are speaking to them and the power of Your Spirit in them right now, EXCITING! Even to them, they see it and know You are lovin on them like no other! Thank you :)