Two Years Ago Today...

We got married!

 Today marks year number two having been completed - bring on year number three! Love you Kent!

Click on the link below to see our wedding slideshow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRVL6KXfXPw

Little Drummer Boy

Ever noticed this line in the Little Drummer Boy?

The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum

I just want to laugh out loud thinking about the ox and lamb "keeping time" - I'm not 100% sure what that means, but I imagine the ox and lamb doing something. Tapping or clapping their hooves, whatever. And that image makes me laugh.

Whatever holiday music you might be listening to today.... Merry Christmas!

Irish Twins

Definition of Irish Twins: two children born to the same mother within twelve months of each other.

Today is my little brother Trey's birthday [white t-shirt]. He is 23. And next Thursday is Spencer's birthday [red shirt]. He will be 24. They are the same age for 8 days. That means they are not even a year apart.  My poor momma! 

Shadrach Family Christmas

The tallest tree we could find this past weekend was a 5 footer. Clark towered over the tree. I thought it was a cute little one....

Therefore my Dad didn't have to work very hard to lift me up. He didn't have to work at all actually... but this picture is funny.

Clark got Kent lottery tickets. Thanks Clark.... I think?

I got cute new workout clothes. LOVE them! [especially since I picked them out!]

And Trey showed us his muscles. Wowzer.

We have the world's best stockings. For real. My grandma knitted these with our name and the year we were born. Below are Spencer, 1985 and Steve, 1955! They hold so much stuff because they stretch like crazy.  But the reason the stockings are on my feet and not on the mantle....

Because you can slide on the hard wood floors like this:

I know I look cool. :)

Smaller Belt, Maybe?

This morning when I left the house I had a black belt around my waist.

When I took my coat off in my office I no longer had on a belt. It fell off somewhere between my car and my office. And I have not been able to find it. ho hum...

Oh Christmas Tree!

My family has waited to get a Christmas tree. Maybe it's a little late, but who cares! I get to help them decorate it because they waited so long. Kent and I are in Fayetteville this weekend to do Christmas with the Shadrachs.

Each year I get to put the angel on top (a paper mache angel I made when I was three). As you can tell, my Dad is having a bit of trouble lifting me up there! I'm not THAT heavy Dad!

Christmas 2008:

 Christmas 2007:

Funny Christmas pictures are the best. You can't beat my dad in a bath robe...haha!

The Best Tomato Soup Ever

Let me start off my saying I do NOT like tomato soup. But this is the yummiest stuff ever! My grandparents were at Lake Tahoe years ago and were served tomato soup. The chef would not give them the recipe so they went home determined to get it just right. And they did!  It is delicious. It's actually a bit more bisque-esq, which I like. Also, Kent has asked SEVERAL times if we can make this. The boy does not like soup. Hopefully that gives you a clue as to how amazing this stuff is.

Lake Tahoe Tomato Soup

Recipe:

1 large can of Campbell's tomato soup

1 small carton of half & half

1/4 cup cooking sherry (or real sherry if you have it!)

1 carton of fresh mushrooms

Directions:

1. Chop up mushrooms (small if your not a mushroom fan or halves if you are a fan).
2. Put all the ingredients together & set on medium heat, stir occansionally, let it come to a boil & then turn down the heat to simmer.
3. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese
4. Enjoy!

White Rock Race Recap

Reasons to NOT run this race:

1. 20,000 runners started together = 10,000 half, 6,000 full & 4,000 relay teams.
2. 20,000 runners ran the first 7 miles together.
3. Crowded, crowded, crowded = [other people's] elbows flying & stumbling on over the person in front of you feet every 10 feet.
4. HORRIBLE organization at race - took us 30 minutes to find the porta-potties.
5. Not enough porta-potties. Like 200 too less.
6. After you finish a race you usually want to eat something. Especially if you haven't eaten since the night before and you just burned 1,551 calories. The ONLY thing they had was: plain bagels, oranges and MGD 64 beer. REALLLLLLYYYYY! $80 race and that's all they give. you. Amazing.

See my garmin:

It says I ran 13.34 miles. those extra .2 are from having to run around people. aggghhhh!

Maybe that's normal at big races. I didn't have my garmin at Chicago, so who knows...

Reasons I had a BAD race:

1. Didn't really eat anything before [I knew better, poor excuse].
2. Didn't take anything to eat during [again, bad excuse, I knew better].
3. Swallowed IBprofen dry. It probably didn't kick in until the race was over. hah! Bad decision # 3....
4. Started off running with my friend, bad idea. I'm wayyy to competetive to think that I could run with another person the whole time at a slower pace than I normally run.
5. Left said friend at mile 2.5 & started running an 8:15 pace.
6. My mind & bladder started playing tricks on me at mile 6. Couldn't decide what was going on, so I STOOD IN LINE at the porta potties. Lame. I hate myself for doing this.
7. At mile 7 I got annoyed that I had left my friend, then ran a little to fast for 4ish miles and went to the bathroom when I really didn't need to go. So I stopped and looked for my friend. Bad decision. Never found her.
8. At mile 8ish my IT band started KILLING me. I stopped to walk for a minute only to realize it was more painful to start running again than to just not walk at all. Confusing, I know. So I ran in pain.
9. At mile 10 some girl asked me what time it was. When I couldn't tell her we talked and laughed about how the garmin tells you everything you need to know expect what time it is. Stupid, but it distracted me for a little while.
10. I finished in 2:11. That annoyed me even more. It was a flat and easy race, I wish I had had my game face on. I didn't.
11. AND to top everything off I wore a tank top and shorts. I FROZE my hiney off. FROZE. It was supposed to be warmer and the sun was supposed to come out. I wish I had run in my spandex running pants and short sleeve under armour shirt.

Race grade: D+

After the race they were giving out short sleeve, fitted technical tees. I wasn't sure if I needed a small or a medium so I took one of each with the intention of giving the one that didn't fit back. After I realized that I wasn't even going to get a banana I kept both shirts. And I'm glad I did.

The only good thing about this race [to me] was the course. It was fairly easy. EXCEPT we didn't get to run around White Rock. They shouldn't be able to call it the "White Rock Half Marathon" if we don't even run near the lake.

All in all, I would not recommend this race to anyone. Don't waste your money or your time. Unless you live in Dallas. Maybe.

Google Mishaps

Since most of our cards have gone out, I thought I would share our christmas card:

Yes, I took a picture of a picture. I couldn't save the picture electronically. I used Shutterfly to make these [and alllll kinds of other picture related things].

I love this verse. HOWEVER, after I ordered the cards I realized that the verse is actually referencing when the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah and foretold of his wife Elizabeth giving birth to John[the Baptist]. So our Christmas card is telling all to celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, not Jesus. That's what I get for googling "Baby Jesus Bible Verse" and trusting the machine. I should have known the verse was wayyyy to early in Luke [chapter 1] to be talking about Jesus. ho hum... We'll get it right next year! 

Material Things I Want for Christmas

1. Ugg "Sightsee" Loafer in Black

2. Lancome High Resolution Collaser-5X Anti-Wrinkle Serum

3. Maui Jim Sunglasses [Palms 111-02 in Gloss Black]:

4. Celine Black Calfskin Buckle Detail Riding Boots:

5. Treesje Pumpkin Pleated Leather Hudson Large Hobo:

Yes, I know the last two are out my price range. Okay, most all of them are right now. Oh well. I can dream.

Weekend Pictures

Here are some picture from this weekend. I'm not ready to talk about the race yet.

Above: At the expo - I got 2 bags of Science Diet dog food. That was the highlight.

Below: The expo was at the Dallas Convention Center, which has all the cattle: so here we are. Drewa cut off the cowboy's head.

Before the race. And warm.

On the way home on the Dart (public transportation).

I'll post about the race later. Maybe when I can bend my left leg.

TGIF

Happy Friday! In college I worked part-time at a law firm and every Friday morning this woman would come in and instead of saying "Good Morning" she would loudly get in your face and say "TGIF!!!" It annoyed me so much. I guess now I know what she was so excited about! haha

Tomorrow morning I am driving down to Dallas to see my friend Tonya, stay with my sweet grandparents (Drewa is fixing her famous Lake Tahoe tomato soup - be jealous!), and run a half marathon on Sunday. Be thinking of me when you wake up in your warm bed. I will be freezing my (not so) little tush off!

White Rock Lake in Dallas

My dad ran this marathon 25 years ago with out training one bit. A marathon. It didn't go very well. He finished, but he finished poorly. He now uses this story to make the analogy when he speaks all around the country that the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. You must train and prepare yourself to live for Christ your whole life. Not just for tomorrow or when the times are bad. I guess he knows what he is talking about! :)

Wordy Wednesday

• My mom had another infusion of Rituxan yesterday at Baptist in Little Rock. It went well. (This is supposed to re-set her white blood cells - the doctor said it is like re-starting a computer, except it's your body.)
• Yesterday I got to have lunch with my Dad in Little Rock, that is a rare occurance, and I loved it.
• Praise the Lord above that Sunday the low in Dallas is 51 degrees and the high is 65. I was seriously dreading running in really cold weather.
• Ahhh! I have to run 13.1 miles on Sunday. I'm not looking for a personal record here, just a good finish.
• The White Rock Half Marathon doesn't even go around White Rock Lake! I feel like I'm getting jipped.
• I really want a different blog header because the one I have is so huge, but I can't figure out how to crop it without making our faces super stretched out.
• I've gotten almost all my Christmas cards mailed out. If you didn't get one...well, I probably don't have your address. It's a good card too. :)
• My alarm didn't go off this morning (for real) and I missed my workout class. It's strange how that can put a kink in your day. Guess I will have to go to the gym tonight with everyone else that just got off work. I hate that. It's worse than rush hour traffic. Everyone makes a mad dash for the treadmill or the ad machine, etc.

And for the world's easiest recipe EVER:

Take one whole chicken without the giblets ($4):

Add some red potatoes, rub with Morton Nature's Seasoning inside & out, drop 2 chicken bullion cubes in and cook while your at work (6 to 8 hours for those of you who don't "work").

Then you come home and your husband loves you for cooking him meat and potatoes. Make yourself a salad... because you know it's just for you (he won't eat it).

Yeah for easy meals. Clean out the crockpot immediatley. Put the extra meat in a container for leftovers (makes FABULOUS chicken noodle soup). Don't put the bones down the garbage disposal (yes I did this and yes I broke it). 

The meat pratcially falls off the bone since it has been cooking for so long. I normally choose beef over chicken, but this is pretty yummy!

Biggest Loser!

I'm obessed. I loved every minute of it last night too.

Danny Cahill from Broken Arrow, OK won the grand prize: $250,000. He started out at 430 pounds and ended up at 191. That is 239 pounds lost! He was my favorite contestant and I was very glad he won.

Before at 430 lbs:

At the finale at 191 lbs:

The difference is astounding:

Rebecca won $100,000 for being the eliminated contestant that lost the most amount of weight at home

Here she is weighing in at 279:

At the finale she weighed 140 pounds, which means she lost 139 pounds or 49.82% of her total body weight! That's crazy! If I lost that much, I would weigh 72 lbs! [go ahead, do the math if you care]

If you watched the finale, you could tell she was LOVING her body. LOVING it. [by loving it I mean she was flaunting her bad self alllll over the place, which I guess you can do if you loose 50% of your body...] I am not a fan of her blond locks. She isn't pulling it off. At all. Also, to be totally vain and critical.... LOOK at her inner thigh. What is up with that?

I like her better here.

I was soooo glad though that Rebecca won and not Tracy. Did anyone else think Tracy looked super sicko? Like she had starved herself or something. Anyway, the new season starts January 5th. I squealed with excitement when they announced this.

An interesting tidbit: Once these people loose all this weight, they must continue to eat right [healthy, 2,000 caloires, etc] AND work out 2 hours 5 days a week to keep it off.  Or they will start to gain the weight back. Their metabolism is sooooo slow because they were overweight for so long.

Vegas Recap

We got to Vegas on Wednesday afternoon and checked into the Four Seasons. It was really nice and quiet. It is the one [and only, I think] MGM Grand Hotel that is not a gaming hotel.

Here is the room:

Here is our view of the strip:

On Wednesday night we went out to dinner at nice French restaurant. We spent too much, but it was amazing. There were 5 courses, so we were able to sit, relax and talk over long meal. They had the best onion bisque soup. I'm going to start trying out recipes to imitate it.

On Wednesday I got up and worked out and ran 5 miles [on the treadmill, mom]. Kent went to his conference and then later on we walked down the strip. We walked foreverrrrr. We got asked 1 million times if we were going clubbing and did we want free VIP tickets. Do I scream "I club"!?! No thanks. Not me.

Water show at the Bellagio:

On Thursday night we saw Cirque De Soleil "O". It was all in and on water.I guess the French word for water is "eau" which is pronounced "o" - that's what we were told. Correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, I would recommend this show to anyone. A-mazing!

And because I like this outfit so much... I thot I would share!

I'm glad I went. But I probably won't go back. Ever.

I'm Baaaaaack!

We got back Friday night. And we had fun. I will do a more detailed post later - thot I would share this lovely picture. I've got LOTS of these. Thanks honey. :)

Yesterday I ran 7.5 miles. I was supposed to do 10 because I'm doing the White Rock half next weekend. It was just too cold. Your sweat isn't supposed to freeze on your face [not sure if that actually happened, but that is what it felt like].

This morning I got to the gym at 5:00 AM. I'm starting the week off right. I love myself when I'm done with my workout at 6:00 AM, but getting out of bed at 4:50 AM is NOT fun. At all.

Christmas at the Capitol

The inside of the Capitol is all decorated for Christmas and tonight the switch will be thrown to turn on the lights outside.

Christmas Events at the Capitol

Click the link above to see scheduled holiday. If you are in or around central Arkansas you should stop by to see the lights . It's gorgeous!

Getting in my "last chance workout" before our trip to VEGAS tomorrow! And then I'm racing home to watch the Biggest Loser. Tonight they have to run a marathon and the viewers get to decide who will be in the final three - American Idol style. I promise this is the only show I'm addicted to (Law & Order re-runs don't count!).

Love my green kitchen?

P.S. Today is the last "1st" of 2009 - I cannot believe we only have 30 days left of this year. Time flies whether you want it to or not!

Best Toffee in the World

On Friday my Mom and I made 75 pans of toffee. SEVENTY-FIVE!

Getting started in the morning... looking good! [not] 

We had three pots going around the clock.

Bottom left: just got started;

Top left: halfway done;

Bottom right: ready to be poured.

One batch made three pans. We had to let the toffee cool on the marble slab and got the next 3 pans ready to be poured.

Mom in her "Shad Pad" apron... pretty cute!

"Toffee Krunch"

{If you want to buy some toffee email Carol at toffeekrunch@yahoo.com

It is sold in $12 boxes and makes wonderful gifts for teachers, friends, pastors, etc.}

Weekend

Ran 6 miles yesterday. They were tough, but not painful. So that equals a successful run.

"After shot" - why do I like these?...[why do I take these?!?!]

I decided I also want to start swimming [after watching some fat guy do the Hawaii Ironman triatholon on the biggest loser.] So I started this weekend. I don't know why, but I always get semi-embarrassed when I am swimming at the gym. Not because of the fabulous kanakuk era one piece, but just because I don't really know how to swim "right." I need Megan to come give me some lessons.

On Saturday night I went to Rachel Copley's wedding reception. She looked GORGEOUS!

Conway girls: Me, Ali, Rachel & Brittany

AND I woke up at 4:30 AM to go work out this morning. When I was leaving the gym it was STILL dark. Geee...

The Day After

Thanksgiving was great. We a lot, but not really too much. I had my own little turkey trot. I won. :)

Here is the after shot. (Cute, right?!) It's cold in Fayetteville - I was hot, but my ears hurt from the cold. Such a strange feeling.

I ordered our Christmas card last night, and I am super excited about it. Shutterfly rocks.

The day after Thanksgiving we do not do the shopping thing. Never have. I would rather pay a little more than subject myself to any of that madness. Instead, I am spending the ENTIRE day making toffee with my mom. It's a tradition. They give a LOT of toffee away (like 175+ boxes) and sell a little bit.

Hope everyone has a good day after Thanksgiving - whatever it is you are doing today!

Turkey Time

We are driving to my parents house tonight in Fayetteville for Thanksgiving! I can't believe it is already here. I feel like Thanksgiving is much more laid back than Christmas. And I'm glad I get to relax and eat, eat, eat!

Tomorrow I will be helping my mom cook. The turkey is my responsibility each year. I was thinking about doing some thing along these tan lines:

THAT would be awesome.

The other night we were having a discussion about staple items at Thanksgiving dinner (and Christmas for that matter). I have spent several Thanksgivings with Kent's side of the family and I was surprised to find that they did not cook:

1. Mashed Potatoes

2. Gravy

3. Pumpkin Pie

4. Butternut Squash

ANDDDDDDD they cook their stuffing in a crock pot. We have ALWAYS stuffed ours in the turkey. (Isn't that why it is called "stuffing?!?!?)

We do this:

So it looks like this:

And tastes so amazing.

But other than cooking the turkey I will be helping my mom make hundreds of pounds of toffee. It is the most amazing thing you have ever put in your mouth. Ever.

It feels like the holidays have come extra early this year. We had Thanksgiving with the McClure's this last weekend. It was so yummy. I successfully ate zero desserts! Go me!

We got to play with our neices, here I am with Anders:

My mom was in Little Rock yesterday for surgery. It was a 6 hour infusion of Rituxan. She comes back in 15 days for another infusion. It went pretty well and she didn't have any reaction to the medicine.

She is going back to Fayetteville today and took Captain Jack so I don't have to hide him under my desk tomorrow at work!

Also.... KK made the Fayetteville soccer team. Like she needs another thing to add to her schedule!

AND... my buffet is done and looks fabulous, but my USB plug that transfers my pictures got given to Kent's boss lady. Arrgggg... Now I have to buy a new one.

P.S. I ran yesterday and had ZERO IT band pain. Of course it was on a treadmill and not outside, but I will take what I can get at this point! Thanks for all the advice!

Friday Links

Links I click everyday.....

Skinny Runner

...love Maegan

These are two of my favs...I love a great find, so I thought I would share.

And just for kicks:  Since hunting season is now in full swing, I couldn't help but bring back this picture: Last year I found Kent in OUR backyard doing this...

For those of you who don't know what he is doing...

He is "practicing" climbing a tree in his deer stand. Don't worry, until last year I didn't know what he was doing either!

Saving Money....Ho Hum...

Today is day 7 of bringing my lunch to work. I hate it.

I spend on average $7 per day on lunch. So $7 x 7 days = $49 SAVED. I mentioned it before, but we are starting a new budget.... and eating out EVERY day doesn't fit it. In fact, back in April I found out my lunch was tax-deductable because I work more than 25 miles from home. So I started collecting receipts....

This is SOME of the receipts i have. I'm betting just these add up to $1,000+.....

P.S. Last night when I got in from the gym the thermostat said 65 - I asked Kent why and he told me to go put on my sweats, he wasn't turning the heat on until it got really cold! He is taking this saving money thing to another level!

Vegas Baby!

Kent has a work coference in two weeks in Las Vegas so I am going with him... We're calling it a suedo-mini-vaca. Thank you to the State of Arkansas for everything but my plane ticket. I've never been, so I'm open to any suggestions on what to do [or NOT to do!]

 

Hopefully I will have enough self control not to go into the Louis Vuitton store and spend my savings on this:

[Yes, I am vain... BUT getting a glimpse of a real-life LV is highly unusual for this Arkansas girl because there is not one single store that carries them in the whole state! Shame!]

Also... I am running the Dallas White-Rock Half-Marathon in three weeks with my friend Tonya! This is my first race to do with a friend, and I am pretty pumped! In my effort to heal my IT band, I have only been running two times a week: one short run and one long run.  And I've been trying to run on flat surfaces because I think the slant of the road contributes greatly to the pain. 

We find out who will wins Project Runway tonight. I like Carol Hannah the best. 

AND tonight I wish that I lived near any friend that would go to the midnight showing of New Moon.

Enough said.

Boring Bullet Points

• Kent and I are doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace study. We're actually excited about saving money!
• My gym in Benton asked me to become an instructor and is paying for the cerfication in January. This holiday season I will not be consuming much any pecan pie.
• My IT band has been KILLING me - anyone know how to work this kink out? [i've been icing it after every run]
• Tonight is the Biggest Loser make-over episode. I cannot wait!
• I can't quit eating brie and Triskets. If I don't stop soon the gym may ask me to NOT get certified!
• My mom bought the cutest baby crib EVER [No, I'm not pregnant, sometimes you just have to plan wayyyy ahead to get what you want!]:

I've always said SOMEDAY I want a round crib - well they are VERY expensive. There is one in Fayetteville for $3,000. Three thousand. Yes.

She found this crib in a Van Buren antique store for $250. That includes the crib, mattress, bedding, extra sheets and more canopy stuff. So excited to put this thing in storage!

P.S. When I told Kent what we had bought he took it surprisingly well.

He Had A Long Life...

Many of you know our old dog, Moshie. Yesterday he got ran over by a car. He couldn't hear or see anymore. The vet said that he wouldn't operate because he wouldn't live through the surgery. So Moshie went to dog heaven this morning. He was 19 human years old. I looked for a picture of him and couldn't find one, but I have something better..

Click here to see Moshie....

So now he is buried at our house. Sad day at the Shadrach house.

Brown Like Coffee

I am helping [part-time] The Body Builders ministry sell and market their two books: Fuel and the Flame and Brown Like Coffee

I love this cover of Brown Like Coffee.

If you know of a college campus minister or youth pastor that might want to read this book, let me know and we can get them a copy of either book. Besides college ministries using both books, youth pastors will take their high school seniors thru either book to get them ready for college. And if YOU haven't read the book, then by all means - go to Amazon and buy one now!

Deal of the Century

I needed some GORGEOUS window treatments for my dining room, but did not want to spend tons of money (fabric alone was going to cost $300).

On Saturday I stumbled upon these TWO beautiful 108 inches by 108 inches SILK, LINED, PLEATED, WEIGHTED curtains. For $10! Jealous?

They did take FOREVER to iron, but who cares?!?!? They cost $10! Yipee!

I love the champagne color, I can do a lot with these in the future since there is not a pattern on the fabric.

And they gather so pretty at the bottom....

Guest Room

We bought a new queen mattress when we moved in, but it has been laying on the floor for 2 months. So last week Kent's Dad was cleaning out a rent house and had an extra bedroom set. The furniture was in awesome condition...

Not bad for zero dollars, huh?

So come visit me! I have a nice, big, comfy bed for you to sleep in!

[Last] Weekend

My sweet grandparents were in Fayetteville last weekend to visit. It was great to see them.

Drewa & me.

Poppa and me. I had just gotten ready for our yearly family picture and he said to me "You look like you just rolled out of bed - your eyes are puffy and dark!"

Thanks Poppa....

Dad & me. We take one good picture!

My parents let my brothers [and me] park cars in their yard and keep the money. I might have held this sign the majority of the time.

One Good Looking Family

Here is a preview of our family photos:

Click on the picture to get a bigger, close up image.

Stephanie Peters took these last Saturday. Click on her name to see more.

I felt somewhat better yesterday and the weather was sooo perfect that I HAD to go for a quick ride. Here I am in all my bike-riding-gear glory. I only made it 3 miles before my lungs started revolting against me, but it was worth it.

I am on tami-flu and back at work...oh joy. At least it's Thursday.. that's almost FRIDAY!

Fluuuuu

I'm stuck at home today because of the flu. I have so much to do at work right too. I feel like I always get sick when it is the MOST inconvienant.

But....Kent and I had a great long weekend in Fayetteville. We got to hang out with my grandparents who were up from Dallas. We tried our hardest to sell our extra tickets to the Razorback game and couldn't! Stupid Eastern Michigan.
I put together my guest room for FREE and will upload pictures later.
However, have a happy tuesday night! I will be sitting on the edge of my bed tonight watching The Biggest Loser. (I LOVE that show!)

Senior Photo Shoot

This afternoon I went with Stephanie Peters around the Fayetteville town square. She is getting her photography business going and wanted to use me as a guinea pig for her senior pictures. I may be an old senior, but we sure did have a good time!

My favorite shot. Click here: Stephanie Peters to see more pictures and tell her you love them!