Crazy TURKEY weekend

Happy THanksgiving weekend to all y'all!!

This week off of school for Christian flew by...

Monday -trip to SA for another ear check up. The good news is his ear healed so well and has no problems that we don't have to go up for another check up until...March when he will have surgery #2.We went to our favorite theater/restaurant called the Alamo Drafthouse...order food while you watch the movie. Shane LOVED this huge doggy AD.

Tuesday...Christian had his first piano recording session...we'll see how it turns out

Wednesday... got ready for Thanksgiving, delivered food baskets to some needy in our ward, Jen and I went and saw TWILIGHT. I may get some flack, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. Hopefully #2 will have more a budget for better special effects ( please make it less hokey/more realistic)

Thursday...Woke up EARLY to make it downtown for the Corpus TURKEY CHASE (4.1 miles) on the bay. It was MUCH warmer than last years run...but still fun. I was so glad my girlfriends came and ran it with me! Just as a side note...it was my best race yet...I paced at 7:46/mi and placed 3rd in my age group!!!! Home to shower and cook while Gav went surfing (only in So Texas!)! Dinner was delicious and perfect at the Browns (minus grouchy, pesky Shane who obviously didn't get the memo that it was THanksgiving day!).But Shane found himself some new girlfriends...

Friday...despite being completely razzed by Gav...my girlfriends and I got up at 3AM to hit the sales. We were much more successful than my previous attempt at BLack Friday. And it was serious Good times...lots of sleepy, ridiculous laughter! Returned home at 930AM to an anxious husband ready for the beach on a 84 degree day! It was fun but I am still tired...slowly catching a few extra moments of rest here and there.

Saturday...Gav left to NY for 7 days then VA for 1.5...then maybe home (unless some last minute interviews pop up).

Sunday...the boys and I went to church alone (good times with the 2 year old!) and Gav got to go to church in our old NY ward...did I mention I am SOOOOooooo jealous he gets to be there in NY?

Tomorrow we are back to normal routines...amongst the ever pressing matter that Christmas is now officially the next holiday and something wonderful to look forward to!

Survey..please!

I need some suggestions/help to decide what to make for CHristmas dinner...so VOTE..dont let my Christmas end up like the national election...too close to call or in for who knows what!

gratitude pie....

random things i am randomly thankful for in the random year of 2008....

-healthy bones that enable my "hobby" of running
-gas prices at over $2 cheaper than this same time last year
- good health insurance
-answers to prayers only after a trial of our faith
-unanswered prayers
-electronic mail (e-mail) and modern advances in mass communications
-friends that make things feel better
-that I have never doubted my testimony
-time heals wounds that you never thought could even scab(great visual, eh?)
-that my children seem to have gotten their daddy's intellect...and things come relatively easy
-the knowledge that if I needed her, tomorrow, my sister would be on the next plane to TX
-experts on hair color...what would I look like with brassy, dirty-blond hair?!
-cordless house phones....remember being stuck to a wall?
-digital cameras-elimate my non-photogenic flubs, and capture my most prized possesions--family memories
-music....along with a prayer, make my blues go away...and takes you back to a place in time!
-salad- something healthy I almost always crave
-being forgiven
-a hubby who not only likes, but insists upon left-overs
-opposition in all things
-my little 2 year old singing to my wedding video
-consolidating 6 interviews into one week and one-round trip flight
-family away from family
-the movie "Legacy" that convinced me that Gav was not only it, but perfect for me
-a free turkey for Thanksgiving...

27th Annual Turkey Chase

WHO's in???!!!
November 27th...Thanksgiving Day
8 AM
4.1 miles/1K kids run/2 mile fun walk

Here's link for the info:
http://www.corpusroadrunners.com/2008/turkey%20chase/flyer.jpg

Then we can FEAST and not feel a bit guilty!!!

Of late...a lame blogger...

I have been in a blogging funk. My creative juices are lacking and although my life feels hectic...I am almost afraid to put it all into text--for fear I will jinx something, or maybe just realize the weight of current happenings.
So lets start off small...
Soccer-- the season finished last Saturday. We had the best coach ever...I don't say that just because she's my best girlfriend here....She was really great with the boys. I think they all learned from her...I know Christian had a blast!
PTA--sometimes it is an eye-opening thing...I want to be involved...I sometimes don't like feeling guilty that I am not THAT involved
Shane--that kid is so very 2 almost 3....nearly every day he speaks more, discovers more...and is more mischieveous. He ran away from me 2 times at the mall, yesterday

the bigger stuff...
Still on the mission to get prego...after a minor surgery, a few strings pulled...we are looking at lots of avenues...and doors are opening for more help...keeping the faith!!
Gav's Ophthalmology Residency.....the biggest thing right now in our life...it is certainly more competitive than we had ever thought. Gav is applying Navy & Civilian...keeping his options all open...in hopes we can get a spot at a program somewhere. Ophthalmology has been his passion in medicine for as long as he has been certain that medicine was going to be his choice career. He has honestly worked his butt off to make it happen...we have not always taken the most conventional route through medicine...but this was supposed to be the pinnacle of his career hopes. Stressful....YEP! That would be a major understatement. Costly...YEP! Prayerful...like you wouldn't believe. I hope He is still listening to my endless pleadings...sometimes inaudible~ So our dates of interest are December 17th and January 15th....we'll see how this all plays out!

Mix in church responsibilities and work craziness and seasonal ailments...and that sums up my lame excuses for being away from my blog!

Guests for Christmas...

The other day I got an excited call from my Father-in-law that said they had worked it out and were coming here to TX for Christmas. The shouts of joy and the repetitive calls for Christmas have begun. Christmas holds so much magic for our boys anyhow...but top that with the promise that Gammy and Papa are coming...and you can imagine the next 6 weeks are going to be LONG. We've never had visitors for Christmas. We have spent 2 Christmas' in our married life by ourselves (that's pretty good for living all the crazy places we have) but have spent those 2 all with just our little selves. So...its exciting to have people traveling to us when we can't get away to come home for the holidays. Now the prep begins.....we're going BIG for Christmas decor this year!! They must have known we needed this right now!

Not very politically -minded...

I am not one that is very inclined to get into a debate about which candidates are going to fix our economic woes or answer why homes are foreclosing. But I do have VERY strong convictions on moral issues. It took Gavin sitting down and reading me the candidates standing on issues that matter most for me to have a clear choice who I HAD to vote for. Sometimes in politics, I find its the lesser of 2 evils. But, what a great experience to be a part of history and vote in a free country. And sometimes we win some and some times we lose some. My fears that this world has become TOO corrupt were mellowed a bit by the passing of the different props in AZ, FL and especially CA. Because of our military status, I am still a Californian resident and got to vote absentee there. Wow, what a sweet victory for good to see Prop 8 hold strong...especially despite some of the ugly things the opposition tried to pull. There are still enough level-headed people still in California. Now, after all of our crazy adventures are through, we can still move back to the Promised Land =)
My version of watching the debates is watching SNL rip on all of the candidates...funny as crap!

We're off to see the WiZaRd of Oz...

Halloween in the our house was a family affair this year. In keeping with Shane's favorite movie of recent...we decided to travel the yellow brick road together...Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, TinMan and Dorothy. I even pulled out my sewing machine and made my costume and most of Christian's...Gav came up with most of his all by himself (pretty impressive, eh?) and Shane's was a gift last Halloween ( HOW convenient!!) We had our ward Fall Festival the week before Halloween....and even found ourselves a wicked witch to complete the crew. On Halloween night, we ate dinner and then headed out to the neighborhood with the BArnes family. It was a sweet set-up---we sent the older 3 kiddos off to take on the whole streets and us lazy, toddler ridden adults sat at the end of the culd-e-sacs and waited for the candy-collecting 3kiddos.

Just a note...we have so much rotten candy...it calls my name all day~SIGH! So...I am giving it 2 more days in my home...then the candy has got to get out before I devour it all!!