Usually we run 5 miles on Thursday afternoons, but this week, due to the car buying on Tuesday afternoon, we're all off schedule.

Which resulted in us having a nice, lazy afternoon. Which was nice because today at work, for us both, was long.

We hung out outside with the dogs for a little while, checked in on the plants (my new favorite pasttime), discovered the tomato plant is really the pepper plant and the pepper plant is really the tomato plant, played around with my camera some, got caught up on the laundry and dishes, made dinner and now we're off to watch Monday night's 24. I wish so badly that Tony was good. I'm so sad he's not.

Happy (almost) Friday!

Growing up, I had a love for little sports car types, like Miatas (my AIM screenname was Miata55555 all through high school...even though I never had one) and Eclipses, which my parents surprised me with my senior year of high school, and which I drove until about two years ago, when I sold it to a really cute 16 year old girl who shared my love for little silver sports cars. Knowing she shared my love for little silver sports cars made parting with mine a little easier.

What also made it a little easier was that on that same day, I discovered my love for Volkswagens. They just give me the warm fuzzies inside. I like their commercials. I like how they look. I like the VW symbol. I love the Passats. And I love when you buy one from the dealership that isn't brand new, they call it "pre-loved". Not pre-owed or used, but pre-loved. I love it. I was sold right then and there.


And on Tuesday night, after Landon found a great deal for a silver Passat on Chron.com (we actually think it was a misprint, but they honored it so we took it and ran), I drove home in my very own pre-loved silver Passat.


It's silver outside with black leather inside and I adore it. And there's all kinds of fun little things we're discovering on it, like the cool key that you just stick into the car to turn it on, rather than turning--totally useless, but kinda fun. And, we found that there's a place for my water bottle in the side compartment in the door, which I am in love with, and all sorts of little secret compartments that I hide things in and no one would ever know they're there. I would say where they are but then I couldn't you know, hide stuff in them, because everyone would know my hiding spot!


And, until we sell my old Passat (yes this is my second, well actually 3rd Passat but we only had the first one for about a month before the engine got ripped out of the bottom...long story), we are officially a 3 car family with my two and Landon's Jeep. Which it's a good thing he owns, because the warm fuzzies he has when he drives a Jeep (especially if it's the one he drove in college) helps him to understand my affection for VWs. Not that it stops him for making fun of me though. :)

So, if anyone wants a really cute 1999 VW Passat, let me know...if you love it as much as I love these cars, I might be able to part with it...

more details to come tomorrow! :)

I'm in the middle of reading 2 books right now--The Shack, which was recommended to me by my mother in law and really good, and Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which my girls Bible study is in the middle of and is equally good. Both of these books, which I would highly recommend, really have me thinking about what a real relationship with God looks like and feels like and requires of me and does to my life. And they have me thinking about who God and how He really is with us in all of the details of life, inviting us into a real relationship with Him. And as I've been going through life, I've been trying to find Him in the details, in the everyday, in the normal. Because I know He's there and I know He's wanting me to talk to Him and spend time with Him and so often I find myself getting caught up in the details of life down here, but what I'm trying to make myself remember is that all of the busyness of life is not separate from God--He meets me there too.

I can see Him through Landon's new job. While stressful and sad at times I think, depending upon the cases he has, his job is such a blessing and such a fit that I know God's hand was in it. When I went up to the office with him last week I got to go with him to CPS court and hear a couple of hearings and then to juvenile court and hear a couple there. It was interesting, a brand new experience for me, and the whole time I kept thinking of my students. I'm sure a good chunk of them have been in CPS court at some point, just like the kids Landon was representing. And as I sat in juvenile court and watch 13 year old after 13 year old, handcuffed and in prison garb, go before the judge, plead their case and remain detained for things such as a bad attitude, drugs and fighting, I could just see some of my kids there--some I know have been there in the past and some who I fear their temper will land them there eventually. But, on a happier note, I got to see Landon in action, which was really fun. And then back at the office, during the party and that afternoon I got to hang out with all of his co-workers and really talk to some of them and get to hear their stories. Most are younger, single mothers (except for the attorneys) and they've all got a story. I loved the day and I loved seeing Landon at work, knowing that his work is doing good for kids and affecting change in people lives. And I left with a whole new population of the world that needs prayers that I'd never really been in contact with, but are now a daily part of Landon's life. I like having my world expanded like that.


And, I know it sounds silly, but I can really feel God and see Him as Creator when I'm in our yard, taking care of our (still alive and blooming!) plants and flowers. Something about seeing something grow and blossom and bloom into something beautiful (and sometimes edible!) is amazing to me. Maybe it's because I've accidentally killed a lot of plants in the past, but I find myself kind of in awe of God as I look around at what we planted and see everything coming to life.


And, as I called them inside and out of the rain (which, consequently, is why I am at home today enjoying cooking and cleaning and reading and photographing and blogging and doing laundry and all of the fun things that I can never seem to find time to do lately), I thanked God for my little furry babies, who make Landon and I feel like a family and tide me over until we can have a real baby. :)

We've now officially been running for 2 months now, which is longer than I've stuck to running on my own in the past! We had a nine mile run last night, which we ended up doing pretty much in the dark since we couldn't start until about 730pm because yesterday was an unusually busy Sunday. It was kinda nice though becuase it wasn't hot at all.

We ran the whole nine miles, without stopping, but our pace was slow--a 9:45 average pace, when we're going for a nine minute mile pace on the marathon. So I was frustrated with myself for not doing better and holding Landon back, but I keep trying to remind myself that at least I was able to complete nine miles, which I wouldn't have been able to do in the past. And if we kept up that pace for the half marathon we would have finished about 30 minutes faster than when we ran the half marathon in January. So, progress is there, just not as much as I'd like.

But, I will say this. Slow pace or now, just running for an hour and a half or so was something--because I am definitely feeling it today, which hasn't happened to me in a while. My legs are not exactly sore, but they're not happy with me. They're tired. Today I'm thankful that today is a "rest and stretch" day.

Tomorrow I'm taking the day off work to go to the welcome reception that Landon's office is throwing for him and one other new attorney that they hired around the same time as him. It should be fun--I'll get to see all of his co-workers again, see the new offices that they're probably moving in to in May, go with him to a CPS hearing, see the courthouse he works at in Conroe...should be fun. I'm really excited--and, while I am loving my job at the moment, glad for a break from the normal and the chance to see what Landon does at work. I'm going to try and actually get some pictures this time!
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Last week Landon and I started going to a 6 week seminar class on Sunday nights at our church based on the Love Dare book that's in Fireproof. We go for a 30 minute group class/discussion and then have an hour to go off on a date with a discussion assignment. Last week we went to the Dessert Gallery in the Galleria and splurged a little on some dessert (instead of going somewhere and eating dinner, haha) and talked through the questions on our marriage. It was really nice. And the daily "dares" from the Love Dare book are really cool--it really does focus me on Landon throughout the day as I think about what I have been dared to do for him that day and how I am going to do it. If you ever have the opportunity to go to a class like this or just want to buy the book and take the 40 day Love Dare "challenge", I would highly reccomend it!
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Tonight, for his "dare" today, Landon bought me dinner at this fun little Height-sy restuarant by our house that we've been wanting to try but haven't yet. I loved it because I've been saying lately that I want to make a list of all of the fun Heights restaurants around us that we haven't been to and try them out. As it looks more and more like when we buy it won't be in the Heights, because of Landon's job (so sad), I want to enjoy as much of it as possible. I've got a whole list going that I'm going to put up here--and some really great ones we've already been to--but would love any reccomendations if you life in Houston and have been to restaurant in the Heights you think we should try!
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Does anyone else watch Dancing With the Stars? And is anyone else as in love with Tye Murray as we are--and so pumped that he's made it this far??? Now, he's just got to take down Chuck and he'll be good to go...

And, speaking of TV shows that we have to watch every week...we've been avoiding watching 24 because we were just too depressed after last week with Jack sick and Tony bad. I mean really, it was just too much. But, we're sucking it up and watchig it now. Wish us luck...hopefully things will start looking up, but knowing 24, they'll just get worse. :)
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Happy Wednesday!

This weekend was our 10K race for our pre-marathon training program and we were all signed up to run the Blue Bell 10k with my dad and his mom, who was going to walk the 5k. We made our plans and were excited about it. Then yesterday, we checked the weather. It said that in Brenham, at race time (830am), there was a a 100% chance of rain. Actually, it said a 100% chance of thunderstorms. Perfect. :) We had a good laugh about it, went out and bought hats to wear to shield our faces from the rain and kept on with our plans to go out there. Nevermind that the MS 150 first half was cancelled today because of the bad weather, we were running the Blue Bell 10k dang it, rain or shine!

Landon and I and his mom braved the weather last night and headed out to hang out with his grandparents in Bryan last night and then got up and made the short trek to Brehnam High School this morning, where we met my dad. And immediately found out that the race was delayed an hour. So, we sat for two hours on the gym floor, wishing we had known this and been able to sleep in a little past 6am.

But, the conversation was good and we still managed to have a good time, praying that we would actually get to run at 930am. And around 9am, Landon's dad showed up on his way to Austin, expecting to see up finishing the race. Instead he hung out with us in the gym for another 30 minutes.


And now we're home, vegging out, splurging on a pizza dinner,watching basketball and Star Wars, listening to our dogs snore in their bed beside us and listening to the rain fall outside, glad we're not out in it. We are blessed beyond measure.

I am so grateful for the long weekend we have had these past few days--Friday especially was so relaxing and refreshing. Landon played golf with some friends and clients of the Texans and I lounged around the house and did A LOT of work for school. I now have the rest of the year all planned out and am all caught up on grading, so I am thankful for that.

And I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my family on Saturday and Sunday. My brother came in from Abilene and we were just all at my parents house. I think I appreciated it more than in the past because I know that in a couple of months Michael will be in Michigan for college and Matthew will be somewhere not in Houston--possibly in Colorado--working. And man, those places just seem so far away. I've gotten spoiled having them so (relatively) close to me. I keep telling them that eventually they need to move back so we can all raise our kids together! :)

While Michael and my dad worked on putting a new engine on his car, Matthew, my mom, Landon and I went to this Asian grocery stores--Matt is on an Asian foods kick (and I've been on that kick for the last 10 years or so) so we had fun looking around and trying some things out. It was definitely an interesting experience--so many things we'd never even heard of and so many things that we had no idea what they were!

That night we all had dinner together and then sat around and talked. And tried out our desserts from the Asian grocery store--Pocky, red bean cakes and white bean cakes. The Pocky was good...the bean cakes were interesting. :)


And most of all, I am so grateful for Jesus, who suffered and died on the cross for us. We watched a video on Sunday at my parent's church that really touched me--it reminded me how real the day he hung on the cross was and how real the pain and suffering was and how real his love for us was, for him to stay up there, instead of calling ten thousand angels to get him down.

That afternoon after church we hung out with my family, ate gumbo and enjoyed our Easter baskets--we each had one. :) And then, as Matthew headed back to Abilene with a friend and Michael headed back out to the garage to work on his car, Landon and I loaded up and headed out to the Woodlands to visit one of his CPS moms who is in jail and to look at houses and neighborhoods around where he works. As I sat in the waiting room of the jail, waiting for Landon as he talked with his client, it made my heart so heavy to see all of the families, and especially the children, going to visit their family in jail on Easter. It was another good reminder of how blessed we are--especially for the little things that I take for granted, like having my family with me on days like Easter. And a good reminder to keep all the families with loved ones in jail in our prayers--for them to either come to know the Lord during that time or to be comforted by Him and their relationship with Him deepened.