Life lately and what I'm ready for

Hey strangers! Life has been busy lately, no slowing down! School is ending and we've had teacher gifts to buy, programs to attend, and parties to wrap up. Plus, I've been doing some fun things with friends that I'd love to share.  I'm just so behind I don't know where to start!

Birthdays...I have a ton of pictures to edit. My boys are officially 4 and 6! I've been wiping a lot of tears lately and I know the world is tired of me saying this, but they grow toooo fast. Ah, my babies:)

I obviously need to do posts just on the birthdays, but until then, this will have to do! They had great birthdays this year surrounded by lots of friends. Very special. Touched my heart to see all the smiles.

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Opportunities... A friend invited me to a taping of a new bible study series Beth Moore is writing. I wasn't allowed to take pictures but it was fun to be part of her audience and see her in action. Wow! She's such a charismatic speaker! And can I just say how pretty she is.

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I'll share one snippet that resonated with me from the taping I went to: Sometimes to get us into something new God brings us someone new. The study inspires renewal and is on Thessalonians. It also touched on how renewal often comes from unexpected places.  It brought to my attention something I'm aware of in my own life but need to be better about: I often pray out of habit.  And when I do that I realize that I'm not even thinking about the words I'm saying. This is also something I work on with the boys -- not repeating the same prayers (although we do do that at night time), but consciously thinking about what we're saying when we pray.

This was a personal message I took away and perhaps you'll take away something different if you do the study. And I only saw one segment -- there were lots more to go! But it was so inspiring and I can't wait to do the study when it's out. If you're interested here's her link. It won't be out till next May but you can at least get sneak peek from her blog!

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Switching gears in a major way, some friends and I went to a very different kind of taping the very next night  for CMA Music Fest. The festival is in June here in Nashville (will air in September) and they pre-taped Darius Rucker, Kacey Musgraves, and Jason Aldean.  We were there for Kacey, who is adorable and very talented and so young I could be her mother. (My 2 other friends stayed to see Jason but Patti and I were starving and left to eat!)

We watched her sound check (and her performance of course) and I had no idea the amount of work that goes into a song. The band worked on their instruments with the sound crew making changes (louder steel guitar please, turn this down, turn this up, thumbs up!) Lighting people worked on lighting. Camera people shouted about angles and told the crowd (us!) where to be and what to do (don't sing if you don't know the lyrics! act like you're having a ball! dance if you can! don't dance if you have no rhythm!) Then Kacey came out, picked up her guitar, and started practice. Oh and we were right against the stage!! Look for us in September, I'll give you a heads up!! Here's the song:

The song has a cool rhythm and I loved watching everyone work. There's a person for everything. Someone even came out and changed her shoes for her, removed her flats as she stood there at the mic and slipped stilettos onto her feet. Then the makeup artist came to touch her up. More singing, more lights, more singing, more makeup.  They taped 5 full segments of the song to edit. I know every word to Blowin' Smoke now. The life of a rising star, wow!

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And now (as I exhale),  it is time for a road trip.....

that ends here......

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Yep, it'll soon be beach time. Could not come at a better time;)

If y'all are still here, thanks for reading;) Happy weekend!!!

My picks

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I went to the Kentucky Derby in 2001 and loved seeing those horses run! Here are my picks:

#5 Normandy Invasion.

Reason: I hear he likes to run in the mud and his name is sentimental (my Papa was in Normandy on D-Day).

#3 Revolutionary.

Reason: I was a fan of Kevin Borel on Mine That Bird years ago and I think he (the horse) looks strong.

#12 It's My Lucky Day

Reason: I like his name and think his jersey is pretty.

Sentimental favorite: #15 Charming Kitten

Reason: I loved Barbaro years ago when he won and Edgar Prado (the jockey who rode Barbaro that day in '06) is on this horse. I hope he has a great run!

Happy Derby Day!

As of late

First things first, I'm on SkinnyRunner today under 'Crappy Race Pics', go see! I'm a huge SR fan so you can imagine I'm doing my happy dance right now. Thank you SR for answering my email (so fast, just like you run!) and for including me--yippee!!

Random pics this week:

I love this glass water bottle from Target, it doesn't leak. Jo Malone in Wild Bluebell mixed with Nectarine blossom and honey makes me smell like heaven.

Been workin' on:

I found that BrainQuest workbook at Costco and the kids are in love with it?! They tear out worksheets and play school. I had no idea they'd get so into it. C is especially proud that it is 1st grade level and he loves to show me his completed worksheets and remind me he's doing first grader work. Who taught my child math???

I also whipped up some bear sandwiches for my other C's picnic this week. Boy were these a hit.

I'm finally getting to the monogram art for the boys' rooms. I can't wait to get finished and share it!

Some great memories from the week:

This week also included a little time with my mom.  She's the best. I loved seeing her bounce in the bounce house with the kids! She proves age is just a number.  We also picked up plastic bugs for the boys and would hide them in the yard for the boys to go find. They LOVED it, thought it was so great. I need to be better about doing little games like this, they think the simplest things are so fun.

And for the finale:

I indulged in a chocolate shake from CFA this week, complete with whipped cream and a cherry. I can't remember the last time I had one and it was SO.GOOD.  YUM!  Happy weekend!

Race Recap: A soggy (but still awesome!) St. Jude 1/2

Saturday I ran my 3rd half marathon.  It was special because it was the first half that Mr. C and I have run together. I think he's so sick of me harping on running that he's decided to join me.  Unfortunately, bad weather was on the horizon.  But what's a girl to do? Needless to say I had no aspirations of a PR but guess what? I  got one! My best time yet, a 1:50:52 at an 8:28 pace. Not fast to some, but fast for me. There are days when I'm tired of training and I think, why am I doing this? But then I get a fast time, and I want to make it even better.

So y'all, when I say rain, I mean, like, cold.soaking.rain. Pouring rain. I couldn't have been more soaked if I had jumped into a pool before the start and I have some (awful!) race pics to prove it. I was actually fine until the finish. Once I stopped, I was freezing and realized how soaked and disgusting I was.

The gun was at 7 and we were in the 2nd corral so we started right on time. Christian had some friends in the race and though we started together, he left me after a quarter of a mile. We didn't plan to run together so that wasn't a complete surprise, but I sort of thought we'd hang for a while. Not! But I'm pretty used to running alone so I settled into my rhythm and figured I'd see him at the finish.

I passed him at mile 6. :)

How funny is that guy behind me?

He passed me at mile 8.  :(

Then I caught him again at mile 11ish. :) We were definitely (silently) competing.

The finish line kind of snuck up on me. I sprinted the last tenth of a mile and was juuuuuust shy of catching him but he beat me by 10 seconds. I let it slip through my fingers. There will definitely be a re-match.

It was a tough race overall. But running it (and doing well) in those conditions made me feel like a rock star. Thank the Lord for those wrap thingies they gave us, I was so cold my lips were blue and I was headed for hypothermia. I am so stubborn that I still wore my cutie pie Lulu peach outfit in spite of the weather.  Overall, it was a good choice temperature wise since I hate to be hot (although white shorts in pouring rain was a questionable decision).

I'll never forget this race. We had a lot of good friends/colleagues in it and it was a great accomplishment for all (one friend finished in 1:37!).  I hate to get mushy, but running continues to enrich my life in ways I wouldn't have imagined.

The week in Instagram

Just a few snippets from the week...

Dress up days at school were fun and my little man was more than happy to be a cowboy.

My 4 year old wanted to wear his hat sideways and when I asked why he replied, "That's how they do it on car TV. Daddy lets me watch it." Daddy is grounded!

The pic of Mr. C and I is actually from dinner last week.

An OOTD from Thursday.

An upcoming project involving a giant block monogram, stay tuned!

Flowers in a mason jar will always bring out a smile.

Got my bib and ready for Saturday's half:)

What I'll be sporting.. I love the Lulu arm warmers (sadly this cute outfit will likely be covered by a throw away sweatshirt and trash bag due to RAIN!)

Bracelets the runners will be wearing to honor Boston.

As I mentioned, it's supposed to be pouring rain on Saturday and I don't really enjoy running in the rain but I'm keeping my attitude positive:) I'm excited that this is the first race Mr. C and I have done together and yay for my mama coming to visit!!

Happy weekend friends!

New faves

I have a couple new faves from Nordstrom to share. This Caslon tee is kind of a slub knit, not to tight, not too loose, very good price. I now want one in every color.

Find here

I think I have finally (after years) found a favorite scent that doesn't give me a headache. My friend has me hooked on Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey -- it smells so good and so clean.

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I picked up this sassy little swimsuit by Robin Piccone that is the best of both worlds for a mama at the pool chasing little boys around.  It's even cuter in person, a bright bright juicy red.

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And P.S., those Lulu shorts I mentioned a few days ago....on sale now (of course!) If you have a Lulu nearby go check them out. Happy Thursday!

A very Nashville weekend

We had an action packed weekend, y'all, so fun, and it ended with some serious excitement!

Friday night Mr. C's parents arrived and we headed out for our usual Friday night Italian. I think it's funny that when they come to visit (fresh off the plane from New York) the first place we always take them is to a New York pizzeria. We love our little spot though and we indulged in some yummy desserts too. No calorie counting on weekends:)

Saturday we had a day full of soccer with my favorite boys and then headed off to a great dinner followed by tickets to the Opry. Performing: Diamond Rio, Charlie Pride, Vince Gill, and Billy Ray Cyrus along with a few beginners. We love the Opry, it's always fun and I just looooove live music. This was the second time in one week we've seen Vince (*much* better seats this time).

I've been a fan of Vince for 20 years (really!) and in the spirit of laughing at oneself I have to show the first time I met him (holy sequins and big hair)...HA!

I was 17, had just won a local pageant (I entered it to make my daddy happy, first and last one I ever did), but I got to meet him. He was *so* kind to me and I never forgot it. He holds a special place in my heart! His voice is still like velvet too, he's so talented.

Sunday we headed off to Opryland Hotel to pretend we were tourists. We wandered around, looked in shops, and had a great lunch. Mr. C had a raspberry mocktail that really made an impression on me, it was so good I can't stop thinking about it. Club soda, a fresh raspberry simple syrup, and mint. Pretty and yummy.

I also squeezed in some shopping at Lululemon with a giftcard my mother in law surprised me with...how cute are buffalo checked shorts? Thank you L!!

Monday I dropped the fam off at the airport, only to receive this text...my mother-in-law hanging out with Billy Ray at the terminal! They got bumped from their flight and ended up on his, how about that! Check out his new do, I like it. I know he gets picked on a lot but he was fantastic live and very gracious. I'm a fan!

She even got me an autograph! Ha! I'm so easily starstruck.

It was a veeerrry Nashville weekend!