tour de May

it's been silent on here this month (more on that tomorrow),

but it has been far from silent in our world.

we started off May with our first 1/2 marathon as a couple. when I first signed up for this race, my goal was to run it sub-10min/mile pace. for someone who has only run 10miles+ 3 times in her life, this was a strong goal. but by the time race day came around, I was seriously doubting myself. I was just hoping to finish, honestly. training was rough.the adoption journey has been emotionally draining at times + mother nature decided to give us extra doses of winter this year = not a lot of motivation to run on some days. I am a TERRIBLE treadmill runner. terrible. (read: whining, complaining, and quitting early). but, folks, I DID IT! Together, with my supportive/studly husband, we finished in 2 hours and 8 minutes (9:45 pace). and it felt really good. I am ready to keep trying to get faster. :)

 The next weekend we went back to Wichita to watch the STUCK documentary. Wowza. Brutiful, as they say. Watch it. The next morning, Rob headed to KC for a bachelor party, and I spent the afternoon at the park with these two cuties.

then I headed to spend the night with a dear, dear friend. We ate yummy food, drank yummy wine, and talked non-stop for 6+ hours. It was wonderful. I woke up at her house on Mother's Day. On mother's day morning, we went to pick up her precious daughter who is extremely special in my life and has been since before she was born. we share a really special bond. When she saw me (she was surprised) she said: "What are you doing here!?!!" Which was quickly followed up with, "Well it IS mother's day and you are like a second mother to me!" I can't even type the words right now without getting teary eyed all over again. a message straight from God for my aching heart. love that girl. so much.

may has been hard on the adoption front (more on that tomorrow), but we have also had some really exciting things happen, as well. on the 3rd weekend of May, we made our 3rd trip to Wichita to meet and hang out with other Ethiopian adoptive families. it was so great (no pics on here! oops! next time!). the rest of that weekend was spent at graduation parties and getting our house ready for our HOME STUDY!

 

Yes! Our Social Worker came to visit this month, which was a really good reason for us to deep clean the house--windows sparkling, floors mopped, grass mowed, fresh flowers in a vase. Some good ol' spring cleaning! And after our visit and some revisions, we are just days away (fingers crossed) from having our Home Study signed, sealed and delivered.

Our social worker visited us the day before we celebrated 5 YEARS OF MARRIAGE!

 When we got married we both would have guessed that we would have a least one baby in our home on our 5th anniversary, but instead we have two growing in our hearts. We spent our actual anniversary at home- we grilled kabobs, made chocolate fondue and watched our wedding video. very relaxed. then the next morning we road tripped north to Kansas City! we ate bbq + sushi + Ethiopian food, drank starbucks + mixed drinks + tried local coffee shops, and simply enjoyed being together. it was great to be in the city together.

I love this guy so much. We have had a really wonderful 5 years together--just us. These 5 years have been a wonderful gift. We have grown SO MUCH during this time--as individuals and as a couple. We have established a really strong foundation and had a lot of fun. We are excited to see what the next 5+50 years of marriage will bring.

after our weekend away, we made a spontaneous decision to drive back down to Wichita to spend Memorial Day poolside with my family. just can't get enough of these blonde cuties, can you?! me neither :) 

so that does it!

whew!

a quick trip back through MAY.

see why I didn't blog? I was too busy driving to Wichita :)

two-steppin'

rob bought me cowboy boots for Christmas last year.
and i have been waiting for a chance to use them on the dance floor.

turquoise!
nothin' says cowgirl, like some turquoise accented cowboots!


so in honor of my 27th year of life,
we hit up with Grizzly Rose.

and Kristen & Chad came along, too!

we heel-toed-dosey-dowed with the best of 'em.

here's a fun fact about me:
i really love to dance.
if you know me well at all, you already knew this about me.
but just in case you didn't know, now you do :)

and once I get going,
it is hard to get me to stop.

partner dancing is not only good exercise and really fun,
but it is really great practice for me when it comes to following.
and allowing others to lead.
ah-hem, allowing Rob to lead.

when we first hit the dance floor that night,
it was...well, a little rough.
let's just say he was scuffin' up my new boots!

I wanted Rob to lead, but I didn't think he really knew what he was doing.
which he didn't.
but he wasn't going to learn unless I let him figure it out.

he called me on it.
which I love. (honest, I do. I love that he calls me on my crap.)

allowing him to learn to lead meant I had to
be okay with mistakes,
and looking silly at times.
it meant i had to trust him.
and let go of my idea of what it "should be like."

this is difficult for me.
i'm being very honest here.

and now you have a better picture of our marriage!
:)

I love you, Rob.
Will you please lead me around the dance floor for the next 50+ years?
I would love to celebrate all the rest of my birthdays dancing with you.

toe pick

every time i lace up some ice skates
(which isn't that often, i might add)
i can't help but think of this movie.


so even when they told us the ice wasn't great
and hockey skates would provide more support,
i went with the toe pick.
:)


yesterday, we went up to evergreen to skate on the lake
i had been wanting to do this for awhile
and we got invited to go with my dear friend Kristen and her boyfriend Chad.
somehow I didn't get a picture of them. oops!


yeah, we're pretty good.

Kristen and I always manage to have a really good time together.


today it is snowing. again.
winter has finally arrived!

'cause I'm country strong.

bobby haude and I went to the movies tonight.
and it was really good.
loved the music.
what can I say,
country music is in my blood.
it reminds me of home;
the longer I am away from Kansas,
the more I appreciate my country roots.

and look at Gwyn's boots! aren't they great?
i'm not even a huge fan of red...but those are great.
if I was a country music star,
I would have boots in every color.
dresses with cowboy boots are a great look.
that's why I am super stoked to go pick out my boots tomorrow!
(they ones bobby haude got me were too small)
don't worry. I'll post pics.

and this is Beau.
his voice in the movie was really great.
made me want to stay and watch it again.
just to listen to him.

okay. and maybe look at his eyes.
don't worry, I told my husband that I thought he had great eyes.
and a great voice.
I could say more, but I won't :).
i'll stop.
seriously though,
I think you should go see the movie.
it's a good one.
all you city slickers: don't hate on us country folk.
:)