19 Months Old....

Honestly, tell me- where does the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that we were just coming home from the hospital, or just watching her learn to crawl, or eat real people food? AMAZING!
We are in North Carolina for one more week, and then we're off to New Jersey! So much fun and opportunity lie ahead! But, there is no time like NOW to enjoy life. :) Whenever we pass a flower bush, or a patch of wildflowers, Grace wants to stop and pick them, or smell them (though she doesn't quite understand how to smell the flowers, but she gets the general idea- she puts them close to her face, then pulls back and lets out a big "AHHH" sigh like she has just smelled the most wonderful smell in the world. It's a classic lesson for all of us- stop and smell the flowers!
By the way... is she a future triathlete, or what?! :)Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor (1892 - 1964)

In Our Lovely Chapel Hill

I just ran from our churchhouse, to our apartment, which is about 5.5 Miles away. It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful run- flowers and trees are now blooming- the fragrance is almost overwhelming! Birds are singing (Grace is quick to notice them whenever we are outside. She teaches me so often to be grateful for the simple things!), and everyone is enjoying the spring weather here. It's wonderful!
So, to all of you suffering through more cold weather, I express my deepest sympathies. :) Wanna come to beautiful North Carolina? :) You're always welcome!

Triathlon Season in Full Swim- I mean Swing!

Okay, I am really embarrassed. It has been over a month since I have even attempted to blog. SO much has happened, so here is a sum up (through pics, of course!)
Recently, Sam decided that for a Family Home Evening, our activity would be to bake brownies and take them to our neighbors. Well, we didn't have a brownie mix, so we made them from scratch- and this is how much Grace enjoyed it- both helping AND tasting!Grace is enchanted by "Enchanted"! If you've never seen it, we highly recommend it, BUT we thought that the music was good, so we bought the soundtrack. Well, Grace has slowly gone from her obsession with just the music, to her obsession with one particular scene in the movie (the Central Park theme, if you know what I'm talking about), to the ENTIRE movie. It's all we can do to not let her watch the movie ALL day! Here she is sitting with Sam at the computer watching the scene she loves most... over, and over, and over!We went to Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago Illinois for Spring Break because Sam had a health care conference to attend- so we tagged along, and it was great! We had SO much fun with our friends in Ohio, and family in Chicago. Grace was so happy in Ohio especially because of the DOGS! That's right, not just one, but TWO beautiful and energetic dachshunds. Here Grace is doing what she enjoyed most- giving Belle and Zoey their doggy treats! Thank you Sherri and Shayne for your hospitality and friendships. We had a great time! (We will be up again for more ice cream too! :)

Okay, Now that we are "caught up" in a sense, I would like to leave you with one more picture, although slightly embarrassing, it provides me a way to share one of my loves with you-

TRIATHLONS!!

On Saturday I did my first triathlon of the season in Charlotte, North Carolina- and finished a 500 meter swim, 13 mi. bike ride, and 3.2 mi. run in 1hr. 24 minutes. Woohoo! Of course it always feels good to finish a race, but I am looking forward to more improvements and more triathlons in the ensuing months. You gotta tri it! :)

Appropriate for this blessed FLU season!

I was just searching out some good music to put on my playlist when I came across this somewhat familiar catchy tune from Guys and Dolls. I thought the information might be very helpful for all of us enduring the flu this winter... (The song is called Aldelaide's Lament ). I just have to keep reminding myself that March- Spring!- is just around the corner!