Blessed with Full hands: January 2011

If I had a million dollars . . .

Other than moving forward, without hesitation, on an adoption and going for an international adoption . . . I would run this race . The Disney Princess Half Marathon. What could be more fun than Florida in February?

Of course, my "dream race" is the Goofy Challenge (running the Disney Half Marathon on a Saturday and the Full Marathon on Sunday)! But, I need to get myself through the National Marathon first . ..

Oh, and I would like to look like this while I run . . .

Illustration courtesy of Flee and her blog Drawn to Run. You have got to check out her other illustrations.

Jan

7 Quick Takes - The Marathon training edition

1. 56 more days until the National Marathon. In case you missed it, I AM registered for it! OK, got that out there. Deep slow, breaths, Katie.

2. And also, in case you have not noticed, I am nervous. Very nervous. I am obsessing thinking about it way too much lately. 56 days seems like a long time until you figure in the fact that two weeks of that is taper time. Which means I really only have 42 more days to get myself in good enough condition to run 26.2 miles.

3.

Jan

The Thousand Gifts

81. a house full of noise, laughter, and battles

82. banana bread

83. our Keurig that is always ready to provide me with a hot cup of coffee ;)

84. fleece pajama pants on cold winter days

85. the time to get our taxes and budget in order for the year

86. Lightsabers underfoot

87. A's facial expressions

88. how J is growing up and how mature he is becoming

89. for amazing priests who are not afraid to preach the truth

90.

Jan

The Feast of the Conversion of St Paul

This is a painting called the Conversion of St Paul by Carvaggio. It has been a favorite of mine for a long time.

Happy Feast of the Conversion of St Paul!

Dear Lord, may you knock me off of my "horse" Lord, so that my eyes my be opened to Your glory.

Jan

March for Life

"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts.

Jan

The Thousand Gifts

I am a day late with this one, but that is OK. Above is a video that is "about" the book One Thousand Gifts. I had pre-ordered it and cannot wait until it arrives at my doorstep and I can read it.

67. Holy Hour

68. Fr. L

69. Dinner with an old friend

70. Reminiscing about my days at Steubie U.

71. My husband's patience and love

72. Feeling at home in a friend's home

73. Seeing the "light bulb go off" when J is doing his work

74. Mornings with three little boys' laughter

75.

Jan

7 Quick Takes

1. We cannot seem to get rid of the stomach bug in our house. It is a strange one. All the boys have had it and my hubby and I have been lucky enough to avoid it. All of the boys have gotten sick once and then act perfectly normal and feel fine. A less than 24 hour bug. But, last night, a week after it started, my 4 year old woke up in the middle of the night and got sick again. This morning he is acting like nothing happened. I am just hoping we are not at the start of a round #2.

2.

Jan

The Thousand Gifts

54. Quiet moments

55. The sounds of the boys playing legos and coloring

56. An afternoon cup of coffee

57. A husband who does not mind helping cleaning up after a sick child

58. A washer and a dryer

59. A leg that is better and ready to run

60. A sense of peace

61. The new job my brother got and the possibility of seeing him more often

62. Giggles

63. The way A bounces up and down when he runs

64. The way the boys fill this house with joy

65.

Jan

Sporty Girl Jewelry: Your Word - 2011 GIVEAWAY!

Sporty Girl Jewelry: Your Word - 2011 *GIVEAWAY!*: "If 2010 had come with a road sign, this would have been it. There were a lot of twists & turns, hills & valleys.

Jan

2011 Goals

Obviously, one of my goals for the New Year is NOT timeliness! I have been pondering goals for the New Year. Some are still more abstract than others. Others came only through prayer and God’s gentle nudging through scripture, homilies, etc.

So, without further ado, here are my goals for the year.

1. Pray more. Pray the divine office every morning. There is something about the rhythm of the Divine office that I need and crave right now.

2. Make a Holy Hour once a week.

3.