Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Orchard
In early October, Linkan and I went to "The Orchard" in Emporia to pick some apples with mom and Molly. Linkan spent more time eating the apples than picking them. :) They were yummy!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Rock Creek Pumpkin Patch
Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year. So many things to love about it...including one of Ben and my favorite holidays - Halloween! We got into the festive spirit by taking Linkan to her first pumpkin patch last Friday evening. We had fun picking out pumpkins and cutting them off the vine and then petting some farm animals. Linkan reached out and pet a pig! As she was doing that, another pig rushed up to her and scared the pee out of her! She was screaming but it was hard not to laugh. :)
Denver Rock N Roll Marathon
Just a few weeks after finishing an IronMan race, Ben ran the Denver Rock N Roll Marathon this past weekend. He was sick and had an ear ache which slowed him down but he finished in 4:45 and we're so proud of him! Linkan and I rode all around downtown Denver in my bike and buggy to cheer him on. It was a beautiful day in Colorado. Ben is done racing for a little while. Probably until the Spring, at least. :) We are looking forward to having him home a little more often!
Running through Wash Park
Daddy left his camel back from Linkan to enjoy. She loves that thing. :)
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Ben "The IronMan" Postlethwait
A few weeks after my Linkan was born, Ben started training for an Iron Man. What is an Iron Man? Well, it's a triathlon on crack really. It's a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride followed by a 26.2 mile run. Yup, ya heard right...a marathon at the end. So where was this crazy idea born? Well, we have to rewind the clock to May 2008. We had just finished running the Bolder Boulder 10K with Sara (Ben's sister) in Boulder, Colorado. This is the coolest short distance race ever and about 50,000 run it every year. Try it sometime! Anyway, we were walking through the vendor tents and happened upon an IronMan tent. The nice lady gave Ben an IronMan luggage tag. As we were walking away, he said to me, "I can't have an IronMan luggage tag if I'm not an IronMan. It's not right." As Ben tells the story, he finishes by saying that in that moment, the voice in his head said, "You can't do an IronMan." and to the voice he said, "F you." :) Normal people would believe the voice of doubt in their head but not my husband. What I love and adore about my crazy husband is that he doesn't let anything stand in his way. He inspires me. Some would say it's just a stupid race but it's much more than just a race. It's about conquering doubts and fears. It's about discipline...and enduring pain and discomfort because the reward is great.
Close to 20 friends and family joined me in Oklahoma City, OK on September 25, 2010 to cheer Ben on. We can't thank them enough for coming. We love you all! Not only did Ben finish the RedMan race (which is an accomplishment all by itself!), he placed 1st in the Clydesdale Division (Male over 200 pounds). The spectators had a fun day hanging out, catching up, and cheer leading. Ben was overwhelmed by all the support and we just can't thank everyone enough for coming to OKC! I am so proud of my man. He is my hero and now, my IronMan too. :)
Running alongside Ben, reminding him of what he said to me to encourage me about an hour before we met Linkan for the first time.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Ring
On Sunday, we returned from our family vacation. I had taken my wedding ring off while in the Bahamas for the first time in 10 years (other than a couple of cleanings) for scuba diving. I placed them in my makeup bag and did not remember to put them back on my finger until Tuesday of this week. When I went to my makeup bag to retrieve them, the bag was unzipped and I could only find my band. The engagement ring was gone. My disbelief quickly turned into panic...panic into tears. Ben found me crumpled on the bathroom floor.
The TSA had inspected our bags and my feeling was that they unzipped my makeup bag to inspect it and unknowingly, the ring fell out. Ben asked if I had looked in the suitcases but I had already cleaned them out...even vacuumed them because we brought back some sand. I knew that I would have seen it then if it was there. And at that point, I was so emo that I couldn't bring myself to look through my suitcases and feel the disappointment all over again.
I posted on facebook that I had lost my ring and my Aunt Maurita said, "The Lord knows where it is ask Him". I was stunned because it had not even occurred to me to go to Him with my concern. I was embarrassed and immediately asked Him for forgiveness and asked Him to help me find it. I realized right then that I have been very good about going to God for the big stuff in my life....diligently asking for direction concerning life decisions, praising Him for the many blessings that He has bestowed upon me, praying for healing, peace, comfort, safety. I rarely seek Him in prayer over "little" things like this. After all, isn't it silly to ask the God of the Universe for help in finding a THING? But, this THING is quite possibly the one thing that I am most sentimental about in this life. It is the thing that was carefully and lovingly chosen by my love just for me. It was placed on my finger the moment that my boyfriend asked me to be his wife...and again on the day that I stood before my loved ones and God and pledged to love him forever. So, in that moment - I prayed and asked God for help...and if it was forever gone, to give me peace about it.
I woke up the next morning feeling MUCH better. I was still very disappointed but I wasn't emo and was already starting to part ways with the ring in my head. Having lost my little brother 4 years ago, I have already learned the hard lesson that things aren't all that important in life...people, relationships, experiences, memories...are priceless. Ben had called mid-morning and I had commented about how much better I was feeling. That afternoon, I went downstairs to change out the laundry and saw the suitcases so I decided to pull them out and look. I knew it was futile but I had to at least SAY that I looked. I looked through the first suitcase, slipping my fingers behind any seam that fingers could get behind and it wasn't there. I knew it. Checked the second suitcase...nothing there. As I was starting to zip it back up, I stuck my finger down one last seam and felt something. I started to pull it out and saw the silver color that I knew so well. I felt like my eyes were playing a sick joke on me for a split second and then it was there...in my hand...back on my finger. All I could do is cry and say, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you". I immediately knew that this exercise was God lovingly trying to communicate with his daughter. I thought, "I get it." I feel like He was trying to communicate to me that I could go to Him with ANYthing...and EVERYthing. Not just the big stuff. Even the small stuff.
It's ironic that this all came full circle on the eve of the 4th anniversary of Sam's passing. Earlier that day, I had thought about how my week couldn't get any worse... Rest assured...having found my ring did not make today any easier. I got to thinking about how I had lost something very precious to me -my ring-and how I was so joyful, happy, emotional, grateful when I found it. I wonder...how amazing it will be when I see my Sammy for the first time again...after so many years of him being lost from my life. The thought of the reunion brings tears to my eyes. I echo my wise sister's comment, that I know how to grieve with hope. THANK the King of Glory for that.
Sammy, I love you little brother. Miss you every day.
The TSA had inspected our bags and my feeling was that they unzipped my makeup bag to inspect it and unknowingly, the ring fell out. Ben asked if I had looked in the suitcases but I had already cleaned them out...even vacuumed them because we brought back some sand. I knew that I would have seen it then if it was there. And at that point, I was so emo that I couldn't bring myself to look through my suitcases and feel the disappointment all over again.
I posted on facebook that I had lost my ring and my Aunt Maurita said, "The Lord knows where it is ask Him". I was stunned because it had not even occurred to me to go to Him with my concern. I was embarrassed and immediately asked Him for forgiveness and asked Him to help me find it. I realized right then that I have been very good about going to God for the big stuff in my life....diligently asking for direction concerning life decisions, praising Him for the many blessings that He has bestowed upon me, praying for healing, peace, comfort, safety. I rarely seek Him in prayer over "little" things like this. After all, isn't it silly to ask the God of the Universe for help in finding a THING? But, this THING is quite possibly the one thing that I am most sentimental about in this life. It is the thing that was carefully and lovingly chosen by my love just for me. It was placed on my finger the moment that my boyfriend asked me to be his wife...and again on the day that I stood before my loved ones and God and pledged to love him forever. So, in that moment - I prayed and asked God for help...and if it was forever gone, to give me peace about it.
I woke up the next morning feeling MUCH better. I was still very disappointed but I wasn't emo and was already starting to part ways with the ring in my head. Having lost my little brother 4 years ago, I have already learned the hard lesson that things aren't all that important in life...people, relationships, experiences, memories...are priceless. Ben had called mid-morning and I had commented about how much better I was feeling. That afternoon, I went downstairs to change out the laundry and saw the suitcases so I decided to pull them out and look. I knew it was futile but I had to at least SAY that I looked. I looked through the first suitcase, slipping my fingers behind any seam that fingers could get behind and it wasn't there. I knew it. Checked the second suitcase...nothing there. As I was starting to zip it back up, I stuck my finger down one last seam and felt something. I started to pull it out and saw the silver color that I knew so well. I felt like my eyes were playing a sick joke on me for a split second and then it was there...in my hand...back on my finger. All I could do is cry and say, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you". I immediately knew that this exercise was God lovingly trying to communicate with his daughter. I thought, "I get it." I feel like He was trying to communicate to me that I could go to Him with ANYthing...and EVERYthing. Not just the big stuff. Even the small stuff.
It's ironic that this all came full circle on the eve of the 4th anniversary of Sam's passing. Earlier that day, I had thought about how my week couldn't get any worse... Rest assured...having found my ring did not make today any easier. I got to thinking about how I had lost something very precious to me -my ring-and how I was so joyful, happy, emotional, grateful when I found it. I wonder...how amazing it will be when I see my Sammy for the first time again...after so many years of him being lost from my life. The thought of the reunion brings tears to my eyes. I echo my wise sister's comment, that I know how to grieve with hope. THANK the King of Glory for that.
Sammy, I love you little brother. Miss you every day.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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