Happy Birthay U.S.A!

We hope you and your families enjoyed your 4th of July! We started our day off right with a mountain bike ride with the Booths (thanks to the guys for pulling the kiddos up the mountain in their Chariots!). After our ride we all headed downtown, caught the tail end of a parade, perused the local Farmer's Market and then enjoyed lunch out. This evening we had a nice time of fellowship with good friends and food at the Hansons holiday BBQ. What a wonderful way to celebrate Independence Day!

Watch Where You're Walking

You may have thought that this was bad however I "one upped" myself yesterday when the Little Miss and I were out walking on a trail near our home.

This time I had the lovely experience of stepping on a large (though thankfully harmless) snake. No, this was not a mere garter snake. While I have yet to actually figured out the type, this snake was several inches in circumference and was at least three feet long. If you think this is just another "I caught a fish THIS big" story, here's proof; I managed to step full force on Mr. Snake with both the heel of one foot and the toe of the other. Regardless, he survived, seemingly unaffected as he slithered off. Of COURSE I wasn't just "unaffected"!!! As soon as the realization set in that I was stepping on something squishy, large and alive, I leaped into the air like a high jumper in training. Mid-air I looked down and immediately followed with a loud scream when I saw what "it" was. Unfortunately this time there were no witnesses who can confirm the snake's significant mass and attest to my Olympic qualifying leaping abilities. The Little Miss was with me but she was safely snuggled away in her Chariot (Praise the Lord!).

Want to know the real irony in the story? I was actually looking up at black birds in the trees thinking, "please don't splat!", thus the reason I missed seeing the serpent to begin with.

Lesson Learned: Don't let your fears get the best of you. No matter the circumstances around you, always keep your eyes on the road ahead.

Dusting Off The Shoes

A few people have asked how my half marathon training is going. If you're one of them, you know my response is typically a guilty look followed by, "Ummm...yeah...well...it's NOT."

While I am technically registered for a race this coming weekend, I admit, I'm going to be one of those slacker "no shows". I do have a reasonable excuse; I've been dealing with a chronic foot injury and have been out of commission as far as running goes for the past few months, per doctor's orders. Honestly though, I haven't exactly made it a priority to exercise consistently using other means either. I really have no valid excuse (considering that my other man, Mr. Elliptical, is parked in our bedroom and often sits gazing at me as I awake in the morning).

All that to say, no race in the near future. I'm resetting my expectations and am starting again slowly. I dusted off my tennies and have "run" a few times the past couple of weeks. Notice the quotes; My "running" these days is more of a walk/jog combo considering I'm starting over from ground zero, or more apropos, ground negative one. My feet feel like lead and oh how I cannot wait to have the joy of running back (right now I mostly just feel the PAIN). Lord, body, feet, and mind willing...

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there and most especially, to our own Mr. Wagner. The Little Miss and Yours Truly are So. Very. Blessed.

Mr. Wagner, you are an incredible father and have been from the very beginning. From mastering your first diaper change (you deserve extra credit points for having to do it through an incubator)...

...you have always jumped right in and helped with everything as we parent our sweet girl together. You love and protect your "Daddy's girl" like no other.

You even let our girly-girl do your hair and are in fact playing tea with her as I write this. Don't worry my dearest Mr. Wagner, your girl is sure to love tractors and will always enjoy great outdoor adventures with you.

Mr. Wagner, you are the best. The Little Miss and I are so thankful that you are a Father who truly reflects our Heavenly Father. We love you!

Happy (Almost) Friday!

(Thanks go out to JuRita, the infamous photographer!)

I Would Do It All Again

Not a day goes by where I don't stop and think of how incredibly blessed I am to be the Mrs. of my Mr. Wagner. If I knew then all that I now know, I would still say "I do" with great pleasure and not a moment of hesitation.

I've always been told that marriage is a major adjustment. With you Mr. Wagner, it was as if the final piece of a beautiful puzzle was put in place. The transition felt completely natural and exactly right from the beginning. Of course a good marriage takes continual effort but I'm convinced it will feel effortless when we keep Jesus at the center.

I love you Mr. Wagner and would marry you all over again. I look forward to sharing many, many, many more years to come.

Happy Anniversary!

Blog On

Some may wonder if bloggers are going to go by the wayside now that Facebook has become the "in" trend. I sure hope not. Blogging is a great way to document a family journal, express opinions and exercise creative thinking.

One of the best benefits of participating in the blogging community is exposure to a number of creative ideas. For example, I discovered that even dish soap could look pretty from a post shared by Kelly at Sketching Life. I found a similar bottle at Bed Bath and Beyond and vava-voom, our soap looks sophisticated!



I enjoy trying recipes that the Pioneer Woman shares on her cooking blog, including this delicious Bolognese Sauce (i.e., "Spaghetti Sauce" for us simple-folk). I've had fun checking out the cake creations at Jessicakes (and can't help but envy Jessica's new found talent).

Since I started blogging, I discovered Etsy, a website where people can sell their homemade goods. Being that I'm not the most crafty of gals, I'm more in tune with being a "buyer" from this site. Specifically, I really like briar.claire, a seller who makes the cutest girls hair clips. I bought a few for our Little Miss and will surely be buying more.
Most importantly, I've learned about specific prayer needs through blogging. Prayer requests from complete strangers and yet real people with real needs. Our family was so blessed by the many prayers that were uttered on our behalf when our Little Miss was born, many from people we've never met. It's now our turn to pay it forward.

Blog on friends!