Happy Holidays!

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with those you love. We had a very nice, very peaceful Christmas at home. The kids opened their presents around 8 am, I made a ham dinner, we all got a nice nap, and then we played Disney's Scene It game with the kids. It was really fun.

We had a "Get Rid of Your Christmas Leftovers" party on Friday with all our friends. We've had a series of storms come our way that kept cancelling previously scheduled Christmas parties - so it was nice to be able to catch up with friends while the kids played in the basement. I'm so blessed to have such good friends - and that all our kids get along so well.

This week I'm enjoying my time off from college teaching and focusing on school time with the kids. We're talking about the new year and thinking of the things we want to accomplish this year and in the next few years. I'm not big on resolutions, but I do believe in making goals - something to work toward, pray for help with, and study. I thought I'd share some of my goals with you. These were tough to share as they mean a lot to me and once I write them down then all of a sudden I am accountable for actually doing them. But, I really want to share some of my goals and dreams with you - and I'd love to hear what some of your goals are too.

1. Buy a farm in Andover, NH
   Not necessarily a large farm - at least 3 acres where we can have a BIG garden, a big red barn, and a couple of animals (Andy and I are still deciding what ones - but a dog named Darcy is #1 on the list!).


2. Get out of debt
   For once and for all.


3. Have one more child
   I can't tell you how long I hesitated to add this one, but it's true. I know there is a little girl that really wants to join our family (Evelyn Rose) and she has been the primary motivation for my weight loss this year. As I still have a few more pounds to loose, I expect to meet her towards the end of 2009/beginning of 2010, which is why the last goal has a Jan. 2011 date, not a Jan. 2010 date.


4. Run the Disney Marathon in Jan. 2011
   This might have to change to the half-marathon as so far they have held their marathons on Sundays and their half-marathons on Saturdays. I don't run on Sundays.

Those are some pretty big plans, I know. I am hoping to accomplish the first three before I turn 40, the last one will be when I am 40.5. Running a marathon (half-marathon) seems like a good way to say 40 isn't so old after all. Don't you think?

A Hawaiian Holiday!

Hi everyone, this is Sarah! This is a picture of a coconut sent to us from our friends who just moved to Hawaii - the Newmans. We were so excited to get it in our mailbox. We are working on how to open it. We've had a lot of fun kicking it around the house - but it hasn't broken yet! If you know how to open a coconut shell, please let us know! Daddy has a few ideas he wants to try but mommy isn't so sure.

I hope you have a very special Christmas! I can't wait for it to finally get here!

100 miles!

OK, I just have to share! I was heading to bed (yes, I know, it's 1:25 am but I just finished grading papers and I'm now officially off for 5 weeks - YEAH), and I thought I'd quick log today's run on my training guide (yes, I did run today - well, yesterday technically - it warmed up to about 14 F so I did a 3 mile run in the snow storm in my snow boots. It was so much fun! OK, maybe I am crazy!) anyway - I noticed the COOLEST thing - I have officially run 100 miles since October 1st (when I first started tracking my runs). Isn't that cool? If you had told me one year ago (which happens to be the day Christian was born!) that I'd run 100 miles within a three month period - I would have told you that you were nuts! Isn't it funny the little surprised life has in store for us?

Anyway, I'll post photos and more stuff tomorrow - but I just wanted to share before I head up to bed. One hundred miles in three months - ME - who knew?
'Night all!
Deb

Running in Snow Boots

OK, it's snowing tonight. Really snowing. We're supposed to get 7-8 inches by morning. I have a good friend who isn't feeling well so I told her I'd bring dinner over tonight. As she only lives a few blocks away, I thought it would be faster (and safer) to walk there then drive on icy roads. As I put on my boots, BYU cap (my own version of missionary work here in the NE), coat and gloves and stepped outside, I found myself smiling. It felt so GOOD to be outside. The cold made we walk a little faster (it wasn't that cold - around 24 F or so is my guess) and I think that blanket of white is so beautiful. The world is quiet and peaceful and the fresh, crisp air felt good in my lungs.

Now, you could argue that I just enjoyed being outside after spending the better part of 3 days sitting by the fireplace grading papers (the end of the semester stress has been brutal this year) - and you could be right. But, I really do like the winter too, I can't deny it. I enjoy all four seasons - which is why I really like the NE as they are all approximately the same length (give or take).

Anyway, after dropping off the dinner I started walking back. I hadn't run since Monday (see previous paragraph about the end of the semester stress) and I was really missing it, so I decided to run the few blocks home. It felt great! In fact, if it wasn't dark I probably would have kept going! I came back home in a better mood and am really looking forward to my long, slow run I have scheduled in the morning - even if I have to do it in my snow boots. I'll probably do about 5 miles (which is long for me), but I need a good calorie burn and I want to work on my endurance as I start training for a 10K this May.

I really do love to run. Maybe I'm crazy to enjoy it even in a snow storm, or maybe I just like feeling healthy and fit for perhaps the first time in my life. I don't know - what do you think?

USANA - Nutritionals You Can Trust

Hi everyone! I've been so impressed with the vitamins and other products from USANA, that I've joined their team and become an Associate. Check out my website: http://debbiebrown.usana.com/. Let me know what you think.
Debbie

Tag!

OK, I got tagged. Here ya go...

Four random things about my husband:

1. Is someone I always want on my team during trivia games.
2. Read, "The Hobbit" to me when we first started dating - I knew I just had to marry him after hearing his version of Gollum.
3. Can't stand having dirty dishes in the sink (on the counter is fine, but not in the sink).
4. Makes my heart overflow when he's playing and laughing with the kids.

Movies I could watch more than once:

1. Pride & Prejudice (plan to get a dog and name him Darcy)
2. Much Ado About Nothing (love Beatrice and Benedick)
3. Christmas in Connecticut (the Barbara Stanwyck version)
4. Gone With The Wind (because after all, tomorrow is another day)
   

TV shows I watch:
I don't, I grade papers at night.

Places I have been:

1. London (LOVED it! Between the museums and the theater, I didn't want to leave)
2. Italy (Florence was fabulous, but nothing can compare to the Coliseum in Rome)
3. Costa Rica (bird watching in the Monteverde Cloude Forest)
4. Maui (scuba diving the cathedrals)
   

People who email me regularly:

1. Amy
2. Kate
3. Gail
4. Katrina

Favorite meals/foods:

1. Andy's spaghetti carbonara
2. My pasta with meat sauce and homemade foaccia bread
3. Chicken Korma
4. Cannolis from Mike's in Little Italy, Boston

Places I would like to visit:

1. Italy again - for the opening of the Rome temple
2. Jerusalem - just to walk the streets, knowing the Jesus once walked them too
3. Alaska - I miss Andy's parents and siblings (and spouses and children - such a wonderful, crazy crew!)
4. Atlanta - for a romantic weekend with Andy at our favorite Persian restaurant in Dunwoody and then a play at the Shakespeare Tavern

Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Finishing this semester - I'm tired of grading papers!
2. January trip to Disney World with the kids
3. Staying home with the kids starting in May
4. My first 10K this May

Some of the best books I've read:
OK - this one is almost impossible for me, I read so much that to narrow it down to four is just wrong. Here are a few of my favorites, but there are so many more...

1. The Book of Mormon
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Harry Potter series
4. Sugar Addicts/Little Sugar Addicts
5. Love and Logic - Early Childhood
6. The Peacegiver
7. Mary, Martha & Me
8. Anything by Sheri Dew
9. Laddie, A True Blue Story
10. Little Women
    

Favorite Chapter in the Bible:
A Virtuous Woman, Proverbs 31

Favorite Chapter in the Book of Mormon:
2 Nephi, chapter 4:16-35

People I tagged:

1. Gail Mierins
2. Gwyn Kinney
3. Hollie Parry
4. JoAnne Toronto

A Message From Katherine

Hi, this is Katherine. I'm almost 7 now (February 13th). I like Benjamin because he's my brother. This is a picture of him I took with mommy's camera.

I like Dewdrop; she is the cat I like most. She is hiding in our Christmas tree. I laughed and had mommy take a picture of her. Can you find her in the tree?

Why I Run

I started running in May. Actually, that's not quite right, I started walking in May, it was June before I was able to start running. Between life, stress, and the four kids, I found myself a whopping 55 pounds overweight after the birth of Christian in December. I hated being that overweight. I felt like the real me was trapped inside a fat suit and the zipper was stuck. But, I was so tired that I felt helpless.

It was at this point that a good friend recommended I take some vitamins from a company called USANA. I remembered them from the Olympics and so I started taking their vitamins. After about 2 months, I found my energy starting to return. I decided I would start walking and asked my dear friend Amy if I could join her twice a week for a walk in her hilly countryside. She agreed and that's how it all started. I would push the boys in the double stroller while the girls walked along side us. Up and down these big hills (we live in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains) for two miles.

Overtime I got stronger. I started tackling my sugar addition by removing refined sugars and replacing wheat flour instead of white. The weight started coming off. I got a treadmill from my neighbor and started walking on the days I didn't meet Amy. Being impatient, I started running so I could burn more calories faster. The weight started coming off faster - and better then that - I started FEELING healthy.

I started tracking the miles I've run in October, and since Oct. 1 I've run 86 miles. I've also lost 45 pounds since my first walk in May and the weight is still coming off. I completed my first 5K on Thanksgiving and had fun in the process. My legs are developing strong, firm muscles and the rest of my body is toning nicely. I LOVE it! It's hard, it hurts, but I feel so GOOD after each run, so strong, so proud of being able to call myself a runner, that it's worth every ache and pain.

So why do I run? During a recent run, I came up with a short list:

1. I feel closer to my Heavenly Father when I run outdoors.
2. I like the sense of accomplishment I get after each run.
3. I love early (well, OK, 7am - it's not that early!) mornings outside, the fresh air, and taking in this amazing world Heavenly Father created for us (and saying hi to the Andover cows).
4. It's my time. 30-45 minutes away from everyone, computers, cell phones, everything. It's pure alone time.
5. The fact that it's changed me in such a fundamental way - from what I eat, to how I look, to the kind of mother, wife, and teacher that I am. In short, I'm a better person because I run.

Welcome to our first posting!

Hi everyone! We decided the best way to stay in touch with all our friends and share photos of our kids (I LOVE it when you guys share your photos!), is to start our blog. With friends and family in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington, we figured it was time to set-up a blog!

Here we'll mainly talk about the kids, church, homeschooling, and running. Katherine and Sarah want to do some posts too, so watch for special postings from them.

Thanks for visiting - and come back soon!
Debbie