My Husband---"the drill master"

Today we were supposed to have my brother-in-law come over to teach David and I the "secret" of putting handles and knobs on drawers (aka the way to put them on straight). We were very nervous about drilling holes into our new vanity and wanted him there for technical and moral support! However, he had to cancel at the last moment.


So we were left with two choices:

1)Wait for him to reschedule with us on a day that we weren't busy and he wasn't busy (probably two months away!)

2) Dare to drill the holes ourselves.


Well, we decided to brave the task alone.
10 drilled holes and one trip to Home Depot later...


Here is the finished product:
















How do you think it looks?

a GOOD run vs a BAD run

Running has many variables: the weather, the course, your clothing, your hydration level, and of course, the mental component. All of these variables can determine if a run is good or bad.

GOOD: when I have a good run, I rarely have the desire to quit. I run and may get tired at some point but the overwhelming desire to keep going and to get a good workout in keeps me trucking along. My lungs are resilient. Getting to the top of the hill is feasible and on the way down, I am invigorated. I love the challenge, I love breathing hard and then catching my breath, I love the miles, and hit my stride somewhere after mile 3. Those are the days when running a marathon seems possible and I say to myself "running is my favorite!"

BAD: Speaking of bad runs, today was one of those days. I had to do some speed-work for my half marathon and it was painful. I couldn't get in a groove. It was hot and my legs got tired at mile 2! Then I had a mental block...I had to run 3 miles faster than I have ever run before. I couldn't keep it together and had to stop and walk a couple times. It wasn't fun. I felt worse about my abilities after that run than I did before. Ugh...

If today had been my first day running, I might never return. However, I know that I will always have good runs and bad runs. Life is much like this concept; good days and bad days we all have. Some days you feel close to the Lord, purpose in what you do, have lots of friends, your family is at peace and your dog is potty trained. Other days, you may look in the mirror and see nothing but failure, feel distant from the Lord, have no one to talk to and your dog pees on your bed.

With running, it is not merely one day of training that determines if you will succeed on race day or not. It is the culmination of the miles ran that enable you to finish. Likewise, it's a good thing that the Lord doesn't pick a random day to judge our whole lives. And when we are faced with death, we will not remember only a day but culmination of years upon years of running the race.

Good or bad, the key is to keep going and to never give up!

Spring Break Fun

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Kristi, we had a wonderful spring break/Easter in warm, green, sunny California. She was gracious enough to allow us to stay with her and her three roomates for 4 days. We got to live life with her: take her to work, attend her church, eat Phoo, shop for spree jelly beans at 11:00 at night, go to the fruitman, drive on Figueroa a million times, met Jonder, go to her favorite beach and take a ton of pictures. We miss her now that we are home and secretly want her to move to back to Colorado.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip:

**Easter at Kristi's Church**

**Sea World**

**We bought the same flip-flops at Quiksilver**

**Romantic Picture**

**Kristi and David at Clippers Game**

**The Farmer's at the Beach**

Tribute to the Canon A540

We got a new camera on Sunday!!!!!!

We bought a better addition of our old one for the same amount of money it would have cost to repair the lens.

Here is a pic of the old camera (in the trash can):









***A little sad since it was a wedding gift from David's parents


The picture we took right before I dropped it:













The first pic with our new Camera (at the Nuggets game):











This picture makes me laugh because David is SO goofy

My Favorites

Since I so eloquently dropped our camera at Sea World, I am unable to post pictures of the recent happenings in our lives. Therefore, I have decided to write about the things that I most love in life. Some are silly and some are just pure gifts from God.

Here it goes....

RUNNING:

I recently started training for my first half marathon!

I am excited for this challenge but it never seems to stop being hard to get up early in the morning before work to get my miles in. However, I am never left without the reward of endorphins and the knowledge that my flesh did not win that battle. Running gives me a sense of accomplishment. It invigorates me. It, in some small way, helps me to know that obesity will not be my death sentence and I CAN do something to make myself better.

**Disclaimer** I know that running is my gift from God. I remember when I was diagnosed with asthma in 9th grade and could no longer play soccer. Then I couldn't even run for 5 minutes without my chest feeling like it would collapse. I cried out to God for many years, asking that He would heal me so that I could run. So all the Glory to God for my gift!

TURBO:

He is a runt...shhh don't tell him! But I love the little guy more than I thought I could. I love when he discovers new things. I love to play with him, give him a bath, teach him tricks, take him on a walk, and most of all, hug him! If you ever need a hug, Turbo gives the best ones. He may not be dog show quality: he has tear stains under his eyes, his eyes are wide-eyed (the opposite of cross-eyed), he is small and his hair is wiry, but he is my Turb!

PROPEL:

So refreshing! My husband just bought me a new case of Propel at Sam's. I have to make sure that I ration myself since I have a tendency to over consume this low-calorie water. Only one a day, Ali! It is only 25 calories for one bottle and it comes in a variety of flavors (strawberry is the WORST; Raspberry Lemonade is the BEST!). I know it is just water but I truly enjoy it.

SCRAPBOOKING:

A new hobby of mine. My dear friend Cassie is the one that introduced me. She is extraordinary at scrapbooking and I enjoy coping her ideas. We attend classes together (at Archivers) and give each other a heads up when Hobby Lobby is having a 50% off sale. The reason I like scrapbooking is the finished product. Being a perfectionist at times, it allows me to channel that part of myself to make a beautiful display for memories. I love the ribbon, the buttons, the paper, and the stickers...I love to look at a page and see all the details.

NAPS (with David):

I never use to be a nap person but now it is one of the best parts of my Sunday's. David and I will pause our lives for 15-60 minutes (when possible) and lay on our WONDERFUL bed to rest. Sometimes it is on the couch as we watch Tiger Woods win another golf tournament. We get out our favorite blankets and set the cell phone alarm. Most times we end up bargaining when it rings, "just 10 more minutes," and back to sleep we go. Ahhh, the good life!

That is enough for now, I must go to work. Blessings to you all!