Brother and I spent an extended period of time in the car together last Wednesday… (I got a little goofy. You’ve been warned.)

Part 1

Part 2

While at NQC I had to go meet the phenomenon that is Josh Singletary. I knew about him from watching RobTV on YouTube and thought he seemed like great fun. Hehe.

It was some experience. What I’d seen on video is only half of what you get in person – crazy and off the wall for starters! We recorded a video…but neither one of us knew quite what to say…

That’s Freedom Hall, not “Freedo”…

[concert photos on flickr]

Gloria Gaither…many are the songs we know by her!

The “gentle giant”, Ben Isaacs

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My mom and I are here in Louisville taking in a couple days of the National Quartet Convention, a large Southern Gospel music event. Which basically means LOTS of people, lots of singing, and lots o’ pictures. It’s quite overwhelming, but we’re having fun! Here’s a look at yesterday.

Waiting for an afternoon concert showcase with my friend Lexia…

[concert photos on flickr]

Mum and I with three members of the Gaither Vocal Band – Wes Hampton, Guy Penrod, and Marsh Hall

Pianist Stan Whitmire – I love his style…

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Speak no evil, Hear no evil, See no evil!

- brought to you by Doug, Hannah, & Ryan

I sat down with Alex & Brett for a brief recap after the conference…

‘Cause I have fans!!! They’re so amazing, they even hold signs when I’m not there! Celebrity life couldn’t get much better…

[special thanks to my friend Linda!]

Plenty of books, excellent speakers, and fun “reunions” with other homeschool alums!

(trivia: if you did Math-U-See, you have the dad of the tall dude to thank)

I bumped into Brett & Alex Harris, promoting their new book in the vendor hall

I tried to get a copy signed, but oddly enough they just stared right past me…it was so unlike them…

My nomination for cutest couple of the weekend – Woody & Gina Robertson. They had a session sharing their courtship story (www.woodylovesgina.com) and Woody also spoke on accelerated distance learning. Sweet people!

Best session moment:
HSLDA attorney Chris Klicka was relating a story about a truant officer making a call on a homeschool family. The dad answered the door and the truant officer informed him that he would have to place his children in public school. The dad replied, “Over my dead body.” Mr. Klicka continued the story with…”and the truant officer pulled out a gun and shot him.”

The entire auditorium, including myself, GASPED in horror!! (Nearly sucking Mr. Klicka out of the room in the process.) And then he said, “no, no, that didn’t happen!” It was hilarious! He had been so serious up to that point that we believed every word! (Truant officers don’t even carry guns.)

Long weekend? Find a friend (in this case “little bro” Sam) and a table to sit on…

…from your “foresthood” snail…

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9

Running has always been one of those things I wanted to do. I can’t count the times I’ve seen someone jogging down the sidewalk and thought “Man, I wish I could do that!”. Within the past year, I have slowly been working to turn that dream into reality.

There is something very personal about running that I love. God has let the process help me see some things about life. I’ve had some physical ups and downs that almost discouraged me altogether and sent me back to “start”. But thanks to some prodding encouragement and more patience and hard work, I have made steady progress the last 3 months. It may seem tiny to others, but to me it is huge. So, I decided it was time to celebrate with a race!

My first 5k – 3.1 miles. The big day arrived at 8:30am this Saturday. I pinned on my race bib, strapped a timing chip around my ankle, and took off from the start line with over 200 other runners and walkers. It was GREAT!!

Of course there were way more people ahead of me than behind me, but the game plan was just to have fun and enjoy the experience! And I did, keeping a steady pace on my merry little running/walking way through the pleasant neighborhood. I was amazed and inspired to see the lead runner come pounding past on his way back to the finish while I was checking off mile 1. *smile*

Approximately 43 minutes later (I am unsure of my final time until the results are posted) – surprisingly under my “wishful” time of 45 and expected time of 50, I had the exhilarating feeling of crossing THE FINISH LINE!! What a thrill. *grin*

I’m already planning my next one…

Above and below: my support team! my brother & dad

The race staging grounds

Ready to go

And we’re off!

The blur is because I was going soooo fast…haha

And 40+ minutes later… I call this the “return of the lone runner” haha

Crossing the finish!

Tired and hot – but happy

I’m claiming this one!

It would seem that the blogging phase of my life has risen and…fallen. I don’t feel like I have much to offer in the way of meaningful posts these days. Apologies to all my friends who would rather I at least post a crazy picture or write something about local life instead of waiting for deep inspiration to hit.

So in that interest…the latest road trip of mine and my mom’s took us to Chicago for a couple nights. It was my first time in the popular town, which I found quite exciting…we won’t mention the stress of trying to figure out how to GET anywhere. I didn’t get to soak in as much of the city as I would’ve liked due to our rushed timetable, but I was able to do a few special things. And here’s the proof!

Entering downtown…

It took me 10 years, but I finally fulfilled my little girl wish!

the only place you’ll see one of these in the bathroom…

random downtown

with a friend after successfully completing another goal…

….eating deep dish Chicago style pizza! YummO!

ready for a night out with friends at the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan

inside the Navy Pier grand ballroom

special friends…

good Chicago memories!

I was in Wild Oats a couple months ago on Christmas Eve, shopping for some last minute items. As I walk down the first aisle, a tall black guy is walking towards me. He stops me as we cross paths, a look of friendly inquiry on his face that launches my brain into preparation for the “mistaken employee” question. But instead of asking where he can find the vanilla soy milk, he promptly blurts out -

“Are you tall?”

My brain nearly crash lands on the airfield. I didn’t see that coming. I look at him dumbfounded, my brain now going in circles as to what possible reason he could have for asking me this. Sizing me up for a girlfriend’s Christmas gift? He is too tall to need any help on the high shelves…

“Uhh….am I tall?” I echo blankly, peering up at him in all of his 6 foot-and-somethingness. My height has never been much of a topic of conversation before.

“For a girl.” he clarifies, surely seeing the depth of confusion in my green eyes.

“Uh…I guess so?” I stammer. My brain goes into amnesia and I suddenly can’t remember what exactly my height is and if it’s really even that tall. I mumble some numbers, only to realize later I gave him my mom’s (shorter) height instead of mine. I’m taller with my boots on anyway.

“Well, I’m taller than you, but you look tall!” he declares with a big smile as we continue our separate ways down the aisle. (Dude, you’re like 6 foot 5″…you’re taller than most everyone.)

I laugh, still lost in the clouds of confusion. “Thank You!” I call after him, hoping it makes up for my brain-dead answers and wanting to appreciate whatever kind of compliment that was supposed to be.

Talk about weird. Random. Weird. Next time I meet someone in the store, I hope they just ask me where the soy milk is….

(I’m 5′ 7 1/2″ in my stocking feet. Just average, really. )