HELP… Need Running Songs

Running and I have a very love hate relationship. I hate it while I am doing it, but the feeling after and the way my pants are fitting loosely keeps me coming back for more. I think my relationship with running is bordering on the bi-polar level. While I am running I want to yell at someone, anyone. At the gym, I find myself hoping someone will walk up to me a start a fight… just so I can yell at them. What is wrong with me? Heck, I don’t need a trainer, what I need is someone I can pay to walk up and talk smack to me so I can yell at them and run more! Trainer smainer.

My relationship with running got a major bump in the right direction this week. My anniversary gift was a bright pink beautiful Apple iPod Nano… or whatever it’s called. The name is not really important. What is important is that I love it. As soon as Dan figured out how to work it and then taught me (I’m not a patient “look at the directions” type of person), I had all my favorite songs downloaded. Then running and I made another go of it. I ran for 45 minutes and really enjoyed it (okay, that might not be true… I “tolerated it” might be a better word choice). My selection of running music might be a little weird. But the important thing is I kept going and it was okay. So my plan is to keep up with the 45 minutes for a few weeks and them bump up to *gasp* 1 hour!

Another tiny little fact about me: I get bored easily. So I will be bored with my current selection of running music probably by Sunday. Which brings me to the point of this post: Please please please give me ideas of songs to download for running. What’s good? What has a good beat? I pretty much like anything, but it has to have a good beat to keep me going. Any suggestions???

I Will Be Here

Today is our 2 year anniversary! It has been a quick, wonderful, happy, fabulous, life-changing, awe-inspiring two years and I can't wait for a lifetime more!
I love the song "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. It was one of the songs sung at our wedding and I just think it is beautiful and says everything. If you have not heard of the song, Google it and listen to it, its beautiful. But be warned... you will cry... it's just one of those songs!

I Will Be Here
By: Steven Curtis Chapman

Tomorrow morning if you wake up

and the sun does not appear

I will be here

If in the dark, we lose sight of love

Hold my hand, and have no fear'

Cause I will be here

I will be here

When you feel like being quiet

When you need to speak your mind

I will listen

And I will be here

When the laughter turns to cryin'

Through the winning, losing and trying

We'll be together

I will be here

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up

And the future is unclear

I will be here

Just as sure as seasons were made for change

Our lifetimes were made for these years

So I will be here

I will be here

And you can cry on my shoulder

When the mirror tells us we're older

I will hold you

And I will be here

To watch you grow in beauty

And tell you all the things you are to me

I will be here

I will be true to the promise I have made

To you and to the One who gave you to me

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up

And the sun does not appear

I will be here

Oh, I will be here.

It's Christmas Time Again

I love Christmas time, everything about it. I love that no matter how our society may try to twist it, it really is all about the birth of our Savior! It is just an awesome time of year. People smile more, give more and are all around just more pleasant!

This year, we bit the bullet with the tree and got an excellent “deal” on a 15ft. tree. We wanted a “show” tree for the living room and a “family” tree for upstairs. So without further ado (or “quote” signs) here is the show tree:


Can’t tell how big she is? Maybe this will help.

Yes, that is me next to her. No decorations yet, only lights. And we had not “fluffed” out the branches when this picture was taken. Isn’t she beautiful – even right out of the box?! We are buying ornaments for her (lots of them) at the after Christmas sales. And it should be noted that we have taken out a bottom layer to make her fit the room better, so now it is a 13ft tree. But still… HUGE. She really needs a name...suggestions?

Here is a picture of our upstairs tree this year.

Alright, not to brag (totally bragging), but I got a little crafty this year. Yes, ME. And I am Oh-so-proud of how it turned out. Has anyone seen their latest Pottery Barn catalog? They are selling BEAUTIFUL ornament garland. I am telling you, it was love at first sight. But not for $90 bucks a foot (or whatever they are selling it for). So, I made my own. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Just call me Krafty Katie from now on!

And last, but certainly not least. We have the wreaths in the windows of our home. I think we have a perfect home for this and it turned out fantastic. See???....

Although I love Christmas time, I do not love this cold weather. So we are off on our cruise. “No Worries, No Problems” A quote from a nice (although I think a bit high) chef while we were in St. John’s a few years ago. I have lived every vacation since then by that motto!

See ya’ll later!

Two. Short. Weeks.

Two short weeks from today, you can find us on this....

On a balcony somewhere back here.....

Holding something that looks similar to this.....

Wearing something that looks like this.....

Well, I will wear this not Dan. Although that is a funny image.

Two. short. weeks......!!!

11-18-1999

Some may boast of prowess bold
Of the school they think so grand
But there’s a spirit can ne’er be told
It’s the Spirit of Aggieland

We are the Aggies, the Aggies are we
True to each other as Aggies can be
We’ve got to fight boysWe’ve got to fight!
We’ve got to fight for Maroon and White

After they’ve boosted all the rest
Then they will come and join the best
For we are the Aggies, the Aggies are we
We’re from Texas AMC

And Now They Are 21

Happy Birthday to these two….
If looks could kill, some of these might have….
But they were good sports.............in the end….
And we all had a great time…
Happy Birthday Harry and Charlie! I had so much fun hanging out with you two this weekend and can’t wait ‘til we can do it more often again! Love you both!

My New Found Fear of Flying

I am not quite sure when it happened but somewhere along the line I have developed a fear of flying. A major fear. I 110% blame Dan for this fear. (Sorry hunny!)

Dan is an excellent pilot, and it should be noted that the ONLY time I am NOT afraid to fly is on his airplane while he is in the cockpit. I know how he conducts himself and how dedicated he is to his job and to the safety of everyone on board. I am completely comfortable when he is flying. Dare I say, I enjoy it.

It’s others I am worried about. The ones who play on their computers and sleep and decorate the cockpit with stuffed animals and toys. WTF?! The only reason I know about any of this is because of Dan. He is so dedicate and can’t believe that some people do this. But all of these “honey, you will never believe what I read today…” stories have developed into my HUGE fear.

My (near) hyperventilating every time I sit down in an airline seat, fear. My last flight I almost had a real life panic attack, fear. My “my life is going to end in this giant tube-shaped thing,” fear. Get it yet?

Today is Friday the 13th and I am FLYING today. So in honor of that, I thought I would make a list of my fears. My irrational fears. My completely illogical fears. But, my fears none the less.

1. I am afraid that the plane won’t be going fast enough and we will not even get off the ground. Causing us to crash
2. I am afraid that while going up we will be at too steep an incline and a gust of wind will turn the plane on its back (see… irrational!)
3. On that note… we will just keep going up and will never level out. Right into space. (You can imagine how much Dan laughs at a few of these “fears”)
4. Pilots are asleep, drunk or now ON THEIR COMPUTERS (WTF?) while they should be paying attention to flying the HUGE metal thing through the air at hundreds of miles per hour.
5. That we will get too close to a plane in front of us and the force coming out from that plane (forget the name) will flip our plane over
6. Some much needed piece of the plane will. fall. off.
7. If we are landing in Atlanta… afraid we are too low and going to hit a tree
8. Going too fast at landing…can’t stop
9. One word… turbulence. It’s not fun and I don’t enjoy it, especially when the pilot tells you to “brace” for it. I almost puked.

I know that the good pilots outweigh the bad ones. The majority of Dan’s friends are pilots and I would be 100% confident in them. Unfortunately, they can't drop their schedule to come fly the plane I am going to be on (Oh, that would be so nice). And Dan can't fly me wherever I want to go on that nice private jet (something about costing thousands of dollars an hour...blah blah blah). So I am forced to put my faith in two total strangers. Strangers who I hope have 1/2 the competence and ability of my darling husband. Strangers, some of whom should perhaps find a nice desk job instead of a job that puts hundreds of peoples’ lives in their hands on a daily basis.

If I am on a plane that goes down, I know where I am going and it is just my time. This fear will not keep me from flying. This weekend a plane is taking me to see my husband (who is at recurrent training in Dallas this week), mom, brothers, dad and I just found out my Aunt Gina will be there, too. It is going to be a wonderful weekend and I won’t let a fear keep me from doing anything I want to do.

So wish me luck. I’m leaving on a (Delta) jet plane (with two safe, wonderful, competent pilots… hopefully!).