Happy Thanksgiving!

As each of you go to your destinations this holiday weekend, I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving with your friends and family.  Know that I love each and every one of you so much, and miss you all back home in Michigan (and Jerry and Tiff in Tennessee).  Can't wait to see you for Christmas (April for Nashville)!!

Tyler and Melissa will be here later today (so freakin excited, LOL) and we have such a great Thanksgiving weekend planned - southwest style!  We will see some cowboys, eat some good steak (we all chose to pass on the turkey this year), head over to tailgate and watch some good ASU football with a bunch of our friends and run in the Lifetime Turkey Trot.  I think Missa and I will be going to As You Wish Pottery as well because she did really well on her report card...I am hoping to talk her into decorating ornaments. :-)

Training going well...last night was a good night!

5.5 Miles on My New Shoes!

So, I got my new running shoes last night...for $30 off!  I was geeked.  Matt was pretty shocked.  He thought for sure that I would be spending my paycheck on running shoes...which I usually do.  :-)  Funny enough, I bought the wrong shoes.  However, the ones I purchased were just named the best shoe in the world (click here for information)...are you kidding me?  Even better!  I had thoughts about taking them back because I don't like changing what works well, but I decided to test drive them instead, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I usually do my short quick run on Wednesday/Thursday, but I was comfortable in my new shoes, breathing well, and enjoying it way too much.  It was gorgeous outside!  You couldn't have ask for a nicer evening.  NOW I know why I love living here.  Only 16 more days for the race.  I am excited.  I am going to run another 6-8 miles tonight.  I want to get some wear on these shoes.


Mom and Dad have been gone now for a couple of days, and the house is so quiet again.  Can you believe that when I got home the last evening they were here, they surprised us with all our patio furniture cushions?  I was blown away.  We needed new cushions terribly because the sun had bleached out the ones we had.  Plus, they were the original ones that Matt had at the Troy home, so they were just simply old.  The new ones are beautiful; I love them.  I am so thankful to have Mom and Dad.  They are the best in-laws in the world.


Thankfully, the kids will be here in only a few days.  We have an entire weekend filled for them of fun activities.  I think it will be a nice little break for them (and us!).  I miss them...I miss them so much.


Only a couple more weeks of school...the tension has begun.  I am doing some extra credit on campus tomorrow for my Finance 331 class...it should be interesting.  I really have grown to enjoy being a student of ASU.  This weekend is the ASU / UofA Game.  Go Devils.  Beat the Wildcats!  No pity for the kitty!!!  :-)

I Am...

I Did...

This Christmas Season

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away

The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ' Holiday'.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears

You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,

not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and

wish everyone you meet

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season

Weekend Recap

We always have such a good time when Mom and Dad are here; this time was no exception!  This weekend closed out their vacation with us by heading over to BJ's Brewery on Saturday night for a really relaxing dinner on their outside patio and then spending Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway for some tailgating and the Nascar race.  None of Dad's favorites won, but it was still a really good race; no major accidents.  And Matt and I don't follow Nascar, but had fun watching and cheering on Dad's teams...and having him explain what was going on.  Surprisingly, the day started out rainy and cold, but by race time, it was warm and sunny...a typical day in the valley of the sun!


I finally received email notification that my photo order had been processed for the 3tv 10K.  I thought I would share:

Still smiling!  :-)

I just got done registering the entire family for the Life Time Fitness Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.  I am really excited to be completing this as a family.  It really makes me smile to see us getting healthy together.  After the race, we will head over to Wild Horse Pass like we did last year to eat a good after-race dinner!

Only a few more weeks and fall semester will be over...and I will OFFICIALLY have only 12 more months of school!  I can't wait!!

3tv 10K - We Ran it Together!

Matt and I crossed the finish line together on Sunday with smiles on our faces!  It was a great feeling to know that we were out there together staying fit and pushing our bodies to the limit.  It wasn't the PR that we both wanted (we wanted to finish under an hour), but it was a good start for our first 10K for the season.  We have a long list of races that we have scheduled, and we can't wait to see what our results will be as we continue to train and eat well throughout the running season.


I did buy some pictures from this past Sunday's race.  I am just waiting for them to be sent through email.  As soon as I get them, I will post.


I officially got my grade for my second exam in Accounting - 79%!  Not too shabby!!  I am very satisfied with that.  I sat down with my adviser on Monday and he said after I had stated that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, "No Olivia, you are at the end of the tunnel.  You should be very proud of yourself!"  I am...I am so thrilled that all of my hard work is paying off and at this time next year, I will be preparing to graduate.

No Excuses!

I needed to find this today...

Last night I showed my interest in running by being sidetracked.  Today I am committed.

Halloween / Exam / Running

I am tired.  The infamous second accounting exam is over.  After studying until 10:30 PM on Saturday night @ the Hayden Library, and repeating the same schedule on Sunday, I felt pretty confident about the material.  Our study group was amazing.  We really pulled it together for many MANY hours!

When I got the exam this morning, I did the written problems right away.  Flew through them!  The multiple choice were a little more difficult, but all-in-all, I think I did a pretty solid job.  I sent an email to the professor asking when we would know our scores because it is killing me not to know.  She said next Tuesday...she noted that she hoped I did good as well.  :-)  That made me feel good!  The study group is going to stick together for the remainder of the semester.  We make a pretty good team!!

I have one more mid term exam tomorrow in my Financial Markets and Institutions class.  I feel pretty confident in that class.  Plus, I have one exam I can throw away if I need to - that may be the one.

My running is going well.  I was unable to make my long run last night because of my exam and Halloween.  I will be doing it tonight.  I did pay the extra money and purchased a digital copy of me crossing the finish line @ Detroit.  I really love that picture...and I'll tell you why.

Three years ago, I was physically a mess.  I thought the answer to a healthier self image was "dieting" (or rather starving).  The only time I was happy was when I would jump on the scale and it would read a pound lighter than it did the time before.  And if you would have asked me to run a long distance I would have told you I couldn't because ______  (you fill in the blank).  Those days are LONG gone!  In fact, I am not even sure why I get on the scale any more.  My days now are planning when I can fit my next run into my school schedule and registering for the next race.  I look at pictures like the one above and think to myself, "Gosh, that is REALLY me!  I had just ran 13.1 miles, and I am still smiling!!"  It just warms my entire body thinking about it.  Am I a skinny mini?  Nope! and don't want to be.  I am healthy, strong, happy me...and I don't wanna be anybody different!!


Halloween was a total bummer this year because of my exam, but I was able to get out of the house for about 2 hours and visit with our neighbors (and have one beer).  Matt fits in really well with all the guys, and I love that.  We are much closer to our neighbors here then we ever were back in MI, but I also think it has a lot to do with being outside because of the weather.  We met the new couple across the street, and I absolutely adore the wife.  She is such a sweet woman.  I can see us being friends.


Matt is in Detroit for the next two days for a meeting.  He was very excited to see the kids.  He was planning on taking them to dinner tonight, and I believe Melissa had a soccer game.  Mom and Dad will be at the house when I get home.  I can't wait to see them!  It has been too long!!  They will be staying with us for the next two weeks...soaking in the beautiful weather.  Only three more weeks and the kids will be here!!!