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!!!  

Just Stuff!

The past couple of days have been really good. I have been studying hard and running even harder. Brady gave me my running plan for the next 5 weeks...crunch time for Fiesta Bowl! I am totally geeked!!! I a going to push myself for this bad boy -

well, at least something like it...this was from last year LOL. I know my body has more in there. I need to push from deep within; no time to be a sissy.

Matt has been training with me, and I am so SO proud of him. He has registered to complete the 3tv 10K next weekend with me and Brady, so that should be a lot of fun. 10Ks are my absolute favorite! I think it is because my body just starts to get warmed up at the 3 mile mark.

I have my second accounting exam on Tuesday. I have been doing nothing but accounting problems in my head since about 2 weeks ago...I really hope I do well. I have a study group coming over on Saturday to go over all the problems. We need to be able to do the problems quickly because it is a timed exam. I am a little nervous...if I don't kill this exam, I am taking the class again.

I registered for Spring semester today. After Spring, I have 5 classes left! I can't believe it; 5 classes left!!!! I have worked my butt off. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. My life can finally start next year...wow, it's weird just saying that.

How Does God Speak To You?

Isn't it amazing that during the quietest moments of your day, like the still of the morning's start, God finds a way to break the silence to remind us that he is there, when no one else is?  For me, it is the Hummingbirds that sing to me in my backyard.  Living in Michigan, we had Hummingbirds, but not like we have now in Arizona.  They are such beautiful creatures.  And every morning when I get up to let the dogs out and feed them their breakfast, my little friends are there to wish me a good day in the new day's light my Heavenly Father provided for me...provided for us all.


The past few months have brought many uncertainties to my life, but the one thing I know is that God is always there, watching over me, protecting me...like he always has.  Sometimes he answers the deep questions of my heart, and sometimes he doesn't.  But it doesn't matter because I know he is there.

God Gave Me Wings

Oh yes he did!  I finished the Detroit Half only two minutes over what my Disney Half was...that is practically a miracle!  What did I learn from this?  I need to stay more disciplined - eating better and training WAY more than I did.  Granted, we are just starting our running season and school has been kicking my butt, BUT no excuses for the Fiesta Bowl.  I have 1 month and 2 weeks...let the fun begin!

2011 World Car of the Year - Nissan Leaf

Over the weekend I was able to bring home the new Leaf; Nissan's all-electric vehicle.  I have to say, this car is pretty cool!  With a 100-mile driving range, I was able to go to the gym and get home - about 42 miles - on Friday after work with plenty of electricity to spare.  However, I was home for the night, so I just plugged her in so she would be ready for Saturday.



It is seriously this easy - Plug this end into the car and the other end into your home outlet.  If you have ever used a countertop fryer, charged your cell phone or iPad, you have essentially done the exact same steps as what is required to charge your car...your car!  And the car only charged for about 3 1/2 hours because it was only 1/2 empty.

I was able to place the car on a timer so that it was cool when I was ready to take off on Saturday to do my shopping, and with four doors it made it very easy to get my purchases in and out of the car.  Another awesome change that is happening is the EV charging infrastructure that is coming to the valley.  It was very easy to find a place to charge while away from home. 

If you haven't had the opportunity to check the new Nissan Leaf out yet, be open minded and do so.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Weekend Recap

(me in back - pink shirt and black skirt)

Well...Saturday's race was difficult.  I can't think of any better word.  With 90 degrees and 50% humidity, I honestly thought my chest was going to cave in.  What didn't help was that I did not wear my Garmin (I was worried about the water), so I had no real indication of how bad it really was, so I believe it was a lot of mental stuff going on as well.  However, many people commented on the temperature and the lack of "splash zones" (and the water stations had very warm water), so I don't think that I am just being a sissy.  Well, maybe I am.  So, all I can do is learn from this experience.  What I have learned is that I need to learn to run in this heat.  I will start off with one mile, then progress from there.  I have a race in the middle of August with Tyler, and I must be prepared.  I will overcome this.

3.1 in 26:58!

I did it...I really did it tonight, but I just had to.  I had not ran in weeks, and I kept telling myself that I needed to prove to myself that I hadn't lost what I had worked so hard to reach last month.  I proved to myself tonight that I am strong, I am capable, and that I don't have to ever ever settle!

Back on the Wagon

I have decided...I am really really bad at this.  :-)

I had a nice chat with Tiffany, though, the other day and we both agreed that this really is the only way that types like us can hold ourselves accountable.  I have two months and I really REALLY need to get going.  I was lucky last year with my last 1/2 marathon.  I don't want to be lucky this year...I want to be ready.

Lots going on in my life...school, work, trying to be a wife, trying to be a part-time mother when the kids are here, and TRYING to enjoy life (just a little).  I have done especially good with my grades in school at the expense of everything else, and I wish I had the same discipline with running as I did with school.  I guess my outlook is that school is only temporary and I know that I will be able to devote all my time to things like that when I am done...because honestly, what else will I have? :-)

I hope that you stick around...I PROMISE I will really try and make this work this time.  I need this...and I need you, my friends and family, with the support and encouragement that you have always shown.  I love each and every one of you so much.

So...here it goes!

Much love | Livie

At the Starting Line!

I have exactly 100 days before the race...and I need somewhere to reflect on my progress (with juggling school, work, life :-)  ).  I hope you will follow me and provide me some encouragement when I need it.

Much love | Livie

Life is Good!

(view from our balcony)

Tonight ends on a beautiful note. After over a year of not speaking to my sister, we made up! And just like sisters, we talked for three hours - and we still didn't catch up! :-) I have missed my sister. I am so glad that she is part of my life again. I learned a valuable lesson today...you have to throw yourself out there for things that mean something to you. I missed a whole entire year of my sister, brother-in-law and nephews lives because we both were too scared to deal. I won't ever make that mistake again. I will never lose my sister again.

June Update

Things have been absolutely crazy busy the past month. I have officially been accepted into the W. P. Carey Business School @ ASU, Lily is now part of our family and doing fantastic, I bought a new camera (finally), we have been busy working on the house in anticipation of the children's arrival in two weeks, and finishing up a few books that I wanted to start before summer was in full swing.

Officially a Sun Devil!
After much hoop jumping (I was accepted as a Bachelor of Arts student, but they wouldn't let me start a Bachelor of Science program without knowing what percentile I was in high school...yeah, you heard me right, high school!), I will start back to school in the fall as a Junior Finance student. I have orientation and sit down with a counselor on June 30th, and at that time will also finalize all the last ASU requirements - proof of MMR and get my Sun Card for access to facilities. I am absolutely ecstatic that I am going to officially graduate from a true 4 year university! I never thought I would, and was told at a very young age I wouldn't, and I am going to prove everyone, most importantly myself, that I can do anything I set my mind to!

Lily's Homecoming
Wow! To sum up how the past month has been with our little girl you only have to say two words - pure bliss! She brings us laughter, friendship (especially for Baxter), love, and just whole girliness! She is the opposite of Baxter in so many ways, and it is good. They compliment each other so well. She has already gone to the vet twice, and Dr. Bode is very happy with her progress (she has gained three pounds!). She has one more visit in three weeks before we schedule her surgery. Baxter accompanied her on this last visit and had his Junior Wellness Exam. We should know the results of his blood work in a few days. They both took their heartworm medication like troopers last night, both got teeth brushed and hair combed today, and are looking quite spiffy! I knew that life would be good with another, but life is GREAT!

New Camera
We finally went and bought me a new camera - watch out world! :-) We chose the Canon G11, and have really been happy with it thus far. I have started to read study guides on how to take better pictures and understanding exposure. I have already learned a lot, and am seeing improvements in my picture taking capabilities. Matt likes the fact that I have a newfound hobby. He says he hopes it keeps me away from scrubbing the floors as much as I do!

Kids Homecoming!!!!
I can't put into words how happy and excited I am for the kids to come home for a while. It has been hell since February with all the court stuff (of which, nothing is still resolved), and we are just going to be glad to have them in AZ territory for a while. They are excited as well, and keep talking about all the fun stuff they want to do. The first couple of days we are going to coordinate with Nana Kathleen because luckily she will be in town as well (I love it when everything goes so well).

Two Books
This update is mostly for you Tiff! :-) I read Sophie's 20's Girl and also Sleeping Arrangements by her other pen name (Wickam, spelling?). Both of which were spectacular!!!! I recommend you read 20's Girl for sure - she keeps you laughing through the whole book. I read it in two days!!!!

Well, that is about it for the updates. Love and miss everyone a lot!!! XOXO

Roger's Canyon and Mother's Day

Matt, Murph a I went on an amazing hike Saturday. We Started at the Roger's Trough Trailhead, headed down 109 and then finished off on 110. The trail ended at Angel's Basin and the 600 year old Salado indian ruins - cliff dwellings. I did not know that there were other cliff dwellings besides the ones found at Tonto National Monument, but I was pleasantly mistaken. Not only were we able to explore without being held back behind red tape, but we were able to view pieces of pottery and even an arrowhead. We respectfully enjoyed what others before us had left behind, and then we did the same. :-)

The most amazing thing about this hike was all the way down the trail we were able to enjoy the waterfalls. There was a lot of water that fed the canyon all the way down to the ruins. We did take a few opportunities to cool ourselves off - it was a very hot Saturday!!!

Sunday, Matt and I met Kristy, Chad, Shane and Jake at the Lakeside Grill at Club West Golf Club for Mother's Day Brunch. The weather was absolutely beautiful (and can you believe that view?), the food was really great...but the company was the best! :-) Matt and I had a really great time. I am so glad that Kristy asked if I wanted to share my day with her.

We finished off the day with a one hour Skype call with the kids. If I can say that there is anything good that came out of us not being with the kids any longer in Michigan is the fact that I get to spend a little time with them on Mother's Day...never got that in Michigan. It was great. Tyler and I spent some time doing multiplication and division...he is so smart!

It was by far the best Mother's Day I have ever had; it was a day I won't forget soon.

This week has started out pretty rough...do you know what is worse for a Finance Analyst than the last part of the fiscal year and closing the books? The first part of the next fiscal year and getting the budgets set! I hope it gets better!! I don't know if I can take another three days of this.

What's getting me through you might ask????? :-) Four more days and we get the baby!!!!! So so excited!