Wordless Wednesday: Video MANIA!!

This one is Mrs. Bossy



This one is Worker Bee



This set is from the hill by the George R. Brown Convention Center

E-Bubowles?

E- Bublowles? Translation: "where are the bubbbles?" Kehnley asks while turning her hand up fingers spread. So I do what any mom who's child has them wrapped around their finger would do on a freezing Saturday afternoon, I go out side in my pj's and slipper boots grab my camera, some how get my girl to wear a HAT and give her what she wants... BUBOWLS!!! and shoot as many pics as I can! First came the hat.... THEN came the BUBBLES!! (and yes... I HAD to post all of them) :) What's YOUR favorite?

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Mile by Mile with TEAM BLOWEY!!

First off, it was AMAZING! and that is a serious understatement. I have never seen anything like it, all the people in their running gear lining up in their corals (which the word its self is reminiscent of cattle) some standing strong, some stretching their legs one last time, some pushing their way to the front middle. The attire of the early morning ranged from tank tops, to crop tops to dinosaur outfits. Men in shorts too short I wouldn't wear... spandex and Lycra all for the sake of running. One group of faithful cheerleaders held signs that said "We love people who run when no one is chasing them"... that got us through mile 4 laughing.

We wore your typical running shorts and Bry wore a blue long sleeve shirt and I wore a tank and a pink running shirt over it. It was a little chilly but PERFECT weather! (later the fan base said it was good I wore pink because if not they wouldn't have been able to spot us "zooming by") Bry sported a head band of course so i am sure that helped as well. ( Ronnie I think the head band was in honor of you :) oh, and we couldn't run without our new faithful kicks and trackers!

Bry and I woke up about 4:10... you heard me FOUR TEN! Which meant Kehnely was up by 4 30... i love that she is a morning baby, she was just as chipper as if it was 8 30. We dropped her off at the rents and headed to the George R Brown Convention center where we could see the miles of people walking to get the race started. We got caught up in the hype and stared walking in THE WRONG DIRECTION... but quickly joined the group of people going TOWARDS the race. lol We did a little videoing for your enjoyment!

sorry these are so dark!

Starting out the race there was a dip down that gave us the chance to see the miles of little bobbing heads as runners trekked their way up the streets of downtown Houston... some people wore names not their own like one lady who rushed past us wearing the name "Herold" lol. I am guessing she took his spot. Before the first mile was spent there were people in the median already headed back, they barely started the race and it was already too much for them. One guy was trying so hard to pass other runners he bit it and had a hurt leg the rest of the race. We felt like we were walking the way others were passing us... but we just kept our steady pace and didn't let the hype get to us. (it helped in the end) At one point the halfers and the full marathoners merged and it was a beautiful sight. all these people, some running for status, some running for fitness, some running, like us, for someone they love. There were shirts in honor of people and causes all around us. Some racers even wrote the names of the loved ones they were sweating for on their arms and legs.

So the hills provided much stress on the feet and as we ran, about mile 4 i started to feel the tingling in my foot. As i pushed on I thought of the days that Erin or Beth may have hurt feet and legs or hurt all over and they have to push through at work, or at the store or at home...their strength gave me strength and I prayed for them.

Every time we seamed to get tired or aching someone on the sidelines would yell "Go Bryson" or Go Keri" (our names were on our bibs) I thought about how often we DON'T cheer on strangers in life... we don't encourage people we KNOW let alone people we don't know as much as we should. It really changed my perspective on that... i want to be someone who cheers for people I don't even know. Maybe it's just what they needed and God uses me in that moment to be Him calling out from the sidelines saying "you can do it!" and they won't remember my face, but they will know God's voice. That's the kind of person I want to be.

The hardest stretch ended with the YMCA... we were supposed to turn around as halfers and go back along the same rout to get to the finish line, Bry and I could see all those who had turned before us so we assumed that it was coming soon...it didn't! And that was the first time I REALLY started to feel tired and anxious. Bry's saying "ok it's coming, lets move to the left" but it didn't come, and it didn't come, and it didn't come... it felt like FOREVER! then finally we saw the marque scrolling that it was coming up and we made the u-turn and they had a DJ playing YMCA... so that lifted our spirits. We held up our hands Y---M---C--A and it was sad to see all the runners on the other side of the U-turn probably thinking it was coming soon and it was not... being tempted to just jump the median and get to the other side (like I was) but Bry said he would have called me out if I did "cheater!" lol. Glad he's got my back. (and they found out soon enough, the U-turn WAS coming up.... just not fast enough.

About mile ten I wondered which was harder, this.... or labor. I decided that the results were THIS, because I had drugs during labor.

Closer to the finish line we spotted people handing out beer as if it was the same as water and we could see the sky line of down town and at about mile 11 I got this energy to push harder and go further.... but Bry's toe cramped. Yep, a TOE! It was wild... he hopped for a minute and as we saw others walking and stretching it looked SO tempting to join the side steppers but we pressed on and his toe strengthened :) and we were booking it... well to us anyway. We saw the record breaker Marathon runners pass everyone on the other side and we marveled at the their speed. They beat our time in DOUBLE The distance... it's amazing how their bodies are just MADE to run like that. It was cool to see them whiz by. We thought we saw the finish line in sight and so be pushed harder just to find out it was a glare fro the sun and we actually had to take a left turn and run a few blocks THEN we saw the REAL finish line and close to the crossing Jen calls out my name with her hard rock t shirt on, we slap her some skin and I thought of how much she would love to be on our side of the barricade. Them i hear our names from the left I looks over and there is mom and kehnley, cheering us on. As we cross the finish line Josh and Kandace call out our names, i was so glad for Bry that his Bro was there, and RIGHT at the end, how cool.

Surprisingly, it was MUCH more painful the next 15 minutes of walking than the whole 2 and a half hours! We finished in 2:35:22 and my ipod says that we ran 14.81 miles and not just 13.1....I think I am going to go with THAT distance :)

I think Bry cut me off... all I said was that I would have practice on more hills and not forgotten my dried cherries!

We stretched, ate some ice cream, drank water and waited in line for our shirts, talking it up and remembering the run, thankful it was over.... and ready to EAT! Everyone went to IHOP after a mini photo shoot. It was an amazing meal. The last time I remember wanting to eat that bad was ironically after labor.... I ate a turkey burger then, and an egg white omelet with whole grain pancakes now. Is it wrong that I remember that? Anyway, it was an awesome day followed by many ice packs and naps... and more eating.

The most rewarding thing, besides getting to do this as a team; Bry and I getting to train and suffer and fight and encourage each other together... was we raised 1000 dollars for the people we love. Now that's something to celebrate.

Thank you all those who supported us, we love you!

Heads and Tails

There is a heads and tails to everything... i will forever remember who said that to me for the first time, where we were and the time of life it applied to. But since then, I always think about that statement, lately I have been seeing the "tails" side of the internet/network/blogging world. Don't you think there is a thin line we all walk on between LIVING this short life God gave us.... and just blogging about it?

Puff the Magic Jacket

Granny got me this supper cute warm jacket... but it's really hard to fit both ME and the Jacket in a carseat.....

mmm hmmm

Puff Daddy...

Mom can you help a sister out?

Watch as the amazing Kehnley bites her shoe whilst wearing a puffy jacket!

(I don't even know why she would TRY to preform this trick)

Table for three please....

Bry and I just got home a bit ago from our amazing anniversay trip. We went to Dallas, which isn't a new place to us half our best of friends live there, but we were invited to the Cotton Bowl by Amy and we had an awesome time at the New Years Eve Party with her and Landry and the Cherry's... check these out!! LOL, Prom pics .... CHECK!

More festive pics...

Dancing our way to the Bettles in the New Year

The next best thing to a recorder huh Amy?

The Cherry's shine in 09!

pop that Peacoat collar!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Go Tech!!

we need coffee to stay up THIS late!

it was one of the best New Years we have ever had.... New Years is always a special time for us because it's when we got engagged and a year and seven days later we were married.



We stayed in a really nice hotel, Bry had set everyting up, flowers, chocolate covered srawberries, wine.... it reminded me of our tripto Maui. The most life changing thing about the whole trip was that we just thought we were going to get away for the weekend and spend some quality time together (which we did) but God revealed Himself to us over those 4 days in ways that we were not expecting.



Starting from the ride up, I just heard God's voice so loudly in a certain song and I was compelled to look for some scripture, God gave me a promse for the new year and I had the chance to just worship Him for the person that He is... I prayed for people in our lives that I knew needed a new start like I did, and I prayed for God to never stop showing Himself to us. The next day we went on one of our long runs; by a lake, through the brush, under a bridge, across a feild, down a dirt path and back again, we were the only ones out and 7 miles later... God had spoken to my heart about my trust in Bry and how to be a team. The next night at dinner we had some amazing talks about the year ahead, struggles, convictions... God used many things t obring us close to Him, deepen our trust and change our perspective. After the weekend I felt like we hadnt just been on an anniversary trip, but a retreat lol. It was pretty eye opening though just how eager God is to reaveal His heart to His people if we will just draw near to Him, He will draw near to us... everything we did this weekend that was fragrant with thy Holy Spirit was evident and a blessing. Bry and I have only been married for 3 years on the 7th, but we have been siblings in the Lord fighting on our knees for each other for far longer than a decade )we payed for each other before we knew one another), it's just God's goodness that He let us be able to continue in that same prayer position for not only each other, but our marriage, our ministry, our children, and our friendship with Him. If there are any of you who read this and have not gotten alone and away from the world with our spouce to enjoy them and come before the Lord together, the time is now... it will change your marriage and your life.


There are some things that I wish I could share that the lord reveiled to us... but it's just too hard to put into words or to try and explain and still capture the magintude of what it meant to us in those moments with Him. All I have are some the scriptures...

Forget the past... I am starting something new, are you ready to go with me?
' "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." ' Isaiah 43:17-18

It's all worth it... keep your eyes fixed on me, nothing else matters. Live you life radically for the mysteries of Christ.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthian 4:16-18


God delights in showing me mercy
"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you." Psalm 86:5


Trust the Lord and Love Him above everything else... everything!
" Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. " Isaiah 26:4


" I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. " Galations 2:20