why do i do it?

just for the record.
exercising is NOT my idea of fun.
i don't like the sweating.
i'm not competitive.
if you want to 'win' the race, the game, go for it. i don't really mind coming in last.
so, i guess i've picked a good 'hobby'.
what i've learned is that i'm competitive.
with myself.

i was in a store yesterday looking for a windbreaker to run in and the saleslady asked me if i was a runner.
i paused and said, "yes, yes i am a runner'.
3 weeks from TODAY, i'm going to do my second 1/2 marathon.
and THAT my friend, makes me a runner.

YES. IT. DOES.

why do i do it?
is it because i want to look like this in my bathing suit?.....

why yes, it is.

is it because i dream of looking like this?......

yup, that's part of the reason.
the other reason, peer pressure.

 i signed up in a weak moment and there was no going back. 
and truth be told, i'm SOOOOO glad i did.
i admit, every single time i lace up my shoes, it's a mental battle.
it's not always fun.

here's what happens....
at about mile 2, i can hardly breathe.
by mile 4, i'm kinda glad i came.
by mile 6, i'm enjoying this.
by mile 8, i'm wondering what in the sam hill was i thinking agreeing to all this running business.
by mile 10, i'm SOOO happy it's done and i'm thrilled that i finished.
something i thought i would NEVER be able to do, i'm doing.

i can do it.
and then there's my cheerleaders......

i'm thankful to my posse of girls that encourage me every single time i get out to run.

a special shout out to my bff, kath & her sista, sharla. (and today, my bud emily, who was the sole (hahahahah get it, running/sole!) reason for finishing my first half. she stuck with me thru the WHOLE thing!)
they cheer me on when i think i can't go another step.
they keep me accountable and MAKE me go when all i want to do is sit at home, on Pinterst.
they actually make this crazy, whacked out plan to run a half marathon; fun.

you are the reason i do this.
oh, i'm SLLLLOOOOOWWWWW alright but at the end of the day,

i'm a runner.

my fav running quotes!!!!



intentions.....

hi.
i'm traci.

i used to blog. then i didn't. then i did. then i had great intentions but didn't.

and now i'm here.

my mama and i were chatting yesterday about my blog/project 365 dilemma.

she, being the wise woman she is, suggested that i really NEED to be blogging.

 pictures are important too but the words are what they'll want to hear. (although, i KNOW that sometimes they wish i had a mute button)

"what fun for your boys to have a journal of their lives. i wish i would've done that when i had young kids".
agreed mama. i would've loved to read, and re-read about what a (ahem) perfect child i was, the parties we had, the adventures we had with our cousins. the mischief we got into with the neighborhood kids, the lessons she learned from us kids. her observations of what we'd be when we were grown.

(thankfully, i have a good memory. :))
anywho. point being, documenting our lives is important.

sometimes mundane but important just the same.

i always feel like i have to write a 30 paragraph essay for a daily blog post, thus the reason i don't do anything. uhg.

new day.

new bigger (and yet, simpler) intentions.

i want this blog to be a place where we can grow together.

a place where my boys can turn back to when they wonder what happened in their childhood.

i want them to see that mom really, really loved them to the core of my being, even when, some days i feel like i just got off the tilt-a-whirl at the fair.
crabby, dizzy and disoriented.
yup, even then.

a place where i can get a little reprieve from Facebook and the drama that entails.
i want this to be a place we can encourage. (that includes YOU, blogging friends, to actually comment when you have a thought!)

a place to feel 'normal'.

a place that honors Jesus in every word.

hold on....we're going to get blogging. 

i'm back.....moving forward.....

i am going to be a blogger. a full time blogger.

yup, i am.
i'm WILLING myself to be a REAL blogger.

and it's starting now.

today.
a few years back, my sista www.ednieuwenhuisfamily.blogspot.com, had my blog made into a book. it's one of my favorite earthly possessions.

it's a timeline of our year.

a summery of the madness that sometimes (um, always) surrounds my family.

my goal this year is to chronicle our life, daily. (or at least weekly)

since i no longer 'scrapbook' our life, i would like to 'blog book' it.

someday, i would love for my boys to have a hard copy of their memories on 2013.

i'll be blogging the good, bad and ugly.

i WILL be honest here.

i vow to show you that REAL life happens in our home.

i'll even ask you YOUR thoughts so we can learn to 'do' life together.
i will do my best to encourage.

i will attempt to inspire. (PINTEREST BABY)

maybe even challenge you to get to know my Jesus better.

let's do this year together.

digging thru pics.

must share.

my baby then......

my baby now....

*******************************

my middle then.....

my middle now.....

*****************************

my old one then.....

my old one now....

my old one now.

*****************************

this past year, our family lost our dear joe.

as much as i didn't think i loved her, i did.

as much as i didn't think i'd miss her, i do.

my boys learned a tough life lesson in losing a 'friend'.  

we cried many, MANY tears.

we all learned how hard death can be.
even a sometimes, pesky little cat.

gone no more.....

i has been exactly 4 months and 2 days since i've blogged.
after my last post in march, most of you probably decided that i was seriously emotionally unstable  really busy. .
most of my 'faithfuls' have moved on.
those who know me know that we've been busy doing life.
and i'm SURE some of you still check daily.
or not.
time to get you back in the loop.
time to get ME back in the loop.

there are a gazillion and two pictures that i must post so that my children will one day look back on this blog and realize that we did NOT drop off the face of the earth from March to July.
life really happened.

just looked back and saw that i had 27 written but not published posts. most of them are too out of date for anyone to care anymore but what the heck, i'll post a few.........

i'm back to the blogging world.
i've missed rattling on about our mundane life.