Beck family reunion

Mike's Uncle Gord and Aunt Elaine came to town last weekend.  Mike's mom made a wonderful dinner for all.   Mikes cousin Gord Jr and his wife Kristen and their boy Little Gord and girl Shelby, and Kristen's mom.   Along with Mike's sister Tiffany and her husband, and Mike's nephews Asher and Jacob.   Turk and Me were there as well, and we all had fun, and got very full bellies.  I always enjoy watching how other's interact with each other.   I'm sure Mike wishes he saw them more.   They were all so nice and warm and everyone enjoyed the children, I think they are what make it so wonderful for the grownups.

Aaron and the twins

With cool temperatures in the 50s, I simply had to get outside for a run. It’s cold but beautiful.  Not a cloud in the sky. Of course, I had to take care of my man first, get him to bed.   Give him his Vitamin C, and echinasia, then made homemade chicken salad, and homemade Sante Fe Chipotle Soup for Val, Rochelle, Aaron, and the twins will be having their milk so didn’t have to worry about them.  That took a few hours–Completion time: 11:00 a.m.  I really had to hurry to get out to the river before they started the bombing, yep they are bombing one of the bridges today.   I hurried out to park at the Garden Club, which was closed for the holiday weekend.  Then I went my usual route, tackling 6 miles today.   I was excited to be outside again comfortably in shorts, but big sweatshirt.  I was also excited to take my music on its run. All in all, things went well. I kept a slow and steady pace, trying not to overdo it and keep with the strategy of building my legs up again so I don’t blowout the Gate. At one point, I went onto upward bridge, which took me up an incline above the St. John’s River. I missed my six mile marker. When I realized it, I quickly understood I was adding a mile to my run. I stopped after seven miles, I could have kept going and felt great. Then I walked briskly back to my car, with a total of two miles walking (some from the warm-up). My battery went dead so I didn’t get to time myself.   I really didn’t care or worry about time today.   Now I’m back home, fed Mike some soup and made him a sandwich.   I’m doubling up on the vitamin C, and Echinasia myself.  I may add a picture later, Mike is ready to get on the computer, and I’m probably going to run to the girls house to give them some of my homecooked food.When I got home, I stretched while watching the t.v. while Mike passed gas on the couch.

My project for tonight and tomorrow is to put together some playlists for the iPod to time perfectly with my runs as I progress from shorter to longer outings. I’ll let you all know what I come up with.  This picture was taken of me right after I finished the Gate River Run 2005.

Running
Wind in my face
Life in my living
Feeling soul flowing
through my difference
Inside the essence divine
Turning, do you see it? I do.
It is there and it waits for me.
I embrace it with both of my arms
I choke it with that which it is
It struggles to be freeze
Give me the chance and
I will show it to you
Blowing away brisk
Evaporate, bye
Look at it as
it leaves.
gone

I did go see the girls, Aaron, and the twins today after the big run.  Walking in, Valerie had little Ryan, giving him his bottle, he was so little and so precious.  I got some good pictures of him, then Rochelle’s sister brought out Caitlyn, and she was the first one I got to hold, I got to feed her a bottle, and burp her, she was so tiny and reminded me so much of my little niece when she was born, so tiny and fragile.  I held her for a long time, babies really are such miracles.  Nothing but peace and love.   I feel so close to God when I’m around them.   I didn’t get to hold Ryan yet, he hasn’t been gaining weight like his little sister and was still a bit jaundiced.   But soon I’m sure.   Aaron loved the chicken salad I made, hope they enjoyed the spicy Sante Fe Chicken and Beef Soup I made.  I took lots more pictures.   I just couldn’t get enough of them.   Aaron was funny after a while, he was trying to get in all the pictures, he was like hey you used to only take pictures of me, well he can’t talk, but it was like what he was thinking.

Another one of the twins and Cathy's Valentine's Pary

Two little angels sleeping!  We had such a wonderful time with them.  Cathy and Laurie had everything decorated so beautiful for valentine's day.  We had such a wonderful time, it was a Valentine’s Day party for 8 couples, Susan, Linda, Brent and Dan from church were there also.  We had so much fun, played games, we putted in the hallways, played blackjack, basketball, and darts in the gameroom, and there were some awesome prizes, we won a bottle of Dom, yes Dom!  I really enjoyed Cathy's friends as well.  The dinner was delicious, steak, shrimp, salad, potatoes, and lots of munchies and martini’s throughout the night.   It was so pretty out by where they live, Mike and I stopped and had a little photo shoot of each other at sunset which we both enjoyed as well.  Cathy is one of the sweetest women, Mike and I just love her.

The Twins are here

The twins were born today, little Ryan Christopher came first, and then Caitlyn Renee, they are so beautiful, I had to leave the hospital and go to the eye doctor, and get my eyes examined for new glasses.   Here I am with my dilated eyes,still on a baby buzz from earlier.   I got there just at the right time, I got to ride up the elevator with them.   Here's a few pictures.

Thinking back on a memory of my Prom

When I was a senior in high school, the big prom finally came, I was very excited about it. But this entry is not about the prom, it’s of a memory on that day. I was all dressed up, white tux, and she was decked out with the beautiful dress. My little brother whom I guess was probably about 5 or 6 thought I was getting married, because they were taking pictures of us outside as he watched. So after he asked we just went with it and told him yes we were going to get married, his next question was can I have your room. I laughed and said sure. Well when I got home from prom, my mom surprised me saying I thought you went to get married? Lance moved into your bedroom so you don’t have a room anymore. Lance, never really having his own room, went from baby bed, to sleeping sometimes with Sherry and Dena, sometimes with me, to sleeping in a little twin bed they put in the dining room. I think he was a little upset when he found out I really didn’t get married, because I think he really wanted that room. Actually poor guy didn’t get his own room I guess to some time later. Dena got my room when she was in the 8th grade, when I went to college. I guess when Sherry went to college, he got his own room. It makes me think of my favorite comic strip when I was little, “Peanuts”, when Lucy had just broken the news to Linus that children cannot live at home forever, they grow up and move away. Then she said that when he left she would get his room. But Linus quickly reminded her that at some time she too would have to leave home. When this hit home with Lucy, she was shocked, but she quickly came up with a solution. She turned the TV up loud, crawled into her beanbag chair with a bowl of icecream, and refused to think about it.
Oh how Lucy I am, I love to avoid unpleasant circumstances. But it’s not as easy as Lucy thinks. Life’s realities cannot be avoided. We may try to run and hide, but struggles and trials have a way of dogging our footsteps and eventually catching up with us. I guess Linus was always my favorite "Peanuts" character though.
Instead we should face up to our problems. Sometimes it may be frightening, but we just have to trust God.
I read from Psalms this past week at church, I was the litergist on Sunday, I love Psalms, I think it’s always been one of my favorite books of the bible.

Psalms 56:3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in YOU.

Beautiful Sunday

Today has been perfect, I got my quiet early this morning in my meditation, Linda's sermon touched me on many levels.   Our friend Kathy is back from vacation.   Mike's presentation that he edited with the pictures I've been taking over the last year of everyone in the church went very well, he did such a nice job of arranging all the pictures, and he took the Church photo again of everyone in our church.   It was very touching, everytime he see's that picture of Mrs. Grace he gets tears in his eyes.   I think we all had a few tears in our eyes.  We love our church family.  We got to spend some of the day with Rochelle and Valerie and little Aaron too, he just keeps on getting bigger, not much longer till the twins come.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was a little different this year, we didn't have Autumn to wake up to Santa, so we slept late.   We all got ready and went over to my brother Lance's, and spent it with mom and Ray.   Anna was there, Lance's girlfriend Amy and her two boys,  Sherry, Autumn, Andy, Dena, Eli and Ethan, and Amanda came over later also.   Mama cooked up some really good turkey and dressing, Lance made some awesome broccoli casserole, Sherry and Dena brought some food too.   We all opened presents, and ate and ate, and ate.   It was lots of fun, and I had much fun with Ethan, he really loved his Uncle Dig-It, and couldn't get enough of him.   We stayed till late, and I finally made it back to Mark and Sherry's and crashed.   Then got up the next morning and made it back home to Jacksonville.   Mike had a bit of a cold when I left so I made some homemade chicken noodle soup, and we opened presents that night.   I got some beautiful shirts and some movies, and I got him a video ipod that he stays on the computer downloading stuff all the time, that's why it's taken me so long to get around to adding all these pictures.   Now we just have the year 2007 right around the corner.   I love my family so much, and am so glad I got to spend a few days with them.   I just wish I could have spent more time with Autumn, I was missing her much of the time.