Snow Days

Last night as I was going to bed and was thinking of watching TV before falling asleep, I remembered Hannah emptied the trashcan beside my bed. And then I remembered that I knocked the remote into the trashcan sometime during the previous night. Guess where my remote was? Guess who comes tomorrow? Guess who tromped through the snow to get said remote? Guess how many inches of snow we have?

The above is my current Facebook status. Now, it might seem as if I am complaining about the midnight adventure in the snow. That simply is not true. Though I do not enjoy the snow for longer than a day or two, I certainly enjoy playing in it.

As a kid, I grew up in Manassas. One winter, I think when I was around 8 or 9 (maybe younger?), we received several feet of snow - or at least that's how it felt to me. It was one of those snows where the snow fell first followed by sleet. The next morning the snow was so hard I could not break through it. I was walking on top of it! I remember my beagle, Sam, did the same thing. My dad called that four-paw drive. Accumulating snowstorms seemed to be common when I was a kid. One of my favorite memories of snow involved Allen and I, along with our neighborhood friends, building an igloo and a snow fort. In our eyes, it was a grand creation. We buried deep into the snow and made a snow tunnel. We worked for hours digging deeper, repacking snow and smoothing it down.

Our other works of art where snow angels. We tried to figure out exactly how to form the perfect angel without any footprints destroying our design. We would plop down in the snow, form our angel and call for a friend to come pull us up....treading carefully around our beautiful design.

When we moved to Richmond, we discovered the art of tractor sledding. Dad would first hook a thick, heavy chain to the back of the tractor, then he would attach it to a sled, the kind with runners, and off we went. I can still recall my mom yelling, "Randall, slow down!" What a thrill!!

So, even though this beautiful wonderland will soon melt away, take time to go out and play this morning. Make a snowman, throw a few snowballs, drink some hot chocolate...and enjoy being a kid again, even if it is only for an hour or so.

College Basketball

Let's face it, the only things that are great about the month of March are my birthday and MARCH MADNESS! I love college basketball. I often wonder why I didn't attend a larger college. I would not have attended a D1 school for the football team. For me, it is all about the basketball. Yes, even now I think a lot of the players are cute, but I have less shallow reasons for liking the sport. I think basketball is truly a game of endurance and precision. I remember running suicides in soccer during the winter - we ran them on the basketball court. I relished in the sound of my squeaking tennis shoes on the hard, shiny gym floor. The sound spurred me on to be a quick as possible, beating my team mates with my time.

Since I no longer run sprints in the gym, I relish in the sound when I listen to a game with the surround sound filling the room.

In October I was treated by a dear friend to the Duke season opener. I met several of the players and watched them play in an exhibition game. In December I once again traveled to the university and stood with the Cameron Crazies on the sidelines. AWESOME! Because I have met over half of the team, I am even more addicted to the game.

So, as February reaches the half way mark and March Madness rolls closer, my fanaticism grows stronger. You'll find me cheering on the Blue Devils decked out in my Duke blue and harassing David for being a Carolina fan. Go Devils!

A day for love

When I was 19-year-old college student, before I met David, I fretted over Valentine's Day. After ending an unhealthy relationship a few months earlier, I was alone on Valentine's Day. I decided that day to adopt a motto - a mantra, if you will. "Don't look for a man, your Prince Charming is searching for you." Little did I know that I would met my Prince Charming less than a year later.

The day I met David, I was on my way to a sorority meeting. I lived off campus and had driven over for the meeting. My roommate, Julie, had gone to an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship picnic about an hour earlier. She encouraged me to attend, but I brushed off the idea for my sorority meeting. However, God had different plans for me that day....plans that would change my life forever. IV held their picnic on the grounds in front of Stubbs, the dorm where my meeting was held. On my way to the meeting, I saw Julie so I hurried over to say hi. That's when I met David. He was literally chasing Julie around a picnic table. She stopped to introduce me to him. I was smitten. Who was this cutie with the crystal blue eyes? Of course, I had to flirt. Though I had to leave for my meeting, I hatched a quick plan. As I walked away, I could tell he was watching me. I flipped my hair over my shoulder (casually, so I thought) and looked to see if he was watching me walk away...he was. My heart raced. I was hooked. I invited him to a party at my house later that night. Then, a week later, we met for lunch at Hampden-Sydney. I met his brothers. He met my sisters. And we were inseparable.

I don't really know how long it was before I fell in love...maybe two months or so...not long. I do remember the exact moment when it happened,when I fell in love. I thought I had been in love before - WRONG. This love was different. I was head over heels for him - hopelessly in love. And I still am.

We celebrated 15 years of marriage this year. I cannot believe that we've been married for 15 years! While I know it is cliche to say it, I often wonder where the time has gone. I guess that's what happens when you marry your best friend! While our life together has not always been easy, each loss, each tear, each struggle has been replaced with every laughter, every joy, every special moment we share together.

I love you, David! Happy Valentine's Day. I love you for being my knight in shining armor, my Prince Charming, the man I've dreamed about since I was a little girl.

A true role model

I am definitely disappointed and aggravated with our culture. Yes, in the 1980s and 1990s, Whitney Houston was my hero. I loved her voice, her fashion, her songs, her ability....you name it, I loved it. I would sing her songs as loudly as I could, especially when I was heartbroken over my latest crush. But, I moved on and I grew up. Though I can still sing every word of "I will always love you", I learned to appreciate talent but not idolize the one who holds the talent. Whitney was a woman with a sad life. She ruined her voice with drug and alcohol abuse. For me, that lifestyle is not admirable. I made a choice in high school that I would not have a celebrity as a role model. While most high schoolers around me wrote essays about pop singers, rap stars, and pro athletes, I chose to write about my grandmother.

Grandma is the kind of woman any person can admire. She loves her family unconditionally; she is a woman of fine moral character; she was a loving wife; she is a respected mom and a thoughtful teacher. She's the kind of woman I aspire to be...a Godly woman who loves her Lord more than anything else.

Proverbs 31:10 a wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
25-30 she is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband, also, and he praises her; many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

I love you, Grandma. Thank you for being the example you are.

Writer's block

I work with words every day. One would think that since I am surrounded by words that I would have a lot to write about when it comes to a blog post. More often than not, I have writer's block. I want my words to be clever or funny. Other times I feel whimsical and nostalgic, but nothing comes out. So, these next couple of blog entries are a test for me. Can I write what is really on my heart and/or mind? Can I write about it just for me and not be worried about what other people think? (Seeing as I only have four followers right now, that may not be much of a problem.) The important step I need to take is the first one...and just write.

A month of thankfulness

I know, I know. I'm a few days late starting my annual blog of thankfulness. However, these days have been eventful with Dad in the hospital. With that in mind, today I am thankful for knowledge. As I walked into my dad's hospital room this morning at MCV, I was greeted by a research team. This team of cardio nurses was sent by Dad's doctor to discuss a new cath healing procedure. While we certainly know there are risks in participating in research, Dad felt the benefits outweighed the risks. As we all know, MCV is a teaching hospital. Dad's doctor is truly the best heart surgeon in the area. His team elected Dad to participate in this study. Basically a process was created to minimize the effects of a cath procedure. Normally patients must lie completely flat for eight hours or so after a cath procedure. Today they used a new collagen procedure to close the pucture to his artery created by the cath. No kidding, he was out of the bed and moving around in just a little over an hour. Remember, he is in the best teaching hospital in the state, and he has the best doctors and nurses. I am so impressed with the intelligence that surrounded me today. I am thankful for his doctor's detailed report. I am thankful for the rep who showed me and Mom a simulated procedure on a model. I am impressed! And, of course, I am thankful for my dad's good report - no blockages in or around his heart!

Are you missing out? I am!

Have you ever had one of those weeks (or months) when you seemed like you were going 100 miles a minute every minute of the day? How do you manage to make time for your extras? I am running into trouble with my friends because I am so busy. I don't try to avoid them - I promise that is never the case. I just simply am exhausted after working for so many hours during the day. The guilt I have over not being a good friend is heavy tonight. Anyone have suggestions for how to balance friendships better? Please don't give me pat answers like make a date or choose a night to call one another once a week. I also know that if they are my true friends then they understand that I am busy - but that answer is not good enough for me. I miss my girls!

So, what has worked for you? Help!