by the numbers

16 days until I go back to work
106 days until my next marathon
6.5 miles run today
100 miles run this month
180 dollars spent at the vet this month
10 days for the dealership to get the part and fix the recall on my car
588 miles run this year
1007.5 (half of 2015) miles pledged to run with my running partner
27 books read this year (goal of 40)
6 books read this month
2 cups of coffee I've had today
239 number of cups my sister probably needs after Jane's first night in her big girl room

what i love wednesday

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

source

I've just finished this book and it was unique. I love when you stumble upon a movie or book that doesn't fit one of the standard formulas. If you like to read, I think you'll enjoy this one.

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Kind Bars STRONG & KIND


Flavors like Hickory Smoked, Roasted Jalapeno, Honey Smoked BBQ, Thai Sweet Chili, and Honey Mustard.  Enjoy free shipping with code APRILSHOWERS on all orders over $25 from 4/20 to 4/24. The BBQ and Jalapeno are my favorites.

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This Boston Marathon story

I remember watching the Boston Marathon two years ago. I did the Boston Strong run one week after the bombing. I watched it this year and read all the news stories after. This was by far my favorite.


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This swimsuit

It's juniors sizing but adorable and there are tons of other cute ones by Arizona from JC Penney not just for juniors.


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This man

I'm not that great at this birthday shout-out thing but there is a certain husband of mine that turned THIRTY-EIGHT yesterday. He's spent 18 of those years with me and for that reason alone he deserves to have the most awesomest of birthdays. Happy birthday, Booger!

And that's what I love this Wednesday.
What are you loving lately?

what i love wednesday {plus a giveaway}

If you haven't tried Chick-fil-A's new Frozen Lemonade, you need to get yourself there in a hurry! Mmmmm! It's so good! Many thanks to #ChickfilaMoms for sending me the coupons. I will most certainly be back for this again!

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I picked up The Runner's Devotional from Family Christian the other day. So far it's delightful.

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I won the WBFJ Birthday Bundle a month ago and I received several CDs. My most favorite has quickly become Lauren's Daigle's album How Can It Be. I am in love with the song, "Trust in You" and I play it on repeat in the car most days.

Check out her YouTube stuff here.

I'm also loving the Unspoken album. One of the kids had already gotten this for Christmas and then I got another copy when I won the birthday prize. I'd love to send the copy to one of you that is interested. Just fill out the widget below to enter. I'll choose a winner this weekend.

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I got this dress at the Old Navy Outlet last week in Myrtle Beach. It was only $12 after the coupons I had and the sale that was going on. It's adorable, comfortable, and stylish. I'm average height, not model tall so it comes to the very top of my knee. I love it.

Win a copy of Unspoken's new CD

unbroken review {+ $25 certificate giveaway}

I was not paid for this post, however Family Christian did send me a copy of Unbroken to read and review and an appreciation certificate. The links below are affiliate links. As always, the opinions expressed below are my own.

My husband and sister both read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand a while back and recommended it to me so I already had it on my To Read list when Family Christian offered to send me a copy to review. This best-selling book is the story about Louis Zamperini, an American runner with a difficult childhood and his fascinating survival of WWII.

Laura Hillenbrand also wrote Seabiscuit which my family loved so I knew if that was any indication then this would be a great book. I was not wrong. This true story will fill your heart with wonder and amazement as you marvel at what our bodies can do and withstand.

You know how sometimes you feel like there's no point in trying anymore? You feel like the enemy is dragging you down over and over again and you don't know how it can possibly happen one more time. I've been there and felt that despair. I've been jobless, depressed, hopeless, and while no, I haven't lost everything like Job did I most certainly have felt the sharks circling the figurative waters near me.

I really felt like God intended for me to read this book. I could relate to so many parts of it and I think at some point we can all say that we have been familiar with that feeling of going through a trial or tribulation and feeling like you're at the bottom. I still can't believe that I actually finished that first marathon. Many of us can speak firsthand about feeling like God used a nobody to do something great. We've all been broken, but God's message is clear; Only He can bring us through suffering to redemption. Louis Zamperini's story will have you rooting for redemption and mesmerized at his despair. This book is one you don't want to skip.

You may have also heard a lot about the movie. It's been in theaters recently and comes out on DVD on March 27th. I think it looks amazing and right now the movie is available for pre-order online.  If you sign up for Family Christian's emails you often get 20% and 30% off coupons or with the 20% off coupon here the book is only $12.80. Also, when you pre-order the Unbroken DVD from Family Christian you get a 3 DVD set called My Hope America for free.

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Lucky for you, Family Christian has also offered to send one of my readers a $25 gift certificate! You can use it to buy the book, the movie or something else altogether. There are multiple ways to enter. Just use the widget below before Friday. Good luck!




Enter to win a $25 Certificate to Family Christian!


One final bit of good news:
Congratulations to Allison T who was selected as the winner of the Disney Prize Pack.

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reading - 
I've just finished Siblings Without Rivalry which is a book about how to help your kids get along. I didn't realize (I guess ignorantly) how much influence I had over this as a parent.  I'm also getting ready to start Unbroken and will have a review up for that this weekend. Next on my list include a book by Jen Lancaster and The Unwanteds which I've heard is a good cross between The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Although we all know that no book can compete with those two, I'm willing to try to find one.

hosting - 
My #DisneySide party is coming up this weekend. I'll write up a complete post next week but I am so excited getting all of the preparations done this week. The anticipation of seeing everyone enjoying the party is killing me and we got these adorable Mickey Brownie Pops that we've been practicing. So much fun!!!

thinking - 
I wish I could do this again. It was so much fun when Jonathan and I went before but I just don't know when we'd find the time to do it over the next couple of months. Life is just so busy sometimes! It would really be fun to do with a group of girls too so maybe I'll plan for it sometime in advance and see if anyone wants to come.

wearing - 
My mom, sister, and husband all ganged up on me because they were tired of seeing me wear my LL Bean coat from Christmas 1994 and they bought me an early birthday gift... a new coat! It's so nice and fluffy and much more in style than my previous one.

celebrating - 
We've been celebrating a week or two of no 3rd grade projects plus super duper report cards at our house. We used to let Julianna pick a fun activity to do to celebrate her good grades but the past couple of times we've given her money for them. It's working pretty well, I think, and it gives her the opportunity to celebrate whichever way she wants.

considering - 
I keep thinking about running this 24 hour race in May. Some friends of ours have done it before and are recruiting a relay team to run for 24 hours. You camp in a field and run as many 5k loops with your team as you can in 24 hours. Sounds fun but I don't know if I can convince Jonathan and scrounge up the $100 registration fee.

by the numbers

January 2015 (so far) by the numbers

• 71.3 miles run (7% of 2015 goal complete)
• 1 race completed (no PR, but a nice 3 hours by myself)
• 3 books read (Overrated, Landline, and Andrew's Brain... fabulous, pretty good, and just OK)
• 89 days of school left (WAY too many)
• 1 movie watched (American Sniper... loved it)
• 1 third grade project completed (multiplication board game... why didn't you guys tell me that HAG projects were no joke?!)
• 1 preschool spirit week completed (including homemade superhero and NC State costumes)
• 12174892 consignment sale items to tag before tomorrow

What's a number that has meaning for you this month? What are you looking forward to and how many days until it gets here?

this week in pictures {4 word caption game}

Christmas again times four.

Baby got meds. What?!

Timing "the camel's" pee.

Book With No Pictures.

Christmas presents strike again.

4.5 miles with #runningpartner

do you own a pair of TOMS? [Overrated + giveaway]

As always, the views expressed in this post are entirely my own. I was not compensated for this post other than a $10 appreciation certificate; I was also provided a copy of the book to review and one to giveaway.

Do you donate to charities that you later find out didn't really use your money in the best way that they could have? My mom constantly complains that if you donate to the Salvation Army (or to the Veteran's Affairs or some other such organization that I honestly can't remember) then they'll just spend your donation on mailings asking for future donations. Were you one of the many that read Three Cups of Tea and then later found out most of it was a lie?

Do you own a pair of TOMS? You know TOMS, the shoe company with a One For One philosophy that gives a pair for every pair sold? You might think twice before putting them on your feet next time if you take some time to read Eugene Cho's book Overrated. It's not that owning TOMS are bad (I even have some) or that the author has an anti-TOMS agenda (he even has some), just that his book makes you question all of those "good things" that you do and wonder really how good they actually are.

The road is paved with good intentions; am I right?

But what should we do about the good intentions that we have? Pastor Cho analyzes the answer to this question in his book Overrated.

Let me pause here to say that I find it completely ironic that Family Christian sent me and a few other bloggers Eugene Cho's Overrated to read and review when those of us who do this sort of thing are the ones who potentially stand to be convicted the most. Maybe that's God's sense of humor peeking through?

Cho describes us as the generation who is more in love with the idea of changing the world than actually changing the world. Because we count "likes" and tweet 140 characters and send our shoes to Africa so we can snap a picture of it and go on short-term mission trips to dig wells without really pausing to stop and give it thought... without praying, listening and discerning... His message is that we may be less effective, less powerful, less influential, less instrumental than we think.

So how can we be more effective? By the end of the book Cho tells us what he thinks the answer really is.

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I was completely challenged by this book.

I was completely inspired by this book.

I will change my thinking as a result of this book.

I want to actually do something, not just think that I'm doing something.

I want my walking to be my preaching.

I want to fascinate, not force people toward the gospel, especially my children.

I want to do a significant thing to change the world and I want that thing to be how I live my life.

"It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching." St. Francis of Assisi

This is one that I'd love for everyone to receive a copy of and read it and think about. It truly is an inspiring book that will make you question your motives and will encourage you to change your typical behaviors. 

Thanks to Family Christian, I can give one copy away. I'll choose one reader on Friday to receive a copy of Eugene Cho's Overrated. For multiple chances to enter, use the widget below.

  Overrated Giveaway

Also, I did want to mention that Family Christian has a great sale going on right now. Lots of good music for just $5!

if you have a tween girl you'll want to read this

As always, the views expressed in this post are entirely my own. I was not compensated for this post; I was provided a copy of the book to review.

For the last three weeks Julianna and I have been reading Truth, Dare or Double Dare: Another Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls every night before bed.  The book is recommended for girls ages 8 - 12 and I think it's perfect for Julianna. She'll be 9 in March and she has no trouble with this level of reading and questioning.

I've started devotionals with her a couple of times in the past that we haven't stuck with and I figured that might be the case with this one as well, but I've given her the option of reading this together some nights or not and she always says, "It doesn't matter, Mom. Whatever." The thing is, when I respond, "Well, what does that mean? Do you want to read it or not?" she always actually comes back and says "Yes." I think she appreciates the brief discussion that the book prompts and I do think she enjoys it.

For three weeks we've done the Monday through Friday reading which includes a Biblical Truth, a Dare, and a Double Dare. The Truth is a a simple statement or Bible truth. The Dare is usually a story, anecdote, or lesson followed by a challenge that's appropriate for tweens. Finally, the Double Dare is one or two challenging questions and something to think about. This part is the hardest for my daughter to do. The Double Dare really makes her think of how she can apply the truth of the lesson to her life. For example, the one we read last night was "What do you use as an excuse to not follow God?" This was after we read a couple of paragraphs about Helen Keller and her relentless faith.

On the weekends the entry in the devotional is a bit longer than the weeknight entries but there is only one for the whole weekend. This works great for us because honestly, sometimes we just get behind and need that extra day to catch up. There's also a spot for journaling if that's something you want to use. Apparently there's a version of this book for boys that I'd like to check out so that Josh and I can read it together in a couple of years.

Ann-Margret Hovsepian's Truth, Dare or Double Dare devotional is a good one. It would make a great gift for the tween girl in your life. In fact, I'm going to make it a goal to continue reading the devotions with Julianna for the rest of 2015 since there's enough devotions for the whole year.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this post, I've got a goodie for one of you to win! Family Christian would like to send one lucky reader a $10 gift certificate in case you'd like your own copy of this book. Use the rafflecopter below for several easy ways to enter. I'll choose a winner on Friday.

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goals version twenty fifteen

Last year I set some goals to meet/finish this year.  They included:

• drink less coffee
• run a marathon
• read 40 books
• spend less money on crap I already have
• wear my hair in a ponytail less
• finally get rid of the Appletini mix that's been in my fridge since something like 2007
• lose 15 more pounds (unfortunately, I think this one holds a permanent spot on my resolution list)

I think I've actually made it a habit to drink MORE coffee so that one's a big FAIL!

I ran two marathons, read 40 books, wore my hair in a ponytail less (except while running), lost 15 pounds and gained most of it back, and I promise I'll look for the Appletini mix to throw out tonight.


For 2015 I'd like to

• organize all of our closets
• increase my running pace by an average of 1 minute/mile (not a specific pace but I'd like to get faster by about a minute a mile for each type of run)
• read 40 books
• save a couple of thousand dollars for another vacation
• run another marathon and at least one other half marathon
• volunteer somewhere

Seems ambitious, but I know I can do it.

"I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless." Unwind by Neal Shusterman 

What are your goals for 2015? Inspire me.

books read in 2014

I've read some pretty good books this year. The ones that stand out to me the most include The Giver series, Wonder, We Were Liars, and all of the Rainbow Rowell books.  Have you read any of those? Do you notice a theme? Here's a big hint: all of my favorite books from this year were written for Young Adults.

I noticed that in the Goodreads Reader's Choice Awards We Were Liars won best book of the year for Young Adults and a Rainbow Rowell book won for Best Fiction so obviously I'm not alone in liking these.

My full list is below but I'd love for you to tell me some good ones to add to my list for 2015.

1. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
2. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
3. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
5. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
6. Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke
7. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
8. Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer
9. The Glass Wives by Amy Sue Nathan
10. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
11. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
12. Talk to Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids' "Go-To" Person about Sex by Deborah M. Roffman
13. Is Your Child Ready for School by Judith Kuhn
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
16. Messenger by Lois Lowry
17. Son by Lois Lowry
18. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
19. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
20. True Colors by Kristen Hannah
21. One Second After by William Forstchen
22. Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes
23. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
24. Bingo's Run by James Levine
25. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
26. Pure by Julianna Baggot
27. 10 Things for Teen Girls by Kate Conner
28. Outlaw by Ted Dekker
29. The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
30. AD 30 by Ted Dekker
31. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
32. The Vacationers by Emma Straub
33. Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
34. The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau
35. The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
36. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
37. The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau
38. The Bear by Claire Cameron
39. The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau
40. Goddess Girls: The Girl Games by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams (for Julianna's book report)
41. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
42. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

So what should I read next? One random person that leaves a comment will receive a book gift from me.

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by the numbers + recent giveaway winner announced

Agh! edit: I wrote this Friday but it didn't publish

• 36 days until we get a break from school (and even then it's just a workday)
• 7 days until the Dixie Classic Fair begins
• 122 miles run in September so far 
• 50 days until I run Richmond
• 7 long runs left (I really only count 4 of those since they're above 14 miles)
• 10 pounds lost since mid-August
• 10 years ago now that I had lasik eye surgery
• 27 days until Josh turns 5 (FIVE!)
• 24 days until our 12th anniversary (TWELVE!)
• 66 ounces of water I've had today and it's only 2 pm (I'm hydrating, baby!

Last but not least, many congratulations to Marilyn Miller who was selected to receive the $25 certificate and copy of Ted Dekker's A.D. 30 from my last giveaway!

A.D. 30

Ted Dekker has been one of my favorite authors for well over a decade. I first discovered him when I randomly picked up Thr3e at a bookstore at the beach.  It was such a good book that I couldn't put down and while I hated the movie I watched later, I quickly learned that he was a phenomenal author.

I've read many of his books over the years and I recently devoured Outlaw then quickly followed it with Dekker's newest book A.D. 30 which is due to be released next month and you can PreBuy A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker for just $14.97 at FamilyChristian.com. Like a lot of Dekker's book the newest one is full of adventure, conflict, struggles, and mystery. It's one you won't want to stop reading until you figure it out and you'll mull over it even when you're not reading. It's like a fast-paced puzzle.

One thing that I like most about Dekker's writing is that he incorporates religious undertones in all of his novels... a conflict between good and evil and a basic Biblical truth in each story.  But I also like that the religion part isn't so strong that you don't enjoy the fiction part of the book. At any rate, I think you'll enjoy this thriller regardless of whether or not you're not a Christian.

And here's the fun part. I'm hosting a giveaway for one of my lucky readers to win a copy of A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker and a $25 appreciation certificate. The giveaway is limited to the US and will close Tuesday at midnight. A winner will be chosen Wednesday morning 9/24. You can enter below.


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Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post but was provided a copy of the book. The views expressed above are simply my own opinions. The links included are affiliate links and the $25 appreciation certificate is provided by Family Christian stores.

i'm going with spoiled (plus the giveaway winner announced)

Congratulations to Beth for winning the 10 Things for Teen Girls giveaway!  I've got another book giveaway coming soon and this one comes with a $25 gift card so stay tuned!

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Apparently I've been living under a rock for the last ten years or so. You see, we got a new car on Friday. Our other cars were over ten years old and having a few aches and pains and we'd been in the market for a more reliable vehicle for a couple of months.

So I know this is old news to everyone except me but you guys! My car can connect to my phone and call people while I drive! I can text with voice commands! It can play my audio book as soon as I start the car and then pause it and save my place when I turn the car off! It can start without a key and unlock just by a touch of the handle with the keys in my pocket!

I've never had a car with a touchscreen GPS navigation system or a car with a back-up camera. I've never had a car that streams satellite radio and certainly not one with only 3 miles on it. I'm either way behind the rest of the world or I'm incredibly spoiled. You decide.

I say life is good, y'all!

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Wishing

• We haven't been anywhere since July 4th so a nice beach trip would be wonderful right about now. This is my favorite time of the year to go to the beach but our condo is rented up until the end of September. I hope we can squeeze in a trip in October.
• Today is an early release day in our schools. We've not had this before in our county and the last county that I worked in had them but teachers got out later than a typical school day because they were crammed full of meetings. I am crossing my fingers that is not the case today.
• We've been in the market for a new car for a couple of months now and we think we have finally made a deal on one that's coming to a local dealership September 24th. Since our other cars are all having a few hiccups September 24th can't get here soon enough.
• Julianna is still trying to adjust to a new school and make new friends and she's scheming to start a loom bracelet business. She made up a contract to pass out among her classmates in case there was anyone who wanted to help her. It really made me smile, but I'm hopeful that her 3rd grade business plan doesn't cause any problems or huge disappointments.

Running

• I realized today that there are only 5 more LONG long runs before my marathon. We have a few 14 mile recovery days left on the schedule but only 5 runs are 18+ miles. Yikes!
• I've had some good speedwork days lately, but my long runs have been horrible. This fact has made me really nervous for those last five long runs. Gotta step up my training!

Eating

• I've lost 7 pounds since I started back to work four weeks ago. I'm almost certainly going to win my current DietBet and that feels so good.
• I'm probably going to keep up the sensible eating but not focus so much on moving the scale for the rest of the marathon training.
• I made sweet potatoe chips in the dehydrator the other night. They were supposed to be salt and vinegar but they really turned out more like regular potato chips. Still delicious!

Reading

• I've recently finished Pure by Julianna Baggot, 10 Things for Teen Girls by Kate Conner (giveaway closes tomorrow! go enter to get a copy!), and now I'm working on two Ted Dekker books. He is one of my all time favorite authors and I've got a great giveaway coming up for one of those as well so stay tuned.
• Julianna's class has been reading City of Ember and I've got it in my queue. Has anyone read this book? I'm anxious to read along with her.

Watching

• I've been closing out the summer with mindless TV aka Big Brother.
• I'm super pumped about The Maze Runner coming out in theaters next week. Anyone want to babysit so I can go see it?
• We're finally about to finish House of Cards which we've been watching slowly. We lost interest for a while in the middle but picked it back up again when we had nothing better to watch and in my opinion it's gotten back to being as entertaining as it was in the beginning.
• I feel like I ask this all the time, but I really need some show recommendations. We loved Breaking Bad, Orange Is The New Black was decent, we're sad that HIMYM's final season hasn't come out on Netflix yet, and when we watch the last episode of House of Cards we'll need something else to start watching. Take it away, folks! What do you watch on TV?