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I am proud to be a stay at home mom.  Over the past 9+ years in this role, I can honestly say I have kept very busy managing my home and raising my kids.  The past year and a half have been different with both kids in school all day, but I still manage to keep my days very full (grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, volunteer work, and IOH work).

My husband, Adam, told me when he was tucking Elizabeth into bed the other night she said, "Dad, I want to marry someone just like you."

Wow...what a wonderful thing to say!!! Adam was very honored and humbled...until she added, "then I can stay home like mom all day and just shop and stuff."

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Today we will hear from Grace Gerdin.  Grace has run with Team Inheritance of Hope in two events – the 2010 NYC Half Marathon and the 2011 NYC Half Marathon.  This year, Grace was the top fundraiser for the NYC Half Team – raising over $3,700.  As you will read, not only has Grace blessed families by raising funds for IOH, but she has also received a personal blessing by increasing her personal fitness level – which, in turn, has been inspirational to her children.

I value life greatly.  Hopefully, you do too.  There is no question the life we have here on earth is often times far too short whether it is 40 years or 99.

It seems like, more often then not, we spend more time contemplating what we are going to make for dinner or what our next big purchase is going to be then we do on teaching our kids or loving our "neighbors".

Life is too short.

We need to be intentional about taking a moment to teach our kids about loving others.  Or, for that matter, intentionally looking for ways to love others.

We need to literally stop and smell the roses...or at least notice that they are there and that they are all unique and beautiful. Can you believe each one of us is also unique and beautiful? Yes, you!

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I am not a runner!!!!  There is no question about that.  

I actually have said, "One thing I will NEVER do in my life is a marathon....I have no desire!" I do, however, have several friends who have committed to running marathons for Inheritance of Hope and I woke up at 3 am and stood in freezing conditions for hours to cheer them on during their route.

 God created me to be a cheerleader.  I like to stand on the sidelines and cheer (LOUDLY and EXCITEDLY) for people.  So, why am I now signed up and training to run (walk) 26.2 miles???  Two reasons:

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No one has won the NYC Full Marathon as many times as Grete Waitz.  Waitz, 57, died this past Tuesday in Oslo, Norway.

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Kristi and Mike DeCourcey are sun children of southern California, where movie sets and glistening beaches meet an unforgiving desert. Don’t get the wrong idea; neither lives a celebrity lifestyle.

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I am in love.....have been for quite some time.

Actually July 11th 2005 was the date we first met and it was NOT love at first sight.

It was a practical relationship.

My sleek trendy stylish Acura SUV had kind of died so...

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Every couple posts, I am going to review a benefit of running with Team Inheritance of Hope in an endurance event.  Of course, the greatest benefit is knowing that you are making a lasting difference in the lives of families facing a 'marathon' of their own.  But, this week, I want to tell you about the online training module made available to Team IOH members...

I finally feel almost completely recovered from a surgery I underwent this past fall (see Waiting Room devotional).  The surgery was difficult, and I questioned whether I would survive

We went over to some friend’s home the other night for dinner.  My husband and I both agreed that the meal was awesome so I requested the recipe from my friend.

Well, I don’t know what this says about me as a person but, I did not just make the meal for my family and then file the recipe away.  No!!!!  I made the meal for my family, gushed about how yummy it was to anyone who would listen and then emailed the recipe to all my buddies near and far.

As I went to the grocery store to restock on the pantry items that I would need to have on hand when I make this meal again, I talked to the lady in line behind me about the meal and she left the line to go buy the ingredients.  The checkout lady overheard our conversation and inquired about the meal so I shared the recipe with her too.  When I think about it, it is really funny!

Once I find something that is special I feel this overwhelming urge to tell everyone about it.  I don’t want people to miss out on good things!  It’s just how I am wired.  I guess I am a marketing managers dream. If word of mouth is the best form of advertisement then my mouth is making them big bucks.

I realize that my mom has this tendency as well and my son seems to be catching on to the spirit.  We really don’t want people to miss out on a good thing…whether a recipe, a restaurant, a big sale, a good vacation spot, a service or organization...

So in that spirit let me share a few recent things you don’t want to miss: