On My Morning Walk

First, a confession: I'm a mall walker. Yes, it's true. It started last summer when I wanted to get out and exercise (which usually consists of walking these days because I can do it with Kate in a stroller) and it was just too hot to go outside. I have a great friend who would walk the mall with me with her stroller and we would chat and exercise.

This summer I haven't done it as often. And a few times I tried to disguise myself by wearing normal clothes and my Chacos instead of tennis shoes. Today, I did not even attempt a disguise. I wore work-out shorts (and by that I do NOT mean spandex) and my walking tennis shoes. Kate was loaded up with a snack and some books. I was going to exercise. Well, Kate fell asleep after about 10 minutes, so I only walked for about 20 and decided to head home to take advantage of her naptime.

But here are some things I saw on my walk:

Mall Walkers Sign: Yes, there is a sign for mall walkers on the wall at the mall telling us how many times around the mall to walk for one miles. Very helpful. And I think they also listed "guidelines" for mall-walking. But since I'm not really a mall-walker, I didn't read those.

Co-walkers: There were a couple other, much more mature, people walking at the mall too. One man was quite serious about it. I think he followed all the guidelines. He said I had a "nice buggy." I'm assuming he meant my stroller and was not referring to the fact that he had been walking behind me for some time.

Birthday-Boy: I did a little lap around JCPenny and passed an elderly couple finishing their purchase with a cashier. The Cashier told the gentleman, "Happy Birthday" and the woman (probably the gentleman's wife) said "I'm gonna go home and iron his birthday suit." I'm not sure what that means. Maybe he has a special suit he wears for his birthday? Could she have been referring to his "birthday suit?" (Wink, nudge)

Beauty Pills: On a stroll passed GNC there was a box in the window saying the vitamins enhance beauty. Really? The vitamins were called "Be Beautiful." Really?

I think that's about it. Kate's still asleep so I'm gonna try to nap too. Stay tuned for more adventures in Kerrville.

Time Flies

I wish I had a really good reason as to why I haven't updated in a while. Like we've been on some really cool vacation and I couldn't get to a computer. But that's not the case. I've just been busy.

Right now I'm working on getting things ready for our next MOPS year, coming up in less than a month. I've got a training meeting next week to prepare our table leaders to minister to the moms we will have coming. It's fun and exciting to think about the upcoming year.

Kate is growing all the time and doing new things. She says new words all the time. It's amazing how much she talks right now. Some of it is still baby jabber, but some of it is meaningful communication. She understands so much of what we say and responds when we ask her questions. It can be exhausting, but it's a lot of fun.

A few weeks ago our good friends Clayton and Holly came to town and stayed with us. Clayton was officiating a wedding of a high school friend of his and Josh. We had a good time with Clayton, Holly, and their kids. Here are the two guys with their girls.

Yes, that is my husband throwing the baseball with his sleeping daughter on his back.

Musts

Must Read: My Generation by Josh Riebock

As a guy from Generation Y, Josh sets out to explain a little about who our generation is, what we long for, and what we need. He gives stories and accounts of other Gen-Y-ers in their journey to God and community. I found it to be motivating, encouraging, and challenging. I think many of us from that generation will see parts of ourselves in the stories he recounts and see those we would like to be like. Highly enjoyable read as well. You can find it on Amazon.

Must See: Food, Inc.

Yes, it is a documentary. No, it is not boring. And Yes, it's important for you to see. Why? Because no matter how we choose to live our lives, we should make informed decisions as much as possible. Regardless of the food you choose to eat, you should at least know where it came from. "But I don't want to know. It will probably make me not want to eat that and I like to eat such-and-such." Stop saying silly statements like that and get informed. Then do what you want to do. Ignorance is not bliss. The documentary is well done, not boring, and informative.

I'll step off my soapbox now.