Top 10 Favorite Things About Summer--

1. The Today show- If this comes on during the school year and I see it, I’m late. During the summer, I get to sit back, prop my feet up, and spend the morning with Matt, Meredith, and Al. Ahh, the simple things!

2. Running in the AM- Rarely during the school year do I wake up in time to run before I go to school. For some reason, it’s easier for me to wake up early in the summer, and I have to if I want to beat this heat!

3. Days spent at home- with no where to go, nothing to do, and no makeup to put on! These days are still few and far between, but every now and then I get one.

4. Lunch Out- Everyday during the school year, I eat in the lunchroom with sweet little children. Getting to go out to eat is such a treat! And I get to meet Craig sometimes too, which is an added bonus.

5. Pool/Beach time- Gotta love the hours spent by the pool or on the beach-- with a good book in hand I could stay ALL day!

6. Road trips- I LOVE to go places. We lucked out and got to go to Panama City before the oil came. And in a few days we’re headed to West Virginia to see Craig’s family. Even just overnight trips make me happy- just a change of scenery.

7. Long days- I love that the sun doesn’t go down until late. I love to sit outside with Craig and the dogs, or have friends over, and just talk.

8. No school!!- This should probably be first on my list. By May, it doesn’t matter how wonderful the kids are, it’s time for a break. When August rolls around, I’ll be excited again, but right now the time off is A-MAZING!

9. House Projects- time off frees my brain to focus on the house- anything from rearranging, to cleaning out closets- I don’t get to focus enough on the house during the school year.

10. Summers @ Mayfair- There is ALWAYS something going on at Mayfair in the summer- so far this year we’ve had VBS, Summer Praise & Prayer, and now Marriage Matters. I’m also working on Connect3 this year. Always something to keep me busy! J

True Confession:

Confession: I’ve been addicted to blogs for a while. No, I haven’t had one- I just love reading everyone else’s. So, here I am, starting my own blog. After talking with several good friends about their fabulous blogs, they began to encourage me to start one to keep up with everything in our life together. I like to write, but I don’t think I’m that good at it. I can’t even imagine someone wanting to read what I’m thinking. So- here goes nothing! J

This morning at 5:30 I ran (ok, struggled through) six miles with Amy. She is the most wonderful running partner and talking with her while we run makes the miles pass quickly. She was so patient with me this morning as I try to get back into the running groove. And if I’m going to make it through this hot, humid summer, I’m going to have to have some buddies to keep me going!

Our goal is the St. Jude Marathon on December 4 in Memphis. We won’t start our "official" training until around the end of August, so right now I’m just trying to stay in running shape!

A little year ago I never thought I would even enjoy running and now it has become kind of an obsession. I love the feeling I get when I’ve finished a good run, or a good race. I like the time that it gives me to think about things because I don’t run with music. And probably my favorite part- I love being able to eat just a little more because of the burned calories. Running has also blessed me with new friendships. It’s amazing the things you will talk about on an 18 mile run.

Hopefully, one day when I’m old and gray colored, I’ll have lots of wonderful stories to tell about my running days.