Bill's back in the hardware and I didn't finish last

It was a successful day for the Iverson at the Friendly Sons of St Patrick's 25th Annual 5K Run. We woke up early and headed west to Des Moines for this road race. Bill has been nursing an injured foot for the last two weeks and has not been running his usual training. Just to put it in perspective, I have run more this week than he has. Here is us before the start.

Bill got 14th overall out of 138 men in the 5K and 2nd out of 34 in his age group (40-49). So he is back in the hardware taking home a trophy. He ran 20:40 which is 14 seconds off his personal best which is amazing given his lack of training and a sore foot. The sore foot has really gotten him down the last two weeks and made him dramatic like "My running career is over." "All my conditioning is gone. I will run like an old man". I don't pay much attention to his drama of the day when it comes to his running and knew he could do it and he did in grand fashion.


No trophies for me, but I did get my personal best by 21 seconds. I ran a 30:22 and got 24th in my age group out of 54 women (30-39). I also finished 71st out of 159. Now that is respectable for the girl who has been known to finish last. Here is a picture of me outside Sully's Irish Pub where there was free post race beer and the awards were held in the pool room.

Hope Springs Eternal

It is hard to see in this picture but there are little green buds poking through. Seeing these guys working their way through the mulch, leaves and muck after being covered with the most snow since 1874 makes me feel encouraged by new life and seems like a treat after all that raking nad bagging. The reward for living through winter is definitely spring.

Spring Cleaning

So the corner has turned, spring has begun and I realized if I can face my fears of getting my cavities filled, I can face the backyard. Blast that beautiful 100 year old oak tree who drops his leaves too late in the fall to have the city suck them up at the curb. My enthusiasm waned about 5 minutes into raking when I started to think to myself, Why don't I just hire a lawn service? And I am calculating a lawn service into my budget as the piles keep accumulating. Then I realize I have only one yard bag so I have to run to Ace Hardware which isn't so bad actually because they have popcorn on the weekends. Back armed with 20 yard bags and these cool yellow plastic shovel/rake type devices claiming to make yard work easier, I start bagging. Bill took these action shots of me because he found great humor in the big yellow plastic hands.
About bag 9 my neighbor yells from over the fence, "you know the town is giving out 10 free yard bags because of the late leaf drop this year". Yes I did know that which I found out after I got back from the store....Ugh- Information that could have been useful to me about 45 minutes ago...
the FRUITS of my LABOR --13 yard bags filled with leaves
here is the backyard now. It looks like I did NOTHING back there... double ugh! Good thing I have the bags at the curb to prove it.

NEW RUG!

Ok so here are some pictures of the rug. Our intial thought is that it looks weird because we have never had a rug there. Am I crazy for covering our pretty hard wood? Bill and I think it looks a bit dark but it is night time. I wonder what it will look like in daylight. I think it looks good with the pink chairs and the rose walls. We need some type of striking curtain...a rich burgandy? I want HONEST opinions if you have some to share. Folks in town please come over and take a look yourself. It doesn't look great with the couch but I don't think anything will look good with that couch. I need to get it recovered.... shonna? summer project? hmmmm? a close up
an aerial shot. it looks a bit 'striped' but i think that is from being rolled up for so long
our new 'sitting' area
with the pink chair
next to the couch

He is Risen Indeed

Lent is over; the time of reflection and preparation is passed. Christ is Risen from the grave. It was a strange Easter Sunday today. I wasn't quite prepared. I hadn't reflected enough. Though I made a conscious decision to have an active Lent, I didn't go a very good job. Honestly, I was lousy at it. I figured out something about myself, however, which I have been too afraid to name before. I have no self discipline, really none whatsoever. I had the book to read daily and was planning to spend time with Jesus every day. I did OK at the start of Lent but then one day became the next and then I was cramming many days of reading into one hurried reading. And then the last two weeks, I have spent not one minute thinking about Jesus and His time in the desert and His time preparing for his own death. The book sat idle on my bed side table as I picked up other, more 'fun' books to read before sleepy time.

Today we went out to lunch after church with friends and Bill has his first beer after 40+ day fast from it. He was so excited when it came to the table and had that first glorious sip. I was sad as I drank my diet coke. I remember that glorious feeling last year having a diet coke after such a long fast and the sense of accomplishment I had. I am feeling mixed up because I know that is not what Lent is about really but I missed not having that sense of relief from a hard fast. That comes back to self discipline. I think if I was more disciplined I would have stuck with it again this year and fasted. Maybe having an active fast was really a way out for me from suffering. I am not good at it. When Bill runs, he runs through fatigue and pain and suffering to finish that lap or that mile. I just stop and walk when I've had enough. I'm getting better though, setting small goals when I want to start walking- just to that corner or until the song on my Ipod is over. Maybe my running will help me learn self discipline. It is just so easy to stop when no one is looking.

That is it, that is the bottom line of my struggling... it is just so easy to stop when no one is looking. That is what I am going to work on, in and out of Lent, on and off the track. Please pray for me, encourage me and feel free to ask me how I am doing.

However mixed up my mind is. However undiscplined I am. However avoiding of suffering I am. However incapable I am of writing with proper sentence structure. Christ is Risen and death reigns no more. I am free. Alleluia.

Below is the chorus of my new favorite worship song we have sung the last few weeks at church. I recommend listening to it at http://www.myspace.com/shaneandshane and then click on We love you Jesus. It can also be bought on Itunes.

We love you Jesus for so many reasons
For death, life and freedom
Even now we love you
We love you Jesus in and out of seasons
In valleys and top of mountains even now can we sing
We love you Jesus

Oh the glory!

So I am still in 1st place and moved ahead of Nile in the family pool today. I only could get 6 out of 8 games right today and I did. One in overtime and one a true David v Goliath with Davidson beating Georgetown. It was glorious. I will reign on top until at least Thursday when the next game is. I'll say it again, this could be my year!!!

8 for 8, this could be my year

So today I got 8 for 8 picks right in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Not only am I 1 point behind Nile in the family pool but I am leading, yes LEADING, the pool made up of 21 all male doctors that Bill works with. Bill is in 19th place. Not that I am bragging at all but let's be honest, 1. I'm a girl 2. I barely knew anything about the teams until earlier this week 3. I actually did research and didn't just pick my favorite color or cutest mascot 4. Have I mentioned I am girl and we're not supposed to know anything about sports. I may go 0 for 8 games tomorrow but I'll always have this night, 3/22/08, to remember when I was on top of the leader board. I hope all the guys are looking at the standings right now and realizing Iverson's wife is kicking their butts. Oh the glory. Oh the pride. Oh my brief moment in the sun.

Child birthing, here I come...

Relax, everyone and my mom, I am NOT pregnant but bearing a child is the only thing left on Katie's Terrified to To List now that I can cross of having cavities filled! yippee, I'm done. It went great. I didn't feel a thing and was quite entertaining to the office with my drama. Here are some sound bytes from my day at the Dentist.

Girl at the Desk (GATD): Hi there
Me: I am here to face my doom
GATD: It is not that bad
Me: That is what you all say but I think you're lying. My friends have said you're lying.
GATD: You don't have nice friends. Sit over there and take a few deep breaths
-------
Dentist: Are you ready?
Me: I called my mom and we discussed the distribution of my wealth if I don't make it
Dentist: slight chuckle
-------
needle going in to the cheek
Me: Have you done this before?
Dentist: No but last night I stayed a Holiday Inn Express
** not really but I wish he would have said that, he just rolled his eyes and jammed the needle in**
-------
after the shots
Me: My tongue feels numb
silence- no one picked up my What about Bob? reference but my tongue was really numb
-------
after the last cotton wad extracted
Dentist: You're done, see that wasn't so bad
Me: I am going to go on TV praising the skills of your cavity filling ability. I am going to do a full media blitz. You will have so much business you'll be turning people away.
Dentist: small smile and a patronizing pat on the shoulder for the 'crazy girl' who just paid for his new golf clubs
--------
GATD: See that wasn't so bad, tell your friends they were wrong
Me: Now all I have left is to get knocked up and go through labor and I'll have done all the scary things there is to do
GATD: laughing while thinking 'this girl is nuts. good thing the waiting room is not full to hear her say such things'

and that was what happened at my day at the dentist.

New Sides

It was slow at work tonight so I added some new sides to the blog. My mom would be proud because I put something already done on my list of 'things to do in 2008' to help me feel more accomplished. Bill dislikes that trait in me and wonders why I have to put 'shower' 'eat lunch' 'get up' on my list of things to do over the weekend. "So my list doesn't look so daunting, I already have stuff crossed off" I always answer and to that he says, "Yes Linda (my mom's name)". He has gotten in the habit of calling me Linda when I do things that I learned from my mom. To me there is no higher compliment!

Tomorrow is D-day for the dentist and my cavities. I got my Ipod charged and ready, have a lunch with friends planned for before as a distraction and dinner out with Bill as a treat afterwards. I'll blog about it tomorrow if I survive...

Thanks just isn't enough

They wanted some shots of the leaders I had in high school and these are the ones I found. These people below were the words, feet and hands of Jesus in my life during high school and I debt I owe to them, investing in my life and telling me about saving faith in Christ is enormous. They deserve tribute and homage so I am giving them that in my blog. I am who I am today because of them. If you know the person who led you to Christ or the people in your early faith life that were influential in keeping you on track, take a minute to say Thanks to them if you know where they are or Thank God for them again in your prayers. Bill Tibbit and Suzanne Neiding.

our leadership team when I was a senior in high school. the happy guy on the R in the green sweater is Mike Terranova who deserves not only my thanks but the thanks for 1000s of high school kids who have heard about Christ because he told us. the guy on the L in the glasses is Bob Brittingham who later became one of my summer camp program partners, he helped me navigate my senior year in high school. Don't miss Jon Eric back row in the middle who was the worst prom date ever but taught me a lot about forgiveness

Rob Wolfe and Mike Terry. Mike Terry was the person at camp my first summer who spoke to me about praying for Christ to come into my heart one morning during free time on the back porch of the old club room at Saranac

Stacey Prinzing on the L and I were two peas in a pod our last few years of high school trying to figure out how to love God and each other and our friends while passing SUPA economics, running a year book, finding prom dates and picking colleges. Suzanne in the middle of us was our leader helping us navigate these very treacherous waters.

aahhh the memories

My Young Life area back home is soon to celebrate its 20th year of telling high school kids about Christ. I was contacted for some old pics of when I was on staff in a suburb called Canastota. These are the shots I picked out and am feeling too nostalgic not to share them.

Lizzie Watkins, who is now on YL staff in England, me and Jen U at a track meet.
Getting ready for 80s night in my apartment
this was my cabin for a winter weekend at Lake Champion. Must have been 1998. Jen U, me, Lizzie, Tracy and Jennie Russo
This was the first camp trip ever with kids from Canastota to Lake Champion the summer of 1997.
Me and my awesome leaders. Mark and Barney were such crazy guys and always made me laugh. Trex at the time was my closest friend and I so cherished the time we spent during that season of life.

Tagged

OK I was tagged a few weeks ago by my good Bobby E friend, Laura, in North Carolina. Here are the rules

Here are the rules:

1. List 7 random things about yourself that people may not know - see below

2. Link the person who sent this to you, and leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours - i don't know how to link this to Laura but check out her blog www.amomontheverge.blogspot.com

3. Post the rules on your blog - done

4. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. - which I will do at the end but again have no idea how to link anyone

Random Things

#1 When I was a child, I fell thigh deep in blueberry pie filling at my parent's bakery.

#2 The stairs in our front hall match the life size Yoda statue we display proudly in our foyer. We are Star Wars Geeks to the core.

#3 Both of my grandfathers changed their names before they started their families so I am not related to anyone outside of my extended family who shares the name Cook or Scott.

#4 I have the entire script of It's a Wonderful Life memorized and cry at the same spots every time I see it. "Say brainless, don't you know where coconuts come from?"

#5 I name inanimate objects. My car's name is Legolas, my favorite chair's name is Winston and my oldest plant's name is Floyd (see below)
#6 The first thing I'd do with a million dollars is hire a gardener. I really detest yard work.

#7 I have a doll I got when I was two named Boydoll (because she has a plastic head with no real hair) and a bean bag frog named Froggy I got when I was 5 that I am most likely unhealthily attached to. I travel with them. I do not leave them in luggage, in the house overnight or anywhere where they could potentially get lost or burn in a fire. When I went on a cruise at the age of 25, it was hard to decide about taking them on the ship worried they, at some time, could fall overboard or leave them in my apartment where they could get engulfed in a fire. I blame it on my mom who used to 'make them talk' before I went to bed so in my mind they have entire life stories and personalities. Luckily for my husband, they have been relegated to the side of the bedroom with some other stuffed animals and don't have to sleep with us. When I was little they were an integral part of my fire safety plan. I slept with a bag between the mattresses that I was going to pull out, shove them in, use Boydoll's plastic head to break the window, toss them onto the lawn, crawl out the window, down the roof, jump in the bushes, retrieve the bag and wait by the mailbox which was designated our family meeting spot. Ingenious plan if you ask me!

I don't know if I have 7 friends who have blogs to tag but feel free to leave random facts about yourself in a comment.

HELP NEEDED

ok with the paint barely dry and the trim yet to be started, I "wisely" move onto my next project which will hopefully only involve purchasing and only limited assembly. I need new curtains for the windows in our living room aka parlor. as of everything in our house it is a random collection of furniture etc but our only 'nice' room where we have our christmas tree etc. the couch is old but comfy and has a slightly floral flair. there are two nice rose chairs and the furniture is mainly a light wood color. this room also needs a rug to help tie it together. so maybe i need the rug before the curtains? the walls are rose in color. one wall is the crosses and one wall is sports memorbalia mainly hawkeye stuff and bill's electric football is also in there. it is never going to be a formal area. i think i will use the chairs with the rocking chair to enclose one side of it with a rug to make a more sitting area. i don't think i'll paint these walls now/ever because the rose color is slight and with all the colored crosses it will be hard to anything else unless i went more neutral like cream or light beige. we never close the curtains in that room and it gets plenty of light. i was thinking maybe a decorative curtain rod and then maybe just straight panels or maybe a 'swoop' of cloth in the middle of bay window like how catholics hang the purple cloth on cross at easter. what about the double window on the far wall. can i just do two straight panels? i am also toying with getting a piece of stained glass/patterned glass to use in the top of the central bay window. here are before pictures to help you get your creative juices flowing. i should probably go to some stores to look at stuff to get ideas but I don't even know where to start... help....

the AFTER shots

They are, for sure, worth waiting for!

finally BEFORE pictures

Puerto Rico

Here are some pictures from our trip to Puerto Rico. I am finally get caught up. This is us in the rainforest and could be the best picture the two of us have ever taken together!
We took a night kayaking trip and here is us on the way out. It was really dark but we went to a bay with 'glow in the dark' plankton in it which were really cool to see.
We had a great day exploring the old forts in San Juan. I love this view.

gremlins

The gremlins in my computer will not let me load the pictures of the done, super delicious red bathroom. I have spent over 2 hours trying to get these downloaded. I have adjusted file size, tried to import them like a 100 different ways and no luck. UGH! I want to show off my work. I am going to walk away, let the gremlins think I have won and will try again later. Any advice?

finally my day improves...

Criminal football players aside; Bill, Nile and I along with our friends, the Boelks, had something Hawkeye to cheer about tonight at the womens gymnastic meet. They beat intrastate rivals Iowa State handily and it was really exciting to watch. Admission was free, Carver Hawkeye Arena has the BEST soft icecream ever and the Gym-Hawks were dominant. You know you are a Hawk fan when you not so quietly do a fist pump when a cyclone falls off the beam (no one got hurt) but that was just what the Hawks needed to ensure a victory. I felt guilty, at first, to delight in that, but is it any different than hoping an opposing wide receiver drops the ball or a running back fumbles?

Highlights:
seeing Nile get into it after we 'dragged him'... "that should have been a 10, what were they thinking?" everytime a Hawkeye stuck her landing.
2-3 college guys who have to be boyfriends or wanna be boyfriends all painted (face and chest) cheering and running up and down the floor with Iowa flag after each routine
did i mention the ice cream?

Go Hawks!

and it is all my fault!

I am having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (and it is all my fault).
First of all, I slipped down the stairs two nights ago wearing the slippers my husband warns me are too slippery for the stairs and I have grand daddy of all bruises on my thigh so every time I step I am reminded that I am having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (and it is all my fault for wearing slippy slippers)

Then I had to go to the dentist and not only did the hygenist have to scrape for like an hour because I just "have more tartar than the average, but that's ok dear" but I have TWO cavities and 'hole in my dentin' where strawberry seeds gets stuck. I have to have them all filled. Oh yeah I was told I may have early gingivitis because my back teeth are neglicted from my brushing. No one asked me if it makes me gag to brush way back there, but it does. I haven't had cavity in 25 years, I'd rather throw up (which is saying a lot) than hear the dentist drill. He reassures me that technology has progessed a lot in 25 years and it won't hurt that bad, but I don't believe him. I can still remember almost every detail from Dr Egan's office where I have my first and only traumatic cavity filling. They had this cool oil/water toy in the waiting room and plenty of Highlights magazines to read as I sat pondering my own doom which were the only redeeming memories from that day. So even though I can bring my Ipod to drown out the noise of the drill, I can't believe I have cavities. I am for sure having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (and it is all my fault for not brushing enough in the back though it makes me gag)

Pleasant interlude to my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day-- I had lunch with my dear friend Fran and we planned a shopping date tomorrow. She did sympathize with my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and said that even though the dentist says it won't hurt, it does. See I knew not to believe him!

Back to my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I want our downstairs 1/2 bath to be red. Not too much to ask, right. I picked out the paint color, got the supplies and decided with 5 days off this is a project I can tackle. Not to mention I have scores of friends who can parent multiple small children, make homemade meals, hem clothes, paint a bathroom, run some errands, help with homework, pay the bills and make a homemade fork recipe holder (you know who you are) all in one day and I am hoping to paint like 2 x 2 itty bity bathroom in 5 days. Back to my tale... this bathroom has a hideous floral border along the top. So I'll just take it down, easy right? Most of it peels off with no trouble. My project savvy friend Shonna says get DIF- this great blue gel spray stuff to get wallpaper glue off-- so I get it. It says on the front, "no drip, no mess". Ok so why do I have the stuff everywhere and blue globs of goo covering the entire floor making an entire every large mess? Taking down wallpaper is a nightmare and I am starting to think I'd rather get my cavities filled then take down anymore wallpaper. My husband says he told me so and that is why he paid to have our bedroom paper stripped (3 layers) and painted. I thought it was a waste of perfectly good shoppping money at the time but now that I have almost been beat by a little border in an itty bity bathroom, I am thankful for his decision. So as I am balanced one foot on the counter and one on the step stool, scraping until my bicep burns, goop stuck in my hair and all over I realize I am having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (and it is all my fault because I wanted my bathroom to be red).

** before and after pictures of the bathroom to come-- I'll spare you pictures of the bruise or the cavities**

P.S. My mom says somedays are like this even in Australia.

Jake year 2 with no one to catch the ball

Another year of our quarterback being Jake. A.N, the hope of glory for the Hawkeyes to take over the quarterback position, was arrested, suspended and kicked off the team today. I am so irritated. What was he thinking a. smoking marijuana and b. leaving it out on his desk for the cops to see while living in the dorms.

A.N.'s roommate, the talented wide receiver J.C, also arrested of even more stupid and irritiating charges and kicked off the team.

Looks to be another year of Jake with no one to pass to. yippeeeddooo! One of my New Year's resolutions is to cheer for other Hawkeyes not just the football team. This Friday I will attend my first full gymnastic meet and I am thinking of buying softball season tickets. There are more things to cheer about in Iowa City than our criminal football team.