so i'm really glad i decided to start studying at borders. who would have guessed by putting in my time, slaving away on my masters, iwould also meet and marry the love of my life. who meets their spouse at borders? well this girl did... it all happened about 5 years ago when my roommate Amy talked me into going up there one night to study in their little fake-starbucks cafe. i was at a stage in my life where i had been burned and was questioning if i wanted to ever pursue marriage. i quickly saw what it was that had her packing up her bag several nights a week to head up there... cute guys...everywhere...most of them med students. a single girls dream.

to make a long story short, i went - quickly saw mat and kept returning. he was ALWAYS there... to the point that i wondered if he was homeless...he wasn't, so that was good. i struck up a conversation with him and the rest is history. i quickly learned that he had traveled the world, loved to run, loved dogs (even Harley who growled at him) was from colorado (which at that point in my life was intriguing) and most importantly was the most amazing guy i had ever met. i remember calling one of my best friends after a long chat with him and calling the conversation "surreal". our first date was a 6 hour coffee date... hello! someone should make a movie of this stuff... for this girl, it was love at first sight. i waited for mr. right to walk through my door ...and well he walked into my bookstore.

so tonight i am reminiscing about three years ago tonight when we were at our rehearsal dinner in Mexico... celebrating our new life together with our friends and family. what an amazing event. who couldn't question getting married surrounded by 40 of your closest friends and family (many there in spirit...cori, erin, grandparents, cousins...) it was surreal. so tonight i celebrate 3 years of being married to my best friend in the world, the person i long to come home to each night, the one who can make me giggle like a little girl, the one who pushes me not only to be a better "me" but more importantly to ease up on myself, the one who i love taking long runs with and can't wait to grow old with.

Here's to 3 more fantastic years!

(cheesy, i know... but its my blog=) )

Birthdays...

This is not a pity blog.

If feels as if my birthday snuck up on me this year. Usually I am in birthday countdown mode. I learned from my mom that a birthday should be celebrated as a birth MONTH, instead of just a day. There's always birthday dates with girl friends, dinner with my hubby, lunches at school... I typically live it up and celebrate to the max.

This year has been different. I can truly say I don't

want a thing. I was even okay with not celebrating. This year I have been overwhelmed with the truth of how blessed I am. I have been given so much...I am well fed, well loved, well educated, well taken care of... do I really need another silly dress? Or a cute pair of cowboy boots (okay, I wouldn't mind those=) I don't need a thing in this world. I have an amazing husband, a wonderful family, the most fantastic girl-friends a girl could ask for, and of course the two best dogs EVER.

So this year - no gifts... Just time with those who I love more than anything in this world. My parents drove up from Tulsa yesterday with a cake and a delicious dinner in tow. We had a great dinner, walk through the village, laughs by the fire pit in the back yard. (I even taught my mom how to blog) My brother called from India this morning where he is doing a surgery rotation. Today - farmers market if the rain goes away & lunch with my parents & Mat. Tonight Mat and I will hang out with some of our dearest friends and enjoy a Mexican feista and a few margs. This is truly all I want for my birthday...quality time with those I love most in the world. This is my perfect birthday.

So here is to giving birthdays a whole new meaning in our home! Here's to the coming year and giving more than I receive! Hope you have as wonderful a day as we are!

The training...

So it seems like whenever anyone asks what's "new"... These days I answer in terms of marathon training: "training runs... " long run..." "tendinitis" "tapering"; you get the idea... I start to feel like my whole life revolves around the actual marathon... my eating, sleeping, drinking (or lack thereof), tiredness, more eating... In reality, I know I am more than that...but just the same I am sure my friends are tired of hearing about it. It's just that running has become such a huge part of my life. Its why I wake up at 4:45 in the morning and stumble out the door and down to the corner to meet Lindsay (my running buddy)... Its why I enjoy venturing out in the bitter cold or the blasted August heat & humidity. Its why I love having great conversations & solving the world's problems (or my own) while watching the sun rise. Its one of my favorite ways to spend time with Mat. Running has become as real to me as one of my best friends. BUT WHY? In the words of Kristin Armstrong, "we don't run because it is easy, we run because it is real". There is nothing easy about blood, blisters, intervals, sweat, tears, hills, tendinitis, 6 inches of snow, rain, the F "bomb" (those frustrating runs where that was the only word that would come out of my mouth) ... Its all just REAL.

So why do I run? Why do I "enjoy" marathon training? Its pushes me to be a better me... more focused, disciplined, humble, appreciative, thankful, happy, healthy, content... It literally is putting my faith into practice - one foot at a time. Trust me, the only way I got through the last 22 miler was though quite a bit of prayer & scripture (I WILL run and not grow weary... I WILL run and not grow weary... you get the idea) For some reason, I feel closer to God in the middle of street on a dark morning on a long run than sitting in a church auditorium crowded with people...

Anyone who knows me, knows I didn't grow up running (or very athletic for that matter - I don't think cheerleading & tennis count that much) nor am I a natural runner...by any means! Its who I have become... and I love it!

So here's to training, tapering and marathons in general. Bring on Big Sur - blood, sweat, tears & all...

Speaking of Dogs.... Meet Hars & Dirvs

So these are our two "babies" Harley & Dirvey. I met Harley way before I met Mat... In fact Mat was scared of her...she has a ferocious, or "protective" side. She was dropped off on a random golf course in Tulsa and was about to have her puppies when someone took her to the Animal Shelter. All her puppies were adopted...and the mama was left behind. This little girl is quite amazing. She is incredibly smart, loves to run (can put in a solid 7-8 miles before most people are awake) and is jealous of her little sister.

Enter Dirvey. Sweet little Dirvs. According to our vet, "Her ship really came in when she found you two. " Little Dirvs is diagnosed as mentally challenged. I do not make this comment in light. She truly is. She can't help it. She spins constantly in circles, forgets to eat her food and is the happiest little thing I have ever met. We adopted her from a pug rescue place in KC. She was a puppy mill dog and we will soon be taking her in to have her eye removed due to blindness and failure of tear ducts.

Can you tell we are crazy about these two?

Might As Well...

So I figured that I might as well jump on the blog train. Most of my friends now have blogs and it seems like such a fun way to share life with friends and family. So here we are. The Goods. Mat, Bethany, Harley and Dirvey. The dogs are a huge part of our lives and will be a HUGE part of this blog until, ahem, little ones join the family. We're pretty simple, every day people. Mat is a third year Internal Medicine resident at KU. He starts his cardiology fellowship this summer. I teach ELL in a local KC suburb. Harley is a rescue boxer-pug. Dirvey is a rescue pug, blind in one eye (having it removed this summer) and diagnosed as "special needs". We are pretty much obsessed with them.

So here's to trying something new...sharing your thoughts, laughter, tears with all your loved ones!

Welcome to the Good Life!