Friday evening quietness!

This week is VBS at the Mennonite church, which happens to be just at the end of our driveway. The children are loving the interaction, the singing, the Bible memory verses, the games, you name it! It started on Wednesday, the day I work at the local Ambulance service. The 2nd night was Thursday, which I had to work as well b/c someone had to leave early. So tonight, Friday night, is the first night that I have gotten to sit and enjoy peace and quiet w/ my honey...guess what we are doing??? He is on one sofa with his iPad, and I am on the other sofa with my laptop (and a small bowl of Chocolate Chips, it was the only chocolate in the house...WAS) and playing Words with Friends!!! We love it! I guess this is what old married couples of 16 years do! Oh and another awesome thing is Pandora!!! We can listen to some amazing Christian music while playing!

Just being honest~

Sara

A day in the life...

Well Summer is here!!! Yippee Skippee!!! School is finished and the schedule for the last 9 1/2 months is relaxed. Today Bethany is at work with her daddy, Shiloh is spending the day with her friend Anne, and my other 3 are hard at a game of Monopoly! It is hard for me, who is very schedule minded, to spend a couple months relaxing...letting the children be CHILDREN, and not making them pick up a book to read or letters to write, or problems to solve. But, none the less, it is good for them and me. My house stays much cleaner in the summer, with "nothing else to do" the chore list gets done everyday, well not everyday...today it looks close to a tornado met earthquake in here, but by the time Steve Bailey comes home it will be picked up, cleaned, and smelling like fresh Zucchini bread, Sourdough bread, and the amazing supper Moriah is making!

Just a little musing and honestly from me!

Our life...

Well another year has come and gone...No, it isn't New Year, it is the end of our school year! YEAH!!! I just wrapped up 8th, 7th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd grades once again. Next year I will have a high schooler! Am I really old enough to have a child in high school? I have done Rod & Staff, an anabaptist, simple curriculum up until now. Next school year however brings on a change...ABEKA. I am kinda scared actually, but I know we can do it with the help of the Lord, my husband, and teachers manuals! Since Rod & Staff is limited in high school, we are starting Abeka for 9th grade. 9th GRADE...YIKES! She will be going off to college soon!  :(  So now, let's start our summer of reading, (we read A LOT during the summer months) swimming, piano (yes, we up our piano practice during the summer too) and relaxing!

Thought I would share with you the joy of home schooling and the joy of summer break!

Continually Blessed~

Running...

I am going to post on running...again! I know, I know, if you follow me on Facebook you must think that all my posts are about running, which is mostly true. I do lots of other things besides run...I cook, I school the children, I clean, do laundry, read, visit with friends, work 1 day a week, etc. But none-the-less, I want to share something with you....

As a teen-ager I was "in shape". We walked a lot, played volleyball a lot, I worked construction, etc...so I wasn't necessarily fat, or out of shape but I hated cardio. I despised running, swimming hard, 2 on 2 volleyball, etc...anything that caused my heart and lungs to overwork. Steve on the other hand is a runner. He ran all through high-school, competitively and for fun. At some point he even ran a 4.30 minute mile...crazy man! He ran before we were married, so then afterwards he ran as well. I tried running with him for a couple weeks...in Wisconsin...in the winter, it was horrible. It just confirmed that I was not a runner at all. Hated it actually...with a passion.  :)  Steve continued off and on through out 15+ years together.


6 months ago, my daughter Shiloh wanted to run in the Woman's Half Marathon 5K in Nashville for her birthday. You know that story. (if not, you can read my blog about that) And after 6 months I am still running. I wanted to write to encourage you, if you haven't run, if you hate running, or you're just a beginner, that you CAN run. In 6 shorts months I have worked up to running 7 miles, and after only running 8 months I plan on running my 1st 1/2 marathon. I can't believe it! Sometimes when I am out there running I can't believe it is even me...it is like 2 different people. I am the same person I was 6 months ago, but I am different too. For someone who hated running, to actually be out there enjoying it is amazing to me.

Because of our schedules Steve and I don't run together very often. He likes running early in the morning before work, in the dark. I usually wait until afternoon. But even though we don't run together it is a bond we share, and I am really enjoying that. Last Sunday was my "distance" day...I had to run at least 6 miles. So I mapped it out, it was warmer so Steve and I ran together. We ran 6.6 miles in 1:06 together...once in awhile he would get pretty far ahead of me, because I have to slow down going up hills and he doesn't, but he would then circle back and run with me. So, he probably ran closer to 7 miles that day. It was nice...very nice. As we were coming down the home stretch Steve said "I can't believe you are out here running for an hour at a time, I am proud of you." That made my sore legs worth it!  :)

Here is my story...You too can do it!!! I would GLADLY run with any of you, slow, fast, long, or short...it is nice to run with someone. I am still learning too. I am reading a great book called ChiRunning...very informative, a MUST read for any stage of runner, and I am also learning to pace myself. I tended to run too fast, then I couldn't compensate and I would have to walk. Now, I can run 4 miles without walking at all.

Hope this encouraged you, or at least entertained you!  :)

Mawidge....

Mawidge is what bwings us togever today...

So, Steve and I, along with 3 other couples attended a marriage conference this past weekend. Let me start at the beginning. A couple months ago we were visiting my cousin in Memphis. While we were there we mentioned a "disagreement" that we had. He suggested a book called "Love and Respect." So we borrowed it, and I started reading it right away. When I had time I decided to look up the ministry. I almost always do this! I would hate to follow the advice of someone, only to find out he has been married 3 times and has 2 children in jail. So he looked honest, been married once, has 3 children and so I finished the book. I also read some articles online. At some point I clicked on "conferences" and low and behold he was coming to Nashville area...in about a month! I was so very excited. It was like God was moving right in my midst, which I know He always does, but I don't always see it. Anyway...
So I contacted my 2 cousins, their wives and my sister..."Lets make a weekend out of it!" So a hotel was booked, registration was made, and let the countdown begin. In the mean time I had finished the book and Steve had started it. The more he read the more he understood, and the more he looked forward to the conference as well.
Okay, so long story short...We all learned an amazing amount...I am actually still processing it all. I laughed (a lot) and I cried, I grimaced (knowing that I had screwed up) and I smiled (with a wink) at Steve knowing he was grimacing as well!  :)  We learned that men NEED respect like we ladies NEED love...especially during conflict. The bottom line though, and what touched my heart the most is that we are COMMANDED to respect our husbands. By whom you ask??? God himself, in his word. Eph. 5:33 says "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."  Why would God our creator tell us to reverence our husbands if we did it naturally? We don't, it goes against our nature of who we are. The same thing goes for husbands. God is telling me to reverence Steve, it doesn't however tell me when...so I must assume it is ALL THE TIME. Not just when he treats me well, does what I want him too, I am in a good mood, etc... I reverence Steve because it is what I was told to do. PERIOD! As I reverence Christ my respect will overflow and fall on my husband. This is how God in his infinite wisdom has created us, so who am I to ask why??? If you ever have a chance to go to a conference, I highly recommend it! I will even watch your children while you go! It is life changing, and how Satan is attacking marriage these days, it is worth it! Help us to teach the next generation that enough is enough, we will stand for Christian marriage and NOT let Satan win the battle with the one we love. That commitment is forever, and in the scheme of eternity our little 80-100 years is so insignificant. Here's to a HAPPY MARRIAGE for you too!!!!!!! 

Our first race...

Let me start at the beginning. Just over a month ago my sister-in-law suggested I run in the women's 5K race in Nashville. I hadn't been running, I don't like running to be honest. Well Shiloh heard about it and that it was the day before her birthday and wanted to run in it. I talked to Steve, and we decided we would go ahead and sign up and start training. 4-5 weeks before our first race we started training. Neither of us had ever run any distance before, let alone 3 miles! So we started out running/walking 1 mile, then 1.5, then 2, etc...After we got the distance down, we started walking less and running more. Pretty soon we got down to 36 minutes, which I was SUPER pleased about! That is 3 12 minute miles...incredible for us I thought! But we had a week to go before our race and so we kept on training. We trained 5 days a week...We both got new shoes during this time too!

So the big day arrived! We got up at 5 in the morning, left by 5:20 and headed to Nashville! Shiloh was so excited! I was nervous! I don't really know why seeing as though I knew I could finish, but I was sick to my stomach! I couldn't believe it! The weather when we arrived was wonderful!!! High 60's and the sun hadn't risen yet. There were just over 600 ladies running in the 5K along with Shiloh, Annapurna, Lori, and I.

Just starting!  

So off we went. We ran the first few blocks and part way up the first hill. We walked some, but not as much as normal. What was totally unplanned was the fact that Shiloh would get her "game on" and want to run more! Several times she said "Come on Mom, Let's Run!" She got the competitive spirit! It was such a good run and a wonderful course! We had our names on our bibs...which was so nice to have people cheer you on by name! We ran 3.1 miles around downtown Nashville in 31.28 seconds...crossing the finish line in under our fastest time was such a wonderful feeling! Can't wait till our next one!  =) 

Here we are sprinting across the finish line!

All 4 of us, with our finishers medals.

Shiloh and Dawna Stone (founder of the race)

Shiloh and Abigail...1st and 2nd place

Shiloh Kathryn Bailey with her awards.

Mommy and Daughter!

A day in the life....

Well I have written in awhile. Seems like times just flies right on by! Between being a mom, wife, teacher, aunt, and EMT my life is so very full! Mommy-hood and Wife-hood are going well. The teacher part of me is going pretty well too, all things considered. I am teaching an 8th, 7th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd grader this year. They all know how to read, which is a HUGE accomplishment for a homeshool mom! The "aunt" in me has been kicked into high gear too. My brother, his wife, and 4 children moved into the area about 1 1/2 years ago and it has been a blast! I get to pick them up from school a couple times a month, we see them on Sundays, we have sleep-overs at Granny and Pops, etc...loving every minute of that! These next couple weeks I have my cousins 2 youngest while they go to Hawaii.(I know, I know, why can't I go to Hawaii and babysit them!?!?! It has crossed my mind but who would school my children?)  They are 11 months and 3. It has been awhile since I have had "little ones" in my house for extended periods of time. It is an adjustment for all of us! Sequoia (the 3 year old) is doing wonderfully and loving the "country time" that my nieces and nephews have come to appreciate. The 11 month old however, is just getting used to having 9 people around the supper table! I still work Wednesdays and my husband, who is as amazing as always, does the school, cleaning, etc...and gives me this day to work "outside of the house." So that is what occupies my time and I am loving every minute of it! LIFE IS GOOD!