AmyDale.com

Yer Mom (Debut Performance)

Recently, I was hanging out with some of my best friends while our husbands were watching football.  We are all musicians and decided to help Michelle finish a song that she had started.  We finished it and sang it through together and it was one of those moments where it feels like a light is shining down from heaven on you!  It was so much fun to write together and it just worked so well!  We performed it at our local open mic last night as Yer Mom!  So...here for your enjoyment: Yer Mom singing Makeshift!

Mega Blog Catch-up!

I think it has been about 10 months since I last blogged!  I have had my share of really valid excuses for why I haven't...but the other day I revisited this blog and read lots of the old posts...stories of my kids from their much smaller days...precious memories that are forever saved thanks to typepad and I decided that this was just too valuable to give up on.  I love having this family photo album/journal to look back on and the kids love looking back and reading stories about themselves.  So, I have resolved to do better!! 

On that note...I shall attempt to catch up on the time I have been "away".  Jon went to do a school in New York with Seth Godin.  This was an amazing experience and a huge blessing in so many ways!  We are so thankful for this opportunity.  It was not always easy being a single, home schooling mom of 4 kids, but we made it.  (Jon's business is doing really well now and we feel that the sacrifice was so worth it for so many reasons).  I got a chance to go and visit Jon in New York and we had a good time.  We saw the sites and even went to see the Blue Man Group.  Even better than that trip was a few months later when I got to take Anna for about a week to see Dad in New York.  It was soooo much fun!  We did just about everything and had such a brilliant time!! 

I decided that it would probably be a whole lot easier for me during Jon's school if I went and stayed in Texas with my parents.  So, the kids and I (and the most wonderful mother-in-law in the universe) loaded up and drove to Texas.  It was quite a journey, but we made it and we spent several months there.  It was a really sweet time.  I loved that my kids got to spend so much precious time with their Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa.  They played with the goats and chickens and puppies (oh my!) and did a LOT of swimming (which is something they don't do a whole lot of here in Colorado).  Anna is a great swimmer and after our time there Eli and Shae are both holding their own pretty well.  Aspen LOVES the water...she had a great time!  Maybe next summer she'll learn to swim.

Jon came home from his time in New York in July.  Just after he returned I left for a week for an artist's retreat called The Glen.  I did a week long fiction writing workshop and it was brilliant.  I learned so much and had a great time being with my lovely friends, Tara and Abigail!  It was a really good break for me to have a week with no kids! 

Other highlights...Greenday concert in August...AMAZING!!  Moved to a new place in September.  Huge blessing!  We love it here!  It feels like the country, but it's right in town.  It's on 6 acres and when there is not snow on the ground Anna and Eli are out riding dirt bikes all day long!

We had an early blizzard in October!  It was beautiful and a great start to the season!  The kids had a great Halloween.  Eli went as a skateboarder, Shae was Jessie (from Toy Story), Aspen was Tinkerbell, and Anna was a mad scientist. 

Thanksgiving we spent here with some of our very best friends!  We had an amazing time and I am so thankful for our family (whether related by blood or not)!

Christmas was an adventure!  We started with a mini-vacation which was SOOOOO much fun!  We went to Branson, MO and had a couple of days at Silver Dollar City.  We also went to Dixie Stampede.  And we got to reconnect with one of our best friends that we hadn't seen in years...it was fabulous!!!  The kids were so good and had such a great time!!  We traveled from there to Oklahoma and celebrated Christmas with some of my extended family and also got stuck in a snow storm in Lawton, OK without our stuff, but we found a hotel and made the most of it!  Then we traveled to Texas and had Christmas with the Dale family.  Sadly, just as we were sitting down for Christmas lunch I looked over at Aspen and realized that she was about to puke...sure enough I ran her to the bathroom just in the nick of time.  Apparently we brought the plague with us and wanted to make sure we shared it with everyone and almost everyone in the Dale extended family got to share in the experience with us...joy.  Then we went to my family and had Christmas there and thought we were no longer contagious...sadly, we were wrong.  So, if you didn't receive a Christmas gift from us this year...perhaps you should be thankful :)!

Needless to say we were pretty exhausted after all of this excitement!  We decided Christmas is not the best time to travel and thought maybe it would be good to travel other times and stay home at Christmas. 

Jon had a birthday shortly after we returned home and I surprised him with a little get together to celebrate him.  It was really fun and pretty amazing considering my lack of ability to keep anything from him!

We have starting having a home fellowship here on Sunday mornings.  It has been soooo beautiful.  We are so excited to worship and talk about Jesus together!  Our times have been so rich!  We are excited to see what God does in this new year!

OK...now here's a brief kid update.  Anna is now 10 and in 4th grade.  Her health is now excellent!  She is doing fabulous in school.  She makes amazing claymation films (you can see them on her youtube channel) and she is an all around great kid with a great sense of humor and immense creativity!  Currently, she wants to be an inventor or filmmaker when she grows up.  She is doing an 8 week course at Breckenridge to improve her snowboarding skills, so every Friday she gets to go snowboarding with her dad...tough life!

Elijah is just about to turn 7.  He loves skateboarding and tech-decking.  He has built a huge tech-deck skate park with cardboard in his room.  He is also super creative and is a fantastic artist.  He loves to draw.  He is a really loving kid.  He is doing great in school and learning a ton.  He is starting to really read now!  He is also doing the snowboarding program with Anna and I think all of his hours of skateboarding have helped him a lot!  He currently wants to be a professional skateboarder when he grows up.

Shae is 5 and she is beautiful!  She is very compassionate and affectionate!  She is also VERY inquisitive.  Which means a LOT of questions all the time!!  She loves animals and babies and is really good with both of them!  She makes up songs a lot and they are really cute!  She is doing well in school and is beginning to read a bit!  She currently wants to be a vet and a mommy when she grows up!

Aspen is 3!  A lot has happened in the last 10 months for her.  She was potty trained and is even out of the pull-ups at night now!  Woo-hoo!!  She is going to be moving to the big girl bed very soon!  So exciting!  She also said bye-bye to the bottle which she was seriously addicted to!  She is an absolute Joy and we all love her so very much.  She is talking a lot now although she is pretty difficult to understand.  One thing she is very adamant about is that she is a big girl...if you call her baby even as an affectionate term she will correct you.  The funny thing is that the way she says "big girl" sounds very, very similar to "bird dog".  So, that is what she gets called quite a bit around here :).  I try to include her when I school Shae and Eli, so she is learning some basics and is doing well at sitting still and coloring.  She is currently undecided in what she wants to be, but I suspect that it would probably be to take over Tinkerbell's job.

We also have a new dog.  Maggie was NOT the right fit for us and my parents very graciously told us that we could bring her to them and we could take one of their dogs (they raise standard poodles...check out their site www.greatpoodles.com ).  So we picked the one we liked the most and brought him home.  His name was Pierre when we got him, but Jon wanted a more manly name...so he is now...Bear!  He is the PERFECT dog for us.  We adore him!  He's only about 1 1/2 and he is super calm and loving!  So, thanks again, Mom and Dad!  He is such a blessing to our family!

OK...that should do it!  Whew!

Good News! 3/9/09

This morning Anna and I had a visit with our doctor.  We are happy to report good news!  Her blood pressure is down, her fever is gone, her urine is much better...only trace amounts of blood and white blood cells.  The doctor said he is very encouraged and we don't go in again for a week!  He also said we should go ahead with our travel plans.  Her right foot is still swollen and occasionally painful and she has been having some stomach discomfort for the last 3 days.  The stomach issue is just something that comes with this syndrome...we are just watching to make sure it is just minor discomfort.  We are so thankful that she is doing so well!!!  Thank you for all your prayers!!

Update 3/04/09

We had an encouraging visit to the doctor today.  Anna seems to be feeling better today than she has in a week!  She is walking normally and doesn't seem to be in any pain.  She is developing some new spots, but most of the ones on her legs and feet are beginning to fade.  Her blood pressure has gone back down to normal.  And her urine had only trace amounts of blood, but still some protein.  It seems like overall she is on the mend and the doctor seems optimistic about her kidneys being OK.  We are going back in on Monday to see how things are progressing (I will post another update after that visit).  Thank you for all your prayers.  We are so thankful to see her back to her old cheerful self!!

Update on Anna 3/02/09

I will be using my blog as an update place for Anna for the next little while.  So, here is the latest after the most recent doctor visit. 

Her eyes have improved dramatically.  Her skin is going through the normal cycle of this condition.  The spots from last week have almost vanished completely.  New spots have developed on her ankles, knees, and legs.  There is still swelling in one ankle that we need to keep a close eye on.  Her blood pressure was slightly elevated and her urine contained small traces of blood and protein.  So, we are going back in on Wednesday to test again and make sure the levels are not going up. 

She is feeling OK.  Her main symptoms are joint and muscle pain and at times it is difficult for her to get around. 

I will post again with any new developments.

HENOCH-SCHOENLEIN PURPURA...gesundheit

This is just an update on what is going on with our oldest, Anna Rose.  A few days ago she had a really strange reaction on her ankles and both feet became really swollen and she was in a lot of pain. So, I took her to the doctor. He diagnosed her with Henoch-Schoenlein Purpura, which is a type of vasculitis (basically, this is an inflammation of the blood vessels). So, basically in very rare cases people who get a virus (she just had a cold) will have it turn into this thing. He said he sees maybe one case a year and hers is really bad. She was in a lot of pain and couldn't really walk. The disease will go away after about a month to six weeks, but she will need to be monitored for about six months to make sure there is no kidney damage. The main issue is the concern that it could attack major organs. When he tested her urine she had blood in it....so her kidneys have been affected in some small way, but it is very minor as of now.

The next morning she woke at 4 in the AM with one eye swollen shut and the other on it's way and her throat felt swollen. So, I was about to take her to the ER, but the doctor called and suggested I give her Benedryl and wait until 7 and come to the office.  So, when we got there he said that we were going to need to treat it a bit more aggressively.  So, he put her on steroids.  Basically, we will go in once a week for the next month to make sure that everything is in good condition and then once a month for 6 months to make sure that we are still on track. And if anything seems amiss he will admit her.

This isn't as dire as it sounds.  She will probably be absolutely fine with no complications, but we just have to monitor her really closely.  The good news is that she is not in extreme pain anymore and she can walk normally now.  She does have some joint pain (which is another symptom of this condition), but we are able to keep this tolerable with pain meds.

Anyway, Jon rushed home to be with us this weekend and Seth sent him a message and suggested that he stay for a week (I have a lot of love for that man now...thank you Seth!!!).  So, we have him home for a whole week.  It is really a huge blessing and has really helped raise Anna's spirits to have him here. 

So, that's the latest.  A little more drama than we are used to, but we are getting through it and Anna is a real trooper. 

Anna yesterday:

 

Anna today:

 

Our New Adventure

I am extremely proud of my super-hero husband, Jon!  I always am...but recently I have yet another reason to be impressed.  In December he applied for an Alternative MBA program started by marketing/business guru Seth Godin...shortly after his Christmas-time jaunt to New York (I was a little jealous) we were notified that he had been accepted.  Yes, it is confirmed, he is the super-genius I always knew he was!!

So here we are about 5 weeks after the start of the program.  He is living in New York and coming home as often as he can for the next 6 months.  He is learning a ton, meeting all kinds of amazing people (including the other 8 participants), getting to spend lots of time gleaning from Seth's knowledge, and changing our future (and, hopefully, the future of lots of others too).  I am so excited for him and for us! 

Jon and I have always wanted to be world-changers.  We have had big dreams of doing big things and traveling around the world and seeing impact in communities as well as individuals.  I feel like now we are being given tools to enable us to do things that are almost beyond belief!

We watched "Slumdog Millionaire" today and I felt so overwhelmed afterwords by the sheer magnitude of how much sadness and injustice is going on in other parts of the world.  I felt powerless and impotent to do anything...I even said "what can one person even do..." my heart just hurt, even after the happy ending.  My husband reminded me that one person can make all the difference...one person can change the course of many lives.  I would add...especially if that one person is Jon Dale.  Yes, I am shamelessly bragging on my husband, but he is so worthy of praise. 

I am thankful for a man who constantly pushes against complacency (in himself and in others), who injects people with hope, belief, and a boldness to go forward, and who is not afraid to be exactly who God made him to be. 

So, go forth, Jon and do what you've got to do.  The kids and I are anxiously awaiting your permanent return, but till then I will hold down the fort and all will be well.

26.2 Miles and Lots of Eating!

We recently returned home after being away for almost a month.  It was such a great trip!  So much went on!!  We got to spend time with our families, which was great!  We started the trip staying with my mom and dad and got to see their new house, which is AMAZING!  I love it!  We also had some of our very best friends, Barry and Michelle Patterson and Melissa Clegg come to my parents house and do a house concert.  It was SO great!  Then 2 days later I ran my first full marathon!  It was quite an experience!  It took me so long, but I did finish!  I couldn't really walk right for about 2 days, but it was worth it! 

 

The day after the marathon Jon and I and Tony and Felicity (Jon's parents) all left for Mexico.  We went to El Dorado Royale, an all inclusive resort near Cancun.  We were there for a week.  My parents were back home working hard to take care of all 4 kids...THANK YOU!!  We had a fantastic time!  It was so relaxing!  We basically just ate and laid out on beds by the pool and read.  We did go snorkeling one day and saw an octopus and sea turtle and all kinds of other creatures.  Jon had a ride on the spinnaker swing.  It was so good for us! 

 

When we came home we had some time with Jon's siblings and then were back to my mom and dad's for Thanksgiving!  It was so wonderful as always!  A highlight of the trip for me was my date with my mom!  It was great!  We went shopping on black Friday and it wasn't even that crowded.  It was soooo much fun!  Then we had lunch at Taco Bueno...one of my favorites that we don't have here!  Then we topped it off with a pedicure.  I loved it all!  My dad used his amazing photography skills to take some pictures of our family before we left.  Even with skills it is almost impossible to get a picture with 4 small kids all being still and smiling!

Since I have been home I have discovered a new website that I love and I think anyone with small kids should know about!  It's called Jellytelly.  It's Phil Vischer's (creator of VeggieTales) new endeavor.  It's a website that has a new show on it everyday and it teaches kids about the Bible and science and all sorts of other educational stuff.  You can get one month free and after that it's only $3 a month!!  I LOVE it and so do my kids.  Check it out at www.jellytelly.com

Halloween and A Scary Week

So, we had a great time this Halloween!  We didn't have snow and freezing weather which was a really nice change! 

Aspen went as a love bug, Elijah was a robot (with the coolest hoodie ever), Shae was a pirate, and Anna was Velma from Scooby-Doo.  Anna looked a lot like Velma...it was a little weird.  No one recognized her unless she was standing with all of us. 

Aspen really caught right on to trick-or-treating.  She looked up at me with awe after the first person shoved a handful of candy in her bag.  After that she was ready to hold her bag out to anyone she met.

I have recently had a minor injury in my left foot.  I got tendonitis.  So, I bought new shoes (I had run 300 miles in my other pair) and I'm taking lots of Aleve.  So, my Halloween experience involved a lot of wincing and limping. 

Thankfully, my foot is much better.  I haven't run consistantly in about two weeks though which is a little scary considering that I am running a marathon in a week.  The first week was foot recovery.  And week 2 is the scary week.  It was stomach virus week here at the Dale house.  Monday night was Aspen, Tuesday night was Shae, Wednesday night was Elijah, (I was exhausted at this point), Thursday night was ME and Anna (poor Anna passed out and bruised her cheek walking from one room to the other), and Saturday night it was Jon's turn!  Wow!  Some of us are now suffering from cold-like symptoms...NOOOO!  I will be shoving all sorts of immune booster vitamins in all of us and hoping for the best!  I am just really glad this week is OVER!!

Today the kids and I were DONE being in the house after a week of sickness.  I got a friend to watch Aspen and took the 3 older kids to Sonic and then to see "Madagascar 2"!  It was soooo much fun and was so great to get out of the house!  Then we decided to go to the park and have some more fun before coming home.  So, we went and played for a while longer...it was glorious!

It's That Time of Year Again!

So, first let me catch you up a bit on what I haven't been blogging about.  I just got back from Scotland...where I ministered with women through worship.  It was amazing and I cannot wait to go back and take my family to meet my new Scottish family! 

All is well here...as well as can be expected when you have 4 young kids and home school.  I have occasional bouts of too much chaos, but overall we do pretty well!  I am training for a marathon November 16th and this weekend I have a 21 mile run...eek!  I will feel much relief when that is over!

Yesterday we woke to about 6 inches of snow.  So, fall kind of slipped away rather quickly.  It was beautiful while it lasted.  I love to see the Aspens changing. 

So, to welcome in this next season we went tonight and bought pumpkins.  The kids all helped dad carve theirs...except for Aspen who just colored on hers (she was already in bed when we took the pictures).  It is my favorite time of year now!  I love everything about October-December.  I'm excited to start sharing some traditions with my kids...they are excited too!

So, without further ado...the pumpkins!

Anna Turns 9!!

So, today we celebrated Anna's 9th birthday!  It was so much fun!  She wanted to have an artist party.  So, we had some of her closest friends over and we made creations with clay and decorated cupcakes and painted with watercolors.  It was great!  Anna had a great time! 

We had some pretty amazing artwork created!  So, here are a few samples of the amazing pieces!

September Update

I just realized I never posted any pictures of the talent portion of the great birthday pageant.  So, here's some shots of me and my homegirl, Becky, getting down with "Shoop" by Salt-n-Pepa.  Notice we even have 2 fly girls...oh we are sooo hip!

I am getting to the end of the grand hunting trip.  Jon has been gone since the 8th.  We have all survived pretty well...even continuing home schooling and dentists appointments and dance and music lessons and all that.  I do feel that I have just about reached the end and thankfully he is getting home tomorrow night.  I have missed him desperately.  It's harder than him just being out of town because he is in the wilderness and I can't even talk to him on the phone.  I am just hoping that maybe he'll get an elk right at the last minute.  That would be awesome for him!

It seems like this is a really busy season for us (probably because it IS).  I am leaving in about 2 weeks for Scotland with WWF (worship not wrestling).  We are a group of 11 ladies...artists, musicians, intercessors, writers, dancers, etc. and we are going over to minister to a group of ladies there and spend lots of time worshiping together!  It should be awesome.  The weekend before we leave I have another monster training run...21 miles...help me Jesus!

My kids are doing well.  There has been a bit of mischief.  I found them yesterday in the yard (Elijah and Shae) naked and pooping.  Yes, you read correctly...I can't really say what possessed them to do this.  They hadn't been outside for long.  I was helping Anna with school and when she got a break she went to play outside and immediately came back in to report the crime.  In Shae's defense she only peed...it was my man child that felt the need to poop in my yard right next to the road for all the world to see.  Ah well, that is life and I wanted to record this now so that I can be sure to remind them when they are older of all the lovely and adorable things they did :).

I'm throwing some recent shots of them on here.  I asked Elijah to go get dressed and he came back still in his PJ's just covered with underwear as well.  Shae and Eli have had a lot of fun recently playing in suitcases and pulling each other around.  The picture of Aspen is when I made the mistake of leaving a spoon covered in sour cream on the table and discovered that she apparently really likes sour cream.

An Early Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Well, Anna had been having a toothache lately and I decided to do the responsible parent thing and take her to the dentist.  We then discovered that one of her baby teeth (that she normally wouldn't lose until 11 or 12) was causing problems and needed to be pulled.  So, today we went back in for the big procedure.  Anna was such a trooper and was so brave.  I was so proud of her.  The dentist that we found is amazing...I love her!!  It went really well and now Anna gets to get an early visit from the tooth fairy who pays double when the tooth has to be pulled, so she is really feeling pretty good about the whole situation.  After our ordeal the dentist recommended a milkshake eaten with a spoon, but Anna voted instead for a raspberry frappucino!  So, she twisted my arm till I took her to Starbucks! 

Shae had her first dance class today at the same time.  I don't have pictures because I wasn't there, but it sounds like she had a great time!  I'm sure she will be a natural!  She dances around the house all the time. 

18 Miles!

I did my first 18 mile run 2 days ago!  I was so encouraged because it was so much easier than I thought it was going to be.  I was really stressed out about it and then I just started running and I counted down every mile...only 17 more to go...only 16 more to go...and somehow (4 and 1/2 hours later) I did it!  I am slow...I will not win any awards, but I finished.

What inspires me?  Right now, for this particular event in my life (training for a marathon), it is a journey that God has led me to.  And the idea that I am doing something that I NEVER thought I could EVER, EVER do is breaking through things in me and changing who I am!  I see the truth in the verse, "I am weak, but He is strong," and in my weakness He is showing me His strength and who I really am as His daughter.  And I must admit when I finished that 18th mile I felt like one tough cookie! 

Loads of things inspire me...my family, friends, other athletes, even silly things like Queen Latifah's song "I'm a Champion"...but the way that the Father inspires me goes beyond anything I could think or ask and I always come out changed! 

Labor Day Running

So, after months of training...the Dub P Runners got our chance to show our stuff.  We were in the American Discovery Trail half marathon.  The night before was great fun!  We went to Macaroni Grill for some carb loading.  It was sooo yummy! 

And my rock star husband/coach extraordinaire was showered with thank you gifts from the team! 

The morning of the race finally arrived (after very sleepless nights for some) and we all felt pretty nervous, but ready to go!  I was so proud of all of them!  They were amazing!  Our team had LOTS of adversity...during the race...major stomach issues, knee injuries, a cold going into it...but, they ALL finished!  They were amazing!  Way to go team...you have HEART and I love you all! 

Woooo-hooooo!

A Visit to the Cliff Dwellings

That time is here again.  The time for school to begin.  So, as shocking as it may seem, we actually started on the same day as our local public schools.  We have been going for about 2 weeks now and we are starting to get into the swing of things. 

Anna is doing really well and can now do so much on her own...which is a great help!  Elijah and Shae are schooling together, sort of a preschool/kindergarten mix and that is going better than I expected.  Aspen usually naps during school time, so that makes it easier.  My house and laundry are suffering a bit as I am trying to readjust to being a teacher until noon and then maintaining the energy to continue doing everything else after that.

So, in an attempt (again) to start posting on a regular basis for my 3 fans...here I go!  We took a recent field trip for school to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.  We have been studying Native Americans and decided while it was fresh on our minds we would visit.  It was really cool. The kids LOVED it!  I had to drag them away.  They wanted to live in the tipi forever.  We did a round dance in the tipi and then Anna attempted to tell us the story of the pictures on the canvas...which was very entertaining.  All in all it was a very successful first school outing of the year. 

Summer Fun

So, I haven't posted much this summer for a variety of reasons (or excuses).  My digital camera suddenly went kaput...but my husband recently bought me a new iPhone which has a decent camera in it.  So, I am feeling somewhat optimistic that I can start blogging again!  This post is a lot of catch-up!  This is a recent picture of me and mine at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo...we just bought a season pass...so I'm sure we will have a lot more memories made there!  It's a great zoo and a really great work-out (it's on the side of a mountain). 
 
We also got some new deck furniture at a garage sale which we have been enjoying immensely.  We have some amazing sunsets here (not to mention...a pretty nice view of the mountains).  It's been really nice to sip a cup of coffee and read a book and enjoy the scenery...very life-giving!

Another major event that went on a few weeks ago was a pageant party (it was a birthday party for 4 of our friends and a very elaborate pageant)...I was Ms. Oklahoma!  I, kind of looked more like Ms. Mafia, oh well.  The dress was in the after prom sale rack at JC Penney and was $11...so it was, of course, perfect.  It was a lot of fun.  There were 10 contestants (including Miss Bipolar and Miss Cellaneous).  There was a talent competition and an interview and, of course, a group dance.  My talent was rapping (but everyone already knows that).  Needless to say...the night was hilarious!
 

WWF (women's worship fellowship) recently made their first recording.  I got to be a part of that and it was awesome!!!  So, many great and super talented women.  Amazing songs and sweet times of worship.  We rehearsed/recorded all week and it was kind of a drag when it was over (oh yeah, I have to do laundry).  I'm not sure when the CD will be released, but I will be sure to let you know!

Elijah learned to ride a bike without training wheels a few days ago and now he is constantly asking me to come outside and watch his tricks (which consist of him driving around the driveway in circles).  It is pretty cute! 

Anna saved up some money recently and bought herself a tin can robot.  She is super excited about it and really enjoys it!  We will start school pretty soon and will be home schooling again.  She is really excited about it which is a bonus!  All the kids are stoked (except Aspen who could care less).  It should be an interesting journey this year.  We shall see how it goes!  That's all for now...hopefully if I do this more often it won't be as painful!

Lovin' Summer/Summer Lovin'

So, it's been a while since I posted and I found my camera, but can't find the battery...so hopefully soon I will be able to post more pictures, but not this time. 

I took the kids for a walk today to the park and back (even took the dog)...it was quite a circus but they all did really well, even Shae who is recovering from stomach junk.  Yesterday we went to an Indian restaurant for lunch and as we are walking through the middle of the restaurant to our table Shae pukes all over the floor...yeah...I didn't really enjoy Indian food as much as I normally do.  But, she seems to be doing a lot better.

Summer has been wonderful and we are enjoying our (finally) nice weather!  It is beautiful!  We've already taken a one night camping trip and tried out our new tent....note to self:  do not go camping during allergy season!!  It was fun, but we're anxious to try again when the nights are a bit warmer and the pollen count is down. 

Anna is soon to be leaving for camp.  She's going to a camp put on by "International House of Prayer" with one of her best friends.  She's so excited!  Elijah and Shae are just really stoked to be able to go play outside without putting on 20 layers of clothing.  We've been enjoying time at the library and lots of time in the yard.  Aspen is such an outside baby.  She loves to draw with sidewalk chalk and loves it when the big kids blow bubbles.  I think we are going to get some play sand soon so they'll have a sandbox to play in as well!  Yippee!

Jon is doing well and enjoying the weather.  He's been mountain biking a lot and wants to go kayaking, but hasn't gotten out yet this season. 

As for me...I am doing really well!  I am beginning my full marathon training.  I run 3 times a week with one of those being a long run.  I've also been doing a lot of speed work which has helped my time so much.  I did my fastest 5k recently...about 35 minutes.  I didn't say I was fast...just faster!  So, I would be really excited if I could average 13 minute miles for an entire marathon...I would be ecstatic if I could average around 11, but I guess we shall just have to wait and see! 

I've also been writing a lot of songs lately.  Maybe I'll start posting them on here...maybe.  Soooo, that's the latest in the Dale family news!  Now, I'm off to find that darn camera battery! 

12 Years and 13.1 Miles

So, Jon and I just got back from an amazing long weekend!  We spent 4 days in Nashville for our 12th anniversary!  It was sooo much fun!  We went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw Trace Atkins, Little Jimmy Dickens (he sang one of my favorites..."May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose"), and Crystal Gayle...along with a lot of other incredibly talented people including some awesome Bluegrass bands!  We also did the Country Music Hall of Fame.  They had a special exhibit about the Hank Williams family...it was really cool.  One of the more bizarre items we saw there was a group of squirrels that Hank Williams shot and then took to a taxidermist and had them posed as though they were a band all playing instruments...yeah, drinking too much is a baaaad habit!

Jon also surprised me with an amazing gift (he's really good at that)!  I knew that we were going somewhere for something at 2 and when we got there it was the Gibson store and we got to take a factory tour...I thought that was the surprise and I was so excited!  It was really cool.  When we got done with the tour there was an employee sitting on a counter playing this beautiful guitar and Jon called me over to look at it.  It was amazing...the guy starting telling me about it...it's a custom, one of a kind guitar, when they make only one of a kind they name it...it's called "Bloodshot"...then after a little more chit chat he hands it to me and says "you should play your new guitar"!  I started crying and all the employees were gathered around to watch the spectacle...it was awesome and the guitar is soooo amazing!  I could not have picked a better one myself!  I love it!  It's red and it sounds awesome!  The thing about that gift is that it's more than a guitar...it's my husband telling me that he believes in me and that I should keep playing and keep writing and keep learning!  So, thank you Jon for being the best and loving me so well!

Another seemingly insignificant highlight was a trip to Cooter's!  Those of you who also wasted large portions of your childhood humming "just some good ol' boys, never meanin' no harm" know what I mean when I say Cooter!  Yes indeed I did get to meet the General Lee face to face and got to see more "Dukes" memorabilia than I thought possible...at one point I actually owned quite a few of the things that were displayed.  It was a great redneck education for my British husband...he told me that we needed to leave Tennesee quick because I was starting to sound like one of them!

So, the reason we picked Nashville for our trip is because about 6 months ago I signed up to do my first ever half marathon..."The Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon".  And on Saturday morning we awoke at 4 AM to get to the field and the shuttle and all that good stuff and stood at the starting line for over an hour waiting for my corral to be called to go.  It was raining and luckily I had bought a rain jacket the night before because we heard the forecast.  Finally, they counted us down and we took off.  I ran a 4 x 2 this time (run 4 minutes walk 2 minutes).  I did well...Nashville is very hilly!  It was a great way to see a city.  The rain didn't last long.  We ran downtown and through quaint little neighborhoods.  People were lining the streets to cheer us on and bands were playing.  There was even an older couple sipping champagne and toasting us.  It was great!  We had an awesome time.  Jon was the best support team ever...he's the reason I was there at all.  He met me at mile 1, 2 and 9 and then at the finish line (the course curved around on itself and he was able to cut across at those places).  Crossing the finish line was an overwhelming feeling.  I never knew that I could do that or even anything close to that.  I have new goals set already.  I am doing another half marathon on September 1st and this time my goal is to run the whole time.  I've also signed up for a full marathon in November...yikes!  I just want to finish that one...it feels impossible, but so did this 6 months ago!

Special thanks to our friend Tracey for helping with our kids and to Jon's parents Tony and Felicity for staying with the kids all weekend!  And thank you to all my family and friends who have encouraged and cheered me on for months!  To my husband and my kids you are the best support team in the universe and I would rather run for you and to you than anyone!  I love you so much!  You can see video of me crossing the finish line at www.jondale.com

Lego Jesus

So, we have started something new in our house.  Every night one kid helps with dinner (except Aspen...she's not on the list yet).  And their job includes making dinner (with some help), serving it, and creating a centerpiece to make the table pretty, then helping clean up afterward! 
So, this is Elijah's centerpiece from his night...Jesus on the cross and the other two guys...one who appears to be an astronaut of some sort and the other has a black face (maybe that represents his sinfulness)!  Jon and I got a big kick out of this so I thought I should share!