A boy and a playground

My Aunt Susan and Cousin Sean recently came to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Sean spent the night with Andrew and I one night.  We had McDonald's for dinner AND breakfast.  And we just so happen to live right by a ginormous playground and took Sean there the next morning.  He had a blast and I had so much fun taking pictures of him!  The smile of this little boy having a ball on the playground is priceless!  Oh, what it would be like to be a kid again, sigh...

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back.  ~William D. Tammeus

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

at the Willis Household!

Oh, how I love Christmas!  Isn't it just the jolliest time of the year!

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

The Dogs of Christmas

Every year since 2003 I have been responsible for sending out the Christmas card.  And I am sure it comes as no surprise to you, that for the past 7 years I have sent out pictures of my lovely dogs on the cards.  A few years back, I was told by a few people that they really look forward to seeing my famous almost famous Christmas card to see what I am dressing the dogs up in now.  No pressure, right?  Now, I find myself thinking about the dogs Christmas card several weeks months in advance and brainstorming until I come up with something that will suffice until the next year.  Here are the years cards in pictures starting from the beginning.  Stay tuned for the dogs picture this year, it's gonna be a good one!  (Don't mind the picture quality in some of these pictures, they are old!)

2003 (not the digital age for me yet)

2004

2005

 

2006

2007

2008

2009

 

2010 - Coming Soon

Sweet Sixteen

We did it!  We battled the 22 mile per hour wind today and ran 16 miles to complete week 12 of our marathon training!  Only 6 more weeks to go!  It's crazy how fast time flies!  Almost 2 years ago to the day, I ran 16 miles with my mom and dad.  I was so miserable that day.  I still remember the pain and agony I felt on that day so well, as does my dad.

Today, I felt for my husband.  I am pretty sure he felt the same pain and agony, if not more so, that I once felt when I was training for my first marathon during that 16 mile run two years ago.  Poor guy!  For some reason, thank you God, I felt great, well as great as you can for running 16 miles in 22 mile per hour wind.  My knees only cursed at me for 8 miles and my feet only throbbed for 5.  I couldn't believe I really felt as good as I did.  I thought that maybe, just maybe I was going crazy.  Why was I fist pumping to the Black Eyed Peas at mile 14?  Why was I pretending to jump up and down at mile 15?  What the heck was wrong with me?  Maybe training for the second marathon really is easier than the first?  Could it be true?  If so, sign me up for a third!  Ha!  Just kidding...I got other plans after this one!

Back to my hubby, I am so proud of him!  He did it!  Longest run ever!  And he didn't even complain...that much.  And why was it so sweet you ask?  Because I kept my eye on the prize and had my very best friend right beside me.  Couldn't ask for anything sweeter than running next to your partner in crime and training for something so few partake in, 2 percent to be exact.  Oh, and we saw BIKER FOX!!!

Related?

What do you think?

*Don't mind my mom, she doesn't like smiling for pictures.  And my cousin Sean really wanted to be in the pic, hence him waving to the camera.

Thankful...

"God is glorified, not by our groans, but by our thanksgivings." Edwin Percy Whipple

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m going to tell you the significant and less significant things for which I am so very thankful...

1.  The best husband in the whole entire world, he would do anything to make me happy.
2.  My dog Macy, and my other dogs Roxy and Jaxon of course!
3.  My siblings and my parents and the awesome chaos that our big happy family creates!
4.  Being able to run the Walt Disney World Marathon again - thank you Dad!
5.  My profession allowing me to take care of children and dedicate my life to better others.
6.  The cutest little cousin who makes me smile every time I look at a picture of him.
7.  My favorite aunt is pretty cool too.
8.  My hoodie collection.
9.  Some of the best friends around, I love you guys!
10. My loving in-laws and extended family.
11. Our warm and cozy home.
12. Freedom, safety and security.
13. Catching up with a great friend.
14. Christmas Season - Deck the Halls!!!
15. Health and Happiness
16. Coffee.
17. The multiple vacations my husband lets me go on.
18. My camera - it allows me to capture wonderful memories.
19. My car.
20. New York & San Francisco
21. Being able to work with some of my most favorite people!
22. Being a Sooner!
23. Meaningful Quotes.
24. Sweat pants.
20. And above all, God, who gives me everything for which I am thankful for above.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Happy Birthday My Dear Macy!

Today is a big day around our household!  It is Macy's 11th birthday!  And you better believe we are celebrating!  Yes, you heard me right, I am celebrating the birth of my DOG!  For those that know me best, this comes as no surprise at all.  And for those of you that don't know me very well, you probably think I am nuts, unless of course you remember this post that I wrote I about my beloved dog back in September. If that's the case, then you probably already KNOW I am nuts.  That's ok though, I have no hard feelings!

Anyway, back to what I was saying...It's Macy's birthday!  Why am I making such a big deal about it you ask?  Well...besides the fact that I love her to death, when I first found out about Macy's heart and her likelihood of going into heart failure sooner rather than later, I was told she will probably only live 6-12 more months.  It has now been 2 years, and despite a cough, my pretty little princess of a dog is doing pretty well.  Thank you God!   

I am so blessed!  And no its not just because I have a dog that I love more than life itself, it is also because God gave me this awesome guy for a husband who, while the whole rest of the world thinks I am going crazy, he gets me.  He gets my love for this spoiled long-haired chihuahua.  He pretends to be is just as excited as I am to celebrate her birthday.  He lets me spoils her rotten too and loves her just almost as much as I do.   How did I get so lucky?

I love her to pieces and I will continue to celebrate her birthday for as long as she lives.   And as you can tell, she is just ecstatic about getting a year older!  Happy 11th birthday Macy girl!