Yes, I'm here....

I haven't posted in awhile. That would be because our modem died. But, my wonderful husband bought one this evening and got it going as I was having a "Girls' Night Out" with my friend, Lori.

Now, it's late...I must go to bed.

Tomorrow, I'll do my best to post!

Later.

A Few Happy Things....

Here's a little story....I hope you can follow my writing :)

I've been looking for a little farm set for Luke for Christmas. A couple of weeks ago, I found this farm set at Wal-Mart. The price -- $34.97.

(This photo was actually taken after this story ended -- but, I decided to show it now).



After finding it, I thought to myself, "I'm not going to buy it yet. I'm going to look around a bit."

Last week, I went one evening to Target. I actually went there for the one specific reason of picking out and purchasing new glasses -- as well as ordering new contacts for the next year (yes, I'm blind without the assistance). Target optical accepts the eye coverage through Marc's job -- Cessna.

After making the decision as to which glasses I was going to purchase....which, by the way, here they are (excuse the photo because these frames obviously weren't yet adjusted to my face and the tag was still on since these were for the showroom).



By the way, when they do come in, I'll take a better photo when they're adjusted with no tags -- also, I'll take a photo of my current (old) glasses for comparison.

Anyways, when the employee was entering all of my information as well as my order into the computer, I looked up and noticed a sign: "This week only -- $25 gift card to Target with any full set of glasses purchase."

Ahhh -- how nice would that be -- a gift card?

So, after finishing up with Optical, I took my $25 gift card and headed to the toys' section -- just to look.

I happened to notice the same farm set on SALE for $24.99....

Whoa -- Can we just say, "S.C.O.R.E.?"

My gift card would cover the "on-sale" price of this farm set. I only needed to pay the sales tax.....

Oh -- I was so excited....I definitely will NOT say that we bought this farm set for Luke for FREE (Marc and I don't like that word in this household) as I did have to purchase a pair of glasses for this, BUT it certainly does help when you get a bonus like this...

So, that was my sheer excitement for last week -- Hey! It doesn't take much, does it?

*****

I haven't posted any photos of Luke for awhile, and since he makes me so very happy, I'll post a photo.

He loves waving the American flag around, and this day (last week) was no exception.



And, photos of Marc and Luke together certainly make me happy as well, and so, from this past Sunday, here's a photo of my two guys reading together on the couch.



*****

And, one last "happy" thing....

Marc has given me flowers several times over the course of our dating/engagement/marriage. I R.E.A.L.L.Y. appreciate the fact that he doesn't overdo it with flowers because then, when I do get flowers, I genuinely appreciate them.

Anyways, last Saturday, to my surprise, Marc showed up at home (after running some errands) with this....



It's actually supposed to be from er....Luke. But, since we all know Luke is not yet capable of going to a flower shop alone and purchasing a flower, it ultimately did come from Marc. But, I was definitely sure to thank them both.

Marc said that "Luke just really wanted to thank his Mommy for taking good care of him each and every day. That way, Daddy doesn't have to sit and work and worry. He can focus on doing a good job at work."

That's sooooo sweet of them both :) I loved it! I think I even cried!

Those are my happy things for the last week!

68 Years Ago Today....

December 7, 1941, is the "date which will live in infamy."

Yes, 68 years ago today, Pearl Harbor was bombed -- on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

The USS Arizona Memorial was established in 1962 and is comanaged by the National Park Service and the Navy. The USS Arizona was a ship which sank during the attack. It serves as a burial for the 1,102 crew members who died on the ship.

Almost 4 years ago (January, 2006), Marc and I were in Hawaii. My job took me there for a few days, and then, Marc joined me. After my "work" time, we vacationed. We spent half of the time on the big island of Hawaii. We then jetted over to Oahu. It was on that island that we visited the USS Arizona Memorial -- located in Pearl Harbor.

I'm not really sure of which words I'd like to use to describe our experience. I often times think the word "surreal" is most definitely overused, but I guess I'll use that word in this case.

It was weird for me to think that this beautiful place was the sight of a horrible attack back in 1941. It was kind of hard for me to imagine.

It also made me want to honor our servicemen and servicewomen even more....the sacrifice they make for our country.

Here are a few photos....they weren't taken with the best of cameras, but they do capture the moment, I guess.

The big anchor you see as you enter the museum....



The Navy actually takes you out on the boat to the actual memorial -- built over the sunken USS Arizona Ship.



On this memorial, there is a big wall listing all who lost their lives during this attack -- on the USS Arizona, specifically.



Parts of the USS Arizona stick out above the surface of the water.





You can also see the ship underneath the water.



And, who's this cute couple -- with the Memorial behind them in the distance?



Marc and I do have one regret from this visit -- There were a few Pearl Harbor survivors actually greeting the crowds as they enter the museum. Obviously, these guys had aged. But, they had their "Pearl Harbor" survivor hats on...they were obviously proud to have served our country and proud to stand there greeting people. Marc and I, for whatever reason, did not go and talk to these guys (yes, we said "Hi" but that was about all). We now regret that we didn't take the time to go and talk to them. You know they have stories. Plus, World War II veterans are becoming few and far between....It's important, we think, to listen to their stories and learn from them.

But, obviously, we can't live in the past. It's just a mistake we made -- not talking to them. If you go to this memorial anytime soon, please make every effort to talk with the World War II veterans who may be greeting at the doors.

*****

For those of you who have been to Hawaii -- you may offer your own opinion, but first, I'll share mine...

I've been to Hawaii twice in my life -- once when I was 20 and once when I was almost 30. I enjoyed the second time more as a) I was with my husband and b) we had a little more money with which to enjoy our trip and c) I had grown up some by age 30 and appreciated the trip much more....

When I was 20, I visited (with a friend) the islands of Oahu and Maui. I really enjoyed Maui as it was definitely pretty. I enjoyed Oahu but not as much as it's much too touristy and commercialized.

When Marc and I went (when I was almost 30), we visited the big island of Hawaii and Oahu. We mainly visited Oahu for the USS Arizona Memorial. We both too enjoyed the big island MUCH more than Oahu; however, we are definitely glad we went to the USS Arizona Memorial.

Long story short -- islands other than Oahu are much prettier and much more relaxing.

Feel free to visit Rich & Carolyn's blog -- they just returned from a two-week trip to Hawaii and according to the blog, had a FABULOUS time. Plus, there are some great photos.

*****

Much of the midwest tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday will be getting some yucky winter weather. So, to put us all in a better mood -- I'll share some beautiful Hawaii photos from our trip nearly four years ago....









Yes, this is Marc playing in the ocean....



O.K., that's all for now -- stay warm!

And, most importantly, remember to honor those servicemen and servicewomen who are serving our country!

A Day Trip A Few Hours Northeast of Here....

Two days after Thanksgiving (Saturday, November 28), my friend, Sarah, and I traveled up to Kansas City for the day to visit our friend Lisa. Several posts ago, I made reference to Lisa in that she's been up in Kansas City for several weeks undergoing a Stem Cell Transplant for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

For the previous two Sundays, our Sunday School class at church pooled some money together to give to them for whatever expenses they might want to use the money for....

So, Sarah and I left bright and early in the morning for the 3 hour (or so) drive.

First, we stopped and purchased some balloons and a card for Lisa. Here's Sarah -- modeling with the nice balloons.



We had told Lisa we wouldn't be there until after lunch, and so first -- eating lunch. Sarah and I both agreed that we would eat at establishments we did NOT have locally. So, we managed to find a Jose Pepper's. Mexican food is always yummy!

After we were seated, we decided we should have some guacamole as an appetizer. Personally, I thought this guacamole was pretty good! I'd recommend it if you ever go to a Jose Pepper's. Here's the interesting part of our experience, though. They placed hand sanitizer at each table for you to use. Perhaps that's common now (Marc and I don't eat out too much). But, that was a first for me.

Yes, this photo is to show the hand sanitizer, but it also manages to show the guacamole.



I must digress from the point of this post for just a moment -- I'm all for sanitation, killing germs, being clean, etc. etc. etc. But, every once in awhile, I feel we've gone too far. Are we losing the opportunity to build up our own immunity in our bodies?

Who knows? Those thoughts just really crossed my mind as I sat at a restaurant where hand sanitizer was given at the table :)

Overall, I enjoyed the restaurant and the shrimp taco I ate. I'd recommend it for a change from what we have around here. You'll have to talk to the other Sarah for her opinion.

After eating, we headed to Lisa's aunt and uncle's house. She and her husband Mark are staying at this house for recovery -- until she's released by her doctor to return home.

So, with the balloons in hand, we headed inside.

We sat and visited with Lisa & Mark for close to three hours. It was good to see them both. It was wonderful to be able to present them with the balloons, card, and money from our Sunday School class.

We also presented Lisa this devotional book.



Our friend Jess has mentioned this book on her blog. This book has spoken to her, and after speaking with Jess about this book, we decided to give it to Lisa as well.

We're sure Lisa was tired after our visit. So, at that point, we left.

Lisa -- if you're reading this -- know that we're all praying for you down here. We're hoping you guys get to return home soon!

Sarah and I decided that we'd been sitting too much that day. Before the three-hour trip home, we needed to walk around a bit....

So, how about a trip to Oak Park Mall?

It was packed with people, of course. But, Sarah and I both managed to find a few things. For me, a new coat (of all things) and a cute shirt for Luke (it'll be his Christmas shirt -- so stay tuned for future photos, I'm sure). You can ask Sarah in person what she purchased.

Finally, we decided we probably should head home. We were already going to be getting home later than what we had told our husbands.

Again, we wanted something we couldn't get here to eat for supper. We had seen a sign earlier for Chick-Fil-A. You know -- that wonderful chain of restaurants that exists primarily in the south. Wichita does have one, but it's on the Wichita State University campus -- not exactly convenient for us.

When filling up the car with gas, we managed to find somebody who could give us good directions to one. It was a bit out of our way, but we did it anyways.

Here's the lovely photo of myself in front of Chick-Fil-A.



We're both sooooo glad we went out of our way. It was just such a wonderful experience. The food was good! The service was fantastic. The employees were courteous. The restaurant was clean. One of the teenage employees even came out when we were through eating and took our trays for us. He then offered to refill our beverages -- which we definitely took him up on.

It was such a wondeful experience that I did get on the Chick-Fil-A website to compliment the staff.

By then, it was time to head home.

It was a fun trip to take even though we both would agree that we would have done anything to not have had to make the trip. We wish Lisa didn't have to endure cancer. We wish she wouldn't have had to be up in Kansas City for close to six weeks to undergo treatment.

Lately, it seems that God has really been laying on my heart that suffering is part of the Christian life. We always want life to be easy. Just because you are a Christian absolutely does NOT make you immune to suffering. I know that God's glory will ultimately shine through all of this cancer ordeal. Only God knows what the overall plan is for this....

Here's a verse that's been running through my mind so much lately. In fact, after returning home on Saturday evening, this was the verse I wrote in my journal. I also shared this verse this morning with my Tuesday morning Bible Study Group.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. Romans 8:18-19

2009 Friesen Christmas Tree....

Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we went and picked out and purchased the 2009 Friesen Christmas Tree.

We do purchase a real Christmas tree each year. We both grew up always having real Christmas trees. While I'm not totally opposed to fake trees, Marc insists on having a real tree. I'll admit, however, that the real pine smell in our house in nice :)

For our first Christmas together after being married, we literally opened up the phone book and randomly picked out a Christmas tree farm. We ended up at Nativity Pines.



We've been back every year since then. We've always been able to get a really nice tree. The teenage boys that help with the process are wonderful, hard-working, and friendly. The owner is wonderful to talk with. They take you out to the tree "farm" on a hayrack. You pick out your tree. You saw it down yourself (with one of the teenage boys assisting, if needed). They haul you and the tree back on the hayrack. Simple....And, the one of the biggest things for us is that it's not too "fake." In other words, there's not a lot of secularized Christmas stuff to deal with.

We've just really enjoyed the place each year. Can you tell that we can't say enough good things about it?

Here are some photos from this year's "outing."

Since Luke is still not walking more than two steps, we carried him around most of the tree area. He does enjoy riding on Marc's shoulders.



We looked around a bit....found one that was a definite "No." (This photo is just for fun, by the way).



This year, we actually found the "right" tree for our home fairly quickly. So, here's a photo of Marc sawing it down (Marc's on the ground). The wonderful guy helped us out a bit -- by catching it when it was sawed off.



This photo is definitely more for us because it was very cute in person. But, here's a photo of Luke watching Marc saw the tree down. He was pointing at Marc and talking, though we're not really sure what he was saying at the time.



Here's a photo of us with our newly sawed tree -- the 2009 Friesen Christmas Tree.



On the hayrack ride out to the trees, Luke sat on Marc's lap. On the way back, however, Luke didn't want to sit on a lap. So, we carefully let him sit between my legs -- making sure he suddenly didn't try to dart to the ground while things were moving.



After you get back, the guys unload your tree and shake off the dead pine needles. Then, if requested, they'll trim the bottom for you...which we needed a bit to better set up in our home.



Then, you go inside and pay for your tree (while they're finishing up with the tree). Afterwards, you go back outside. The guys will match your receipt up with the correct tree.



Then, they'll load it on your car, truck, etc....



Nativity Pines is about 30 minutes from our home. Fortunately, Luke is starting to do better in the car...It used to only be that he was good for about 10 minutes in the car. Now, we can go a bit further before he wants loose of the restraints of the carseat (which absolutely NEVER happens when the car is moving). Here's a happy photo of Luke in the vehicle on the way home.



Marc and I actually decided to decorate the tree after Luke went to bed. He is really not able to help with that yet...Next year, we know that'll be different.

So, here's our finished product....



Marc made an interesting comment after our tree was decorated....I've been thinking about it very since. He said, "Each year, our tree has had some imperfection about it. But, that's what makes it so neat. It's not perfect -- just like we're not perfect." (This year, our tree has a couple of "bare" spots, and it leans slightly).

It's soooo true -- that statement. Because of sin that dates way back to Adam and Eve, this world is sooooo very much imperfect. Absolutely nobody on earth currently is perfect. Only one perfect person has ever walked this earth -- Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

*****

Changing subjects slightly but still on the subject of Nativity Pines --

Last year, Luke was a mere four months old when we went and purchased our Christmas tree. The owner saw us with our baby. He started talking with Marc about the importance of being a Godly father. He recommended a book to Marc....The Heart of a Tender Warrior by Stu Weber. (Click HERE)

I ended up purchasing that book for Marc or Christmas last year. Marc really enjoyed that book, and it spoke to him a lot. He's held onto the book because someday, Lord willing, he'll be able to pass it down to Luke if he becomes a father.

So, this year, Marc sought out this owner. When he found him, he reminded him of who he was and told him that he really enjoyed his book recommendation from last year. Marc then asked him if he had any more book recommendations. Yep, he sure did...

So, here are the recommendations.

Raising Kids for True Greatness: Success for You and Your Child by Dr. Tim Kimmel (Click HERE)

The Centurion Principles: Battlefield Lessons for Frontline Leaders by Colonel Jeff O'Leary (Click HERE)

Taking the High Ground: Military Moments with God by Colonel Jeff O'Leary (Click HERE)

Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward (Click HERE)

If anybody needs any good gift ideas -- perhaps any of those books might help????

Now, do you see why we really enjoy such a simple place to get a Christmas tree? Each year, we leave there with not only a tree, but also some sort of life lesson.

And, one last thing (I promise)....Here's a photo of our family from last year at this same tree farm. Luke was a M.A.J.O.R. spitter-upper until about 5 months. So, I chuckle when I looks at this photo with the burp rag on my shoulder. It's amazing how now that the spitting up is over, it doesn't even matter anymore. But, at the time, Luke's massive spitting-up was rather troublesome sometimes.



Thanks for reading my once again long post!

Our Thanksgiving....

Well, we had quite a day....I'll recap (but you know me, it probably won't be a short post).

Since we've been married, we've actually hosted Thanksgiving each year. Both sides of our families are here -- remember, our families aren't real large. It's nice -- only one big Thanksgiving feast! And, we get to spend time with both sides.

For the past two years now, we've also hosted a couple of international college students. Last year, we had one student from India. This year, we had Vinay and Nagesh -- also both from India. They are both engineering students at Wichita State University.

Marc actually fries our turkey each year.

So, here's a photo of Marc and our two international student guests, preparing the fryer for the turkey.



And, after the oil heats up, the turkey goes in the oil and takes a little over an hour to cook. It's soooo yummy this way! Plus, it doesn't tie up my oven.



Several years back, it became a tradition, mainly with the guys in our family, to "pre-eat" before the actual Thanksgiving meal. My brother, Joel, and Marc actually call it "pre-stretching" (that is -- pre-stretching of the stomach). Marc's mom graciously makes the ol' hamburger dip (you know, with hamburger and Velveeta cheese) for the guys. This year, my mom also made a spinach/artichoke dip for the guys -- though, I'm not totally sure it was up my brother's and Marc's alley. However, our international guests did not eat beef; therefore, my mom's dip was actually a good thing. So, here's the "dip" selection in the garage -- they eat while they fry the turkey and play basketball.



And, here's quite a lovely photo of my brother -- right after his mouth was full of chips and dip.



I just had mentioned basketball. Here's a photo of Marc, Joel, Vinay, and Nagesh playing basketball while the turkey was frying. Yes, my sister-in-law, Amber, and I were both a bit nervous about the basketball flying into the turkey oil....But, it all ended up fine. I just don't want our home to become a statistic of those who have fires as a result of frying turkeys on Thanksgiving.



And, just because I must post a good photo of Luke -- here's one of him rolling a basketball on the driveway -- completely away from the turkey fryer.



When Luke was not outside (which was the majority of the time), he spent some time being entertained by his Grandma Koehn (my mom). If you look closely at this photo, you'll notice he has my mom's watch around his wrist. That entertained him quite a bit.



After awhile, all of the food was ready....It took up our entire kitchen table as well as some additional cabinet space. Wow! We have absolutely NOTHING to complain about and everything to be thankful for. For the past two years, when we've had international students at our home, I have always wondered (and not really wanted to ask) exactly what these students think about the mass quantity of food we have here.





Our two nieces, Grace and Natalie, wanted to eat by themselves at the little table. It actually was quite cute. It's fun to think that Luke will be able to eat at that table with them next year. You can tell in this photo (with all of the toys a mess in the background) that there were indeed three small children playing before the food was ready :)



After eating, but before dessert, the guys all headed outside to play Cornhole. It's a fun game we learned about several years ago. Our friend, Joel S., custom made our game for us -- which is why we have a Texas Longhorn game (that was at Marc's request -- not Joel's).

After playing Cornhole and eating dessert, the guys headed outside to shoot BB guns, of course. They think our international guests seemed to actually enjoy that.

Inside, we cleaned up and played with kids.

Remember how I mentioned several posts back that Luke really enjoys singing. Well, he definitely knows how to get his Grandma Koehn to sing with him. He succeeded in that today.



And, here's a photo of my mom with her three grandkids.



And, one last thing -- and this is more for my brother than anyone.

Joel, my brother, always seems to think that Luke will not come to him -- especially if I'm in the room. But, looking back through some photos, it's amazing how many photos I've found of Luke and Joel together.

Anyways, Luke did spend some time on Joel's lap today. It was cute :) Here's a photo to prove it.



It was a fun day, but all three of us in this household are tired. Tomorrow, we're planning on going to get a Christmas tree....Stay tuned for that adventure.

I want to close with a listing of things I'm thankful for....I wrote these 12 things in my journal last night. I know the listing of "thanks" could go on and on, but here's a start --

1) Jesus Christ -- For dying on the cross for my mess-ups; for my relationship with Him.

2) For our country -- the freedoms we have; the veterans and current soldiers who protect us

3) For my wonderful husband, Marc -- who strives to love me just as Christ loves the church

4) For our first baby -- who is in heaven (the one I miscarried)

5) For Luke, our most wonderful son -- a gift from God

6) Our warm, absolutely more than enough, home

7) Our families

8) Our friends

9) Marc's job

10)Food on the table -- we obviously have more than enough

11)Clothing

12)Our Health -- and I pray that we don't take that for granted

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Turkey Trot....

Each year, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Wichita has its annual Turkey Trot run. There is a 10-mile race, and there is a 2-mile race.

Back up to November, 2002 -- the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

I ran in the 10-mile race for the second time (this was back when I was in better shape and weighed about 20-25 pounds less). Marc also ran this 10-mile race. We didn't know each other yet.

Several months later (February 22, 2003 -- to be exact), I met Marc on a blind date....

On that blind date, Marc and I most definitely talked a lot about running....he was running then and obviously is still running....I obviously was running at that time as well.

We figured out that we were both at the Turkey Trot race just a few months before. Because of the way the 10-mile race is set up, we most likely would've seen each other.

I frequently like to remind Marc that if he would've asked me out that day of the race in 2002, we could've had a head start on our wonderful relationship :)

But, I digress....

Anyways, the Turkey Trot race is one of our favorite fall races. It's kind of a tradition in this household. Last year, however, we weren't able to go. Marc was recoving from foot surgery. Luke was pretty little.

So, this year, it was actually Luke's first Turkey Trot race.

Marc once again ran the 10-mile race, and I walked the 2-mile race with Luke in the stroller.

Here goes our Saturday morning -- this past Saturday.

After arriving, Luke had to explore the parking lot, of course.



After the "exploration time," we ventured around the area for a bit -- this has gotten to be quite a large race for Wichita. This year, there were around 1,500 participants.

The Turkey Trot is a big "sponsor" of the Kansas Food Bank. Each participant is encouraged to bring a jar of peanut butter to donate. So first, we dropped off our donated peanut butter.



I truly believe that one reason Marc enjoys this race sooooo much is because after the race, there are complimentary turkey bratwursts. Yes, they're quite tasty. So, before the race, the turkey bratwursts were already cooking.



After seeing all of the "festivities," Marc and I took a warm-up walk. This is how Luke presented himself in the stroller at this point in time. For those of you who know Luke well, it shouldn't surprise you that he had his blanket with his thumb in his mouth.



As you can see, quite a few runners/walkers warm-up on the bike path in Wichita before the race (for you locals -- this race starts and ends at the Cowtown Museum).



The 10-mile and the 2-mile races actually start at the same time, but they start in different locations (in the same area). So, Marc went to the 10-mile start, and Luke and I ventured to the 2-mile start.

The 2-mile race is the larger -- as far as participants. Here's a photo of everybody lining up. There aren't too many strollers in this race, and so, to avoid getting in the way of everybody, we hung out toward the back for the start of the race.



I'm a fairly fast walker (at least in my opinion), so once the race started, I had to maneuver the stroller through some slower walkers to get ahead. I must say that I did that gracefully, and I did NOT run over anybody with the big jogging stroller wheels.

So, here are a couple of shots from during the race.





Luke's usually a real "trooper" for me in the jogging stroller. However, during the first mile of this race, he really was not a trooper. He whined a bit; required some crackers (which thankfully I had along); and absolutely did not want to have a hood on his head.

During the second mile, however, he settled down. Then, he was his normal self -- for the jogging stroller, anyways. By then, here's what I looked down at....



I can honestly say that one of my top 10 things that I like to do in life right now is walk with Luke in this stroller :) It's sooooo nice to be outside with him.

We did finally approach the finish line.



Two wonderful things happened just at the finish line....

1) Quite a few spectators were clapping and cheering for the runners/walkers. Luke noticed everybody clapping, and so, he decided to clap as well. So, as we were crossing the finish line, he was clapping for himself. It was VERY cute. Some woman (spectator) said loudly, "Oh, look at that little boy. He's clapping for himself."

2) Also, as we were crossing the finish line, a man (whom I didn't know) yelled out at me, "Good Job, Mom." That one little sentence of encouragement meant so much to me because it shouted out exactly part of my identity -- a MOM!!!!! I just felt (and still do feel) so honored that God has made me Luke's mom!

After finishing, we talked with some people we know. Then, we headed back to the finish line to watch the 10-mile runners come in.

After not too much of a wait, I noticed Marc running in. Unfortunately, this is the best I was able to with a photo....I know it's small and hard to see, but Marc is actually the third runner in this photo. You'll just have to trust me on this one.



It was rather difficult keeping a 16-month old off of the running course AND try to snap a decent photo at the same time.

Oh well -- someday, Luke will be older and will understand why he has to stay off of the course.

After finishing our wonderful turkey bratwursts, the wind actually picked up a bit which was rather chilly on our sweaty bodies. Luke was also starting to get a bit "out of control." So, we decided we should probably head home.

The excitement of the morning was too much for Luke. He did stay awake for most of the trip home, but during the last 10 minutes or so, he fell asleep.



Many times, short little catnaps like this one ruin Luke's afternoon nap. Fortunately, this one did not. He did also nap after we got home and had lunch.

**As a final side note to this already long post -- Luke actually has had a cold now for several days. This colder weather during this race probably, in all seriousness, didn't really help him out. He coughed quite a bit the rest of the day and into the night. Needless to say, we weren't able to make it to church the next day because of Luke's cough.

He is on the upswing with this cold....I tell you what -- illness has been a part of this family now for the last several weeks. Hopefully, we're about done with it!!!!!