our day at the park, when we should have been at school

we went to the park today. wonderful, wonderful weather! this is just a few pictures. the extra kid is Adams friend Caleb.

me and my girl

Boy Victoria sure is grown up!

Ramdom stuff

It is March 30th. Wow... 3 months of the year gone! Time just seems to be flying by.
The kids are doing testing this week. The sun is shining, it is warm, and beautiful outside. I had to work all weekend and it was nice out, of course. I am thinking today I will check them out of school around lunch time and go to the park and have a picnic and play.

Yes there is housework to be done. Yes they probably need to stay at school for the day. Do I care... mmmmm... no, not really.
So, I need to get off the computer and get stuff ready. I have to go by the store and get snacks for lunch.
......later....

Still playing

playing a little more with tinting. I need to try one of the kids and see what happens. I really love flowers.

a little tinting

Same flower tweeked with Picasa 3.
I love the look of a black and white with small hints of actual color.

new camera lens

Playing around with a new camera lens. Sping is a good time to play with a camera. Especially, if you like to photograph flowers.

Spring Has Sprung

I love spring. The temps are cool but not cold. Warm but not hot. The skies are a beautiful blue. The clouds are wispy. Birds are singing and all the flowers and trees are blooming. Aside from the loads of pollen and all the sneezing etc., I love it.
Today is March 19th, we are at the end of the winter season. It is supposed to be 70 degrees today.
Here are a few flowers from around our house.

Happy Anniversary

♥♥♥HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ♥♥♥

19 years ago today I married this man.


We met for the very first time in the summer of 1987. I was 15 and he had graduated high school and was going to be leaving for college in the fall.
He had a 1966 Mustang! OMG... I was into classic cars. He was nice, but there didn't seem to be anything there.
We met up again the next summer. He had made it through his first year in college and I was a much more mature 16 years old...lol. I had one more year of high school!!! Woohooo for me.

This time I guess was different. We have been together since then.
We waited until he graduated from college to get married. He was in college in Terre Haute, Indiana and I was in Lonoke, Arkansas. We wrote all of the time. I lived for letters and visits during the school year.
In the fall of 1990, just before my 19th birthday, I started LPN school. In Feb. 1991 Jeff graduated from college, and we were married in March.
So I have been married 1/2 of my life this year. Seems strange that we have been married that long. Sometimes it doesn't seem like we are old enough to have been together almost 22 years and married 19.
Anyway... happy anniversary Jeff. I love you.

The Bolton Girls

My sister Sarah has two girls Kaitlyn and Camryn. In the running world they are Kat and Cam.

Love them gals.
Kat is 13 and Cam is 9. They have birthdays coming up on April 6th and April 3rd.

Lookout Point Lakeside Inn March 2010

This was our first trip ever to a bed and breakfast. I had searched around and found this place.
It was the weekend we chose to celebrate our anniversary. On March 15th, we will be married 19 years.


The Inn is just off the road. Tucked privately down a hill right on Lake Hamilton. Every thing about this place it private. All the outer doors are locked. We had to ring the bell at the front door to get in.


Right as you walk through the door you are welcomed by the hostess. The walls are a beautiful, warm yellow. It really is like walking into a warm hug.

You walk down the staircase to the reception area. The French Doors you see ahead are to the dining room.


This is at the bottom of the stairs looking up to the front doors.

After we got checked in and shown to our room we took a quick walk around the property. This is the back of the Inn. Each room has a beautiful view of the lake.


All throughout the back of the property is a stream and some pretty water features.

this is the view from up next to the Inn. Below you see the meditation labyrinth.

Over all this was a wonderful anniversary weekend. They even had a card for us in the room!!
We will be back!

Little Rock Half Marathon

(my niece Camryn. Cutest little (almost 10 year old) girl I know.


About a week before the race I had decided that it would be best if I did not do the race. My Achilles was a big concern. I had tried running on a treadmill at the gym and the next day my leg would be hurting. However, I was never satisfied with that decision. I just felt like I had to try! Even if I walked the entire 13.1 miles, I had to!
Up until the race my longest run was just over 7 miles and that had been weeks ago. I knew that I had 4 hours to finish. So that was my goal. To FINISH!

The night before the race we stayed with my sister. Her 13 year old was running the Half too.
We got up around 5:15am to leave by 6am. The race started at 8am and they wanted everyone in their corals by 7:45am.
We ran by McDonald's for breakfast and found a place to park. It was quite a walk to the starting area.
We got lined up... thousands of people! OMG... I was nervous. I prayed that my leg would hold out for 13.1 miles!

We got started and I went with a slow, and steady jog. My 10K (6.2 mile) time was 1:15:23. little slower than my 10K time in November.


I continued to jog up until just past mile 8. My knee started aching a little. I promised I wouldn't push it and that I would listen to my body. So I walked some. At this point I was mixing walking and jogging for several miles. I was SO close to the end and my knee really started hurting. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I stopped and stretched and walked some more (even slower). Some gals ran by me giving me a "you got it, it is not much farther".

As I approached the final leg of my journey. I saw Jeff walking toward me. He stepped out onto the course and walked a little with me. He told me you are almost there and something else, and said go. Then he stepped away and I WENT. That little bit of time with him meant the world to me. I nearly cry every time I think about it. I was so excited to see him there waiting on me. I love him so much! Then I saw my kids, my sister, her husband and their kids. My niece had finished already.
All that gave me the gust I needed to sprint (for me) to the finish! It was awesome!!!! I finished!!!
At this point I have NO desire whatsoever to run a full marathon! But I WILL run another Half!

My unofficial stats are:
overall place: 2467 out of 2905
division place: 264out of 310
gender place: 1318 out of 1648
time: 2:54:18
I finished in under 3 hours!!!!!!
We wont mention that there were about 15 FULL MARATHON runners that finished before I ever crossed the line.
I am so happy with what I accomplished.

(and I burned over 1400 calories in the process)


My niece Kat's stats:

age:	13
gender:	F
overall place:	1061 out of 2908
division place:	2 out of 7
gender place:	421 out of 1650
time:	2:08:31
pace:	9:49
10k:	57:56