This Song

gets me every time I hear it.

Go listen for yourself.  If you watch Nashville you've already heard it.

A Life That's Good 


At the end of the day, Lord I pray I have a life that's good...

Sexy Mother Runners

This post isn't about any of the boys.  Sorry if you're disappointed.  I'll be back about them later.  I need to write this down while it's still fresh in my mind and really my heart.  My Meredith girls will know exactly the feeling I'm talking about after reading this post.  At least I hope you do.

This Friday at bright o'early 12 of us started an adventure that we really had no idea would impact our lives as much as it did.  Twelve strong, ambitious, phenomenal and wonderful women joined together to tackle the Tuna 200 Relay.  What is this you ask? Well, it's a relay race from Raleigh, NC to Atlantic Beach, NC.  Crazy, yes.  Awesome, you bet your bippy.  Life altering, you have no idea.  You just have to experience it!

Van 1 (Robin, Amy L., Shannon, Deirdre, Joanne and Cheri) started us off for the 1st six legs.  These ladies rose to the occasion like none other.  Afterall, we aren't name Sexy Mother Runners for nothing! Van 2 (Melissa, Brandi, Leslie, Kelley, Tara and me along with my SIL driving us) started off around noon on Friday.  I can speak for each of these legs of the race and truly tell you this was running at it's finest.  Total hardcore running.  Each van for their 1st set of race managed to come in under time and cushion us for what was left.  Just the first 2 set of legs (36 legs total, broken into 6 sets) equaled approx 65 miles.  Yes, 12 women cumulatively ran 65 miles and we weren't done yet! 

Night fell and things got interesting.  Injuries started to surface, sickness reared its ugly head and the weather wasn't kind.  Van 1 started us off around 5:00pm.  At this time we had to wear night gear (reflective vests, head lamps, flashlights, etc).  Van 2 started us off around 10:30pm.  Deep in the heart of back woods eastern NC is where we found ourselves.  Rain is falling, the clouds are so thick the moon appears to be missing.  Fatigue and sickness appear.  What do you do when a team member falls ill? You jump right in and get it done.  I can honestly tell you SMR put the team in team work.  I've never seen a group of women come together to get a job done.  What do you do when injuries surface? You jump right in and GET.IT.DONE! That's exactly what SMR did.  Van 1 took back over in the wee hours of the morning (3:45am to be exact).  Van 2 crashed at the the next transition spot for a couple hours of sleep.  I've left so many details out about this stretch of the race because honestly, it just sucks.  It's never fun to watch your team hurt and suffer.  What I want to remember is how beautifully each person dug deep and gave above and beyond.  Words simply cannot do it justice.

In the midst of all the craziness we had transition points.  I cannot say enough about the churches, civitan clubs, etc. that showed incredible hospitality to us.  Encouraging, welcoming and loving all in one. One church in particular was Eureka Christian Church in Mt. Olive, NC.  Paula, sweet Paula, loved on us like we were her own.  God bless her.  She made us coffee and for doing so we made her a honorary SMR team member.  Midway United Methodist in Stella, NC had a pancake breakfast for us.  Those pancakes were much needed after being up for 24 hours with only a 2 hour nap following.

The HOME stretch started with Van 2.  I want this post to remain positive, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I felt defeated and ready to get the heck home.  Physically, mentally, the whole kit-n-kaboodle.  One member is out due to illness, another has finished, but she needs to get home to her doc because salmonella poisoning is no freakin' joke (yes, she ran 24 plus miles for us.  WARRIOR, that's what she is.) and I've managed to re-injure a hip/groin/knee issue that I thought was under control.  Tempers were running hot at this point.  You'd think with 12 women it'd be a complete and total crap storm, but I'll have you know I've never seen 12 women come together so beautifully.  Never.  We adjusted who was running what and gave it everything we had left.  One of our strong runners started us off with a 8.41 mile run.  She killed it!  Since my injury wasn't going to allow me to run my leg, I took over the leg that took us over the Emerald Isle Bridge.  Words aren't needed.  It wasn't my best time by a long stretch, but I made it.  My SIL sent me a text right before the bridge.  Here it is.  Here are/were my thoughts.  Own it I did.

 You know what? Every single team member owned each leg and made it their B****! Proud is a complete understatement and injustice to have I feel about my team and their efforts.  The rest of the legs each member even though completely fatigued rolled it.  My SIL, Christy was driving our van and in the time of need she put on her running clothes and became our alternate runner.  See what I mean? Team work! My co-captain finished us off.  She brought us in to the finish line.  We joined her the last 150 meters and the feeling of crossing that finish line with her is one I'll never forget.  The high I'm on right now is unlike any other I've had when it comes to races.  I cannot wait to complete this journey again with these incredible women.

For my Meredith girls, when someone asks us about Cornhuskin' we could sit and talk for hours, maybe even days about the experience and still never convey the feeling, the emotions and the unity.  The best we can offer is, "You just have to experience it!"  That's the best I can offer for The Tuna 200 Relay.  You just have to experience it.

On a sappy note (because I can), there's a BodyPump track titled True Believer.  I honestly wear this song out in class because I love the beat, but really the words.  I've never been more inspired than I was this weekend.  Here's the song and the lyrics.  Try not to get addicted to it.  I dare you.

 

I am here and now because of you
You are the reason I do what I do
Like a phantom when you call me I'll be there
Any time that I'm around you shouldn't fear
Because of you,
That's what I do
Come on, Come on
Because of you
I'm a true Believer
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
(I'm a true believer
Gimmy Gimmy Gimmy)
Give me, Give me everything you got
You and I can take it to the top
Like the superheroes we can save the day
Let the music take us somewhere far away
Because of you (cause of yoooou)
That's what I do (what I do)
Come on, Come on
Because of you
(I'm a true believer)
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer

Last, but certainly not least, pictures from this weekend.  These are the ones I have right now.  I'll post more later.

 We did it! #1 (Deirdre, Kelley & me)

 Van 2 - Brandi, Leslie, Kelley (the birthday girl), me, Tara and Melissa

Four Oaks, NC home of the Wal-Mart Express.

 Leg 32 of 36 - Van 2 minus me (I'm running that bleepity bleeping bridge)

 Back view - not to shabby, eh?

 #wearesexymotherrunners

Melissa, Robin, Cheri, Shannon, Deirdre, Amy L, Kelley, me, Tara, Leslie, Brandi and Joanne

 My co-captain and her BFF, Leslie.  Yes, they are still friends even after this.  I cannot say enough about Kelley.  She is all that and then some.  Beyond thankful to have her in my life and my mentor.

 Paula, sweet Paula.

 Runner 1 out - remaining SMR team

 Van 1 - Joanne, Shannon, Amy L, Cheri, Robin, and Deirdre

 Before the fun - Starbucks run

 Pimping the ride

 

Wal-Mart Express - for real

 Shannon getting ready to start us off at 7:00am

 Cheri in - MO out

 MO in - Brandi out

 Super girl burning it up!

 That's me! 5.41 miles at a 7:30 pace

 Amy in - Tara out

 Home girl surprised us.  Pulled a 8:45 pace.  Tara in - Kelley out

 Kelley in - Leslie out

 Van 1's turn: Leslie in - Cheri out

 Leslie finishing out our first set of legs

 A necessity - dinner time.

 This is it! The last 4 legs.  Welcome to EI!

 Me right before the bridge.  I picked up Travis along the way.  Together we finished 5 miles.  He is a trooper.  8 man team tackling 203.8 miles.  Oh, he's only 17.

 Encouraging each other.  Cute story - Travis asked me my name, I told him.  Get to a stop light and he asks how old I am.  I tell him.  His response, "Oh, well I suppose I should call you Ms. Amy."  Mine, "Oh no buddy, it's ok, we're friends now.  You can call me Amy."  His response, "Well my mama raised me to say Ms."  My response, "Your mama raised you right."  Just when you think manners are dead, faith is renewed.

 KEP bringing it HOME!!!

 Look at her!  Mom of 3, fitness guru, friend for life, mentor, Wonder Woman.

 High 5ing her middle baby. 

 Tara and me

 Brandi and the crew following behind

 Team Sexy Mother Runners - 2013 All Female Team 1st place, time 30:30:14

We did not set a record, so you know what that means... See ya next year 

We Caved

When the WHOLE world fell prey to the Rainbow Loom craze, the Perrys stood their ground.  N.O., we are not buying that mess.  I gave 100 valid reasons as to why we shouldn't own one.  When I say valid, truly the reasons, they were valid.  Well, my other half finally caved under much duress and bought Andrew a kit.  Remember those 100 valid reasons I gave? About 85 of them have come to fruition.  The main 2 being 1) those rubber bands will be ALL OVER MY HOUSE (Robbie is OCD about a clean house.  This is subtle payback for caving.) and 2) Andrew and Zachary will fight like cats and dogs over it.  Imagine the fun we're having these days.  I should sell tickets it's so incredible.  The plus side, I now have a plethora of bracelets in all shapes, designs and colors.  Most of which I ended up making because said oldest child got frustrated after watching Ashley Steph on YouTube make bracelets and he couldn't quite grab the right band.  So, anyone want a bracelet? I suppose I shouldn't be all doom and gloom.  The Rainbow Loom has bought me an hour or so of precious relief, silence or entertainment.  I'm sure my doom is over the fact I wasn't the one to create this craft and am not sitting on a bank roll of $$.  One day.  Maybe one day.

This last bit is a PSA for all you coffee drinkers.  Target has Dunkin Donuts Jelly donut flavored coffee on sale.  There's a good reason it's on sale.  My eyes were captivated by the delicious jelly donut on the front of the package.  They should really give their marketing/graphic art dept a raise because it hooked me, but DANG IT that mess is awful.  I will drink this gunk because I have a whole bag and Robbie will rag me about how he told me so, blah, blah, blah.  I will drink with a smile on my face just to prove a point.  I'm saving you the horror of that first sip.  I may never buy a jelly donut again.  I lied.  Krispy Kreme makes banging jelly donuts.

It's Been A While

By now you've probably given up on this little blog.  Sadly, the owner has too.  I could write a million excuses as to why I don't blog, but none are truly valid.  I need to.  There will be a day when I can't remember what happened and it won't be documented.  I had a new friend happen upon the blog and she wrote to me about reading it and how much it gave her insight to my family and the boys.  I need to thank her for reminding me to take time to jot down the things happening with our little tribe.  So, here goes...

School started for us in August (I did document that!).  We just finished our 1st 9 weeks and tracked out last Friday.  If you're friends with me on Facebook, you know how I feel about early release days.  We don't have report cards yet, but I believe both boys had a good quarter.  Will and I just do our thing while they're at school.  I'm teaching BodyPump and BodyAttack now, so we're either at the Y or at O2 most days.

Andrew is in chorus (he'd probably kill me for making that public) and he has the voice of an angel.  Not only can he sing, but he is gifted at any sport he picks up.  Seriously he is a "Dad's dream" son.  Right now he is interested in football, golf and basketball.  I need to upload his video playing basketball.  Don't count him out, world.  He may be small in height, but he is mighty, mighty fierce on the court.  He wakes up, goes outside and practices, takes the basketball to school and plays and then comes home to practice and play more.  He eats, sleeps, drinks, dreams basketball.  Will this go anywhere? Who knows, but I love the effort and determination.  I pity the team playing his this fall.  He's on fire right now!  Of course Robbie is beyond thrilled his golf legacy will live on.  They go and play 9 holes and Andrew comes back sometimes with more pars and birdies than Robbie.  I can't wait (or maybe I can) for middle school and high school sports.  I WILL BE THAT MOM! Come join me!  This bit of news should really be at the top of Andrew's little blurb, but he was baptized this past Sunday (9/29/13).  Nothing, and I mean nothing makes my heart happier than knowing my child has chosen to give his heart and life to Jesus.  Mine and Robbie's prayer is that he'll live fiercely for Christ and not for the world.  My own little David right here.

Andrew and Pastor James (Children's Minister)

Zachary, sweet, sweet Zachary.  He started Kindergarten in August.  He was ready.  I was ready.  He has done WONDERFULLY! He loves it! All he wants to do is work and more work.  He finds everything they do in class interesting.  Robbie and I have said this before, but we're pretty sure he is an Einstein locked up in a 5 year old's body.  He's captivated by 1) DVDs (as discussed several times before) 2) Music and 3) Anything educational (reading, writing, numbers, etc.).  He is polar opposite of Andrew in this regard.  Andrew fights school (emphasis on FIGHTS), Zachary can't get enough.  Stay tuned to see how all of this pans out.  Should be interesting!  Zachary says he wants to play soccer, but we missed the deadline for this season.  He doesn't seem too upset.  He's content to kick the ball around the yard.  Works for me! There is one area of Zachary's sweet life that needs prayer.  I'm not going to post about it, it's not life threatening (unless you count parental threats, which really aren't going to come to fruition), but it's a stressor for us and him.  So, if you're so inclined, please pray.  Last bit on Zachary, it's a true testimony to his sweet, tender and loving heart.  I pulled the boys from the bus in the afternoon due to a conflict I wasn't happy about. The other day Andrew begged to ride the bus home.  I asked Zachary how he felt and his exact words were, "I don't want to ride the bus if they're going to pick on my brother."  All he could think about was his brother being upset or picked on.  Oh! I cannot wait to see how God uses this little giant's heart for the world.  The concept of putting others first comes so easily to him.

Woodle, Woodle Chicken Noodle! This strong-willed 2 year old keeps this 35 year old mom YOUNG.  I have no choice! He is a brute and he gets it honestly.  He learned early on if he's gonna hang with the older kids, he's gotta get strong.  He holds his own quite nicely.  He's a mocking bird for sure.  He picks up everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) his brothers and others say and repeats it.  Sometimes the words said are not favorable and are dealt with accordingly, but this kid is full on jabber walkie! He loves Nemo right now.  This is due to Zachary brainwashing Nemo in his head.  Ugh!  Nemo this and Nemo that.  I may or may not have told Will I ate Nemo due to the overuse of Nemo that day.  Homeboy LOVES Krispy Kreme.  He is loyal to NC businesses.  I'm happy to oblige him.  He's moved up from the original glazed to chocolate iced with sprinkles.  Chocolate and sprinkles ALWAYS make things better, right?!? I didn't put him in preschool this year.  He's completely ready, but it's the whole birthday issue.  His preschool has 1 year to prepare themselves for Will.  They've been given fair warning.  He's a people person too.  There isn't one place we'll go where he doesn't command attention and love from someone.  He loves to hug, kiss and cuddle.  I hope he continues to always be loving to everyone.  He has his favorites (Ms. Lori, Allie, Amirra, Melissa and Casey), but there's always room for more.

I know there is so much more I need to write about each of my boys.  I probably could if it didn't sound like the walls are caving in at this very moment.  What you should walk away from this post knowing is 1) I'm incredibly blessed 2) I love my boys 3) they do drive me crazy.  It's not always sunshine and roses and 4) I love them more than life even when they do #3.  

Go love your kids, spouses, friends.  Make it a point to tell them daily.