2009 was a Blurrrrr!

Well we are at home putting the boys to bed because we are about to have the busiest start to 2010. Bill and I got engaged on August 30th and have never looked back. We have family in town and are ready for the big weekend. I am actually pretty calm right now. Well I say that but I think I have cleaned the sink for the fourth time today. I guess I might be a little nervous. Bill and I are ready to seal our relationship to each other in front of God and all our friends and family. The boys are so excited. I think Roy sort of understands and Gavin we will see how he does. They are both excited to have me as their step mom and I am happy to have them as my sons. They are both wonderful boys and a joy to have in my life. I am sure this weekend will be full of laughs and maybe some crying. Can't wait to start this year off right and get hitched!! 2010 will be crazy but I can't wait to get it started...

5 Miler

Sunday morning I headed out to try to beat my running record. In all my years of sports, running was not something I EVER did. But recently I got into reading running blogs and just love them. I have always wanted to run a half marathon. Why you ask? For the cool sticker to put on my car. But last Sunday I ran 4 miles and felt so proud. This Sunday I told myself I had to beat that record. So of course when I set out on my first mile I always feel terrible and I ache everywhere but somehow I push through it. I ran all over the neighborhood to where I almost ran out of streets. :) But I finished 5 miles in 55:40. YAY!!! I felt so good afterwards and since then I feel like my pants fit looser and I have lost like 10 pounds. Funny how one run can make you feel so different. I want to do another long one before the wedding to see if I can slim down just a little bit more so I can look AMAZING for my wedding! I am feeling good and can't wait til Saturday.

Finally Xmas

So I finally got a short break to tell you about our busy Christmas. The boys finally got to our house for their vacation. They came in ready to open some gifts. I made them take a quick picture before the fun began. Bill had this great idea to get everyone a nerf gun and extra ammo. WOW, the house is covered in darts. They have had such a war.

Every year Santa brings the boys books and he is so clever and spells out their name.

Then our friends John and Lisa came over and brought their jeep. So of course the boys jumped in for a ride. They didn't want to get out.

That night we went over to Grammy and Poppy's house. Roy got a new tee and football so Daddy and Poppy decided to make a human goal post. All the kids took turns trying to knock it through.

Here is the happy little family.

It was absolute chaos with four children at this Christmas but we were able to stop them for a brief picture.

Bill got a new grill and already tested it out today. It works like a charm! He LOVES it!

Roy and I got new reels. Can't wait to fish in 2010... with my new reel and my new hubby!!

This was one of Roy's favorite gifts. He is trying to figure out how to make his hair like this. Bill and I are putting a stop to that one.

Then we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Pearce and finished up our Christmas celebration. What a wonderful weekend.

Now we are ready for our last week. We are going to be super busy at work trying to get everything lined up and then get all of our last minute things done for the wedding.

Marriage License

Bill and I took a trip downtown today to the courthouse. Not a place we exactly wanted to be but we had to purchase our license. We were so worried about how long it would take but let me tell you. We walk in the door to ask some questions and the lady says to us, " You have $66.00 cash?
You both have your driver's license? Okay then, 3rd desk please. Oh my goodness!!! It happened quicker than I was prepared. The next thing I knew the guy grabbed our money and started typing. The printer started printing. Raised our right hands and we were out the door. I would say as fast as 5 minutes but it could have been more like 3. WOW!!! We are ready to go. Here is our masterpiece. I must say it is actually a very nice certificate.

In other news, Bill and I have finally picked our first dance song. We had been very indecisive with this important decision but I believe Bill picked an awesome song that fits both of us. Now we are trying to see if our DJ can get the song. Hopefully he can.

4 Miler

That is right folks. On Sunday morning, I took my running to a new level. I ran 4 miles. I am not sure I have ever run that far. I had a few moments where I wanted to stop. My left knee began hurting and for whatever reason mile one is always the worst. I am sure I don't warm up well enough. But I did my 4 miles in 43:48. Not too shabby. I think that breaks down into an 11:00 minute mile but still I am on the right track. I am still so excited to run this on Valentine's Day. I really am praying to stay injury free!!

4:10 AM

Bill: Summer, get up! I need sweat pants and a sweat shirt.
(BOOM!)
Summer: Okay, Okay. What's going on?
Bill: There is a car on fire!
Summer: WHAT?!?
Bill: I got to call 911.
This was our dialog as we jumped out of bed and headed outside to help our neighbor. This is what we saw when we stepped out the door. Bill went running towards the fire and as he got half way there BOOM!! I screamed Bill get away from there. He went around trying to get everyone out of the house and out of harms way.

The car was completely engulfed when we looked out the window. It spread so quickly. I thought it was like the movies where the car explodes but that didn't happen.

The fire fighters got there and began their work. Soon the blaze was out and we all returned to our beds.

A completely scary event that is a little too close to home. Bill and I had a brief discussion about locking the doors and turning the alarm on. We are going to do a much better job of this in 2010!! Hopefully this is an isolated incident and the neighborhood doesn't go downhill.

Bill and I both were impressed about how quickly we sprang into action and aided the neighbors!

Love this picture!!

This picture absolutely rocks my world!! Love you Ash!

Running in December

I never thought that I would be writing about running but I am trying to get ready for the Half-Marathon that I decided to sign up for... WHAT WAS I THINKING?!? I figured I had the most motivation to run right now because obviously I want to look hot on my wedding day. So I figured if I am in the spirit I have always wanted to run a Half-Marathon. Why you ask? So that I can put that cool 13.1 sticker on the back of my car!! I know you think I am crazy but I have wanted that sticker for over two years and I just have a mental demon in my head that keeps telling me that I can't do it. But as long as there is no injuries I am going to run no matter what and hopefully finish the darn thing even if some people finish their marathon before I finish my half. So what, right?

So I went on another run last night. I hadn't run in two days and boy can I tell. I started struggling before I got to .5 mile marker. It is weird that happens almost every time I run. For whatever reason I have to get over a hump before I find a groove and can run. So I only completed 2 miles. Yeah not so good and I did it in 23:16. The race volunteers are going to have to bring some flashlights to get me to the finish line. The weather doesn't help either. It is a little cold with a nasty mist rain. UGH.. .tough weather to perform in! :)

Now I also have had arm issues for years. They are just not pretty and a bit flabby for my liking. So I have been doing Power Sculpt with Jillian Michaels and boy is it intense. I think it was extra hard last night because I was exhausted from my run. But I got it done and can feel a little burn this morning. Although I am sticking with it, I need to step up my game since my Marathon ticker on my blog has just moved to the under 2 month mark!!! AHHH!!! It is so close to the time and I am so busy with wedding plans. I didn't realize planning a wedding around Xmas was going to be so busy.

PARTY TIME... EXCELLENT... WHOOOOOO

So after the bridal shower everyone went to church. It was such a wonderful service and I am so thankful that we squeezed in the time to go. Afterwards, we headed to Candace's house and got the festivities started. They got me all dressed and ready to go with my bride koozie. Then we headed to my sister's house where she made us a feast. It was so delicious. She made her specialty spaghetti.

Then they gave me some.... well you know.... Do I looked confused? No problem Ashley will help me. :)

Then the girls took me to Howl at the Moon. That is my favorite bar and I was so happy they selected that one. All the girls don't like that place but they ended up having a BLAST!!

I think we resemble Elton John.

Lisa, Angie, and I. I think Candace was on potty break.

The girls decided to send me on stage and have the piano players sing "Baby Got Back". It was an excellent choice. Everyone got up to dance and the whole bar was hoppin'. I was introduced to a new shot. Boy did it get me but it was go good.

Does Angie like it?

And here we are on the front row enjoying ourselves. Again, Lisa, Angie, Candace, and myself.

As we were walking to the car I found one of those air things. It even blew my heavy coat up. Then we went back to the house and talked and hung out. I think we turned out the lights at 5AM. Thank you girls. I had the time of my life.

Bridal Shower

We headed out to my bridal shower and Bill was so awesome to stay home with all four kids. That is right.... Roy, Gavin, Jillian, and Rocco. It was so nice because it allowed us to really enjoy our time. Hmmm... can we stay LOOK ALIKE!!This is Bill's mom, me, Grandma aka GG, and my mom aka Grammy!!

I began to open presents and had such a ball. I never had that many presents before. Everyone was so generous and got us all kinds of things to fix the house up with and start our lives as a married couple. Here are the plates we chose.

Now, let me talk about the decorations. Four ladies that are my mom's very close friends put this on and they did such an awesome job. I am sure Jan (who is my mom's best friend) was the mastermind. She is such an amazing lady and takes such good care of our family.

They used accents of our color called Pool and also brought in the snowflake theme.

These are the four wonderful ladies: Jan, Linda, Penny, and Diane. I gave them a bag of goodies for all their time and effort. I gave them a bag of breast cancer themed pieces in honor of my mom.

Here is the yummy cake. Just wonderful!!

Remember the lady Jan that I mentioned..... Here is her towel cake. What a great idea!!! Do you see what I am talking about now? She thinks of everything.

Another piece of decorations that just look amazing.

Ashley was busy writing and I was busy displaying.Thank you to everyone for everything. It was such a perfect day. I can't wait to get to use everything.

One Month Away

I CAN'T WAIT TO.........

• dress up and beautify myself
• see all my family and friends to celebrate this occasion
• walk down the aisle and see you standing waiting for me
• try to get the kids to come down the aisle
• stand before the Lord and seal our commitment to each other
• SMOOCH as husband and wife
• dance our first dance
• drive off in a corvette
• eat Haby's Bakery all weekend long
• go to Vegas for the honeymoon
• wake up next to you for the rest of my life
• make a lifetime of memories together

JUST ONE MONTH TO GO....

Ashley's Big Idea

Ashley decided to go to the Zoo for our last day of Thanksgiving vacation. It turned out to be an awesome idea. There was no one at the park and the weather turned out good. We loaded the boys up to have some male bonding time. They take such good care of Rocco. This is right outside the Komodo Dragon. That thing is a bit scary. The best part of the day was when the monkey jumped in front of the window that everyone was standing in front of and we all screamed. Jillian started to cry.

Then we went into the bird jungle and a bird decided to land on Ash. She started screaming and I started to try and knock it off of her. Jillian started to cry again. Poor thing she thought mommy was hurt.

Ash and Rocco enjoying the zoo...

Finally to end the wonderful Thanksgiving vacation, I had the boys put on their new matching pajamas. Roy definitely thought he was too old for this but I said NEVER!!

It was a great full week with the boys. I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did. Now back to the crazy school schedule. Christmas is a coming!!!

Turkey day!!

Thanksgiving did not start out exactly the way we planned. We were in charge of potato casserole and the turkey. So Bill woke up and frantically tried to get the right tools to get the turkey started. Well he finally gets things going and ............ this is what happened. It kept foaming up and he couldn't get the temperature right. He was getting so mad and frustrated and the tension was mounting. My family showed up and knew something was wrong. How were we going to have Thanksgiving without a turkey.

Luckily, my mom had a back up turkey and the table was set. Everyone enjoyed the yummy food. Even my dish was commented on. YES!!!! I'm learning.

The best part of the day is that it was GRAMMY'S BIRTHDAY!!! The kids huddled around her and assisted her with the presents. She got a beautiful bracelet and a gift card!!

Then the kids played with the turtles in the backyard and we talked and got to catch up on fun stories.

Then we headed to do Bill's side of Thanksgiving and this is what we find in their front yard. Most of you might think this is no biggie but this is the middle of the city!!! Not normal.

We watched the Cowboys win and relaxed. It was definitely a good time.

Day off with the kids!

We had full intentions of taking the kids to the zoo but the weather was just too risky to get the kids sick. So my mom knew of this place called FUNtastic playland. Jillian and Gavin enjoyed this little Big Bird ride. But the hit of the day was the big bouncy slide. The kids went round and round and round. The boys cousin Katie was able to come and she had a blast as you can see. Gavin just loves her. He follows her around and she just plays and helps him. She found herself side ways down the slide.

Gavin went face first. No blood no foul!

Roy found his corner at the basketball courts. He was playing there all day. We played horse with him a couple of times. There is something about that basketball gene in me that I just can't let him win. I gotta work on that one. ;)

Jillian does a pretty good job keeping up with the bigger kids. She played until she could go no more.

And then we have the youngest who cannot be left out of the action. The kids love Rocco and wanted to have him try out the slide. These kids are just so adorable.

Such a fun day. Thanks Mom and Ash!!