I'm no runner...

...but I ran a 5K with my friends Angela and Jeabri in the Race for the Cure. We trained for it all summer long in the heat and humidity, with babies in jog strollers. So, when race day came around and it was cloudy and cool, and we were stroller free, it seemed fairly easy and FUN! Hopefully we'll do another one soon. Maybe even a 10K next time (don't hold your breath).

Farewell to Summer

We spent Labor Day camping on Edisto Island, going to the beach and then to Charleston. If a picture says a thousand words, then I think this one says it all.

But just in case, here are a few more.

testing the waters with dad

picking the best shells

walking along the beach

playing in the park

strolling through Charleston

Big Brother

Yesterday was my brother Scott's birthday. He is in Finland now so I wasn't able to wish him a proper happy birthday. But really, what's better than a blog birthday? At least this birthday tribute will last forever. So, here are some of the best things about my big brother (mind you he is 10 years older so some of my memories may be a little fuzzy).

• I'm pretty sure the time I cut my own hair was while he was babysitting me. I told my mom "it fell out" but I'm pretty sure he still got in a little bit of trouble for not watching me closer. Sorry :)
• Another time while he was babysitting me I ran under him while he was lifting weights. I got hit right above my eye and it cut me pretty bad. Scott took care of me, cleaned it up and put a butterfly bandage on it. Debby came home, said he did it all wrong and bandaged me up differently. My parents came home and decided I might need stitches and took me to the doctor. The doctor looked at it, and ended up putting a butterfly bandage back on it. (This is how I remember it, but my memory is hazy because I think I was only 3 or 4 and I had just gotten hit in the head afterall).
• He protected us from all kinds of ferocious wildlife: the copperhead snake that slithered through our campsite, and the wild bees that attacked us while we were sitting on the Renfrow's lawn. Scott rolled down the hill to distract the bees or squash the bees, I'm not really sure. But, he had a ton of bee stings and I only got one.
• He also protected me from the neighborhood boys. Apparently one time Scott tied our neighbor Chris up to a tree because he had been mean to me. There was also a bow and arrow involved. I didn't find this out until I was a junior in highschool and Chris and I were in the same class. I guess it worked, because I only remember him being nice to me.
• Scott really liked to tie anyone up. I got tied up to the post on the porch several times for various reasons.
• My friends LOVED him. They thought he was soooo cute and would just swoon when he would come to the basketball games to watch me cheer when he was home from college. I can remember several times meeting girls a few years older than me that knew who he was, even though he was still several years older than them.
• He only dated girls whose names began with an "S". And of course he married the best one.
• He could kick the football over the house.
• He is a man of few words but yet he studies and teaches linguistics. Perplexing.
• By example, he taught me the finer points of the "lay low policy". This is when, particularly as a teenager, you go about your business without drawing a lot of attention to yourself. You tell, rather than ask, your parents where you are going as if they have already given permission. You don't talk back or cause big fights and thereby you pretty much get to do whatever you want without nearly as much parental intervention or inquiry as our fiestier counterparts (a.k.a. the other three sisters).

Happy Birthday Scott!!!

Church Pants and Hand Prints

Feeling slightly more confident in my sewing skills, I decided to make some baby pants out of a pair of Brad's old dress pants that Blink chewed a hole in. Not only did the pants turn out really cute, but now I can hate Blink a little less.

I wouldn't call myself a clean freak but I do like to keep a tidy house. However, I think this little messy reminder might be sticking around for awhile. It's just cute.