HELLO!

Well hello there!

I am sitting in my big leather comfy chair with my feet up in the middle of the day typing my first blog post in FOREVER.  Sitting down in the middle of the day is a rare occurrence around here so I think it should be documented.  I am icing my knee after a run.  I messed my knee up last year (I still think my meniscus is torn) and to this day- a year later, it still bothers me.  I need to just bite the bullet and see a doctor again but I am afraid surgery will be in my future and not my half marathon.

I hope to catch you up on what has been going on in Casa Mac since I last posted.  Confession- I had to go back and read my last couple of posts to see what I had posted.

First up, we will start with the man of the house- Daddy Mac.  He continues to work 500 hours per week and runs 200 miles in the same week.  Ok, so I might be exaggerating a little bit.  I am a runner's widow Fall, Winter, and Spring- that is when he does the majority of his races.  He still runs a lot in the summer but doesn't race. He did a 100 mile trail race in May.  Yes, 100  miles.  I expressed my pure displeasure about him signing up for it (I really didn't want him to do it) and heard the angels sing when he said he would never do another one.  I must admit I was proud of him and shed tears every time I'd get an update.  I just wanted it to be over.

This is Chad crossing the finish line at the Thunder Rock 100 mile trail race.  

To be completely honest, we rarely see each other and rarely spend time together just the two of us.  Life is crazy with a job, his running, two kids, a house, and two dogs (more on that in a minute).  Our thirteen year anniversary is coming up in October.  When we first married, we vowed that we would go back to Hawaii for our tenth anniversary- then reality set in.  We used to go on anniversary getaways but we don't even do that anymore.  Such is life.

Next, an update on me!  At first I thought there wasn't much to update- I raise kids and do laundry and occasionally clean house.  BORING- but then it dawned on me that I can talk about my new job. I am an independent consultant with a company whose title is the number after Thirty.  :)  I don't know how much I can talk about it on my blog (legal stuff) but I am enjoying it a lot.  Second, I can mention that I am going to see LUKE BRYAN in two weeks!  I have been looking forward to this FOREVER.  My love of Luke Bryan just cannot be denied!  Third, I am training for a half marathon. Since St. Jude got cancelled last year due to weather, we are going to give it another go.  My training runs have really slowed down since I started running.  I tell myself it is because I am four years older than when I started and I lead a busy life.  My life doesn't revolve around running.

Mr. Carson.  Oh Mr. Carson.  My first born is a 4th grader.  He is growing up so freaking fast and it scares me to death.  He is loving 4th grade.  He has three teachers this year.  Changing classes is a big deal!  He doesn't have to sit in a booster seat in the car anymore (FINALLY) and he will sometimes sit with me in the front seat.  He loves it and I do too (most of the time).  He is the master controller of the radio and air conditioner.  He has to make sure his seat is reclined just right and that the vents are pointed directly at him.
#sillyboy

Two huge events in Carson's life recently was getting to be on the field crew on Friday nights and getting cut from his baseball team.  I am choosing to focus on the positive news because the negative news is just still too raw for us as a family.

Carson got quite a surprise on Christmas Eve from Sam.  He asked Carson to serve on the field crew for his Senior year (Mama had to work behind the scenes to make this happen.).  Carson has worked four games and is on cloud nine.  He is responsible for making sure players have water.  He also maintains equipment (he rearranges shirts over pads when necessary) and holds towels for the players.   During home games, he is responsible for hydrating the referees.   He thinks he has the most important job on the field- I would argue that (so would Graham Clark) but he loves, loves, loves doing this.  The trainer that coordinates this has reported to me that Carson is her little man.  She says he is the best behaved kid out there and she knows she can trust him to do his job.

#proudmom

I posted this on Facebook.  Some kids DREAM of meeting their favorite player.  My kid's favorite player surprised him at school for lunch.  So cool!

As far as getting cut from the baseball team, it shouldn't have happened but the more time that passes, the more I realize that God has His hand in this situation.  We (Chad, Carson, and I) all learned lessons from this experience.  Helping a child cope with rejection is hard- it sucks.  I could say more, but I am choosing not to.  I will close by saying that things are looking up for Carson.  When one door closes, God opens two or three more! ;)

And finally, my Caylee Rose.  Caylee went to her first sleepover a couple of weeks ago.  She had a blast.  Further evidence that my kids are growing up too fast.  She is loving second grade.  Her reading is over one year above grade level.  She is taking dance two days a week and will audition for the Nutcracker this weekend.  Recently, I taught her how to use her email and text messaging on her iPad.  Now, all she wants to do is email her cousin and babysitter.  I had to send an apology message to babysitter's mom because I didn't want Caylee to run up the bill!  Luckily, she said she could text Madison anytime.  I haven't told her that because she totally would! She is still all about her style.  She loves dresses and skirts but has surprised me this year.  We went shopping at the Nike outlet and she actually picked out track shorts and a nike shirt- and wears it quite frequently!  

To close this post, I'd like to introduce you to the newest Mac.  ELMER!

Elmer is an almost two year old black lab that we adopted from Sam's family.  They moved into a new house and didn't have the yard for him so we adopted him.  We hadn't planned on getting another dog but we did.  He is still a little wild- still a puppy- but is adjusting nicely to us.  He is rough with Tank at times but we've discovered a great punishment- a squirt bottle.  He HATES being wet so I bought a cheap water bottle and keep it outside so when he is aggravating Tank, he gets a squirt and will stop.

How sad is it that I posted more pics of the dog than anyone else?  :)

If you have stuck through this, KUDOS to you!  Hopefully it will not take three months for another update!