Sunday, September 30, 2007

Mischief & Curiosity

We always knew our daughter's personality included high amounts of curiosity and a little bit of mischief. So, it did not surprise us when we found Danae in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet lid, pumping my lotion into her little hand. Here's the proof:
Mom, Dori, and Debi: Who does this remind you of??? I seem to recall a certain teenager who, in her early toddler years, powdered herself extensively in Mom's bathroom. There's no question as to who Danae acts like! :o)

Danae also had us laughing at lunch. After giving her the spatula to lick the mashed potatoes, she exclaimed, "Oh, look, Daddy, elephant!" Then we realized she was pointing to the spatula and the somewhat elephant trunk-looking shape of the mashed potatoes on it. Too funny!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Fair Time!

We went to the Lampeter Fair last night, where there's lots of farm animals and "fair food": pork BBQ sandwiches, chicken corn soup, milk shakes, etc. Danae, of course, loved the animals and would have preferred to snatch a bunny rather than pet it through the cage.

After Danae saw a little girl with a horse painted on her face, she was determined to have her own. So, after standing in line patiently and sitting on my lap without moving (yes, we were shocked too!), she got her horse! She displayed it proudly for Curt, Justin, Sarah, and Jenny to see. Here she is, fast asleep after an evening of fun!
Next week: The New Holland Fair, which is only the best fair of the year! I'll be sure to share our photos with you!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

The Office Season Premiere TONIGHT!

So, "The Office" season 4 premiere is tonight, and I want to hear from you! Weigh in afterward (or during) with your thoughts, feelings, fav parts, or anything else "office-related". Hope it's as exciting as I am for it! :o)

Feel like catching up on quotes from past episodes? Check out this website I found (click on the picture):


Oh, and if you feel like seeing more pics from the Quantico Half, click here.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

SEMPER FInished

I survived and am still walking! The Quantico Half-Marathon is now over, and after a few hours, the passing out and puking feeling has gone away. My goal was to finish in under 2 hours, and I finished in 1:59:56. With 100% humidity and 70 degrees at 8am, I knew it was going to be close!
My sister ended up not running due to a foot problem, and brother-in-law Bill finished in 1 hour 35 seconds (PR for him...woo hoo!).
Here are a few pics from the race:


Me at about 7.5 miles...sweating like crazy, but still manageable. :o)
Bill (left) close to the finish.

Me (on the right) at the finish...yippee!


Bill & I post-race. (Yup, I got the hair chopped this week!)There should be more pictures from the race available soon from the people at Quantico. I'll post them when I get them.

All in all, it was a good, fun weekend! Danae loves being with her cousins Meg & Maddie and tags along with the the entire time. :)




Thursday, September 20, 2007

Aimee Tagged Me!

Yup, I've been tagged by Mrs. Weaver. :o) So now I need to post 8 things you might not know about me. Wow...think, think, think...

1) I prefer the beach over the mountains. Yes, I know the cabin at the mountains is more secluded with less people, fresher air, and probably no cancer...but when you grow up playing and swimming at the beach, that just doesn't leave you.


2) For some reason, I am really sensitive to smell. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they and their house smell. I think that each person's house has its own scent, and I can pick up that scent almost immediately. Kind of like a bloodhound. Now, if only my memory were as good...


3) I REALLY don't like spiders. Plenty of spider bites in the past have convinced me of this. Yes, they are God's creatures, but I don't think that will stop my impulse to go out of my way to kill one of those eight-legged suckers.


4) One great way for me to "de-stress" is to spend an entire day cleaning and organizing my house (with no one else around). I know it sounds crazy, but the satisfied feeling afterward is better than any day at the spa.


5) I think going to a Wiggles concert would be fun. Yes, I used to think the four men dressed in different colors were gay, and I know lots of people don't like them. But I did my research, and they are normal, straight men with early childhood education backgrounds who have families of their own. They are creative, my daughter loves their songs, and it's educational. (So, anyone wanna go with us?) :o)


6) I love to bake! I'm definitely much better at baking than cooking. If we could eat breads, pies, cakes, and cookies all the time and not get sick or fat, my house would be an all-the-time happy house.


7) Besides being a fan of the show "The Office" (which you probably already knew), I really enjoy watching "The Biggest Loser". Maybe it's my exercise and fitness background, but I think what those people are doing is awesome! I'd love to be a trainer on that show, or maybe just a fitness trainer in normal life someday.


8) I can be create at times and wish I was more often. I tend to be very objective and like things "by the book", but when I relax and let my creative side come out, fun things can happen. :o)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

One Year

Sorry that I haven't posted in a few days! Busyness overcame me!
Today is the one-year anniversary of Grandma Markey's death. Yes, I keep track of such things. (Does anyone else do that?) I guess I inherited the knack for remembering dates from my dad.
It's unbelievable how quickly a year goes by... Here are some pictures that I found of Grandma. Enjoy!

This one is Grandma and Danae at their first meeting in November 2005. Yup, Danae is sticking her tongue out! :)
Here's a somewhat "generational" picture: Grandma, my mom, me, and Danae.

Remembering is a good thing...


An Old Irish Blessing:


May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Here's something my brother James wrote. I think it completely encompasses who Grandma was.

September 22, 2006 - Friday
My Grandma
On September 18th, 2006, Monday morning, my grandma died. She was a month and a half shy of 96 years old. When someone that old dies one is obligated to say things about how she had such a long life and it was her time. No time is ever right to lose someone the caliber of my grandma. She was the cornerstone that held together 4 generations of living Markey's. There is now a void inside every one of my family members who had the honor of knowing her.

She was born Bessie McKernan and died Elizabeth Francis Markey. She was the last survivor of 4 siblings (Celia, John and Helen) who spent their early 20's living through the depression. She was born, raised and died in Brooklyn , New York . She married in 1936 to my grandpa, Henry Markey, to whom she bore 2 sons; my uncle Joseph and my father James. The next generation bore 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grand children for my grandma. Since 1970, my grandma lived alone in a small apartment on 4th Avenue and Prospect Avenue . She lived there for over 40 years. It was only in the last 2 years of her life that she required a caretaker named Zelena to be there for her to accomplish some tasks. There are the basic details.

What an obituary in the newspaper won't tell you is how despite the fact that she lived alone, she was never by herself. Family surrounded my grandma for every day of her life. She went to every wedding, held every grand and great-grand child, and attended every funeral up to the time when she was no longer able. Most people have a few years on the down slope before they die. My grandma took 2 weeks. She was always smiling, always laughing, always loving. The last my dad remembers of her being sick was 1964 and she never took any kind of medicine in her life. She was a life-long devoted Irish-Catholic who even in her 2-week decline still attempted to recite the Rosary when her priest made a house call. Despite being physically assaulted and mugged in her apartment at the age of 90 refused to move in with someone for the proceeding 5 years. No one could meet her and then not be thought of as a friend. She was the type of person to flirt with the waiter at a restaurant and watch reruns of Knots Landing with her caretaker. She was energetic and sharp of mind up until those 2 weeks that resulted in her death.

No simple words can describe her. These words do not even begin to do her life justice. I had the privilege of having my grandma for 22 years. At the point I was born she had already lived 73 years of a life that cannot be summarized or explained with a single paragraph. Four generations of my family now have to look to each other for strength, when before we simply looked to Grandma Markey.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Ugh...

Boy do I feel yucky! We've been battling head colds in our house for the past few days. First Curt, then me...and we are praying that Danae doesn't get anything from us! The congestion, watery eyes, and coughing can really get to you. I have a meeting today and one tomorrow morning with potential clients, and I'm hoping I don't cough and sneeze all over them! :o)

This is the first week that I haven't kept up with the training program for the race. I was supposed to do a speed workout yesterday...yup, skipped that! The fastest I got was a walk to the store for some medicine! I'm hoping I can get in a long run this weekend sometime, but with my parents coming for a visit, it may not be possible. Oh, well...at least I'm near the end of this cold and I'm not feeling like this the week or day of the race, right? :o)

So, any takers for the PT Fall Blast in Lititz??? Let me know!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Toddler Time


Today Danae and I went to the toddler storytime at the library for the first time. It really went well! I think she enjoyed being with the others kids and listening to the stories...while I got satisfaction in realizing that my little girl is not as wild and unruly as other toddlers out there. Thank God! :o)

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Purse Raids and Party Time

What a fun weekend..
If you don't know our daughter by now, you are missing out on tons of fun, lots of movement, and constant surprises. Take the picture below, for instance. On Friday, I realized Danae was being too quiet, so after I found out she raided my purse and loves makeup, I snapped this picture.


Life with Danae is exciting at every turn. :o)


We also had some fun at a little party for me at House of His Creation. They decided to throw a "Happy Quitting" party (as called by my friend/former co-worker Matthew) for me tonight. We had a good time eating dinner, talking, and learning more about the girls at the house. The staff also gave me a "Schrute Buck" and season 3 of The Office...yes, they rock! I definitely miss working with everyone from HOHC! It's not often you get to work with people who do extraordinary work . Check out the HOHC website when you get a chance by clicking here.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

13.1 coming soon!

On September 22, I will be attempting another half-marathon...and this time I'm not alone! I'm joining Debi and Bill (sister and brother-in-law) at the Quantico Half in Virginia. If you are interested in learning more about the race, click here. (My name is now on the confirmation list...oh boy, I guess I'm locked in, huh?)

I have been training for several weeks, and my weekly mileage is now around 16 miles, with long runs at 8 miles. It's going well, and I'm purposely taking it slow to avoid injury. The PT Fall Blast in Lititz is two weeks after Quantico, and I really don't want to miss that one. That race, in my opinion, is one of the best races of the year...mainly due to the post-race prizes and food. :o) Wanna run it? Click here to go to Hartz PT's site. It's only a 5K (3.1 miles)...come on, you know you can do it!

So, we'll see what happens in a few weeks! I'm hoping to get some good pictures and post them on here afterward. (And I'm praying for some GREAT weather for that day!)

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Danae's Table

A few weeks ago, I found this child's table and chairs at an auction...and won it for $2! What a steal! They were in need of a re-design, though. Here was an opportunity to draw out the creative side in me, which rarely shows its face. :o)


So, here are the before pictures:
















I really wanted this table to be "girly" and completely different from anything Danae has. After gathering ideas from Curt and a couple of friends, I went to work. Here are the after pictures (pardon the mess...still working on where toys should go):

This was such a fun project...and really inexpensive! Danae loves sitting at her table and looking at the pictures, coloring, and playing. :o)

Monday, September 3, 2007

Let's try something new!

So, I've wanted to start a blog for a long time, and now I'm finally getting around to it!
Welcome to my world of being a Wife, Mommy, Runner, child of God, and much more.

Here you will find updates on the fam and friends, news, and adventures galore...the latter courtesy of our precious daughter, Danae. I hope you enjoy the journey!





Here's a picture of Danae from a few weeks ago, loving her "new-from-a-yard-sale" rain boots.