In the beginning of my running journey I couldn’t run 30 seconds without feeling like I was going to collapse to the ground.  I made myself stick through it.  I promised myself I would do the Couch to 5K program for AT LEAST 6 weeks before I quit.  The first 2-3 weeks were nothing short of torture.  I am shocked that I didn’t quit.  Somewhere around the 5 week mark I started to look forward to my daily runs.  I would run longer distances without feeling like I would fall to the ground at any moment.  A few months later my husband got back into running.  Jason ran in college (competitively for his school) and burned out afterwards.  He once told me that he would NEVER be a runner again.  Never say never.

Now a year later I am officially in training for my first half marathon.  My husband is in training for another marathon and hoping to qualify for Boston.  We have completely revamped our lives.  We eat 95% real, whole food.  I run and do Zumba.  I coordinate the running club for my gym.  I feel better, I am happier and I am 50 pounds lighter.  Our whole lives are so much better.

All because one day…I just went.

Needless to say, he has never been a sit down and lets color a picture type kid.  I was a little freaked out over the summer as a prepared to start “real school” with him.  Afterall, my others learned to read while in public school.  What if I messed him up?

When we began school it became very apparent to me that he was not ready for what most would consider school.  I freaked.  Then I prayed.  The answer I got was to play, read, do light stuff and wait.  Just wait.  Many boys are not ready for workbooks and such at age 5.  I have told other mothers this in the past.  I know this to be true and yet, I was freaking out that my son was so…well normal.  So for the months of September – December Chase did a phonics program on the computer and the rest was play work.

We started doing a first grade phonics curriculum and some Kindergarten math workbooks a few weeks ago.  It’s amazing how letting him have those few months to just be a boy helped.  He is now able to sit..do his work…and move on.

It is validating to know that I know what my son needs and that I don’t have to follow anyone else’s timeline of when and what he needs to do.  Most importantly he is happy, I am happy and his spirit wasn’t squashed in the process.

I tried.  I really tried to leave this site.  And I did for a year and half.  I left blogging completely for basically the last year.  I think the break was good for me.  But, I miss it.  So I sat down and tried to come up with a new name.  But, really?  I have always and will always be…Frazzled LaShawn.

So I am back.  I want to say bigger and better, but the truth is I am SMALLER and better.  More on that in posts to come.  A lot has changed.  A lot is still the same.

I’ve missed you….

Bugsie is a pill.  Seriously he is the most spoiled rotten child I have.  He is fabulous though.  He is a best friend to all our kids.  He keeps me feet warm at night (or boiling hot now that it is summer).  He is a clown and a cuddle-bug.

So Bugsie…on your first birthday I have compiled this list of things about you.

Favorite food:  Whatever the kids are having…especially corn dogs.

Favorite place to sleep:  In bed with Mom and Dad…preferabbly in the most inconvenient place to maximize the amount of space I am taking up.  I also like to sleep on my back on the couch to make sure everyone can see my “maleness”.

Favorite outdoor activity:  Pestering my big brother dogs, Mojo and Beau (they secretly love it).

Favorite indoor activity:  Pestering my cat sisters and making the living room stink (Boston Terriers are gassy).

Favorite thing about your human family:  They let me nurse on all the stuffed animals in the house (This nursing he does is not something that can be explained…I must get it on video).  They also think I am awesome.

The truth is, Bugsie is so much a member of this family I can’t imagine what we would do without him now.  He was an ADORABLE puppy:

And now he is a super cool, awesome, though stinky, dog. And he couldn’t have us more wrapped around his paw:

By the way, we think he so awesome that he is getting fixed tomorrow. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUGSIE!!! Snip snip.

Soon I will no longer be Frazzled LaShawn…..I am getting a new identity.

Stay tuned, my friends.

My darling, Chase, turned four last week.  All he wanted was a fishing pole and to go fishing.  So that’s what we did.

He was so excited. Sadly, there was not much biting on Sunday. But there were minnows.

Chase takes after me….I always loved minnows as a kid. Sadly with 5 of us fishing only one of us caught anything. Brodie caught one little bass.

We all had a good time though. Evan was quite the clown.

Austin and Brodie didn’t need much help. They are definitely getting bigger.

Chase had a great day. Which is what really matters on his birthday.

I have GOT to quit with all the face and hair touching….sheesh.

But totally worth it…

A few weeks ago I had the honor of shooting my first wedding.  It also happened to be one of my very best friends getting married.  You remember back when I took Shana and Brad’s engagement pictures I told you they had a story.  I can now tell it.

Shana and Brad were married once before.  They had two lovely kiddos.  Shana was a stay at home mom and they had just bought a house.  Then things happen, as they do in marriage.  They ended up divorced and it was a very sad time for us all.  I feel like I walked through it with Shana.  So much of the demise of her marriage reminded me of my first marriage.

But, then something happened.  Jesus.

I don’t say that in some fake Christian “Oh isn’t Jesus wonderful” kind of way. If you ever doubted the power of Jesus to heal a life then you need to meet these two.  God did a work in both of their lives and completely transformed their relationship.  It was not easy for either of them, but they both stuck with it and allowed God to change their hearts.  It is truly a miraculous thing to witness.

And if you didn’t know…God has an amazing sense of humor.  Their divorce was final on April Fool’s day.

So two years later we all gathered on Shana’s grandfather’s farm in Oklahoma.  We had planned for a lovely sunny wedding day.  But then the sky opened up. The farm turned into a soupy mess.

Brad carrying his daughter, Shayden through the puddles.

Undeterred, a plan was made to move everything into the barn (OK so there may have been about a 30 second bridal meltdown…but we won’t talk about that).

I love this place.

Despite the rain and the change of plans…the wedding continued. Here are a few of my favorite images.

I had the honor of shooting the wedding with my favorite partner in crime, Andie.

Shana and I should really get kickbacks from Sonic. We loves Sonic

Brad, as Shana walked into the room.

So very Shana.

Also, so very Shana.

The wedding party

While there are many more pictures I loved from the day (many I am still editing)…these last two show the essence of who Brad and Shana are. Kind, loving, entirely too much fun, and now together.