My Mom

I know Mother's Day was yesterday, however there was no time to post because of all the festivities! :)  And I celebrate my Mom everyday, so today is no different!

Everyone has one, young or old, short or tall, dark skinned or light...a mother.  Call her whatever you like, Mom, mama, madre, mere, Mother, she will forever be your Mom.  My mom carries many names.  Some days I call her my rock, some days she's my comforter, somedays my best friend, or my discipliner.  She was my provider and only wanted the best for my sister and I.  My mom was, and still is the most selfless, giving person that I know.  Not only is she giving in her finnces, but more giving with her time, which to me, is one of the most valuable things you can give.  She has always had an ear ready to listen whenever I needed to talk...whether it was when I was six and someone took my pencil at school or when I was faced with the everyday occuring drama that went along with middle or high school, she was there.  When I dated boys in college and a date didn't go right or on my graduation day when I wasn't able to walk across the stage, she was there.  

Her ear was ready to listen when Adam and I started dating and I wanted to tell her all the amazing things he had done for me.  And when he popped the question and the daya we got married she heard all my excitments and calmed my nerves.  Even to this day, now that I have my own family, I call her every morning on my way to work to talk about everyday life and the things that come along with it.  She is a great listener.

My mom is an amazing woman who wears many  hats.  It is because of her that I can call myself a Christian, a friend, a wife, a daughter, and a Mother.  She has taught me everything I know about character and poise.  She has led me through the ups and downs of life and has been my lifesaver when I started to go under.  Giving up is not part of my Mom's vocabulary and it is with her experiences that I have seen her push through the toughest of times.  She has watched me grow from the tiniest of babies to the Mother that I am today and now I get the privilege to watch her as a Grandmother to four very precious grand kids.  There is such a legacy behind my Mom's eyes and I can only hope that I will carry that legacy on someday.  

Thank you Mom, for loving me with your whole heart.  Thank you for putting your family first and everything else second.  Thank you for loving the Lord and for teaching me how to as well.  Thank you for sacrificing everything you have so that we would not be without.  Thank you for teaching me how to be a Mother.  You are truly my hero and I am so thankful and blessed to have the relationship we have with each other.  You are my everything and I love you forever! 

Birthdays

Birthdays are a huge deal to me.  It's your own special personal holiday you get to celebrate every year.  Most people get caught up in the fact that you're turning one year older, however I just love hanging out with the people you love, decorating the house with streamers and balloons, maybe opening up a few presents here and there (you know you like presents too), and of course the cake and ice cream!  I love it when birthdays roll around because it just gives you the excuse to spend money and go all out to make somebody else feel special (and not have your husband getting mad at you for spending money).  

So, with that said, we've got some birthday's coming up!  My sister's birthday is May 10th, my Dad's birthday is June 8th, my other brother and sister's birthdays are June 10th and 11th, my birthday is June 17th, and my Mom's birthday is July 8th!  We've got lots of summer birthdays.  This weekend we are celebrating my sister's  birthday at my dad's house after the race on Saturday (I can't believe I'm running in a race Saturday that I haven't trained for...haha).  Anyways, we're all going back to my Dad's house to order pizza and celebrate Sara.  Unfortunately, Adam won't be in attendance because he'll be at a driving class for cough, cough, a ticket he got on the way home from Leah's first doctor's appt.  Sorry babe, but there's consequences for everything.  I still love you though.

This year my dad is turning the big 6-0 so you know I've got to do something up big for him!  Last year we had a little get together at our house for him which was a blast!  We'll see what this year has in store for him...

Here are a few pics from his birthday last year:

Birthdays are a great thing!  If your birthday is coming up, I hope you have a happy, happy birthday spending it with the ones you love!

Cinco de Mayo

Yesterday was cinco de mayo and mine and Adam's 3 year anniversary.  It's kind of funny to think that we picked May 5th to get married and then a year later both of us becoming Spanish teachers!  Funny stuff.

I looked up the traditional gift for 3 years and it was leather, which was perfect because I knew exactly what I could get Adam.  For a while Adam wanted a front pocket wallet but has never bought himself one.  To be quite honest, I think he forgot he wanted one.  So...off to Fossil I went to get my hubby a genuine leather front pocket wallet.  Needless to say, when I gave it to him, he loved it and then remembered how much he wanted one.

I also wanted to do something kind of different for him...so I ordered 3 cupcakes to be delivered to our house.  One that had, "I love you", one that had, "5-5-07", and one that had, "AHE" (our initials) on it.  He really liked those too and they were very yummy!  But, can I just take a minute and speak my heart?  Having a joint account has its perks, but when, ahem, your husband constantly looks at the account, it takes the surprise and suspense out of everything!  Oh well, he still liked them. 

To my surprise, Adam came home with 2 dozen beautiful roses and a very sweet card for me.  We also went out to my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, for dinner.  A huge thanks to Adam's mom for watching our sweet Leah while we went to dinner.  Yesterday was great!  Here's a picture of my roses and the cupcakes (excuse the bite taken out of one of them...Adam couldn't wait).

Adam,
Thank you for a wonderful 3 years!  You are my everything and it is such a privilege to be your wife.  I love how you love me and I love watching you love Leah.  Having the title of Mrs. Adam Hamilton is such an honor and having you by my side in everything brings so much joy to my life!  I love you with all my heart and I am so excited to see what the next 50, 60, or even 70 years have in store for us!  2 are always better than 1!

My new title: Mom

My first Mother's day is coming up and I couldn't be more excited!  It's kind of surreal celebrating a holiday where I'm used to focusing all my attention on my Mom and all the Mom's around me.  This year, I get to join in on all the fun celebrating such a thoughtful holiday! 

 I have learned so many things about being a Mom in just the short 3 months of Leah's life.  I'll post more about my experiences closer to Mother's day, but probably the most important thing I've experienced in being a Mom is the love for a child. 

 There is truly nothing like it and no one can ever take it away from you.  I'm sure I've got lots to learn in the coming years on being a Mom, but I do know one thing and that is my love will only grow and deepen for Leah every day of my life. 

 This quote always seems to enter my mind when I think about love and how it grows...

"For you see, each day I love you more.  Today more than yesterday, and less than tomorrow." -Rosemonde Gerard

 I love you sweet Leah!

The Bobcats

Well, the Bobcats finally made it to the playoffs.  Since the loss we had last night, it doesn't look like they'll make it past the first round, but a BIG congrats to them for making it this far. 

Back in 2004 I had this crazy idea to try out for their cheerleading team, the Rally Cats.  It was a long shot, but I made it!  I went on to cheer for them for the next 4 years and it was truly a great experience.  I met a lot of great people, performed for thousands, got a front row seat to the games, and so much more.

Cheering for the Bobcats will allow me to, one day, tell Leah some great stories and is an experience I'll always remember.  Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure...

Tryouts one year

 

During a time out

This was when the Sting (women's NBA) was in Charlotte

After every game, we would go up and entertain the crowds.

Adam and I after a game.

Some of the Rally Cats came to our wedding and we stunted...fun, fun!

Running.

In light of coming events, I thought it would be very appropriate to make the first of my soon to be many posts about running.

Now if you know me at all you know that running is not my favorite thing to do.  I grew up with a family of runners.  Almost every weekend was spent either attending a race someone was running in or actually running in a race myself.  I was apart of a running club growing up and I ran track/cross country all through middle school and high school.  Running was my thing.  My dad trained me a lot growing up and I ran with my brothers to get ready and help train for a cross country race or for a 5k on the weekends.  My dad would train me so hard because he saw what I didn't see (or feel, frankly) in my talent.  He would always tell me, "Elizabeth you've got so much potential in this sport if you would stick with it."  In that moment in time I didn't believe him.  I guess I just got burnt out.  I never really quit running, but I am slack in the discipline of training for races and events.  For example, I signed up to do a 5k on May 8.  Have I ran any?  Nope.  (I just slapped my hand).

I guess you could say that I've always been a "runner" but I am no where near what I could be if I "stuck with it" and had the discipline of training.  As I write this, it reminds me of my Christian life.  I have always been a "christian", but I am nowhere near the Christian I am called to be because of my lack of discipline of being in God's word.  Will God ever give up on me?  Nope.  He knows my potential so He's going to keep pushing me until I reach my potential in Him.  Just like my dad.  Even to this day my dad asks me about my running and invites me to run in certain races.  He offers to train me and run with me to help me reach my potential (that I still have).  I've come to know that your potential never leaves you...it's just hidden until you reach the level you are supposed to be at.  Everyone's got some kind of potential in them...and you've probably got the most potential in something you don't particularly love to do (at least that's how it is for me).  I've also found that when you train and are disciplined in the thing that you're pursuing (in my case, running) it becomes easier and more fun and you're more likely to do it because it becomes a habit (which is how I should be in my Christian walk). 

Whew.  I did not intend for this post to go in the direction it did...I guess that's just been on my heart lately.  On a more lighter note, I'll leave you with a few pictures of my glory days as a runner...hopefully I'll one day reach the potential that I've always had inside me, and Dad, thanks for pushing me and for seeing the potential in me.  You're the best!

This is me after I finished the Myrtle Beach 1/2 Marathon in 2004.

This is me coming up to the finish line.  I'm usually very focused and will have a pretty funny look on my face!

 

Lots of stuff...

I was looking through some old pictures the other day and I thought to myself, "I should blog about these".  So...as often as I can, I'm going to post a picture/blog post to allow my readers to gain more incite about who I am and what I'm all about.  Hope you enjoy!