Juice

Our old juicer had to be thrown out a while back. So, we treated ourselves to a new one for Christmas and already, we have been juicing away. I'll be experimenting with recipes over the next few months. Later this evening, I'll be making vegetable juice with spinach, tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, celery and carrots. My kids prefer mixing veggies with apples and oranges to make the juices a little sweeter.

Finally... back to fresh, healthy vitamins and minerals we can drink!

Side note... I did find some spirited juice recipes I'll try for parties and evenings with friends.

Christmas At Casa Crews

A few of us ready to open gifts. At Casa Crews we have a box of hats for all to wear!

As my favorite time of year comes to an end, I sit here on this cold December morning with my coffee feeling grateful. This year has been quite a strange one. We were dealt some difficult blows, but in the end, Bill's "cancerous" spots appear to be infections and the drugs seem to be working. Morgan graduated from high school with a very high GPA and a scholarship to college. Dylan finished high school swim season with a record breaking 100 backstroke after suffering from hearing loss and eardrum damage.

The hardships of the year knocked us down, but we all got back up. We laughed in the face of adversity and drew closer to each other. That's how family should be. We should always face our troubles together. As always, Jack & Linda continue to be our greatest supporters. They pray for us and hug us and fill us with wisdom to live in a broken world.

So, Christmas...

We hosted brunch again. It's so wonderful to have an easy, calm Christmas morning surrounded by people you love. My grandparents were here again. Each year, we wonder if it will be the last with them. They are so very tough and very smart. My parents are in the country and were with us. My sister and her precious family were here. Christmas with children is always much more fun! Of course, the dogs were all part of the celebration and they all loved their many treats.

Following Christmas brunch, we played a silly game with my parents and then decided to head to their ranch near Madisonville and ride 4 wheelers. We also got to watch their German Shepard play fetch in the pond for an hour and still not get tired.

At the end of the night, I was full from eating two bowls of my mom's chicken chili and I felt satisfied. I wasn't thinking about the horrible events of 2015. I was thinking about the family I have. Bill, Morgan and Dylan are my life. Our parents and siblings (including the ones who were unable to be with us this year) are a true blessing. We are looking forward to the adventures of 2016 and already planning our Christmas in Colorado.

Merry Christmas to everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

On our way to Christmas Eve service at church.

Christmas morning, with my coffee and the silence of being alone for a while.

It was hot outside so we made our own snow and snowmen (and these were edible).
Also, we had a snowball fight (using the wadded up gift wrapping after we opened gifts).
Sometimes in life you gotta make your own snow!

Just us girls... me, Morgan, Mama Jo, Mom, Emma and Annie

Our dog Piper loves being at Grandpa & Grandma's ranch

Walking with Bill to the barn

Kids, Bill, Grandpa, Piper & Bear all headed to the pond to play fetch.

Piper riding in the back of one of the 4 wheelers

Dylan driving Uncle Drew's newest purchase. This one goes up to 60 mph.
Bear stands in the back the entire ride, never falling.

Selfie time! Everyone protecting their eyes from Dylan's dust (I had to deal with some dirt).

Bear is so fun. Loves the pond and can play for hours.

He swims like us!

Meanwhile Piper enjoys sunbathing.

I've never seen a dog this in love with the sun.

Great Weekend

Dylan winning gold for the 100 back

Morgan, class of 2015

Friday morning I got a very late start on what was supposed to be an 18 mile run. The cold weather we had been enjoying was gone. It was nearly 80 degrees out and very humid. I was not properly fueled and had no gels. Long story short... my 18 mile run turned into 17 miles and it was miserable. The entire way.

So waking up Saturday morning, I thought, "this weekend better improve" and then Bill called from his run telling me he was getting a migraine. I was not about to let the weekend suck. Bill did what he does and overcame his pain and went with me to volunteer at the high school district swim meet.

The best volunteer position for districts is timer. I was head timer which meant I was right by the awards podium. Dylan has been extremely sick with an ear infection that caused hearing loss and has left him with a damaged ear drum. But the doctor released him to swim as long as he continues his treatments. Having missed lots of practice and a couple of meets, it was unclear how he would swim.

In each of the three events he swam, he won first place! He even broke a JV 100 backstroke record! Of course, Dylan was happy with his times, but as always, he knows he has to improve greatly in order to be promoted to gold/national. At least I got a smile out of him. This great victory even seemed to help Bill feel better.

The next day, we celebrated our beautiful daughter's graduation from high school. Yay! My precious girl is a high school graduate.

This year has been really tough. We've been through very difficult trials- all four of us. But thankfully, we are still here and still moving forward. Our kids are the best. And we are always grateful for the wonderful family and friends in our lives. Morgan's party was intimate and sweet, filled with grandparents she adores, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who we think of as family. We are truly blessed.

Christmas At Casa Crews

All my life, this has been my favorite time of year. So much about this season that makes my heart happy. My birthday, my baby brother's birthday, my baby sister's birthday, the anniversary of Gone With the Wind, Christmas parties, decorations, food, egg nog, time off from school/work...

Well, I could go on and on. This year, in addition to the many parties we're attending, we are hosting our daughter's graduation party! She graduated over a month ago, but with our crazy schedule we couldn't celebrate til this month. Sunday we'll have friends and family over to congratulate her on her huge accomplishment!

Also this year, just like every year, we are busy with our many charities. More on that later. And each year, we have our amazing family over for Christmas brunch. Bill and I love planning the menu and cooking together. It's wonderful being married to a man who enjoys life with me.

Merry Christmas from Casa Crews!

Giving Tuesday

Each year following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we come back to the true spirit of the season to celebrate Giving Tuesday. This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 1. Following are a few ideas from Casa Crews for giving to cancer patients and their families...

• Donate to cancer research! Choose an organization like MD Anderson Cancer Center or The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or Lymphoma Research Foundation.
• Make a meal for a family enduring cancer treatments.
• Give blood or platelets. If you're in the Houston area, please consider donating at MD Anderson Blood Bank as they use more blood products than anywhere else in Houston.
• Get your cheek swabbed and get on the National Bone Marrow Registry (for those ages 18-45).
• Give your hair to Pantene's free wig program for women who have cancer.
• Do you know a family enduring cancer treatments? Offer to decorate their home for the holidays!

It Was For A Purpose

On this day 12 years ago, Bill and I walked into the big doors of MD Anderson Cancer Center for the very first time. Two days before (October 14 is our family's "cancerversary") we heard those two little words that changed our lives forever: "it's cancer".

Only days into our family's war on lymphoma, we recognized our duty to comfort people who were fighting cancer. Truthfully, we recognized this many years before. Bill and I both know the feeling of being a child walking through a children's hospital and seeing little kids with leukemia fight for their lives. My baby brother fought for his life in 1977 at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. He is alive today and his life is very, very good.

Bill's sister Michelle did not survive leukemia. At the age of six, she became another casualty in the war against cancer. We have had too many friends and family members die of cancer for us not to know early on that this had to be part of God's plan for us- comforting those who feel the extreme pain of cancer.

At the time of Bill's diagnosis, we were so overwhelmed and busy trying to save him that we didn't think about that "calling" often, but deep inside, we knew it was all part of the plan to get us deeper into the cancer community to help people.

What a journey it's been these 12 years! The past year has been quite confusing. Bill has been going in every couple of months to MD Anderson to check for high cancer markers. But a week ago, we got the news that we had hoped for: NED (No Evidence of Disease). We love NED!

It's now a beautiful Friday morning. Kind of chilly out now, but expected to warm up and then be a perfect weekend. I'm starting to feel a change in our spiritual and emotional season too. Fresh and beautiful. Beauty for ashes! If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. This has been a very painful year. The cancer scare was nothing compared to the other part of this life journey. But for the first time in a very long time, I am feeling some peace come our way. The horror of our storm is something I would never wish to live again, but I know it was for a purpose.

Fall Morning

It's a beautiful fall Sunday morning at Casa Crews. As I sit out back with my coffee, I feel ever so grateful for peaceful moments. In this intense life we live, we don't get too many of those so when I have a few minutes of just sitting out back on a cool, crisp Autumn morning, I feel profound gratitude.

Plans changed for us slightly last night. We had thought we would head to bed early and get up for a run this morning. But we had a crisis to deal with. When your teenager hurts, you hurt with your teen. Even if on the surface you think it's no big deal, the truth is usually that the thing they are crying or screaming about is not what is really bothering them. So, you patiently sit with them, cry with them, hold them if they let you, stay calm if they yell at you and blame you. You have to dig deep, but if you can stay calm in the storm, the storm will finally calm.

It did last night and things ended at Casa Crews at almost 1:00 in the morning, but in a way that was worth the lack of sleep. When you have teenagers, you are thankful for any time they want to spend with you. So, with all four of us and the dog laying in the family room cuddled under blankets watching a movie, we got a little time of happy.

Because you never know what a day may bring, I will right now be grateful for the peaceful moment I'm in and for the happiness of being with my family last night. Later today, I'll head to the Greek Festival in Houston and celebrate that fun lively part of my heritage. May the day be blessed.

Pumpkin Carving

It was a nice day out so Morgan and I decided to buy a pumpkin and carve it. She does not remember us doing this when she was little. That kind of made me sad. There are so many things we did together when the kids were little. I have all kinds of precious memories, but they have forgotten so much.

Well, we made up for it by re-creating a pumpkin carving memory a couple of days ago. Dylan missed out because he was at school. He probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as us girls did. We bought a little kit at Target and a pumpkin at the grocery store. It was fun! We chose a pretty tough design for one side and a very simple one for the back. Now it's on our front porch to greet friends as they come over to Casa Crews!

The front design (this was pretty tough).

The back (super easy)

Preparing for College

Before I tell you all about where and when she's going, let me tell you a little bit about the most important girl in the world and how she came into our lives.

In the summer of 1997, I was swimming in the state swim meet at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. I was 27 years old and had qualified in my age group for both the freestyle and backstroke events. When I woke up that morning, I felt really dizzy and tired and nearly dropped out of the race. But I decided not to quit and just do my best.

After I swam the backstroke, I fainted in my husband's arms (some have told me it was like a movie as he ran and caught me just in time and carried me to the medical tent). I discovered through this that I was pregnant. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

That baby has grown into a precious 17-year-old lady. She is a strong, kind, compassionate young woman who thinks for herself. Morgan Michelle Crews is unique! Her opinions and her sense of style are fabulous. I may sound a little prejudice, but I think she's amazing. Those sparkling blue eyes that I first had the privilege of seeing on April 8, 1998 still pierce my heart.

Morgan has endured quite a lot of difficulty in her short life, but she always moves forward. When she gets knocked down, I have watched her time after time as she gets herself back up and presses on. Her determination and "can do" attitude help get her through life. I witnessed her run her first half marathon at the age of 11 and the next year I got to run one with her and see her push herself on those last two miles when she was feeling extreme pain. She takes that same spirit with her throughout life.

When tears flood those beautiful blue eyes, it crushes me. I wish I could take every ounce of pain and put it on myself so she doesn't have to feel it. I'm a momma and that's just how it is. And let me tell you, when she laughs, it brightens my heart. When I see her artwork or read her writings or listen to her play guitar, it fills me with incredible joy.

Discovering my pregnancy on the heels of a swim meet at Texas Tech 18 years ago was pretty cool. I haven't been there since then. But I'm about to head back in a few weeks because wouldn't you know... Morgan is going to attend school there!

Now, this part is difficult for me. She is a senior and we expected that she would be graduating in May of 2016, but she made the decision to finish school early. So, instead of many more months of having her around Casa Crews, we only have til January! This is very hard. I didn't get a full senior year to get ready for the goodbyes.

But, I know she's made the right decision and I have a strong feeling that she is going to do very well. Next month we are meeting with her recruiter and taking a tour of the campus, including the marketing department and fashion apparel department (she's going to be studying fashion marketing).

Meanwhile, I'm soaking in every ounce of her being here. There are easy days and there are tough days. Preparing for college is pretty intense for the entire family. As we get closer and closer to her departure, I'm feeling the emptiness. I will miss my sweet daughter greatly. And I will always be grateful for the time I got to have her in my home. The next phase will be different, but good. I just know it.

My artsy, beautiful girl :)

Her graduation gift from her daddy- a Jeep!!!

Pain or Nothing

Without going into details, this year has been a highly dramatic one. Illegal acts have been committed against our family and we have been involved in some very serious legal battles. Just when I was hoping we were coming to the end of it all, we were hit yesterday with a serious blow.

Great harm has come to us over the past few months. I have not been at liberty to talk to anyone about it, but I have spent lots of time on my knees in prayer. As a result, I have lost a lot of sleep, but have gained a lot of strength I would not otherwise have.

"Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain."~ William Faulkner

Pain hurts. I wrote about this only a few days ago on this blog and said then the same thing I say now. If I could go back in time to change it and avoid the pain, I would not. This pain is leading our family where we need to be so I choose the pain. But we are in some of the most painful situations in life right now and I have moments in which I can barely breathe. In those moments, the only way I survive is my faith in Jesus. He keeps me breathing. He keeps me moving. He keeps me.

Today, my focus will be on moving forward even though I hurt. I'm so very proud of my husband and kids because they are doing the same thing. They are out doing what they are supposed to do in the midst of the pain. One day we will look back on this time and say we are thankful for this pain.

Well Done

I have finished the work you gave me to do~ John 17:4

That's what it is all about for me. Finish the work that I have been given. Not someone else's work. But the work God has given to me. And not to go about it lazily, but to pour my heart and soul into it. Doing it with great zeal. I don't want to squander my gifts and talents God has given me. At the end of my life, I want to hear those long awaited words: "well done".

In fact, at the end of every single day, I would like to lay my head on my pillow and hear those words. Each day, I want to finish the work I've been given to do in that day. And I would like to believe that I will have peaceful rest as a result. "Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest."

It is a beautiful morning. It has been a pleasure to sit outside on my deck and have coffee on a cool, crisp Texas day. My goal for the day is to do what I'm supposed to do so that tonight I can close my eyes and drift off to peaceful slumber hearing "well done".

Positive Thoughts

Bad things can and do happen. But guess what... Good things can and do happen too!

It's a beautiful cool morning in Southeast Texas. A deep blue sky covers the woods where runners and cyclists have been out all morning, where birds are singing, kids are laughing. I have finished my 10 mile run and now sit out by my pool with a cup of coffee. I am grateful.

So many times I dwell on the negatives of my life. I see the painful events of my past and present and feel hopeless for my future. Often I forget to remember the good stuff. I forget the kind and wonderful things people have said or done and remember the mean things. Why? I forget the lovely moments of holding my kids and playing with them for hours when they were little and remember instead every mistake I ever made as a mom.

Shame on me! Life has been very difficult. We have been through excruciating pain. BUT, we have also known very happy times. We did some stuff right as parents. Our family enjoyed traveling. We got to do races together. We have had some good things come our way. Those are the things I need to focus on, not the bad things.

In fact, even the Bible mentions this in Phillipians 4:8 ~ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

I do not want to live in fear or anxiety for all the terrible things that might go wrong. Instead I want to recognize that something good is just as possible. Sure, I will suffer some disappointments, but I will also see the good. And I will live a happier life choosing to focus on the positive. Today, I'm happy. Something terrible could happen. But so could something good. It already has. I ran 10 miles and I'm having coffee. 

I Needed That Pain

In the television series, LOST, Sawyer asked John Locke if given the chance, would he go back in time and change things to save himself a world of pain. I've been thinking a lot about Locke's answer: "No, I needed that pain - to get to where I am now."

It's well known that we grow and learn the most through our struggles. We get stronger when we endure pain. It is how character is developed. No one likes the pain, but it is easy to look back and recognize how pain develops us.

I've been in a pretty tough time over the past year. Troubles have come into our life that have made me think our battles against cancer were a piece of cake. It looks like we could be coming to the end of the horror, but the lingering effects of what we've been enduring are likely to stick around forever.

The pain of life can leave us permanently wounded or scarred, but the question I keep asking myself is the one Sawyer asked Locke. If I could, would I go back and change it to save myself the pain? No. As much as I hate my pain, as badly as I hurt, I would not turn around and go back. This pain has a purpose. I have no idea what that purpose is, but I know it has one. Whether I ever truly understand the extent of that purpose, I will trust that the pain I've endured will get me where I need to be.

Blood Cancer Awareness

September is National Blood Cancer Awareness Month. It is also National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. These two go hand in hand of course. I've known this since I was a 7-year-old sitting in the leukemia section of Texas Children's Hospital where my baby brother was receiving chemotherapy.

I hate blood cancer. I hate that every 3 minutes someone in the USA is diagnosed with a blood cancer. And that every 10 minutes someone dies. I hate that it doesn't matter if you're healthy and strong and young and filled with life, it can come in like a flood and destroy you. I've seen it do this to many people I love.

When cancer dares to attack a child, it infuriates me. Our babies deserve a chance to live. They deserve a chance to be a carefree kid because that only happens once in life. Kids should be outside playing with their friends, getting dirty, collecting critters to show off to mom and dad, riding bikes, swimming, dancing, going to school. They should NOT be shut up inside a hospital room hooked up to IVs with poison pumping into their tiny veins. 

I'm not a fan of putting down other cancer awareness campaigns or complaining that they get more attention. I don't think that solves problems, just makes us enemies when we should unite to bring all cancers to an end. So, I won't complain that there are other cancers that get more funding and attention. Instead, I will say that I think more funding and attention needs to be given to cancers of the blood and MOST DEFINITELY to childhood cancers. They say that funding is lacking because childhood cancer is so "rare". Well, that's BS!

I have gotten into a little trouble for saying what I think before, but I won't keep quiet on this issue. If a gunman walked into a school and shot 49 kids, seven of whom were killed while the rest were taken to the hospital to fight for their lives, we would all be angry. The news would not stop talking about it. Some people would yell about gun control. There would be national and even international outrage. Well, this happens every single day in America. Only it's not a gunman doing the damage. It's cancer. Every day, 49 kids get diagnosed with cancer and 7 of them die. Seven kids every day die of cancer. Every year, 1500 innocent children lose their lives to CANCER!!!! Where is the outrage?

Here are a few facts about pediatric cancer:

• Each year around 13,500 children are diagnosed with cancer in the US, that’s more than a classroom of kids a day.
• 35,000 children are currently in treatment for cancer.
•  In 80% of kids, cancer has already spread to other areas of the body by the time it is diagnosed.
• Some 25% of all kids who are diagnosed with cancer die.
• Some pediatric brain tumors are terminal upon diagnosis and no new protocols have been developed in 30 years.
• Many pediatric cancers, including neuroblastoma and disseminated medulloblastoma, are terminal upon progression or recurrence.
• More children die of cancer every year than adults died in the 9/11 terrorist attack.
• Cancer kills more children than AIDs, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and congenital anomalies combined.
• The average age of death for a child with cancer is 8, causing a child to lose 69 years of expected life.
• The death of a child is a traumatic event that parents never overcome. Families who have lost children are often financial and emotionally depleted.
• 74% of childhood cancer survivors have chronic illnesses, and some 40% of childhood cancer survivors have severe illnesses or die from such illnesses.
• Childhood cancer survivors are at significant risk for secondary cancers later in life.
• Cancer treatments can affect a child’s growth, fertility, and endocrine system. Child survivors may be permanently immunologically suppressed.
• Radiation to a child’s brain can significantly damage cognitive function, or if radiation is given at a very young age, limiting the ability to read, do basic math, tell time or even talk.
• Physical and neurocognitive disabilities resulting from treatment may prevent childhood cancer survivors from fully participating in school, social activities and eventually work, which can cause depression and feelings of isolation.

Please help me increase awareness and funding. Wear your gold ribbon. Start up a fundraising campaign. Encourage your local schools and businesses to "go gold" and then to donate their gold! Let's bring an end to cancer.

Conroe 200

A couple of months ago, a couple who own a farm in Conroe, Texas was arrested for the horrific abuse and neglect of over 200 horses. The horses have been rescued by the Houston SPCA. They are affectionately known to the community now as the "Conroe 200" and the SPCA is doing everything they can to heal them and adopt them out.

Obviously, it costs a lot of money to provide for the care of these beautiful animals. Our friend Nora Wilson decided to host a 5K last night to raise funds for the SPCA. Several runners and walkers attended and more than $2600 was donated.

We were happy to be part of the event and so thankful to Brooks Running for donating one of the raffle items at the race. Now, lets hope the horses heal quickly and find new homes where they will be loved.

Peaceful, Easy Weekend

Rarely do we have a weekend that isn't packed with traveling or swim meets or some big race. But this weekend was pretty calm and tranquil. It started with morning workouts to wake us up and energize us.

And speaking of energizing, I just love sitting out icy cold water for us to sip on all day long. It was a super hot August weekend. To make the water, I slice a cucumber, 4 limes, 4 lemons and throw them into my water pitcher. To that, I add several mint leaves, ice and water. After about an hour, the water tastes super refreshing and we are sure to stay well hydrated all day long.

Saturday night we grilled kabobs and then watched Netflix. Pretty nice day.

*recipe for the marinade we used can be found HERE.

Steak kabobs, peppers, quinoa and corn on the cob -- so good!

Netflix Night must haves!

Fresh from the farmer's market

Nothing beats fresh fruits and vegetables. No fake wax coatings, no genetically modified anything. Just pure, fresh, natural. The way God intended.

I tried to capture the vast size of the tomatoes in the photo above, but you would have to understand how big the watermelon was to get it. And that watermelon took forever for me to cut up and de-seed, but it was worth it in the end. In the hot summers, we thoroughly enjoy frozen watermelon chunks and watermelon smoothies.

My treat after this trip to the farmer's market was a watermelon smoothie and caprese salad. Perfection!

Things to do with Teens

When a couple starts planning for kids, they usually say, "lets have a baby". You don't hear anyone say, "lets have a teenager". If you stopped to think about having teens, you might not ever start a family at all! But as tough as it is, there are glimpses of good and as my dad used to tell me about raising your kids in the teen years: "just get them through it".

One of the ways I'm getting my two through it (and my husband and me through it) is by purposefully planning activities with them that they will actually do. If you Google "activities for families" you will only see activities for families with young children. Teens don't want to be with their families, so it gets tricky.

Here are some things we do with our teenagers that we can all enjoy...

• Family Poker Night (we also play other games and it doesn't happen often because they are so busy, but when we all four agree to it, we actually have fun)
• Frisbee- my husband and son enjoy just tossing the frisbee in the front yard
• Baking/Cooking together
• Exercise - running, weight lifting, swimming laps= when I workout with my kids, they actually talk to me about their lives. I love it!
• Knock on their door and ask if you can come in. Just sit on the floor and read or lay down on their bed without talking. Just being together is good for you both.
• Volunteer together. We mostly volunteer at footraces and triathlons, passing out water to the runners. We sometimes even do this in costume at the really fun aid stations.
• Look through old family photos together. It helps them and you to remember the good times.
• Look through old arts & crafts they did as preschoolers.
• Take them to a concert (even if you don't like their music, but fortunately my daughter loves all the Woodstock era stuff so fun open mic nights are perfect).
• Run a race together. If you enjoy running, sign up for a half marathon or 5K and run it with your teen. Crossing the finish line together is a memory for you both to cherish.
• Road trip! It doesn't have to be far away, but time together in the car with a couple of fun stops for snacks or shopping along the way makes for great bonding.
• Put together a gift basket for a friend or neighbor who is ill. Go out shopping and create the basket together and then deliver it together.
• Ask your kids to drive you to get frozen yogurt together. They really enjoy driving and sitting together eating frozen yogurt is a great way to catch up on their lives.
• At the end of their day (even if it's late and you're tired), sit on the couch and ask how their day was. If they open up, listen without judgment to everything they say.
• Ask their opinion about politics or something you saw on the news. Don't offer YOUR opinion. Just listen without judging to theirs.
• Races in the pool and other pool games. We have a great pool in our back yard the kids rarely use anymore, but sometimes we can get them to go out their and we make up all kinds of fun games to compete with each other. It brings back old times and some laughter.
• Tell them about times from YOUR past. When I was a teenager, we...
• Movie night/Netflix night. We rarely find shows we can all watch, but there are some we all enjoy. When we get lucky to find this, we grab pop corn and enjoy.
• Wash the cars together. Moms, dads, and the kids- all the cars. Wash, vacuum, splash each other.
• S'mores by the fire. We have a fire pit in the back yard and it doesn't really matter what time of year it is, we can light a fire and make s'mores. Great conversations usually happen 'round a camp fire too.
• Picnic and concert. Where we live, there are free concerts all the time. Plus, the big concert arena is an outdoor pavilion so even if you don't have tickets, you can sit right out by it and hear great bands for free. Grab a picnic basket and blanket, head out and listen to music.
• My daughter loves fashion and doing hair and makeup. I love letting her do my hair.
• My son is not much of a talker, but if I sometimes just go to his room and sit there, he may not speak a lot, but I can tell he enjoys my stopping by for a visit. And sometimes, he'll tell me what is going on in his life.
• Go hiking and be sure to take lots of fun photos along the way.

*One thing I've learned is that my kids don't like to be forced into "family time". But they actually need that time as much as I do. Staying calm and not making it some big deal is essential. If I invite them to do something and they say "no", I say, "no worries, I understand you're busy so just let me know when you have time." They always do come around. I have discovered that the teen years are quite challenging, but seeing my kids grow into themselves is also an incredible pleasure.

Running in the heat

As I sit by the pool sipping my delicious chocolate smoothie (you can find the recipe here), I feel grateful for a body that functions. Because of all the volunteer work I do with MD Anderson and the LLS, I know a lot of people whose bodies are very sick so I don't feel I have any right to ever complain.

But I will tell you this... it is freaking HOT outside! Add to that the near 100% humidity and well, I could barely breathe out there on my 3.4 mile run. It took me 28 minutes. Just two days ago, I ran the exact same route in 25 minutes. But I got a later start this morning and the humidity had increased and the sun had been out long enough this time to burn the earth.

There was a time, not long ago, when I absolutely loved running in the heat. I love to sweat and it takes a lot to get my body to sweat. But this summer has zapped me. I'm so very thankful in this kind of weather that I can come home, enjoy my chocolate shake, and stick my hot feet in the cool pool.

Playing "PIPER"

It gets so darn hot where we live that it literally feels like a sauna. Southeast Texas has some pretty amazing winters, but the summers are like taking a trip through Hell! And the summers last about nine months.

So, thankfully we have a nice pool in our back yard. We keep the citronella torches lit around the pool and deck and we get to enjoy being outdoors year-round. It's especially nice when friends and family come over and we can grill great foods, drink margaritas, and play super fun pool games.

Our favorite is a game we call PIPER. Our dog's name is Piper so this game is named in her honor. It's like HORSE, but you spell out PIPER instead. After we play the first game, we usually try to come up with other words to spell. We use our own names. We use big words or little words. Even 

Spanish words. Someday I would like to try a game of ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM. So far, no one will play that one with me.

The family that plays together...

Fresh Start

Today I cleaned up our old websites and blogs. We have not been very faithful about keeping up with those things. This new blog is our new one. We don't actually think the whole world is interested in us. That's not why we had websites and blogs before. All of that was done to raise awareness and funding for the cancer community.

Cleaning up the old sites was so overwhelming, I just decided to eliminate them and have a fresh start today. It feels good to get things cleaned up. 

Later, I'll work on posting some of our favorite sites so you can read about truly inspiring people in the endurance sports world and cancer community. It has been a wonderful part of our lives meeting amazing people doing amazing things. We are truly blessed.

Welcome to Casa Crews!