L is for Lewis

Lewis is my sister's (family) dog.  He's a chocolate lab, and is the sweetest, dumbest dog ever.

April 2008, when we first brought him home.

This is his favorite way to sleep.  He is quite weird.

He is the cutest, though :)

K is for Knitting

Knitting is my favorite hobby.  One of my favorite things to do is sit down with my knitting, a cup of coffee and a good movie.

J is for Junior Mints

Junior mints are one of my favorite candies.  It's incredibly easy for me to eat an entire package by myself in one sitting.  They are just too easy to justify - after all, they're breath mints! :)

I is for Instagram

I really should not be surprised that I totally failed this blogging challenge.  I also should not be surprised that I'm going to attempt to catch-up.  Somewhat.

About 3 weeks ago, Instagram was made available to Android users.  I've been enjoying it quite a bit since then.

My first Instagram photo - I didn't use any of the cool filters.  Going to my siblings' softball games is great fun.

My birthday cake, Pastel de Tres Leches.  It wasn't nearly as moist as usual this year for some reason.

Dinner at Noodles & Co. after my longest run yet at this point - 4.3 miles.

We went to see October Baby and I took a photo in the theater.  It was so good!  I highly recommend seeing it if you have the chance.

H is for Hogan's Heroes

Hogan's Heroes is my favorite TV Show.  It was originally aired in the 1960's.

The show centers around a group of Allied POW's in a German Prisoner-of-War camp during World War II.  It is a comedy, and the humor is just as funny today as it was when the show was first produced.

The chemistry between all the cast members is amazing, and no matter how many times I've watched the episodes, they are still funny every time.

Just to clarify, this show is not about concentration camps, but about POW camps.  The actors that portrayed the main German officers were all Jewish, and the actor that played the French POW was a concentration camp survivor.  They all agreed to be in this show as long as Hogan always gets the best of Colonel Klink, the camp commandant.  Hogan does, in every episode.

If you're looking for a new (old) show to watch, give this one a try - you won't be disappointed!  There are a lot of full episodes on YouTube.

G is for Guitar

This post is for Saturday, 04/07, part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

My siblings and I all play Guitar.  While I took lessons I played regularly, and was a barely decent guitarist.  Then I stopped lessons, and have barely touched my guitar in the past year.  I do pick it up once in a while, and it feels great every time, but I haven't pushed myself to get back into practice again.  I do hope to start playing regularly again, especially since my parents bought me such a pretty guitar while I was still taking lessons.

F is for Faith

Wow, I'm completely failing at this blogging challenge.

For this past Friday's letter F, Faith.  God has really been causing me to grow in my ability to trust Him for things I can't explain, and am anxious about.  Some of the verses that He's used to speak to me are:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ~ Hebrews 11:1

He has made everything beautiful in it's time. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11a

O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. ~ Psalm 16:5-6

I've been trying to read more, both the Bible and other books.  I'm really loving it so far.

E is for Exercise

This is Day 5 of the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge.

Exercise is something I don't like doing but am very glad I've done after-the-fact.  A few years ago, I really never exercised, and lived a pretty much sedentary lifestyle.  But, spurred on by my Dad who knew exercise was good for me, and the desire to lose some weight, I began exercising and eating better a couple of years ago.

With my Mom after my second 5k in October 2010.

I'm so glad I started exercising regularly two years ago.  Not only did I lose weight, but I feel better, too.  I used to be cold all the time, but I'm really not anymore.  I also used to lay in bed for 30 minutes trying to go to sleep every night; now, I go to sleep within 5 minutes of getting in bed.  

Speaking of, I need to get some exercise in this week.  I've been busier than usual lately and haven't gotten in very much exercise, and I have a 10k race at the end of this month, which will be the longest distance I've run yet.

D is for Determination

Time for my fourth post of the A-to-Z Challenge.

Determination is something I lack when it comes to exercise.  I'm always so glad I did it afterwards, but getting myself into running shoes and out for a run is a different story.  Signing up for races does help with forcing me to run, though, and that's a large part of why I run them.  So here's to race season - hoping I'll be able to beat my 3 races last year!

C is for California

Time for day 3 of the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge.

My Mom & I at the beach a few years ago.

California is the state my parents grew up in, my siblings and I were born there and all our family and several friends are there.  We moved when I was 11 and for the past few years some of us have gone back to visit about once a year.

California is my favorite place to visit, and I can't wait for our next visit.  And if the beach wasn't enough to look forward to, there is also this:

I am all about good food.

B is for Bible

Welp, this post is a day late for the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge.  B is for Bible, the best book a person can read.

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." ~ John 20:31

A is for Allergies

You know the time of year.  Winter is finally over, and the warmer weather is finally here.  You can put away the wool sweaters and winter coats, and pull out the pretty spring colors, shorts and sandals.  Finally, the weather is sunny and warm, and being outside is so much fun.  Until the sneezing, itchy eyes and itchy throat hit.  Yep, allergies are the only thing I don't like about springtime.