Finishing Well.. Runners for Grace

As I sat there laying out bags one by one, preparing bibs and shirts, I thought to myself " Oh ye of little faith." Runners for Grace was a prayer birthed last year at my half marathon. For those that don't follow the blog, it was something the Lord put on my heart at the 5th mile that day. Get a group and challenge them to a 5k, and not just any 5k. It was my first 5k for pediatric cancer research, to celebrate the life Gracie led, to get people moving and do something that they would not do, and to support those children still battling.

As time went on, no one joined until one day out of no where Susie joined.  As the race approached and we were still a team of 2 the Lord spoke and out of obedience to the Lord if we were the only two, then I was fine with that. Weeks before the run, slowly people started to join. My goal was 15 and Friday night as I laid out the bags, I counted 16th!

When I went to pick up the team stuff, I walked in and a lady asked what team I represented. I said "Runners For Grace" she said oh yes, I received a big packet and donation from your team. In that moment I was blessed. Not only did God bring us teammates, He went beyond and through Francine and hubby Joe they collect over $800.00 for our team. There were many teams that ran or walked, some over 100 people deep, but she knew our team of 16 and that reminded me how good God is.

Sunday morning we set out early, I was still praying and struggling with if I was ready to run. I decided I wasn't ready and I am so glad that I didn't. As our runners got there, Emma, Susie and Mike we prayed they stretched and I walked with them to the start. This was Emma and Mikes first 5k and I was so excited to experience it with them. As they crossed the finish line one by one, I snapped pictures in between tears, because I knew what it felt like to cross the finish line for the first time. They all did so well, all three of them finished under 35 minutes. I was proud.

The walkers started to arrive one by one, with their families to support, and when we huddled in a circle to pray our team of 16 had grew to a team of 20 registered. There in the middle of it all was Anna and Mike Arroz, and it blessed my heart that they would share Gracie with us all. As we all took to the start line I was praying and thanking God for putting all this together.

As we started the walk It was so cool, because we kinda all split up in different groups, but as I walked the course I saw each and every person somewhere along the course. We had the two Mike's who took lead. Then it was the mother/daughter duo Jackie and Victoria. Followed by my hubby pushing our boys. Then the family team of my brother Anthony, my sister in law Sonia, and nephew Christian. I walked with Liz ( her make up), Patricia, Emma and Daisy and holding the rear was Francine and Anna!

We ended the day with the little ones running a 1k fun run. Christian, Noah and Jeremiah all ran and boy it was such a blessing to watch them and their excitement.

I cannot even put into words emotions that I felt. As I sat there at the finish line waiting for teammates to finish, I was so overcome with joy that people spent time and money to come and walk or run. To get out there and do it for Gracie and themselves. I also saw so many others who walked along side of parents, grandparents, siblings, who have stories to share. Stories of their losses and battles. It broke my heart, and I sat there and prayed, that the money would find a cure. Perhaps you donated and it could your dollar that makes the difference. I thought of Daisy, Noah, Nicholas and Elias who are battling and fighting, praying that they would be healed in the name of Jesus.

So whats next? Well because we cant stop here... Runners for Grace is taking on a new challenge, a 10k! Yup.. Before the years end we will be gathering another team together and will be running/Walking under the same name, same mission but might be for another cause. BUT as long as children's cancer is around we will continue to pray and until each of our little warriors are healed, every stride, every mile, every lap and every run will be done in prayer for them!

Oh and next year May 5th 2013 we will be at this same run. My prayer is that we have someone representing the team in all events.. 5k walk, 5k run, 10K run, 1/2 Marathon and bike tour.. it is a tall order I know but with God all things are possible, if we ask... I know I did and he delivered.

To our team... Thank you! I love you all..  And you all finished well!

To all those that supported through prayer, money, cheering us on thank you! And for those who are thinking about it next year, do it.. Do it for you! Get up and move, run, dance, crawl whatever.. We only have one life to live so lets live it healthy! Amen?

One blessed Chick!!!!
Moni

p.s. if you were a part of this day, will you share a little something about this day, I would love to hear about it, and it could inspire others for next year!

Runners for Grace

Runners for Grace! This blog is for you..... We are coming doing the stretch! We have about two weeks to prepare and keep training for our 5k! Don't stress about running if you are not ready, you can always walk, jog or crawl... The important thing is that we have fun. We celebrate that we are healthy (somewhat) and hope this encourages you to keep moving. We celebrate life, as we remember Gracie and the legacy that she left. We find hope in the Lord that the money raised this weekend will find a cure for those battling. With that said, since we are walking for children's cancer I only found it appropriate to add a few children who are battling cancer. I have added Daisy, Noah, Nicholas, and Elias to our shirt. You might have heard these names as I have asked you to pray for them. I am going to send a email within the next few days with details on where we will meet, when our team shirt will be done etc. if you have any questions please let me know... Remember to just keep moving from now till may 6th get out there and walk, jog etc.... Love you guys! Mon

Marriage and hitting 10!

He said, I only have an hour. She said, I have less than that to be home before he gets home. He could be on his lunch break, and she could be talking about her son. As I rolled by pushing the boys she looked up at me and I knew they were in sin.

As he got out of his car into her car in the parking lot, I knew two families were being torn apart by adultery. My mind immediately wanted to judge, but my heart was sad for what was taking place. She could be me, and he could be my husband. In a world filled with temptation, it could also be you or your husband. Marriage is Gods thing, the vows you take are not only to each other but to God. Satan hates God and anything belonging to him.

Many years ago talking with a young lady about her struggles, insecurities and her marriage, she asked me. "Do you ever fear your husband cheating on you?" I said " girl, if he does, he needs to answer not to me, but to God, so for this I don't fear." I was only married for a year at this time.

This year Sal and I will celebrate 10years, Lord willing in October. Here is what I've learned, simply having God as your foundation is not enough, marriage takes labor. Now having God as your foundation is a must, but you must also do the work... And ladies I mean literally, keeping your man satisfied is included! (oh Lord, I didn't know I was going to be this bold on here, oh well I'm keeping it real!)

Now, I am not claiming to have a perfect marriage, Lord KNOWS it is, because we are not perfect people, it's impossible! So here are a few things to keep in mind, if you are struggling with your marriage....

1. Prayer... You need to pray for your husband and be in prayer for your marriage every day!

2. Communicate- yup we all know this one, but with a busy family it's hard to really communicate effectively. Just recently, we implemented Sunday soup night. We put the kids to bed, grabbed bread bowls filled them with soup and sat at the table at 830 at night talking for two hours.

3. Date your husband- having date nights are essential, this year we have made a conscious effort to have a date night at least once a month. Id imagine as the kids get older we will increase them but right now this works for us.

4. Keep it alive and fresh.. Chickabowow... You know what I'm saying, just do it! Literally.. ( hahah my hubby is going to kill me when he reads this blog... So what I don't kerr) A friend of mine has kept a group of us accountable with challenges, perhaps you also need that in this area.

5. Read together- my hubby and I not only read the psalms together at night, but we go through a book together, he reads and I listen ( or sometimes doze off ) but we have read some really great devotional books together.

6. Keep asking questions- don't stop learning about your husband. You'll be amazed with things you learn so many years later

7. Serve him- remember that taking care of your children doesn't mean you are taking care of him. I struggled with this for a long time. I though as long I was attentive to the kids he would be happy. We have to serve our husbands with the same love and joy that we serve our kids.

8. He cries to- Remember they have feelings to. I know that as the sole provider of our home, my husband carries the burdens of our family. Because he is a male, doesn't mean he doesn't worry about the things we do. When he looks down or tired, help him carry the load.

9. Encourage him- Let him know he is appreciated, let him know you are proud to be his wife and let him know he is doing a good job. A simple text goes along way, but a whisper in the ear goes farther..

10. You are a team -Let him do the dishes, laundry or clean the bathroom if he offers. Being a stay at home mom, I feel that it's my job, but I lay down my pride and let him to it. Why? Because he feels like he is doing his part in the home, and thus makes us a team.

Ladies, I can go on and on and I'm sure that you can to, but know that we are a work in progress and so are our marriages. I didn't anticipate this blog being so long, I guess because there is just so much to say about marriage. May God protect our marriages, I am praying for them, and I hope you will to!

I thought I would share our wedding picture since we are heading for 10!

Dont worry, we aint gansta... we paid for the photos, but we also got the CD, with proofs! This was October 13, 2002

Love you!
Moni

Sunday school, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder? Wha?

As I hit the door, the sound of his cry got to a much deeper place in his heart " mommy, I don't want to stay in class, mommy I'm tired, mommy..." Perhaps it was that his cousin was with us this morning, or he was tired from a late night slumber party and a rushed morning, but this morning my son did not want to stay in his Sunday school class.

Truth be told, he was verbalizing what my heart wanted to say. Father, I don't want to be at church, I'm tired, Lord..... Was my internal cry this morning. I slept on the couch last night so my nephew wasn't alone down stairs which got me no sleep. Woke up late, 20 minutes before we had to leave, got myself, three kids ready, and breakfast for the road in the car in 25 minutes flat. Now before I get mom of the year, here is the truth... my hair was wet, my makeup like lady gaga, breakfast was a tubeez (yogurt in a tube) and the boys hair look like Stevie Wonder did it. But the one thing that was most jacked up this morning was my attitude and heart.

I promised Noah after I took Caleb to class I'd come back. By the way Caleb decided to cry to ;( , ok feel sorry for me and lets move on. Ten minutes later, I went back to Noah's class and he was fine, helping the teacher and no longer crying. The teacher gave me the thumbs up, he was fine and go to service. I promised my boy I'd come back so I went into class and his smile melted my heart. It was the, the knew you'd come back and thank you mommy smile.

I stayed the whole class and I was so blessed! They didn't have any helpers this morning so "who knew" ;) I would be needed? I got to observe my son play, interact and serve. Even the bible study given by teacher George that was broken down to a 4 year level spoke to me. I totally enjoyed myself in this class, I cannot thank God enough for the gift that the teacher and his wife have with our kids. When class was over Noah walked over to me and in the cutest voice he said " thank you mommy, for coming and staying in my class with me, and helping me calm down because I was crying, your the best mommy ever."

Then in my heart, I said " thank you Abba for making me stay in this class with these kids , helping me change my heart through them and serving. Your the best daddy ever!"

Our Resurrection Garden

Last year I saw from this cool website showing you how to do a resurrection garden. I thought it was a totally neat idea, and was bummed that I didnt see sooner or I would have done it last year. This year I completely forgot about it, until a few of my FB friends post pictures of theirs and I was so excited to do it this year with the boys.

To be honest I didnt look it up this year, and my first thought was to go out and buy everything that I needed for it. Then the Lord spoke to my heart and said just use what you have. I was so blessed with the final product. So we headed out to the front and I had Noah gather dirt, flowers, rocks, leaves and anything else he wanted to add to the garden.



So for the Tomb part, I needed a dome like shape.. I saw last year that you can make one out of dough and bake it. I didnt have the stuff to bake one nor the time so I improvised. I took one of Noah's fire hats, cut off the brim part and cut a opening for the tomb. Then we took glue and with our hands, smeared it all over the hat and Noah had fun dropping all the dirt on it. It took everything in me not to Fix the spots that was missing dirt, but it was his masterpiece so I left it.

The bottom part of the garden was the bottom of a clay pot. I had painted it and used it as a cake stand for a prior shin dig, it was perfect size so I used that. Then we decorated the garden with rocks, dirt, flowers and sticks. It was Noah's Idea to put the flower on top of the tomb. I think it is makes it so pretty. As we worked together, I explained to him the easter story that he has heard a million times, but there is also some special pieces on here..

First the white rock in front of the tomb. That rock is from Israel, my hubby got it at the place where David stood and collected rocks to fight the big giant. So it was so cool to explain to Noah that the same stone we had was the same that coould have been used to defeat Goliatha.

The sign " He is not Here- For He is risen" is actually part of a picture. This is the actual sign that hangs inside the garden tomb in Israel, where Jesus was buried.

The possiblites are endless on how you can build yours.. The cool thing is that it didnt cost anything to do. It was such a cool easter craft to do with Noah and a great way to talk to Him about Jesus. This will definetly be a tradition in our house. If you are interested in making one, google it, there is so many sites out there with ideas! God bless the internet!!!

Hope you had a great Easter..
Moni

Spring into Action

Spring into action.... That is what I keep telling myself, and as the days go by and time is ticking.. tick, tock, tick, tock.. So does the days till my 5k in May! What in the world happen to that passion and desire to run? Ummm life happened that is it.. Oh schedules happened that is it.

Or... Or... and so the excuses go on and on. BUT what really happened? Laziness.. Yup.. I said it.. I got to lazy to workout, run or even eat healthy.. (insert sigh here) and so the saga continues... BUT it doesn't have to.. Tomorrow is a new day and I still have 30 days to whip it into shape and spring into action..

You with me... You hear me.. You want to Join me?

Yea you, that is reading this, not the person next to you or behind you.. Get up and move.. dance.. walk... run.. heck crawl, just do something! Spring into action.... thats it!

Peace!
(if you do want to join me on my walk/run, message me and I will show you how or go over there--------> for more details on the 5k challenge!

Letter to Baby B's Mommy

Tonight your head will hit the pillow, comfortably or as comfortable as a 9 month pregnant lady can be. Tomorrow could be different. Today a lady, tomorrow potentially a mommy. A mommy, no greater sound in the world.

There is just comfort that comes along with the sound of "mommy" and yet also fear and great responsibility. Am I going to be good enough? Will I know what to do? Can I do this? Will I jack up my kid? Oh yes and the list no short of how did I end up here on some days... Truth!

Its been said that, a child fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty. Its true, you will see, once you see his face, hold him, kiss him and be his mom, you will wonder how on earth did you survive without him.

Children are a heritage of the Lord, being a mommy is the highest calling any lady could have. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to take care of these little beings that belong to the Lord and take care of them as they are on loan to us. Remember that, remember that they first belong to God and it will ease the fear when they are sick or hurting. He will take care of them and show you how to be a mother.

On the days when you think that you can no longer give, remember that you can because YOU are a mother. On days when you feel like your work in the house goes unnoticed (because, trust you will, give it time. TRUTH!) remember that God sees. On days when your house is a mess, the floors are not swept, and dinner is take out, remember that its ok, time with your child is more important. On days when the only energy you have left to do is cry, know its ok. On days when you want a do over, because it just wasn't a good day, there is always tomorrow.

A friend once told me that "Children grow up, not their toys." I think about that often when I am freaking out about trying to clean up their room, instead of sitting on the floor playing with them. Listen to your gut, it never lies. Pray all the time and trust in the Lord, He never fails. Will you fail? Um maybe, but each day is new and saying sorry never gets old.

Remember that just like the changing of the season ( that we don't get in california but stay with me for a second) so is parenting. There will be good seasons and lets just say "growing" seasons. It is the growing seasons that have taught me how to be a better mother. You will be stretched but not be broken.

I cant wait for Baby Broxton to come. I cannot wait for him to come into this world and steal your heart. Because you know that little boys do right? They just touch you in the inter most part of your heart and leave lasting impressions. Parenthood is amazing, watching your babies grow and see their personalities unfold is the best. And now you will have someone to take care of you when you get old and change your diaper.. yes, score!

I am excited for you, praying for you and come along side you as you enter a new journey in your life. My advice is simple:

Pray all the time.. Love without ceasing.. Trust God with your baby.. Be Patient with them, we are all still a work in progress.. Forgive & Forget quickly! Be Open and don't be afraid to ask for help!

Love you,

Moni