Whittaker Woman

Marathon Done!

THINGS TO DO WHILE I AM ALIVE!

Climb half dome:   (2004, '05, '06, '07/video)
Hike to "my tree"
Skydive:   (Madera, 4/2005 and Kauai  8/2005)
Learn to scuba dive:
Dive to a ship wreck:
Run a 1/2 Marathon: July 19, 2008, August 2, 9, 22, 2008
Run a Marathon: October 13, 2008
Walk on the Great Wall of China:
Drive across the country:
Learn to surf:
Hike the John Muir trail from Half dome to Whitney: ( that just gets me giddy looking at it!)
Go on  Dog Sled Ride:
See Northern Lights
Adopt a child: X (11/27/06) Korean Videos
Go on a Safari:  (2/16/08)
Volunteer in a hospital:
Learn to ride a motorcycle: (3/2006)
Work at a soup kitchen:
Climb Mt. Whitney, The highest peak in the lower 48 states! (8/15/2007)
Take a Massage class:
Ride along with a police officer: X ( 5/4/07)   Helicopter: (Sept 15, 2007)
Read a book once a month: X so far so good.
Go to the Olympics
See Garth Brooks in Concert:
Backpack in Europe:
Jump off a cliff in Hawaii: X (08/2005)
Hike the Grand Canyon
Go see a live Volcano:
Be on a  disaster relief team:
Bungee Jump off of Victoria Falls:
Swim in all 5 oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian, Southern
Run the great wall of china:
Heli-snowboard:
Ice Fishing:
Travel to Kodiak Island and see the bears.                                                                                           Run marathon around Mt. Killimanjaro               

Travel to: Spain, South America, England's countryside, China, Africa, Korea, New Zealand
Visit all 50 states (more than a  layover.) : Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
*Visit all the continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and  Australia

Things that were not on list that I have done but should have been on list
Get name in Guinness book of world records: Worlds biggest paper, scissors, rock contest. 
Touch the nile 

Whats on my list that you have done? H

Did it, Done it, Wont do it again.

I think I will have many blogs coming these next few days... and that is because I can not walk. Carlos and I just laugh at each other. I guess they say no pain no game!
Ok so here is the run down if you did not check out my man and his twitter. He gave updates as we were running. It actually was one of the coolest things that he has ever done!
We got to Long Beach around 6am and sat in traffic for an hour.

Finally we got parked headed our way to the race. Everyone warned us about the lines for the restroom, but when you got to go you got to go.

Finally we were off. I must admit running through the start line was almost more powerful than the finish line. I loved it!


I felt so good at the beginning. I loved being surrounded by people, you heard stories of people as they ran. One man was 97 years old. Hello! It was so great! My brother was running the half so it was so wonderful to have him there encouraging us on! The first 10 miles went through LB Harbor and then along the coast. The breeze was perfect and it was so beautiful!

We were feeling so good. Not even winded at all. The half and full marathon routes split right after mile 10. So we had to say good by to my brother. I must admit I was quite jealous that he was almost done and we were not even half way done.
We  turned the corner and then all of the sudden Carlos and I looked at each other and wondered where everyone went. EVERYONE went to the half side and we were left alone. It is also where the route took a turn into the city. We were doing good but the dynamics changed so fast. We had been running by the ocean with a crowd full of energy. We turned the corner, hit the black asphalt and the deafening silence of the non existent crowds.

Finally we found this girl who was the pace setter for finishing the race at 5 hours and 30 minutes. We thought it was great and we hung with her for about 3 miles and then it hit me. Or more like I hit it... The WALL. It was about mile 16. I think the combination of not sticking to my pace, the hot sun and loss of energy from other runners just kicked my butt.

Not only did I hit the Wall but Carlos hit a High! He is a words of affirmation guy and after 3 hours of people encouraging him he was so full. He even began to dance. I just wanted to kick him!

I begin to feel like I did when I was in labor giving birth. Carlos just wants to encourage me and when I am in pain I do not want to hear encouragement. I want support but not a cheerleader. I remember accepting my friend Tammy by my side when I gave birth, and not wanting Carlos. I felt the same on the run. I wanted him there. I just wanted him to be quite. Finally I told him to be hush!

Around mile 18-20 was the hardest. My legs were cramping and I could not even imagine the finish line.

And then we saw this. What a glorious sign. One more to go!

We ran in like this. Together as a team. It was just one of our moments! My grandma, mom, kids, brother, close friend Sarah and her husband and brother and sister in law were all there! What an amazing feeling... to stop running that is.
Thank you so much for everyone's love and support! I just can not believe we really did not train at all last month and we still did it. Really anyone can do this.

WE DID IT! H

Holy Crap!

I am going to be running 26 miles tomorrow. I just realized what is happening and I am freaking out! H

You ask, I'll answer set 17

Allow me to give a disclaimer... I NEVER thought that I would be a Christian fiction book lover. If you had to define the stereotypical "Christian fiction book lover" I don't think I would fall into that category. But that is why you can not judge a book by its cover because I LOVE ME SOME CHRISTIAN NOVELS.  I have spent many hours thinking about why I love reading CFNs.  Here are a few reasons why,
1. It is so much easier for me to grasp something when I am able to see it played out in someones life.
2. I am a multi-tasker and nothing can make me stop like a good book. I can not fold laundry and read a book,  I can not help the kids do anything while I am reading a book, I can not clean, make lists or talk while I am reading. It is the first thing I have found that forces me to stop. Which is a good thing.  I need Me time!
3. I have set a goal to read one book per month for the rest of my life. I read every night as I fall asleep. Its my nightly bed time story. :)
And that are the reasons, I confess I love Christian Novels!

Ok here are my answers to your questions...
*Other than the Bible, what one book has made the most impact on your thinking?
Posted by: pam
That is hard, I would say that Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is my favorite book, it was the book that started me on the journey of Christan Fiction. However I am not sure if it has he most impact on my thinking. I try to write down what each book taught me after I read one and although I love this love story and how it humbles me, I am not sure if I could claim it as having the most impact. I am going to say that the Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers has the most impact on me. The reason I say that is because I was able to understand the Bible so much more after reading these books. I was able to understand what words like slave, and master mean. My eyes were opened to what life was like back in the days of Jesus. Powerful stuff! It made the Bible come to life.

*Are you a book lover? What is the best book you have read? Or Top five...
Posted by: debraparker
Top five books and why
1. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers- Best Love story out there, I love books that keep me up till 4 in the morning because I can't stop reading!
2. Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers- Books one and two are my favorite, three was ok but a little preachy at the end. 
3. I love the Series Abrams Daughters by Beverly Lewis- this is a book series on the Amish. I have admitted here before that I am fascinated by their lifestyle. I have wondered -Ok so I can admit to Christian Fiction but Amish Christian Fiction, now that sounds Grandma to me! But I've said it, I admit I love them. My reasoning? Because they teach me how to simplify my life. Slow down. Disconnect. Focus on Family. All the things I struggle doing, they do so well. That is what attracts me to these books. Don't make fun untill you have tried them.
4. I Love the Wedding which is the sequel to the Notebook. Now the book the Notebook, in my opinion was not as good as the movie. It had some amazing love notes in it but besides those I enjoyed the movie more. However the Wedding was so great.
5. I am gonna say that my final book is called the Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers- I like this book because it taught me that there are always two sides to a story. It takes two to tango and it takes two to stop tangoing. :)

Ok my friends I have 20 pages left in the book I am reading right now. I need a new book. I enjoy easy mindless reading. I can't do those books where you have to read the same sentence 4 times just to understand it. Right now in my season of  life I like simple, feel good stories. So tell. What is your all time favorite book or give me your top 5.  H

And yes ladies, that is Carlos reading Redeeming Love on a plane!

You ask, I'll answer set 16

Our Adoption Story...

It was fall of 2004, when I was watching an Oprah Winfrey Show that unveiled the inhumane stories that were taking place in South Africa. The show educated the public and myself of an epidemic where babies as young as 5 months are being raped. There is a myth being spread in Africa that if you have sex with a virgin you will then become cured from AIDS. Consequently children, infants were being robbed of their humanity.  This story broke me. My heart began to grieve for them and desire to give life to soul that had been lost.  I struggled with this for a month or so. Finally I broke down and told Carlos that I want to adopt. At this time I was thinking in our future, after our biological children were raised. Then we could adopt a child whose soul has been stripped from them and build them back to who God intended them to be. Carlos was 100% on board from day one.
        It was not but a month later Carlos and I were watching Oprah (again) and she did a special on orphanages in China.  This time Carlos was moved. He began talking about adopting a girl from China. We still were thinking that this was later in our future, not now. Shortly after these two shows Carlos had a dream that made him question why we were waiting to adopt. Why not now?  When he told me about the dream we talked about it and decided that we would look into the process. We have always wanted 4 children and we loved the idea of having our adopted child be right in the middle of our biological children. We decided to begin the process!
        Carlos and I have followed Steven Curtis Chapman and have seen his presentation on adoption, so we decided to start with his organization. We trusted in the agencies he was recommending. We started with his list and one by one the doors were closed. We didn’t know that there were so many requirements of the parents. We looked into Africa but at that time non of his agencies adopted from Africa.  We then looked into China but they had a requirement was that both parents had to be 30 and I was not 30 yet.
Those were our two countries that were on our heart, at that point we didn’t know where were going to adopt from. We only had one final agency to look into. We were feeling sad and defeated. Maybe our decision to adopt now was not right. Our final agency to look into was Holt International. We began to read their requirements and we matched perfectly with Korea. We matched their requirements and they matched ours.  Korea it was.
        We began the application and attended the first class. We were excited to learn that we would be adopting a boy. We just naturally thought we would be adopting a little girl just because we had 2 girls of our own, plus the two adoption stories on Oprah were based on girls. So it was an exciting shock to hear that Korea favors mixed gender families and that they would be place with a boy.
        The application took longer than we had expected. There were a few bumps in the process but finally things got well on our way. We were assigned to Losiah in July of 2006! Here is the post from Carlos' blog on the day we were assigned to him...

Losiah

Posted on 26 July 2006 Comments (44)
Tags: Family

So Heather and I have been waiting for our “assignment” to come from South Korea. Waiting for months to find out who will be joining our family. I am sitting in a Days Inn parking lot in Oakhurst, CA because we just got a phone call from our social worker that we have been assigned. PRAISE GOD!!! God is shining bright upon us right now. We are overjoyed.
Ragamuffins.
Meet MY SON…Baek Dae-Selok (Korean Name)
His new name will be Losiah. We are unsure as to which Korean names to incorporate. We will decide soon,

God is Good,
Los

The final months before we traveled to pick him up,  were filled with fund raisers, preparing, and lots and lots of stress!
        With the assurance God gave us about this decision, we also had  peace that he will also provide the means to pay for this child. From the beginning God knew our income and we have to believe that if he is leading us to this decision he will lead us in the financial aspect of this process too.  And he did. We had 61 cents in our savings when we entered into this decision and because of  our family and friends and a couple of grants we were able to pay for all the expenses that came our way.
We finally got the call to go pick up our boy in November. We did have a few more bits of drama before that wonderful call came. He was coming home!

I think you will be able to spend hours reading our story, if you don't have time for them all look at this post and watch these two, they are my favorite. If you have a day or two... start on Carlos' blog and go to November 2006 and enjoy. It is quite the story! 

Wow, that was a lot of info! Thanks for hanging on! I could go on and on. I would love to answer any questions you have so ask away. I also would love to hear your stories, if you are or think you are going to adopt lets make a carnival of this. If you are or thinking about adopting, tell us your story.

It's simple,
1. Write your story on your blog and link to this post in yours.
2. Come back here and enter our URL into Mr. Linky below.

I really look forward to seeing pictures and hearing your stories. H

You ask I'll answer, set 13

I love your to-do-in-your-lifetime list. It inspired me to write down my own. What's the next thing you plan to mark off your list? Posted by:laura

I got to check something off of my list that I am so excited to cross off!
WE RAN A 1/2 MARATHON THIS MORNING! 13 miles. I know we posed for 31, lets just say we were tired!

THINGS TO DO WHILE I AM ALIVE!

*Climb half dome:   (2004, '05, '06, '07/video)
*Hike to "my tree"
*Skydive:   (Madera, 4/2005 and Kauai  8/2005)
*Learn to scuba dive:
*Dive to a ship wreck:
*Run a 1/2 Marathon: July 19, 2008
*Run a Marathon:
*Walk on the Great Wall of China:
*Drive across the country:
*Learn to surf:
*Hike the John Muir trail from Half dome to Whitney:
*Go on  Dog Sled Ride:
*Adopt a child: X (11/27/06) Korean Videos
*Go on a Safari:  (2/16/08)
*Volunteer in a hospital:
Learn to ride a motorcycle: (3/2006)
Work at a soup kitchen:
Climb Mt. Whitney, The highest peak in the lower 48 states! (8/15/2007)
Take a Massage class:
Ride along with a police officer: X ( 5/4/07)   Helicopter: (Sept 15, 2007)
Drive a race car:
Read a book once a month: X so far so good.
Travel to: Spain, South America, England's countryside, China, Africa, Korea, New Zealand
See Garth Brooks in Concert:
Backpack through Europe:
Jump off a cliff in Hawaii: X (08/2005)
Learn Spanish:
Go see a live Volcano:
Be on a  disaster relief team:
Bungee Jump off of Victoria Falls:
Swim in all 5 oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian, Southern
Run the great wall of china:
Heli-snowboard:
Ice Fishing:
Travel to Kodiak Island and see the bears.
Visit all 50 states (more than a  layover.) : Alabama
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
*Visit all the continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and  Australia  

Another off the list...

Well today I got to check another thing off my list... I have never been to Arizona and now I have. I am here for one of my best friends wedding and I am excited to do some exploring!

THINGS TO DO WHILE I AM ALIVE!

Climb half dome:  X  (2004, '05, '06, '07/video)
Hike to "my tree"
Skydive: X  (Madera, 4/2005 and Kauai  8/2005)
Learn to scuba dive:
Dive to a ship wreck:
Run a 1/2 Marathon:
Run a Marathon:
Walk on the Great Wall of China:
Drive across the country:
Visit all 50 states (more than a  layover.) : I've been to Alabama, Arizona,California,Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee
Learn to surf:
Hike the Appalachian Trail:
Go on  Dog Sled Ride:
Adopt a child: X (11/27/06) Korean Videos
Go on a Safari: Woohoo! X (2/16/08)
Volunteer in a hospital:
Learn to ride a motorcycle: X (3/2006)
Learn to drive a boat:
Work at a soup kitchen:
Climb Mt. Whitney: X (8/15/2007)
Take a Massage class:
Ride along with a police officer: X ( 5/4/07)   Helicopter: (Sept 15, 2007)
Hike the John Muir trail:
Drive a race car:
Read a book Once a month: X so far so good.
Travel to: Spain, South America, England's countryside, China, Africa, Korea, New Zealand
See Garth Brooks in Concert:
Backpack through Europe:
Jump off a cliff in Hawaii: X (08/2005)
Learn Spanish:
Go see a live Volcano:
Be on a  disaster relief team
Bungee Jump off of Victoria Falls
Swim in all 5 oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian, Southern
Run the great wall of china
Heli-snowboard
Visit all the continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and  Australia.

Look what else I found here.

Oh, it makes me feel like I am back in Georgia!

My list as of February 2008

This past trip was a trip of a lift time no doubt but the added bonus of being able to mark some things off of my list just put it over the top! Last week I got to cross off going to Africa, Duh! And going on a safari. I LOVE LIVING MY LIFE!

THINGS TO DO WHILE I AM ALIVE!

Climb half dome:  X  (2004, '05, '06, '07/video)
Hike to "my tree"
Skydive: X  (Madera, 4/2005 and Kauai  8/2005)
Learn to scuba dive:
Dive to a ship wreck:
Run a 1/2 Marathon:
Run a Marathon:
Walk on the Great Wall of China:
Drive across the country:
Visit all 50 states (more than a  layover.) : I've been to Alabama,California,Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee
Learn to surf:
Hike the Appalachian Trail:
Go on  Dog Sled Ride:
Adopt a child: X (11/27/06) Korean Videos
Go on a Safari: Woohoo! X (2/16/08)
Volunteer in a hospital:
Learn to ride a motorcycle: X (3/2006)
Learn to drive a boat:
Work at a soup kitchen:
Climb Mt. Whitney: X (8/15/2007)
Take a Massage class:
Ride along with a police officer: X ( 5/4/07)   Helicopter: (Sept 15, 2007)
Hike the John Muir trail:
Drive a race car:
Read a book Once a month: X so far so good.
Travel to: Spain, South America, England's countryside, China, Africa, Korea, New Zealand
See Garth Brooks in Concert:
Backpack through Europe:
Jump off a cliff in Hawaii: X (08/2005)
Learn Spanish:
Go see a live Volcano:
Be on a  disaster relief team
Bungee Jump off of Victoria Falls
Swim in all 5 oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian, Southern
Run the great wall of china
Heli-snowboard
Visit all the continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and  Australia.

Lions, and tigers and bears

Well ok so maybe only lions but there were 10 in all!  We finished our very emotional and exhausting week with two days of detox time out on the Nile! Yep that's right folks where baby moses floated in a basket. I have to say that going on a safari has always been a dream of mine and this trip brought me to tears every time I allowed my mind to stop and think about where I was and what I was doing. It was incredible! I really felt like I was at disneyland, but it was real! We went on a "Jungle Cruise" and minus the men climbing up the totem pole everything was exactly the same!  Here are some pictures of our amazing time!

 

   
These hippo's are straight out of Disneyland!

   

 

   

Always doing it better!

So you all know about my list. I love to check things off of it. But what I love even more is checking things off and then doing them again or even better. So I had "to go on  a police ride a long" on my list for years,  and a few months ago I was able to go with my friend in his cop car.  Then yesterday I topped it, I not only went on another ride a long I went on a helicopter sheriff ride a long. Tammy took Summer and Summer. It was so amazing! We had the best time!

We called everyone to come out and see us from the air!

There is our house the second from the corner. There is Carlos!

What a way to say good-bye to Riverside! Thanks Tam!

Ok so a new thing on my list.

So maybe I was able to cross one thing off of my list this week but i added another....
Own my own bike!!

I am hooked! I passed and got my motorcycle drivers license! I am so excited. We just have to buy our house and move. Then buy our Baby. Then it's saving for a ride!   

   Our class!

Another Goal Crossed off.

So Jacinda called me at lunch. I told her where i was and what i was doing.  She busted up laughing, claiming me as the most random friend she has. I accept the honor. Today Carlos and I spent the day learning to ride a motorcycle. It was so much fun! I sucked but it was so much fun! I really don't think I will pass tomorrow during the test but none the less my time and money was not wasted. I can offically ride a bike. I can ride! Its a goal on my list of things to do that gets to be crossed off! I love it when i get to do that. I am living!