Life and Times of the Sharp Family

There aren't many times when it's possible for Colby and I to run together.  Most of our work-outs are carefully scheduled, strategized, planned around children's naps and time at daycare.  Read: NEVER do they occur simultaneously.  Today was an exception.  After what seemed like an eternity today, we finally made it to the beach at Grand Haven.  After an hour of laying in the sun, reading, and enjoying ourselves, it (naturally) began to rain.  We decided to go for a run together along the infamous Grand Haven Boardwalk and Pier.  Even though we didn't talk a lot (we were pushing it the whole way), it was so nice to have him next to me for the 30 minute work-out.  I am not a "social" runner by any stretch of the imagination.  I don't even like to work-out with other people in general.  I like to sweat by myself.  It's my own personal therapy, and I don't like other people messing with it on a regular basis.  Consequently, there...

I LOVE Zum Soap . It feels so nice. It makes my bathroom smell ahhhh-mazing. It is all-natural. I take a shower at every opportunity possible so that I can use it. It is amazing how such a little thing can bring such joy to my daily life. Thank God for Zum Soap! Lord, thank you for Zum Soap and for the little things in life that make me feel blessed.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Tonight the girls and I had some fun.  First, I painted both Dharia and AJ's toenails and finger nails.  It was cute to see Dharia blow on her nails as they dried.  AJ cried when we were done, sad that we were done. Then, reminiscent of my middle and high school days, I gave Dharia a hair wrap.  I can't believe that I remembered how to do it.  One of my very best friends in those days taught me how, and we spent countless hours together picking out colors of floss and beads before wrapping each other's hair.  It was so fun to be able to do one for my daughter -- whose hair is very long, by the way.  Consequently, it was also a long process, but she did well and sat still for her "hair bracelet" the whole time. I love having girls and I love being able to do girl things with them.  Tonight there was a lot of that, and I was so thankful for this chance to bond with my daughters. Thank God for A Girls' Night! Lord, thank you for givi...

I love reading.  Ever since the days of Book It! at Pizza Hut, I have enjoyed picking out a book and reading it through.  I always did the summer reading programs at the Jackson Public Library too.  I vividly remember taking in my log sheets and picking out prizes from the giant treasure chest on the second floor of the Carnegie Branch.  This week I was psyched to find out that the Albion Public Library has a summer reading program for adults.  I hope the prizes are a little better. Anyhoo, Colby has been going on and on about this website http://www.goodreads.com/ .  I didn't know much about it, but today I signed up for an account and I love it.  I still don't know all of the ins and outs of the website, but so far, I have discovered that I can make a list of all the books I have read, so that I can keep track.  I am embarrassed to say that on more than one occasion I have checked out a book from the library, only to br...

Before I begin this post, make sure you check out some of the pictures I added to yesterday's from the triathlon.  I was having a hard time getting them posted last night (dang KOA wireless), so I added them tonight.  It definitely helps give you a better sense of the event; at least I think it does. It was spaghetti night -- probably my favorite night of ever month.  We get together with Evan and Laura and my mom and Bob for Bob's homemade, authentically-Italian spaghetti and meatballs.  We have salad and garlic bread and dessert too, but they are more there because we feel obligated to put them out than anything.  Who cares about those things when you are looking at all that delicious marinara sauce and all those big, beautiful meatballs? So, obviously I am thankful that tonight was spaghetti night. But, during the course of the meal, it occurred to all of us that AJ was ready to begin partaking in the experience.  We started off by giving her...

Coming out of the swim, I had a chance to see my favorite people cheering me on! My dad got some good pictures of Colby and the kids at the beach while I was out biking or running. The last 300 m of the course was through the sand on the beach.  Tough. I got a photo opportunity with my girls and the South Haven Light House after the race. Today was a GREAT day for so many reasons.  Almost all are somehow related to the South Beach Triathlon, so I will list them all bullet-style here for your enjoyment: I did not drown on the swim portion of the race.  I thought I might for about a third of it, anyhow, but I pushed through and did indeed finish.  I am more proud of that fact than I can really convey in words.  The waves were massive and pounding; it was almost as if I was getting seasick just by swimming through them.  Every time I went up to take a breath, I was slapped in the face with water.   I was really grateful that God allowed...

Tomorrow I have an Olympic distance triathlon in South Haven -- the South Beach Triathlon .  Sounds warm and sunny and reminiscent of a day in California, right?  Well, today when I went to pre-register it was about 62 and cloudy at the beach, with Lake Michigan so choppy they couldn't set the buoys out for the swim yet.  I hope tomorrow is nicer, because right now I'm a little terrified of what I have gotten myself into.  I hardly ever got to the day-before registration opportunities for triathlons, and I didn't think this one would be any different, but Colby and I on a whim decided to make a little family vacation out of it.  We Googled some campgrounds near South Haven because we thought it might be easier on the kids to stay overnight, since we needed to be at the race very early Saturday morning.  What did we discover? KOA Kamping Kabins!  We immediately booked one and packed up.  We have a 2 room Kamping Kabin with a double bed in one room ...

There was a series of pretty intense storms here yesterday afternoon.  About 3 pm, I watched as a huge branch fell from our tree by the road came crashing down into our front yard.  It was especially spooky because our house only sits about 15 ft from the road, so it was close.  Down Linden Ave, trees were down everywhere.  Across from all of the front yards of the houses on our street is a river, so when trees fall, they usually take out power lines with them.  So, needless to say, we were without power most of the day yesterday and were unable to get up and down our street by vehicle because of the crews working to restore it.  I was thankful that no damage was done to our house, but stressed about the branch.  It literally took up the entire front yard.  We couldn't move it by ourselves and we don't have a chainsaw, so for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how we were going to get rid of it. Today, as I was frantically trying to get the h...

Arriving to Albion Beach The kids and I were home alone for the better part of the day, with Colby at a conference for school.  Late last fall, there was some major work done on what was the old ice skating pond in Reiger Park in Albion.  Long story short, they turned it into a shallow lake of sorts, filled in some sand and named it Albion Beach.  I had been wanting to go visit for a while now, so I piled the girls in the wagon, got Breslin on his bike, threw some towels, fruit snacks, and Goldfish crackers in a beach bag and headed off to Albion Beach.  It was phenomenal.  I mean, it's gotta be just over a quarter of a mile from our house, it never gets more than 4 feet deep, and has all the sand and water a little kid could hope for.  Even though it was me versus three today, it was totally okay because of the shallowness of the water and the lure of the sand for castle-building, hold-digging, etc.  We had a great time and were able to enjoy the p...

I finally got the pictures from our trip up and loaded onto our computer.  It was so nice to relive the moments we experienced on our beautiful hikes through the Smokies by looking through these pictures, even if most of them were of just one of us (it's hard to get a picture together when you go on vacation by yourselves, especially in a such a secluded location!).  Seeing the pictures makes me a bit sad, too, because it seems like the time we spent there just vanished before we could even realize what had happened.  It was a vapor -- just a breath, and it was over.  The pictures make me want to go back...like NOW.  It was so peaceful and quiet, and Colby and I got to spend incredibly quality time together.  Back home, I am so happy to be united with my whole family, but with three kids there is not a lot of peace and quiet, as I am sure you can imagine.  So today I am thankful for having these pictures.  They are a way to capture the memories we...

Who makes the best grilled cheese sandwich in the world? Colby! Who is about to eat said grilled cheese? Me! I haven't been feeling well at all this evening, so I haven't been able to eat anything.  But, when my husband offered to whip up one of his fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches, nothing sounded better.  I am thankful that I am able to eat something and that my generous husband was willing to serve me so thoughtfully. Thank God for grilled cheese! Lord, thank you for  feel well enought to eat something tonight.  Thank you for my husband, who is making dinner for me at 10 pm.  Please help me to heal and feel better tomorrow.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Today is Father's Day, so naturally I am thankful for all of the fathers in my life and for the profound influence they have had on me. My heavenly Father, who loves me for exactly who I am, unconditionally. How does he do that? My earthly Father, who drove me to gymnastics practice in Lansing 5 days a week, taught me to love music and how to whistle, and always knew how to make me laugh. My step-father, who can grill like no one else, can make some amazing homemade meatballs, and, most importantly, is one of the most supportive, loving, and kind men I have ever met. My father-in-law, who is generous, honest, and helpful, and who helped to teach my husband how to be a good dad. My grandpa Stuart, who taught me to love garage sales, gave me my first memories of learning how to read, and instilled in me a love for all things vintage and for the environment (he had solar panels on his house in Jackson in the 80s...so cool). My Uncle Stan, who I feel is the ultimate poster child...

We wanted to make the 5.4 mile round trip hike to Rainbow Falls today, but I was concerned that the extremely popular trail would be flooded with people on this summer Saturday.  The hike looked beautiful, culminating in a waterfall that cascaded from 80 feet above the ground.  But, I was wary.  Masses of people are not my thing.  I hate crowds (1 day of Cedar Point is just about enough to kill me) and the more people that are at an attraction, the less I like it, in general.  I believe that hikes especially are the best when they are done in quiet solitude.  The thought of seeing a bus in the trail head parking lot made my stomach lurch. So, today, I am thankful for God blessing me so greatly on our early morning hike.  We saw only one other person on our way to the top of the mountain and Rainbow Falls.  When we reached the waterfall, we had it all to ourselves.  We were able to enjoy the beauty of awesomeness of the feature all alone, in...

I loved everything about today: 1) 6 am -- wake up and hike the Baskins Creek Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  (Colby and I were the only ones on the trail that offered amazing views of the mountains and ended at the Baskins Creek Falls.  It was kind of a backwards hike, as the hike going in towards the falls was mostly downhill, which meant that it was all uphill on the way back.  Even so, we sat at the falls for a good long time, all along, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the forest mixed with the awesome power of the waterfall.  Again, no pictures right now, but I will be sure to add them later.) 2) 9:30 am -- return to the cabin and steep sore muscles from two days of hiking in the hot tub.  Drink coffee on the front porch and read a good book. 3) 1:30 pm -- Shop at the outlet malls in Seiverville.  Find some great loot at some great prices. 4) 4:00 pm -- Arrive at Arnold Estates for a one hour horseback ride throug...

Colby and I are sore and whiny.  We hiked 11 miles today to reach the top of Mount LeConte here in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park via the Alum Cave Trail.  It was amazing...and amazingly difficult.  But I am so glad that we got to experience it together.  The views were breathtaking and the geologic features were indicative of God's creativity.  Naturally, I left the cable for my camera at home, so even though we took a ton of pictures on our hike, I have none to share with you except for some lame ones that I stole from some other guy's website.  You'll just have to take my word for it that it was awesome and I'll post pictures later.  Promise. Just one example of the amazing views from the trail on our way up to Mt. LeConte.  Lots of slippery rock ledges, so we hung on to that cable pretty tightly! These are the stairs built into the inside of a giant rock.  The trail goes straight up through the bottom of the rock to...

We made it to Tennessee! It was a little scary -- okay a lot scary -- driving through the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee  in the pouring rain.  I sent up a multitude of little prayers as we drove through blinding downpours on unfamiliar and precarious stretches of mountain highways.  But, we are here, safe and sound. Thank God for a safe arrival! Lord, thank you for helping us to get to our cabin safely despite the crazy weather.  Thank you for always watching over us.  Please continue to bless our trip in the days to come.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Jeff teaches chemistry with me at Western.  We each take on roughly half of the chemistry classes offered to the junior class, so we work pretty closely together, making sure we are consistent in our content and in our assessments.  The past couple of days at "Curriculum Camp" we have been spending all day together planning our attack for a new grading strategy we plan to implement in the fall.  Today, as we were working, I thought about how lucky I was to have such a cool person to interact with on a daily basis. Jeff is funny, smart, and supportive.  He never gets frustrated with my indecisiveness or in my frequent attempts to try crazy new things in class.  He is easy-going and flexible, which I so appreciate, and is always able to make me laugh, even when I don't fee like it.  We work so well as a team together, dividing up work and collaborating to be the most effective teachers we can be.  Jeff's three kids are pretty much exactly the same ag...

When school is in session, most mornings Colby and I wake up around 5:15 am.  When you get up that early, there's not really time or daylight enough to do things like go for a run or a bike ride before heading off to school.  In the past, we have gotten up extremely early and and tried to squeeze in a run before school , but when that alarm clock goes off and it's before 5 am, it's just rotten.  I had school today, but it was an optional curriculum development day, which meant there were no students and that we didn't have to report until 8 am.  I got up at 6 am, which was extremely reasonable, especially considering that the sun was already shining.  I put on my bike helmet and shoes and went for a lovely, quiet, focused 45 minute bike ride before coming home, showering and heading off to school.  In the clear, crisp, morning air, I marveled at the beauty of the day and was thankful for the opportunity to work out first thing to ...

Since yesterday was not-so-sunny and in the low to mid-50s, we postponed our family's plans to go to Grand Haven.  We had originally intended to take off first thing Saturday morning, spend the day at the beach, stay the night in a hotel that we bought with a Groupon, then hit the beach again on Sunday before heading home.  I was bummed because I was really looking forward to the trip, but we'll still get to go later and not become human Popsicles at the beach.  The fact that we were going to be around this weekend meant that I could participate in the Waterloo Triathlon, which was held at Portage Lake this morning.  I have heard about this triathlon for years, but for some reason or another have never been able to actually do it.  I almost wasn't able to do it today either.  By the time I realized that it was an option, registration was closed.  Fortunately, my husband was able to sweet talk one of the nice ladies at Elite Endeavors into giving me a ...

One of the things we do most often when we visit Colby's parents is sit around the dining room talking, usually while eating pizza.  It's gotten to the point now where if I ask Dharia if she wants to go to grandma's, her reply is, "Yeah...and eat pizza?"  Tonight after Sam's baseball game, we headed back to the Sharp's to hang out for a while.  As I sat there, watching my kids eat pizza and listening to my husband talk animatedly with his dad and brothers, I was thankful for this sort of relaxed ritual that we have together.  I know that I am lucky among women to have such a perfect fit for in-laws, that visiting them is something that I truly enjoy. Going over there, I see the love poured out on my children from Rob and Kathy, and I feel beyond blessed to be a part of their extended family.  I see Sam and Cole and Cal being good uncles, and I feel happy to know that they will be role models for my kids growing up.  And as if all of th...

Yes, yes.  It's obvious.  You probably called it.  But, it's too big to ignore. Today was the last day of school.  It is officially summer vacation!  It has been an exceptionally difficult school year, so walking out of that building today made me feel as though I had accomplished a major feat.  A huge weight lifted off of my shoulders as I rode my bike out of the parking lot towards home.  Forty-six miles later and soaking wet from the torrential storms, I arrived home...but that's a different story. It didn't even matter.  I looked like I had a hanger stuck in my mouth because I was grinning so much. Thank God that today was the LAST day of school! Lord, thank you that my job has a definite beginning and end.  Thank you for helping me get to the end of  this school year and for faithfully seeing me through all of the challenges and obstacles that came with it.  Help me to enjoy and cherish this summer time with my family...

I love Breslin's new saying.  It always begins with "I sure..." and ends with something that he wants. For example, "I sure would like to share that with you!" "I sure am hungry!" "I sure do want you to come with me!" "I sure do like that book!" "I sure like sandwiches!" Okay, it's starting to sound like I'm starving my child.  I'm not. "I sure would like to play with that ball!" Like all annoying and overbearing moms, I tried to get this on video to illustrate the hilarity of this new thing my kid does.  But, I succeeded in only getting myself to do it, repeatedly.  But Breslin was really cute talking about his "beautiful letter B" so I thought I'd share. Thank God for "I sure..."! Lord, I sure do love my son.  Thank you for making him so smart and funny.  Thank you for the joy beyond measure he brings to me on a daily basis.  In your name I pray, Amen.

By the time lunch was over today, the temperature in my classroom had exceeded 88 degrees.  It was sweltering.  I didn't have any students third hour, and I couldn't imagine my fourth hour students being able to concentrate at all on their review in the nasty heat and humidity.  A colleague of mine suggested that I see whether one of the computer labs was available for the review session, as they all are equipped with air conditioning.  Fortunately, one was, so I put a sign on my door for my students to meet me there, and we had a much cooler, much more effective review session for their exam.  I am so thankful today for an opportunity for some relief from the heat during the school day! Thank God for 4th Hour Computer Lab! Lord, thank you for a chance for my students and I to be comfortable today so that their review could be more effective. Thank you for looking out for me in the smallest details and for helping me to get through the past couple of da...

My friend April is amazing beyond words.  She is someone I admire deeply for her compassion for others and for her enthusiasm for life.  We are so close and remain that way even when our busy schedules keep us from spending much time together.  When it's been a while since we've seen each other and we are finally able to connect, it's like we never were apart.  She is understanding and supportive when life gets crazy, which I so appreciate.   I couldn't do her justice in having an "April" post, so I would like to focus tonight on a specific character attribute, and that is her absolute genuine willingness to help me out however and whenever she can. Tonight's example is a meeting that I didn't realize that I had in the evening, which directly coincided with a meeting that Colby had at school.    It wouldn't have been a big deal but for the fact that I have three muchkins who require supervision.  Daycare was closed durin...

Today I was very thankful to be a female teacher.  My room was insanely hot today, but I had on a nice, breezy skirt and sandals that made it much more bearable.  As I looked around the second lunch teacher crowd today, I noticed that all of the men in the lounge looked miserable.  Their long pants and close-toed shoes seemed as though they would be extremely warm and uncomfortable.  As a female, there are so many more things I can do to beat the heat while still looking professional: skirt, sandals, Capri pants, dressy sleeveless tops.  Guys don't really have many options.  So, I was thankful today to be a female in my profession.  This week will continue to be hot and muggy, so I'm glad to be able to dress somewhat accordingly. Thank God for being a female teacher! Lord, thank you for giving me options to dress professionally while remaining comfortable in this heat.  Please keep us all safe at school during these next few hot...

Today I had a 90 minute run as a part of my triathlon training.  It was hot, and I did a poor job of preparing for the heat by hydrating before and during the workout.  When I say I did a poor job, what I really mean is that I didn't.  At all.  I have done a 90 minute run before in this program, but today was extremely tough.  I headed out about 10:30 from our house for the Sharp's (Colby's parents...I just realized that statement probably didn't make much sense).  Around about mile 8, I was really struggling and for the last few miles, I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to make it.  I knew that I had it in my legs, but I was getting goosebumps and feeling a little loopy -- a sure sign that I was overheated based on previous experience.  By God's grace I did make it.  The whole experience was a bit discouraging and made me painfully realize that I have a long ways to go before I am truly ready for The Steelhead in August.  Today...

In college, I had a soccer coach who was Vietnamese.  His accent was still pretty noticeable, and he had a hilarious tendency to leave the letter "s" off of certain things that needed them and put them on other words that didn't need them. "Lady!  Follow your balls!" Okay, I'm sure there are more examples that that, but I can't think of any right now.  For some reason, every other quote I can think of is some variation on that theme. He was such a sweet man, and I can't even imagine what he must have thought of us loud and obnoxious college girls. Once, at an away tournament, he announced that we would be stopping at "Bob's Evan".  We could barely contain our laughter.  Now, I can't even say it the right way.  That big red restaurant will be forever Bob's Evan to me. Colby and I went to Bob's Evan today and had a nice breakfast together.  Going out to breakfast is one of my favorite things ever, so having the oppo...

Back when I was in high school running cross-country, there was this newly-created trail that we girls not-so-lovingly nicknamed "Deerfly Trail".  This name came from our inaugural run through the new trail, during which we were swarmed upon by deerflies and chased out of the trail.  When we came into the open again, you could see the black cloud of angry flies follow us for several painful minutes before slowly giving up their attack and dissipating back into the woods.  Any time we had to go back through "Deerfly" we would always dread it a little bit.  In addition to the aforementioned flies of death (They bit! It hurt!), the path was swampy, muggy, and grown over with thorny underbrush that would snag and entangle our legs leaving bloody trails behind on our bodies.  At the beginning of this cross-country season, I was pleased beyond what was reasonable to learn that the nickname we bestowed upon this trail stuck.  The girls still call it "Deerfl...

My smallest daughter has the uncanny ability to hit my nose in just the right spot so that my nose ring comes out.  It's a pretty annoying thing, actually.  First, it hurts.  It stinking hurts a lot.  Secondly, it's hard to find the little tiny post once it comes out of my nose.  As we were walking back to our car this evening after watching Colby's fourth graders participate in the "Girls on the Run" race at Binder Park Zoo, she managed to do it again.  I was pretty sure that this symbolized the end of my days with a nose ring...at least for a while.  I couldn't find the post and I definitely did not have an extra stashed anywhere.  I was beyond bummed, but it had been that kind of day all day, so I wasn't too surprised, to be honest. I managed to use one of my earrings as a replacement until we got to the Lakeview Mall, where I was able to purchase another nose ring.  It looked really funny, but it did the job.  I'm thankful to say t...

One of my favorite things about the spring is the baccalaureate celebration that takes place the week before graduation.  I love the chance to see my seniors in their caps and gowns and to praise God for their arrival to the finish line.  For every year since I can remember, I've listened to Western's Select Choir perform the song "Showing Us the Way" by Michael V. Ficocelli.  When I was a senior, I even got to sing it at my own baccalaureate.  That year, and every year since I have taught at Western, I get choked up listening to the perfectly fitting lyrics of this song.  Tonight, on a perfect evening at the Cascades Falls, tears ran down my face as I watched the seniors I taught sing the words of this song to their classmates, parents, teachers, and friends.  I smiled and cried a little more as I realized that someday there's a good chance I'll be watching my own kids sing it at their baccalaureate. I had to share it with you.  This isn't Western's...