Beautiful.

Check out this video, taken after Tyler's "surprise" transplant... His family tells him the great news! (See 8/20/08 entry for more details.)

There are no words...

Book Worm...

My "list" is slowly shrinking... At this point I have fully completed 5 items (wahoo!) and several others are a work in progress. This week I have read two books and pretty much neglected Cole. I'm reverting back to my old reading habits: ignoring everything and everyone around me, staying up way too late and straining my eyes until my vision is too blurry to make out the words. I'm hooked on these Janet Evanovich books - I purchased the first two box sets from amazon.com and they arrived just in time for my birthday!

So here is a recap of this week's reading:

Two for the Dough - Stephanie Plum does it again... the novice bounty hunter tracks down 24 missing caskets, sees more dead dead men than she can handle, and reconnects with the sexy cop, Joe Morelli... She couldn't have done it without help from her crazy Grandma Mazur.


Three to Get Deadly - Caught in a scandal, Stephanie hunts down the local candy store owner, and her friends in "the Burg" are less than thrilled with her pursuit of Uncle Mo, who can do no wrong. Lots of surprises in this one. Another gem.

Awesome God

For the last month or so, my youngest sister, Hannah, has been keeping me updated on Winfield High School senior Tyler Groom's heart condition... Tyler is a close friend of Hannah's boyfriend; his story is truly amazing. But - it's not over. He will have a long road to recovery, and still needs PRAYERS. Check out Tyler's CaringBridge website here.

If you take the time to read through the "journal" portion of the website, written by a nurse and friend of the Groom family, you're sure to cry tears of joy... This evening Tyler entered a surgery (at a heart hospital in Oklahoma City) to keep his heart strong enough to wait for a transplant. (Not the technical jargon, I know, but I'm just giving you the basics here.) The doctors were afraid his organs would begin shutting down, and this was the best option.

After they had already begun this first surgery, a HEART WAS FOUND! Had the heart been found after Tyler's operation was complete, there is no way he could have taken it. They would have had him wait three weeks recovery time before a transplant was even an option. The heart was transported to OKC, and given to Tyler. Can you imagine waking up with a "surprise" new heart! Wow!

Also take a look at the "guestbook" portion of Tyler's site... There have been tremendous amounts of prayer for Tyler... Check out his dad's post just before he went into surgery (Aug. 19th at 5:30 am). Goosebumps. God's timing was perfect, as always. Funny how that happens. Remember Tyler in your prayers tonight, and don't forget the donor's family, too.

#82: Subscribe to Women's Health magazine.

I did it... I officially signed up, and it was less than $16! I'm really excited to start getting healthy advice, recipes and workouts. Cole receives Men's Health currently... and I love it. If the women's version is even half as good I'll be happy. So what motivated me? Well, last night, as a part of the Healthy Eating class I've signed up for, Carrie (the dietitian teaching the course) took measurements, weighed me and evaluated my body mass index (BMI). I wasn't particularly surprised by the results; they only confirmed what I already know. To be really healthy, I need to lose some weight (or as Carrie would say - lower my BMI). So here goes nothing! Having the magazine as an additional reminder can't hurt, and Carrie says I can get to my goal weight by November... I should have gotten that in writing. :)

For a simplified version of Carrie's "exam," click here and find out your BMI!

The list has taught me at least one thing about myself so far. I'm a shopper... and I am beginning to realize that most of the items I've checked off my list are purchases. Eventually I'll run out of things to buy and I'll have to start "doing." Hmm... Until then, I guess I'll just keep shopping.

#80 Buy a new grill for Cole.

It's the Spirit E-210, and Weber says it's the "finest entry-level full-size grill on the market." I guess we agree. The Eilders household was past due for purchasing a new grill, and after our kabobs took well over an hour to cook on Saturday night, we decided it was time. It's certainly not the fanciest option there is, but we're thrilled to be rid of the freebie we've been using for the last two years. My favorite feature is the scale that weighs the propane tank and indicates a low/empty tank! No half-cooked pork chops ever again. :) Get ready our next Kabob-B-Que!




I am super excited that great progress is being made in another area of my list, as well. On Friday, I got permission to start planning a 5k at Rock Springs in October! Hooray! This promotional event will be multipurpose, and should really help to expose Rock Springs 4-H Center to the local community. Mark your calendars and lace up those old running shoes! The race will be November 8, 2008 at 9:00 am. If you would like an entry form, send email to aeilders@rocksprings.net and include your postal address.

Can anyone tell me why my blog indicates over 50,000 hits? I know I'm really not that popular. :) The only thing I can think of is that I check it obsessively for spelling errors, and to see if anyone has commented. (Thanks, Sarah - I think you're my biggest fan!)

Fun in the sun...

Okay... So Cole and I have had a super busy, fun month so far - and it's only August 4th!! We spent last week at Beaver Lake in Arkansas with my parents and some friends. This was our first trip to Beaver, and we would highly recommend checking it out, if you're the lake-going type. The scenery was amazing, the water was calm and clear... perfect for wakeboarding, skiing and (Dad's favorite) the air chair. Here are some pictures from our trip to Beaver, as well as Milford Lake:

Beaver Lake

2008 Summer Lake Trips

In addition to getting a great tan during vacation, I actually completed some of the items on my list! Saturday before the trip, Cole and I spent the afternoon in Wichita. We had to get the Jetta serviced, and it wound up taking much longer than expected. Cole has been working his hiney off lately, and Parker-Hannifin just might be getting the best of him... So I suggested a massage to relieve some stress. It was the perfect opportunity to check off Number 6: Have a couples massage with Cole. We stopped by Sveta's Body Therapy in Bradley Fair for 30 minutes of pure bliss. Wow! I could barely drive afterwards, talk about relaxed... It was probably the best massage I've ever had!!! http://www.svetas.com/default.asp

Three items complete, 98 to go! Other progress I've made on the list includes:

#48: Take all life insurance OPAIs.
The paperwork and check for my OPAI are in the mail, Cole will officially be $50K wealthier when I kick the bucket. Congrats, babe.

#10: Purchase K-State season football tickets.
Cole's July bonus is in our account, he's out of town for work, and I'm spending away! Kidding :) I was excited to hear that I qualify for young alumni ticket prices for two more years... Go Cats!

#96: Add 50 corks to my wine cork jar.
Thanks to Uncle Bill's fantastic red wine at our recent Niederee family gathering, the jar is plus one... Yum-O.

#51: Lose weight and #55: Take Maximum Performance Eating for Life Class.

I've been weighing myself weekly for about a month, and the scale hadn't budged... but thanks to Michelle's Total Tone class at the gym and Carrie's Eating for Life tips, I am finally making progress! I'm trying to learn to be a "mindful" eater. Our next class is Wednesday, and I'm looking forward to hearing more.

#70: Read 20+ fiction books.
I've always heard great things about Janet Evanovich's books... I've even bought them for my sister-in-law. I finally cracked one open myself, and couldn't put it down. Yes, I read on vacation... call me a nerd, I don't care. I finished up two books last week: One for the Money and Lean Mean Thirteen. Janet gets five stars from me.

101 in 1001

July 22, 2008 - Starting Date
April 19, 2011 - Ending Date

As if life isn't busy enough... Earlier this week I came across a friend's latest (for lack of a better phrase) "self-improvement project." I'm a sucker for lists... I love the satisfaction of crossing something off, and the idea of taking steps to improve my life isn't bad, either. So, I'm giving it a shot... Creating the list was really pretty motivating. Hopefully my enthusiasm doesn't wane... My plan is to post updates with evidence of completion to help hold myself accountable. Here's a summary of how this whole thing works:

"Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past — frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities."

If you're interested in starting your own list, here is a website that may be helpful!

http://www.triplux.com/dayzero/

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Thank God for great friends! This weekend was really fantastic... two of my best friends from college came to visit, and we spent Saturday on the lake (very little water sports, mostly floating and talking a lot) followed up with Coco Bolo's for dinner with sangrias (and even more chit chat at dinner).

It had literally been years since we got together and it is so nice to know that we'll always be able to pick up where we left off. These two girls are so special to me; I can hardly believe we let ourselves get out of touch like we have... We were long overdue for a get together and the girl time was desperately needed. Hooray for Miller moving back to KS... Here's to many more fun times to come!

Speaking of friends, did anyone else hear the rumor that filming starts soon for a new F.R.I.E.N.D.S. movie? Could this be???

The 1/2 marathon training is going pretty well... My longest run to date has been 5 miles, and the training is slowly becoming more consistent... 87 days to go. Seeing Miller this weekend inspired me. She is running like a mad woman, over 50 miles per week, and makes my teeny 5 miler look pathetic... Time to get busy!

♥ ♥ ♥ Love & Marriage

Thought I'd share some of my favorite photos from the summer... We've attended many fun weddings already... :) Congrats to the Steins, Hortons and Bracks so far! (Whew - that's a lot of newlyweds!!)

Milford Lake, here we come! :)

It's official... Cole and I are now boat owners! On July 3rd we purchased a 1990 Glastron 185 Model, and we can hardly wait to hit the lake... We spent the 4th cleaning and polishing our prized posession and plan to head to Milford (the largest lake in KS... a little trivia for you) this weekend for some fun in the sun. HOPEFULLY we didn't purchase a money pit - you never know with used boats. (Although we know that the previous owner has taken good care of this one, so that helps a lot.) Hooray!!! :) More pictures to come...

P.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your love and support. The last few weeks haven't been easy for us... Without fantastic people like you in our lives it would have been even tougher. We are so grateful! God bless.