I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age...

Well, it's finally upon me...my 30th birthday. I'm good with turning 30. How could I not be? When I look at my life I just get a big smile on my face. I have so much to be thankful for so I shall reflect on that.

I am married to a man who I love more than almost anything (he and the kids are neck and neck), who makes me incredibly happy, supports me in everything I do, puts up with my idiosyncrasies, and is just an all around amazing Dad and person. It's almost unbelievable that we started dating when we were mere children of 15/16 and now, almost 15 years later ,see where our lives have taken us. I have two beautiful kids who love to laugh and play. Maddie has such a personality. It's so much fun to be around her and see what she'll do or say next.  Even if you can't always understand her. Like Will said last night, "Maddie was saying, well I couldn't really understand her because her voice is so high." Miles is just a happy and pleasant baby (even if he is crying right now and doesn't want to go to sleep). It's so fun to watch him reach milestones and discover all the new things the world has to offer.

I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for my parents. They showed me that I can do anything I put my mind too. They too have supported me with all of my decisions (even if that meant going to PSU). They set a wonderful example of parenting that I now use with my own kids. I didn't have sisters, but I am lucky to have two incredible brothers. I enjoy  spending time with them and seeing where their lives have taken them. I am so proud of the men they have become. 

When you get married or your family members get married, you get all sorts of new family. Many times that doesn't work out so well. I think I struck the in-law lottery many times over! My parents-in-law, in addition to raising an amazing son, love me like a daughter. I know that whenever we are with them, it will always be a good time. While I don't have any sisters, I have 4 sisters-in-law who I would have picked, if I had the choice, to have as sisters. I can't forget about my brother-in-law. He's definitely quirky, but a great guy who brings a fun perspective to everyday life.

I am also blessed with many friends. Missy and I can go weeks and even months without talking. But when we get together or talk, it's like a day hasn't passed since we last spoke. We have so many fun memories together she is also like the sister I never had. (Man, for someone who had no sisters, I seem to be up to 5 now!) I miss my PSU girls, but I love our yearly girls trips and how they put up with my innate inability to talk on the phone. We are lucky to now have all our running club friends who make life in Eburg a ton of fun!

In addition to all the wonderful people in my life, I have a job that I like, hobbies I enjoy, sports I love to watch, and so many other things I am thankful for. If it all gets to be too much (and even when it's all good), I can get out and go for a run to think and clear my head. 

So yeah, this post is kind of a love fest, but I love my life! I thank God everyday for all the blessings I have been given (or worked for). Here's to my next 30 years (and hopefully many more after that too). I hope they are as incredible as my first 30 years!

What's up with the Doyles?

It's been a while since I posted anything. I figured that would happen when I went back to work. With work/my commute taking up 10+ hours a day, then running and spending time with my family, it doesn't leave time for much else. So what have we been up to the past month or so? 

The Doyle's are enjoying the summer. We are spending a lot of time outside in our backyard on our patio or porch. We are still planning to do the 30 day project. The first one was going to be do 30 days with no TV, mostly because I thought we watched too much. Well, since coming back from vacation we have really cut back on the amount of TV we watch. So, since we aren't watching as much and we don't want to have to pay for TV we aren't going to watch, we are putting this off. So the first 30 day project will be from Bonnie's suggestion to buy locally. The farmers market in E-burg starts at the end of July so we are going to start this after that...don't want to make this too complicated! Onto the the family members...

Miles - He is almost 4 months old now. It's amazing how the time flies. He is still a big boy and keeps growing and growing. Miles recently discovered his feet, so now he keeps trying to eat them. He has transitioned well to day care and they just love him (I don't see how they couldn't)! Miles is just a happy guy who is always smiling and laughing.

Maddie - Her vocabulary continues to grow! Maddie also loves to repeat everything, so it's a good thing it isn't hockey season. She continually cracks us up with her keen insight into the world around her. We are working on potty training..but that's a story for another blog post. Mad is loving summer and playing and running around outside. 

Kevin - He is still doing the software engineering gig in Altoona. He isn't working the 9-80 work schedule anymore which is a bummer for both him and the kids. But he is home earlier week nights which we like. Kev has started to run more and even ran in a few races, but lately has been dealing with a nagging calf injury. Hopefully he takes care of himself so he can make his Half Marathon debut in October.

Julie - You can tell I write this because mine is the longest! The transition back to work wasn't too bad. I do miss getting to sleep in later than 5 am. I have lots of projects on, so there isn't time to spend missing the kids. I will say that it was easier to go back to work after Maddie in March. Going back in June when the weather is nice and we had just started to spend a lot of time outside was rough. I am running 5 days a week and just started to train for the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon in October. I decided to change my target race since Kevin and a few people in our running club said they would do it. This time I have a training buddy (yeah Sarah!), so that will make the long runs much easier! I am also really into Harry Potter right now. I have all 7 books, but never read 6 or 7. About a month ago, I decided that before the movie for part 1 of the 7th book came out, I should finish reading all the books. Since I couldn't really remember everything I thought it would be good to re-read the first 5 books. I am almost done with book 5. So, I think I will be able to finish the books in time.