Category: faithful

faithful

20{4}40 – Pi Day!

Angela Pea1 Comment


Photo by Tim May, Photographer Extraordinaire
Remnants of the Blueberry and Coconut Pies

 Today is Pi Day.  Being a total geek engineer, working in an office with a bunch of other engineers, I decided that we needed to celebrate with a Pi Pie Bake-Off.  Eight folks made pies, myself included.  Then we let the always starving masses sample pies and vote for their favorites.  My pies?  I actually brought two pies – a coconut cream and a blueberry – and won first and second place.  However, because it would be sort of weird to win the Pi Pie Bake-Off that I organized, I disqualified myself and handed out prizes to a Blackberry Pie, a Lemon Chess Pie and a Chocolate Creme Pie. 

So what am I thankful for today?
81. Pi Day
82. Pi Day Celebration at Work with a Pie Bakeoff
83. Making the best Coconut Cream Pie EVER and getting kudos from peers
84. Blueberry Pie
85. Chocolate Crème Pie
Prizes for the winning pies were autographed Justin Bieber posters. No, Justin did not autograph the posters, one of our young engineers autographed them. 
86. Justin Bieber Posters
87. Husband who calls me at 4:00 and says “I Love You! I’m bringing home Chinese food for dinner!”
88. Teen Son who answers the phone with “Guess what I did, Mom? I mopped the kitchen floor!” Excuse me, but who are you and what did you do with my son?
89.  Not tearing a hole in the knee of my new compression pants when I fell while running tonight
90. The neighbor who stopped her car and jumped out to help me up when I fell running tonight
91. No broken bones
92. iPod for keeping pace
93. Fartlek Training
94. A dishwasher
95. A washer and dryer that work, providing clean clothes and linens for my family
96. CFL’s that don’t make that funny ringing noise
97. A tea kettle that whistles
98. Chammomile Tea
99. Comfy bed
100. Fuzzy throws

Lenten Challenge Following Ann, counting my blessings.

EMail Anglea Pea

faithful

20{4}40 – Stephen Breen Memorial Foundation

Angela PeaLeave a comment
Stephen Breen was 14 years old when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a very rare form of bone cancer. At the time, he was a freshman at Nolan Catholic High School and had just graduated from St. Andrew Catholic School in 2002. Stephen was a caring, quick-witted, loving boy and a very good student. During his illness, he grew more courageous and brave – a young man who is still an inspiration to many. Until his death at 15 years old, Stephen touched many lives by possessing wisdom beyond his age, strength greater than his size, and faith in God without understanding why he was stricken with cancer.

Throughout his life, Stephen expressed a desire to help people. Two areas were particularly important to him. Stephen wanted to help kids obtain an education in the Catholic school system, and he wanted to help kids who are stricken with cancer like he was. The Stephen Breen Memorial Foundation has been established to fulfill Stephen’s wishes and achieve these objectives.

Stephen is the son of our very dear friends*, and the Pea Family is so honored to be able to support the Foundation with our time, talent and treasure.  One of our volunteer stints is the Annual Stephen Breen Basketball Tournament at our parish school – two weeks of Basketball and more fun than a barrel of monkeys.  Seriously!  There are about fourteen families who stage this production, complete with [model] F35 flyovers in the gym during the national anthem, amazing concessions (burgers! grilled chicken! pulled pork!) and silly audience participation games at halftime and between games.  We literally live at the school gym for the entire two weeks, eating, playing, praying and raising money for the Foundation.

Today was the Championship Games for 2011 – what an amazing collection of young people playing their hearts out, all for Stephen and his dream.  So today?  I’m counting my Stephen Breen Blessings.

Lenten Challenge Following Ann, counting my blessings. 

61. Basketball – the middle school variety
62. Jim and Kathy Breen, and the amazing foundation they have established in their son’s memory
63. The honor and privilege of sharing our time, talent and treasure with the Stephen Breen foundation
64. Donna R. who made the most delicious King Ranch Chicken for the volunteers at the Basketball tournament
65. Getting to meet David Hira
66. Having dinner with the Bishop
67. Finally learning how to run the game clock
68. Concession stand volunteers
69. Bobby P, greatest sports announcer on the face of the earth
70. Dana C, the calmest person I’ve ever met
71. F-35 flybys in the school gym
72. St. Andrew Wildcats
73. Ronda F, who is an inspiration to us all for perseverance
74. Shop Vacs, most excellent for cleaning up confetti
75. Access to the school cafeteria
76. Routers
77. Michael S and his photography
78. Moms who man the gate at basketball games so that I can grab a bite to eat
79. Alex L, the best fifth grade helper ever
80. Bridgette L, for driving on the beer run for the post clean up party so I wouldn’t have to move my car from a primo parking space!

EMail Anglea Pea

 

faithful

20{4}40 – Exercise

Angela PeaLeave a comment
Counting exercise as a blessing?  You bet.  Up until a few years ago, I wasn’t able to exercise.  I was so heavy that walking was an effort, running out of the question.  Now, I love it, and am so grateful that I am strong and healthy and able to move my body the way God intended when he created it.

 

My first 5K
41. Sunscreen – where was it when I was a kid?
42. Kayaks
43. Friends with lake houses
44. Friends with boats – who are willing to share
45. Fireworks
46. Spring flowers
47. Running in the park
48. Lady Penelope with her big squishy seat
49. Paved bike trails
50. New bicycle lanes on 7th Street
51. Lancaster Street Bridge with those nice wide walkways
52. Compression pants
53. Podrunner Podcasts
54. C25K program
55. Fort Worth Running Company and their shoe fitting gurus
56. Enell Bras
57. Running Skirts
58. Body Glide
59. Modern fabrics that wick moisture
60. Chapstick
 
Want to learn more about exercise and a journey to health?  Follow me over at Keeping the Faith – Skinny Me.

 Lenten Challenge Following Ann, counting my blessings. 

EMail Anglea Pea