Here it goes. I've had this on my heart for a week now but haven't had the discipline to sit down and write it out. Probably because I am still figuring it out. And will be for a long time. But the concept is so amazing. And I can't wait to fully grasp hold of it.
Last year I completed a half marathon. I say completed instead of ran, because the running part was so minuscule. In college they offered a class called "walk, jog, run." Well my 13.1 experience was more like run, jog, walk...walk, walk... ok, last ten feet, run!
Since then, I've gained back all the weight I lost. Frustrating? Yes it is. Thanks for asking.
I've tried to do this and to do that to lose the weight, but to no avail. A few weeks ago I was talking to a girl at church and she said they will be running in a h/m in December for St. Judes in Memphis and I should consider joining them in training.
Ha. Right. Not going to subject myself to that again.
Except I am.
They will start training in September, and I really need to start training to train. It's that bad people. So, I've put my running shoes back on. Last week I started walking 1/2 mile, running 1/2 mile, walking, then running again to complete a two mile stretch. It felt so great.
While I was running, I was listening to Justin Rizzo on my iPod. I was listening to the words "His glory will cover the earth" and taking in the beautiful sunset. This is when it all became so real to me.
Life progresses in forward motion. You can't go back. I will never be 25 again, my children will never be newborns again. When I was in the midst of the h/m, what would the point have been in going backwards? What would the point have been if I had stopped and sat for a few weeks? I kept going. Yeah I didn't run it with fervor, but I kept going.
I kept going.
Life. Hello?
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7It makes so much sense to me. Does it to you?
So, yes, my running shoes are back on. To hopefully complete another h/m, but more importantly with the realization that life is a marathon. You reach mile markers, you rejoice, you hurt, you go through pain, but you continue. You keep moving forward.
If I were being paid for blogging, I would concur that I needed to be fired for lack of production. My most sincere apologies. My inbox is overflowing with concern as to where I have been and what I have been doing. Ahem. Now that that is out of the way.
May I tell you what's been on my mind lately? Great, thanks. Coldplay. Yep. Only a few more weeks until we see them in concert with some wonderful friends. I am so excited. We have been listening to them each time we get in the vehicle to optimize our familiarity with all their music.
Also, The Melting Pot. We are going next week with some other wonderful friends to celebrate her birthday and my husband's birthday. I've always wanted to go for a full experience, but have only been granted a peek into the greatness of what is known as The Melting Pot. So exciting!
Our bedroom is coming together nicely. I still need window treatments, so I hope to go to the mecca of fabric stores in our area this weekend to get some fabric to make panels. I'm also looking on etsy at some of the vinyl wall stickers for inspiration. I can have them made a little cheaper here in town, but I'm 75% sure this is the route I want to go for above our headboard.
Alas, W's grandmother had open heart surgery yesterday. The surgery went well but we are still waiting to see how she is today. Please say a prayer for her recovery.
"Hello, are you there?" is what I feel like someone, somewhere is asking me. My response, "I think so."
Whirlwind. Or, as Will Ferrell would say in Kicking and Screaming, whirling dervish. But I think he was referring to the kids and not to his situation. So, I guess our week has been as a whirling dervish. Point made?
W and I did something on Saturday that we have never done before in our near 5 years of marriage. We bought furniture. Everything in our home has been given to us. We have been so incredibly blessed beyond measure by people who love us. We look forward to the day when a newlywed couple enters our lives and we can show the same kindness we've been shown.
The delivery was scheduled for Wednesday.
On Monday, both of our children came down with some virus. I don't think it was from a swine, but what it produced out of their little bodies was similar to what you may find in a pin of swines. Since that point I have been tending to them. I even forgot to shower until Wednesday.
The virus apparently finished its course on Thursday. This was the scene of our living room all week.
I mentioned we got new furniture, right? Well, we donated all of what was being replaced to our church yard sale. The thing was, the new furniture was being delivered Wednesday. The men from the church couldn't come until Thursday. I can honestly say I loved being able to lay on my bed and watch TV at the same time. I now understand why people have televisions in their bedroom, although I still love that we do not.
Here is a sneak peek of our yet to be decorated lovely new bedroom. I love it.
We are going shopping for a comforter/coverlet/quilt/whatever this afternoon. Quite frankly I'm just excited about getting out of the house and that our children are healthy. Not in that order.
(Build) I have been glued to my computer this week reading the stories from Compassion's Live Blogger trip to India. There is a special place in my heart for India and the people of that nation. I love reading the accounts of their trip through Angie, Pete, and Melissa. And these pictures will captivate your heart. Maybe one day we will be able to set foot onto the soil of India, but as for now, we pray for those who do (including our friend Megan who is there now).
So, with that said, I can move on to things less relevant and probably of no importance.
But now it seems I can't think of anything. Wonderful.
(Tear Down) Alas, our infamous ugly outbuilding came to its demise yesterday. It had been a long time in the coming. I actually thought it was dilapidated enough that I could take it down myself. I actually asked my father-in-law if a hammer would be enough to do it. He laughed at me. I began to see images of Extreme Home Makeover and wondered if I couldn't just bump it a little with my vehicle and knock it over. He laughed at me again. So, he and W got to work yesterday afternoon and after several hours and much sweating, only 4 posts stand in the ground now. I kept saying as I was watching them take it down "I can't believe I thought I could do this by myself." I surely would have taken a 2x4 to the head. I am excited to put a nicer outbuilding in its place. I think taking the ugly one down added value to our house, in and of itself!
Oh, and my birthday was lovely. It was busy from sunup to sundown, but a great day overall. Sadly my ice cream cake I ordered was much overrated. It must have lost some glory in the last 15 years.
That's about all I can think to write about. Take some time and check out a few of the blogs from Compassion's India trip. And also, take a moment today to let someone know that you appreciate them. I appreciate my husband, and that he has the courage to be out playing golf at sunup:30 in the rain. What a brave man.
I've said over the past ten or so years that weather in the south can be described as the following: where one can experience all four seasons in one week. When my children wake up, the first words are either "Can I have dessert after breakfast?" or "When can we go outside and play?" T-Pup is old enough to know the differences in the weather. When he woke Monday and looked out of the blinds, he said "is it going to rain? is it cold? will there be inclement weather?" (not really, but I just thought I'd add a big word for dramatic effect). I answered "no" to all of his questions, so he began to put on his camo crocs and head for the door. Normally I wouldn't mind, but this day was different.
A little bit earlier I scurried down our driveway in my pajamas to put a bill in the mail box. When I noticed our neighbor's deserted tricycle at the edge of our drive, I became slightly concerned. As I walked a few more steps, I noticed it. Ohh, ew. Hard crash landing...
Mr. Bird.
Apparently sometime in the wee hours of the morning Mr. Bird made his final descent into our driveway. The poor guy (or gal, didn't take time to look...not that I could identify it either way...) was apparently sitting on the power line that crosses over our driveway. The details after that are fuzzy, but I can tell you the end result... Mr. Bird is now the former Mr. Bird.
As standing there in my pajamas I'm trying to figure out if W is at school or work today; thankfully, work won out. I ran inside and called him. There's been a tragedy. Not really, but goodness I was on a roll. I told him of the situation and that we couldn't go play outside until it was cleaned up. Thankfully he graciously accepted the call of duty and said he would stop by the house after he went to lunch with some friends.
So, back to T-Pup. "But momma, if it is so nice outside why can't we go play?" I then explained the little blob at the end of our driveway and that it was messy and gross and also that Daddy would be home at lunch to take care of it for us. He then asked if Mr. Bird was stinky and I told him that yes, with the sun beating down on Mr. Bird like it was and would be for the next 3 hours, I suspected that Mr. Bird would be stinky.
He agreed it would be much better for us to stay inside.
W comes home and scoops up the bird with the shovel and tosses it into our back pasture disposes of it properly. He comes back in saying "I got it. There is a little juice left on the drive so you may want to clean that up before taking the kids out."
Ahem.
I go out with the hose and a large container of clorox and get to work. As I was hosing the driveway down, the water pushed something into the street. I went over to look, and it was one of Mr. Bird's organs. My guess from this is that it was the stomach. I blasted that thing clear across the street with my water hose and used enough clorox to make Cher's hair blonde.
Rest in peace, Mr. Bird.
I have recently returned to Facebook, only after a beautiful 40 days without it. It frustrated and overwhelmed me all at the same time, because who are these people and why are they my "friends?" Sure, I have crossed paths at some point in my life with each and every one of them, but that crossing may have only merited a class together or a meeting through a friend of a friend.
So, I've been thinking, not only who are they, but who am I to them? Many of them know me from high school or college, a handful of them know me from junior high, and the rest fall into the friends of friends category where we met once or twice, then the family category.
So, I thought I would give a small peek into who I am/why I am that way. The main parts of my life are God and family, so I will expound most on those areas.
I am the oldest of 3; I have a brother and sister. We have better relationships now than ever before in our lives. My father was abusive to my mother, also a drug addict and alcoholic. They divorced when I was 7; he came back/left again when I was 14; he came back again when I was 17, then died 7 months later of metastatic lung cancer that spread to his brain. My mom injured her back in 1994 and as the oldest, I assumed much of the responsibility.
Because of my unconventional family history, I am a huge advocate for my family now. More on them to come.
I was raised in Southern Baptists churches. I was always extremely judgmental and quick to point out other people's flaws. I was confident in my relationship with the Lord, and was confident that it [my salvation] was superior to my classmates [salvation] who struggled in areas that I did not.
I flew the coop I left home halfway through my sophomore year in college to transfer to a school 4 hours away. For once, I just wanted to take care of myself. It was amazing, and instantly my world was rocked. I decided rather than going home the next summer I would go on summer missions. I worked with a Baptist association that had over 90 churches in it. The Lord really started working in my heart that summer. I would lay in the floor of my room each night and marvel at things in the Bible I had never seen before. I think for the first time in my life, my eyes were truly fixed on Him. I became an advocate for the statement "relationship, not religion."
I came back to school that fall, having released all preconceived notions of what my life was to hold. I changed my major in school and said "take my life and let it be, consecrated only Lord to thee." I started a new job and moved into a new house with new roommates. In walks W into my life. I had met him the semester before, but it stopped at that. Suddenly we were talking to each other and I found myself giddy. I freaked out. But, Lord? I just want to be yours. I told W, and we both concurred it would be only a friendship until further noted. 2 months later it was further noted, and then we knew that the God of heaven and earth had created us for each other.
In the midst of our blooming relationship, I had an encounter with God that I am not vulnerable enough to blog about. I left the Baptist church and began going to a non-denominational church with W. I miss that year of my life; I was so eager to learn of the things of God.
The next summer we marry. We immediately go into full time ministry, even raising our own support for our first year of marriage. Three weeks after we were married we went on a mission trip to Portland, OR and it has not slowed down since then.
Nearly two months after we celebrated our first anniversary, T-Pup was born. We had moved two weeks prior to him being born so W could take the job of a Director of Christian Education at a United Methodist Church. 26 months later, Sam was born.
Letmetellyousomething, I love our church. It makes me love THE CHURCH more! The people there love me, challenge me, make me laugh and make me cry all in the same week. I have learned this: one cannot put God in a box. Whether worshiping in a contemporary or traditional service, or worshiping with chains binding you to a prison cell, God is still the same. Who knew in my ripe old age this once radical gal would love liturgy and singing "O for a thousand tongues to sing" and "Come, thou long expected Jesus."
I willingly and gladly serve my husband, because it does my heart joy. I weep at the fact my children have a father like I never did. I love staying home with our children, pouring into them the Word of God and crazy, silly fun. Who cares that I don't have some fancy corporate job? There are days when I wish I did, but at the end of each day, I rejoice at what the Lord has put on my plate.
Now, I will eagerly tell you my flaws before I even guess at yours. I will tell you no matter what has happened in life, God still so tenderly loves us. Not for what we do, but for who we are; as I don't love Him for what He does, but for who He is. I will be the first to tell you I am not perfect. I love to be sarcastic and often have an off-colored since of humor. I sometimes laugh really hard and snort, then glace embarrassingly around to see if anyone heard. I would love to one day be a midwife, live in Israel and India. I want my children to walk in truth. I want my husband to be proud of me. And I want my dear Lord to delight in me and dance over me. That's me.
Facebook won't allow this many words in the "tell me something about yourself" box.
So, takemeorleaveme there ya go. Now, if you read this (haha, watch my counter say 0 for the next 7 days) I would love to know a little bit more about you.
This past weekend we were graced by the presence of Mr. Marine. It was the first time he had visited since his homecoming last October. We had a great time. I paraded him around like the big proud sister should parade little brother around. He said at one point "I'm getting the idea you're proud of what I do" and I responded "not of what you do, but of who you are." Ok, I wasn't even looking for a revelation Lord, but wow, that's good. He loves us for who we are. I know this, but in that moment and even now it seems so much more real.
Mr. Marine is 6'3" and weighs somehwhere over 200lbs. Not an ounce of fat on his body, but all muscle. He was like T-Pup and Sam's own personal playground. They climbed and jumped and hooped and hollered. T-Pup rode his leg like a bull, but somewhere in the weekend the bull became a donkey. It was really funny, and I added the video of it on FB. Honestly though I don't think I've ever seen anyone bucked off a donkey.
Someone sent me a recipe for cookies to go along with the Easter story. You make the cookies Saturday night, and each step chornicles an event that Jesus went through. For example, you let the child crush the pecans then talk about how Jesus was beaten and bruised. You let the child smell the vinegar, then share how Jesus drank some on the cross. You allow them to taste the sugar, and then tell how sweet it was of Jesus to die for us. When it came time to put the cookies in the oven, you talk about the tomb. Well T-Pup asked what a tomb was, and for whatever reason the word "cave" escaped me, so I told him it was a big hole in the side of a mountain. After a few minutes, T-Pup says "momma, were there polar bears in Jesus' tomb?" and I look at W like "what in the world?!" (said it with my eyes, not my mouth :) ) and said "T-Pup why would you think that bud?" and he replied "you know, because polar bears live by holes in big snowy mountains!" Touche my son, touche. I see why you could think there were polar bears in Jesus' tomb.
Easter was wonderful and busy and full of great memories.
I mentioned to W a few weeks ago that I wanted us to get T-Pup this Bible. He ordered it for us and we've been reading in it since. Each day this week at either lunch or breakfast we've sat down and read it while we've been eating. Each day we have read the Easter story over and over again. Part of me is like "Hey bud, let's read another story" but then I think if he wants to read a story over and over again, this IS the one to read. He said yesterday "Momma, why is Pilate wearing a towel?" and so I explained it was a tunic, which is like a shirt, which looks like a towel. He then asked me if Pilate had a helicopter or airplane. We then broke down the difference betweeen Pilate and a pilot.
No one ever told me my children would be so literal! I love it though.
It is a beautiful spring day outside so we are going to go enjoy it now. Hope y'all have a blessed weekend!
