Life Goals

Tonight while putting John Mark to bed, we were talking about growing up.  He was sad about going to a new school and not being with his friends he's been with for the past 4 years.  But then he decided that it was okay and he wanted to grow up to be 8, then 18, then 29 like daddy!

When I asked him what he wanted to do when he grows up he said- "play basketball." 
Then he laid out the specifics:

1.  Play in "The Big House" (we watched the state tournament with my parents there earlier this spring and he talks about it all the time)
2.  Play in Boomer Sooner
3.  Play in the Thunder

So there you have it...  John Mark's life goals. 

it's been a while...

I know it's been a while, since I posted.
I don't have anything of interest to say,
so I'll give you two awesome videos of John Mark.

stopped in my tracks

Do you ever read something and feel it resonate deep into the depths of your heart?  It's a strange sensation, to be reading along and have something stop you dead in your tracks- like the words on the page were written specifically to you.

I get a daily devotion in my inbox each morning- Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman.  I've got this in my inbox for years, and there are times in my life I pay more attention to it than others.  Maybe it's because I'm living in the desert right now, but I've been reading it a bit more closely each morning.  Yesterday, the words at the end of the passage stopped me.  I felt them deep in the very depths of my heart.

"Beloved, do not try to get out of a dark place, except, in God's time and in God's way. The time of trouble is meant to teach you lessons that you sorely need... Premature deliverance may frustrate God's work of grace in your life." --The Still Small Voice


I've spent so much time in the past few weeks trying to figure God out... praying for things to work out in my time frame, in the ways I can see.  And as I sat there in frutstrated silence, wondering how in the world things would ever work out, the Lord spoke to me. 
 
I read the words above and KNEW.  I've been trying to find my own path, light my own way.  And in doing so, I had become frustrated, sad and a little big angry.  As I've prayed and tried to release this anxiety into His hands, He has begun to do a work.  My prayers have changed.  Instead of praying for deliverance and escape, I'm asking for His nearness.  Instead of asking for what I can see, I'm trusting in the unseen.  I'm asking His hand of grace to be upon me, doing a work that only He can do.
 
"Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God."
Isaiah 50:10

Micah's Mom: an update

After yet another emotional week of doctors, tests, procedures and the roller coaster ride that is cancer, Micah's mom finally came home yesterday afternoon.  Last night was so nice to be together somewhere that wasn't the hospital.  I think we are all adjusting to this new "normal" for our family. 

Let me back up a bit to tell you where we are headed.  We switched hospitals early last week to be under a doctor who specializes in the Pancreas.  Our hope was that he would be able to do the Whipple procedure.  Unfortunately, the cancer has spread beyond the operable area, making surgery no longer an option.

After a couple smaller surgeries, they were able to relieve some of the pain in her abdomen and she is able to eat.  Yesterday morning they put a port in for her chemo, which will begin in about two weeks.

So that's where we are for right now... just sitting back and waiting.  And thanking the Lord for little blessings along the way.

"Do not fear, for I am with you,
do not anxiously look about you,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you;
surely I will help you,
surely I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10

Marathon Training: Weeks 10 & 11

Wow... I can't believe I only have 5 weeks of marathon training left.  It seems like just yesterday I was trying to decide if I REALLY wanted to do this... and now the moment is almost here.  Unbelievable!

Week 10 was during that awful week  So I only got in my Monday run and a longish run on Saturday.  I don't even have an exact time for my 9ish mile run I did that Saturday.  I had left my Garmin in my car, which was at the hospital with Micah.  And can we take a minute to talk about how weird it feels to run without my garmin after being so attached to it over the past months since I got it?  I was constantly checking my wrist to see nothing there.

Week 11 was more of the same as the week before it, but I was back to work and therefore back to my regular running routine.  At one point, I considered dropping down to the half, just because I know this is so time consuming and I want to be available to Micah and his family.  But he convinced me to go ahead and finish out my training- mainly because he wants me to get this whole "marathon" thing out of my system... ha!

Monday: We were scheduled to run a 5 mile progressive run.  Having been off for almost a whole week, I was feeling sluggish.  I did manage to push and mile 4 was 8:05.  It was a tough run, but it felt nice to be back in my routine.

Wednesday: Another 7 miles, this time with 5 miles of tempo in the middle.  I just couldn't get it in gear and my tempos were all right around 9:30.  I also had my first marathon training wipeout during this run.  I stepped off the sidewalk, and next thing I knew I was laying on the ground.  I got up and finished, it was only when I got home that I realized I had strawberries and bruises on my knees and a hole in my favorite running capris.  Oh well, it could have been worse!


Saturday: The elusive 20 miles... I went to bed Friday night super nervous about running 20 miles.  That just seems so... FAR. 

I met up with Carrie and Kala at 6:15, ran 5 miles back to the car and got some fuel.  Then we set out on 10 miles with the running buddies from church.  About mile 12, it started to get REALLY cold and drizzling.  I hadn't dressed for the temperature drop, so when we got back to the car at mile 16 I was freezing!  Honestly, at that point I would have stopped if Carried hadn't been there to push me on.

We took off on our last 4 miles.  The first mile was into the north wind and it was COLD.  After we turned, it wasn't as bad.  The sun had (somewhat) risen and the drizzle had stopped.  I was feeling really strong when we looked up and saw that a train was completely stopped on the tracks we needed to stop.  We quickly took a turn and went across the bridge under the tracks.  This made our mileage a little long, but I was so glad to be finished. 


Long Run #11: 20 Miles
Average Pace: 9:49
Total Time: 3:14:58

Mile #1:  10:04
Mile #2:  10:13
Mile #3:    9:48
Mile #4:    9:55
Mile #5:  10:02
Mile #6:    9:35
Mile #7:    9:40
Mile #8:    9:37
Mile #9:    9:40
Mile #10:10:08
Mile #11:  9:45
Mile #12:  9:33
Mile #13:  9:31
Mile #14:  9:49
Mile #15:  9:37
Mile #16: 10:23
Mile #17:  9:52
Mile #18:  9:35
Mile #19:  9:38
Mile #20: 10:24

I can't believe we're almost to the race taper point.  We've got 2 more weeks of hard training, then it's taper time.  Speaking of, I've got 7 miles EARLY tomorrow, so I should go to bed.

blessings

A sweet friend told me about this song last week.
It's been on repeat since then.
Every time I listen to it, a new part speaks to me.
I hope it speaks to you.

 

What if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know you’re near
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

what a week, round 2

"I would have despaired unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage:
Yes, wait for the LORD."
Psalm 27:13-14

This verse sums up 2011 so far.  Because without the belief that God's goodness is surrounding me in the wait, I would most DEFINITELY despaired.

Saturday evening I got a call from Micah's sister letting me know they had taken her mom to the ER.  She was having serious abdominal pain and her skin was turning yellow.  A CAT scan revealed something in her pancreas blocking her liver.  They thought it could be a tumor, so she was admitted about 3AM Sunday morning.

Fast forward to Wednesday- the oncologist met with the family to tell them what he found in the tests that had been done so far.  Basically they were met with a couple different scenarios- the cancer could have NOT spread and be contained in the tumor.  This would lead to a very intense and invasive Whipple procedure.   If the cancer HAD spread to other areas, we would talk about different treatment options depending on the extent of the spreading. Only 2% of patients fall into the first scenario...

A series of tests were ordered for Friday morning, a PET scan and a laparoscopic, centrifuge test.  These would reveal a clearer picture of where exactly the cancer was in her body.  We left the hospital Wednesday and Thursday nervous and asking the Lord for the cancer to be contained in the area capable of being removed.

Today was a day filled with waiting.  John Mark went with my parents to hang out and play for the day so I was able to be with Micah.  A little over 2 hours after she went back for the test, she was back and immediately taken back to be prepped for the next series of tests.  They let us know the first test had revealed only 2 small spots on her liver, so she was cleared to go on with the next test.

After 8 hours of waiting, the surgeon came out to let us know the cancer appeared to be contained to the tumor.  They removed part of the spots on her liver to be biopsied.  If the results of the biopsy and the other test come back clean, they will move forward with the Whipple procedure sometime next week.

To say it's been an intense week would be an understatement.  Through it all I have seen the peace that transcends all understanding in Micah and his family.  I have felt the support of the body of Christ- through prayers, messages, coffee, sitting with me in the waiting room, staying the night with me... we are blessed.

There's still a long road ahead of us, and I would ask you to please pray.  We know that the Lord is Sovereign and in control of every circumstance of our lives.

"there is a light
that burns brighter than the sun
He steals the night and casts no shadows
there is HOPE
should oceans rise and mountains fall
He never fails"
--take heart, hillsong
(aka my life theme song)

the only one

I've always been a people pleaser... I lived the majority of my life believing no one would ever REALLY like me.  I always thought I could never be pretty enough or funny enough or smart enough- so I took the backseat to life and followed behind whoever was willing to lead me.  I went to college and hid behind a back-home boyfriend.  When I did (finally) branch out and make one friend, I held onto her until I allowed her negativity to permeate my very core and drive everyone else out of my life.  I got married and spent time trying to give off the constant appearance of having everything together.

A couple of VERY tough lessons came within my first year of marriage.  I was forced to lay down my pride and arrogance, to ask myself a very difficult question, one pulled straight from the heart of scripture: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."  Galatians 1:10.

So I spent a solid year in the Word and with some women I trusted greatly.  I began to recognize the lies I had believed about myself for years.  I started to finally see myself as the masterpiece God had created me to be.  It was a beautiful, freeing experience.  I got out of my comfort zone... I made new friends... I started teaching a small group of MS students... I began to believe that He who began this good work in me would be faithful to complete it.

That was a little over 6 years ago and since then my life has changed drastically.  I wish I could say from that point on I never had anymore struggles with insecurity and my need to please people, but of course that would be a lie.  A couple of weeks ago, after some things had been said to me by a couple of different people, I began to doubt everything about my life.  I found myself in that place of doubt, wondering if I could ever be good enough.  Then I read this quote and it stopped me dead in my tracks:

The ONLY ONE who has a right to shape our lives is Jesus Christ. --Francis Frangipane

I read that quote, closed the book I read it in and immediately fell to my knees in my living room.  I had been allowing the people around me to shape my life.  So I examined my heart against the only opinion that matters.  And I found Him there with open arms, waiting for me to ask forgiveness and start again on this journey of freedom.

What has He taught you today?

Marathon Training: Week 9

We are officially past the halfway point in our training.  I can't believe I've made it to this point.  After this weeks 18 miles, I only have one more distance I haven't conquered yet- besides the marathon, obviously!  It's also a reason to celebrate- nice, spring weather is finally on it's way!  For the first time, our early morning runs were in capris and long-sleeve T's!

Monday: The schedule called for a 7 mile, "hill" training run... however, our early morning coordinator- Rosemarie- was unable to run early that morning.  And considering the hill workout Carrie put us through on Saturday, neither one of us felt up to running up and down a hill.  So we set out on 7 relatively easy miles.  My legs felt like lead, and I just couldn't get going.


Wednesday: I woke up feeling good, surprisingly ready for the 7 mile tempo run we had scheduled.  Can I just tell you how bizarre it is that 7 miles is now our weekday run?  I ran my tempo miles all under 9:00, which was exciting to me.  I think I felt the need to redeem my 10k from the weekend before.  I ended that run feeling better than I had on a weekday run in a while.

Friday: Instead of doing our long run on Saturday, it was easier to put those miles in on Friday.  Kala had to go out of town early Saturday morning, and I was anxious to get these 18 miles out of the way.  We were looking for a change of scenery, so we met at a park on the other side of town. 

We did a 5.5 mile loop through the park, back to our cars for fuel and water.  After some tummy and blood sugar issues on the past couple of long runs, I decided to try a different gel.  Accel gel has protein mixed into the formula, so I thought it was worth a shot.  I'm happy to say this is my new go-to fuel for long runs.  My stomach didn't hurt once and I didn't feel lightheaded or woozy.  Plus, I felt strong until the very end of this run.  In fact, this might have been my favorite long run to date!

We stopped once during the second loop of our run to potty.  I had some sport beans, and the caffeine in those really gave me a boost!  I really think the combination of a gel with protein and taking in more fuel during the run was KEY!

It wasn't until the last two miles of the run that I started to even feel tired.  And I was so angry, because I knew at that point, I wasn't even feeling tired physically.  It was all mental!  I started singing an old Rebecca St. James song- "You make the road rise up to meet me, You make the sun shine warm upon my face... God I lift You high, You are my Abba."  That helped, and before I knew it, 18 miles were done!  Another personal distance record for this girl is in the books.

Unfortunately, I once again messed up my garmin during the run, so my times are a little off.  I only show 17.25 miles, but Kala assured me I ran the full 18.

Long Run #9: 18 Miles
Average Pace: 9:35 (according to Kala)
Total Time: 2:56

Mile #1:   9:40
Mile #2:   9:20
Mile #3:   9:34
Mile #4:   9:12
Mile #5:   9:46
Mile #6: 10:04
Mile #7: 10:08
Mile #8: 10:04
Mile #9:   9:51
Mile #10: 9:33
Mile #11: 9:42
Mile #12: 9:20
Mile #13: 9:31
Mile #14: 9:39
Mile #15: 9:33
Mile #16: 9:44
Mile #17: 10:00

Marathon Training: Week 8

I know this is over a week late, but I am just getting around to posting.
I'll post week 9 later today.
Also, I promise this isn't turning into a running blog.
It's just all that's on my brain lately.

Monday: We met at our usual place and set off on a 6 mile progressive run.  1 mile warm-up, followed by a faster pace for each mile that follows.  Our last mile was right at 8 minutes.  It was hard, but not totally awful.  I can tell I'm getting stronger.

Wednesday: I woke up with an awful allergy headache, and just generally felt yucky.  I was in the bathroom getting dressed when I decided I just couldn't do it.  It was partially that I didn't feel great physically, but mentally I was wiped too.  So I texted the girls and went back to bed.

Saturday: The schedule called for 14 miles, but the Creek Classic 10K was that morning.  Carrie and I decided to meet early, run 6, then do the 10K.  This could also be called the time Carrie tried to kill me.  We woke up that morning to temps in the 30s with wind from the north at 30mph.  Just FYI, those are not ideal running conditions.

We drove out to deer creek and set off from the school parking lot.  The first 4 miles weren't too bad, just cold.  Then we turned and headed north... for 2 miles... straight UPHILL.  Seriously.  We turned around at the end and looked back to a complete incline.  It was literally the most awful 20 minutes of my life.  BUT... we did it.  And I know that runs like that are what make us stronger and better.

After our 6 miles, we went into the school and warmed up.  I changed my shirt into one that wasn't sweaty and ate my fuel.  I started feeling much better and was ready for the 10K.  I've only ran one other race that distance and that was several years ago.  I ended up with a 10K PR- 54:43.  I wanted so badly to come in under 54:00, but at mile 4 I had burned through all of my fuel and ended up bent over, praying I didn't pass out.  I still finished with great times, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for.

I messed up my garmin during the first half of the run, but I have the splits for the 10K.


Long Run #8: Creek Classic 10K, 6.2 Miles
Average Pace: 8:47
Total Time: 54:43:26

Mile #1:   9:02
Mile #2:   8:36
Mile #3:   8:26
Mile #4:   8:37
Mile #5:   8:49
Mile #6:   9:07

Marathon Training: Week 7

I feel like these are getting monotonous...
I ran.
It was cold.
I was tired.
I was sore.
The End.

Just kidding.  I am writing these for my own memories of this time of training.  It was a relatively normal week.  I've got to get back in my Tuesday evening BodyPump groove though.  It's been too long since I've been to a class.  I bet I've lost all the strength I had gained.

Back to running.  This was a step-down week after our first longer than half-marathon run.  It was a welcome break.

Monday- The schedule only called for 4 miles!  1 mile warm-up followed by 2 miles of fartleks and 1 mile cool down.  It was a welcome break from hour long weekday runs.  I also figured out how to set up a workout and import it to my garmin.  I'm sure that makes me a nerd, but it was nice not to have to look down every few seconds to see where we were in the sprints.

Wednesday- I definitely slept through my alarm.  I woke up at 5:37 to Carrie calling me.  We normally meet at 5:30, and I knew I had no chance of getting there in time.  I was so sad.  They told me that everyone gets one "sleep-in" so I have used mine up.  Ha!

Friday- Micah and I had a disciple now over the weekend and Carrie was going to be out of town, so we decided to do the long run on Friday morning.  It was SUPER cold when we woke up.  I bundled up and headed out to our meeting place.

We made a 6 mile loop back to the car, got our water and honey stingers.  As soon as we took off for our next 7 mile loop, I knew I should have eaten more stingers.

At mile 11, my stomach started to cramp SO BAD.  I knew it was just that I needed more calories.  I made it to mile 13 and the car and got some more stingers.  As we stood there drinking our water, Carrie said- "so, have you noticed that those are SNOW FLURRIES falling from the sky?"

We took off for our last 3 miles.  Those miles hurt really bad.  At one point, we were almost to 1.5 miles and we were coming on a hill.  I knew if I went down that hill, I'd never make it back up.  Carrie agreed and we turned around.  It required a little extra loop in the street, but we made it back to the car right at 16 miles.

Long Run #7: 16 Miles
Average Pace: 9:20
Total Time: 2:29:02

Mile #1:   9:40
Mile #2:   9:19
Mile #3:   9:22
Mile #4:   9:28
Mile #5:   9:16
Mile #6:   9:24
Mile #7:   9:32
Mile #8:   9:07
Mile #9:   9:22
Mile #10: 9:19
Mile #11: 9:14
Mile #12: 9:19
Mile #13: 8:54
Mile #14: 9:10
Mile #15: 9:20
Mile #16: 9:01

Funny random story- after I was finished, I ran into 7-11 to get some muscle milk (my favorite post long run recovery drink).  As I was checking out, the girl asked me "what is that big ol' thing on your wrist?"  I looked down and realized me she was talking about my garmin.  I tried explaining that to her, but she just couldn't get it.  I gave up after a minute and headed home.

I spent the weekend running all over the city and didn't really feel to bad.  It was a great start to an amazing weekend.

Marathon Training: Week 6

I know I skipped weeks 4 and 5... but basically- it snowed.  I did a few runs on the treadmill.  That's about it.  Nothing exciting to report.

Let's move on to week 6- a personal distance record!
That's right- I ran 15 miles today.
But let's back up to the week of training leading up to the long run.

Monday- You know you've been training in dang cold weather when you wake up, see 39 degrees is the temp and get excited about how warm it is!  We did 6 miles, a 1 mile warm-up, 4 miles of fartleks (speed intervals that are crazy hard!) and 1 mile cool down.  My goal was to run as hard as I possibly could for those 1/4 mile intervals.  I averaged in the 7's for them.  Crazy.

Wednesday- Carrie was back!  I hadn't got to run with her in a couple of weeks and had seriously missed my running buddy!  We had a 6 mile tempo run on the schedule.  The 3 miles we did in tempo were 8:20, 8:10 and 8:03.  It was a great run, and I left feeling stronger and more confident about the 15 miler on the schedule for this weekend.

Saturday- Today marked a new personal distance record for me!  I woke up to 60 degrees and 90% humidity.  After running in freezing temps, I was a sweaty mess by the end of the first few miles.  Carrie and I met early and did 5 miles before meeting up with the rest of the group for 10.  This was a hilly course, and a few times, I kind of wanted to cry.  But we pushed through and ended up with a great time.

Long Run #6: 15 Miles
Average Pace: 9:13
Total Time: 2:18:29

Mile #1:   9:50 (SUPER dark out)
Mile #2:   9:03
Mile #3:   9:25
Mile #4:   9:28
Mile #5:   9:18
Mile #6:   9:13
Mile #7:   9:12
Mile #8:   9:13
Mile #9:   9:24
Mile #10: 8:52
Mile #11: 8:57
Mile #12: 9:06
Mile #13: 9:05 (smashed half marathon PR)
Mile #14: 9:10
Mile #15: 8:53

Overall, it was an amazing week.  Our mileage continues to move on up and I'm going to be setting new distance records every week.  Hopefully we're through with snowstorms and negative degree temps.  Today, although it was humid, was great weather!  Now I need to go take a nap and recover...

a dream come true

Yesterday, one of my lifelong dreams came true.
I heard Sandi Patty live.
And not only that... I met her.
And got a hug.
AND a picture.
I can die happy now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

my heart

I love music.
It can make me happy, sad, excited or calm.
It can take me back to a memory.
It can take me straight to the Throne.

A couple of months ago,
I needed a healthy dose of Truth.
So I made a playlist of worship music-
songs that were full of Truth,
reminders my heart has clung to in recent weeks.

I wanted to share it here-
in case you are in need of a mini worship session.
Each of these songs speaks to my soul.

*Have Your Way- Britt Nicole
But you never said the road would be easy,
But you said that you would never leave.
And you never promised that this life wasn't hard,
But you promised you`d take care of me.

*My Brightness- Charlie Hall
Your presence always heals me
so I want to drink it in
You know where we're going God
You know where I've been.

*Your Love Never Fails- Jesus Culture
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

*Hanging On- Britt Nicole
And when the darkness falls
I can't see what's before me
Your voice is like the dawn
Always there to guide me

*You Are God- Andy Kirk
You are God and You’re unchangeable
You alone are faithful and true
We could search all of heaven and earth just to find
There is no other God, there’s no other God like You

*Our God- Chris Tomlin
And if our God is for us,
then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us,
then what can stand against?

*Hope Now- Addison Road
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

*I Have to Believe- Rita Springer
I have to believe that He sees my darkness
I have to believe that He knows my pain
I have to lift up my hands to worship
Worship His name

*Spoken For- Mercy Me
Now I have a peace
I've never known before
I find myself complete
My heart is spoken for

I hope these songs can bless you like they've blessed me.
What is your favorite worship song right now?

the day we met P-Dub (again)

Do you remember a little over a year ago when all my dreams came true and I got to meet the Pioneer Woman in REAL LIFE?  I do... it was life-changing, really!

Anyway, on Saturday she was in town AGAIN, doing a book tour for her latest book.  Of course as soon as I saw on her website that she'd be here again, I immediately rallied the troops and we made plans to be there.

It all started with lunch at Zorba's.  After filling our tummies with hummus, falafel and gyros, it was time.  We headed to full circle to wait for the book signing to start.

 We got our books and found a spot to stand in the crowd.  In the corner, we noticed a random microphone on a stand... this started us thinking that maybe she was going to do a question and answer session with the crowd.  Our heads started spinning for an awesome question we could ask...

A few minutes later, it was happening.  PW took the stage and started chatting away.

It was at this moment, brilliance struck.  We dared Lindsey to ask PW if Cowboy Josh was interested in a red-headed ballerina... She was the second person to be handed the mike.  She was shaking and nervous and we were all laughing hysterically.  The conversation ended with PW asking for Lindsey's number.  Success.

Then we sat down and waited.  And waited.  And waited. 

Finally, it was time.  We all go so excited and when we walked up to the table, the first thing she said was "I met you girls last time, didn't I?"  That's right, people- the pioneer woman REMEMBERED us.  Be still my heart.  After laughing and signing, and dropping Lindsey's business card off, we took our picture and we were done.

It was an amazing experience, one we will remember forever.  Thanks for being so awesome, Pioneer Woman!  We crazy Oklahoma girls love you!

*all photos from sara e!*

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Apparently I have moved to Colorado or Maine or something because it won't STOP snowing...  I mean, I'm all for a good old fashioned snow day.  But we've been snowed in since Monday night, and tomorrow it's supposed to be above freezing (38 degrees- woo!) for the first time in days.  But don't get too excited, because MORE SNOW is coming next week...

So what have we done for the past week of snow?  Tuesday we didn't leave the house because it was SO cold and snow was blowing like crazy outside.  Lesley and I made a craft.  I watched movies with Micah and John Mark... read a book... played a lot of words with friends...  We never ventured out the door once.

Wednesday was still ridiculous and cold, but at least the sun was shining.  JM had big plans to build a snow fort and he wanted all our friends to come over and play.  We called up Lindsey and the Stulce's, who braved the roads and drove over.  John Mark had a blast building an epic fort and having a snowball fight with the boys.

The girls lasted outside for a total of maybe 30 minutes, then went back inside.  We played rummy-cube, ate taco soup and laid around doing nothing.  Jason (who "lives for this!!") and Micah drove around to check things out and came back with coffee.  A couple games of settlers later and the guys went back outside.  Jason built an igloo for John Mark.  He was so excited!

After eating Hideaway and some more settlers, Jason and Mal headed home.  Lesley also found her way home and we watched a lot of Friday Night Lights.

Yesterday I went into the office for the day.  I'm not going to lie, it was nice to get out of the house for a while.  I'm not good at being stuck at home!

Today I went to lunch with a friend and then we actually went shopping.  I made some cute flower/bows for a friend's baby shower on Sunday and my niece Elliana.

Tomorrow I need to go to the gym and run as many as I can stand on the treadmill... then we get to go see the Pioneer Woman at a book signing.


What have you done on these snowy days?

a snow day craft

In case you haven't heard, it's snowmageddon outside today.
Last night, Lesley called and said she didn't want to be snowed in at home alone, so she came over.  We went out last night and did a little stocking up of our own at Hobby Lobby.  I mean, if we were going to be stuck inside for the next few days, we might as well have projects to keep us busy.

Here's project #1 of Snowmageddon 2011-
A valentine's day wreath.

This was a fun little project that didn't take long at all.
I started with a styrofoam heart from hobby lobby and some gray yarn.

I spent an hour or so wrapping the yarn around the heart.  This is a good, mindless project to do while watching a movie (or a Say Yes to the Dress marathon, thank you netflix) and chatting with a friend (Sissy Bird).

After you have your heard covered in yarn, start making some felt flowers.
I forgot to take any pics of this process, but it's quite simple.
Step #1- cut a circle.
Step #2- cut the circle into a spiral.
Step #3- roll the spiral until you have a flower.
Step #4- hot glue the end piece to the bottom.
And there you have it- beautiful felt flowers in four easy steps!

Grab some tulle or ribbon, tie a big bow and hang!

A fabulous, simple wreath made on a snowy day!

Marathon Training- Week 3

I'm so glad to be writing this wrap-up of week of training.
Mainly because it means this week is OVER.

Because of the events of this past week, my training was less than stellar- as was my eating, sleeping and everything else I've tried to be conscious of in recent weeks.  Pretty sure the two boxes of valentine heart cakes and large sonic coke zeros with vanilla I've consumed is NOT part of my marathon healthy eating plan.  And don't even get me started on my sleep patterns for the week.  Anyway, I did manage to get my 3 days of running in for the week.

Monday- I woke up to a weather forecast of 16 degrees, feels like 8.  I debated meeting the girls outside for our first day of speed work but then decided I was too much of a wimp for that.  I went to the gym and did my 3 miles of fartleks the treadmill...

Wednesday- Considering I spent all of Tuesday night crying my eyes out and knew what was coming (and wasn't going in the office that day) I really thought I was going to just run later in the day.  But Carrie talked me into going with them and getting it out of the way.  I'm glad I did, because I'm pretty sure that 5 mile tempo run wouldn't have happened otherwise.

Saturday- The training plan called for 12 miles.  Twelve miles... in week three, people.  It really made me question what I'm getting myself into. I met Carrie and we took off.  We had beautiful weather- sidenote: It officially makes me feel crazy that I wake up excited to see a temp of 38 degrees and think its going to be so warm!- and that made such a HUGE difference in the run.

I don't feel too bad for having run an almost half-marathon today.  My legs are a little tight and my back is sore... the worst thing- my TOE.  The middle toe on my right food it purple, swollen and HURTS.  After some advil and staying off it this evening, it's doing better than earlier today.  Hopefully it's just that my toenail is dying and will fall off (is that really the brightside?).

Long Run #3: 12 Miles
Average Pace: 9:07

Mile #1:   9:32
Mile #2:   9:25
Mile #3:   9:30
Mile #4:   9:12
Mile #5:   8:57
Mile #6:   9:02
Mile #7:   8:58
Mile #8:   8:50
Mile #9:   9:05
Mile #10: 9:03
Mile #11: 8:48
Mile #12: 8:50

Check out those totally awesome negative splits... and, I just have to brag, the only times we rested were when we stopped for water.  No walking breaks!  Could it be that we're ACTUALLY getting stronger?

what a week

"Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you."
--Psalm 25:4-5

This definitely goes down as one of the longest weeks of my life.  Last night we announced our resignation from the middle school ministry at HHBC.  God is doing something new in our lives... that much is evident.  What exactly, well, we're not so sure.

The Lord is good and does what is right...
He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
--Psalm 25:8-9

I'm learning a lot.  About faith... about the goodness of my God... about listening and being still.  I don't know where we're going, where this path may lead.  But I know two things to be of utmost truth- my God is GOOD and what he does is good, and my husband is the most amazing man I've ever met.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, 
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
--Lamentations 3:21-24

I'm excited to see where this journey takes us.  It will be an adventure, and there's no one else I'd rather have by my side on this adventure of life than the man I love.  If you think about it, say a little prayer for us... for peace, wisdom and clarity.  We'll take all the prayers we can get!

"the goal is not to frantically hang on to the end of our rope, but to let go. When self is done, Jesus is more than enough." --Louie Giglio