Marathon Madness

So, I did it. I ran 26.2 miles. I didn't exactly get the time I wanted, but considering the conditions I'm learning to be content with the results. I heard the White Rock Marathon had a reputation for brutally cold weather, but this year brought ridiculously warm weather and 30-40 mph winds. And let me tell you, after 15 miles of running, 30 mph might as well be 100 mph.

I am definitely an ipod runner, without question. Never did I ever go on a run without it. I know some of you expert runners out there get pretty bent out of shape over this topic, but I have never and will never claim to be mentally tough enough to run those kinds of distances without serious distractions. That just seems painful to me. My ipod is my best friend. BUT, I must admit, I think I only listened to it maybe an hour or so on the entire run. You're trying so hard to keep track of your mile pace, when you last took in calories, how you're doing hydration wise, and, honestly, simply trying to convince your body to keep going that I could hardly enjoy even one glorious note.

One song that I did listen to over and over was Robbie Seay's Song of Hope. Here's the chorus:

"I will sing a song of hope
Sing along
God of heaven come down
Heaven come down
Just to know that You are near is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down"

You have no idea how much I was screaming out in my head, "Lord, that Heaven would come down right now!" By mile 20 my body was definitely screaming, "Why in the world aren't you stopping!!" I'm forever grateful for my two friends that came along side of me the last few 6 miles to finish. Adrianne, a good family friend, and one of my high school bible study girls, Kathryn, came in the last 6 miles or so to help get me to that finish line. I definitely recommend this to anyone about to run a marathon. It is such a HUGE blessing! Thanks girls!!!

And now for some more thank you's... Billy, how much I miss you!! You were the reason this whole thing started. You equipped me with everything I would need to accomplish the race. Thanks for the prayers, support, and encouragement...you're the best!! Thanks to Chris who gave me all my nutritional information. And for kicking my butt when I wasn't eating what I was suppose to. Thanks to Kim, Mike, and Alex for cheering me on. It was so nice having familiar faces along the way. And a great, big, giant thank you to my mom and Joe. Knowing I would be unable to walk after, they drove me there bright and early. They met me every 6 miles or so with goos and other much needed goodies. And most importantly, were waiting at the finish line screaming my name. And thanks to all of you who encouraged and prayed along the way. It was great having so much wonderful support!!

People kept telling me before the race marathons are addicting, but I'm pretty sure no addiction was started. BUT who knows...you might see me signing up for marathon #2 here pretty soon...

My Favorites

Here's a few of my favorite things this time of year. I must admit I've found it a bit hard getting into the "Christmas spirit" when we're still having 70 degree days, but I am in Texas, what else should I expect?

On to my favorites...First and foremost I want to make sure and state the amazing gift given to each of us that makes this time of year so incredibly personal and special: The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. How incredibly undeserving and hard to comprehend the magnitude of this gift...

Now, the following are other things that make this time of year oh so special and fun!

1. The smell of Christmas trees
2. Listening to Christmas music...all the time
3. Stockings hanging from the mantle
4. Making Christmas cookies
5. Christmas movies, especially Burl Ives Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

My top favorite Christmas songs:

1. Kelly Clarkson- Oh Holy Night (my all time favorite! especially sung acappella)
2. Amy Grant- Breath of Heaven
3. Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You
4. Joy Williams- Here With Us
5. Andrea Bocelli&Celine Dion- The Prayer

New additions to this year's Christmas song list:

1. Harry Connick Jr- It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas
2. Lenka- All My Bells Are Ringing
3. Zach Gill- Silent Night
4. KT Tunstall- Sleigh Ride
5. Zee Avi- No Christmas For Me


I'll leave you with one of the best Christmas movie scenes ever...

I Am Second

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Go to it. It's pretty cool.

Thanksgiving Derby

Love the tradition of homerun derby in my family. Thanksgiving day we load up the bats, balls, and gloves and head out to the fields. This year we had 2 people join us that don't always participate. My mom and my brother's girlfriend, Kari. (Kari was kinda out their proving herself and passing a very big test to entering our family) The girls get to dominate the little league field (a 200 respectable feet) and the boys take on the "big boy" field (285 ft). We have a strict scoring system with just a few rules. You get 10 outs with your choice of pitches (meaning good pitches don't count against you). We decided to add a new category for the girls to our scoring this year. This year you got 6 points if you were able to hit it out of the field and into the adjacent field.

Now, we each have gained our own reputation in the game. My step dad, Joe, is the one who throws pitches to us and usually has a respectable showing in his at bat.

Cam has really moved up in the last few years. It seems like only yesterday he was competing with me on the little league fields...

Mom doesn't always participate, but she's usually always there for "support" and "encouragement." And don't let Mom fool you...she's got quite a swing!

Matt kinda has a hard time...mainly because he's just too much of a golfer. He just can't break that golf swing!

Kari was new to us this year. She has a long background in softball, so we were eager to see what she could do. She definitely proved herself a good leadoff hitter. She had a solid showing that was sure to give the guys a run for their money. We're glad you came Kari!

Now, Caleb and I kinda have similar philosophies when it comes to this game...we swing for the fences...everytime. We don't mess around with the measly one and two pointers, we go straight for the five pointers. Caleb definitely has some power, and can knock them out. He was second to last, and up until then I had the prize for hit of the day...he came in and kinda took that away from me. He was a worthy opponent, and a great hit. BUT, I will say that I did get the 6 pointer and hit one into the adjacent field...we guesstimated it about 250 ft out. Very proud of that one!



HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Ca-Nada

I had an amazing time in the Great White North. My number of Canadian friends continues to grow and grow, so I figured I'd make my way up to visit. Honestly, I was really just getting tired of hearing them tell me how much better Canada is than the US. I will admit it is quite gorgeous up there. Now, I only saw the western coast, but it was amazing.

I have two good, good friends, Michael and Jacqueline, I met overseas in Prague that are from Vancouver Island. For the last two years they have been a great source of encouragement, support, and tons of fun and laughter. No matter distance or time, they have remained close and a great blessing. I am incredibly blessed to have them in my life, and was just waiting for the opportunity to go up and see where they are from and meet their friends and family.

It was fun-filled days of seeing the beautiful sites, playing endless games of dominoes, listening to tons of great music, and lots and lots of laughs and memories. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Michael and Jacqueline- THANK YOU so much for opening up your home (and stepping out on a limb) and introducing me to your families and friends. I had SOOOO much fun, and look forward to having y'all in the great(big) state of Texas!! Really, you both were more than generous! Love y'all tons!!

A Carrot and A Horse

Here's a short excerpt from The Prodigal God. DEFINITELY recommend it. Tim Keller does a really great job of bringing you back to the simplicity of the Gospel. The parable known as the prodigal son is one most of us are familiar with, but in this last year God has been using it to challenge and open my eyes in such big ways. I never realized how much I missed from this one parable. There's just so much more to it than a story of one lost younger brother searching and squandering away all he owns.

I'll stop there. Again, definitely recommend The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. Good stuff.


"Once upon a time there was a gardener who grew an enormous carrot. So he took it to his king and said, "My Lord, this is the greatest carrot I've ever grown or ever will grow. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you." The king was touched and discerned the man's heart, so as he turned to go the king said, "Wait! You are clearly a good steward of the earth. I own a plot of land right next to yours. I want to give it to you freely as a gift so you can garden it all."...But there was a nobleman at the king's court who overheard all this. And he said, "My! If that is what you get for a carrot what if you gave the king something better?" So the next day the nobleman came before the king and he was leading a handsome black stallion. He bowed low and said, "My lord, I breed horses and this is the greatest horse I've ever bread or ever will. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you." But the king discerned his heart and said thank you, and took the horse and merely dismissed him. The nobleman was perplexed. So the king said, "Let me explain. The gardener was giving me the carrot, but you were giving yourself the horse."

Inspirations and Robbers

So, I got this post idea from a friend's blog, who got it from Matt Chandler's blog. (Just wanted to make sure and give credit where credit is due.) This particular topic hit me pretty hard because I have been convicted like crazy for the amount of time I put towards meaningless things. I have been less than dazzled by things in life as of late, mainly because I'm not putting forth the energy to be apart of anything that SHOULD truly inspire.

So, I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and make two lists. One listing the top 5 things that rob me of my zest and joy in Christ, and the other listing those things that inspire and drive my affections for Him.

Robbers:

1. Too much time online; facebook, blogs, etc.
2. T.V.
3. My need for "downtime" (this is an easy one to hide behind)
4. Staying up late for no reason
5. Shopping

Inspirations:

1. Reading/Journaling
2. Growing deep in relationships
3. Music: Good, simple,(especially) acoustic sounds with meaningful words
4. Being outdoors
5. Traveling
6. Podcasts (especially Driscoll and Piper)
(I know I said 5, but couldn't cut one out!)

Not sure what this does for you, but either way I hope you take a few minutes to think about what fills your life right now. Are they things that inspire and fill you with a joy for Him? Or do you find life lacking quite a bit at the moment, and wonder why life seems so black and white and without color?

Finally!!

Sorry guys! For those two or three that might actually still stop by, I have finally updated my blog! Getting the motivation to actually put anything up has been ridiculous. You know when it just seems like a "have to" instead of a "want to?" Well, either way, here's some posts that have been waiting to be finished for quite a while. Hope you're doing well!!

Krochet Kids

Below is a link to a super cool organization. It was started by young, fresh guys who love Jesus. I worked with one of the founders brothers in Colorado, and was able to hear and see a bit of what they do. There are many ways to partner with Krochet Kids. You can simply pray, share, donate financially, or even purchase one of their sweet hats. Here's a brief description of what they do...

"The program is focused on skills training for reliable income, empowering education, and personal care. Those chosen for the program are trained in the skill of crochet and then provided with materials to make quality crocheted products for a good salary.

The program is designed to provide a reliable salary and to empower the participants toward future independent entrepreneurship. In order to do this, there are financial education programs in place that teach skills in personal budgeting, financial saving, and small business management. Through this, each beneficiary will learn how to manage their income effectively both now and in the future. They will learn how they can invest to make a livelihood and provide for their families on their own."
www.krochetkids.org

I know there are TONS of organizations out there to be apart of. You can get a bit overwhelmed, and forget to actually be apart. But please be apart of what God is doing all over the world. You will not regret doing it. You don't have to choose this particular organization, but please be apart of something, helping someone. I just wanted to share a way you can impact lives.

www.krochetkids.org

The election

I have (mostly) stayed away from talking politics. I'm just not one who really gets caught up in political things that much. Now, I know some of you have strong opinions about our need to be incredibly active in government, and I respect that. On the other hand, I know there are some of you out there who are right with me, or even farther down the line in caring about politics. Whatever your stance, I thought I would share the following link to a blog from Piper on voting. Here's a little excerpt from the blog:

"Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That’s because “the present form of this world is passing away” and, in God’s eyes, “the time has grown very short.” Here’s the way Paul puts it:

"The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

Let’s take these one at a time and compare them to voting..."

"So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting."

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2008/3347/