I can't believe it's already February...time is really flying by so, so fast!
I started classes a few weeks ago and they're going well. I only have class on Mondays and Tuesdays, but those are LONG days! I work Mondays and Wednesdays, which means I have Thursday and Friday off completely. That has been so nice - I'll take a busy first half of the week any day if it means I get a four day weekend! I can't express in words how ready I am to be done with school though. It's gotten old and I'm bored with learning the same thing over and over again in my education classes. I'm sure if I wanted to I could get something else out of them, but I've gotten to the point where I want to take my certification tests and just be done. No more tests, no more hour long drives, no more humongous reading assignments, no more stupid projects, no more laminating! Okay...well, I guess being a teacher I'll be doing lots of laminating...but no more PAYING to laminate Dolch Word Cards that are geared towards Kinder-3rd graders (I'm certifying to teach 4th - 8th graders...makes a LOT of sense, right?) Basically, I'm just done. Thank the Lord I only have this semester left of classes and then I get to be in the classroom all the time student teaching.
My mentor teacher this year is something else...I won't go into it fully, but let's just say that this is going to be a huge lesson in what NOT to do with your kids. It's also giving me a chance to show some military kids what a teacher should act like...teachers should definitely love their kids (why else would you do it??) and that's what I'm trying so, so hard to show these poor little fourth graders in the two hours that I'm there every week. :(
On a happy note, Greg and I joined a gym last week! It's not a huge gym, which means that there isn't a huge price tag on it (yay!) and it's really helping us in our goals. We've been doing awesome on working out, not eating out, and cooking really healthy meals at home. I joined a free website to help me track what I'm eating and how much I'm exercising and that has been so motivating to see all that in black and white. I feel so much better now that I'm really only putting healthy food into my body...I'm back to running, though it's only about 2 1/2 miles four times a week...at least it's something! It's the one part of working out that I really look forward to, and I'm taking full advantage of that!
Other than that, there's not a whole lot more that's new around here. Sammy is finally starting to understand how to tell us when she needs to go outside (thank the Lord!!) and she and Riley are really starting to love each other. They were even sleeping in the same bed the other night when we were getting ready to go to bed! :) I'm so glad to have both of them, although you couldn't imagine two dogs with two different personalities than the two of them. Sammy is a lot calmer than Riley, but way more skittish. Unfortunately, as I found out last week, this really applies to new people who get in her face. We are really going to have to work on that while she's still young.
I hope 2008 is treating you all well. I miss you guys and love you :)
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Friday, February 1, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
I miss it...
...running, that is. I was reading back through old blogs tonight and I got really, really sad that I'm not training for the marathon anymore. I know I had to make a choice, and I'm 100% positive that I made the right choice by choosing photography over running. But it doesn't make me any less sad that I've essentially backed out on one of my huge goals in life. I will run a marathon someday...it just won't be this year.
I'm sad that I gave up when I'd come SO far. I went from running 3-4 miles at a time to running 11-13. 13 miles...that is SO far. And now I'd be lucky if I could run 5 miles.
I miss the feel of it...and more than all, I miss the feel after it ;) The feel during it is not reliable. Sometimes it's great and other times it's awful. But the feeling after a long run is always exhilarating. It always provides a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of pride.
I miss the unforgiving black asphalt, the cool of the morning, the sound of feet pounding on the pavement. I miss the sweat, the rush, the gatorade, the iPod. I miss the empty downtown streets. I miss the sporadic conversation with other runners. I miss watching the street lights turn from green to yellow to red (and I miss running through those red lights). I miss Will's encouraging words before a long run and I even miss getting lost in downtown Austin (kind of!) I miss the commitment that I felt to all those other people in the group. I even miss my alarm going off at 5:00 in the morning on Saturdays (kind of)...because that meant that my run would be completely finished by the time most people got out of bed.
I think what I miss most is the calming, relaxing effect that running has on me. It's cheap therapy. It's time alone with God where no one can interrupt me. It is my quiet place and my sanctuary.
I miss it. A lot.
I'm sad that I gave up when I'd come SO far. I went from running 3-4 miles at a time to running 11-13. 13 miles...that is SO far. And now I'd be lucky if I could run 5 miles.
I miss the feel of it...and more than all, I miss the feel after it ;) The feel during it is not reliable. Sometimes it's great and other times it's awful. But the feeling after a long run is always exhilarating. It always provides a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of pride.
I miss the unforgiving black asphalt, the cool of the morning, the sound of feet pounding on the pavement. I miss the sweat, the rush, the gatorade, the iPod. I miss the empty downtown streets. I miss the sporadic conversation with other runners. I miss watching the street lights turn from green to yellow to red (and I miss running through those red lights). I miss Will's encouraging words before a long run and I even miss getting lost in downtown Austin (kind of!) I miss the commitment that I felt to all those other people in the group. I even miss my alarm going off at 5:00 in the morning on Saturdays (kind of)...because that meant that my run would be completely finished by the time most people got out of bed.
I think what I miss most is the calming, relaxing effect that running has on me. It's cheap therapy. It's time alone with God where no one can interrupt me. It is my quiet place and my sanctuary.
I miss it. A lot.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Baby It's Cold Outside
So, I'm back with more details about my weekend! Friday night was fun. Uneventful, but fun. Greg and I watched Friday Night Lights (yet another t.v. show that I'm obsessed with. Although it's nowhere near as exciting as Lost or as drama-filled as Grey's Anatomy, it's still so good). And then we talked. And then we went to bed...How exciting, right?
Saturday Riley decided she needed to wake me up nice and early. Like 7:30am. Which is crappy no matter which way you look at it. I skipped running (more on that later...it's a long, long story that I don't even know how it will end), so I attempted to sleep in 'til 8. Then I got up and planned out a long grocery list and meals for our week. I'm so, so excited about yummy, warm dinners in this COLD fall weather! (Seriously...it's cold here! It's overcast, rainy, windy, and 52° outside!) Anyways...Greg and I went to the grocery store and hurried back home so I could speed to downtown Austin and end up at the wedding site 20 minutes early...(this is the point where Greg would make fun of me for hating to be late, but we'll skip that part).
I was nervous for the wedding but strangely excited too! Allen got there at 4 (the time I was supposed to be there) and then set to work familiarizing me with the new camera and then we started shooting. I've never had 8 hours of "work" pass so quickly - I really, really enjoyed the wedding. At first, it was hard for me to be super creative because I was kind of nervous...but I think I started to get better towards the end of the night. Or at least I hope I did ;) Allen gave me a new lens to practice with and hopefully I'll really start improving. I'm very excited.
Now...about that running stuff. I'm pretty sure it's going to be impossible for me to do everything I want to do right now. Or actually, not just what I want, but also what I need to do. See, I have classes, work, a husband, a dog, a house (that really needs to be cleaned), dinners to be made, homework to be done, weddings on Saturdays, church on Sundays, and running 25+ miles a week...and hopefully some relaxation time in there too. So as of right now, marathon training is on hold. It's not physically possible for me to get up at 5 am, run 10-15 miles, and then work a wedding for 8-10 hours. I was exhausted, worn-out, and sore on Saturday - I can't imagine what that would've been like if I'd run 12 miles that morning too. I still want to run a marathon (I think)...but it may not happen this year. It may not happen ever...I'm still trying to figure all that out. I'm NOT giving up running though - you should still expect to hear more stores like "Dear Car-Honker" and lots more complaining...I'm just not going to be marathon-training anymore...or at least not for the next 5 weeks. I'll re-evaluate at that point in time.
I hope you're all having a great FALL day! It's freezing outside, but it feels so good. It makes me want to go get hot chocolate with marshmallows and sit in front of a warm fire. Or get cozy under lots of blankets with some good movies and then sip apple cider and eat soup. Did I mention how much I like fall yet?
P.S: Dustin, I promise I'm reading your blog. I just have been a bad commenter lately. So write on. :)
Saturday Riley decided she needed to wake me up nice and early. Like 7:30am. Which is crappy no matter which way you look at it. I skipped running (more on that later...it's a long, long story that I don't even know how it will end), so I attempted to sleep in 'til 8. Then I got up and planned out a long grocery list and meals for our week. I'm so, so excited about yummy, warm dinners in this COLD fall weather! (Seriously...it's cold here! It's overcast, rainy, windy, and 52° outside!) Anyways...Greg and I went to the grocery store and hurried back home so I could speed to downtown Austin and end up at the wedding site 20 minutes early...(this is the point where Greg would make fun of me for hating to be late, but we'll skip that part).
I was nervous for the wedding but strangely excited too! Allen got there at 4 (the time I was supposed to be there) and then set to work familiarizing me with the new camera and then we started shooting. I've never had 8 hours of "work" pass so quickly - I really, really enjoyed the wedding. At first, it was hard for me to be super creative because I was kind of nervous...but I think I started to get better towards the end of the night. Or at least I hope I did ;) Allen gave me a new lens to practice with and hopefully I'll really start improving. I'm very excited.
Now...about that running stuff. I'm pretty sure it's going to be impossible for me to do everything I want to do right now. Or actually, not just what I want, but also what I need to do. See, I have classes, work, a husband, a dog, a house (that really needs to be cleaned), dinners to be made, homework to be done, weddings on Saturdays, church on Sundays, and running 25+ miles a week...and hopefully some relaxation time in there too. So as of right now, marathon training is on hold. It's not physically possible for me to get up at 5 am, run 10-15 miles, and then work a wedding for 8-10 hours. I was exhausted, worn-out, and sore on Saturday - I can't imagine what that would've been like if I'd run 12 miles that morning too. I still want to run a marathon (I think)...but it may not happen this year. It may not happen ever...I'm still trying to figure all that out. I'm NOT giving up running though - you should still expect to hear more stores like "Dear Car-Honker" and lots more complaining...I'm just not going to be marathon-training anymore...or at least not for the next 5 weeks. I'll re-evaluate at that point in time.
I hope you're all having a great FALL day! It's freezing outside, but it feels so good. It makes me want to go get hot chocolate with marshmallows and sit in front of a warm fire. Or get cozy under lots of blankets with some good movies and then sip apple cider and eat soup. Did I mention how much I like fall yet?
P.S: Dustin, I promise I'm reading your blog. I just have been a bad commenter lately. So write on. :)
Monday, October 15, 2007
What's wrong with me?
I can't really figure out what's wrong with me. I've been in such a funk lately about running. I haven't run for over a week (which is going to KILL me when it comes time to run 12 miles on Saturday...I can feel it). I just can't seem to get myself motivated to actually go out there and run. It's always been something I've enjoyed doing, and I'm sure once I got out there running I'd be fine. But it's the actually getting my butt out the door part that I've been having trouble with lately.
I really want to get in 3 runs this week so that I'm not absolutely dying on Saturday. I can't tomorrow because I work all day and then we have COM group. Wednesday I WILL run in the morning, Thursday I WILL run after work, and Friday I WILL run after class.
Please hold me accountable.
On another note...please say a prayer for this family tonight. I've been following their saga (it starts about three pages back) for a few weeks and I just feel awful for them. I know that since I don't know them personally, I can't say that they're definitely innocent, but I feel in my heart that they are (and I can't imagine anyone taking the time out to write about such a hard topic if they were guilty). So just keep them in your prayers tonight.
I will run. I will run. I will run. I will run.
I really want to get in 3 runs this week so that I'm not absolutely dying on Saturday. I can't tomorrow because I work all day and then we have COM group. Wednesday I WILL run in the morning, Thursday I WILL run after work, and Friday I WILL run after class.
Please hold me accountable.
On another note...please say a prayer for this family tonight. I've been following their saga (it starts about three pages back) for a few weeks and I just feel awful for them. I know that since I don't know them personally, I can't say that they're definitely innocent, but I feel in my heart that they are (and I can't imagine anyone taking the time out to write about such a hard topic if they were guilty). So just keep them in your prayers tonight.
I will run. I will run. I will run. I will run.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
House Hunters
Happy Saturday!
Greg and I looked at homes today...actual homes with real furniture, painted walls, more than one bedroom, bathroom, lots of counter space, a garage and a yard. I'm hooked. I've never been one to enjoy the whole apartment thing...I mean, we pay every month and what do we get? Well...yes, we do get a roof over our heads and everything, but we don't own anything. We have to deal with workers coming into our apartment whenever they want (which in reality isn't all that often...but still!) We have to deal with noisy neighbors and taking Riley down the stairs every time she needs to pee (which seems like it's every 10 minutes). I'm so ready to be in a house.
Granted it will probably be August before we're in one...but it just seems so much more real when you go look and can imagine yourself in one. We'll probably go to Leander or Cedar Park because the houses are significantly cheaper for the space than they are in Round Rock or Austin. I am in love with the Plantation homes. They're a bit more expensive than D.R. Horton...but so, so nice! This one is my favorite in pictures - they didn't have a model of it, but it seems like a nice fit!
I haven't run all week...That's not going to be fun tomorrow when I have to make up a 5 mile run that I intentionally missed this week. I just really haven't had any desire to go run at all. Like it's been the farthest thing from something I've wanted to do all week long...and that's really strange for me. I think part of it is because I was sore until Wednesday from my ten mile run (and my toenails STILL hurt if you push on them hard!)...I got fitted for new tennis shoes today and they have lots of room in the toes...So hopefully that means no more bruised toenails ;) I'm going to work really hard on getting my runs in this week. 13 miles on Saturday AND then a wedding from 3-11...yikes.
Pictures from Yesterday:
My pretty new car
The only hint of fall Texas will see this year
It's been a long, very fun, "last" Saturday for me :) And now it's time for bed!
Greg and I looked at homes today...actual homes with real furniture, painted walls, more than one bedroom, bathroom, lots of counter space, a garage and a yard. I'm hooked. I've never been one to enjoy the whole apartment thing...I mean, we pay every month and what do we get? Well...yes, we do get a roof over our heads and everything, but we don't own anything. We have to deal with workers coming into our apartment whenever they want (which in reality isn't all that often...but still!) We have to deal with noisy neighbors and taking Riley down the stairs every time she needs to pee (which seems like it's every 10 minutes). I'm so ready to be in a house.
Granted it will probably be August before we're in one...but it just seems so much more real when you go look and can imagine yourself in one. We'll probably go to Leander or Cedar Park because the houses are significantly cheaper for the space than they are in Round Rock or Austin. I am in love with the Plantation homes. They're a bit more expensive than D.R. Horton...but so, so nice! This one is my favorite in pictures - they didn't have a model of it, but it seems like a nice fit!
I haven't run all week...That's not going to be fun tomorrow when I have to make up a 5 mile run that I intentionally missed this week. I just really haven't had any desire to go run at all. Like it's been the farthest thing from something I've wanted to do all week long...and that's really strange for me. I think part of it is because I was sore until Wednesday from my ten mile run (and my toenails STILL hurt if you push on them hard!)...I got fitted for new tennis shoes today and they have lots of room in the toes...So hopefully that means no more bruised toenails ;) I'm going to work really hard on getting my runs in this week. 13 miles on Saturday AND then a wedding from 3-11...yikes.
Pictures from Yesterday:
My pretty new car
The only hint of fall Texas will see this year
It's been a long, very fun, "last" Saturday for me :) And now it's time for bed!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Ten
I don't think I've gushed enough lately on how much I love my church. We had this thing tonight called "Dinner for Ten" where ten people gathered at our pastor's home and hung out, talked, and ate good food. I can't even begin to describe how connected I feel and how many prayers of mine are being answered by God. I have longed for community for the past year or so and I just have felt like it's no where to be found. I prayed and prayed and prayed that God would lead me to a group of friends that were like me (and liked me!)...and I had resigned myself to thinking that God's answer to that prayer was "later" and that I needed to draw closer to him and lean on him to fulfill my needs...and then something drastic happened, we switched churches, and I'm experiencing an abundance of blessing from the Lord. It is amazing and I am so thankful for each and every second of it! I had started thinking that Greg and I were the only young married couple out there...and come to find out, we're not! Not only are we not the only young married couple, there are four others in our COM group and we met two others tonight! God is SO good!
I ran ten miles on Saturday...TEN! 10! DIEZ! I'm still finding it hard to fathom that my body can run 10 stinkin' miles...that's like my apartment to my parents house...and that's just crazy! I'm not gonna lie, I spent the better portion of Saturday sacked out in bed and complaining because my toenails hurt (yes...I'm serious. My toenails hurt SO bad), but I did it - I ran/walked for 2 hours and 40 minutes. And if we're gonna get technical about it, it was actually 10.69 miles - not just 10. I've now reached a new place in my running where I'm discovering new things. Like my size 8 running shoes really needed to be a size 8 1/2, and even though I just bought them in August, they are getting replaced this weekend so my toenails don't get smashed in the bottom of them. Or that seams on sleeveless shirts can be the most painful things in the world and cause gaping sores on the insides of your arms from chafing. Or that Gu is super nasty and sport beans don't really work. Or that Accelerade may give you more energy, but it tastes like dirt. Or that my Galloway group is amazing. Or that God can give you strength to run 5 more miles when you fall in a hole and roll your ankle on mile 5. Lessons learned are great :)
Ten days until my first wedding with Allen! I'm so excited, so nervous...I feel like it's almost too good to be true. I was talking to my mom on the phone this afternoon about how I feel like I'm just waiting for something to go wrong with that whole thing. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because something has gone "wrong" in every single job I've ever had and I've come to realize that people don't really keep good on their promises. But I feel like God is stretching me to trust and to enjoy hard work. I trust Allen completely and I trust that he is going to teach me more than I can imagine. I trust that God has plans that are SO much bigger than me...and that he's given me talents that I can use in spiritual ways. A few weekends ago a passion that I didn't even know I had hit me in the middle of church...whenever I get good at photography, I want to find a way to help people with it. Before you say that sounds silly, it's not. I want to use my gift to go to NICU and take pictures of premies who may or may not live. I want to go to the children's cancer center and give the gift of memories in print to parents who may lose their children. I want to give people the gift of amazing pictures who otherwise can't afford it. And I'm not sure where this desire is coming from (well, I'm pretty sure it's from God) because I've never had this thought before. And it makes me get so excited thinking about it :)
Tenth of the month...we've been married for seven whole months! Seven glorious, challenging, beautiful, surprising, exciting, take-my-breath-away months. And I couldn't be happier with my husband :) It's still sometimes weird to think that we're actually married. I know it's been 7 months and 200-odd days of it, but it seems like we were engaged for SO long and all I wanted to do was be married that it still sometimes seems surreal and dreamlike. I remember after we checked out of our hotel the day after the wedding and were on our way to Galveston that everything seemed like this huge dream. I was still operating on about four hours of sleep in 72 hours, so everything was kind of fuzzy around the edges...but it literally took weeks for the reality of everything to hit me. We got rushed into this whirlwind cruise where it seemed like we were playing house (or maybe that's what the anti-dizziness drugs did to me! ;)) And sometimes I wake up and feel like we're still just playing house...and then I get to smile and realize "hey...I have a husband!" and it's exciting :)
I pray that God will be big in your life, that he will answer prayers and give you passions that you didn't even know you had. I am praying for you today!!
Faithfully His,
I ran ten miles on Saturday...TEN! 10! DIEZ! I'm still finding it hard to fathom that my body can run 10 stinkin' miles...that's like my apartment to my parents house...and that's just crazy! I'm not gonna lie, I spent the better portion of Saturday sacked out in bed and complaining because my toenails hurt (yes...I'm serious. My toenails hurt SO bad), but I did it - I ran/walked for 2 hours and 40 minutes. And if we're gonna get technical about it, it was actually 10.69 miles - not just 10. I've now reached a new place in my running where I'm discovering new things. Like my size 8 running shoes really needed to be a size 8 1/2, and even though I just bought them in August, they are getting replaced this weekend so my toenails don't get smashed in the bottom of them. Or that seams on sleeveless shirts can be the most painful things in the world and cause gaping sores on the insides of your arms from chafing. Or that Gu is super nasty and sport beans don't really work. Or that Accelerade may give you more energy, but it tastes like dirt. Or that my Galloway group is amazing. Or that God can give you strength to run 5 more miles when you fall in a hole and roll your ankle on mile 5. Lessons learned are great :)
Ten days until my first wedding with Allen! I'm so excited, so nervous...I feel like it's almost too good to be true. I was talking to my mom on the phone this afternoon about how I feel like I'm just waiting for something to go wrong with that whole thing. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because something has gone "wrong" in every single job I've ever had and I've come to realize that people don't really keep good on their promises. But I feel like God is stretching me to trust and to enjoy hard work. I trust Allen completely and I trust that he is going to teach me more than I can imagine. I trust that God has plans that are SO much bigger than me...and that he's given me talents that I can use in spiritual ways. A few weekends ago a passion that I didn't even know I had hit me in the middle of church...whenever I get good at photography, I want to find a way to help people with it. Before you say that sounds silly, it's not. I want to use my gift to go to NICU and take pictures of premies who may or may not live. I want to go to the children's cancer center and give the gift of memories in print to parents who may lose their children. I want to give people the gift of amazing pictures who otherwise can't afford it. And I'm not sure where this desire is coming from (well, I'm pretty sure it's from God) because I've never had this thought before. And it makes me get so excited thinking about it :)
Tenth of the month...we've been married for seven whole months! Seven glorious, challenging, beautiful, surprising, exciting, take-my-breath-away months. And I couldn't be happier with my husband :) It's still sometimes weird to think that we're actually married. I know it's been 7 months and 200-odd days of it, but it seems like we were engaged for SO long and all I wanted to do was be married that it still sometimes seems surreal and dreamlike. I remember after we checked out of our hotel the day after the wedding and were on our way to Galveston that everything seemed like this huge dream. I was still operating on about four hours of sleep in 72 hours, so everything was kind of fuzzy around the edges...but it literally took weeks for the reality of everything to hit me. We got rushed into this whirlwind cruise where it seemed like we were playing house (or maybe that's what the anti-dizziness drugs did to me! ;)) And sometimes I wake up and feel like we're still just playing house...and then I get to smile and realize "hey...I have a husband!" and it's exciting :)
I pray that God will be big in your life, that he will answer prayers and give you passions that you didn't even know you had. I am praying for you today!!
Faithfully His,
Friday, October 5, 2007
Baby Rabies
I have my longest run to date tomorrow...10 miles! I'm excited, but nervous for some reason. I guess part of it is that my group leader is running the Chicago marathon and she is so motivating...it will be weird to run without her! I've got my water, gatorade, and "sport beans" all ready to go. We're required to have some form of nutrition on this run...I was going to use Gu, but I tried some of my dad's and I thought I was going to throw up. It's so thick and...well...gooey (hence the name, right?). It's definitely not for me. We'll see how these jelly beans with electrolytes in them actually work on a long run.
I had a bad dream last night...well, it was actually a really really good dream. But bad that I was dreaming it. I dreamed that I had a daughter, like a two day old infant. And it was such a wonderful feeling! Greg wanted to name her SaraLee (like the bread!) but I kept telling him no - we'd already decided on girls names for the baby and we were going to name her Charlotte. But he wouldn't listen and was ready to put SaraLee Johnson on the birth certificate ;) It made me laugh when I woke up! But now, this darn dream has unleashed this feeling inside of me that says, "You're married now! Time to have babies!" And my logical side is going, "Uh. No it's not. You're only 22. The 'ten year plan' says you have to be 26 before it's time to have babies." Why do babies have to be so soft and cuddly? And they smell so good! (well, most of the time anyways). I have baby rabies.
I made bread today!! Like, old fashioned, kneading the dough, yummy, delicious bread! I think I ate half of it...lots of carbs...I need fuel for my run tomorrow though, right? I think I'm going to buy a lot of yeast and just start baking all my own bread. It's fun...and the smell of bread baking in the oven is sinful. And delightful. And it makes me happy.
I took a really cute picture of Riley a couple nights ago. I'm very proud of how my photography skills are coming along! I'm going to go to a horse show tomorrow and take some pictures - I'm so excited!
Have a happy weekend...Oh yeah, and Hook'em!!
I had a bad dream last night...well, it was actually a really really good dream. But bad that I was dreaming it. I dreamed that I had a daughter, like a two day old infant. And it was such a wonderful feeling! Greg wanted to name her SaraLee (like the bread!) but I kept telling him no - we'd already decided on girls names for the baby and we were going to name her Charlotte. But he wouldn't listen and was ready to put SaraLee Johnson on the birth certificate ;) It made me laugh when I woke up! But now, this darn dream has unleashed this feeling inside of me that says, "You're married now! Time to have babies!" And my logical side is going, "Uh. No it's not. You're only 22. The 'ten year plan' says you have to be 26 before it's time to have babies." Why do babies have to be so soft and cuddly? And they smell so good! (well, most of the time anyways). I have baby rabies.
I made bread today!! Like, old fashioned, kneading the dough, yummy, delicious bread! I think I ate half of it...lots of carbs...I need fuel for my run tomorrow though, right? I think I'm going to buy a lot of yeast and just start baking all my own bread. It's fun...and the smell of bread baking in the oven is sinful. And delightful. And it makes me happy.
I took a really cute picture of Riley a couple nights ago. I'm very proud of how my photography skills are coming along! I'm going to go to a horse show tomorrow and take some pictures - I'm so excited!
Have a happy weekend...Oh yeah, and Hook'em!!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Dear Car-Honker,
I'm so very sorry that I gave you the wrong impression this morning while I was jogging. You see, three or four times a week, I put on my tank top, my running shorts, my tennis shoes, and my blue watch. And I go outside and I proceed to jog (and walk every three minutes, but that's beside the point.) And somehow, today, I gave you the impression that I was outside to do your eyes a favor. I'm so sorry for misleading you.
But while we're on the topic, I just thought you were oh so clever yelling, "I'd tap that ***" out your window while slowing down to watch me run. And for the record, I would like you to know, I want nothing to do with tapping you. Not even with a 10 foot pole. You can pass this message along to your friend who was nailing shingles onto a roof...His grunting at me and making obscene gestures really made me want to climb up his ladder as quick as I could, throw myself on him and have his babies. No really. It did. [please note my sarcasm - I actually secretly hoped that he would fall off the roof and break his arm].
You probably didn't notice it in all your haste to honk, whistle, yell, and do anything in your power to get my attention, but I wear this tiny little thing on the ring finger of my left hand while I'm running. It's got little diamonds on it and I'm actually quite fond of it. Now I know it's not exactly recognized in this day and age as anything of importance, but it is quite important to me. It means faithfulness. It means trust. It means love, hope, endurance, mercy, forgiveness, blood, sweat, tears. It means hard work. It means compromise. It means staying up until 3am to resolve an argument. It means sacrifice. And it sure as heck does not give you the right to hit on me while I am running. I am not eye-candy. I am NOT there for your pleasure. I am out there for mine. And I refuse to let YOU take the pleasure out of running for me.
So pick a different girl to hit on. Because you are getting nowhere with me. I'm devoted to my husband and more than that, I am devoted to GOD. And right now I'm praying that God will work in your heart in a severe way, because you need it.
Signed,
The blonde that you pissed off today.
But while we're on the topic, I just thought you were oh so clever yelling, "I'd tap that ***" out your window while slowing down to watch me run. And for the record, I would like you to know, I want nothing to do with tapping you. Not even with a 10 foot pole. You can pass this message along to your friend who was nailing shingles onto a roof...His grunting at me and making obscene gestures really made me want to climb up his ladder as quick as I could, throw myself on him and have his babies. No really. It did. [please note my sarcasm - I actually secretly hoped that he would fall off the roof and break his arm].
You probably didn't notice it in all your haste to honk, whistle, yell, and do anything in your power to get my attention, but I wear this tiny little thing on the ring finger of my left hand while I'm running. It's got little diamonds on it and I'm actually quite fond of it. Now I know it's not exactly recognized in this day and age as anything of importance, but it is quite important to me. It means faithfulness. It means trust. It means love, hope, endurance, mercy, forgiveness, blood, sweat, tears. It means hard work. It means compromise. It means staying up until 3am to resolve an argument. It means sacrifice. And it sure as heck does not give you the right to hit on me while I am running. I am not eye-candy. I am NOT there for your pleasure. I am out there for mine. And I refuse to let YOU take the pleasure out of running for me.
So pick a different girl to hit on. Because you are getting nowhere with me. I'm devoted to my husband and more than that, I am devoted to GOD. And right now I'm praying that God will work in your heart in a severe way, because you need it.
Signed,
The blonde that you pissed off today.
Monday, October 1, 2007
It's October!!
I'm so excited that it's October. And it's officially fall - my favorite time and month of the year! Greg and I were at Target on Friday night and we saw all these cute costumes in the Halloween section at the back of the store. They even had costumes for dogs! I really was hoping that they'd have a hot dog...I'm the mean mom that wants to put my "weenie" dog in a hot dog costume for Halloween! She would be too precious in it though. I may have to go search some more for one :)
This weekend was really fun. But definitely not long enough (are they ever?) My run on Saturday morning went REALLY well. We only did 4 miles because it was a track workout. The exercise we did was called the Magic Mile. You basically run a mile as fast as you can (but still stopping to take your walk breaks) and it tells you what a realistic time goal is to run the marathon in. My magic mile pace was 10:14 and according to that, a realistic time goal for me to run the marathon in is 5 hrs 44 min. I'm really not focused at ALL on time...just on finishing. But it was cool to think that if I do everything right in my training I could run a marathon in under 6 hours relatively easy.
I baked, took pictures, and cuddled with my husband pretty much all weekend. It was wonderful and SO relaxing! I was planning on making fall sugar cookies...but did you know that it's nearly impossible to make red icing? So I have yellow cookies, orange cookies, and pink cookies...and then since I couldn't make red I decided to just make a pretty blue instead. Greg says they're Easter cookies now. I say I don't care what they are, they're yummy! I'm really starting to understand settings on my camera well and it's becoming more "instinct" than me having to sit there and think "hmm...which way do I need to turn this dial now?" We watched Knocked Up too...which was funny. But had a lot of bad language and several scenes that definitely did not need to be in there! I really like Katherine Heigel...she's also on Grey's Anatomy (she plays Izzy) which I also really like.
I've been doing much better with contentment these past couple days. Every time I catch myself thinking, Ahh, I just want to be in a house already!! I think of how much easier it is for us to live in an apartment right now. There is no lawn to mow, no mortgage to pay, more reasonable electric prices, and our puppy can pee on the carpet and shred the carpet without us being too distraught over it all. Life is good and so is God!
Class is getting ready to start...I found out that I made a 94.8% on my first test (yay!!!) and I'm waiting to see what I made on my second. I think I did alright, but I definitely did not put 100% into it.
You are all in my prayers!
This weekend was really fun. But definitely not long enough (are they ever?) My run on Saturday morning went REALLY well. We only did 4 miles because it was a track workout. The exercise we did was called the Magic Mile. You basically run a mile as fast as you can (but still stopping to take your walk breaks) and it tells you what a realistic time goal is to run the marathon in. My magic mile pace was 10:14 and according to that, a realistic time goal for me to run the marathon in is 5 hrs 44 min. I'm really not focused at ALL on time...just on finishing. But it was cool to think that if I do everything right in my training I could run a marathon in under 6 hours relatively easy.
I baked, took pictures, and cuddled with my husband pretty much all weekend. It was wonderful and SO relaxing! I was planning on making fall sugar cookies...but did you know that it's nearly impossible to make red icing? So I have yellow cookies, orange cookies, and pink cookies...and then since I couldn't make red I decided to just make a pretty blue instead. Greg says they're Easter cookies now. I say I don't care what they are, they're yummy! I'm really starting to understand settings on my camera well and it's becoming more "instinct" than me having to sit there and think "hmm...which way do I need to turn this dial now?" We watched Knocked Up too...which was funny. But had a lot of bad language and several scenes that definitely did not need to be in there! I really like Katherine Heigel...she's also on Grey's Anatomy (she plays Izzy) which I also really like.
I've been doing much better with contentment these past couple days. Every time I catch myself thinking, Ahh, I just want to be in a house already!! I think of how much easier it is for us to live in an apartment right now. There is no lawn to mow, no mortgage to pay, more reasonable electric prices, and our puppy can pee on the carpet and shred the carpet without us being too distraught over it all. Life is good and so is God!
Class is getting ready to start...I found out that I made a 94.8% on my first test (yay!!!) and I'm waiting to see what I made on my second. I think I did alright, but I definitely did not put 100% into it.
You are all in my prayers!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
All By Myself
This morning just started off bad. I was tired from last night and my alarm never went off to wake me up for my running group. I woke up around 7:15 and was so upset because I knew they'd already be on the road (we leave at 7am sharp!) and there was no hope of me getting to the Runtex off Lake Austin Blvd. in time to catch up with them.
So I drug out my Nike + iPod system, filled up my water bottles, got my workout playlist all ready to go and proceeded to run the 9 miles my group was running together all by myself. I wasn't too optimistic about this run...I've never done 9 miles before...and I really haven't done anything over 7 all by myself. But I hit the road, ran three minutes, walked one minute, all the way up Wells Branch to 35, then back down Wells Branch to MoPac, and then home. It ended up being about 8.79 miles and I did have to stop and walk the last quarter mile or so home...but I did it! I was shocked, honestly, that my body can run 9 miles in about an hour and a half (And that I can burn 989 calories...thats almost a days worth!!)
I admit, I did get a bit pessimistic on the way home when I was hurting. 26 miles is SO much longer than 9. And I started thinking If I'm hurting this much now, how on EARTH will I ever be able to do 26 miles? But I think that's just it...EARTH has nothing to do with it. Heaven and grace and GOD have everything to do with it. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That says all things. Not just some things. That means I can run 26 miles through Christ. And I can witness to people through Christ (even when I'm scared). And I can make it through the rest of college through Christ. That gives me such great hope and such great joy!
I've been struggling so much with contentment lately. Not that my life isn't wonderful...I have an amazing husband, family, puppy, church, and God. But my mind is having trouble living in the moment. I catch myself thinking all the time, Oh, I can't wait until we can move out of this tiny apartment! or I really wish I was done with school and could start my REAL job now...then my life would really begin. or I can't wait until Greg and I are financially able to have kids...and I remember that before we were married I couldn't wait for the wedding, and before we were engaged I was dying to be his "fiancee." I just want to be content with the now...and I'm struggling and battling with myself to be here. To be in this moment and no where else. And that is much easier said than done!
I am all over the place tonight. I blame it on memorizing 5 pages front and back (literally, no exaggerating here!) for my Children's Lit test on Monday. I'm only on page 3. But I think I'm done for the night...when your head starts spinning and the definition that you've just written down five times in order to make yourself memorize it really isn't making sense anymore, it's time to quit.
Greg is going out of town tomorrow and I'm really going to miss him. At least he is only gone until Thursday (Grey's Anatomy season premier night!) and then I get to have him back at home ;) Since I'm such a chicken, I'm staying with my mom for the week. Didn't you know? Whenever I'm home alone by myself I hear things. Creepy things. Like people walking up the stairs (that we don't have) or people trying to get into my apartment to kidnap me. And of course the double locks we have on our door just won't do. So off to mommy and daddy's house it is ;)
Before I leave, I have a video to share of the cutest puppy in the entire world. It makes me smile :)
So I drug out my Nike + iPod system, filled up my water bottles, got my workout playlist all ready to go and proceeded to run the 9 miles my group was running together all by myself. I wasn't too optimistic about this run...I've never done 9 miles before...and I really haven't done anything over 7 all by myself. But I hit the road, ran three minutes, walked one minute, all the way up Wells Branch to 35, then back down Wells Branch to MoPac, and then home. It ended up being about 8.79 miles and I did have to stop and walk the last quarter mile or so home...but I did it! I was shocked, honestly, that my body can run 9 miles in about an hour and a half (And that I can burn 989 calories...thats almost a days worth!!)
I admit, I did get a bit pessimistic on the way home when I was hurting. 26 miles is SO much longer than 9. And I started thinking If I'm hurting this much now, how on EARTH will I ever be able to do 26 miles? But I think that's just it...EARTH has nothing to do with it. Heaven and grace and GOD have everything to do with it. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That says all things. Not just some things. That means I can run 26 miles through Christ. And I can witness to people through Christ (even when I'm scared). And I can make it through the rest of college through Christ. That gives me such great hope and such great joy!
I've been struggling so much with contentment lately. Not that my life isn't wonderful...I have an amazing husband, family, puppy, church, and God. But my mind is having trouble living in the moment. I catch myself thinking all the time, Oh, I can't wait until we can move out of this tiny apartment! or I really wish I was done with school and could start my REAL job now...then my life would really begin. or I can't wait until Greg and I are financially able to have kids...and I remember that before we were married I couldn't wait for the wedding, and before we were engaged I was dying to be his "fiancee." I just want to be content with the now...and I'm struggling and battling with myself to be here. To be in this moment and no where else. And that is much easier said than done!
I am all over the place tonight. I blame it on memorizing 5 pages front and back (literally, no exaggerating here!) for my Children's Lit test on Monday. I'm only on page 3. But I think I'm done for the night...when your head starts spinning and the definition that you've just written down five times in order to make yourself memorize it really isn't making sense anymore, it's time to quit.
Greg is going out of town tomorrow and I'm really going to miss him. At least he is only gone until Thursday (Grey's Anatomy season premier night!) and then I get to have him back at home ;) Since I'm such a chicken, I'm staying with my mom for the week. Didn't you know? Whenever I'm home alone by myself I hear things. Creepy things. Like people walking up the stairs (that we don't have) or people trying to get into my apartment to kidnap me. And of course the double locks we have on our door just won't do. So off to mommy and daddy's house it is ;)
Before I leave, I have a video to share of the cutest puppy in the entire world. It makes me smile :)
I hope that made you smile!
Don't let the bed bugs bite!
Don't let the bed bugs bite!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
iHurt
That's right, I hurt. I hurt badly. 6 miles today was not just any old six miles...It was six miles of HILLS. If you know Austin, you know these hills. Like the one down by Mozart's off of Enfield? I kicked that thing's butt! But now, many, many hours after my run, it is kicking my butt (quite literally...and my feet, and my hips, and well...my whole body.)
If you haven't figured out by now, my run was a little bit of a killer. I had everything going against me - I didn't run this week (bad mistake #1), I didn't hydrate before the run (really, really bad mistake #2), and in the 11-12 minute mile group, we started out and hit those Austin hills with a 9:30 pace WITH walk breaks...that means we were running around a 8:30 to 8:40 mile (really, really, really bad mistake #3 and stupid mistake #1). Then there was the heat and humidity factor. Remember me talking about fall a few posts back? Yeah, fall is gone. It's dead. It was replaced by 83° heat at 7:00 in the morning. Oh, and this blanket - yes you read right - blanket of humidity. I was drenched in sweat by the end of my run - soaking wet from head to toe.
Lessons learned? You betcha. First of all, I will never, ever again in the 20-something weeks left of this program and in the rest of my life leave my house to run without drinking at least a glass of water. That put me in such a bad position! I downed all the water in my hydration belt (21 oz.) in the first 3 miles. When we had a water stop, I had to refill my bottles and then I downed all that in the next 3 miles. And then after the run, I had at least 3 Ozarka bottles of water, plus some when I got home...and I'm STILL thirsty. Bad, bad bad.
Lesson number two. Never again will I be "too tired" to run during the week. Thirty minutes is all that is required of me, not a lifetime! I think I can squeeze in thirty minutes to keep my endurance up.
Lesson number three. If my pace group is being competitive and thinking that we need to keep up with the 4:1 group (four minutes running, one minute walking; I'm in the 3 :1 group), then I will fall back into the slow 3:1 group. Because there is nothing more horrible than having a quarter of a mile left to go and feeling like every muscle in your body is glued to the ground with some super sticky super-glue.
7 miles next week on the "scenic" route...which I have a sneaking suspicion means more hills ;)
Here's to Austin!
If you haven't figured out by now, my run was a little bit of a killer. I had everything going against me - I didn't run this week (bad mistake #1), I didn't hydrate before the run (really, really bad mistake #2), and in the 11-12 minute mile group, we started out and hit those Austin hills with a 9:30 pace WITH walk breaks...that means we were running around a 8:30 to 8:40 mile (really, really, really bad mistake #3 and stupid mistake #1). Then there was the heat and humidity factor. Remember me talking about fall a few posts back? Yeah, fall is gone. It's dead. It was replaced by 83° heat at 7:00 in the morning. Oh, and this blanket - yes you read right - blanket of humidity. I was drenched in sweat by the end of my run - soaking wet from head to toe.
Lessons learned? You betcha. First of all, I will never, ever again in the 20-something weeks left of this program and in the rest of my life leave my house to run without drinking at least a glass of water. That put me in such a bad position! I downed all the water in my hydration belt (21 oz.) in the first 3 miles. When we had a water stop, I had to refill my bottles and then I downed all that in the next 3 miles. And then after the run, I had at least 3 Ozarka bottles of water, plus some when I got home...and I'm STILL thirsty. Bad, bad bad.
Lesson number two. Never again will I be "too tired" to run during the week. Thirty minutes is all that is required of me, not a lifetime! I think I can squeeze in thirty minutes to keep my endurance up.
Lesson number three. If my pace group is being competitive and thinking that we need to keep up with the 4:1 group (four minutes running, one minute walking; I'm in the 3 :1 group), then I will fall back into the slow 3:1 group. Because there is nothing more horrible than having a quarter of a mile left to go and feeling like every muscle in your body is glued to the ground with some super sticky super-glue.
7 miles next week on the "scenic" route...which I have a sneaking suspicion means more hills ;)
Here's to Austin!
Friday, September 7, 2007
TGIF!!
Today is Friday, woohoo! That means sleeping in...'til 6:00am that is. And then I'm off to run 6 miles with the Galloway Group! I am so excited. I love that group. And I really do love running. Even though I didn't get in my 2 30-minute runs this week...shhh, don't tell Will! I know I should have gotten the runs in, but I was tired. And then on Thursday my ankle was a little bit sore and I didn't really want to push it (though I probably could have and been totally fine). So tomorrow might be really, really difficult. And if it is, I only have myself to blame. My plan for this coming week is:
Monday: workout in Mayborn from 12:30-1:30 (gives me plenty of time to shower and get ready before class at 3.
Tuesday: run from 7-8
Wednesday: Rest, maybe some abs or swimming
Thursday: run from 7-8
Friday: workout in Mayborn from 1:30-2:30
Anyways...enough about that.
I've decided that I desperately want to be a stay at home mom many, many years down the road when we decide to have kids. Working at a daycare will do that to you. Don't get me wrong - I love my kids at school to death. But I feel SO bad for them when they're sick and mom is "with a patient and can't come for another two hours." You've got to be kidding me!! What patient on earth is worth leaving your own flesh and blood at daycare with a 102.3 fever. In my opinion, not one single thing on earth is worth leaving your baby sick without comfort from home. I don't care if we have to start setting money aside now for it to be financially possible in four or five years...I just can't bear to think about dropping my six week old baby off at daycare so I can go teach from 8:30 to 4:30...it's just not gonna happen.
I mentioned horses in my last post, but I never posted any pictures! So here are some of my favorites...
Meet Winston aka Behind the Smiles. He was the first horse I ever owned and the love of my life (aside from Greg, of course!)
We liked to go to horse shows together. Except for that one time when he bucked me off right in front of the judges stand, but we won't talk about that.
He was gorgeous. I wish I knew where he was now just so I could see how he's aged. I guess he'd be like...13 or 14 now?
Meet Austin aka Butthead. I frequently made this scared-to-death face on him. He was the first horse I jumped high on.
Next, meet Stealth. He was so much fun to ride and jump!
This is Avante. Don't let the pretty eyes fool you - she and I had a love-hate relationship. I loved how pretty she was, but I hated her when she bucked me off, or pinned her ears, or tried to buck me off...which was pretty much every time I even came near her with a saddle. I got her back into shape...fat horsies don't like to be ridden very much!
Avante again...note the pinned ears and the generally displeased look she is giving me.
Finally, there is Nezzie. She was my neighbor's horse who I trained a little bit. We got along really well until she moved to Liberty Hill.
Nezzie again...such a good girl!
That concludes my travel back into time. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be back tomorrow with updates on how 6 miles went. Cross your fingers and pray for me!!
Happy Friday to You,
Monday: workout in Mayborn from 12:30-1:30 (gives me plenty of time to shower and get ready before class at 3.
Tuesday: run from 7-8
Wednesday: Rest, maybe some abs or swimming
Thursday: run from 7-8
Friday: workout in Mayborn from 1:30-2:30
Anyways...enough about that.
I've decided that I desperately want to be a stay at home mom many, many years down the road when we decide to have kids. Working at a daycare will do that to you. Don't get me wrong - I love my kids at school to death. But I feel SO bad for them when they're sick and mom is "with a patient and can't come for another two hours." You've got to be kidding me!! What patient on earth is worth leaving your own flesh and blood at daycare with a 102.3 fever. In my opinion, not one single thing on earth is worth leaving your baby sick without comfort from home. I don't care if we have to start setting money aside now for it to be financially possible in four or five years...I just can't bear to think about dropping my six week old baby off at daycare so I can go teach from 8:30 to 4:30...it's just not gonna happen.
I mentioned horses in my last post, but I never posted any pictures! So here are some of my favorites...
Meet Winston aka Behind the Smiles. He was the first horse I ever owned and the love of my life (aside from Greg, of course!)
We liked to go to horse shows together. Except for that one time when he bucked me off right in front of the judges stand, but we won't talk about that.
He was gorgeous. I wish I knew where he was now just so I could see how he's aged. I guess he'd be like...13 or 14 now?
Meet Austin aka Butthead. I frequently made this scared-to-death face on him. He was the first horse I jumped high on.
Next, meet Stealth. He was so much fun to ride and jump!
This is Avante. Don't let the pretty eyes fool you - she and I had a love-hate relationship. I loved how pretty she was, but I hated her when she bucked me off, or pinned her ears, or tried to buck me off...which was pretty much every time I even came near her with a saddle. I got her back into shape...fat horsies don't like to be ridden very much!
Avante again...note the pinned ears and the generally displeased look she is giving me.
Finally, there is Nezzie. She was my neighbor's horse who I trained a little bit. We got along really well until she moved to Liberty Hill.
Nezzie again...such a good girl!
That concludes my travel back into time. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be back tomorrow with updates on how 6 miles went. Cross your fingers and pray for me!!
Happy Friday to You,
Monday, September 3, 2007
Bad Blogger
I've been a bad blogger. I haven't posted in oh, four or so months? Bad blogger. But I'm back, and I'm committed. See, I need somewhere to record my thoughts about running and somewhere to go when my dear husband is playing Xbox or watching Flight of the Concords (which I do not find the least bit entertaining!)
Speaking of running. Saturday marked 5 miles with my group! I didn't even feel like I was running hardly at all. Let's hope that keeps up when we get into 18 and 22 mile workouts. But seriously...I've never had so much fun running before, and I have loved running since my freshman year of college! It used to be an escape from things...now, it is a social hour for me where I get to chat with people of all different walks of life while doing one of my favorite things...running! I even got giddy and excited over my new "girly" Ironman watch because I can set intervals on it. Yay for new watches, running, and Austin.
Classes are going well, work is as good as it's going to get for the next few months, and Greg and I are in the process of searching for a church. We went to the UT game last night (pictures to come later!) and so we were slackers...or I was a slacker, and we didn't go to church this morning. We're definitely going next weekend though. I pray that God will bless us with a group of friends. I need people. I need girl friends who I matter to and who matter to me. I need people that will notice if I'm not at church on Sunday and will call to check up on me later. And I know that God will fulfill my need for community. It's just a matter of me being patient and realizing that HIS timing is PERFECT. That's something I'm still working on.
It is bedtime for me, Riley, and Greg tonight! I promise to be back soon with more news from this little apartment in Austin, Texas.
In Christ Alone,
Speaking of running. Saturday marked 5 miles with my group! I didn't even feel like I was running hardly at all. Let's hope that keeps up when we get into 18 and 22 mile workouts. But seriously...I've never had so much fun running before, and I have loved running since my freshman year of college! It used to be an escape from things...now, it is a social hour for me where I get to chat with people of all different walks of life while doing one of my favorite things...running! I even got giddy and excited over my new "girly" Ironman watch because I can set intervals on it. Yay for new watches, running, and Austin.
Classes are going well, work is as good as it's going to get for the next few months, and Greg and I are in the process of searching for a church. We went to the UT game last night (pictures to come later!) and so we were slackers...or I was a slacker, and we didn't go to church this morning. We're definitely going next weekend though. I pray that God will bless us with a group of friends. I need people. I need girl friends who I matter to and who matter to me. I need people that will notice if I'm not at church on Sunday and will call to check up on me later. And I know that God will fulfill my need for community. It's just a matter of me being patient and realizing that HIS timing is PERFECT. That's something I'm still working on.
It is bedtime for me, Riley, and Greg tonight! I promise to be back soon with more news from this little apartment in Austin, Texas.
In Christ Alone,
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