Keepin' it Real

Time to get my booty in gear and update!

It seems like work, church volunteering, marathon training and trip planning have consumed my life for quite awhile.

I spent Easter at the parent's house. The little scared piglet is Ruby. She believes that with each click of the camera it steals a little bit of her soul.

This explains why she looks so downcast.

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This is my favorite shirt of the month. I should start a club.

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I got new teeth....sorta...

Before

After

My dentist had been hounding me for a couple years to get this procedure done. It honestly didn't bother me how my teeth looked, but I think it pained my dentist so I did it for his sake :) And, well, Obama might not let me do it next year, so I better do it why I can!

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The big race was this last Sunday. Dad and I did really good. We came in at 4 hours and 57 minutes; 3 minutes under our goal. Our next race is a small 10k in Colorado this June. But I am very, very excited about it!

I loathe to show this picture, but I have too, because this post  wouldn't be complete without it.

Please. Don't hate me because I look so fantastic! Foshizzle!

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Tomorrow I leave for Israel.

L.s.R

Be Still

My reminder to live in the moment and just be.
Even with it a little blown out, this picture reminds me of the sun shining through my window on a relaxing, Saturday morning.

I Remember Mama

When you get my mom and her five other siblings together, it is inevitable that 'Mama Stories' will be told. She was an amazing wife to a naval fighter pilot during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and an amazing mother to seven children.

She radiated old Hollywood glamour with her poise and Grace Kelley curls, being a certified nurse she was competent and rational. She lived through very happy and very hard times. Grandama Jane comes to life for me whenever my Mom talks about her with her sisters. These stories usually start with, “You remember when Mama...." Grandma Jane was a marvelous cook. Throughout Papa’s naval career she would randomly rendezvous with him around the world. While on these globe-trotting trips she would pick up recipes from Japan, Spain, Italy and other places. After she got home she would adapt these recipes to her family's life-style. Many of these recipes are still used by my mom and aunts.

 

Last month I was suprised with Grandma Jane's 1960s Kitchen Aid mixer. It is in mint condition and works like new. I couldn't be more happy. To be able to use the same mixer that Grandma used to make her bread, cakes and other yummy foods makes my heart feel fuzzy and warm.

The christening of Mama's Mixer:

L.s.R

I am a freak. A super freak. Super freaky.

A freak is someone who wakes up at 4:15 am.  

On a Saturday.

A freak is someone who runs 22 miles.

On a Saturday. 

I am a freak.

How do you like that for a blog intro? 

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I love my family.

I love my dad,

I love my mom,

I love my sister.

I love my puppy-dogs.  

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I love traveling.

I love new places,

I love new people,

I love new sounds.

I love airports.

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I love fashion,

I love color,

I love texture,

I love vibrancy.

I love uniqueness.

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I love spring,

I love green,

I love buds on trees,

I love birds singing.

I love warmer weather.

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I love future plans,

I love having dreams,

I love setting goals,

I love the excitement.  

I love to see how it will unfold.

I am so blessed.

L.s.R

To Walk in His Footsteps

My first purchase for my Spring trek

I Feel like a Flying Tomato Sometimes

I love the Olympics...especially the Winter Olympics. Out of the family, I am usually the one that stays up until the opening ceremony is over. I like the hype and countries competing against each other. So much for world unity. Everyone knows that is a joke. I mean, look at Israel having to walk in behind Iran every two years.

I am dying to learn how to snowboard. Shaun White did me in. I even forgive his hair.

Anyway....I have been working through a lot of things with Jesus. The main thing? Dealing with the mundane. I believe that God calls every one to glorify Him with their lives. But we can't choose how to glorify Him. Jesus does the choosing. Right now, for me, this means working 9am-5pm (queue that Dolly Parton song) 5 days out of the week, volunteering once a week for my church, working my other job, and trying to prepare for the marathon and other races. I am usually okay with all of this, until it hits me at 7:45am on a work day. As I am driving into work, I grip the steering wheel, and spit out, "What am I doing?" I sometimes feel like I am a jumbled mess. I am at a place in life that I didn't think I would be at 10 months ago. I am working a job that I never imagined I would be working.

But that is the beauty of it.

I didn't think or imagine these things. But God did. Even with my 15 minutes of disappointment, anxiety, and confusion as I drive into work, it is after I sit down in my chair, turn on my computer monitor, and look around my cubicle I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is where I belong. No, I am not planning on staying in this job or situation for another 10 years, but God has given me this season of my life for a reason. And He wants to use me where He placed me. He wants me to reach the people he has placed in my life right now. He wants me to learn from the people he has placed in my life right now.

I am so thankful that I worship a God that not only gives me dreams and desires, but also sees the big picture. I want every season of my life to matter. Whether I am a dishwasher, secretary, wife/mother, or working in the corporate world I want to give my all for Him.

But, I am still hoping for a Shaun White moment somewhere down the road (even a little one will do)…..maybe Moscow 2014??

More than a Bag of Bones

I love reading stories like this one.

It reminds me of Israel and all the beautiful, historical artifacts and places I will see.
A little more than 2 months.

L.s.R