I spent some time at my parent's house a few weeks ago, and during that time I was there to serve through cleaning, work, whatever. My main objective was to spend time with my family, which I did, but the secondary goal was to finish a project my dad has been working on for quite some time. Mom was only there for about one day the whole week. Well, when she got home she was pleased with what she saw! And let me tell you, I was NERVOUS she wasn't going to like how the project of the week turned out!!
Due to the short amount of time she was home mom and I only had a couple of conversations, one of which was about Chacos (expensive strappy sporty sandals) and how I wanted a pair without a back strap as I already have one pair with the back strap. I told her I would buy them myself, but they are out of my price range (and will be for some time I am afraid!) I showed her a picture of what I wanted and told her I would email her a link to what I wanted so she could think about getting them for me at Christmas(which I never did)...our Christmas lists start early in my family because ALL of the shopping is usually over between Halloween and Thanksgiving. If it’s not purchased before Thanksgiving, you just aren’t' getting it!
Anyway, this past Friday morning I woke up to a package in my kitchen from Amazon addressed to me. Mind you I have not ordered anything from ANYWHERE in a few weeks so I wasn't expecting anything. I open the box to find not one but TWO different pair of no back strap having Chacos!!! I was so excited I had a VERY difficult time dialing the phone to call my mom so I could thank her for the most unexpected gift.
I don't know that I will ever be able to thank her enough for this simple gift. I don't think she would understand my rambling in trying to explain how important it is to me that she not only heard me when I was talking about what I wanted, but that she got them for me when she didn't have to! It was her way of saying "thank you" and I get that, but NONE of the work I did or the time I gave was done for a reward. I just wanted to spend the week with my family; that was reward enough for me.
I love that God is working in our relationship through simple acts of tearing down walls, simple acts of kindness. I can't help but wonder at what the rest of this year, and all those to follow, will hold for us. I pray the Lord would strengthen me to live my life to please Him only, but that my family would see the change that He has done in my life.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
I wouldn't call it a 'run' exactly...
because well, I walked all but the last 50 yards. None the less I took part in the Atlanta Women's 5K (3.1 miles) yesterday and finished with a time I am pleased with (51:49). I was going to wait until I had my pictures downloaded to post but the camera is in the car and its late...and I'm excited to share this accomplishment.
anyway, I was very excited about 'running' this race because it was my first, and for sure not my last. I finished just about in the middle of the crowd I would say, which for only having 3 weeks to prepare, isn't too shabby. It took me 51:49 to finish, which is about 4 minutes faster than my longest practice time and 4 minutes slower than my fastest...which means that I was walking at a pretty steady pace.
I will be looking into future running events because I really did have fun! I think I will shoot to do another 5K run in May, only the next time I plan to RUN...well maybe 50/50? or perhaps my goal should be something more like "I want to have my time be 45:00 or less"? We'll see what happens. I think 8 weeks should be long enough to build up some more endurance. I know I can run a good bit of the distance now (as I have done so on a few occasions), but I was having a lovely conversation with Miss Penney and I didn't want to sacrifice the conversation for a better time. You see, I am UNABLE to run and speak at the same time; so it was one or the other and I wanted the conversation more.
I enjoyed myself and did something new; which is new to me...there are many changes happening in my life right now...running (exercising in general) is just one of them.
hehehe more about life to come. for now sleep is calling me.
anyway, I was very excited about 'running' this race because it was my first, and for sure not my last. I finished just about in the middle of the crowd I would say, which for only having 3 weeks to prepare, isn't too shabby. It took me 51:49 to finish, which is about 4 minutes faster than my longest practice time and 4 minutes slower than my fastest...which means that I was walking at a pretty steady pace.
I will be looking into future running events because I really did have fun! I think I will shoot to do another 5K run in May, only the next time I plan to RUN...well maybe 50/50? or perhaps my goal should be something more like "I want to have my time be 45:00 or less"? We'll see what happens. I think 8 weeks should be long enough to build up some more endurance. I know I can run a good bit of the distance now (as I have done so on a few occasions), but I was having a lovely conversation with Miss Penney and I didn't want to sacrifice the conversation for a better time. You see, I am UNABLE to run and speak at the same time; so it was one or the other and I wanted the conversation more.
I enjoyed myself and did something new; which is new to me...there are many changes happening in my life right now...running (exercising in general) is just one of them.
hehehe more about life to come. for now sleep is calling me.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
What I'm Learning...
I have learned many things in life, as all people tend to do, but the last week has brought a lesson in serving.
I spent last week (my spring break) at my parents house. This house has never been my home and I have never felt much peace about being there, especially when I am there alone. This past week was different. For the first time since my parents moved into this house, I felt like I was 'going home' for a visit. It was a strange feeling, but one I hope returns for future visits.
Over the past few years I have learned to love my family in spite of all the bad things that have happened, and all the stupid decisions we have all made. Until now, I have never felt called to minister to them, or serve them in the name of Jesus.
Last Saturday presented me with free time, and my first opportunity to serve and a nudge from God I could not ignore. I won't bore you with the details about why I was alone, but I was, and I was BORED! Just before giving into the desire to indulge in cable television (something I have not had in my home for over 5 years), I heard a whisper of a voice say "doesn't the floor need to be vacuumed?" to which I immediately responded, "well, sure, but its not my mess!" after a few similar exchanges I was vacuuming the whole house. And the nudging didn't stop with vacuuming, I was taking out the garbage, cleaning pet areas (cat boxes, food dishes, etc.), unloading and reloading the dishwasher...you name it, I was doing it! JOYFULLY!!! There were no witnesses, I wasn't even at the house when my family members returned, but the joy of knowing I had served my family in these simple ways was great.
Saturday was the first of a week full of days involving service to my family...some through physical labor, some through conversations, some through just living my life so they could see who I am, and some I'm sure in ways I can't even imagine or will ever know.
This past week was one of the best weeks I have had in a long time. I am thankful to God for blessing me with time to not only serve my family, but to spend time with them in LIFE. The only thing missing from this week was my older brother, and God even covered that through a phone conversation on my way back to my house. The Lord has blessed me with a new start with my family. We are building a new foundation in our relationships, one I hope will allow us to grow closer together as a family of the world, but also as a family of God.
It is my prayer, oh Lord, that the eyes of my family would be opened, that the scales causing their blindness would be scraped away, and that the little light you have placed inside of me would shine through the darkness into their hearts and bring them to a place of knowing and loving You. You have delivered my soul out of the pits of Sheol, I pray you do the same for them. In Jesus Most Holy name, Amen.
I spent last week (my spring break) at my parents house. This house has never been my home and I have never felt much peace about being there, especially when I am there alone. This past week was different. For the first time since my parents moved into this house, I felt like I was 'going home' for a visit. It was a strange feeling, but one I hope returns for future visits.
Over the past few years I have learned to love my family in spite of all the bad things that have happened, and all the stupid decisions we have all made. Until now, I have never felt called to minister to them, or serve them in the name of Jesus.
Last Saturday presented me with free time, and my first opportunity to serve and a nudge from God I could not ignore. I won't bore you with the details about why I was alone, but I was, and I was BORED! Just before giving into the desire to indulge in cable television (something I have not had in my home for over 5 years), I heard a whisper of a voice say "doesn't the floor need to be vacuumed?" to which I immediately responded, "well, sure, but its not my mess!" after a few similar exchanges I was vacuuming the whole house. And the nudging didn't stop with vacuuming, I was taking out the garbage, cleaning pet areas (cat boxes, food dishes, etc.), unloading and reloading the dishwasher...you name it, I was doing it! JOYFULLY!!! There were no witnesses, I wasn't even at the house when my family members returned, but the joy of knowing I had served my family in these simple ways was great.
Saturday was the first of a week full of days involving service to my family...some through physical labor, some through conversations, some through just living my life so they could see who I am, and some I'm sure in ways I can't even imagine or will ever know.
This past week was one of the best weeks I have had in a long time. I am thankful to God for blessing me with time to not only serve my family, but to spend time with them in LIFE. The only thing missing from this week was my older brother, and God even covered that through a phone conversation on my way back to my house. The Lord has blessed me with a new start with my family. We are building a new foundation in our relationships, one I hope will allow us to grow closer together as a family of the world, but also as a family of God.
It is my prayer, oh Lord, that the eyes of my family would be opened, that the scales causing their blindness would be scraped away, and that the little light you have placed inside of me would shine through the darkness into their hearts and bring them to a place of knowing and loving You. You have delivered my soul out of the pits of Sheol, I pray you do the same for them. In Jesus Most Holy name, Amen.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
and the beat goes on...
Tasks completed (2/102)
Just for Fun
1. watch the sunrise twice (0/2)
2. watch the sunset three times (0/3)
3. spend an hour looking at the stars twice (0/2)
4. spend a day at the park with nothing but a book
5. dance in the rain
6. read 15 children’s books (4/15)
7. read 20 grown up books (5/20)...if I never read another book about global warming it will be too soon...
8. visit the ocean
9. visit the mountains
10. play in the snow
11. swim in a lake or a river
12. be in two places at once
13. hike Stone Mountain
14. visit the Atlanta Zoo
15. relax for a half hour at the lakes on CSU campus five times (1/5)
16.take photo booth pictures
17. buy and put together a puzzle (minimum 200 pieces)
Craftiness
18. bake a loaf of bread from scratch
19. find/make a box to store greeting cards in
20. take 1 picture I like every day for 30 days (5/30)
21. make/stuff three pillows (0/3)
22. acquire and re-finish cedar chest
23. put together photo album for Chai and Joska trips (0/2)
24. sew duvet cover with fabric of my choice
25. make 10 birthday/anniversary/misc. cards (3/10)
26. frame 3 pictures that I really love (1/3)
History
27. Visit Oakland Cemetery
28. find and visit the oldest church in Atlanta, or Georgia (found it now just have to visit)
29. visit Savannah
30. attend one 1890’s day celebration in Ringgold
In me Casa
31. find 20 things to donate to Lazarus ministry (3/20)
32. keep room tidy for one month
33.cook 3 meals a day for two weeks
34. stay on top of laundry for a month
35. have people over for a home cooked dinner
36. go through boxes at dad’s
37. donate the things I find I no longer want/need
38. start recycling
39. burn CD’s of all my pictures
Fun with Friends
40. girls night out (wear dresses and go to a nice restaurant for desserts)
41. go on a picnic
42. take each of my siblings out to lunch (1/5)
43. go to the drive-in
44. go rafting/kayaking
45. go camping twice (0/2)
Cultured Living
46.see a play...Cabaret at CSU
47. watch 6 foreign films (0/6)
48. stay at a monastery for a weekend
49.watch “The Last Lecture” It was amazing and I would recommend it to you all!
50. go to one museum
51. attend three sporting events (0/3)
52. attend a women’s conference
53. attend 3 parties/shows I wouldn’t normally attend (1/3)
54. try two new kinds of ethnic foods (0/2)
Chicken Soup for the Soul
55. worship at three churches other than mine (2/3)
56. read the whole Bible
57. pray for my family every day for 40 days (0/40)
58. spend a whole day with my father NOT complaining about life
59. send mom 6 hand written notes telling her I love her
60. memorize 15 Bible verses (2/15)
61. and then 15 more (0/15)
Its all about You
62. buy flowers for someone just because I can
63. send care packages to my friends overseas (2/4)
64. work on a Habitat for Humanity project
65. convince someone else to do a 101 in 1001 list (Miss Laurie Works)
66. buy a cup of coffee/lunch for 4 people I don’t know (0/4)
67. give blood
68. tell 5 strangers they are beautiful (1/5)
69. volunteer at an Elementary school for 6 months
70. send out Christmas cards once (by Dec. 10th)
71. volunteer to cook a meal for a family at church
72.sponsor a child Mary-Anne is all mine :)
73. help out with 3 Lazarus/church outreach events (1/3)
From the Lincolns to the Benjamins
74. print pictures from Chai/Joska trips
75. put aside $5 for every task accomplished (2/101)
76. save $1000 to be spent on nothing
77. find and apply for 3 scholarships (1/3)
78. go sky diving
79.use only cash for one month (no credit/debit cards)
80. visit California
81. visit Colorado
82. visit New York (road trip if possible!)
83. buy one outfit I LOVE
84. contribute ½ of my tax return to my IRA
85. have a 30 day no buy zone
86. buy a beautiful dress
87. buy a new book every two months, put a note in the book about why I liked it, leave it at a random public place for anyone to pick up (1/15)
From the Inside out
88. read the newspaper 30 times (1/30)
89. watch the news for one hour 30 times (2/30)
90. fast one day per month for duration of 101 in 1001 (0/33)
91. do hair and makeup every day for a month (0/30)
92.wake up by 8 o’clock every day for two weeks when I don’t have to (15/15)
93. be in bed by 10:30 every day for a month (0/30)
94.do pilates every other day for two months (0/30) I have subbed pilates with going to the gym...so far, so good!
95. do pilates for another two months (0/60)
96. go one month without eating fast food (0/30)
97. lose 5 pounds…then another 5 (7/10)
98. eat a salad every day for two months (0/61)
99. go one month without eating sweets (0/30)
100. ask someone out on a date
101. spend one day a month doing nothing but relaxing (6/33)
Things that should have been on the list that weren’t
102. Visit St. Andrews to see Jenn and Brandon
THE ADVENTURE ENDS JUNE 18 2011
Just for Fun
1. watch the sunrise twice (0/2)
2. watch the sunset three times (0/3)
3. spend an hour looking at the stars twice (0/2)
4. spend a day at the park with nothing but a book
5. dance in the rain
6. read 15 children’s books (4/15)
7. read 20 grown up books (5/20)...if I never read another book about global warming it will be too soon...
8. visit the ocean
9. visit the mountains
10. play in the snow
11. swim in a lake or a river
12. be in two places at once
13. hike Stone Mountain
14. visit the Atlanta Zoo
15. relax for a half hour at the lakes on CSU campus five times (1/5)
16.
17. buy and put together a puzzle (minimum 200 pieces)
Craftiness
18. bake a loaf of bread from scratch
19. find/make a box to store greeting cards in
20. take 1 picture I like every day for 30 days (5/30)
21. make/stuff three pillows (0/3)
22. acquire and re-finish cedar chest
23. put together photo album for Chai and Joska trips (0/2)
24. sew duvet cover with fabric of my choice
25. make 10 birthday/anniversary/misc. cards (3/10)
26. frame 3 pictures that I really love (1/3)
History
27. Visit Oakland Cemetery
28. find and visit the oldest church in Atlanta, or Georgia (found it now just have to visit)
29. visit Savannah
30. attend one 1890’s day celebration in Ringgold
In me Casa
31. find 20 things to donate to Lazarus ministry (3/20)
32. keep room tidy for one month
33.
34. stay on top of laundry for a month
35. have people over for a home cooked dinner
36. go through boxes at dad’s
37. donate the things I find I no longer want/need
38. start recycling
39. burn CD’s of all my pictures
Fun with Friends
40. girls night out (wear dresses and go to a nice restaurant for desserts)
41. go on a picnic
42. take each of my siblings out to lunch (1/5)
43. go to the drive-in
44. go rafting/kayaking
45. go camping twice (0/2)
Cultured Living
46.
47. watch 6 foreign films (0/6)
48. stay at a monastery for a weekend
49.
50. go to one museum
51. attend three sporting events (0/3)
52. attend a women’s conference
53. attend 3 parties/shows I wouldn’t normally attend (1/3)
54. try two new kinds of ethnic foods (0/2)
Chicken Soup for the Soul
55. worship at three churches other than mine (2/3)
56. read the whole Bible
57. pray for my family every day for 40 days (0/40)
58. spend a whole day with my father NOT complaining about life
59. send mom 6 hand written notes telling her I love her
60. memorize 15 Bible verses (2/15)
61. and then 15 more (0/15)
Its all about You
62. buy flowers for someone just because I can
63. send care packages to my friends overseas (2/4)
64. work on a Habitat for Humanity project
65.
66. buy a cup of coffee/lunch for 4 people I don’t know (0/4)
67. give blood
68. tell 5 strangers they are beautiful (1/5)
69. volunteer at an Elementary school for 6 months
70. send out Christmas cards once (by Dec. 10th)
71. volunteer to cook a meal for a family at church
72.
73. help out with 3 Lazarus/church outreach events (1/3)
From the Lincolns to the Benjamins
74. print pictures from Chai/Joska trips
75. put aside $5 for every task accomplished (2/101)
76. save $1000 to be spent on nothing
77. find and apply for 3 scholarships (1/3)
78. go sky diving
79.
80. visit California
81. visit Colorado
82. visit New York (road trip if possible!)
83. buy one outfit I LOVE
84. contribute ½ of my tax return to my IRA
85. have a 30 day no buy zone
86. buy a beautiful dress
87. buy a new book every two months, put a note in the book about why I liked it, leave it at a random public place for anyone to pick up (1/15)
From the Inside out
88. read the newspaper 30 times (1/30)
89. watch the news for one hour 30 times (2/30)
90. fast one day per month for duration of 101 in 1001 (0/33)
91. do hair and makeup every day for a month (0/30)
92.
93. be in bed by 10:30 every day for a month (0/30)
94.
95. do pilates for another two months (0/60)
96. go one month without eating fast food (0/30)
97. lose 5 pounds…then another 5 (7/10)
98. eat a salad every day for two months (0/61)
99. go one month without eating sweets (0/30)
100. ask someone out on a date
101. spend one day a month doing nothing but relaxing (6/33)
Things that should have been on the list that weren’t
102. Visit St. Andrews to see Jenn and Brandon
THE ADVENTURE ENDS JUNE 18 2011
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