Fly Like an Eagle!

Our SLCA Cross Country Eagles soared at McAlpine Creek Park today! This was the kind of day that a coach dreams of- almost half the team ran a personal best. Congratulations, Eagles!

Book # 35: Boundaries

Book: Boundaries
Author: Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend
Acquired: Jumped in my cart while I was browsing the books at Salvation Army.

The subheading of this book says it all, "When to say YES, When to say NO to take control of your life."

I would like to buy a dozen copies of this book to hand out to all my friends. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time saying no in this performance-driven, you-are-what-you-produce culture. What if I don't seem spiritual? What if I miss out on something? What if I hurt someone's feelings?

I feel too busy...I think I read somewhere that busyness is a sign of an empty heart....I tried to find it, but found something else:

“We often say we’re busy, but what does this term mean? We just say it without thinking because it’s an easy response and it sounds good. It sounds better to say that we’ve been keeping busy than to say we’re doing nothing, right? . . . Beneath this cultural pressure lies a more poignant and sobering truth: busyness is a sign of vanity. We find our worth through our busyness." - Intervarsity Website

I feel sad for my students. They are the busiest people I know. They fly from one activity to another, filling up their college resumes, yet leaving their hearts behind.

It comes down to this: "Our lives are our responsibility...A helpful way to understand setting limits is that our lives are a gift from God. Just as a store manager takes good care of a shop for the owner, we are to do the same with our souls."

Do you have trouble saying "NO"? NO, to the co-worker who constantly needs you to rescue them from their lack of responsibility? NO, to the friend who only calls to dump all her problems on you and never asks how you are doing? NO, to yourself when you keep wanting to keep hitting the snooze button every morning? NO, to the people in your church who want you to teach Sunday School even though you are already greeting and helping with the Women's Retreat?

READ THIS BOOK!

2. Break 25 minutes for a 5k- Attempt #1

To celebrate 30 years of life, I have a list of 30 things I would like to accomplish this year. Very high on that list is running a 5k in less than 25 minutes. Last fall I ran the HFFA 5k in 25:25, just 25 seconds away!

This morning, however, was not quite so close. It was a slow 27:52 at the Hit the Brixx 5k.

Oh well!

At least three good things came out of this morning:
1. I learned what NOT to do: NO coffee before a run. NO dairy products for breakfast. NO staying up to late the night before. NO waiting til the last minute to hydrate. NO benadryl. NO running while you are sick.

2. I got to eat free Brixx Pizza AFTER the race. YUM!

3. Standing in front of me at the start line was a very inspirational woman. She was wearing a bright blue San Diego marathon technical tee, a bright blue hat to match her shirt, neon green socks, and silver earrings. Her name was Harriette and she was 87 years old! When I asked Harriette about the San Diego marathon her son answered saying that she had won her age group 12 years in a row and had raised more money for Team in Training than anyone else.

I found her name in the results and then asked Mr. Google to help me learn more about this incredible lady - stalker-ish, I know.

Article in Run, Theoden, Run
Article at Runnersworld.com

I hope that I can still run and enjoy life when I am Harriette's age, and perhaps by then I will have broken that 25 minute goal!

Next attempt: Lung Strong 5k in Cornelius on Oct. 16!

14.2 Made from scratch Pizza Dough

Item # 14 on the list of 30 things to do this year: Cook using a recipe....once a month.

I haven't been too consistent on this one, so let's just modify the goal to cook 12 new things from a cookbook! This weekend my niece Cheyenne helped me make homemade PIZZA!! So many questions came up:
- does a teaspoon of sea salt equal a teaspoon of regular salt??!! Not sure, but the pizza dough was way too salty!!
- how do you measure yeast? It says on the back of the packet that one packet equals 2 1/4 teaspoon....but I only needed 1 1/2 of a teaspoon....so I used a teaspoon, but it took the whole packet to fill it up?!
- are there any special rules for using wheat flour?

Cheyenne didn't complain, though, so I am content!

18. Have my niece over for a weekend

My niece Cheyenne came and spent the weekend with me! YAY! We watched the SLCA Eagles win in football, took the dog for a jog, went to the park, made homemade pizza and went to church. Fun weekend! Hats off to my sister who works hard being a mom every day!!

Urban Cowboy

Anyone see anything out of the ordinary in this picture?

The other day I looked out my window to see 8 neighborhood guys ride by on their...horses?

Shepherd King

What a sweet sound to hear the Shepherd call!
Hear and obey, rend him our all.
His loving staff will correct a wondering heart, should it misstep

Shepherd King
Your hand gently leads
Your sheep hear your voice
and following it rejoice

What a sweet sound to hear the Shepherd call.
The only one who can restore our hearts.
Who leads us where the still waters run to give us rest

Shepherd King
Your hand gently leads
We don't know the way,
still we trust your heart

Life in a Boat

So what do you do
When life is not what you hoped,
And you find yourself alone
Out in the ocean in a boat?

What do you say
To the sky up above
As you scan the horizon
Looking for the one you love?

What do you feel
When no one answers back
When it seems like your fault,
Your navigation's just off track?

What do you think
When the waters are too deep,
Do you grab a life vest,
Or just let yourself sink?

El pajarito

Un poema
Por Trish

¡Suéltame ya, quiero volar!

No en mi mente, sino en mi corazón.
Quiero ser libre y sin inhibición.
Libre para ser y desear,
Libre para vivir y amar sin dudar.

Pero un pájaro libre no puede volar
Si lleva adentro una jaula.
¿Quién tiene las llaves para soltar
el pajarito que quiere cantar?


-- Post From My iPhone

Book # 34 Shepherding a Child's Heart- Tedd Tripp

"There is another problem. If you address only behavior in your children, you never get to the cross of Christ. It is impossible to get from preoccupation with behavior to the Gospel. The Gospel is not a message about doing things. It is a message about being a new creature. It speaks to people as broken, fallen sinners who are in need of a new heart. God had given his Son to make us new creatures. God does open-heart surgery, not a face-lift. He produces change from the inside out. He rejects the man who fasts twice a week and accepts the sinner who cries for mercy." - Tedd Tripp


-- Post From My iPhone

Linares

Saturday I had the joy of being with my friend Julie as she fulfilled an item on her list of 101 things to do in the next 1001 days. We ate at an authentic Mexican Restaurant on Central Ave! I barely knew the this part of Charlotte existed. All of the signs were in Spanish. The ones that weren't were in Thai or Korean or Vietnamese. It was a fun cultural outing! Oh....and the food was DELICIOUS!

Goodbye

Dear Summer,

Thank you for many sunny days, poolside fun with friends, relaxing mornings to read to my heart's content, too much coffee, sweaty runs, blooming crape myrtles, and evening walk with my dogs. They say I have to go back to school tomorrow. I will miss you!

So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, good night,
T


-- Post From My iPhone

Wierd!

"We're all a little weird & when we find those people whose weirdness is compatible we join up with them & fall into a mutually satisfying weirdness & call them our best friends."

- Corey Matthews, Boy Meets World

FREE PUPPY

Meet Maggie!

She is sweet, playful, loves kids, has all her shots, is fixed and looking for a fun home! Maggie is about 8 months old. Let me know if you are interested!

Sand Castles

I'm giving up on my own plans
castles just made of sand
They've crumbled, fallen at my feet.

I keep trying to rebuild them,
but your waves crash and knock them down
Your mercy comes and takes them from me.

Because I cannot live here,
In this house that I have constructed.
I cannot live here,
All my building was in vain.

You bid me come and follow you,
leave behind all that I once knew
for a land I have yet to know

You've made me for a better place
one that cannot perish or fade
help me to hide my treasure there

Because I cannot live here
In this house that I have constructed
I cannot live here
All my building was in vain

The Train

Tonight I went with a friend to a concert downtown. We decided to take the light rail rather than dealing with the hassle of trying to find a parking space close to the arena.

After the concert we found ourselves waiting on the train platform with about 300 other Charlotteans who were in a hurry to get to their various destinations. A lady beside us caught my attention. She was obviously upset that the train had not yet arrived. She was beginning to sweat in the heat of the evening. Every few seconds she would look down the track and mumble something about "why in the world isn't the train here yet."

Perhaps she is unaware that grumbling and continually looking down the tracks and being anxious about the arrival of the train will not bring its coming any sooner. The train will get there when the train gets there.

Perhaps I am unaware that being anxious and grumbling and continually straining to see into the future will also fail bring the things I hope for any sooner.

Sometimes I wonder if the train will ever come.

Sometimes I panic and think I have missed the train altogether.

Sometimes my friends get on the train and I have to wait for another.

Sometimes I get on the train and leave my friends behind.

Oh how I wish I could control the train. But I know that being anxious and fearful does nothing to bring or stop its coming. If only I could learn to trust the conductor. He seems to know exactly when the train should come.

Psalm 31:1-3, 14-15, 19, 24
¹ In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

² Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

³ Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."

¹⁵ My times are in your hands;

¹⁹ How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.

²⁴ Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.

Central Coffee

I just visited Central Coffee for the first time. Loved the atmosphere and the staff. They use Dilworth Coffee, so it was pretty delicious! They also offer the option of using a mug if you decide to drink your coffee there. Yum!

Book # 26: Choosing Rest

" Today may be your opportunity to choose to pursue rest in the midst of the battle you face. Can you take a break from all your trying? Can you give thanks and celebrate the goodness of what is? Can you allow the present to be imperfect? Will you let God- rather than fulfilling circumstances or a put-together heart- be the place you call home? If you do, the gate of rest will open to you."
- Sally Breedlove, Choosing Rest

Jesus I am resting, resting

In the Joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power
Thou hast made me whole.

O how great Thy loving kindness.
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings;
Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting;
Fill me with Thy grace.
- Jean S. Pigot, 1876

14.1 Chicken Salad

I added cooking to my list of 30 things to do because it is something that I rarely do, but definitely a skill worth having, especially since eating Peanut Butter sandwiches, oatmeal, and cereal for the rest of my life is not a prospect worth looking forward to.

The first recipe did not actually come from a cookbook, but from the Pioneer Woman's website. If you have not heard of the Pioneer Woman, consider checking out her site for fun recipes (with super helpful pictures for each step), homeschooling ideas, photography, and a really sweet love story of how she, a city girl, fell in love with a cowboy and moved to the country. *sigh*

Recipe # 1: Chicken Salad

I cannot actually comment on if the recipe was good or not because I have a tendency to look at the recipe and get overwhelmed with all the details and then do my own thing. So, the result of doing my own thing.....ummm.....a little dry. More dressing next time.

5. Take Guitar Lessons

Goal number 5 on my list of 30 things to do this year is to take guitar lessons. I started trying to teach myself in college. My friends Alli and Chuck Norton can tell you that it was a rough start. Alli, who was my roommate at the time, had to kindly tell me that I was playing in one key and singing in another when I couldn't figure out why the words didn't seem to fit with the chord I was playing. Chuck later stepped in and gave me some beginners advice.

That was a long time ago (we won't say how long), and it is time to get some real lessons, if for no other reason than to be able to lead worship in small groups with a little more confidence and to try to write some songs (not necessarily for public consumption, but as a means of processing and thinking through life....I uploaded these one day while I was bored over Christmas break)

Second guitar lesson starts at 3pm tomorrow! Time to go practice!