5k Madness

This weekend marked my 3rd 5k race in three weekends. Not quite sure how I went from never running and hating it to doing 3 5K races in 3 weekends. And the even funnier thing is when I came home today, I looked at Paul and said, "What do I do? I don't have another one until Thanksgiving day."

I have heard running is addictive...but I never thought it would be taking me over. And well it has not completely. I am sure I won't fight a break too hard. But I will keep running in between now and Thanksgiving so I can hold my own with Paul and his brother Travis. (And by hold my own, I mean finish way behind them, but at least finish).

The previous are pictures from the 5k in Charlotte and from the one today with the kids from CYDC. The run today was not as much about time or even finishing but seeing the kids complete something. I first blogged about Running Free in July. Since then the idea came to fruition, money was raised, kids got shoes, and we started running. It was a great experience today to see those who had been committed since the beginning to follow through today.


They may not get it, but something as seemingly simple as following through with a commitment is a huge life lesson that I pray will serve them well in the rest of their lives. It is so easy today to say you will do something, but the follow through does not always seem to follow. While I was glad to see most of them run today, I was more excited about the follow through. If they get nothing else out of Running Free, my hope is that they get that. A commitment is a deal and a deal is a deal.

Ready ready ready to run......

By no means am I a naturally gifted runner. In fact it pains me to do it at all. Yet I have begun this process. I initially began because we were starting a running club at work. When "Running Free" began I knew I wanted to be part of it. Yet I also knew it would be a challenge. I have always had friends who have run. Then I had other friends who then began running. So looks like I gave into peer pressure huh?

But can there be such a thing as positive peer pressure? I think so:)

On Sunday I ran my first 5k. Now I have done 5k's and even 10k's. But that was walking. Running 3.125 miles is a different ballgame entirely.

I signed myself and Paul up for the 5k Pajama Run. I wanted to do this because I had decided to to a 5k with Joce and some friends from college in Charlotte in the coming weekend. And on Nov. 8 is my 5k with the kids from work. The pressure was on..I had to see if I could do this!

So Paul and I did it. I finished and only walked once. My time was 34 minutes...which is the best I have done so far. (Again I am not a runner at heart, speed is not my goal...consistency is.)

And I was so proud of my husband..he got 2nd place in his age division. He finished in 28 minutes. But get this, if I was younger my time would have won me an award. Isn't that weird? The older people ran faster..what in the world?

So here are some pictures from our effort. Next weekend....5k in Charlotte...hoping to improve my time. Maybe I should start keeping a running log like Linds!

What faith

Perception is Reality

I will be using some of these images to discuss with my kids the concept of perception. I have always been fascinated with how our brains see things. I think it is amazing that we see one thing, but then in stepping back we can see something different. The key is do we take time to step back?
And also does what you see first indicate your mindsight? I think it can. It can give an indication of our paradigm and how we see the world. What do you see in these pictures?
I will post later about what my kids saw and discussed in group in terms of their perceptions and biases. But for now...take a look yourself.

Mercy Ministries home in Charlotte!

This is definitely on my prayer radar!

Mercy Ministries

Please read and pray with me as it is an amazing place. And selfishly I would love to be part of it. Regardless of me, God has big plans for this place. I know it.

What can you do to help?

Honesty

No legacy is as rich as honesty. ~William Shakespeare

I should be in bed. I tend to stay up late on Sunday nights. I think it is partly being in denial that another week is starting. Maybe it is my last attempt to get a few quiet thoughts in before another week bombards me with its chaos. In being up tonight and planning some things, I came across this quote at the top of my planner. It struck me.

We often hear about leaving a legacy. Yet to me when we often hear that, leaving a legacy speaks of doing great and lasting things. I think of doing, not just being. Yet how important is being honest? And it is not one of the many things we have to do. It is something we can be.

Now I know that is way easier said than done. Being is a lot harder than doing. I think that is why we are a society of doers. It is much less time consuming and a much quicker process to do. We can check it off the list. Being is a process. It takes time. There is not a quick outcome.

However I want to leave such a legacy. I want people to say, "Wow, you can really trust her." I want people to say, "She is honest, I believe what she says." Now this is not because I care what people think. (But let's be honest, I do more often than I would like to admit.) It is because it is what I am called to. Because I believe in my Lord and Savior, I am called to be like Him. That means I am called to be honest. It means I am called to be a giver of hope, life, and truth. I am to flee from dishonesty. I am not to bare false witness.

It is easy at times to know all those things. It is easy to forget to. It is hard when you are surrounded by people who strip away at the truth and make it less than what it should be. It is hard when people say what they need to say to save face and protect their image and reputation. However in essence what kind of reputation is that? The truth does eventually come out. People will know that you fudge on stuff...and if you fudge a little, then over time that means you can fudge a lot. Isn't that a much cuter way of saying that someone is a liar?

I understand no one is perfect. In fact in doing assessments at work, if kids tell me they have never lied I respond with..."Really? Well sounds like you just did." I realize none of us are perfect. But we are called to that perfect standard that is only achievable with the help of our Jesus.

So Jesus I am asking you to help me leave a legacy of honesty. I am asking that I leave a legacy of honesty to those I work with, to those I meet, to the kids I work with, to my church family, to my friends, and to my family. I want to be remembered for something bigger than myself. Honesty is bigger than me. So Lord help me to leave that legacy.

Goal weight

I have officially reached the top of my goal weight bracket! This means I am where I need to be in regards to weight. I posted these pictures for somewhat of a before and after. I only posted it because I am wearing the same dress. The second picture was in March 2008 and the first is from this weekend at a weddding in Virginia. Both pictures are from weddings, but the main difference is about 25 pounds on each of us:)