Breathing Life

It is officially week 5.

Ted and I both stayed even on the weigh-in this week. Not bad. Considering the extra days off and the extra calories over the weekend. I did my measurements this week. I have lost over 8 inches. I dunno if I did the math right because I only measured one thigh, calf, forearm and bicep. I have lost 3.5 on my waist, but still haven't changed pant size, I don't know what that is all about.

I would call this weeks training triumphant. Tuesday I was able to add an extra mile to my run/walk and still kept my time at 12min miles. Today, Thursday, was a big day for me. I only did 2 miles but I ran the entire way. Up this crazy hill that has been mocking me on a daily basis. Today, that hill had nothing on me. I pushed through and made it up both times.

I actually started crying when I got to the end of the two miles. All week it has been on my mind to run two miles straight and conquer those hills. Ted told me I should be proud of myself if I could make it around one mile. These are pretty intense hills and I know he was trying to make sure I didn't disappoint myself. So, the alarm went off at 4:42am, I lay there for a few minutes talking myself into getting up. Hit the alarm when it goes off the second time, right then our dog walks in to check on us. I crawl out of bed, pee, brush my teeth (yes, I brush my teeth before I go), get dressed, stretch, grab my water, grab my keys and ipod. Yikes, it was freaking cold (28 degrees). I walked the first 5 minutes to warm up, which wasn't working. Then I just started running and kept running and the first hill came and I kept going. It was so strange, on the downhills I could actually feel my heart rate going down and my breathing ease up. Then up the next hill, down the next. Before I knew it, I had done it twice, 10 min miles.

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have been truly proud of myself. Particularly for something that was up to only me. When I tagged the back of our minivan, I broke into tears. I did it. Me. I ran that @#$% hill. Today, I am a conqueror because I believed I could do it....

To add to the playlist, it is a great song by one of my favorite groups, Skillet. (disclaimer: the video is a little graphic; clips from the movie "We Were Soldiers")

Skillet: Comatose

Weekend Update

This is actually an update that includes part of Madi's fall break. For some insane reason they start school at the beginning of Aug. Because they start so early, they take a week off in October?!! I know...strange...

So, we had a great week. Tuesday, Madi had her friends Savannah and Carson over to play. Wednesday, I met her new friend Hannah that just moved here from Texas. Hannah went to small group with us and stayed the night. Thursday morning we decided to pack up a picnic and headed to the mountains. We finally had a cold snap, so the leaves started to change. We had a great day. Jackie, Edwardo and Grayson joined us for the picnic.





Friday we met up with Jill and Rachael. We went to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. It was a lot of fun. Mellow for a Friday morning and the girls had the gym to play around in to themselves. Jill and I even got in on the fun and attempted a few back passes and free throws...amazingly no pictures of our attempts. We headed to Olive Garden for lunch then back to their place to "play" for a while.



Friday night me and the girls helped Ted set up the RV for tailgating at the Vols game on Saturday. I once again got lost in downtown. Even with TomTom I can't find my way around here. It is kinda sad. Madi and Ellie think it is part of our downtown adventures.....

Bill, Daren, Mark, Scott and Ted started the tailgating about 6 hours before the game on Saturday. I wasn't there so you would have to ask Ted what exactly they did. I do know that they didn't stay at the game through half-time.

Ted made it home Sunday morning in time to go to church with the girls and I. We had a mellow day. Ted cleaned out the RV (I didn't even go in it). Then took a nap :)

I took the girls up to the park to play on the swings for a bit. Our girls are not really a good mix with nap time.....

Swinging in Freedom

I love playing on swings (well, I use to). I love the feeling of being free. Having it in my own power to fly as high as I wanted to go. Sometimes, high enough to make the perfect leap with the perfect stuck landing. Sometimes, just high enough to lean back and stare at the sky, feeling the air flow past with all of the freedom rushing through me. And, slow enough that with very little movement, a few twists and a quick lurch, a controlled spin ensues with all of its anticipated excitement.

Playing on a swing does not hold the same experiences for me as it use to. Now I am thrilled with the joyful laughter it brings to my children. The constant call of "do-it-again". With a 1-2-3, anticipation builds as I finally run underneath them with one huge push. Away they go. One; with all of the strength and determination to go as high as her swing will take her. The other; in perfect trust that I will guide each swing just high enough to keep her safe and thrilled by the ride.

My children; their laughter is a constant reflection of my faith. Watching them swing reminds me of the Freedom I have been given through grace. I have such an amazing gift, one that allows me to live in flight. I am given the opportunity to fly higher and higher, make perfect landings or even take that freedom and bind it up so that I am spinning in circles. Regardless of what I choose to do with it, I am Free. His gift of life and freedom is waiting for a response from me.

Today, I am in a place of flight. I know I have more than I deserve. I will lay back in the height of my swing and breathe in His life as it flows past me. It is in the place of surrender that I know my God is amazing, His creation beautiful, and my Freedom is in Him alone.

I hope the next time that I am spinning in my own circles I will be reminded; God's freedom doesn't change. It is usually my need to take control that makes the movements in my faith small, causing me to get sick to my stomach.

Jason Upton: Freedom

VOTE

I just want you to know how important you are. Your vote counts. Make a difference and take the time to VOTE!! Whatever you believe, make your voice heard.

Your Dust Collectors Are Needed

WANTED

ALL OF YOUR BEST OF INTENTIONS

Is your closet hiding a fitness secret?

If we looked under your bed would we find an unused piece of exercise equipment?

If so, Don't fret!!



I have a solution for you......

I need your "stuff".

I need a jump rope, exercise bands, and the medicine ball that never actually got blown up.


Those crazy videos you bought with the best of intentions could be put to good use at my house.

In all seriousness, I am looking to accumulate a few new pieces of exercise equipment. Just the small stuff. If you have any that you would like to get rid of, let me know......

Keep Me Warm At Night

We are now officially 4 weeks in to our training. WooHoo!!


Last Sat we had a great run/walk together while we were camping. Even Ted was enjoying himself while he was singing the Rocky's theme up one of the hills. I don't know if I have mentioned this yet but this training has brought a new little spark into our marriage. Sometimes life gets busy and complicated and too many things get in the way of having a relationship with each other. Now, on Saturday mornings we are getting to spend time together, work hard together, motivate each other and laugh together.

One of the many life lessons coming from our training is finding balance. Balancing acts are a part of life with work, family, church and school. Learning to balance and find the right placement for all of life's priorities is hard to do. Right now, I feel like we are hitting a good groove. Finding time and energy to take care of our bodies and our relationships. Something always seems to get sacrificed in the process of finding balance. I suppose that is what will make it all worth it, the reminder of the cost to succeed. We are giving up bad habits for good ones. (Even if I have to give up seeing the last season of ER so that I can go to bed by 9:30)

Ted and I both had a great week on the scale. Ted is officially down 8 lbs and I am down 6. Hopefully by the time Spring Break gets here neither of us will be complaining about bathing suit season. We have a pretty good routine down now with my morning runs and his runs when he gets home from work. We both put in around 15 miles each for the weeks training. Fall officially hit this week and it was freaking cold in the mornings, I need to get use to that. On Monday, Ted was still snoozing when I got back so I curled right in next to him, I don't think he appreciated that very much. We should be thankful that we don't have to train in Wisconsin.

I had my first training day on a treadmill because of rain. It was awful. I have used treadmills before, but seriously, I have never run on one. My whole body was rejecting the idea that performing that feat on a treadmill was necessary. I will have to do it again I am sure, hopefully each time it will seem a little less hateful. On Sat I was able to do our run on a nature trail and it was wonderful. I loved the soft ground, the trees and the crisp air. Maybe each time I have to do the treadmill I will reward myself with a nature run, just a thought.

Okay, so the playlist song this week is another oldie but goody. I can't decide if my playlist ages me or not. Oh well, it is keeping me on my feet and pushing forward one step at a time.

The Romantics: What I Like About You

Weekend Update

We started off Friday with Birthday Celebrations for Madi...She got a new bike and cupcakes. I didn't take pictures of either (seriously!)
Friday and Saturday was the Canvas Camp trip. We had a great time. Good food, Good Friends and Good Conversation. (above: Mrs. Sue with Ellie, The Farquaads and Ted with baby Farquaad)

(below: Madi's best friend Grayson came camping with us, Madi on the tree swing, and a little proof that Engineering Brains; Zack, Ted and Daniel can implement their own strategies to accomplish getting ladderball golfballs out of a tree)



Sunday the kids performed their Fruit of the Spirit song. They are so adorable. I am a proud mama, both girls knew them all. Pictured with our girls are the other wonderful kids from Canvas. After six weeks of hard work all of the kiddos knew their fruit....


We spent Sunday afternoon napping and watching Green Bay kick some Colt bootty.....I love football!! I especially love Packer football!!

Birthday Promises

I decided to do a little cleaning up of my email box this morning and found this little gem. If you go to the link, enter your birthday in the boxes it will give you a Bible verse that goes with your birthday.

BirthVerse

Our Father's Promises in our Family Birthday Verses

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Walls

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired...You've always got to make the mind take over and keep going." - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

I am not a believer in coincidences. I think everything happens for one reason or another, however big or small. Everything has significance. Most of the time we fail to take time to pay attention and give things the value that they deserve. People especially have meaning and significance that we don't always honor. Recently my life has been changed in extraordinary ways by friends that are far away.

Many of you know that I struggle with self-deprecating thoughts. I can tear myself apart pretty easily. I know all of my weaknesses and continue to remind myself how truly inadequate I can be. My greatest challenge is to overcome these thoughts. I do my best to remember that I am a child of God, I am His. He knows me and loves me. He uses my weakness to show His strength.

A short time after my devotional time on Saturday I received a text from my friend Janell (gotta love technology). She was at a craft fair selling her pots to raise money for her missions trip to Africa next summer. She too had spent some time in prayer and chose to share some scripture with me.

Psalm 18:28-29 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

The words from the Psalm were the reminder I needed. If Janell realized it or not, her desire to share these beautiful words helped me find Hope. A wall, that is what my mind can be. A troop full of negative, hateful thoughts. Darkness in need of light. I can be a great encourager to my friends using God's Word but in the same breath forget their significance in my own situations. "...with my God I can scale a wall." I can overcome this in my life. With my God's strength and light I can have a renewed mind. I will scale this wall in my life.

In our God's perfect timing he also used the beautiful words in a worship song this morning. It is one that I have sung many times before, but today it had conviction. A portion of the lyrics by Jason Upton (I Will Wait):

There's a wall that stands in front of me

That I know I just can't climb

And like an eagle you will carry me

Its just a matter of the time

I'll Come Runnin'

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp, or are you going to be strong today?'" --Peter Maher,

I have never really considered myself a strong person. Physically; I am pretty strong, for a girl. Mentally; I am my own worst enemy. In record breaking time I could give myself a thousand reasons why running a marathon is a ridiculous notion. While I am reading some of the wonderful books that are preparing me for the run, I can feel the pressure push in on my chest. I can barely breathe when I think about running the entire 26.2 miles.

Four of my five training days I set the alarm clock for an insane hour, giving myself a few extra minutes to hit the snooze button at least once. In my 9 minute wait until I have to get out of bed, I try with all of my might to overcome the voices in my head. Can I do this? Will I make it? Deep down in me I have to know that I am worth this. It is not the hard work that is the problem, its convincing myself that I, Angie, can be and will be a marathon runner.

I have an amazing accountability partner, Sarah. She is the one that got this crazy idea in my head to begin with. We check in with each other every Monday with our progress and weigh-ins. I was fairly discouraged at the beginning of this week. I had one bad run last week where my legs were bricks and I had cut it short. My weigh-in went the wrong way on the scale, which just sucks. Sarah reminded me, today, of the hard work I am putting in. Thank you, Sarah. Thank you for lifting me up in my time of self doubt and weakness. I only hope I can be the same encouragement when you need me.

I needed the change in perspective. I needed to stop the overwhelming pressure of the forest and just focus on the trees. I need to focus one day at a time. I forgot that I had run 14 miles last week. Me, Angie, I ran 14 miles. GO ME!!

Today I was strong, tomorrow the alarm will go off and I will again decide to be strong.

A special song for all of the friends that keep me moving.

Carole King: You've Got A Friend

Shout Out

This Friday will be our baby girls 9th Birthday. That's right, Ms. Madi will be 9 years old. I am overcome with disbelief. How? When? Our beautiful blue eyed, catch-me-if-you-can is growing into a young lady. She has a mind full of curiosity, a hunger to explore, and a love of all things living.

Pride isn't a big enough word to say how we feel about our daughter. She is sunshine in our lives. Each day we thank God for her amazing heart. Pray with us as we continue to nurture her, care for her and teach her. May we continue to guide her and allow her to be the light she is to all that know her.

Happy Birthday, Madi-Rae. We love you!!

Honorable Mention this week goes to my sister Shawna. Out of respect we won't mention her age. We love you tons and wish you a wonderful birthday.

Punkin Painters

Taking advantage of Ted being in Baltimore we spent a little time after dinner decorating our pumpkins. I know, I am a totally lame mom and won't let the kids carve them. Hey, I am a person of practicality. Painting is only half the mess and our pumpkins won't rot out until November. We had a good time and made some beautiful works of art.

The Nose Knows

You Are the Sense of Smell

You appreciate the smaller things in life that few people notice. You notice subtle changes just as they happen. You're the first one to know if the seasons are changing or if the cookies are done. You love new environments, and you can recall all the places you've been. You have a sharp memory, and you are often nostalgic for the past. You enjoy traveling internationally. You have an easy time taking in a new place.

Which of the Five Senses Are You?

My Waterloo

Sunday afternoon we were driving to the Smokies for a picnic and a short hike. Our girls do a pretty good job entertaining themselves during mini-van rides. In the midst of their conversation Madi was talking about how when she grows up she is going to move back to Oregon, where she was born. She proceeds to talk about how I will someday move back to Utah and how Ellie and Dad will move back to Iowa.

Ellie, in all of her amazing wisdom pipes up and says "Daddy"
"Did you go to Iowa just to pick me up"

We spent an amazing three years in Iowa. Meeting some of the greatest people we will ever know. Creating friendships we will keep for our lifetimes. Ted found answers and guidance that brought Him into relationship with Our Savior. But, if you asked us why we were in Iowa, Yes, Ms. Ellie, we went to Iowa just to pick you up.......

Greeter, Really?

Job In Heaven Quiz





Your job in heaven would be :


Welcoming new arrivals and introducing them find their families


Find out what your job in heaven would be at Quizopolis.com

While The Mandolins Are Playing

This last weeks training went well. It feels a bit like a drag. I'm not sure why, I am just unmotivated. I got on the scale this Monday only to see a weight gain. Yuck!! Now, I am not in the marathon training to loose a bunch of weight but I was hoping that it would be a positive side-effect.

I walk/ran 14 miles last week. One mile shorter than the training. Thursday morning I felt like someone had tied bricks to my legs so I called it short. I felt better after doing an hour of yoga and stretching everything out.

The Sat and Sunday training with Ted is still going well. He runs faster than I do, I walk faster than he does. I know that our timing will get more off as we both get stronger. We will start doing our long Sat runs with the local running club so we can run with others at our own pace. It should add a fun new element to the training. Also give us a good gage of what we should be doing.

I am still really struggling to get 8 hours of sleep a night. I usually get around 6, on a good night. Luckily the workouts exhaust me, so that helps. I have tried setting a bed time but only have myself to really hold me accountable. Ted reminds me come to bed but doesn't drag me when I need the extra motivation. Maybe we can work something out in that area.

My song this week is a fun one. I couldn't find the exact version I have on the Ipod but this is close. Enjoy :)

Michael Bublè - It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)

Weekend Update

We hope everyone had a great weekend. Ours was good as usual. Busy and worth every minute.

Friday we enjoyed burgers at the best place it town. Yes, we splurged and it was worth every scrumptious bite of the bacon cheeseburger. Then we headed home for a little family fun on the Wii and played our new game, Active Life Outdoor Challenge. Good times.

Saturday morning we had basketball sign ups then headed to the pumpkin patch/corn maze with Madi's Girl Scout troop. It was a beautiful day. I don't know that I have ever been pumpkin picking when it was 80 degrees before.....


We buried their heads in the corn. It was a good time for about two seconds.

I don't know who's idea it was but the corn maze was shaped like Pat Summits head. Go Lady Vols!! This too was fun for the first few minutes then we broke the rules, went off the path and snuck out the entrance.....

We hit the farmers market on the way home and picked up some beautiful mums and of coarse a few good veggies to add to dinners this week. A few gourds of varying shapes and sizes that at some point will make a nice fall decor for the front walk, hopefully before the week is over. Bill and Jill invited us over so we grilled out and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Ladder ball tournament in full swing. We played a few rounds and enjoyed the great company. It was beautiful to watch the moon rise up over the neighborhood. Too bad the mosquitoes are still buzzin' around.

Sunday after church we headed out to the Foothills Parkway. Another beautiful day. The view was amazing. Every time our feet hit a new trail I am in awe of God's amazing creativity. The colors of life and fall changing right before our eyes. Mountains on the left, valleys on our right. I wonder if it is all just a glimpse of His true majesty.