More Mother Running Fun

I am on the fence about possibly running the Memorial Half Marathon in OKC.  I need to get this nailed down because I don't want to begin running 7+ milers on the weekend for no reason.  I'm sure it would be in the best interest of health, but I find "in the best interest of health" non-motivating.  When I first started running back in 2009, the only reason I would go is because I made a deal with myself that every 20 miles logged I would go get a drink at Starbucks.  If I didn't hit the 20 miles, no coffee for me.  I kept a log on the fridge and that was pretty effective.

I can't really do that now because I can make my own lattes with my Nespresso machine at my house, which may be the best Christmas gift in the history of my life.  They are not paying me to say that (maybe they should) nor are they giving me any complimentary Nespresso capsules (I know they should do at least that) which would be nice because I'm already close to out of the 200 or so we purchased at Christmas...hmmm.  That's a latte drinks.  (Please forgive me for that...)

I'm sure the amount you care about how much I do or don't want to run some half marathon and the amount I'm in love with my espresso machine is little to none so I will also provide you with the top five reasons Can't Hold Us by Macklemore is my primary running jam at the moment.

Top 5 Reasons Can't Hold Us by Macklemore is My Primary Running Jam at the Moment

1.  Cowbells

2.  Clapping

3.  Mackelmore!  Love. Him.

4.  There is some serious low brass going on.  I picture someone running after me blaring at me with a trombone.

5.  The lyrics...This could be a really long reason but I'll shorten it to say that most of it just gets me really pumped up especially because when I run I'm like a great white shark on shark week....

6.  There is a personal shout out to me at the 3:38 minute mark.  He distinctly says "That's Rachel right here".  Listen closely.  You'll agree.

I can count to 5 but I threw an extra one in there just for YOU!

Cheers!

Wait for it....

I usually don't write about anything too serious on this blog, and I try to avoid social/political/religious issues because, as you can see from past blog posts, I just keep it light, non-serious and attempt to keep it humorous.  HOWEVER...I have been reading www.shereadstruth.com on a (somewhat) daily basis and the task assigned to me and everyone else included reading and reflecting on Psalm 130.  So that is what I am about to do.

The book of Psalms started as one of my favorite books of the bible because it is poetry, mostly written by King David.  I did that thing in high school where I deemed myself as artistic and wrote poetry and channeled my dark and twisty self by writing artistically.  I still have my composition notebook that holds a somewhat humorous but not intended to be humorous collection of poetry about love, life and how much I ended up hating that one boy I briefly dated.  If I was brave, I would post a sample just for your amusement.  I'm not that brave so you will just have to trust me when I say it is pretty ridiculous....this point being I loved reading Psalms during that time in my life based solely on the fact that it is poetry.  (and also I was always trying to pinpoint the psalms in which David had that thing going on with Bathsheba.  oooo I needed the drama!)

I still really enjoy the book of Psalms because of the simple truths that can be found there.  Most of these were written by King David, like I already mentioned, but reading my bible notes it says Psalm 130 may have been written by Hezekiah, but its officially by anonymous.  (I should make sure my little book of poetry is officially by anonymous...)  In Psalm 130 our psalmist eloquently says a few things about forgiveness and waiting:

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits.
and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Verse 3 and 4 are legit.  Thankfully, God is better at forgiveness than I am.  As I get older, I see that everything carries weight in life.  When someone wrongs me, depending on the severity of the wrong, I can usually, eventually muster up forgiveness and all is good.  When someone wrongs those I love...well, I find it less easy to forgive.  It's can be easy for me to tally up wrong doings of the party doing the wrong.  I can create a pretty detailed list.  A record, if you will.....The good, wonderful and amazing news is that The Lord has no record of sin, only a sea of forgiveness.  I know that to be more Christ-like I need to strive more toward the sea of forgiveness thing...It warms my heart to know that of all the things I fail at and need forgiveness for, God has no record!  He only has an abundant store of forgiveness and love waiting to lavish on us.  How freeing!

My favorite part of this passage happens in the next two verses.  I can feel the waiting in this verse.  On the forgiveness scale I think I could muster up about an 8 but on the scale of waiting I'm about a 3.  Waiting is not my forte.  If you want me to ruin my, and probably your, afternoon put me on hold for 30 minutes with customer service and then send me back into the touch tone portion of the call...Whoever started the "put your number in for a call back" option deserves a medal!!!  Learning to wait is one of the tougher lessons I have learned/am still learning.  I fully believe that the things we work hardest at completing and accomplishing end up meaning the most to us.  The Lord teaches us different things through all kinds of circumstances, good and bad.  Often, I learn the most through periods of waiting.  I want my very being, the depths of my soul to wait.  To patiently wait and listen.  I think of it as soul conditioning.  (Those circumstances I was talking about are kind of like those conditioning tests we took in Elementary PE.....but for our spiritual life, to break it down in a very cheesy comparison!)  These two verses challenge me to wait. To be still, patient and quiet.  To listen and wait for Him as he gently leads my soul.

And those are my thoughts on Psalms 130.

Until next time!

Enjoying the Christmas Hangover

I just need to take a moment and apologize for not spelling ad correctly a few posts ago. The bad thing about having a blog is that everything you publish stays.

Christmas this year equated none I've experienced so far. Having a child of my own brought such joy and simplicity to the season. It was her second Christmas but she was more aware this year and has developed enough to show excitement and anticipation for Christmas day. I wont forget the sweet little voice chanting from the backseat of my car, "Santa! Presents!" Or the nightly request to read the story about Jesus's birth.

I tucked into my heart the night my little family drove through the Yukon lights and that sweet baby said over and over, "lights! Fun." I'll remember forever the excitement on her face with each lighting of the tree. I am so thankful we live near our families this year and for many to come!

I'm not ready for the holidays to be over. Not. At. All.

So I'm leaving my tree up all year. Just kidding. I took that thing down two days after Christmas so I could breathe again (scrooge). I am not quite ready to delete any yet to be seen Hallmark and/or Lifetime Christmas movies from my DVR. So, until May or so you can come here for Christmas TV movie reviews.

Until then, cheers.

Recipe for Disaster

This would be the name of my cooking show; pun intended.

Am I the only one that has a fake cooking show while baking?  I bet real hosts of cooking shows don't need a change of clothes halfway through the episode nor do they use approximately 10 different measuring cups when only 3 are needed if simple fraction addition is applied correctly.  BUT You know what else they don't have?  Mad spatching skillz (skills using the spatula).

These qualities should make marketing my show THAT much more easy.  Who wouldn't want to watch such whimsy?  It would make every housewife in America feel good about themselves.  Cooking with realism.  It's powerful.

In other news....

Child=napping.
Starbucks drink=demolished.
First Christmas present of the season=purchased.
Kitchen sink=clean.

Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta.

Application, Schmapplication

Today I spent approximately 3 hours applying to one single solitary school district. had to get in the closet, avalanche. Ridiculous requirements, including a shock of my hair and a copy of my foot print.

**This is a draft I just published from 2010 when I briefly moved to Houston so I could go on the "Parade of Jobs."

That's all.

Don't Let The Man Get You Down

You're welcome.  I decided to allow adds on my blog.  Then I changed my mind.  Just wanted to keep you updated on the level of care.

Add free for your ultimate enjoyment.

Plus I'm lazy and I didn't want obscene advertisements and the list of choices to block or not block had approximately 20 pages and now I blog in run-on sentences and the quality of writing is just way down here with the be verbs and whatnot abounding and I don't think getting a $10 check every three months for my blog is good for my self esteem and The Man is just peeking around every corner of every advertisement; they can't fool me.

Winning.

Other wins today:

Positive potty experience (I am referring to my toddler, no I'm not that weird.)
Homemade fried rice AT LUNCH (I'm like freaking suzy homemaker, although I'm sure suzy would go ahead and cook dinner but I'm using this as a reason to NOT cook dinner)
Un-monetizing my blog (I'm so free right now I might just float away)
Acquiring a spot in the queue for an emergency bug spray this afternoon (I killed multiple spiders and such in my house, a win? not so much...although its more of a win for me than my little buggy friends (read with accent))

Until next time (when I tell you about how I got kicked out of the free food tent at the race Saturday) Keep your eye on The Man and cheers!  

If I've taught you anything, it's to watch out for The Man.  And trip him.  (Just say no to advertisements).

PS-I solved for "X" Saturday morning at the race.  X = sore hips and knees and a race time reflective of the rest on the side of the road around mile 10 for a sock adjustment...and then a few minutes later I was still sitting.  But over all, it was a really great experience.  We saw our friends, enjoyed the scenery, ate really great food and I finally got my husband hooked on running so that was a win.  I can't wait to get my toe healed so I can beat the pants off him at the next race.  Babe, I hope you read this.  But I'm sure you won't, because you never do (we have a real healthy relationship, y'all.  No really.)

Don't Want Nun

Feeling old...being tailgated by a nun in a truck says something both about my grandmotherly driving skills and where I live.

Had lunch with one of my oldest and dearest friends today, there's a briskness in the air that I love and a whole pot of afternoon coffee waits for me.  My sweet baby sleeps soundly and all is right with the world in this moment.

Except for all the laundry.  Why is there so much laundry?!  It's like a horror film with cotton and soap.

But I'll worry about that tomorrow.

Cheers.