Blessed to Be Stretched

"I want a different life." Those were the acrid, bitter words that came out of my mouth one Friday night. It had been a long week at work. Traffic was terrible. Grocery shopping took forever. I was tired. And I had so much left to do.

But almost as soon as I said those words, I regretted them. The Holy Spirit's conviction came fast and hard. Did I really want a different life? The reason why I felt stressed was because I had so much. I had a home that required care. I had a job that required time. I had food that needed to be put away, and/or cooked. I had a husband that needed attention. But did I really want to give any of it up? By all means, no! These gifts added responsibilities to my life, but they were also blessing.

This season of life has been stressful. The many things I have to do weigh heavily on me at times, but I don't want to go back. I want to move forward by God's grace and in His power.

Blessed to be stressed? Yes. But I am also blessed to be stretched. God is Sovereign. He saw this season coming. He ordained it. May I be faithful to my calling within it.

Blessed

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

~Titus 2:3-5

My Mom has set an example for me in so many ways, but as I prepare to get married in a few short weeks, I've been reflecting on all the ways that Mom has imaged for me what it means to be a godly wife:

• Mom reads her Bible and prays daily. This isn't necessarily marriage related, but it's priority related. Christ is a priority for my mom, and because of that, she is able to be a godly spouse.
• Mom gives of herself sacrificially. She recognizes that sometimes denying herself means deepening her relationship with Dad, and she finds satisfaction in that.
• Mom respects Dad. She doesn't boss him around. She doesn't make fun of him. She doesn't demean him. Rather, she respects and honors him, especially in the presence of others.
• Mom is 100% faithful to my dad. Divorce has never been an option, and has never been mentioned in our household.
• Mom speaks her mind, and then submits. Mom is a smart lady and she says what she means, but then she obeys Dad, even if it's hard, because she believes that Dad is her God-given authority.
• Mom is a detail person, but doesn't major on the minors. She accepts that Dad is different than her and she loves him anyway.
• Mom genuinely enjoys spending time with my dad, and she talks about it. She expresses gratitude for the little things he does and gives thanks at all times for him.

Mom doesn't disregard the hard parts of marriage, but she says she wouldn't want to do life without Dad. She always casts marriage in a positive light, as the good gift from God that it is.

So on Mother's Day this year, I'm celebrating Mom, not just as my mother, but as an example of godliness in marriage. May Christ continued to be formed in her, even as He is formed in me.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I love you!

My First 10K

I saw a meme on Pinterest that said:

Yeah, maybe that applies to me. I ran Pat's Run last weekend, and my first 10K today. A long run last week was part of the 10K training I did, but yes, it was still a lot of running. At least this race was local.

The Whiskey Row Marathon is pretty iconic, mostly because of the hills. The 10K I ran accompanied it. The race supports the YMCA, so I felt good about registering, even if I couldn't run (but I'm glad I did.)

I picked up my packet and bib Friday evening at the YMCA. The goody bag wasn't the greatest, but I'm not necessarily in it for the goody bag. I'm in it for the run, and the medal and the t-shirt (if I can have the latter two). 

It had been a long week, so I decided to do a little self-care Friday evening and painted my nails. How funny that the Sally Hansen color was called Red-y to Run!

Wake-up came at 5 am Saturday. I listened to my Bible readings and got ready to go. It was cold! Chris picked me up at 5:45 am.

Unlike last weekend, the roads were dead. Downtown was dead. We kind of just roved around for awhile. But then they started the half-marathon, and the two mile. A Guidance helicopter flew over before my race.

At 7:20 am, the Regulators shot their rifles and we were off! I knew the first part of the course was hilly. I saw a lady from church and she told me where the worst was. (It was bad, but I guess since I made it back down the other side, it doesn't seem as bad now.)

I told myself not to go fast, as I wanted to finish, and have never run a documented 6.2 miles straight before. I wanted to enjoy a little of the scenery along the way, because it was pretty. 

I mean, look at Thumb Butte!

I wanted to finish in an hour if I could, and by my phone pacing, thought I could.

And guess what, I did! The last hill and corner were a little hard, and I was tired, but I finished! And I ran the whole way!

My dad and Mom and fiance were all at the finish line. That was pretty sweet. 

                            

   

And we all went to breakfast afterward. I've wanted to go to Lone Spur Cafe for awhile, and there wasn't even really a wait!

I got the skinny cowboy skillet with basted eggs and raisin toast. (I think the strawberry jam was homemade.) Yum!

Then it was off to run errands, home for a shower, and more errands. I got pretty tired after lunch, so I took a nap.

All in all, it was a good day. 

Praise the Lord! 

Praise the Lord that I was healthy. 

Praise the Lord that I finished. 

Praise the Lord for the support of loved ones.

Praise the Lord for good food.

Praise the Lord for nice weather.

Praise the Lord for rest.

Praise the Lord, and to Him be the glory!

When Times are Good...

Life is a swirl of excitement right now. There's a new niece, and wedding planning, and friend visits, and spring, beautiful spring! I want to celebrate it all and live out this season of celebration, but honestly, there's still fear. 

Fear of not having enough time to invest with all the people I love
Fear of missing out on one thing or another
Fear of the other shoe dropping and this facade of happiness crumbling
Fear of sickness
Fear of conflict
Fear of fear

And all the fear eats at my joy.

"When times are good, be happy," King Solomon wrote (Ecc 7:14a, New International Version). That's the sentiment that keeps coming back to me. So I'm trying. Trying to live in the moment. Trying to wring every drop of joy out of this season. These times are a blessing, for God has blessed me.

With family I love
With a fiance I love
With a beautiful new niece who's growing by the day
With warmer weather
And sunshine-y days
And hiking
And living 
And planning
And breathing
And being

WITH BEING A BELOVED CHILD OF GOD!

Hard times will come. That's what the latter part of the verse says. But God has made the happy times as well as the hard. I want and need to celebrate both.

My Father's Daughter

I am my father's daughter. We both like red and flannel and good food and car shows. But that's surface level stuff. Ask my mom, and she'll tell you Dad and I fought when I was growing up because we were so much alike in our personalities. 

I've been home two years now and I'm so thankful for the opportunities I have now to really get to know and appreciate my dad more. He's so creative and inventive. He's a hard worker and a leader. He takes really good care of my mom and I. He show me what it looks like to have love and respect from a man. 

But above all else, my dad loves and follows his Heavenly Father, and in part because of him, I am that Father's daughter.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I love you.

The Travel Diaries of a Dumb Blonde

I don't need to dye my hair. My roots show.

Example #1: I drove down to the airport Thursday night and parked in the same parking lot as last time. I had to park a little further out, but oh well. I have legs. "No worries," I thought. "I'll be fine once I get to the terminal."

At the terminal, I realize, "Oh yeah. This airport has several terminals. Better find the one for my flight." So I find a walkway to the next terminal and take it. Then I realize this is still not the terminal for my airline. I go downstairs and see that this terminal isn't connected to my terminal. I hear a lady telling another flier to take the SkyTram, so I go back upstairs, wait for the trolley, and ride on over to my terminal. I've spent over half an hour walking by this point, and still need to go through security. A little research beforehand or at least reading terminal signs might help me in the future....

Example #2: I open my suitcase and realize that besides church clothes and running clothes, I only brought one shirt. And I don't have a belt for jeans that REQUIRE a belt to wear them. I need pants and more than one shirt for a four day trip. Target wasn't a solution, either. I tried.... Thankfully my sister-in-law is tall enough to have clothes and belts that fit me. Note to self: Make a packing list and double-check your suitcase for appropriate apparel before you go....

The trip went well, praise the Lord! (More on that later.) But I think I need to find a balance between being a perfectionistic planner and throwing all cares to the win. I got blessed this time.