Having the urge to write just a little...a lot of change is happening once again in a couple areas of life. Summer in and of itself is a huge change with temps, my appetite, running and counseling. We are now beginning to move furnishings into staff offices at the church and it is a little overwhelming thinking about what might go best in a therapy setting. I've just always have done with what was given to me, but now that I might have some input into what would be most "therapeutic" it's a little daunting.
Counseling sessions are either becoming more check-ins with people since they are currently working on things or crisis situations which often becomes a place where I am given the opportunity and challenge of walking with someone through their pain. I have to be honest in saying that it is not easy and sometimes I think that I'm too sensitive and am unable to really place their pain where it should be placed for me to continue on in my day once the session is done.
With temps in the 90s there is no way I am going to run and thus, early morning activity is the only activity I will do outside of a pool. I'm tryng to think of more activities to do with Ian now that he is older when we have time with him. The poor thing though gets so hot and has my skin so he will burn and get so red.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Duathlon
Spirit of Jasper Duathlon
This morning was a new experience for me, one that included cycling along with running (run 5k, bike 15 miles on a very hilly course, run 5k) and as hard as it was - it rocked!
I achieved a time of 1:51:27 which equals 5k 27:34, 15 mile bike 54 minutes, 5k 27:02. And well I'm pretty excited. My legs had a little bit of a hard time up a lot of the hills but the Trek Road Bike I have made up for all of it. I ended up passing 6-7 people on the cycling course who beat me on the 5k run inititally b/c I think I had the road bike.
Here is the route:
I don't think I could be more happier and it really did feel good. Mark and Ian were along the route at various time which was awesome and so motivating! All the volunteers were great and the participants were wonderful. I may be an "Average Jane" (no offenses to Janes out there) but I do think that I'm a pretty steady average Jane and am so proud of the legs God gave me today! Cheers!
All the stress of various circumstances just melt away as I run these races and it does make a huge difference when I can see my little boy cheering for me (even if he is sitting on a curb eating a granola bar happily) - he at least gave me 5. :)
This morning was a new experience for me, one that included cycling along with running (run 5k, bike 15 miles on a very hilly course, run 5k) and as hard as it was - it rocked!
I achieved a time of 1:51:27 which equals 5k 27:34, 15 mile bike 54 minutes, 5k 27:02. And well I'm pretty excited. My legs had a little bit of a hard time up a lot of the hills but the Trek Road Bike I have made up for all of it. I ended up passing 6-7 people on the cycling course who beat me on the 5k run inititally b/c I think I had the road bike.
Here is the route:
I don't think I could be more happier and it really did feel good. Mark and Ian were along the route at various time which was awesome and so motivating! All the volunteers were great and the participants were wonderful. I may be an "Average Jane" (no offenses to Janes out there) but I do think that I'm a pretty steady average Jane and am so proud of the legs God gave me today! Cheers!
All the stress of various circumstances just melt away as I run these races and it does make a huge difference when I can see my little boy cheering for me (even if he is sitting on a curb eating a granola bar happily) - he at least gave me 5. :)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Nothing new besides Self-destructing
For anyone who really knows me will know, that when something falls apart or I perceive it as falling apart, I tend to self-destruct myself. I do those habits which are not beneficial and become quite indecisive about many things. How Mark can handle it I do not know. I am in that place presently and it is a very hard place for me to move from. But I have been here before...it sometimes waits for me and this time I am captured.
Only through humbling myself before God do I see Light and re-begin my journey with Him. I can't describe to you exactly right now on this blog how this all began but in vague terms, it began with uncertainty, misguidedness on my own part and details. It regards my purpose, what I perceive my purpose to be here on this earth, one of my roles and something that I cherish and it may all fall apart.
It is daunting and I already broke down with Mark but I can see more now how it is part of a framework for which I do not understand and although I may in my own mind (lose everything I worked for), in the end - it wasn't really mine to begin with. Sound vague enough for you?
Right now I know what I need to do: be obedient and follow though and walk in obedience otherwise I will self-destruct (which means gaining weight, not running, not caring, sleeping a lot & giving up)...none of us want that.
Only through humbling myself before God do I see Light and re-begin my journey with Him. I can't describe to you exactly right now on this blog how this all began but in vague terms, it began with uncertainty, misguidedness on my own part and details. It regards my purpose, what I perceive my purpose to be here on this earth, one of my roles and something that I cherish and it may all fall apart.
It is daunting and I already broke down with Mark but I can see more now how it is part of a framework for which I do not understand and although I may in my own mind (lose everything I worked for), in the end - it wasn't really mine to begin with. Sound vague enough for you?
Right now I know what I need to do: be obedient and follow though and walk in obedience otherwise I will self-destruct (which means gaining weight, not running, not caring, sleeping a lot & giving up)...none of us want that.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Six Essentials to Be Prepared for Emergencies
Today's Mama post: Six Essentials to Be Prepared for Emergencies
Have you ever researched recipes for “dry” shampoo? Or scoped out your backyard for possible latrine locations? These are some of the things that have been on my mind since the March 11th earthquake we experienced here in Japan. Fortunately, I only had to go two days with nasty hair and our toilets continued to work the entire time. But the “what-ifs” were pretty scary.
One thing that helped us get through our experience with slightly less stress, was the fact that we were mostly prepared. We had candles and flashlights with fresh batteries, we had plenty of stored food in the pantry, and we had 72-hour kits for 5 out of our 6 family members. We made it through 3 days with no power, eating and sleeping well. Not everyone was so lucky.
Since March 11, many people have been curious to know what we had or wished we had had. Lists of essential 72-hour kit items are all over the Internet, but for us, this list comprises the top 6:
1. Water.
Some people have ginormous water barrels. We have a few small flats of water bottles. Our water was fine, but the water supply off-base was contaminated with sewage and–obviously–unusable for a few days.
2. Light.
Flashlights are fine if you have fresh batteries. Candles are fine if they wont tip over in an earthquake. After 3/11, I decided to buy some Coleman LED Lanterns and tape good-quality batteries to the packages.
3. Food.
Normal food that your family will eat. Food that is instant or easy to prepare.
4. Propane.
Aside from the granola bars, it’s nice to be able to make and eat something warm. This requires a camp or cook stove of some sort and enough propane to use it–possibly for days. We had both and were able to make hot chocolate, oatmeal, mac & cheese, and pancakes. We even used our outside BBQ to make salmon the first night the power was out. Warm meals are very comforting. And speaking of comfort…
5. Warmth.
Whether this means a gas powered heater or a down-filled sleeping bag for everyone, this is important. The first night our power was out, the temperature dropped to below freezing. Luckily we had plenty of blankets to pile on everyone so we stayed warm over night, but we were scrambling a bit.
6. Radio.
Battery operated so you can find out if you need to evacuate in a hurry. And speaking of communication, it’s not a bad idea to have neighbors or friends you can check in with if there is some sort of disaster.
If this all seems overwhelming, don’t worry. There are plenty of companies out there that will put everything together for you. (We purchased our 72-hour-packs from BePrepared.com.) Throw in an outfit for each family member and you’re ready to go.
What ever you decided to do, just make sure you do something. Trust me, the more prepared you are, the better you’ll feel!
Have you ever researched recipes for “dry” shampoo? Or scoped out your backyard for possible latrine locations? These are some of the things that have been on my mind since the March 11th earthquake we experienced here in Japan. Fortunately, I only had to go two days with nasty hair and our toilets continued to work the entire time. But the “what-ifs” were pretty scary.
One thing that helped us get through our experience with slightly less stress, was the fact that we were mostly prepared. We had candles and flashlights with fresh batteries, we had plenty of stored food in the pantry, and we had 72-hour kits for 5 out of our 6 family members. We made it through 3 days with no power, eating and sleeping well. Not everyone was so lucky.
Since March 11, many people have been curious to know what we had or wished we had had. Lists of essential 72-hour kit items are all over the Internet, but for us, this list comprises the top 6:
1. Water.
Some people have ginormous water barrels. We have a few small flats of water bottles. Our water was fine, but the water supply off-base was contaminated with sewage and–obviously–unusable for a few days.
2. Light.
Flashlights are fine if you have fresh batteries. Candles are fine if they wont tip over in an earthquake. After 3/11, I decided to buy some Coleman LED Lanterns and tape good-quality batteries to the packages.
3. Food.
Normal food that your family will eat. Food that is instant or easy to prepare.
4. Propane.
Aside from the granola bars, it’s nice to be able to make and eat something warm. This requires a camp or cook stove of some sort and enough propane to use it–possibly for days. We had both and were able to make hot chocolate, oatmeal, mac & cheese, and pancakes. We even used our outside BBQ to make salmon the first night the power was out. Warm meals are very comforting. And speaking of comfort…
5. Warmth.
Whether this means a gas powered heater or a down-filled sleeping bag for everyone, this is important. The first night our power was out, the temperature dropped to below freezing. Luckily we had plenty of blankets to pile on everyone so we stayed warm over night, but we were scrambling a bit.
6. Radio.
Battery operated so you can find out if you need to evacuate in a hurry. And speaking of communication, it’s not a bad idea to have neighbors or friends you can check in with if there is some sort of disaster.
If this all seems overwhelming, don’t worry. There are plenty of companies out there that will put everything together for you. (We purchased our 72-hour-packs from BePrepared.com.) Throw in an outfit for each family member and you’re ready to go.
What ever you decided to do, just make sure you do something. Trust me, the more prepared you are, the better you’ll feel!
It's Been Awhile....
This past several days we have been blessed to hang out with the Messmore's (Mark's family) and it was very lovely. The difference during this trip for me (and this is me being very transparent) is that 1) Ian is older and more versatile with this routine and 2) my heart was guided much more by God and not by me.
It was a different experience for me to do my Breaking Free study each morning and also to exercise (to run in town - 10 miles on Saturday & 4 fast miles on Monday). My mind was so much freer and my time with God was quite noticeable to me. I didn't try to figure out schedules or expect certain things from myself or others. I just went with those two things in mind that I knew I needed to focus on for myself (study & running) and just let the rest fall in place. I also made it intentional to not overeat and did very well with the exception of one meal. :S
Ian had a blast and spent time with his cousins, grandparents and aunt & uncle. It was so much fun to watch him enjoy their presence and playfulness with him. He cuddled with them, ate with them and also had his own playtime where we were able to watch him do "pretend play" and boy was he good! :)
Mark did 3 messages (sermons) for a revival at his parents' church and so he was busy doing that which was awesome. And he took the time to interact with family and to see Ian just blossom before our eyes. The ride there was awesome and seemingly quick at 6:30 hours - the ride back, not-so-much but we endured and even got to see my grandparents. Grandpa opened up his eyes for a little bit to see Ian and us which was priceless then went back into his "sleep state". I just hope Grandma gets some rest tonight.
More pictures to come later...
It was a different experience for me to do my Breaking Free study each morning and also to exercise (to run in town - 10 miles on Saturday & 4 fast miles on Monday). My mind was so much freer and my time with God was quite noticeable to me. I didn't try to figure out schedules or expect certain things from myself or others. I just went with those two things in mind that I knew I needed to focus on for myself (study & running) and just let the rest fall in place. I also made it intentional to not overeat and did very well with the exception of one meal. :S
Ian had a blast and spent time with his cousins, grandparents and aunt & uncle. It was so much fun to watch him enjoy their presence and playfulness with him. He cuddled with them, ate with them and also had his own playtime where we were able to watch him do "pretend play" and boy was he good! :)
Mark did 3 messages (sermons) for a revival at his parents' church and so he was busy doing that which was awesome. And he took the time to interact with family and to see Ian just blossom before our eyes. The ride there was awesome and seemingly quick at 6:30 hours - the ride back, not-so-much but we endured and even got to see my grandparents. Grandpa opened up his eyes for a little bit to see Ian and us which was priceless then went back into his "sleep state". I just hope Grandma gets some rest tonight.
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