Work In Progress

I'm still not ready to officially announce anything yet.  But I am getting closer to actually making the change and made some commitments to do this.  It's good, I promise.  But it is also a big, HUGE, scary step for me.  A leap of faith.  It is not a sudden change and will take a great effort from me and sacrifice from the rest of the family.  I am so blessed to have my family and friends on my side.  They all support this change.  My family is willing to make the adjustments that will be necessary - some definite, others possible.  It is a family commitment. 

I watched the movie "Faith Like Potatoes" this summer.  Check it out on Netflix if you haven't seen it yet. The farmer takes a huge leap of faith and puts the success and future of his community in the hands of God and a field of potatoes during a drought.  This is kind of how I feel.  I am in my own personal drought.  I am making a big change, a risky change, that I have prayed about, but that could be foolish and wasteful. I won't know until afterwards if it was wise and will benefit our family and community.  I have to trust God and pray that the sacrifices, time, and efforts will be worthwhile.

A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven

I'm not yet ready to make it public, but I am seriously contemplating a major life change.  I have been researching the possibility. I have talked it over with my husband, our older kids, my mom, and some close friends.  Each time I think there is a stumbling block or a potential obstacle, my family has been able to find a reasonable solution or an solution is presented, unrequested, from outside sources.

It is pretty huge, at least to me. And it isn't something I had ever considered before.  But too many pieces are falling into place for it to be a coincidence or a whim.  This seems to be the time for this change....

Neat-o! Look at my new skills!

I revised my post on the mud race to add photos!  My sister-in-law took pictures on race day and I had my brother email them to me so I could share them here and on Facebook.  I feel so proud of myself!  You have to promise not to try to find my wonderful family for stalking and other nefarious purposes.  Cross your heart.  Cross it!  Cross it!

See?  Didn't I tell you awe-inspiring? 
Isn't this stock photo awe-inpiring?

And I changed font size and color on the word mud.  Did you see it?  Did you?  Did you?  I feel like a whole new level of blogging has opened up to me! (Cue dramatic music.)  Be prepared for all sorts of amazing and awe-inspiring effects to show up in future blogs. 

Mud, Glorious Mud!

Filfthy Four: Millville Mud Run

I had a very dirty weekend.  A few cousins, their friends, my teenaged son and I all played in the mud.  OK, we were a team for a cancer charity mud run.  It was 4 hot, dusty miles of looping around a motorcross race track (with complimentary motorcross races occuring simultaneously with our race for added atmosphere) and  a bunch of mud, tires, and hay obstacles mixed in for variety every 1/4 -1/2 mile or so.  Some of the obstacles were just one element, some were a combination.  I think my son's favorite was the mud trough that was about 12 feet long and 3 feet deep  - oh, and with a gushy, muddy bottom that you sank into another 6 inches.  I personally loved the tire tower that most people gingerly climbed over using hands and feet.  Playing with my toddler on our local playground that is made entirely of railroad ties, chains, and tires was great training for this race.  I just walked right up the tower and back down the other side.

Headling over the last berm!

The last element on the course was a group of deep, wide, muddy water pits separated only by steep, muddy berms that rose up 2 feet above the muddy water.  These were all under a cargo net and strings of triangle flags so the only option was crawling through the mess and then crawling up and over those berms.  If you were somewhat clean before, you weren't anymore!  When I finished, I had mud caked on my feet, knees, hands and spread all over.  My toddler looked at me kind of funny, didn't say a word, started digging in my mom's purse and pulled out one tissue.  He carefully tried to clean the mud off my hand, touching me only with the tissue, so he wouldn't get any on himself.  After a few ineffective swipes, he frowned up at me and told me I needed a shower.  I asked him for a kiss before I went over to the hoses to wash the majority of the mud off.  He reached his lips to me for a kiss, all the while staying as far away from me as he possibly could.  Oh, my.  It was funny to see!

My mom decided this was the perfect race for me.  When I was a high school cross-country runner, every year we would run an invitational meet and the state meet at the same park, in the same month.  At every race, the course was a sloppy, muddy mess.  We never ran the course in nice weather.  It was always a rainy, snowy, sleeting, yucky mess of precipitation.  But, oh how fun the mud was!  And the whole course was a giant mud slide!  No PRs there! 

Going back even farther into my childhood, my mom also likes to remind me of all the times I came home from school wet to the knees on rainy days.  I had the appropriate rain gear, but I loved to splash in the puddles on the 1/2 mile walk home.  And the puddles were always soooo big, I couldn't possibly walk around them!  At least that was the story I stuck with every time.

Here I am getting ready to cross the finish line.

All in all, I think this was a great weekend for running.  I ended up with skinned knees from the stones mixed in the mud, so I feel 10 again.  I ended up muddy from head to toe and ran with my teen son, so I feel like a teen running at that park again.  I ran with my cousins who are all in their 20s, so I feel like a young adult again.  I ran at my slow pace that I have come to accept as the norm for me, so I feel like my super grown-up 40ish self.  How often in your life can you have the experience of all those ages of life at the same time?

Everyday Miracles

Children.
Childbirth.
Believing.
Sunset.
Stars.
Moon.
Sunrise.
Leaves turning orange.
Love.
Technology.
Flowers blooming.
Snow.
Thunderstorms.
Wine.
Kindness.
Engines.
Vision.
Hearing.
Taste.
Touch.
Smell.
Seeds.
Rising bread.
Hope.
Potty training.
Toddlers minds.
Music.
Forgiveness.
Math.
Physics.
Chemistry.
Biology.
Microwave ovens.
Freezers.
Faith.
Jesus.

Simple Blessings

Warm, dry home.
Family.
Health.
Good food every day.
Jobs.
Paychecks.
Friends.
Happy children.
Running.
Nice clothes.
Vehicles that work.
Good childcare.
Great work team and supervisor.
Volunteers.
Laughter.
Pain.
Trials.
Challenges.
2 1/2 year olds.
Potty training.
15 year olds.
Independent college students.
Responsibilities.
Health bars.
Tofu.
CSA.
Comfortable bed.
Bible study.
Church family.
Medication.
Running stores.
Books.
Movies.
Safety.
Love.
Husband.
Everything He provides.

When I Grow Up

Remember saying that as a child or even a teen? Always imagining what career we would have, where we would live, what our lives would be like. Well, I am grown up - I suppose - and there are still so many times that I wonder "What will I become?"  I love teaching and have an MS in Reading and Literacy. I love the non-profit that hired me a few years ago. I volunteered for the organization for several years before becoming a staffer. My family has benefited greatly from their participation, too. But still, when I am at loose ends, or just in idle moments, I find myself wondering "What will I be when I grow up?"

In the last 10 years or so my answer has run the gamut from professional quilter (with a full-size quilting machine to boot) to story-teller (I'm actually really good at that!) to mission teacher in a foreign country. I have considered these all seriously enough to research them.  My latest idle thoughts, however, have gone back to something I considered as a "side job" several years ago. Writing. Professional writing. I used to think I could be a novelist. But now I'm thinking more along the lines of non-fiction - reporter of how I see life, sort of thing. I know there are tons of those out there and I don't know if I could set myself apart enough to get published...if I ever got serious enough to actually send anything out.

I mentioned briefly in a previous post that I've dreamed of being an ultra-runner. I've even had the wild hare thought that I could run cross-country - literally cross....country, like Forest Gump cross-country - and cronical the experiences along the way.  Several people have ridden bicycles cross-country with little or no support.  Only, I'd really have to get serious about running ultras in the first place before seriously contemplating that.  And then I'd have to figure out if I would have a crew or just go it alone.  A long time ago, I read about a man who hiked the whole Appalachian trail.  To ensure a decent meal, shower, and bed at least once a week, he would make reservations at a fine hotel further down the trail and mail his clothes, etc. ahead. 

I could do that, right?  Only running the distance.  I'd probably have to run a few ultras to get used to the time on my feet.  Then maybe across the state.  Then build up so that I maybe could run farther.  So if I were going to write about this adventure, I'd probably need some sort of crew and vehicle so I'd have access to a laptop, food and a place to sleep so I'd have energy to run and write the whole journey.  Whose the first crew member on the bus to support this grand scheme of mine?  ;)  And how do I finance it????

Musings

I've updated the look of my blog for autumn. This is my favorite season. I like "autumn" better than "fall". Not sure why, maybe it's more poetic, but to me it speaks of the season better than simply "fall". That just sounds flat to my ears.

We live far enough north that our trees have already started to change. I love the colors and the cool, crisp air. Not too hot for running at any time of day. Not so cold you need heavy winter gear. A light sweater or jacket and you're out the door. Even rain in the autumn is the best rain. You can smell it coming from miles away.

Each autumn since we've moved back to the east coast my family goes apple picking. In mid-October when several varieties are ready, we drive a few hours to spend the afternoon. We always pick way more than we need. We eat many fresh, cook down a bunch and store the applesauce, and cut up any that are not quite perfect for our pet rabbit. When kids pick with you, sometimes you end up with a few rotten spots.

The most crisp, juicy apples are those picked directly off the tree and eaten in the orchard. I love the ones that are slightly tart. Makes my mouth water just remembering it. All other apples are just imitations of what an apple should be.

Life Change

Most life changes are small, gradual changes that we make over a period of time. I can identify exactly each major life change I’ve experienced. Some of these were out of my control, others were conscious decisions. Marriage, being blessed with children, deaths of close family members, living across the continent and even in another country, and our daughters moving out of our day-to-day lives and onto college.

A few years ago, I began running again. I was a cross-country runner in high school, pretty quick too w a 5K PR of about 20:30ish. But I had never run more than 5 miles at any one time. So after several fits and starts over my adult life, I finally figured out how to run again and began running distances. Now a 10 mile run is easy peasy – sort of. I figure I am really slow now, obnoxiously slow compared to my teen-aged self, but I now can call myself an endurance runner! Sort of. My longest run has been a marathon 6 months ago. I dream of ultras….

Another major life change occurred rather spur of the moment about a month after that marathon. I became a full-fledged vegetarian. I never was a big meat eater and about 10 years ago I stopped eating beef. I just decided during one meal that I didn’t like the flavor any more so I stopped eating it. My family still ate it, but I didn’t cook it. I don’t even like the smell of beef cooking now.

Over time, it happened that the meat I was eating consisted mostly of poultry, occassionally fish, rarely pork. I would meet vegetarians and say “I could easily become vegetarian”. Often I made those choices when beef was the only meat choice available, or just because I like vegetables and grains. I often wondered which meat I would stop eating next and sort of plan it out – but never committed.

Then in April, I decided to see how many days I could be meat-free. It was mostly a health choice, but also a environmental choice (do you kow how many resources are used-up raising livestock and how much waste is produced??), and, to a lesser extent, an animal rights choice. We live in dairy country. I run past dairy farms on most of my routes. I have always felt bad for the cows that were stuck in their stalls all day, every day. I much prefer running past pastures where cows graze freely. And chickens in cages? I like the ones in my grandmother’s coops better, and the free range ones at a few local farms best. Don’t worry. I’m not going to go all PETA (or whatever) on anyone.

I still eat dairy and eggs – just as much as possible, I get organic, pasture-fed dairy products and organic, cage-free eggs. I also try to buy local as much as I can. I have trouble with the whole “packaged foods” thing since I work a very changing schedule and some convenience foods make my family life easier. But still, I figure I am reducing my food-footprint and that of my family. And it’s the whole, “ripple in a pond” thing. Small change for us, but the ripples can hopefully be affecting the other side of the pond. And maybe someone else will see the ripple and decide to create their own. Who knows? Enough ripples get started and maybe the good people of earth can make a wave and effect big changes.

This, That & Time Flies

OK, so it has been MONTHS since I have had time to blog. So much has happened since January. The marathon I was planning to run was cancelled because of snow. Snow in South Carolina! So after a few weeks of being down from that, I registered and began slightly amping up for a March race in Cape May, NJ. I didn’t go quite as fast as I had originally trained, but I was very happy to run and complete the Ocean Drive Marathon. My mom and toddler son helped crew for me. It was a miracle that the race, so close to my mom’s home was just 6 weeks after the original race for which I was training.

Let’s see, then I was part of a team of 5 in a 200 mile race. Tons of fun! But only 3 members of our team were actually strong and fast enough for the task so we DNF’d. First time I’ve done that, even though I ended up running 27ish miles total. We were blessed to have wonderful weather and comeraderie, and to stay injury free.

Then my younger daughter came home from college for the summer and we moved our older daughter into her first apartment. Both girls have had boy troubles this summer, but they each worked it out for the better. The relationships could have ended for worse reasons and with a lot more strife, So there were blessings there.
At work, my position changed slightly. I used to have one responsibility for a large geographic area. Now I have greater responsibilities over a slightly smaller area. Basically, it means I am spending more days out of the office traveling. My husband’s position ended at our local base. Even though he is now several hours away and commutes on the weekends to come home, it is a blessing that he has a position in this economic time.

And then, we moved. We had less than a month’s notice, but had a miracle occur that a house we looked at buying in our village, but didn’t have time for the process, came available for rent. So we’ve spent the last month packing and moving. Plus, at work, our physical space was greatly reduced so we spent many days sorting, packing files and materials, and moving furniture.

So I’ve had a lot of strength training in August, but no running. So the marathon that I was supposed to run with my nephew in October has changed to a ½ marathon. Now I have to get back to running!