Excuse me, there is work to be done

I didn't think I could do it. 
I didn't think I could go for a run yesterday afternoon. 
But I put on my running clothes that morning, hoping it would encourage me to go later. Nap time rolled around and I was dreading the inevitable question from Patrick, the one I also needed to answer myself, "Are you going to go for a run?" I sat there and wanted to whine, wanted to make excuses. 
But I decided I would stand up, put on my shoes, put on my earphones and step outside. I wasn't feeling 100% and we still had church that evening so I would be pushing it to get back in time to get showered and all of the kids ready.
But once I stepped outside, I just told myself to do the minimum of 30 minutes. I ended up getting a second wind at 30 and ran for 50 minutes. This wasn't one of my better days considering I am running a half in January, but it'll do. 
You know why?
Because I did it. 
I shut my mouth, turned off my brain and just did it.

 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

I don't think it's always a good idea to compare Scripture to physical exercise. But I do think there is something to be said about how our minds affect our bodies and vice versa. This is the type of discipline that I pray seeps into the rest of my life. I tend to over think, over analyze, and over worry. When I am in a funk and don't do the task at hand, I just sink deeper into the bad mood. I want to learn to move through something even though I don't want to do it. I am praying for the discipline to just plow through, despite how I am feeling.  I saw this on John Piper's status the other day and was like, "YES!": 
 

"Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But excuse me, the Master has given me work to do."

So excuse me, laziness and apathy, there is work to be done. There are lunches to be made, clothes to be washed, friends to be called, and a husband to love. So excuse me, as I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, and get some work done.

 

miscellany monday

It's Monday and it's also 7.11.11. Wouldn't that be a fun birthday to have? And definitely easy to remember — your spouse would have no excuses.

1.where you go, i will go 

Patrick and I were so blessed to attend a wedding on Saturday of a sweet friend that we have known for quite some time. She is loved by many, and she is such a faithful friend. It was such a testament to her, when we arrived and saw so many familiar faces from the past, all gathering together to witness their union. It was also such an honor to be a part of her special day and to see her marry the man that she has waited so faithfully for. Part of their vows were from the book of Ruth, chapter 1:16, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Her matron of honor said it best at the reception, "I want to thank you, Tania, because I am a better friend for knowing you." Amen! Tania, you are an amazing woman and Nick is so fortunate to marry you! Blessings to you both! We are so happy for y'all!

2.linky love

This was a really good post by Matt Chandler at the Resurgence blog about church membership. I really recommend reading it. It might just convict your pants off.

3.dirt bag take 2

I am doing another round of dirt bag boot camp, but this time it's 3 days a week. I like that I can still run while doing this one. It doesn't absolutely murder me since it's not everyday.

4.running

Speaking of running, on Saturday morning, I ran with an Ironman. Patrick and I went for a 4 mile run and he made it his mission to get me under 10 min/miles. I ran it in 38 minutes. Ha! Just barely made it. He said with stops and everything (stretching and blasted untied shoelaces), we averaged about 9:40. So I was pretty excited. Oh and he told me everything about my running form was all wrong. Yeah. That's right. Awesome. So all the running I've been doing since I was 13, was apparently done inefficiently and hard on my knees. So I've got some re-training to do. Although it was hard to adjust, I could definitely feel the difference.

5.ebay

Patrick has been selling literally everything but the kitchen sink on ebay. Last night he sold over $400 worth of OLD transformers that have been in our attic for years. Gotta love those crazy toy collectors giving us all their money. The reason this all started was because I want to get a new camera. So he sold all of our other cheaper cameras, and we are trying to decide on how professional we want to go. He's thinking the Canon 7D or the less fancy D60. We used to have nice cameras and I think I am ready to get back into it. What kind of camera do you have? Any opinions?

Happy Monday, y'all!

a rad run this morning

Since Patrick was out of town the past few days, I didn't get in too much exercise. So when this morning rolled around, I was dreading the fact that I needed to run. I just assumed it was going to be awful and that I would feel horrible, especially since we had crazy huge burritos for dinner pretty late last night.
I started out, not sure how far I would go, but was surprised how good I felt the second I left my house. Normally, it takes me awhile to get into a rhythm, but this morning was different. I felt good from the get-go. I guess my body just needed a break. Yay for good runs!


Reasons why it was so rad:

• I found a dollar on the ground. Not as awesome as when Patrick found $20, but it'll do.
• A little boy on a bike passed me and under his seat was a little license plate that said, "2Fast 4You." Awesome. That's right buddy, you're 2 fast.
• I was totally inspired by the Dallas Mavericks victory over Lebron James last night. Hard work pays off.
• I got to use Patrick's ipod and listen to "Cheryl's rad running" playlist. It has songs that I can't listen to with the kids, i.e., Eminem and P-Diddy
• My new shoes and I are beginning to get to know each other and this was the first run where I didn't think about them once.
• I saw a teenager jamming out to a handheld CD player. Wow, I even know those are out of date, buddy.
• I had time to think about how kind all of my blog readers are and I specifically thought of: Leslie (she's hilarious when she describes her work-out music), Lisa (we share a love for the song, When I Collapse), happygirl, Amy, & Kay (I just always appreciate their comments), Patti (yes, boot camp got better, in terms of soreness, after the first week and I am sorry I have never answered that question until just now), Kathy and Jamie (this is so much better than running up stairs), and seeJamieblog (she has a little exercise accountability group going on).
• I ran 5.5 miles in just under an hour and didn't have to walk once. Boo-yah.

Well, here's to more rad runs! 

Do you run? Why or why not?

~cheryl~

What's Your Point Wednesday?

Yes. I recognize that it is not Wednesday. But I have this amazing friend who started doing this on her blog. And well, truth be told, I want to be just like her. So in true Jamie fashion, I am a day late as well, but that's not going to stop me. So here is my first edition of WYPW (see what I just did there - that is revolutionary).

The day after I posted that I am going to train for a marathon, my dad asked if he could check my head for fever, just to make sure I was feeling okay. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad.  ;)
I also saw that this guy won the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:03:02 — that is a 4:42 min/mile pace. That is absolutely incredible! Patrick said that if he could run a marathon that fast, for the Ironman, he could doggie paddle the entire swim, jump on a beach cruiser for the bike portion, eat a pizza and still win the race with a run like that. Absolutely amazing. Congratulations, Geoffrey Mutai!

Cj Gunther/European Pressphoto Agency

While I welcome with open arms, the discipline that training for a marathon will provide, I have clenched fists when it comes to the humidity that is upon us. I went for a run yesterday and it was so stinkin hot. I was pushing my 28 pound, 19 month old in a jogging stroller. And it made it even hotter. This is only April, people, and that is just a taste of what is to come.

Next time I run with Reed, I am going to strip him down and not allow him to have anything he can throw out of the stroller. Once again, I was blindsided by the third child and had forgotten what it was like to have a toddler throw EVERYTHING on the ground. And when you're hot and gasping for air and thinking to yourself, "will I ever be able to do a marathon?" — the LAST thing you want to do is keep bending down to pick up shoes, snack trap lids, and sippy cups. I assure you, it is quite frustrating.

I cannot, for the life of me, get into cooking shows and the Food Network. There I said it.

But I have a few shows that I would like to confess that Patrick and I like to watch together. Brace yourselves — Ultimate Fighter, American Idol, Lie To Me, Top Shot and Justified. I just realized that I am a total CLOSET REDNECK.

Timothy Olyphant

I absolutely love Justified. And who doesn't love Timothy Olyphant as Danny Cordray, the Dundler Mifflan client stealer and ex-boyfriend of Pam?  But seriously, I am so intrigued by the Appalachian Mountain culture that the show depicts. The acting is great, the story line is excellent, and I am absolutely certain I lost a few readers over this confession.

Does anyone watch American Idol? I think James, Casey or Lauren could win it all. I'm not sure who my favorite is, but I am ready for Jacob to go home.

I visited my local Wal-Mart again today. We usually shop at the HEB but every now and then I just get this odd desire to pack up all 3 kids and go. This Wallyworld actually carries quite a few organic and healthy snacks that we eat and they are considerably cheaper so I always stock up. And it has to be THE BEST place to people watch. I always come away with a grin. Not a judgmental grin. Just a grin brought on by seeing the eccentric and unexpected.
Maybe it's the redneck in me that is drawn to that place...

Happy WYPW, y'all!


~cheryl~

Rockin the Half

 

Patrick has had these socks for over 5 years. He bought them because they were comfortable. Who knew that he would one day be training for an Ironman? I guess in the back of his mind, that has always been the goal.

This past weekend he took one step closer to reaching that goal. He did his first Half Ironman in 5 hours and 21 min. And he was treating it like a training exercise since he still has the Full one in May. But he totally rocked it and said, other than the horrible sunburn, he felt pretty good when it was over.

We were fortunate enough to have our amazing parents watch the kids the entire weekend, so we could go down together and have a weekend to ourselves. I personally really appreciated being able to cheer him on without having to worry about the kids' needs. I wasn't thinking about snacks or nap time and it was great to be able to be fully present. I wanted him to know without a doubt that I believed in him. I was so giddy the entire time - like we were newlyweds or something and I was able to be a true helpmate. It was good for my soul.

  When he came in from the swim and was already off on the bike, I turned around to our friends, Liz and Brandon and said, "He is really stinkin' good!" Almost in shock, simply because I have never seen him compared to anyone else. He was killin it and I couldn't have been prouder.

In the transition area the night before

Patrick checking out the competition. He estimates there were over 10 million dollars worth of bikes in the transition area.

 

I told him this was going to us next year. Tandem, baby!

The Tri Club boys - Mike, Patrick and Jeff

Headed to the swim start

He is out there somewhere on the dock, just before he got in the water

Heading out of the transition area on his bike

I love this shot!

Running his half marathon. He did it in 1 hour and 55 min

Coming in strong at the finish line

All smiles now!

Ironman and his Ironwife

Patrick and his friend Jeff - they sort of have a bromance going on. Jeff's rockin wife Annie did the sprint distance tri the day before. They are a pretty impressive couple. 

Us with Brandon and Liz - our gracious hosts and some of the best spectators around. They were so encouraging to Patrick, and I really appreciated them coming out!

~cheryl~

Miscellany Monday

1. I AM GOING TO TRAIN FOR A MARATHON. 

There I said it. Now it's official. Eeeekkkk! 

It's on January 1, so I have plenty of time, right? 

Have any of you done one? I have done a Half, but that was pre-babies and I was in wicked awesome shape. I am taking a deep breath and telling myself I can do this. I was inspired awhile ago by a friend on facebook, who is a runner. On her RoadID, she had inscribed:

STRONG COURAGEOUS MOMMY

I want my kids to remember that I was strong, disciplined and that anything worth having is worth working for.

2. I AM DROPPING OFF TONS OF DISHES AT THE MISSION.

I am on a "purge my house of needless junk" kick. I have some thoughts rattling around about what simplifying will look like for our family. Check back for a post about my future intentions.

3. HAVE I MENTIONED THAT MY HUSBAND IS TRAINING FOR AN IRONMAN?
Oh, I have, that's right. I am just so proud of him I can't help but brag. I am working on a post about his Half Ironman a week ago. I am his #1 fan and am so inspired by him. He is seriously amazing. My friend dubbed me Ironwife, because of all the training that he does, it sometimes leaves me a single parent. But honestly, it hasn't been that big of a deal.  


4. EASTER CAME QUICK.
I decided to not feel like I had to cram it all in this week. This post by my friend Kara, was very encouraging, and if you feel like it's too late and Lent wasn't what you had intended, I encourage you to read it.
We are going to dye some eggs, read from the Jesus Storybook Bible, The Lamb and talk about His Resurrection. And I also chose to make these Resurrection Rolls this week. This will be a first, so I will let you know how they turn out.


What are doing for Holy Week? Do you have traditions that you already do as a family? What books do you read?

~cheryl~

A Whole Lot of Randomness

Pollen. It's everywhere. It's covering our cars, our outside furniture, and our children when they decide to clean our cars with their bodies. But with pollen comes spring and I am so grateful for the gorgeous weather that we've been having in this part of Texas. It has been so outstanding. Despite the fact that when the wind blows, and I can see the pollen converging to launch a full on assault on my sinus cavities, I am still thankful for the beauty. If you have allergies, you'll appreciate this post by Jon Acuff. I have been suffering like no body's business for over a month now. It must just be because I am getting older, because I have lived here for most of my life, and I can't remember it ever being this bad. Anyways, I will endure the suffering and sit outside as much as possible. Because I know what's to come. Blistering summer heat. The kind that when you step outside your back dripping before you reach your car. So I will enjoy it while I can before we have to take cover in our air-conditioned shelters. O, Lord, have mercy on us in the heat of the summer. 

I got to go for a run with my husband. Yes, that's right. I went running with my hunk of a husband who is training for an Ironman in May. So, let's just point out the obvious here — he was extremely gracious in letting me join him. My amazing mother-in-law had the kids for the day and Patrick had to get in a run before dinner. And I said,"Wow, I guess I could go too." But I was meaning, "Yeah, we could both go for a run without having to tag team parent." But he thought I meant with him, like alongside him. And I quickly said, "You're not serious?" But he was. So I went. Knowing full well that I wouldn't last 30 minutes. 
We hadn't done that in a long time and it was nice. It was some serious shoulder-to-shoulder time. We talked and I acted like I wasn't dying. I was humbled at how out of shape I had gotten. I kept telling him to go on, that I would be fine and that he didn't need to run that slow with me. And he kept trying to convince me that the first 20 minutes was just his warm-up and that it was no big deal. He's so kind. Have I mentioned how awesome he is? Because well, he's pretty darn amazing. Anyways, I ran and then walked while he went ahead and then when he turned around and caught up with me, I ran with him again. And I was hurting. But I did it. Because it was with him. It was good to do something with him that he has been so passionate about lately. And when we finished, it had been 1 HOUR AND 10 MIN. Pretty cool, huh? I was so flippin' tired, but was so thankful to have done it. I also burned over 800 calories. What? So that's how you lose weight? Hmm... interesting concept. ;) Patrick made sure to tell me that I need to drink some gatorade and eat some carbs. I nearly spit my water out laughing and told him that would definitely not be a problem. Carbs — duh, winning.

I got a letter in the mail the other day. This was the second year to receive a similar letter. So when I saw the envelope, I knew immediately what the contents were. It was a letter from a mega-church in our area asking for a donation, with a tithe percentage chart on the back. The first time I received this type of letter, it made my blood boil. I literally lost sleep over it. And I was very close to writing a letter in return, spouting off my disgust. But I didn't. I let it go. So then this year when I got a similar letter, it all came back. At first I chuckled, and thought, of course, it's right before Easter. So I opened it and literally couldn't believe they quoted Malachi 3:7-10. I mean isn't that a cliche? Isn't that what all big churches use to promote their health & wealth gospel? But honestly that wasn't what got me. What bothered me most (like the year before), was that we weren't members there. We had never attended there. I am guessing that they got my address from one event that I had attended. They didn't know if we were believers or not. They didn't know that we were members at another church and that my husband was an elder there. They didn't know that we tithe and are committed to another local church. They didn't know us. They had no relationship with us, but that didn't stop them from asking for money. This letter is what gives Christ followers a bad name. Piper said, “Salvation hangs on what people think of Christ. What others think of us as representatives of Christ matters.” Absolutely. How many other people are receiving this letter without being members there? I have never had any correspondence with that church other than these two letters. And instead of getting angry this year, it just breaks my heart. It hurts me because it hurts Christ's body. 

What do you think? Am I overreacting?

~cheryl~

Running, Music and Jesus

Running is cathartic for me. 
Being outside is therapeutic.
Listening to music are a combination of the two. 
And all three combined can be magical.
Or they can just about kill me. Seriously. Just wait, I'll get there.
Yesterday, I went for a run. I had been edgy and snippy all day. Patrick said, "why don't you go for a run, sweetie?" Nice, right?
Well, I knew what he was really saying was, "why don't you get the heck out of the house before someone gets hurt?"
And he was right. I needed to get out. I needed to clear my head. 
I have been a runner since I was 12 years old. I can remember clearly the reason I started running was to purge some of the teenage angst against my parents and the world. I can remember, after getting in a fight with my mom, putting on running clothes and just tearing out of the house. And so it began. My love/hate relationship with running. I hate running because it's, of course, hard. I love running, because it has always been a source of clarity for me. I have spent countless hours praying, thinking and running. I come up with entire blog posts when I am out there. And as soon as I step back into the house, they are often times completely gone. It's strange. I need to come up with a way to write while running. Any suggestions?
Anyways, the grief, the stress, the hormones were just about too much to bare yesterday, so I got dressed and headed outside. I turned on The Civil Wars and Mumford & Sons. If you have listened to them, you know that their music alone evokes a lot of emotions, let alone the ones I was already feeling. Their music also provides the perfect background for contemplation. 
I thought about this broken world. This world that needs Jesus. This world with all its pain and suffering. This world that lost Sarah, a beautiful young lady, that loved the Lord and her friends and family well.
I thought about wishing I had seen Papa more. I wished we had been closer. I wished I knew more about his childhood and his time in the Navy. Granny was always the tying bind. I didn't really know Papa without Granny. And it pains me to even say that. To write that.
And yesterday was one of the hardest runs of my life. The image of my mom saying, "Bye, Daddy" as we went out the door literally made me cry so hard, I started hyperventilating. I could not catch my breath. That tender word, Daddy, was too much for me to handle. I had to stop, because I couldn't get enough air. I thought if people saw my face they would think, man, that girl is in pretty bad shape. She must be in a lot of pain. And I was. I tried hard not to think of my own Daddy and my girls Daddy. And I would try to shake the image from my mind. I even turned on Usher's, "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love," to try and change the subject so to speak. It didn't work. I guess my guilty pleasure songs, at that point, seemed so shallow. Go figure. 
So I turned on the Robbie Seay Band's "Your Love is Strong." That song has meant so much to me the last 6 months. At different times, the Lord has spoken to my heart through this song. Yesterday, these were the words that got me:

The kingdom of the heavens / Is now advancing / Invade my heart / Invade this broken town / The kingdom of the heavens / Is buried treasure / Will you sell yourself / To buy the one you've found?

I asked the Lord to invade my heart. To invade my life. I ask for the grace to sell myself for the treasure I have found in Jesus. The treasure of my heart. The treasure my heart longs for and cries out to. I asked for the grace to love my family well. I asked for the grace to forgive the broken parts and praised Him for the ones He has made whole. I thanked Him for the life Papa lived. I thanked Him for the life that Sarah lived. 

I was at that point walking, because I literally couldn't breath from all the crying. I tried to compose myself and get my crying under control because I was close to home. 

When I walked up, I came home to see my kids playing outside. And they ran, screaming Mommy, and hugged my legs. And I lost it again. I completely came unravelled and cried like a baby. And I knew Patrick was thinking, "Oh great, weren't you supposed to run off those emotions?" But I quickly told him they were tears of joy. They were tears of thankfulness. They were tears of hope. And I praised God for the chance to run and get outside. For a chance to be a wife and mommy. For the chance to see Him amidst the pain.

Heavenly Father 
You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come 
In my world and in my life
You give me the food I need 
To live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive 
The people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window 
The birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune 
Or out of place
I look at the meadow 
And stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl 
On her wedding day

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens 
Is now advancing
Invade my heart 
Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens 
Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself 
To buy the one you've found?

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me

Our God in heaven
Hallowed be
Thy name above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

Lyrics by Jon Foreman