Running with friends

Saturday was 6 miles. Sheila came over and we drove 7 miles out to meet Steve and run home with him. He ran twice as far as we did. I haven't felt that good running in a long time. It felt good, it was easy and it was fun.

I'm sure I will make up for that in the weeks to come.

I have a young friend who is wanting to run a 5K so I've been searching for them, there are 3 in August for her to pick a weekend she can run her first, I'm kind of excited for her to get to try it out.

It's 14 weeks till Marathon Sunday, so mileage will start increasing dramatically on the weekends. Call me a masochist, but I'm looking forward to it.

Conversations with Whitney

I haven't shared pictures in a while, here's my beautiful girl

When I disappoint me

I stood in the corner, sunglasses on, head down, face hidden behind my bangs, trying to hide behind the men sitting and standing around the bench close to me.

So unhappy that Whitney was gone that night and I had taken it upon myself to take Belle to the dog park. Upset that once Belle is inside playing with her puppy friends there is no stopping her. She is so energetic and full of life and loves being with the other dogs, she can't stand to leave. Getting her to leave after 3 minutes was going to make a spectacle of me. And I so badly didn't want to be noticed.

By her.

I wasn't worried I'd have to talk. I wasn't afraid of that. I just didn't want to be near her. I didn't want to be seen by her.

Finally play time was over and Belle and I went to the car. Since she was so good about leaving I treated her to her own cup of ice cream from Braums.

I barely made it in the door before I was disappointed in myself.

Disappointed for cowering in the corner. Disappointed for reliving all the hurt that had been inflicted on me. Disappointed at the insecurity that no matter how many times I think I've overcome can still reduce me to a 13 year old with glasses, a bad haircut, no friends and out of style clothes (I was always out of style, Christian school in the 80's did that to you).
Pick an awkward picture...

So I went and read this passage.

Revelation 21:3-7 English Standard Version (ESV)
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.[c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

God dwells with me. Lives with me. He is my God. I am his. He will wipe away every tear (even the ones shed over and over for the same thing). There won't be any mourning, crying, or pain. All will pass away.

He will make ALL THINGS NEW. He is the beginning and end. To the thirsty (my soul was pretty dry and thirsty) he will give from the spring of the water of life. FREE. No payment. The one who conquers has this heritage. I can be am one who conquers.

I am not beat. I am not less. I am me. Fearfully and wonderfully made. Striving to be the best child of God I can be.

When time flies

I have started training for my October marathon. It's been some rough runs. I expected as much. I ran 10K's five weeks apart with the idea it would jump start my training.

This weekends 10K I was under trained for a July 6.2 mile race in the heat. I've gone that distance, but I've not been doing it well.

My forever faithful sidekick signed up with me (I do the same for her) and signed Marquis up with us. Marquis is the perfect trainer. He's motivational. He's positive and encouraging and outgoing. We had a great time. It went by faster than I'm used to, he never quit talking he cheered on everyone who passed us and encouraged everyone we passed. We got to the last aid station and he said let's run it all the way in. (We had not walked much at that point, but we were running conservatively). So we did. We finished, and this is my favorite picture from the race.

I need him to run every race with time. Time flies!

And so does Mark. This boy got 9th place. He ran the best race of his 18 years, (and the longest). He's been working out with Steve and I for over a year. He's the sweetest.

Sin had left a crimson stain

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool."

Do you ever have a stain on your clothes you can't remove? I did this morning. Last week I put on a pink tee shirt with my white skirt and then went in the kitchen to start lunch before we left the house. I didn't realize I splashed a little cooking oil on my pink tee shirt till I got home. A week later I grab the pink tee shirt and the oil of course, did not wash out. It was a fairly old tee shirt (which makes it better, more comfortable) and an inexpensive one on top of that, so I tossed it.

At church today the closing song was Jesus Paid it All. Based on the above scripture, the line says "sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow".

I couldn't help but think about my pink oil stained shirt and that I washed it, but it didn't come clean.

I thought about my sin stains. I don't try to pretend that I wasn't a bad girl. I did a lot of bad things. Sin and I are no stranger to each other. I've always been convicted of it, very aware of it, that's part of my personality and my upbringing. I'm so thankful for the Jesus that washes my stains white as snow.

conversations with Whitney

I ate mustard for the first time ever yesterday.

I wasn't wrong all those years.