Pressing On

It has gotten pretty warm here in the last couple of months. The humidity does not help. In fact, it makes it that much more unbearable. That doesn't stop us from our weekend runs though. We have learned to just get out there as early as we can to beat the heat. Annie doesn't realize the impact of the heat until we get home and she tries to cool down. We have a great little park about two miles from the house that has a splash pad. When you step on the center button, several fountains pop up and water splashes around us. When we first took Annie to help her cool down, she wanted none of it. I was shocked, with her being a Labrador; I thought she would love it. So, I gently would nudge her into the water so it would at least hit her side. Then we walk over to the drinking fountain and she is able to drink from the short one, which she does not protest. I usually run it a bit before I drink after her.  The last few times we have gone, she senses when we will get to those...

We had a full weeks vacation to Hawaii last week and I don't even know where to begin to tell you. It seems most of our vacations the past several years have either been moving, visiting family, or moving the kids to and from college. We’ve had some very nice get-aways for a few days but this seven days away was a breath of fresh air.  With all access communication these days it's hard to unplug and relax. I feel like it takes a day or two to really get in the groove of vacation. I was so thankful for this time away with my hubby. He had bought this trip for me for Christmas so I had been anticipating it for six months. We had been to this island before when we were just a young married couple. So it was a blast to go back and see it through more “mature” eyes. We also did more “mature” things this time around. Like go to bed before the sunset our first night. In our defense we had been up since 2:45 am to catch an early flight so by the time  we got settled into our ...

I was over eight months pregnant when we were uprooted from Southern California to Las Vegas Nevada in 1987. I remember thinking the four plus hour drive was so far away from family. I had to find a new doctor, hospital and hopefully friends. Our house wasn't ready so we stayed in a furnished apartment way too close to the Vegas strip. It was temporary so we saw it as an adventure. In fact, we were told that this would just be a stepping stone in  Jim's career and that we wouldn't be there long - "Don't get too comfortable". So, we held off on putting in a pool and any other upgrades to our home. We were there about four years.   It is still one of my favorite stories to share. We were going back to Southern California. The house was on the market, we got a home in Tustin with a lease option to buy. We painted the inside. The truck arrived with all of our stuff. I enrolled the kids in a preschool not too far from where I would be working. Everything was u...

I don't do well in the passenger seat when my husband is driving. Especially when I'm familiar with the route we are taking. I often think I know better than he does on which direction to take, what lane to be in, the short cuts and even which parking spot puts us near the cart corral and store entrance that I prefer.  Last weekend we did our typical run to Target. I cringed the whole way as he pulled through the front of the entire shopping center. Though I said nothing, inside I was dying and thinking, " if you pull around to the back of the parking lot , we will miss all this foot traffic and get to my favorite parking spot faster". You know, because we are in such a hurry. We weren't in a hurry. I don't know why I want to hurry things along. I just think my way is better.  We did our shopping and got back in the car and wouldn't you know it, went out the same way we came. Cringing again! Had we done it my way, we would have made a clean break ...

I heard at church this past weekend that the average person will make over 35,000 decisions in a day! That's a lot of choices with decisions to make in a 24 hour period. The bottom line of the message was to seek God in every decision no matter how great or small. I can't say I always do that. Most of the decisions I make are based on my feelings, mood or past experiences. I seek God in the big decisions but not always in the little ones like "How would you like me to use my time today?"  I was reminded of the verses in Proverbs: “He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” Proverbs 10:5 NIV And:  “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:27 NIV  Oh man, when I am bored, lonely or overwhelmed with too much to do I tend to choose to go to the pantry and eat the bread of idleness. And by bread I mean anything close at hand particu...

As much as I need time alone with God I also know I need people and community in my life. I think it's safe to say we all do. Together is better for many reasons. We need one another to build each other up, encourage one another, challenge each other and hold one another accountable.  When I make a commitment to do something and don't bring others in on that commitment it's much easier to break. Nobody's the wiser. Which is why, when I make a commitment to eat clean I will (most of the time) mention it to Jim That way when I'm in the pantry reaching for those leftover chocolate Easter eggs, I know that he knows I've made a commitment not to eat that stuff. Not that he is the chocolate police and will scold me for it but it's that accountability that I need to finish strong.  Recently, I've been going alone in my fitness regimen. I'm a solo runner and love that. I can also just hop on YouTube for a video and do a workout no problem. We have a...

I love people and get a lot of my energy from spending time with people. I don't like to be alone for any length of time. When I have a long (more than five minute) commute in the car, I will call someone to catch up and have them keep me company.  This is probably why I also enjoy social media. I love connecting and reconnecting with friends. I enjoy looking at their photos and their families. Reading their posts about the latest that is going on in their world. I feel connected and am thankful I have gotten to keep in touch with friends and family and to watch my nieces and nephews grow up via social media, where I otherwise wouldn't have.  But I am learning in this season of my life I also need time alone. It has taken me a little while to adjust to my husband traveling but I'm finding that instead of filling in that quiet space with more people via phone, text or social media, I am resting in the solitude.  I think it is not only healthy but necessary for...