unexpected and impromptu

the nice thing about being a student and mostly enrolled in online classes is that my schedule is pretty flexible and allows for impromptu activities. i value these opportunities because i know that these days are limited. soon enough i will be done with school and looking for employment…

the other day i was able to experience such an impromptu opportunity(s) day filled with unexpected events. starting with a friend’s art show at the Bennington Art Center in Vermont. not only was i very blessed to be able to see his art work, but was also able to hear a little art appreciation lesson… that doesn’t happen every day (i also enjoyed seeing other exhibits in the show). after the show i was able to attend another friend’s last soccer game of the season. followed by a long winding drive in the country. poor Mike, he tried to meet up with me at the game but unfortunately missed it, but was able to meet up for an unexpected dinner invite at another friends house… i think part of him will be glad when i get a job and he’s not the only one that misses out on all the fun….

i did it.

well, Jesus and i did. with a wonderful hubby by my side and lots of encouragement from some great friends. I ran the the Hudson Mohawk Marathon this year. yup, 26.2 miles. Originally the goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon but as the date sneaked up on me my goal slowly changed to just wanting to finish.

I arrived at Central Park in Schenectady around 7am for the 8:30am start and i remember sitting in the car looking at the rules and becoming nervous when i saw that i HAD to complete the race in five hours and thirty minutes. My first Marathon, the Disney marathon, i ran in six hours exactly and although i was in much better shape for this one, the course was faster and i was training to complete in less than four hours i was still nervous that i didn’t have unlimited amount of time to complete it. this race had no fuss, usually there are so many distractions at the starting and finishing line with expo’s, bands, etc, but none of that at this one. it was just about the running. the course was flat, fast, and amazing and the cool weather was perfect.

i got off to a shaky start because i was in line for the porta potties, actually i was the last person in line. So, i arrived at the starting line just as i heard 3, 2, 1… yeah, that was rough, nor did i warm up and im usually pretty religious about that. Usually the first three miles are the hardest for me, weird i know, but it’s always the case. This time, it wasn’t so bad. Before i knew it, i was at mile 6 which made me pretty excited. The course went through a brief part in Schenectady connecting with the Niskayuna Bike Path (which im very familiar with because that’s where i trained for my last marathon), connecting with the Colonie bike path (use to run here as well cause we lived there for the first two years of our marriage) around the halfway mark (where i met Mike and his mom), running through a bit of Cohoes and Watervliet, and then meeting up with the Albany bike path (where i now run) and finishing up at the Corning preserve. This is one of my all time favorite stretches, i love running along the water and with the leaves covering the trail in front of me as i ran, i couldn’t help but be excited!! It helped that there was only one hill, i was very familiar with the route and on top of that i had various friends texting me and Mike meeting up with me @ different locations. One of my friends  was trying to follow me but kept missing where i was at, finally met up with me at the finish even running a few seconds with me! I finished in decent time at four hours and fifteen minutes but missed a qualifying time for Boston which had to be less than 3hours and 45mins. i was ok with that because i was so happy i did it, ran the whole time, and completed it. My legs weren’t too bad directly after the race but took about a week after to get back to normal.

So what do i LOVE about running for over four hours?  it could be a number of things: being part of a large organized event, the freedom i feel when i run, that all i need is a good pair of sneakers, people cheering me on, or that im super competitive and the feeling of accomplishment i get as i run across the finish line. i also might really love going to the Pump Station after for a little celebratory lunch (of Nachos, love those things too!!!)

Although i was ok was missing the Boston qualifying time i was a lil upset with myself because i didn’t miss it by much and i knew if i had just trained a lil harder the last month instead of being less disciplined i would have been able to qualify. Oh well, it was a good lesson to learn and im just gonna have to run another Marathon this year to qualify

down the drain

every contact wearer’s worse nightmare…watching your very last contact get lost in the abyss of drainage. especially if you are a runner AND this happens right before a run. a long one at that. right before it happened i was thinking: “man, this is my last contact, it would really bite if i lost it.” and then i did. it left me thinking: “CRAP, What do i do now?!” yeah, pretty deep i know. i do whatever i usually do when im in a jam: i call my hubby. i explained what happened and that i would need to make an eye appointment that day because contacts were a must before i run 26.2 miles coming up (soon). yeah, no way im running that bad boy in glasses. Mike’s a cool cucumber and although we have no vision coverage; my car will probably need a couple hundred in repairs to pass inspection this month, and we have had an expensive month, he responds with a calm “ok.”

im getting ready to make this expensive appointment when i mention to my friend what happened…they asked me what level my contacts were and i told them but i was not expecting them to respond with a “that’s what i wear too and i have one you can have,” which really meant i have a BOX you can have! Really? who just gives a box of contacts away?! well…my friend did and in time for me to run!!!

Seriously, i don’t know if they have any idea how God used them but it was a pretty cool God moment for me because it showed me that He provides for me in ways i can’t imagine or i don’t think of. i guess it’s not always something for me to figure out. He’s got it all under control and im so glad cause His way is sooooo much cheaper

i like me a lil Max.

so im a bit of a Max Lucado fan. i have His study bible and i love it recently i started a study on The Love of God and this mornings passage was in 2 Kings 15:2-16:20. an excerpt from the devotional is:

“Human love will always be a faint shadow of God’s love. not because it is too sugary or sentimental but simply because it never compare from whence it comes. Human love with all of its passion and emotion is a thin echo of the passion/emotion love of Yahweh.”…”we cannot apply human logic and justice to the living God. human logic is based on human experience and nature. Yahweh does not conform to this model. if Israel is unfaithful God remains faithful against all logic and all limits of justice because He is. Love clarifies the happy irrationality of God’s conduct. Love tends to be irrational. it pursues despite infidelity. it blossoms into jealousy and anger-which betrays keen interest.The more complex and emotional the image of God becomes in the Bible, the bigger He grows. and the more we approach the mystery of his indefinably.”

i should listen

when my husband tells me he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for me to run through a fire-less but hot coal bonfire. true story.

Friday night my brother and sister in law had their annual bonfire doubling also as a going away party for everyone’s favorite couple: Nate & Molly Kohrs (who moved to the big apple this past Saturday). Bonfire as always was a blast with some sad moments. two of them are:
1. saying bye to good friends (this will be another blog post at some point).
2. the death of my cell phone.

yup. i thought it was a great idea to go coal jumping with a few of my friends. probably would do it again as well. except, next time i will clean out my pockets before i lose them in the fire. shortly after making the jump i noticed my phone was missing. My SIL, Christa, found it the next day in the embers. Thankfully my hubby had me keep my old phone so i reactivated my razor. not as cool as a palm centro but that’s what i get. imagine trying to explain that story to the Sprint Customer service representative when they ask why you are looking for a new phone…

fall frivolties

September is winding down but it’s still fall! Here are some of my favorite things to do and about this season and so far it’s looking like a good one for me.

• cooler weather with sunshine
• apple picking and baking
• apple cider and apple cider donuts
• bonfires with friends
• pumpkin picking and carving
• hot air balloon festivals
• hayrides and corn mazes
• hiking in the Adirondacks
• Hudson Mohawk Marathon
• leaf peeping in Vermont
• the rodeo in Wilton
• horseback riding

mini-david

i see Psalms and Proverbs as default books. when im not really sure where to start reading in the bible i start with one of them because both books are jammed packed with wisdom and good stuff. Frankly it’s easy to remember hey today is September 7th, ill read Psalm/Proverbs 7. so recently i started reading thru the bible in a year. ive done it before but honestly, it was more because i had to for school and not really because i wanted too. so my goal is to complete it in a year, not because i have too but because i want to. interesting enough right now im in Psalms

in the NCV  the first few verses Psalm’s 6 reads like this:
“Lord, don’t correct me when you are angry; don’t punish me when you
are very angry.” Lord have mercy on me because i am weak.”

this verse seems so typically human to me. like saying “Jesus i know im bad and i make mistakes and i need to learn from them. but really i would just like to have your mercy and forgiveness. no consequences, please cause i can’t help how i am. thanks for understanding.” with that being said. this is exactly i how i am with God. i know when i do wrong and i just want forgiveness. no pain. it hurts too much. i should probably consider how much it hurts God instead.

just call me “mini-david.” maybe when i get to heaven, him and peter will come up beside me and say “it’s ok, Jesus still loved me too”

verb(age)

i think at one time this word friend was a noun in my vocab, but now… it’s a verb. i might have a pretty high expectation for a friend, but i think only because of the friends that have entered into my life. i have some great ones

What is a friend? a friend is someone who hangs with you…but more than that, they
talk when needed even if it’s not convenient for them. walk with you. laugh with you. care about you. cry with you. help you. love you in spite of yourself. share in life (not just watch you go through it). learn new things with you. kick you outta ruts. has your back. love you unconditionally. encourage you when needed. shake their head in disappointment because they love you. admonish you when you are hurting yourself. tell you what you NEED to hear even if it’s not what you want to hear. They do what is best for you even when it’s not what is best for them.

What does all that look like? it looks like following you to a car store and helping you put in a head light. paying for lunch even though it was your turn to buy. bringing you bagels at work when you can’t leave. buying you coffee unexpectedly. sitting with you when you are sick. watching your house when you are away. driving six hours to see you. bringing you a water bottle in 85 degree weather when you forget yours. sharing their lunch with you. hugs you when you are sad. staying up till 4am helping you write a paper. throwing an all night bday party for you (even though it might be bad timing for them) because they know you want it. running with you because they know you’ll meet your time goal if they do. offering you their car not because you need it but because they know you would like it. bringing you surprise treats that they KNOW you like. sitting quietly by your side when there is nothing to say.

i hope im even half the friend that my friends are to me.

a few of my summa favorite things (this year)

• waking up late on a Sunday morning to sit next to Mikey on the couch before church
• walking to D&D for a Coffee Coolatta
• putting on a t-shirt, pair of comfy jeans, and flip flops
• long summer drives down windy roads
• chatting at a bar with friends over a big tall glasses of beer
• motorcycle rides at sunset
• open air concerts with friends
• free musicals in the park
• mid-afternoon runs along the Hudson River bike path into downtown Albany
• late night hangouts w/good buds
• sitting with friends while worshiping in church
• camping/canoeing/swimming along/in the Mohawk river
• readings in the park

rituals

does anyone have a ritual? especially a mornin one? im occasionally convicted that i should have one but i don’t. the only thing that i am sure i will do at some point in the morning is get coffee. i never do the same thing twice, really, especially not in the morning. i would love to say i get up at the same time every day, drink my coffee, read, pick up the house, exercise, etc. but that’s not true. i don’t even wake up at a consistent time. the more i think about it….not even sure if i would really love to be able to say that i do because i honestly don’t like routine or rituals. nothing about them…but i do feel like i should have one.