Bad Blogger, forgive me Oprah...

Sorry I have been such a bad blogger, I promise to have a full update soon. I have been busy helping my sister organize a walk team for March for Babies. If you would like to learn more about why we are doing this or even sponsor us in our efforts, please visit my family blog by clicking here.

Challenging myself

I think i mentioned in my first post that I am not Catholic. I was raised Lutheran, Catholic Lite. We are now happy Methodists. So while I am not sure that Methodists as a rule give up something for lent but I've done it for so many years, I can't imagine not. Of course, I DO eat meat, even on Fridays, so I'm not exactly "hard core." It seems the last several years I have given up something like ice cream or soda or chocolate. For 40 days and 40 nights it's not exactly easy but it is definitely not a sacrifice either. The last church we went to in Wichita subscribed to the belief that instead of giving something up you should do something to better yourself. In keeping with my 40x40 I decided to give it a try. I decided to spend time everyday walking and/or running. This would go towards (hopefully) accomplishing two of my goals, losing 40 lbs and walking/running my first 5k. I purposely sat out to run everyday. I know myself better than anybody and if i would have challenged myself to 2-3 days a week it would be easy to put off today's run hoping for a better tomorrow so I challenged myself to do it everday. I have to admit, I haven't done it. But, i think i have done better than I expected. I am out atleast 5 days per week. I have been out in rain and cold and very windy conditions. I have had to walk around hospitals, my sister's neighborhood and out at a soccer complex - believe me it would have been easy to skip but I didn't. So today after the rain cleared, I decided to hit it again. My body is starting to crave it, how awesome is that? It's not my mind reminding me to get out and hit the streets it's my body asking me to! I was feeling confident tonight and asked my husband to join me. Big mistake. I sat out to prove something to him but really to myself. I failed. I took a longer path than normal and had a great walking pace. I decided to run. Why not? My heart is pumping to the music and I feel great! I pat my husband on the back, give him a flirty smile and say, "let's run." He took off and ran right past me. I tried to keep up but I couldn't. I wish I wasn't so damn competitive. I wish I wasn't so damned out of shape. I wish I wasn't so damn old. I am so so angry with myself, I can hardly see through my tears. But I'm not giving up. I am going to run that 5k and then I am going to run another one and another one. I am craving the freedom and the rush I am just beginning to feel. Today was rough but tomorrow is another day. And just for the record, after my husband came in, I went around the block one more time. BECAUSE I CAN!

3. Feed or prepare meals for the homeless

While I am very excited to cross another 40x40 off the list, this one makes me particularly happy. I don't think it's any secret I love our church. We went to just about every church in Oklahoma City when we moved here trying to find our church home. I wanted small and traditional. We ended up with HUGE and forward thinking yet rooted in the traditional. It's a great church for our kids to grow up in - on any given day you can hear children's laughter echoing up and down the hallways - The Holy Spirit is so present it's practically palpable! So when our church decided to be part of the Stop Hunger Mission, Jay and I knew we wanted to be a part of it. The plan was to raise enough money to assemble meals for 50,000 people. Financially, the last couple of months have been rough on us, we weren't sure how to increase our giving but figured our time was just as valuable. But then, the youth of our church had a great idea, one Sunday they handed out tubes of mini M&M's - a quarter, coincedentally fits perfect in one. Our task was to enjoy the M&M's and return the tube filled with quarters. Each tube held $14.00 worth of quarters, or the equivalent of 56 meals! It was actually pretty easy and much more fun than just writing a check. I cleaned out purses and cars and coin jars until each of us had filled a mini M&M tube of quarters! We were not alone. As a church we raised enough to assemble 176,000 meals!! They had quite the system, there was an assembly line rivaling anything i have seen! I took on the role of weigher. Each bag filled with rice, veggies, seasonings and a vitamin pack had to weigh between 380-385 grams. It was my job to add or subtract ingredients based on that goal. Brooke and Jay both served as runners although we did try and alternate roles some! During our shift alone, we assembled, packaged and prepared for shipping 25,000 meals! These meals will be making their way to Africa where they will be prepared and served as school lunches. I hope that these children are atleast half as Blessed to receive the meals as we were preparing them!

SO yes, I cross another thing off my list today but really, this was about so much more. About spending time as a family and imagining other families, much like ours, miles away with worries much different than ours. I am really enjoying my Meditations for a Busy mom, just yesterday I bookmarked a verse I plan to visit often, Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you. Psalm 55:22. I wish I could share His word and His message with our brothers and sisters in Africa, maybe in some way today, I did.


ps. How cool would it be if the school these meals were going to was one that Oprah built? I'm just sayin.....

It's Official!!

Number 31 on my list is crossed off! I was offered and i accepted a position today. I am so excited. This feels like exactly like what I am supposed to be doing. It takes my 20 years experience and gives it a purpose for a cause I am crazy passionate about!
I don't want to share every detail now but rest assured, you will know soon enough because this is in non-profit and everyone knows friends and family make the best volunteers! :)
My first day is March 22nd - right after Spring Break! Guess I need to get a little more serious about finding a GOOD daycare for Kate since she won't start school until August!
Also I want to give a BIG HUGE Happy Birthday Shout Out to my friend Leslie! Leslie and I went to high school together and reconnected last year through the magic of social networking and now this crazy blogging circle. Today she celebrates her 40th birthday, I am so Blessed to once again call her my friend! And let me assure you friends, and Oprah she is most definitely 40 and fabulous! Love ya Leslie! Happy Happy Birthday - can't wait to celebrate in September!

# 31. On my list...

is seriously haunting me! Days like today make me want to CROSS. IT. OFF. What a beautiful and glorious day! Kate and I had lunch with my sister and then took our littlest kids and biggest dogs to the park!

How happy is this face?


I am still waiting to hear back from the one and only job I have interviewed for. If it doesn't pan out (i really should know soon) I'm not sure what I'm going to do! I wonder if Oprah is hiring...

Sorry this isn't much of an update but I really wanted to share this picture I took today at the park. It is so peaceful, I feel like if you stare at it long enough, you can actually here this bible verse, "Today is the day the Lord hath made, Rejoice and Be Glad in it!" Which is exactly what we did!

Amen!

I'm not a quitter, I'm a resignor.....

So #25 on my 40x40 list was to finish designing Brooke's yearbook. When Brooke started attending this school 3 years ago, I was anxious to fit in as a new parent. It's an excellent school in a good district, people do not leave this school so Brooke was the new kid and I was the new mom. It was a bit of a struggle and to be honest, Brooke found her way in a lot quicker than I did. This last year the PTA board shifted a bit and I was asked to run for office. I actually declined but did take the position of yearbook chair. I was excited - it fell right in line with my line of work. Or so I thought. At every turn it was a challenge. There were obstacles thrown at me from every direction not to mention a huge internal battle raging. But yesterday I finished all 48 pages. There are edits to be made, proofs to check, etc but for all intents and purposes my role as yearbook chair is complete. Finally. FINALLY!! This process has reminded me of a very important lesson, sometimes NOT fitting in is ok and seriously.....wait for it....not everybody has to like me! I have turned everything in including my letter of resignation. I accomplished what i intended to the best of my ability and learned a valuable lesson in the process. I guess I would call that a success. So check another 40x40 off my list, I am sooooooooo ready to move on!