Find a random sentence, take ten minutes and write a story including that sentence. Product below:
Drip, drip, drip…toes curled to the edge of the great abyss. Dampened towel, draped to a shivering body. Fear emanating out like water out of a flood gate. To the left and to the right hoards of rowdy patrons disturbed the once stillness of the surface skin. Cannonballs, swan dives, lappers, and hooligans pushed tidal waves over the hot cement. Determination and curiosity kept him there, but inexperience paralyzed him. However, a populated pool draws advanced counsel. Slightly older, slightly taller, just as scared, his brother boldly stepped towards the crisp aqua blue sloshing back and forth before him. With a turn and a smirk he hurled with uninhibited fiery. In the wake of crashing waves, the towel dropped, the toes released, and in newly found courage Little Tommy leaped towards the unknown.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Training Log: Week 2 - Mental Friggin Wall
I am realizing more and more my aptitude for complaining....I never thought I was a complainer...but if truth be told...I like to complain.
So this is it! My last rant and then I am going to suck it up and deal! There is only so much that can be put into fighting against your own body and mind before it is time to stop complaining and start doing....I think I was at that point two weeks ago...but like I said, I'm good at complaining and drawing out the self-pity for all long as possible...Last week I tried to run three times....no run lasted longer then a mile....I even got on my bike while my friend when for a run!....I have hit this wall and all of a sudden this little training glitch has turned into the Great Wall of China and every where I look I don't see solution...just more wall.
But again, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don't want to heap dung upon my funk but dig out of the hole one mile at a time and get back to where I used to be!.....but again...I just don't know how to break the self-indulgent cycle of self-deprecations and failure.
Today is a new day....today I try to run two miles....tomorrow...maybe three. Pray for me...I need it!....end of rant: new beginning!!!
So this is it! My last rant and then I am going to suck it up and deal! There is only so much that can be put into fighting against your own body and mind before it is time to stop complaining and start doing....I think I was at that point two weeks ago...but like I said, I'm good at complaining and drawing out the self-pity for all long as possible...Last week I tried to run three times....no run lasted longer then a mile....I even got on my bike while my friend when for a run!....I have hit this wall and all of a sudden this little training glitch has turned into the Great Wall of China and every where I look I don't see solution...just more wall.
But again, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don't want to heap dung upon my funk but dig out of the hole one mile at a time and get back to where I used to be!.....but again...I just don't know how to break the self-indulgent cycle of self-deprecations and failure.
Today is a new day....today I try to run two miles....tomorrow...maybe three. Pray for me...I need it!....end of rant: new beginning!!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Training Log: 12 Weeks to go...week 1 of training...again
Twelve Weeks to Marathon
Do or Die point
If you are going to run a marathon....you should give yourself AT LEAST twelve weeks to train.....it is time to step it up and start training...FOR REAL this time:-)
Update...training has been less then stellar, but like it states above, it is do or die time and I am choosing to DO!...I reconfigured my training schedule and I need to put away this silly mental block and hit the road. Pray for me! I need it! I want this season of training to teach me about perseverance, discipline, and striving towards a goal.....what I really need is someone to make sure I wake up at 6am to do my runs!!! (Anyone? Buller? Want to be my alarm clock???)
Other updates: Chicago summer...FANTASTIC! I love the lake, I love biking the city, I love the festivals, and I love hanging out with new friends! Such a blessing to see how my life has transformed in the past 12 months:-)
School update: I have applied fro grad school...I should find out in 4 weeks. Time to take advantage of the this season of life and get my masters.....I'm scared but excited and hope to grow a lot in my writing and maybe even get published!!!...we'll see
Last update: social...I'M GOING TO LONDON!!!!!! I found really cheap tickets for the first week in November and jumped all over them...you don't have to ask me twice:-)
.....not sure if anyone reads this blog....but for those of you who do, I appreciate it a lot....It makes me feel connected:-) I love you all, you are great!
Do or Die point
If you are going to run a marathon....you should give yourself AT LEAST twelve weeks to train.....it is time to step it up and start training...FOR REAL this time:-)
Update...training has been less then stellar, but like it states above, it is do or die time and I am choosing to DO!...I reconfigured my training schedule and I need to put away this silly mental block and hit the road. Pray for me! I need it! I want this season of training to teach me about perseverance, discipline, and striving towards a goal.....what I really need is someone to make sure I wake up at 6am to do my runs!!! (Anyone? Buller? Want to be my alarm clock???)
Other updates: Chicago summer...FANTASTIC! I love the lake, I love biking the city, I love the festivals, and I love hanging out with new friends! Such a blessing to see how my life has transformed in the past 12 months:-)
School update: I have applied fro grad school...I should find out in 4 weeks. Time to take advantage of the this season of life and get my masters.....I'm scared but excited and hope to grow a lot in my writing and maybe even get published!!!...we'll see
Last update: social...I'M GOING TO LONDON!!!!!! I found really cheap tickets for the first week in November and jumped all over them...you don't have to ask me twice:-)
.....not sure if anyone reads this blog....but for those of you who do, I appreciate it a lot....It makes me feel connected:-) I love you all, you are great!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Training Log: Week 2 - Lesson Umpteen
Running schedule this week:
Planned
Monday: 4 Miles easy + strength training
Tuesday: 5 miles w/intermittent sprints
Wednesday: 30-40 min cardio + strength training
Thursday: 4 mile easy/moderate run
Friday: 30 min cardio
Saturday: 6 mile easy
Actual thus far:
Monday: 40 min bike ride + weights...not bad
Tuesday: attempted 4 mile run...which equaled 1 mile run, 1 mile walk + bike commute
Wednesday: 7 mile run to work...which turned into 2 mile run, 5 mile walk
What the heck is wrong with me? I just can't seem to pick up my feet! But I know that the things worth while in life are the things that take sacrifice, hard-work, and perseverance...but seriously......why can't drinking ice coffee's from McDonald's get me ready for the marathon!?!
Hehehe.....Let me run the race set before me, fixing my eyes on Christ the author and perfecter of my faith.....I think I'm a bit too inward focused for my own good....hmmm, something to think about
Planned
Monday: 4 Miles easy + strength training
Tuesday: 5 miles w/intermittent sprints
Wednesday: 30-40 min cardio + strength training
Thursday: 4 mile easy/moderate run
Friday: 30 min cardio
Saturday: 6 mile easy
Actual thus far:
Monday: 40 min bike ride + weights...not bad
Tuesday: attempted 4 mile run...which equaled 1 mile run, 1 mile walk + bike commute
Wednesday: 7 mile run to work...which turned into 2 mile run, 5 mile walk
What the heck is wrong with me? I just can't seem to pick up my feet! But I know that the things worth while in life are the things that take sacrifice, hard-work, and perseverance...but seriously......why can't drinking ice coffee's from McDonald's get me ready for the marathon!?!
Hehehe.....Let me run the race set before me, fixing my eyes on Christ the author and perfecter of my faith.....I think I'm a bit too inward focused for my own good....hmmm, something to think about
Monday, June 8, 2009
Lessons in Humility
I have this saying that I joke about with friends, "I don't do things I'm not good at!"...now it is a joke...but really, I'm prideful and it's true. For example, baseball: I LOVE BASEBALL! I love to watch baseball and cheer for my boys, (aka the Red Sox), and basically everything about it...except playing it...why? "I don't do things I'm not good at!" The term "lacking" doesn't even begin to describe my hand-eye coordination:-)
Well...sometimes doing things that you are not good at teaches you about humility and not being so prideful.
I had another "hit upside the head by the Holy Spirit" moment this weekend whilst running the 13.1 Chicago race. Talk about a lesson in humility! I love running, but I am neither fast nor driven to go the distance....however, I think the attempt to push through and persevere is a journey well worth taking.
At mile 8.5 I decided that running is stupid and I didn't want to do it anymore. To bad for me the only way back to the starting line was to keep going. You see the start line was also the finish line.
I foolishly asked God to use this race to teach me something....careful what you pray for! Our God is faithful and although He does not often answer the way we think He should, He does answer!...so...little less then five miles to the end on the race and I decide that running is stupid....what was actually happening is I saw all these people passing me and as each one went by I though, "He is faster then me, she is faster then me, he is faster, him too...dang...all these people are better then I am!!!"
That's when Jesus smacked me upside the head and reminded me that this is my race, not their, and the only one I'm racing against is myself....i would like to say that at that point I kicked it up a gear and ran with all my heart...well...let's just say God wasn't finished teaching me about humility.
If you have ever ran semi-long distances, you know that after a certain point it becomes a mental battle....yes there are points when your body says stop, or slow down, or WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING TO ME!?!....but mostly quitting or poor performance comes more out of the mental struggle then anything else. For me, at 8.5 miles into my race I hit my wall...my mental barrier. My body could have kept going at a decent speed, but my mind was playing games.
Again, foolishly I had asked God to use this race to teach me about perseverance, endurance, focus, finishing the race, and to teach me about myself....what I learned? Well, I learn that I am a pansy, who likes to complain and compare myself to all those around me rather then focusing on the goal and pushing through. Let's call this phenomenon, "easily distracted"!
But, I did push through...and although my time was not anywhere near where I thought it would be or where I wanted it to me, I realized that it was a starting out point. This is the beginning of the journey...not the end...not the end all be all, but the point to push off from.
In the end...what did God teach me? That this "race" we are running is our race. No one else's. We can't compare our "race" to anyone's. Comparing ourselves, getting caught up in the distractions gets us no where fast. If we want to persevere and push towards the goal, then we need to work, and most importantly we need to lay aside our pride and push on towards the goal. Because that is the only way to get the prize.
Well...sometimes doing things that you are not good at teaches you about humility and not being so prideful.
I had another "hit upside the head by the Holy Spirit" moment this weekend whilst running the 13.1 Chicago race. Talk about a lesson in humility! I love running, but I am neither fast nor driven to go the distance....however, I think the attempt to push through and persevere is a journey well worth taking.
At mile 8.5 I decided that running is stupid and I didn't want to do it anymore. To bad for me the only way back to the starting line was to keep going. You see the start line was also the finish line.
I foolishly asked God to use this race to teach me something....careful what you pray for! Our God is faithful and although He does not often answer the way we think He should, He does answer!...so...little less then five miles to the end on the race and I decide that running is stupid....what was actually happening is I saw all these people passing me and as each one went by I though, "He is faster then me, she is faster then me, he is faster, him too...dang...all these people are better then I am!!!"
That's when Jesus smacked me upside the head and reminded me that this is my race, not their, and the only one I'm racing against is myself....i would like to say that at that point I kicked it up a gear and ran with all my heart...well...let's just say God wasn't finished teaching me about humility.
If you have ever ran semi-long distances, you know that after a certain point it becomes a mental battle....yes there are points when your body says stop, or slow down, or WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING TO ME!?!....but mostly quitting or poor performance comes more out of the mental struggle then anything else. For me, at 8.5 miles into my race I hit my wall...my mental barrier. My body could have kept going at a decent speed, but my mind was playing games.
Again, foolishly I had asked God to use this race to teach me about perseverance, endurance, focus, finishing the race, and to teach me about myself....what I learned? Well, I learn that I am a pansy, who likes to complain and compare myself to all those around me rather then focusing on the goal and pushing through. Let's call this phenomenon, "easily distracted"!
But, I did push through...and although my time was not anywhere near where I thought it would be or where I wanted it to me, I realized that it was a starting out point. This is the beginning of the journey...not the end...not the end all be all, but the point to push off from.
In the end...what did God teach me? That this "race" we are running is our race. No one else's. We can't compare our "race" to anyone's. Comparing ourselves, getting caught up in the distractions gets us no where fast. If we want to persevere and push towards the goal, then we need to work, and most importantly we need to lay aside our pride and push on towards the goal. Because that is the only way to get the prize.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
The lessons God continues to teach me...
Some times I wish God would just hit me upside the head.....sometimes, God hits me upside the head!...but I have to say, every time I am reminded of my stupidity and His greatness and then reminded of the fact that He still loves me and gave up EVERYTHING for me, I am simply blown away by His grace.
I had one of those moments this morning while emailing Jesus, (that's right, email is the new journal, get with it people!)....basically I was rambling away my frustration of feeling far from Him lately. And the crux of the matter was this: I felt that all of my habitual and repetitive sin was keeping me from seeing God's will worked out in my life. I felt like I was missing the boat or something. As soon as I wrote it, I felt the Holy Spirit hit me upside the head....Like ANYTHING I could do could keep God's will from happening. The sovereign God, perfect in all timing, the creator of the universe was not likely to be detoured my pee brain antics! I felt like an idiot...but at the same time I was overwhelmed by His grace...that no matter what I do, nothing can separate me from the love of God. that yes i might miss out on blessings along the way, that in my rebellion I could miss out on fruits of the Spirit that would bring me greater intimacy with Jesus...but in His sovereignty, in His grace, and His sacrifice, there is nothing that can take me away from Him. And although His is the creator of the universe and I am nothing...I am something because He first loved me!
That is the truth: Nothing I can do will separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus! His Will will be done! Although I am weak, i an found in Christ and I have traded my brokenness for His righteousness!
So lesson learned...again...and do you know what...i will probably need to be reminded of this fact again and again...and again...but I am thankfully that we have a merciful and gracious God...because He will continue to hit me upside the head every time I need it! thanks Jesus:-)
I had one of those moments this morning while emailing Jesus, (that's right, email is the new journal, get with it people!)....basically I was rambling away my frustration of feeling far from Him lately. And the crux of the matter was this: I felt that all of my habitual and repetitive sin was keeping me from seeing God's will worked out in my life. I felt like I was missing the boat or something. As soon as I wrote it, I felt the Holy Spirit hit me upside the head....Like ANYTHING I could do could keep God's will from happening. The sovereign God, perfect in all timing, the creator of the universe was not likely to be detoured my pee brain antics! I felt like an idiot...but at the same time I was overwhelmed by His grace...that no matter what I do, nothing can separate me from the love of God. that yes i might miss out on blessings along the way, that in my rebellion I could miss out on fruits of the Spirit that would bring me greater intimacy with Jesus...but in His sovereignty, in His grace, and His sacrifice, there is nothing that can take me away from Him. And although His is the creator of the universe and I am nothing...I am something because He first loved me!
That is the truth: Nothing I can do will separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus! His Will will be done! Although I am weak, i an found in Christ and I have traded my brokenness for His righteousness!
So lesson learned...again...and do you know what...i will probably need to be reminded of this fact again and again...and again...but I am thankfully that we have a merciful and gracious God...because He will continue to hit me upside the head every time I need it! thanks Jesus:-)
Monday, June 1, 2009
Changes:-)
It's official...it is no longer winter.....there is no prediction of snow in the forecast...and I've all ready been to my first summer Chicago festival!
WELCOME TO SUMMER!!!!!!
Let me also take this opportunity to welcome Harrison Finlay Gamester to the world! First child of Nathan and Sarah Gamester, proud parents and extraordinary human beings:-) This kid is one luck one to enter into such a great family and I am super stoked to see what God has in store for Baby Harrison and Mama and Daddy Gamester!
Other new additions, Elijah Kwon Parker is now 1 week old and SUPER cute:-) A couple in my church, Scott & Moon Parker, have just welcomed their second son to the world!
So summer time and babies! I am more then a little excited.
Chicago life is pretty amazing I have to say.....I love everything about it and I am waiting with anticipation for the adventure ahead!
Bring it on Jesus!
WELCOME TO SUMMER!!!!!!
Let me also take this opportunity to welcome Harrison Finlay Gamester to the world! First child of Nathan and Sarah Gamester, proud parents and extraordinary human beings:-) This kid is one luck one to enter into such a great family and I am super stoked to see what God has in store for Baby Harrison and Mama and Daddy Gamester!
Other new additions, Elijah Kwon Parker is now 1 week old and SUPER cute:-) A couple in my church, Scott & Moon Parker, have just welcomed their second son to the world!
So summer time and babies! I am more then a little excited.
Chicago life is pretty amazing I have to say.....I love everything about it and I am waiting with anticipation for the adventure ahead!
Bring it on Jesus!
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