a life beyond running shoes.

it was more than the sheer volume that was amazing.....it was the stench as well. you could smell it from 15 feet away....in the hallway not to mention the small nursery room that has a capacity of three adults and four infants....it wafted towards you bowling you over like a tons of bricks. what was it you ask? micah diaper. we had a total blowout during church yesterday. i was retrieved from service to attend to matters. i was expecting the usual: stinky, but manageable. what i found was exceeding any we have ever had. my son had been stripped down to his diapers...he was in tears. only his t-shirt (that was over his onsie) was reusable....everything else was tied VERY tightly in a garbage bag....including his socks. you maybe asking yourself, "how does poop get on socks?" well, the truth is that i have no idea. but when it is everywhere.....the socks fall in line. it had come out the top, out the bottom, and was just everywhere. the poor kid was totally freak...

.....to communicate. here are some conversations as they have played out over the last couple of days.... kathy says: micah, please pick up your blocks. micah hears: swing on your new car bed. kathy says: micah, mommy is asking you to pick up your blocks. micah hears: play with your train. kathy says: micah, mommy is asking you again to pick up your blocks. micah hears: throw your train. kathy says: micah, this is the last time, mommy is asking you to pick up your blocks. please obey. micah says with passion: OBEY!!!! translators note: micah is sure that he is supposed to obey, but fails to understand what he is obeying. kathy says: her daughter has a birthday party from 12 - 2, so we would like to have lunch then. john hears: kathy wants to have lunch with a friend kathy says: do you think you could be home for micah's lunch & nap time? john hears: be home for lunch & nap time. translators note: john called at 12:30 and wondered if he should head home for mic...

last year for lent i gave up the internet for anytime other than micah's second nap. it had become too much of an obsession....something i thought about all day long.... checking my email, reading blogs, posting about my runs, shopping, etc. lent was about getting it under control because i saw that it was controlling me....not jesus. could i really have gotten to a place where my email was more important? sadly, yes. john had a great metaphor about lent as a discipline in his sermon two weeks ago.....he compared it to spring training for baseball. lent is the historic time of repentance and preparation for easter. it is a time of change and of focus on spiritual growth. lent is the spring training of a the christian life. it is not that players don't train & practice all year long, but spring training is the time of intense preparation for the season that is about to begin. we long to grow all year round as christains, but lent is the time to focus specifically for...

could i have gotten more accomplished today? i'm not sure. first, i cleaned the bathroom...i mean i scrubbed the tub, the sink, & the toilet. that hasn't happened in about three months. second, i vacuumed the boys room (as it should be called now) & the tv room (the only place where we have rugs) third, i swept & mopped the kitchen floor - man that was gross! then, we ventured to target and did that monthly shopping spree... plus got the boys their easter outfits. and finally during nap time, i finished my mom's christmas present (it is an apron - pictured above) which is now declared her birthday present to be shipped out next week. phew. is it my nap time? thanks to our middle school friend robin who came and kept micah company.... that is how i was able to get most of the target run down with two boys in tow.... the bathroom, well that was thanks to the teletubbies.... which i am theoretically totally opposed to, but since it totally captivated micah this mo...

john can claim to have seen a number of celebrities in our neck of the woods, including jennifer connelly about three times. i have yet to sight a single one....until today. coming up the street with his son, both walking their bikes, was john turturro . yup, my first celebrity sighting in two and a half years of living here. finally. for those of you who are not clear who he is..... think, o brother where art thou ? mr. deeds , s ecret window , and most recently the good shepherd . he is a park slope local. i thought it was cool. in other news, i walked outside yesterday where the snow was melting and had this thought, "it feels like spring." it was 45 degrees. it that warped or what?! and we had asher's two month check-up. he is 10 pounds 10 ounces... that is almost a two pound weight gain since his one month check-up. of course we also got his first round of vaccinations - which suck....but he is doing great!

today asher is two months old. it makes me miss running. i read an article in my runner's world that really struck me in relationship to my own running. while in no way can i compare myself with someone that has over come substance abuse or homelessness, i do understand the small pangs of addiction. food is my demon. the article, entitled "home run," recounts the experience of a running club that has used the discipline of running to replace old addictions. in my own life the discipline & camaraderie of running has helped balance out old/bad habits. it helps my food issues, it helps my short temper, and it helps keep my head in a healthier place. pounding pavement is therapeutic & helps me be a better wife, mom, and warrior. i am all clear for exercise now that i have had my check-up....but running is still months away - until i am done nursing. swimming will have to be the poor substitute, especially since it is individual and part of what i miss is transv...

it is not my circumstances that cause the spirit of my heart; it is my circumstances that reveal it. --lucia campbell so, in the middle of the night a crying baby reveals how truly angry & bitter my heart can be cuz i want to drop kick the kid to the curb. when i am tired and at the end of my rope, it is then that i understand more clearly how desperate i really am, how little i can save myself, how ungrateful i am for the lord's gifts. i pray it all leads me to being thankful for a sovereign god. "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." --heb 11:1

here are the boys with all their cousins...... spending a week with my in-laws was a true treat. i love seeing them with the boys. we get to see the other set of grandparents in april. we are a loved family. g'ma with cousin gretchen & micah. g'pa with a quickly growing asher.

it has been so nice to be around people that know my history, know my story, know me & love me....not just for now or the near future but for the long haul.....they are family - they're stuck with me. i got to go to two bible studies, sit and talk to john's aunts, sister, mother, cousins, etc.... all who love the lord and walk with him. i was refreshed. we talked about prayer, being women, mothers, friends, warriors. two quotes that i have been moved by, challenged by, and will have to marinate on..... both from paul miller. 1. worry is prayer disengaged from god. 2. my prayer is like a poorly dressed beggar standing outside the palace of the great king stammering out a halting message that is barely intelligible. but i come in the name of jesus . when i whisper his name, the guards snap to attention, the door flies open, and i am ushered down the long hallway into the thrown room of the great king. wow.

those puritans...we like to think of them as sticklers that grate against our post-modern idea of freedom in christ that really just masks a justified excuse for license. anyway, here are some thoughts of theirs that really struck me this week as i read....... the duties required in the first commandment are: the knowing and acknowledging of god to be the only true god, and our god; and to worship and glorify him accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honoring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing of him; believing him; trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing him him; being zealous for him, calling upon him, giving all praise and thanks, and yielding all obedience and submission to him with the whole man; being careful in all things to please him, and sorrowful when in anything he is offended; and walking humbly with him. from the westminister larger catechism..... as quoted in idols of the heart by elyse fitzpatrick.

7..... hours - stretch of sleep w/ asher last night 500...... times i woke up to check on him cuz i thought something was wrong 2..... hours - longest stretch he had the night before 56..... degrees - temperature in our bedroom on thursday night 102..... degrees - my fever on thursday night 2..... rolls of toilet paper i went through 1...... pound - what i have lost since the hospital 5...... pounds - what john has lost since the hospital 15..... pounds - how many to go 8...... months until my dad's wedding 3...... weeks until my sister comes to visit 12:45..... our departure time to florida today!!!! 75..... degrees it is there 37..... degrees - forecast for here.

this is a great album. 'nuf said.

there is a debate between folks that causes great rifts between friends, has destroyed relationships, and ended marriages.... it is the divide between red vines & twizzlers. i have admitted my addiction publically to twizzlers... this does not in anyway clarify my position regarding the divide. i am a red vines lover that has been forced to appease the addiction with sub-quality products. because i have a friend that loves and cherises me, i have been supplied with my first real love....red vines. thank you to my supplier & to the usps for their quick and speedy delivery. i only fear the day when the supply runs dry and i am forced back to the world of the twizzler. i have to admit, they are growing on me. sorry!

you won't believe one of the quirks that exists here in the city. gretchen got to experience it here when she was helping w/ asher. she even got into the idea of it a bit and got satisfaction from it. it revolves around the stoop. when i find a sweater in my drawer that i just don't wear anymore, i just put it out on my stoop. someone will take it. while gretchen was here, we put out a bathrobe, sweaters, margarita glasses, and a pair pants. i have also picked up stuff: a sweater, pants, books, etc. well, i think we have picked up the mother load. yes, this toddler bed was a sidewalk find. micah loves it as a play thing but is not so sure about it as a bed. we'll get there someday.... we certainly are not pushing it right now, especially since we need to get a second mattress for it. we have not attached the top yet since the mattress goes in and out all day. what a foreign land we live in!!! but we have fun hunting.

apparently "real" chili has no beans and should not be thick. it was our contribution to the chili cook-off event for the super bowl last night. i must admit... it was tasty. it had beer, coffee, & cocoa powder in it. imagine that. an excellent chili with a full cup of strong coffee. we found the recipe in a cookbook from two ladies who scoured the country for the best of the best. this particular recipe comes from a cowboy's cookin' every night - a nevada cookbook. i did a quick search on barnes and noble and did not find the actual cookbook, but i have this recipe. AND, it was not too spicy. actually, it did have a kick but since i am not longer incubating, i could handle it. tasty! and prince ROCKED!!!

well i took a bite & it was good! i tried two recipes from this cookbook that a dear friend of mine gave the family for xmas. the author is one of the the former owners of magnolia bakery (known for scrumptious cupcakes). recipe #1: the banana blueberry muffins i played with the amount of banana since i don't really like banana...the result: very tasty muffins! also made marshmallow crunch brownie bars.. not pictured, not tasted yet, but the batter was delicious!!! YUM! i'll let you know if it was all worth the trouble of making brownies from scratch.

in light of having re-watched high fidelity last weekend, i thought i would re-visit my top 5 favorite bands/artists from college: 1. toad the wet sprocket 2. the violet burning 3. sarah mclachlan 4. radiohead 5. counting crows honorable mention goes to james taylor , the catherine wheel, candlebox , dada , pennywise (snowboarding phase) and mary's danish (pink hair phase). of course there were a slew of christian bands that i followed due to the accessibility of seeing them play in southern california ( dakota motor company & the prayer chain were my top 2 favs). as my husband would have me clarify to my reading audience, i do have emotional connections to bands that have nothing to do with their talent & ability. WHATEVER!!!! they all rock. toad the wet sprocket's lead man, glen phillips , is coming to NYC at the end of february to play joe's pub. i am trying to figure out if a babysitter could actually swing a toddler & an infant at bedtime i...

i tried three new recipes last night for a friend that was coming over. i know what your thought is: new recipes on a friend... he is single and willing to eat whatever is put in front of him. recipe 1: penne with prosciutto and cream sauce (page 201). very tasty. the saltiness of the prosciutto went nicely with the butteriness of the cream. recipe 2: sauteed peas with olive oil and prosciutto , florentine style (page 517). basically made it to tie in with the pasta. it was a basic pea dish. not that any of us love peas but in light of the previous post, the attempt to have more colorful dinners was the goal. recipe 3: braised finocchio (fennel) with butter and parmesan (page 504). again, the attempt to add new items in to our repertoire for meals. now, i don't like fennel seed but i have heard more than a few times on my cooking shows that fennel the vegetable gets sweet when cooked. one of the meals brought to us was a beet & fennel salad with feta on top... del...

a rticle from the NYT Magazine entitled: " Unhappy Meals. " it is a very, very, very long article but it really got me to thinking & evaluating the way my family eats. there were a slew of principles that i will list here that challenged me a great deal. the main point he makes is this: "eat food. not too much. mostly plants." then he proceeds in a couple thousand words to unpack that. he also goes through some of the history of finding nutrients in food and the science of nutrition. it basically thinks it is pretty bogus because what you need in terms of vitamins & minerals are in "real" foods, not created foods..... so eat an apple. here are the main things that i am evaluating (he had 9 rules of thumb; i'm not listing them all): 1. eat food - not foodlike items (such as non-dairy creamer and cereal bars - your great-grandmother would have no idea what that was) 2. avoid food products that have ingredients that you can't pronounc...

1. who made you? god made me 2. what else did god make? everything 3. why did god make you & everything? for his own glory as with most of his language, it is only his parents that can discern exactly what he is saying. and the reality is that he is still learning the answer to #3, but he is getting it. i am amazed at his ability..... of course, none of this means anything him right now, but it is being written on his heart. how cool is that?!