a life beyond running shoes.

one thousand gifts . by ann voskamp. there are so many rich truths that she so poetically expresses in a way that make truth alive, rich, and powerful.  but it is such a raw book. there is a depth of sorrow of pain of tragedy....you almost don't want to read..... and yet, she is so honest that it is engaging and captivating in such a way that you have to keep reading.  she speaks....and my heart echos.  my heart cries out a resounding affirmation of her words. she says it like i wish i could..... and yet, there is hope.  the hope that only christ can bring.....christ the broken, crucified savior who gives thanks with his life....breaks it and then gives it away.  it is transformative.....and i pass it along to you. i'm amputated. i have hacked my life up into grace moments and cruse moments. the chopping that has cut myself off from the embracing love of a god who "does not enjoy hurting people or causing them to sorrow" (lamentations 3:33), but labo...

christmas in florida feels different than christmas in new york.  (notice short sleeves.....and my new hair cut) but the blessing is that we got to be here at all. we had not planned on traveling this xmas, so the fact that we got be with family was a blessing for sure. it reminded me that in the midst of grieving loss there are amazing things to celebrate and being with family this season really helped make advent real..... that we really do look forward to what is coming. and while we have gotten to do fun things.... like play outside all the time, run in shorts, grill out....... we look forward to what god is bring in 2012. by the way, hubbie was out running trails and this is what he saw...... if you look closely it is a 12 foot gator. it was about 10 feet from him.  yup, life in this here florida.

we had a 5th bday celebration right before xmas. little bit was fully celebrated! it was his first birthday party.....  we played a version of pin the tail on the donkey (pin the gator on the football).   had a very rowdy game of tag football. had a very special cake.......  are you seeing the theme here? the boys have loved being in gatorland...... and we made it the theme of the party. and little bit loves football...... especially his daddy & grandpa's team - the florida gators. it was great to see him so excited and see him participate. i was nervous that with all the attention he would get shy and sullen....nope, he loved every minute. (and so did i). it is hard to believe he is five.  his birth seems like a lifetime ago.... and i guess it was. happy birthday, little bit!

may all your wanderings this week, good friends, family taste the good of god and saver long -- not wolfing anything down because life is dessert and worth licking the bowl right clean.              -- ann voskamp

ella enchanted. by gail carson levine what a fun read. and i needed somethign a little light, quick, quirky. it is the fairy tale of cinderella......which a few twist, inventions, creativity. i loved it.  it was a nice break from my 19th century 400 page novel that i am treading water my way through. can't wait to read aloud to sweet pea one day...... super cute!

in sunday school class, little bit is known for being a willing participant. (who knew). they were learning the verse: "i am the way, the truth, and the life. no one comes to the father but through me." teacher : so we have life with jesus. does anyone here have life? little bit : WE ALL HAVE LICE! but we washed our hair, so the bugs are all dead. um....thanks, pal. we have been outed. here are we captured with our "treatment" on our heads:    we have done three different treatments: harsh chemical shampoo. a natural remedy. and a third more "natural" treatment using ceta*phil face cleaner. i have to admit i feel a bit like we have had the plague over here.... but include the general nit-picking all day every day....for the last month......and i think we might finally be victorious.  (there was a lot of bribing with halloween candy) i know what you are thinking: where did you get it? how...

unless you are the 25 year old running in front of me wearing hot pants and a really tight hot pink racing shirt with a rear-end you could bounce a quarter off of..... then yes, i am competitive because i really , really wanted to pass her. i ran a 5K today.  i was telling myself that i was just out there to have fun....nope, i had a goal. i got to run with two of the ladies from the early-morning running group.  it is so much nicer to run with people than by myself...... and yet.... i left them at mile 2 to see if i could push myself to the finish. it was flat and i had the straight shot to the end.  i got a PR (personal record)! it felt so good..... 29:20. YEAH, me!!! what a fun way to end the thanksgiving weekend. it was a full weekend, full of lots of family. i got time with all my in-laws...plus some of my side of the family. my mom & her hubbie joined us in florida and got to spend some time with all her grandbabies. what a ...

holy cow. i did my first trail run here in florida....actually, my first trail run ever. i should have considered the 5K but went for the 13.1 (half marathon distance). again, what was i thinking. it was hot. it was complicated (roots, sand, rocks, terrain). it was hot.... did i say that. my running group runs in the dark...that means, no matter what the high of the day is... it is much cooler than during the day.  this run was during daylight....mistake number 1. a trail run..... mistake number 2. here is what i was thinking: something new, something challenging, something unique, something different. unfortunately....and i have to admit for the first 8 miles, it was kind of fun.  it was different country side, unique terrain, fun people. and then i hit mile 9. i was struggling.... i hit the water stop at 9.75 and actually considered turning in my bib number and walking to the finish line.... there was a 3 mile loop and then and half ...

but i entered a raffle..... a contest....in 135 characters or less "why i want to run the ING NYC marathon 2012." here is what i wrote: i became a wife, a mother, a homeowner, and a runner in brooklyn. we lost a job and moved. i wanna come home and run.  i think that about summarized it. i have been running a lot since here in florida.  the weather is warmer to say the least.  i miss the fall leaves, i have to admit.... but i am still running in shorts. i could be bothered that it means i still have to shave my legs but i will try and enjoy the camaraderie that i am finding early in the morning.  it is a consistent and faithful group. every morning someone is there. i am thankful. so while i have been running more, i have been reading less. homeschooling has drastically diminished my time for reading..... sigh. i am hoping that i can finish my current read before christmas. happy reading & running, friends. 11/09 update: ...

i am ashamed to say that i have never read this book.... gasp. i know. little women. louisa may alcott. absolutely loved it. devoured it. cried when it was over.... cried at all the right moments. and oh how much it made me cringe when thinking about the most recent movie.... winonna ryder playing jo. o' the horror!! what a book of thought and poignancy and wit and charm.... and wisdom. there was so much in there that was timeless. some of the speeches from marmie undid me in such a way that the story was written on my soul. and when it ended i was so sad, like saying good-bye to a good friend. so i immediately picked up the next book: little men. louisa may alcott. while not about the march sisters, it was a dear book of the same genre. i cannot say i loved it with the fervor of the other; i did enjoy it just the same. i did skim some of the detailed accounts of the boys activities during the day.... as it did get a bit tedious for me.... but again, i love alcott's w...

One of the amazing blessings of being displaced here is family..... truly we are not for lack of love or company....and my kids are LOVING every minute. (we are related to every child in that picture...just to let you know) we have gotten to attend two family birthdays and a family wedding...and we have not even been here two full weeks. and we spend a lot of time at the soccer field. we signed the boys up for fall soccer.... we missed the first three weeks but have joined in full steam ahead..... well, okay not little bit who burst into tears at being asked to run out onto the field during his first practice here. maybe by the end of the season, we will get him to kick a ball during the game and not just off the field. (and yes, there are alligators in that lake) i have also joined my mother-in-law's running group (that runs at 5:30am). but how sweet to find others to run with, share prayer requests with, and enjoy early morning-sleepy eyed company with.....early, but such sweet c...

family..... we were having dinner with some friends just before we left brooklyn, and the husband was pouring wine into my glass that had just been used at a cocktail glass. his wife tried to get him to get out a clean wine glass..... he said, "why? she is family." sigh. i miss my brooklyn family. i miss my home. i miss my life. we have arrived in florida. and i am thankful. i got to go to a women's bible study on the book of ruth . this is what we were reading: So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi [which means pleasant]; call me Mara [which means bitterness], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” So Naomi returned, and Ruth the...

a few quick reads.... honey for a woman's heart gladys hunt i skimmed. it is an elaborate book list.....but pause everyone once in a while to get the nuggets of wisdom and insight into that was fun, encouraging, and reminded me to read good stuff. "reading is a sage way to bump up against life. reading may be an escape, but it is not escape from my own life and problems. it is escape from the narrow boundaries of being only me. reading in some wonderful way helps me find out who i am." (page 24) i was going to return it to the friend i borrowed it from, but decided to go back through it and write down some titles i wanted to remember to put on my "to read" list. it was long but of some good stuff.... not sure it was anything i could not have come up with on my own, but it was a good read. a few authors i would like to check out are: isabel allende, maeve bundy, anne tyler, gail godwin. and i was reminded again that i need to read little women !...

to sing his praises..... praying words would penetrate my heart.... remind me of truths.... and delight in god's love for me... glorious things of thee are spoken zion, city of our god; he, whose word cannot be broken, formed thee for his own abode on the rock of ages founded what can shake thy sure repose? with salvation's walls surrounded, thou mayst smile at all thy foes. see the streams of living waters, springing from eternal love. well supplies thy sons and daughters, and all fears of want removes. what can faint while such a river ever flows their thirst to quench? grace which like the lord, the giver, never fails from age to age. savior, if of zion's city, i, through grace, a member am, let the world deride or pity, i will glory in thy name fading is the worlding's pleasure, all is boasted pomp and show solid joys and lasting treasures none but zion's children know. -- words by john newton, 1779 amazing to think we still sing words so rich and...

she is cute and sweet and fun. but don't let that fool you. she tantrums. she kicks. she yells. she fights. she whines. she resists. and that is the state of my heart. i am fighting the idea that my plan is no longer god's plan. i had a 20 year plan that included my children graduating from high school in this house. i don't shift gears easily. church was so good for me yesterday. to be called into god's presence. to be ushered into worshiping the king. to repent of my toddler-heart. to proclaim god's goodness that endures forever. it is changing my heart....slowly.

this blogging thing is weird. how public do i get.... should i be..... when do i process....how.... etc. well, as to not emotionally vomit via the internet, i will give the bullet points of our summer: my husband resigned from his position as a church planting pastor due to financial reasons. i started packing. my husband did three weeks of home-improvement projects to get our house ready. we put our house on the market. we left on vacation without daddy..... change of plans due to implosion brooklyn. had a blast in california. changed our summer itinerary and came home by passing time in florida. had our final worship service... in our hone no less for an added sweetness. got an offer on the house....countered, accepted. un-enrolled boys from public school. started paperwork to homeschool. kids got sick. left again on vacation. kids had 10 days of stomach bug. had a awesome time at a lake in tennessee with cousins, family, and gramma. my husband had a skype interview with another chur...

in the woods . tana french. dublin murder mystery squad. can i give spoilers? well, i will. main character goes into a myopic funk and ruins the whole story. one of the mysteries remains unsolved, which is super frustrating, and the fun relationship between the partners unravels ridiculously. that being said, i could not put it down and was dying to finish. i did have disturbing dreams.....missing children, murder site, etc. so.... final analysis. it was her first novel.... but i will most likely read her second that takes the female detective's point of view on a new case. i did read the third one of the series and was on the fence about it as well.... so lois, not sure i disliked it but can't say i loved it. dead until dark. living dead in dallas. club dead . charlaine harris okay, i read the first three sookie stackhouse books. more vampire fiction..... adult version though. definitely NOT for juvenile audience. i was also on the fence....but then read two m...

phew! finished!!! i re-read the harry potter series. i got the idea from another friend. i was not original. i have held off seeing the final film until i finished the final book. it took three months....but i did it! harry potter and the sorcerer's stone. year one. harry potter and the chamber of secrets. year two. harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban. year three. harry potter and the goblet of fire. year four. harry potter and the order of the phoenix. year five. harry potter and the half-blood prince. year six. harry potter and the deathly hallows . the final installment. i have discussed with another literary friend the merits of the above mentioned series. he claims that they are drivel, hardly worth being called literature, and not worth the time to read much less read a second time. i disagree. while, i would not put under the category of fantastic literature.... i find them entertaining, engaging, fun, complicate, insightful, and overall great. i can't ...

preface: our family has major things going on right now......and we have been flying around the country, back again, leaving for family vacation, back again...... i don't have the mental space to blog about. i will at some point. but until then.... books. maine . by j. courtney sullivan. it was a library recommendation. thought i would give it awhirl. well, i was disappointed. i was captivated by the relational dynamics of the four women the story is told through. the irish-catholic history was fascinating and portrayed in a authentic and in no-way-demeaning sort of way. i love generational sagas. but this one left me craving for some sort of resolution at the end. it ended..... as all stories must. but i had invested so much into their lives.... sigh. disappointed. oh well. it made me want to rent a cabin on the shores of maine. in fact, i even spent about an hour perusing websites. alas, we will vacation in tennessee this summer and be so thankful to be with family....

we have hit the public pools, the beach, and the playgrounds.... all in our first full week of summer. we also had our first experience at day camp.... we opted for the sports camp variety. the boys loved it.... and sweet pea conned the director out of her own camp shirt. very cute!!!