Days to come, bring them on:)

Pictures from a recent fishing trip our family took...On one of the beautiful summer days that is now behind me....more fun lies ahead though!!

Feeling nostalgic and a little sad on the day before school starts!!  I don't want summer to end! I love having everyone here. It feels like the days are slipping through my fingers sometimes....and then I remember who they all belong to.  The words of this song mean so much to me, especially in light of loss and going through difficult times.  Somehow, though they also make me glad for the days ahead and the road to come. How about you?  Are you anticipating the days to come? Forgetting what is behind and striving toward the goal? Such great words here that I was compelled to write them out and share them:

Through All of it   by Colton Dixon

There are days of taking more than I can give
And there are choices that I made that I wouldn't make again
I've had my share of laughter
Of tears and troubled times
This has been the story of my life

I have won
And I have lost
I got it right sometimes, but sometimes I did not
Life's been a journey
I've seen joy, I've seen regret
Oh, and You have been my God through all of it

You were there when it all came down on me
When I was blinded by my fear and I struggled to believe
But in those unclear moments You were the one keeping me strong
This is how my story's always gone

I have won
And I have lost
I got it right sometimes, but sometimes I did not
Life's been a journey
I've seen joy, I've seen regret
Oh, and You have been my God through all of it
Oh, through all of it

And this is who You are, more constant than the stars
Up in the sky, all these years, all my life
I, I look back and I see You
Right now I still do
And I'm always going to

I have won
And I have lost
I got it right sometimes, but sometimes I did not
Life's been a journey
I've seen joy, I've seen regret
Oh, and You have been my God through all of it
Oh, and You have been my God through all of it
Oh, and You have been my God through all of it

I haven't had a computer since the first of August.  Now I have it back, which is a relief and I am completely thankful for, but really it was a nice break to be totally free of it.  Sometimes I wish I lived in the days of Laura and Mary...free to run on the prairie...with no technology to have to think about fixing or figuring out!! 

Running for Life

These are my new running shoes!!  I had to save up two months of clothes budget to buy them!!  Sorry family....that you don't have any underwear...at least I have shoes to wear!:)
No, I really made sure everyone had all their clothes needs (not wants) met before saving the clothes budget for myself for a few months.  But the old running shoes, they were bad...and it was overtime for a replacement.  I remember a time awhile back when I could pick up a pair of running shoes (good ones too) at Penney's for about $50.00. I guess those days are gone!  I will say though that for me, running shoes are a product where quality is important because if you don't buy something quality you might be hurtin'.  

I've been running since I was in fourth grade and it started when my mom had us run to a certain nearby bridge and back for some daily exercise.  There have been times in my life where I have stopped for awhile like when pregnant or when I lived up in Wyoming where it just felt too cold to run much of the year. But I really feel at my best when I am running regularly.  Not even long distances at this point.  Just short distances and regularly.  I sleep better, am able to do hikes with my family without feeling winded and I just have an overall better outlook.

I bought these shoes because they were comfortable (#1) and because of the color (#2).  They look like they are on fire:)  The purpose was to put a fire under me to get me out the door!  That mental image hit me in the store. Speaking of mental images, I think runners begin to develop them (or anyone really, who needs perseverance).  There have been a few mental tools that I have developed while running and I use them every single time.  It wasn't until the last few years that I realized my 3 favorite tools really apply to life also...I want to use them every single time too...every single day...I hope I can build those faith muscles.

Here are my mental running tools:

• The first one is to look ahead at some landmark that is way up ahead, that is bigger than myself and not take my eyes off of that landmark. It helps me to not think about my legs hurting, but just focus on that one thing. (You gotta refocus on something every time you change directions too!)
• The second one was given to me by a track coach in the fifth grade.  He said to imagine that I am being pulled by a rope that is attached to my belly button. By imagining this and running accordingly, your body is actually in a better running posture also (as opposed to leaning forward too much or slouching).
• Then the third one....It is often tempting at the end of a run to take a short cut. It takes some serious self talk of "DON'T DO IT!" And "FINISH WELL!" So, the third tool is to be prepared for this temptation and be ready to fight against it. 

How true in life that we need to keep focused on God and when we change directions, refocus on what he is doing and has for us.  Not only that, but when we are focused on him, we don't have to go it alone, he is doing much of the work, the pulling for us!!  Satan does not want us on this path and will try to persuade us to go another way, and "easier" way or some way that may look good at the time.  We need to be prepared for this, knowing that the enemy of our souls wants to tear us and our families down. Run for life and you will increase your strength!!

1 Timothy 4:8:
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

The Lipstick Tube

My new lipstick tube was ruined!  It was the perfect color, which is hard to find! I had owned it less than 24 hours before my 3 year old found it on the kitchen counter (placed there by me on it's way up to my bathroom) and screwed it up into the lid so that the lipstick was all smashed in there.  So sad! It is actually still functional it's just that I only buy new lipstick like once every 3 years and I use it so infrequently, because I am always rushing out the door....that it takes those 3 years to use it all!! Also, I was so excited to have one that was pristine AND one that I wasn't using a Q-tip to reach into the bottom of the tube for because it was my favorite color!

I started thinking about how it is hard to live a life of beauty with small children around....how the pillows that I put on the couch in the morning are on the floor again by 10:00am...the crayola marker on the kitchen floor tile...the finger marks on the windows and walls....the books/CDs etc. that don't stay on a shelf....the sippy cups all over the counter....those horrible slimy grow-toy things in bowls of water in the bathroom (ok, those have got to be my most unfavorite toy invention - if you have no idea what I am talking about that is a good thing.)

Then, of course came the light bulb moment.  Wait a second!!  These messes are all things of beauty!! Would I trade my kids for a perfect, clean house? Not in a million years. I still have to teach them to clean up, but I love how God uses little children to help his own children grow. I certainly had some growing up to do (mentally and spiritually) even after I was all grown up and I think children have been one of God's most useful tools in that process. So thankful that God only cares about our inside beauty (and He helps it to grow) because all I have here is smashed lipstick! At least when I use that one, it reminds me of the beauty of his goodness-turning our messes to joy.