Our memory book for this season of young family life - The days can be long but the years will be short, tucking away our golden moments to keep us anchored in the magic of now and the messes that come with it too.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Couch to 5K.
Well call me crazy because I think I might be. I am doing something I never thought I'd do and am training for a 5K run with in 7 weeks and counting. I think I will blog about it to keep me accountable. I am following a running plan called couch to 5k, its seems easy so far but thats probably because I'm not starting from the couch since I've been working out about 3x a week for a long time. I am not forging this alone so that helps as I've enlisted some of my girl friends, So here it goes I've put it out there in the blogging world, no turning back!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Feedback and Growth...
You know how there are intense times that life experiences condescene in a small space of time together and you think wow God is trying to teach something here or all arrows are pointing this is an area I should be growing in. The last couple weeks I have been in one of these times and wanted to share it:
A friend shared with me a good pondering question that they were themselves pondering, "Who do you have in your life that can give you real feedback about yourself?". Spirtual, professional or othewise? and that spirals into lots of other questions, why is it so hard to give and get real honest feedback from others? If we open ourselves to it, it could an incredible opportunity to grow, develop and change tremendously. This is basically how therapy works to a degree, you present your preceptions to someone else because they might can see the things you can't see about yourself and your interactions and help give you a mirror to see that in yourself. I'm not saying everyone needs to get into therapy but we do all need mirrors in our life to truely develop and grow. How do we develop those mirrors and allow God to place those mirrors in our lives? What do we do when they reflect back not just strengths but flaws? and how do we take that feedback to expose and work on our growth areas more effectively. I want to love the people in my life enough to do this for them and have the humility enough to receive this myself but wow that is hard to do!
A friend shared with me a good pondering question that they were themselves pondering, "Who do you have in your life that can give you real feedback about yourself?". Spirtual, professional or othewise? and that spirals into lots of other questions, why is it so hard to give and get real honest feedback from others? If we open ourselves to it, it could an incredible opportunity to grow, develop and change tremendously. This is basically how therapy works to a degree, you present your preceptions to someone else because they might can see the things you can't see about yourself and your interactions and help give you a mirror to see that in yourself. I'm not saying everyone needs to get into therapy but we do all need mirrors in our life to truely develop and grow. How do we develop those mirrors and allow God to place those mirrors in our lives? What do we do when they reflect back not just strengths but flaws? and how do we take that feedback to expose and work on our growth areas more effectively. I want to love the people in my life enough to do this for them and have the humility enough to receive this myself but wow that is hard to do!
Friday, April 17, 2009
From the Farm to the Big City....
Well I enjoyed my time off and trip to see family in small town northern Missouri to the big city of Chicago. We had a fun time and I think it will best be told in pictures of our travels:
Egg hunt on the farm.
My Aunt Elaine made this awesome easter cake.
We stayed at Holiday inns there and on the way back, one of my fovorite things as a kid, stoping where there's an indoor pool!
The cousins, these guys are still best buddies.
Family girl pic from left to right: sister, soon to be cousin-in-law, sister-in-law and cousin.
Egg hunt on the farm. My Aunt Elaine made this awesome easter cake.
First stop in Chicgo Ed D's. This is one of those restaurants they are rude to you on purpose. Chloe and Allie were very confused, I laughed a lot.
Taking a break in between outings at Lori and Matt's Apt.
Alot of our outings centered around eating great food, this is all of us at little 50's diner by Wrigley field.
Me and Jen on the last day, downtown by the bean.
Alot of our outings centered around eating great food, this is all of us at little 50's diner by Wrigley field.We went to the field museum and the zoo. I love how this picture came out that I took of Chloe and the Polar Bear.
Me and Jen on the last day, downtown by the bean.Sunday, April 5, 2009
OC blessings
In March I got to go to the annual associates dinner for OC. AM invited me to attend with her since both our husbands would be spending the evening networking at this event:
It made me think about OC and all the blessings that have come forth from my connection and experience there, so here's a top 10 list of those blessings that I can think of in no particular order.
1. The dear friends I made there are still my close circle of friends even now 6 years since I graduated and I know forever our lives will be interconnected in life long meaningful ways.
2. I came to OC not sure what I wanted to do with my life and left feeling like I had a clear path for a purposed career in a field that I feel I can contribute my talents too as well as be challenged daily and grow daily.
3. The OC community even blessed my life since I graduated with all the ways they have loved and supported my sister and nieces to help with healing and renewal following some tremendously challenging times in our lives.
4. I was inspired by more than one faculty member that challenged me in various ways to grow spiritually and professionally.
5. The love between me and Ryan grew and changed there, it became more mature and focused and grew deeper leading to our decision to spend the rest of our lives together.
6. Its were I got to worship and break bread daily with my brothers and sister in Christ and felt like part of a kind of community that I think God intends for us to be.
7. Its where my family grew: My brother met his wife and my sister met her husband and I thank God for his plan for them to be a part of my family.
8. Its were I got to live 4 years with my best friend and where we were each other's family while away from our own, where took care of each other and shared so many memories together.
9. Its the place where no matter how long its been since I've been on campus, few days or a few weeks there's a little something about it that will always feel like home because it was my home for a special and cherished time of my life.
10) I laugh a bit looking at this list, I hated my first seemester at OC but some how by the end of the first year everything changed. I learned through that, that sometimes when things are really hard and it seems it can't be going according to the plan you had in mind, it still just might be the path God wants you to be on.
It made me think about OC and all the blessings that have come forth from my connection and experience there, so here's a top 10 list of those blessings that I can think of in no particular order.1. The dear friends I made there are still my close circle of friends even now 6 years since I graduated and I know forever our lives will be interconnected in life long meaningful ways.
2. I came to OC not sure what I wanted to do with my life and left feeling like I had a clear path for a purposed career in a field that I feel I can contribute my talents too as well as be challenged daily and grow daily.
3. The OC community even blessed my life since I graduated with all the ways they have loved and supported my sister and nieces to help with healing and renewal following some tremendously challenging times in our lives.
4. I was inspired by more than one faculty member that challenged me in various ways to grow spiritually and professionally.
5. The love between me and Ryan grew and changed there, it became more mature and focused and grew deeper leading to our decision to spend the rest of our lives together.
6. Its were I got to worship and break bread daily with my brothers and sister in Christ and felt like part of a kind of community that I think God intends for us to be.
7. Its where my family grew: My brother met his wife and my sister met her husband and I thank God for his plan for them to be a part of my family.
8. Its were I got to live 4 years with my best friend and where we were each other's family while away from our own, where took care of each other and shared so many memories together.
9. Its the place where no matter how long its been since I've been on campus, few days or a few weeks there's a little something about it that will always feel like home because it was my home for a special and cherished time of my life.
10) I laugh a bit looking at this list, I hated my first seemester at OC but some how by the end of the first year everything changed. I learned through that, that sometimes when things are really hard and it seems it can't be going according to the plan you had in mind, it still just might be the path God wants you to be on.
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