I recently came across an article talking about America's fittest cities. This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting #2 on the list....Washington D.C. Fortunately this is where my dad and stepmom have chosen to "retire" and they have "officially" moved for the last time...we'll see how long that lasts...yes Dad...I know you will be reading this! ;) Anyways, I have determined that it truly is an inspiring place to be even though I don't think I'll be moving there anytime soon, if ever. Along the Potomac River near George Washington Parkway, from basically downtown DC to Mount Vernon and possibly beyond, there is a fitness path. For those of you in the Western Suburbs, this is no prairie path or western trail. It is paved with strength training stops along the way and there are always, and I mean ALWAYS, people at every level running, walking, biking, etc...down this trail. There are drink stops and you can pretty much see the river along a majority of the path. Just driving past it a good number of times was inspiring much less seeing the fact that the people on the trail ranged from fit to, well, unfit. There are plenty of places to walk...all through downtown DC would be plenty. If you've visited, you know what I mean. Then you have the trail and you have the water sports along the river and nearby. Now I know that we have Navy Pier here in Chicago but that requires a much more significant drive than does this wonderful trail. It is literally across the street from thousands of homes over its 14+ mile length.
One time I visited, my dad and I paddled around between the Washington Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. Here is a picture from that event circa 2008 or so:
This time we went canoeing...we don't have a picture because let's just say that three people in a canoe is far too many...at least when they are all adults. We did do plenty of other things like walking around downtown, eating out at restaurants...since the kitchen in their newly renovated home is not in complete working order quite yet. One of our frequent stops was breakfast at Breugger's Bagels...
They used to have some here in the western suburbs but I am not sure many exist with the proliferation of Einstein's and Panera as well as the few remaining Great American Bagels.
Anyways, gettting away always provides a fresh and new perspective on life and this trip could not have come at a better time as I had really been struggling through some things since my job ended earlier this month. I can't believe that July is almost here and I will certainly be better at posting in the coming weeks and months.
Hope you are able to get away and get a new and fresh perspective and can come back and be absolutely inspired to do what you need to do and want to do.
Happy End of June and "official" beginning to summer (a few days late)!
Summer may seem like it's the same each year but for me it's filled with uncertainty, sometimes pain and loneliness and sometimes it's entirely too busy that I seem to miss the "enjoyment of the season" altogether. This year is different. Fortunately, I've been blessed by the long term position that I took in March and therefore do not have to work full time this summer to pay the bills. In fact, if I stay on budget each month, I technically don't have to work at all. However, I want to do some special things and they require just a little money so I'm still doing some work here and there, I'm fortunate to not feel the stress I've felt for as many summers as I have before.
It's only been one week of summer break and I've been in heaven. Last Friday was my last day, then I planned, shopped and crafted until my sister's graduation party on Sunday. After that, my summer truly began (even though it was fun...I felt like I was still on a spinning wheel). Monday and Tuesday mornings, I leisurely awoke and made my way to the deck where I soaked up the sun, did a little planning, read some magazines and drank iced tea! Now I could certainly get used to that... I also took on a last minute long weekend "sitting job"...the kids are going into 7th grade and one will be a freshman...let's just say its really fun to do extended times when they are older than toddlers! My sister has jumped in to tag team with me since I've had some other things planned. Today I hit up the beach with my two dear friends Jaimie and Katie and the three little peanuts between them, Maddie, Haley, and Brooke! We had quite the adventure and look forward to many summer adventures together! We ventured to downtown Chicago in the van...all 6 girls and made our way to North Ave. Beach. Let's just say, I'm so glad I'm not in high school anymore! :) Tonight I am participating in an adult sleepover (girls only of course) and I am really excited!
I'll share more soon and hopefully get pictures from Katie to post of our day at the beach!
In case you have not seen me lately, I'm officially on summer break and free to relax and enjoy!
The past 3 months have been a whirlwind and I feel like I had to let most things fall by the wayside to keep afloat at work. Over the coming months, I'm looking foward to getting things in order around the house, posting some under utilized things around the house on Craigslist, having a garage sale, using Rosetta Stone to work on my Espagnol and building up my photography skills and business.
If you are around or come into town...let me know! I'd love to see you and hang out! :)
Well, my last post was just days before I took a new job and my life went from 180 to 360...0 to 60 doesn't work in my case! LOL! Anyways, I unexpectedly took over a maternity leave in my building. Fortunate for me and the lovely lady is that I was her long term sub two years ago for baby #1. This made the transition...if we had one...easier for both of us. I knew her style, I knew her classroom, I just didn't know her kids. Well, that changed very quickly. Within a week, I had two parent conferences and a host of other meetings! I also found out that same week that my friend (and worship leader at FCCC) was leaving and then at the end of the week that my principal (boss and friend) would be leaving my building at the end of the school year. Needless to say I had a very rough Friday (right before Spring Break--my saving grace in all of this) because I was (A) exhausted beyond belief (B) started the day with a very DIFFICULT/ROUGH parent conference (C) found out about my principal after school and the topping on the cake (D) Fridays are my long day with very few breaks already (we even had a staff meeting during lunch).
That's about all I have time for now but I thought I'd post so you didn't think I'd disappeared into oblivion! :)
(Let me start by saying that even admitting this happened in public is difficult because as many of you know, I pride--see below-- myself on being a good driver.)
A couple weeks ago, I was having lunch with a friend and was leaving the restaurant. Well, this parking lot has these measly 'posts' that I don't really think serve a particular purpose other than being in the way. Anyways, I was backing out trying not to hit the car that was next to me, since they parked too close, and as I turned my head to look back, I heard the most awful sound...ccrrruuunnnccchhhh. OH NO! I was looking back at this point and could not see a thing...that is because this fine little pole, had found itself hiding behind the one corner I could not see between where the side window ended and the back windshield began. Needless to say I have a nice indent on the rear bumper on the passenger side. I went a couple days later to get some estimates since it happened after all the places had closed on a Saturday afternoon. At any other point in my life thus far, I think I would have just melted in shame and balled my eyes out to the point that I was dehydrated but because of all the work God's been doing in my life, I chose to look at the positive side: no one was hurt, no other cars or people were involved, and it really won't matter once I finally am able to get it fixed.
Furthermore, I found myself really examining my pride. I realized that there are quite a few things that I take pride in...ones that don't affect others but rather my own self-confidence and self-concept. Actually, this extends to most things in my life. Those things that I do that are a reflection of myself such as driving, how I decorate and keep my room/office/spaces, my musical/photography/teaching skills, and just about everything else, are the things I put my 'pride' in because I lack self-confidence. This pride is also an extension of the high expectation (my half Type A personality appears here) I have for myself. I don't want to be thought of as a careless driver because I certainly am not, I don't want people to think that I'm not as musical as I portray, I don't want people to know that I'm scared, lonely, and would much rather become a hermit at times. All of these things go against what God wants for me. Satan is trying to attack through these because he knows how much I'm pleasing God with my life...or at least how I'm intentionally desiring and trying to please God with my life and choices.
DE-RAIL with me for a minute: As I write, this song is playing on the radio:
It's What Love Really Means by JJ Heller
I will love you for you
Not for what you have done
Or what you will become
I will love you for you
I will give you the love
the love that you never knew...
These lyrics hang in the air as I am trying to write this because I know that God will love me no matter what I do or who I am as long as I'm in relationship with Him and striving to be closer to Him each day.
BACK ON TRACK: Last weekend, I attended a retreat that was truly life-changing. The theme for the weekend was grace...something I often struggle with. I always thought I understood the concept of grace in my head but believing it in my heart was something I now realize I never did. Growing up, I always tried (and still do) to be a people pleaser so when I would make mistakes, I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders and would always get REALLY down on myself and certainly never extend grace to myself. I felt like I let my parents, or those that were affected, down and couldn't understand why they would still love me and show me grace. I NEVER knew and still struggle with accepting grace in my life...the same with LOVE and FORGIVENESS. Therefore, why would I believe that God could put aside my sin and truly love me when I've let Him down so badly with my sin? This weekend, I felt like I started to understand and accept all of this. One of the most profound things I realized is that I often let the sin in my life paralyze me from allowing God's love and grace penetrate my heart and the remnants of unforgiveness in my life stem from not being able to forgive myself first and extend grace to myself. If I can give these to myself, how can I extend them to others freely?
I think that I already extend grace and love and forgiveness to people at a level beyond my own capacity but truly as evidence of God's work in my life. For example, I have a friend that struggles with his own past sin and felt I couldn't possible love, extend grace to and forgive him despite his sin. But for me, I was able to put all of that aside and love him for who he was with all of his dents and I think it was the first time I've been able to do that without holding on to the little pieces of hurt in our relationship...I was able to trulyLOVE him. I could identify with him because our self-concepts were similar, before this weekend of life-change that I was able to experience. He felt that his past sin would keep him from having the good things that God was giving to him and that he wasn't good enough for what God was blessing him with. Unfortunately, I think that we all allow our sin to keep us from experiencing the blessings that God has planned for us.
This song played on my way home from the retreat and I couldn't ask for a better prayer as I left this weekend:
I see each of these things as 'dents' in our lives. Things that keep us from becoming the 'vehicle' God created us to be. We beat ourselves up for each of these dents and until we do the work required...getting estimates and truly letting go and allowing God to "fix" our dents, we won't be able to be the person God created us to be. Where are the 'dents' in your life? Where do you need to give up control?
Totally a cereal and leftovers kinda day but figured I should still post.
Breakfast: Life cereal while driving... Lunch: leftovers from last night (l-p chicken, rice, and peas) Dinner: Life cereal for a "snack" then leftover l-p chicken and peas....
So boring I didn't even take a picture! LOL!
Just wait...tomorrow I will be not in charge of my own dinner so we'll see what I eat then!
Breakfast: a banana Lunch: 1 piece leftover pizza, leftover potatoes from Day #1, a banana, and a protein bar Dinner: I made lemon-pepper chicken, peas and had left over rice and rolls from Day #1
Here's what I did:
1. Put chicken tenders in glass baking dish, poured on lemon juice to taste (had to borrow some from grandma but normally I have it on hand...not sure what happened to mine), and sprinkled with pepper to taste. Covered dish with foil.
2. Baked chicken in oven at 350* for 30 minutes.
3. About 5 minutes before chicken finished, I took a bag of frozen peas and followed directions on bag.
4. Reheated rolls (in microwave but will definitely do the toaster over next time) and leftover rice mix.
**Luckily for me, when the pot holder slipped--while I was checking the chicken--down to the bottom of the stove and almost started a fire, I was able to get it and not burn myself OR start the house on fire...every good cook has some mishap, right??**
So, there is a statistic that if you get creative and use a lot of the ingredients that are hiding in your pantry, you could save 25% on your groceries for that month or however long depending on the amount of food stashed away. Obviously you may have to replace certain things like milk or eggs but other than that, you should be good to go.
I've done this one time before but now I've got more interesting staples other than pasta, tomato sauce, frozen chicken, veggies, and a few other regular shelf-space takers!
I just decided tonight to do this so my earlier meals today were a little more simple. Breakfast: Life cereal Lunch: leftover pasta in tomato sauce Dinner: I decided to make something a little more exciting...at least I don't normally cook for myself like this. It included baked buffalo chicken strips, potatoes, some chicken-flavored rice/vermecelli, and crescent rolls.
So this is what I did:
1. Marinaded chicken tenders in buffalo sauce (the longer you marinate, the more flavorful they are) in baking dish (8x8 or 9x13). Covered dish with aluminum foil.
2. Cooked chicken at 350* for about 25 minutes.
3. Washed and cut up potatoes, put on cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkled with italian seasoning and put in oven at *375 for about 20-25 minutes...could have been a little less and still yummy. (I used both our normal oven and our toaster oven so I could cook simultaneously.)
4. I had the rice leftover but I would start cooking it about 15 min before everything else was done.
5. I put the crescent rolls in the oven just after the chicken was done since it finished a little before the potatoes.
5. I put a serving on my plate and sprinkled parmesan cheese on the potatoes and shredded cheese on the chicken tenders.
The turtle/tortoise is known for its hard shell that allows the turtle to retreat upon the threat of any type of danger. These creatures are slow and steady but always "win the race". The one in the photo is somewhat special to me. This was 'aquired' through a pool struggle in La Paz, Mexico with my students last summer (2010). Needless to say, I was going to use it to play a prank on the guys with my girls as they did to us with it but it just never happened...but I'm HAPPY about that because it brings back many awesome memories.
Yesterday, I guess I glanced at the turtle or just thought about it for some reason and I thought about how it can be a similie for people (or at least myself) sometimes. We have a hard shell. We're tough and independent. We're small. We're aware of threats and dangers around us. We EASILY retreat when there is danger or threats to who we are. We don't open up easily. We are often afraid of opening up to those around us because we don't know if we will be good enough. We don't know if they'll accept us. We don't know if we're willing to open our hearts to get hurt by letting others inside of us. However, its when we do open ourselves up to others that we become more confident, we are less afraid of what others will think. I think it's important to remember that our confidence should be in Christ and His work in our lives. He's the one that made our hearts to be shared and made our lives to be shared with one another! He's redeemed us, we're not perfect, we never will be and as much as we try to put on a 'shell' for others to see as our true beauty, there's so much more underneath it and that's where the true beauty lies in each of us. There is a song called Behind The Scenes by Francesca Battistelli that talks about this. The chorus says:
Things aren't always as they seem
You're only seeing part of me
There's more than you could ever know
Behind the scenes
I'm incomplete and I'm undone
But I suppose like everyone
There's so much more that's going on
Behind the scenes
I think that is true at some level for each of us. We all have things that people can't imagine would be true about us. Just recently, I had someone I am developing a friendship with say they never would imagine that I, of all people, would struggle with depression. She struggles with depression and as I was sharing about what God was doing in my life, I shared that I struggled with it. She said she never would've imagined me saying that. It proved to me right there that we all have things that people don't know about us. Even those people that know us to the depths of our core, or at least we think they do, often don't know some things. I think that it takes a while for us to want to 'come out of our shell' and share our hearts and lives with people. Have you ever had those people that you meet and you feel like you've known forever and you could spend hours upon hours upon hours talking to? Do you feel like these are the people that God uses to help you 'come out of your shell'? I DO! I have been fortunate to have a few of those people in my life. One of those people I met about 2.5 years ago. We met through mutual friends and have been great friends ever since. I remember we started emailing back and forth almost daily (he lived in MN at the time) about our lives and what was happening then or some of the things we'd been through in our lives. Then we would talk on the phone often and we talked with tremendous ease and just enjoyed getting to know each other. The more I learned to trust him, the more I shared. He never judged, he never thought I was a 'crazy person'...okay, well, maybe he did but he didn't make me feel ashamed about those things that made me 'crazy'. He taught me to open my heart again after the previous few years where I had been hurt VERY badly by those who said they were my friends or even those who said they loved me and had put up lots of walls. He taught me that even though there was a chance he would hurt me at some point in time, he cared about me and loved me as a friend despite what I considered to be my immaturity, etc... He gave me a glimpse of God's love...although its something I didn't realize until long after our friendship developed and strengthened. To this day, he continues to support me, encourage me, be my 'cheerleader', be my shoulder to lean on or cry on, my friend that is there NO MATTER what happens! This friend has taught me a lot about what it means to love and to be loved. He has allowed me to open up and share with the world who I am because he cared enough to love me and support me when I felt unlovable and invisible. He believed in me...and still does. Rarely was, or is there, a conversation where he doesn't remind me that I'm important and that I can do whatever I want. He's excited for me when I tell him about new endeavors or what I want to do some day. It doesn't matter to him that I have issues...if we're honest...we ALL do. It doesn't matter to him if I break down in tears over the smallest thing. It doesn't matter to him if I look like a bum. He is there regardless. I'm so grateful to have him in my life each day.
There is another person I have only known for about 1.5 years but he is such a driving force in pushing me towards God. He's always pointing our conversation back to God and how my relationship with God is impacted by whatever we are talking about. He pulls things out of me that very few people do. He pushes me. He CHALLENGES me. I've not had many friends like him. He really shares the truth with love when he sees things going on in my life that I may not recognize or understand because I'm not on the outside. He shares his struggles and excitement with me. His example has really helped me to learn what 'coming out of my shell' looks like. I would say that he has challenged me so much and that my recent growth is largely, if not mostly, due to his proding and encouragement. He cares no matter what.
The other two people I have that are 'those people' that cause me to 'come out of my shell' are my two accountability partners. Although we formed this group in the fall of 2010 out of a desire to have community and wanting to be challenged to grow in our faith and our quiet times with the Lord. These women have been there through some mountains and very deep valleys in the past 7 months or so. They have challenged me to grow as a person, they have been there when I'm feeling completely out of my mind, they have been there when I'm just sobbing my eyes out and they've also been there to encourage me as I've stepped out in faith to start the photography endeavor. These women have helped me learn what it means to be a friend, a sister, a wife and a mother...through their wonderful examples. The three of us are at different stages in life but we are connected through our common bond of Christ and the wonderful friendship we've developed because of God bringing us together.
I always need to remember that I'm beautiful and that no matter what any one else thinks...God created me to be beautiful in His sight and that will never change. Mercy Me has a wonderful song that reminds me of this very important characteristic of Christ. It's You're Beautiful.
Please remember that you are beautiful and that God made you to be who you are, He put you where you are and He's growing you each day...you just have to be open and willing to allow him to do the work in your heart. I love you!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner...literally and you may not want to spend a whole lot on this 'holiday', see my post here and you'll know how I feel about this 'holiday'. Sometimes, though, you may want to do just a little something special...here are some ideas that cost very little but mean the world to those who recieve them.
1. Make a card: All you need is some red, white or pink paper and a fun pen or marker. (The Dollar Store has many craft supplies...super cheap! Otherwise, hit up another local craft store or big-box store like WalMart.) Obviously, you can embellish this to your heart's desire but what is important is that you took the time to make it and what you write inside that REALLY matters most. Oftentimes, we don't say what we want to say to the ones we love and, in many cases, its too late when you finally 'get around' to it. This is your time to do it whether you do it throughout the year or not. Don't wait...we're not guaranteed tomorrow and sometimes God takes people from us (whether its a move, death or something else) before we 'get around' to showing we care.
2. If you don't think you can make a card but don't want to spend a lot, go to the Dollar Store...they have a whole section and cards are only $0.50 each or you can go to Hallmark, the grocery, Walgreens/CVS, WalMart or wherever you would like but I personally like the Dollar Store because they have decent cards, with decent messages and you can add more if you'd like.
3. Make a "Top Ten Reasons I Love You" list. Type it up or write in fun handwriting/lettering and put in a frame. The Dollar Store has frames so take your pick of what size you'd like (4x6 or 5x7 for a desk; 8x10 for hanging up somewhere or putting on a ledge/mantle) and so do many other stores.
4. Make a puzzle. Take a piece of cardboard or cardstock and write a special message on it. Then decorate. When finished, cut out the shapes with an Xacto knife in funky shapes...maybe even try your hand at some hearts in there somewhere.
5. Go do something you both enjoy together. Maybe you just want to go to the gym and go for a good run or if you are in a MUCH warmer climate than Chicago during V-Day, go for a run on beach, ride bikes or just lay on the beach! :)
For those who want to kick it up a knotch:
6. Get a cheap basket (Dollar Store/elsewhere) and fill it with some of their favorite things. For example, if I were getting a basket, I'd love some Reese's, some apple cider, a Valentine's mug, a good book/magazine, a coupon for: a pizza & movie night at home/a walk at sunset, a massage from the giver of the basket or other little things. It can be as cheap and small as you want or as extravagant as you want to make it. Make it yourself and put thought into it and you will be good to go no matter what size it is.
7. Plan a "surprise night". You will make an invitation for your special someone and invite them to a "special night". [Be sure to clue them in when it comes to the attire required.] Perhaps you want to plan a night in with their favorite pizza or meal (You can tell I love pizza!). You could set the table with a table cloth, candles, your 'finest' dishes (even if you just want to go with paper ones), a flower, music, and a card or note filled with a message about your love/desire to care for them followed by a movie and popcorn. --OR-- You can take them out to a special restaurant and order a special dessert or have dessert back at your house and something else special waiting.
Whatever you choose to do, show ALL those you love that you care! Think ahead...even if it is just the day before and remember...little things can sometimes mean the world so nothing is too little! :)
