So I went for my first jog since the half today. Here are my thoughts...
1. It's been too long since I have run and I've missed it.
2. It's been too long since I have run and my body can tell. :)
3. Even a quick (my words, not actually quick by anyone's standards) 2 mile jog can feel GREAT and hurt at the same time. Interesting.
4. I should probably run in the mornings, because running at 8:30 PM has given me a slight energy burst, but I actually need to go to bed.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
From Purpose Driven Connection, Daily Devotional...
Margin Comes From Managing Your Time
by Rick Warren
In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage:
"Then Jesus said, 'Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest.' There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and His apostles didn't even have time to eat" (Mark 6:31 NLT).
Jesus experienced enormous stress and pressure, yet it didn't seem to disturb His peace of mind. In spite of opposition, constant demands, and little privacy, His life reflected a calm sense of balance.
What was His secret?
1. Identification: Know who you are (John 8:12). Eighteen times Jesus publicly defined Himself. There was no doubt in His mind as to who He was. If you are unsure of your identity, you'll allow others to pressure you into their molds. Trying to be someone you're not causes stress!
2. Dedication: Know who you want to please (John 5:30). You can't please everyone. Even God can't! Just about the time you get "Crowd A" happy, "Crowd B" will be upset with you. Jesus never let the fear of rejection manipulate Him. No one can pressure you without your permission.
3. Organization: Set clear goals (John 8:14). Jesus said, "I know where I came from and where I am going." Preparation prevents pressure but procrastination produces it. You work by either priorities or pressures.
4. Concentration: Focus on one thing at a time (Luke 4:42-44). You can't chase two rabbits at the same time! Jesus knew how to handle interruptions without being distracted from His primary goal.
5. Delegation: Don't try to do everything yourself (Mark 3:14). We get tense when we feel it all depends on us. Jesus enlisted twelve disciples. Don't allow the fear that others may not do as good a job as you, or that they may do a better job than you, to keep you from asking for help.
6. Meditation: Make a habit of prayer (Mark 1:35). No matter how busy Jesus got, He found time to get alone to pray every day. A daily quiet time is a great stress decompression chamber. Use this time to talk to God about your pressures and problems, evaluate your priorities, and discover the rules for successful living by reading the Bible.
7. Relaxation: Take time to enjoy life (Mark 6:30-31). Balance is the key to stress management. Work must be balanced with fun and worship.
********************************
I keep seeing things about 'margin' and it reminds me to STOP, THINK and PRAY about things and opportunities before I immediately say, "Yes," which is my natural tendency. Why is "No" such a hard word to say when we're adults? Is it the fear of disappointing someone? And if so, shouldn't we fear more disappointing God by not doing what HE wants us to do?
Just my musings for the morning...
Margin Comes From Managing Your Time
by Rick Warren
In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage:
"Then Jesus said, 'Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest.' There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and His apostles didn't even have time to eat" (Mark 6:31 NLT).
Jesus experienced enormous stress and pressure, yet it didn't seem to disturb His peace of mind. In spite of opposition, constant demands, and little privacy, His life reflected a calm sense of balance.
What was His secret?
1. Identification: Know who you are (John 8:12). Eighteen times Jesus publicly defined Himself. There was no doubt in His mind as to who He was. If you are unsure of your identity, you'll allow others to pressure you into their molds. Trying to be someone you're not causes stress!
2. Dedication: Know who you want to please (John 5:30). You can't please everyone. Even God can't! Just about the time you get "Crowd A" happy, "Crowd B" will be upset with you. Jesus never let the fear of rejection manipulate Him. No one can pressure you without your permission.
3. Organization: Set clear goals (John 8:14). Jesus said, "I know where I came from and where I am going." Preparation prevents pressure but procrastination produces it. You work by either priorities or pressures.
4. Concentration: Focus on one thing at a time (Luke 4:42-44). You can't chase two rabbits at the same time! Jesus knew how to handle interruptions without being distracted from His primary goal.
5. Delegation: Don't try to do everything yourself (Mark 3:14). We get tense when we feel it all depends on us. Jesus enlisted twelve disciples. Don't allow the fear that others may not do as good a job as you, or that they may do a better job than you, to keep you from asking for help.
6. Meditation: Make a habit of prayer (Mark 1:35). No matter how busy Jesus got, He found time to get alone to pray every day. A daily quiet time is a great stress decompression chamber. Use this time to talk to God about your pressures and problems, evaluate your priorities, and discover the rules for successful living by reading the Bible.
7. Relaxation: Take time to enjoy life (Mark 6:30-31). Balance is the key to stress management. Work must be balanced with fun and worship.
********************************
I keep seeing things about 'margin' and it reminds me to STOP, THINK and PRAY about things and opportunities before I immediately say, "Yes," which is my natural tendency. Why is "No" such a hard word to say when we're adults? Is it the fear of disappointing someone? And if so, shouldn't we fear more disappointing God by not doing what HE wants us to do?
Just my musings for the morning...
Monday, April 27, 2009
Catchin' a break...
Not that I'm getting one yet, but I'm hopeful that soon we'll be catchin' a break around here. We've been 'sick city' for what seems like ages...but it's actually been a month and a half or two months. Really. One of us will get something, then it makes its round, and just when we think it's gone, BLAM!, there's another something waiting in the wings to attack.
Enough is enough. Really.
Tatum and I are still coughing are heads off, and my brief (although longer than either Matt or Kellen, thankfully) bout with a stomach something this weekend hit her today after nap. Bless her heart...the teachers at school tried to clean her up as much as possible, but she was in dire need of a bath when we got home. Ug.
And the washing machine is once again on overdrive.
However, two highlights of my day were picking up the kids, respectively. Nothing makes you feel loved like having a two year old run to you from across the room with her arms up, yelling, "Mommy...come on, Mommy!" OR having a 5 1/2 year old run at you full blast from Kids Klub, give you a HUGE hug, and say, "I missed you all day today, Mommy!"
Well, today I got BOTH of those. All in the same afternoon. What a day...
Enough is enough. Really.
Tatum and I are still coughing are heads off, and my brief (although longer than either Matt or Kellen, thankfully) bout with a stomach something this weekend hit her today after nap. Bless her heart...the teachers at school tried to clean her up as much as possible, but she was in dire need of a bath when we got home. Ug.
And the washing machine is once again on overdrive.
However, two highlights of my day were picking up the kids, respectively. Nothing makes you feel loved like having a two year old run to you from across the room with her arms up, yelling, "Mommy...come on, Mommy!" OR having a 5 1/2 year old run at you full blast from Kids Klub, give you a HUGE hug, and say, "I missed you all day today, Mommy!"
Well, today I got BOTH of those. All in the same afternoon. What a day...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
AWESOME!!
So on Wednesday after Kellen's t-ball game (where he did GREAT and paid attention and everything - no playing in the dirt, horsing around, etc), he tells us that he was named the Student of the Day during taekwondo.
Way to go!
As if that didn't make us proud enough, he told us today that he was named Student of the Week for Kids Klub!!
Considering ALL of the times that I've been told, 'Wait here just a second, one of the counselors needs to talk with you about Kellen,' this year, I cannot BEGIN to tell you how thrilled I am with him!
I am just so over-the-moon proud of him!
What a WONDERFUL week!!
So, despite us having a slight issue with him obeying tonight, he is enjoying some ice cream before bedtime as a treat...and we're having to figure out what BIG treat we'll do tomorrow night to REALLY celebrate...since the movie night at the school has been cancelled (stinker!).
YAY Kellen!!
Way to go!
As if that didn't make us proud enough, he told us today that he was named Student of the Week for Kids Klub!!
Considering ALL of the times that I've been told, 'Wait here just a second, one of the counselors needs to talk with you about Kellen,' this year, I cannot BEGIN to tell you how thrilled I am with him!
I am just so over-the-moon proud of him!
What a WONDERFUL week!!
So, despite us having a slight issue with him obeying tonight, he is enjoying some ice cream before bedtime as a treat...and we're having to figure out what BIG treat we'll do tomorrow night to REALLY celebrate...since the movie night at the school has been cancelled (stinker!).
YAY Kellen!!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
I think this next picture is just priceless. The look on Kellen's face as he's looking at his sister just absolutely melts my heart. And I was uploading the pictures this afternoon onto the computer and Kellen saw them and remarked, 'I like looking at my Tatum.' Man, I love how much he adores her!
We actually did Easter baskets after we got home from church and had naps...the kids had fun with them...
Kellen's basket....
Tatum's basket...
John 20
He is alive!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
He's not young anymore...
but he's having a hard time remembering it!
Matt and Kellen were trimming some more limbs this afternoon, and Daddy decided to show off by jumping from the ladder to the limb. Well, he forgot that he wasn't 20 anymore.
He attempted to Tarzan leap from the tree. Somewhere between leaving the ladder, grabbing the tree and hitting the ground, his shoulder came out of socket. Well, let me get more specific...his shoulder came out of socket when he grabbed the tree limb, which assisted the crash to the ground quite a bit.
OUCH!
(Now, for those of you who don't know, this isn't the first time this has happened to Matt. Luckily for us (or unluckily for him) it's happened so often that he's able to put it back in himself, which meant we didn't have to go to the ER to have them put it back in place for us.)
Poor guy...he had to put it back into socket with minimal wincing and verbal complaints, because both the kids were outside watching his 'show' and were intensely concerned about him. Tatum kissed his shoulder and wanted to get him 'bo bo ice' to make him better, and Kellen was just all over upset and couldn't bear to watch him at all. Of course, Kellen was over it immediately as soon as Daddy said he was ok, and exclaimed,
"When you flew through the air that was SUPER AWESOME!"
Boys!
Matt and Kellen were trimming some more limbs this afternoon, and Daddy decided to show off by jumping from the ladder to the limb. Well, he forgot that he wasn't 20 anymore.
He attempted to Tarzan leap from the tree. Somewhere between leaving the ladder, grabbing the tree and hitting the ground, his shoulder came out of socket. Well, let me get more specific...his shoulder came out of socket when he grabbed the tree limb, which assisted the crash to the ground quite a bit.
OUCH!
(Now, for those of you who don't know, this isn't the first time this has happened to Matt. Luckily for us (or unluckily for him) it's happened so often that he's able to put it back in himself, which meant we didn't have to go to the ER to have them put it back in place for us.)
Poor guy...he had to put it back into socket with minimal wincing and verbal complaints, because both the kids were outside watching his 'show' and were intensely concerned about him. Tatum kissed his shoulder and wanted to get him 'bo bo ice' to make him better, and Kellen was just all over upset and couldn't bear to watch him at all. Of course, Kellen was over it immediately as soon as Daddy said he was ok, and exclaimed,
"When you flew through the air that was SUPER AWESOME!"
Boys!
Friday, April 10, 2009
It was just a quick errand!
I went to pick up Tatum at school today...wasn't gone too long, and came home to find this. I REALLY wasn't even gone that long. Really.
Um...what is it about boys and destruction? He was supposed to do some small trimming. I think we need the same dictionary.
Of course, once Tatum saw her Daddy up in the tree, she wanted to go up there, too...
Spring Break, Part 1
Yes, I know it's been almost a month, but hey...at least I'm trying, right?
So after I got off of work during spring break, we went to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's (well, Tatum and I joined the males of the family, who were already there). On Thursday, we HAD planned to go to the zoo, but considering they had every entrance blocked off becuause it was so busy (we must not have timed it well and arrived too late), we switched gears and reversed our initial plan.
Downtown Aquarium it was.
And the kids had a BLAST! It was Tatum's first time there, but Kellen had been there a few times. He acted like he didn't remember it when we were discussing it, but I think he remembered it once we arrived there.
This particular exhibit was fairly close to the eels, which Tatum absolutely did NOT like. It was interesting to see her intense reaction to certain things, both at the aquarium and at the zoo (stay tuned for Spring Break, Part 2). I wonder what causes a child, with no prior history with an animal, to have an intense reaction to it - one way or another, really?
At any rate, she wanted NOTHING at all to do with the eels. And made it well known to anyone within ear shot.
Petting the sting rays at the discovery zone. For some reason, Kellen was a little nervous this time. Tatum was excited about seeing them, but wasn't sure about actually petting them. She wanted to get her hands in the water, but was wary about actually touching them.
We timed it just right to be able to watch the tiger show, which was really the changing out of the tigers...They took one back, cleaned up the area, brought out some 'entertainment' in the way of some food for the next one, then brought the next one out. During the cleaning portion, one of the workers did an educational bit on the tigers, their interaction, etc. It was really interesting. Kellen and Tatum were enthralled. While the first tiger was still inside, Tatum and I were next to the glass, but she's pretty quick at backpedaling, and did so when the tiger got up and ran past the glass. Bless her heart, that frightened her and she wanted to be NO WHERE near that glass! Yet, she was still fascinated and wanted to get close again once the tiger was a little further away.
We also took the train ride to see the sharks...I am just in utter amazement of those creatures! None of the pictures turned out, so you don't get any of those...sorry!
And luckily for us, the weather was WONDERFUL for the splash pad. I had packed the swimsuits and towels already in preparation for the day, so we were adequately prepared.
And as we were walking out, we decided to get a picture here on the bench. Kellen decided he was going to be monkey-man and started climbing on the shark, and I'm sure it wasn't the first time that had happened, so I just let him go. You can see the exhaustion on both of their faces!
So after I got off of work during spring break, we went to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's (well, Tatum and I joined the males of the family, who were already there). On Thursday, we HAD planned to go to the zoo, but considering they had every entrance blocked off becuause it was so busy (we must not have timed it well and arrived too late), we switched gears and reversed our initial plan.
Downtown Aquarium it was.
And the kids had a BLAST! It was Tatum's first time there, but Kellen had been there a few times. He acted like he didn't remember it when we were discussing it, but I think he remembered it once we arrived there.
This particular exhibit was fairly close to the eels, which Tatum absolutely did NOT like. It was interesting to see her intense reaction to certain things, both at the aquarium and at the zoo (stay tuned for Spring Break, Part 2). I wonder what causes a child, with no prior history with an animal, to have an intense reaction to it - one way or another, really?
At any rate, she wanted NOTHING at all to do with the eels. And made it well known to anyone within ear shot.
Petting the sting rays at the discovery zone. For some reason, Kellen was a little nervous this time. Tatum was excited about seeing them, but wasn't sure about actually petting them. She wanted to get her hands in the water, but was wary about actually touching them.
We timed it just right to be able to watch the tiger show, which was really the changing out of the tigers...They took one back, cleaned up the area, brought out some 'entertainment' in the way of some food for the next one, then brought the next one out. During the cleaning portion, one of the workers did an educational bit on the tigers, their interaction, etc. It was really interesting. Kellen and Tatum were enthralled. While the first tiger was still inside, Tatum and I were next to the glass, but she's pretty quick at backpedaling, and did so when the tiger got up and ran past the glass. Bless her heart, that frightened her and she wanted to be NO WHERE near that glass! Yet, she was still fascinated and wanted to get close again once the tiger was a little further away.
We also took the train ride to see the sharks...I am just in utter amazement of those creatures! None of the pictures turned out, so you don't get any of those...sorry!
And luckily for us, the weather was WONDERFUL for the splash pad. I had packed the swimsuits and towels already in preparation for the day, so we were adequately prepared.
Kellen loves the splash pad. Tatum, on the other hand, has to be convinced to play...she does NOT like to get splashed in the face without warning and well, it's a splash pad. Needless to say, she was slightly less enthusiastic in her playing than her brother, but she still enjoyed herself!
And as we were walking out, we decided to get a picture here on the bench. Kellen decided he was going to be monkey-man and started climbing on the shark, and I'm sure it wasn't the first time that had happened, so I just let him go. You can see the exhaustion on both of their faces!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)