When you lose your running buddy it's hard to stay on task. Candice had to move away, so I have been on my own and 6:30 am is very lonley with out a friend. I did a race in April and in May. But it's very difficult to practice with out accountability. You run slower and don't even realize it. The worst part is the mental aspect of feeling like the route is never ending and that you are going to die before you get there...all you can think about it how heavy your legs feel.
Thankfully God has sent me a race buddy, Jynne. We can't run together during the week, but she's been coming to the races with me. April's race would have been a TOTAL flop if it weren't for Jynne (she's wearing blue in the picture with Candice and I at the Reedy River Run). Learning to run these 5k races has come by trial and error...at the Furman 5k in April, I learned the very hard way the importance of being hydrated. I got to the last stretch of the race and stopped for a split second thinking I was going to gag, but Jynne looked back and said "keep mov'n we can see the finish line!" We finished thanks to Jynne's encouragement of staying with me and being my pace setter in 26:00 min.
For May we (Jynne, Britney, my dad, and me) ran the Lake Hartwell Dam Run...nice and flat!! Best race ever, minus the torrential down poor. It was the rainiest day we've had in months. As we got in the car we convinced ourselves that once we got into Georgia the rain would stop, but no it was just as hard. Thankfully during my run the 5k it had lightened to a sprinkle, but poor Jynne & Britney who ran the 10k were on mile 4 or 5 and the bottom dropped. I don't think that I have ever been that wet before, even in the swimming pool. It was a great race and hopefully next year it will be sunny and warm, so we can enjoy the flat course.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Reedy River 10k
Since I started running races in August of last year I have made LOTS of running friends, but none as crazy as Candice (left). Candice and I have been running together for a couple of months. We've faced the 20 degree weather in January @ 6:00 in the morning, recooping after being out for 1-2 weeks from colds (that we gave to each other), and our latest accomplishment is getting Candice back out running after having her wisdom teeth. Before her surgery she convinced me that we could run the Reedy River 10k Race 1 1/2 weeks after her surgery...i was skeptical seeing as we only run 3 miles on a normal day. I thought how are we going to double our milage in 1 1/2 weeks? But we did it!! Last Saturday we finished the Reedy River 10k in 58 min and 30 seconds.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Mary Bell
This past weekend we went to visit Mary Bell in Chatty Town. It was a very exciting day with her, but bitter sweet at the same time. We went to get one of our last doses of "Mary Bell" before we send her off to Japan. BUT thanks to Mary we have a plan for when she gets to the states...After she serves in Japan she is going to come back to South Carolina to be Josh and I's nanny to our first child she named Tomoyo Belle. Mary, you don't have to be our nanny to live with us when you get back. If you are in need of a place you are ALWAYS welcome (for free, you don't have to get up to cook us breakfast). We love her and will miss her much, but we know that we have to share her with the people in Japan so that she can share Christ's love and promise of eternal life with them. We love you, Mary Bell, and we are excited to see and hear what God is going to to with you in Japan. Thanks for a great trip!!
My favorite thing about Mary is the way she makes me laugh and through her joy she points me to Christ. I never leave her with out being encouraged and challenged in my walk with the Lord. What is your favorite thing about Mary???
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Why Hearts??
Why do we have Valentine's Day? And why do we use hearts as the Valentine's Day symbol?? Keep reading...
The Shape of My Heart
Where did the ubiquitous Valentine's symbol come from?
By Keelin McDonellPosted Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007, at 5:20 PM ET
Americans will dole out countless Valentine's Day paraphernalia today, a good portion of which will be in the shape of hearts. In an "Explainer" column printed last year and reproduced below, Keelin McDonell attempted to track down the origin of the Valentine's Day symbol and explain how it got its familiar shape.
It's Valentine's Day, and as usual, people are presenting their loved ones with heart-shaped cards, candy, and trinkets. How did the heart shape become the symbol of true love?
Nobody's quite sure, but it might have to do with a North African plant. During the seventh century B.C., the city-state of Cyrene* had a lucrative trade in a rare, now-extinct plant: silphium. Although it was mostly used for seasoning, silphium was reputed to have an off-label use as a form of birth control. The silphium was so important to Cyrene's economy that coins were minted that depicted the plant's seedpod, which looks like the heart shape we know today. The theory goes that the heart shape first became associated with sex, and eventually, with love.
The Catholic Church contends that the modern heart shape did not come along until the 17th century, when Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque had a vision of it surrounded by thorns. This symbol became known as the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was associated with love and devotion; it began popping up often in stained-glass windows and other church iconography. But while the Sacred Heart may have popularized the shape, most scholars agree that it existed much earlier than the 1600s.
Less romantic ideas about the heart-shape's origin exist as well. Some claim that the modern heart-shape simply came from botched attempts to draw an actual human heart, the organ which the ancients, including Aristotle, believed contained all human passions. One leading scholar of heart iconography claims that the philosopher's physiologically inaccurate description of the human heart—as a three-chambered organ with a rounded top and pointy bottom—may have inspired medieval artists to create what we now know as the heart shape. The medieval tradition of courtly love may have reinforced the shape's association with romance. Hearts can be found on playing cards, tapestries, and paintings.
Hearts proliferated when the exchange of Valentines gained popularity in 17th-century England. At first the notes were a simple affair, but the Victorians made the tradition more elaborate, employing the heart shape in tandem with ribbons and bows.
Bonus Explainer: Why do we single out Feb. 14 to celebrate romance? It's said to be the day St. Valentine, a Roman priest during the third century, was executed. Legends about Valentine vary. Some say he was killed for illegally marrying Roman soldiers; others claim it was for helping Christians escape punishment at the hands of the pagan emperor. Just before his death, it's believed that he sent an affectionate note to the beautiful daughter of his jailer—the very first Valentine.
The Shape of My Heart
Where did the ubiquitous Valentine's symbol come from?
By Keelin McDonellPosted Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007, at 5:20 PM ET
Americans will dole out countless Valentine's Day paraphernalia today, a good portion of which will be in the shape of hearts. In an "Explainer" column printed last year and reproduced below, Keelin McDonell attempted to track down the origin of the Valentine's Day symbol and explain how it got its familiar shape.
It's Valentine's Day, and as usual, people are presenting their loved ones with heart-shaped cards, candy, and trinkets. How did the heart shape become the symbol of true love?
Nobody's quite sure, but it might have to do with a North African plant. During the seventh century B.C., the city-state of Cyrene* had a lucrative trade in a rare, now-extinct plant: silphium. Although it was mostly used for seasoning, silphium was reputed to have an off-label use as a form of birth control. The silphium was so important to Cyrene's economy that coins were minted that depicted the plant's seedpod, which looks like the heart shape we know today. The theory goes that the heart shape first became associated with sex, and eventually, with love.
The Catholic Church contends that the modern heart shape did not come along until the 17th century, when Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque had a vision of it surrounded by thorns. This symbol became known as the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was associated with love and devotion; it began popping up often in stained-glass windows and other church iconography. But while the Sacred Heart may have popularized the shape, most scholars agree that it existed much earlier than the 1600s.
Less romantic ideas about the heart-shape's origin exist as well. Some claim that the modern heart-shape simply came from botched attempts to draw an actual human heart, the organ which the ancients, including Aristotle, believed contained all human passions. One leading scholar of heart iconography claims that the philosopher's physiologically inaccurate description of the human heart—as a three-chambered organ with a rounded top and pointy bottom—may have inspired medieval artists to create what we now know as the heart shape. The medieval tradition of courtly love may have reinforced the shape's association with romance. Hearts can be found on playing cards, tapestries, and paintings.
Hearts proliferated when the exchange of Valentines gained popularity in 17th-century England. At first the notes were a simple affair, but the Victorians made the tradition more elaborate, employing the heart shape in tandem with ribbons and bows.
Bonus Explainer: Why do we single out Feb. 14 to celebrate romance? It's said to be the day St. Valentine, a Roman priest during the third century, was executed. Legends about Valentine vary. Some say he was killed for illegally marrying Roman soldiers; others claim it was for helping Christians escape punishment at the hands of the pagan emperor. Just before his death, it's believed that he sent an affectionate note to the beautiful daughter of his jailer—the very first Valentine.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Snow Day!
Well, it's been a while since my last blog (like 2 months!)...i just don't have anything excting to write about. But i thought i would share with you our snow day fun (we built our first snowman). Instead of being your typical grown ups and staying in by the fire we decided to go out to play after it had stopped snowing and had begun raining. Josh had all of his water proof hunting gear to wear, so he stayed dry. i just had my pink knitted stocking cap and down coat. I was drenched!! Last year for Christmas Josh's grandmother gave a Snowman Kit. It came with wooden black buttons, a wooden carrot nose, a red scarf, and a black top hat. I have been SO excited to use it, but b/c it has been so warm this winter i put it up in my parents' attic. Guess what? we FINALLY got snow and we don't have our kit. SO we got creative. Meet our snowman Bob (the Builder). His buttons and mouth are made out of chocolate chips, couldn't find any coal. And believe it or not he's still around...not all of him, just his bottom.
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