Sigma was fascinated...
(The red thing is a ribbon we've attached to the fan to entertain the cat.)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
What a week!
I cannot believe it's Wednesday and I leave for Buenos Aires in less than 48 hours! Well, technically 48 hours from now I will be at DFW, but the trek from Memphis will have started... It is so interesting how last year at this time, we were totally packed, the apartment was clean, everything was in order, but emotionally and mentally I was freaking out! Right now, we are so psyched about getting back to BA, seeing friends from last year and making new ones, worshiping with the congregation at La Mission, etc., but we have not packed a single thing, we need to make another trip to Target tonight for twin sheets and hopefully a pair of casual pants, and the apartment...is...a...wreck!!! Jonathan was a sweetheart and started tackling the dishes, even though he hates to wash dishes. He also did three loads of laundry on Monday : ) What an awesome husband! I have a million loose ends to tie up at work tomorrow, but I have faith it can be done. We are skipping out on choir practice tonight to go shopping, clean and begin packing. Hopefully when I rest my head on my pillow tonight, we will be slightly less behind in the preparation for the trip.
Oh, and I haven't run at all this week : ( I am such a yo-yo runner - one week I run, the next I don't, the next I do, and so on. Interestingly enough, my testimony that I will share while in Argentina centers around how my running and my walk with God have been similar struggles this year. I'm trying to memorize Hebrews 12:1-2:
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
That is my prayer!
Oh, and I haven't run at all this week : ( I am such a yo-yo runner - one week I run, the next I don't, the next I do, and so on. Interestingly enough, my testimony that I will share while in Argentina centers around how my running and my walk with God have been similar struggles this year. I'm trying to memorize Hebrews 12:1-2:
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
That is my prayer!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Breakaway Fit Week 2
Yesterday's run was considerably easier than the first week. This is due to two very important things:
1. I ran during the week.
2. We only had to run about 1.25 miles.
Much easier... The hardest part is acclimating to the heat and overcoming the feeling of not being able to breath! It is getting easier, and I actually felt good about our short run on Saturday. Becky and I are now at the back of the pack, or at least we were yesterday. All of the other 12-minute-per-mile or slower runners were no shows at the group run. We'll see if they come back. I will be out of town for the next two Saturdays, so maybe they were all also out of town. The coaches are very encouraging, though, and they help us to feel like we're doing some worthwhile even if we are running at a snail's pace. They continue to hint that we could do the marathon training distances if we wanted, but we kindly state that we will just run the half-marathon training distances, thank you very much. I think 13.1 miles is plenty far for me : )
1. I ran during the week.
2. We only had to run about 1.25 miles.
Much easier... The hardest part is acclimating to the heat and overcoming the feeling of not being able to breath! It is getting easier, and I actually felt good about our short run on Saturday. Becky and I are now at the back of the pack, or at least we were yesterday. All of the other 12-minute-per-mile or slower runners were no shows at the group run. We'll see if they come back. I will be out of town for the next two Saturdays, so maybe they were all also out of town. The coaches are very encouraging, though, and they help us to feel like we're doing some worthwhile even if we are running at a snail's pace. They continue to hint that we could do the marathon training distances if we wanted, but we kindly state that we will just run the half-marathon training distances, thank you very much. I think 13.1 miles is plenty far for me : )
Monday, June 16, 2008
Anniversary Dinner
Our third wedding anniversary was last Wednesday, June 11th, and we spent it at our church's summer picnic supervising preschoolers on water/bouncy/ride things : ) We had a lot of fun, and we also raised some money to help fund our mission trip to Argentina at the end of the month. We also went out to dinner to Huey's with some friends after church and reminisced about our wedding and reception.
We waited until Saturday to have our real anniversary dinner, and this year we opted for a dinner in. It has taken us three years, but we realized we have a pretty nice balcony overlooking Poplar, and we've enjoyed spending at least one evening a week just sitting out and watching the bustle of the street. So we first sat out and had some chips, salsa and Shiner Hefeweizen. If you are not a beer drinker, but want to be cool with all the other kids this summer, I recommend a Hefeweizen. It's fruity and smooth, and honestly doesn't taste too beer-y. The Shiner Hefeweizen is pretty awesome because it's brewed in Texas, and anything that comes from Texas is by nature awesome : )
Then we got to cooking, but tried to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. Maybe that's how folks managed things before air conditioning - they just put the roast in the oven and went and sat out on the porch! We started by opening up our bottle of Malbec that we brought back from Argentina last July. It's my kind of red wine, pretty smooth and not too deep. I have no idea what the real wine words are for it, but that's what Megan says!
Jonathan grilled some steaks on our little grill pan. We don't usually do red meat, but of course for our special dinner, we pulled out all the stops.
My contributions to the meal were the salad and potatoes. Just a little balsamic vinaigrette with feta on the arugula, and then some olive oil and rosemary on the potatoes. So easy!
The pics were taken with the camera on my phone, so they are a bit grainy. By the time dinner was prepared, the temperature had cooled down and it was perfect sitting outside on the balcony. I enjoyed it much more than having to get dressed up, pick out a restaurant, and spend $50 on a comparable meal! I suppose that's why I'm an introvert : )
We still have half a bottle of the Malbec to get through! Since we don't eat red meat usually, I'm not sure when we're going to have it. Tonight is chicken and vegetable kebabs with couscous....doesn't seem like a red wine dinner. I'm sure we'll drink it some time this week, and then we'll head down to Buenos Aires in two weeks to pick up another bottle : )
We waited until Saturday to have our real anniversary dinner, and this year we opted for a dinner in. It has taken us three years, but we realized we have a pretty nice balcony overlooking Poplar, and we've enjoyed spending at least one evening a week just sitting out and watching the bustle of the street. So we first sat out and had some chips, salsa and Shiner Hefeweizen. If you are not a beer drinker, but want to be cool with all the other kids this summer, I recommend a Hefeweizen. It's fruity and smooth, and honestly doesn't taste too beer-y. The Shiner Hefeweizen is pretty awesome because it's brewed in Texas, and anything that comes from Texas is by nature awesome : )
Then we got to cooking, but tried to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. Maybe that's how folks managed things before air conditioning - they just put the roast in the oven and went and sat out on the porch! We started by opening up our bottle of Malbec that we brought back from Argentina last July. It's my kind of red wine, pretty smooth and not too deep. I have no idea what the real wine words are for it, but that's what Megan says!
Jonathan grilled some steaks on our little grill pan. We don't usually do red meat, but of course for our special dinner, we pulled out all the stops. 
My contributions to the meal were the salad and potatoes. Just a little balsamic vinaigrette with feta on the arugula, and then some olive oil and rosemary on the potatoes. So easy!
The pics were taken with the camera on my phone, so they are a bit grainy. By the time dinner was prepared, the temperature had cooled down and it was perfect sitting outside on the balcony. I enjoyed it much more than having to get dressed up, pick out a restaurant, and spend $50 on a comparable meal! I suppose that's why I'm an introvert : )
We still have half a bottle of the Malbec to get through! Since we don't eat red meat usually, I'm not sure when we're going to have it. Tonight is chicken and vegetable kebabs with couscous....doesn't seem like a red wine dinner. I'm sure we'll drink it some time this week, and then we'll head down to Buenos Aires in two weeks to pick up another bottle : )
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Breakaway Fit Week 1
This morning Becky and I joined a dozen other would-be marathoners for our first group run. I have taken a three week hiatus from running after the cancelled MLK 10k. I should not have done that : ( I huffed and puffed through the 3 miles, and finished in 40 minutes. The coaches told us we should not run at 'race pace' but instead run at a conversational pace. They also told us not to worry about pace really at all. I don't know, I did get discouraged running (or should I say clomping) at such a slow pace. I need to get over that! I have a feeling I will be running very slowly over these next few months. It's distance, not pace. Distance, not pace. That will be my mantra until December.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thank you Vampire Weekend
...for singing "Walcott" on my iPod just when I needed you tonight! If you want a running song, that is a running song. Vampire Weekend is a Prep Rock band, and yes, I do like me some Prep Rock. Something about mop-headed boys jamming in Oxfords with cuffs unbuttoned and ties askew makes me happy. I was at the Y for the first time in way too long this evening, trying to build back up to running three miles. I set a goal of a mile and a half, and I met it, running 11.30 minute miles. However, as I passed the first mile, I really wanted to stop, and that's when "Walcott" saved me. There is no way you can walk to that song. It got me through a quarter mile, and then Beck carried me the rest of the way. Thursday I'll try for three miles and see how I do - eek!
Thank you Jesus for the bus driver!
When I got on the bus yesterday evening to come home from work, an obviously intoxicated man was talking quite loudly to a young woman at the back of the bus. I sat down, took out my knitting (yes, I cannot sit down for 20 minutes without doing something) and chatted with the lady sitting behind me. At some point, the flirting from the back of the bus took a turn and the young lady ran up and plopped down in the seat behind me and started talking to us about how annoying the man was. He didn't take too well to her moving, so he started yelling and peppered his words with some choice expletives. And then the bus driver stopped the bus! He stopped the bus and very sternly told the man to either settle down or get off the bus. "There are ladies on this bus, and you need to speak with more respect," said Mr. Bus Driver. So dude settled down until his stop, when he stood in the doorway yelling threats at the girl.
To top it off, another man came up by us and started preaching to the girl who was involved in this dispute about turning her life around and not hanging out with men like that. "Thank you Jesus for the bus driver! Thank you Jesus for the bus driver! That man coulda gone off! Thank you Jesus for the bus driver!"
Tonight's ride was significantly less adventurous.
To top it off, another man came up by us and started preaching to the girl who was involved in this dispute about turning her life around and not hanging out with men like that. "Thank you Jesus for the bus driver! Thank you Jesus for the bus driver! That man coulda gone off! Thank you Jesus for the bus driver!"
Tonight's ride was significantly less adventurous.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Update
It's been a couple of weeks, so here is an update of life:
1. I did not run the 10k on Memorial Day : ( It was cancelled : ( I don't know why : ( I did not get my money back : ( and I lost my running mojo : (
2. My two baby peppers have turned into almost full grown peppers. I am going to make some tacos either tonight or Monday night, and I will get to use my home grown jalapenos and cilantro. The cilantro and parsley aren't doing too well, and I am hoping that after trimming them down they will grow better. The tomato plant is flowering, so I hope that means tomatoes are on their way. The basil is doing great but requires a lot of water. I am considering putting the herbs in larger pots to see if they do better that way. The plants in the larger pots don't seem to dry out as quickly.
3. Work is settling down, and I really enjoy it. I am still in my cubicle because I haven't had time to move to my office (I worked 7 (mostly 12 hour-) days last week, and I worked 6 days this week....). I might stay at the office late tomorrow night to make the move, we'll see.
4. Becky and I are going to start a half marathon training program on Saturday. It entails going to Breakaway Running at 8am Saturday and running 3 miles with a bunch of strangers. I am fully emotionally prepared to be the last person to finish the 3 mile run. My best time on a good day is 11.30 minutes per mile, and on the training registration form the slowest group was 10-11 minutes per mile. We are also starting the Women Run program with MRTC on Monday nights in July, so we'll have one speed/hill training and one long run with coaches each week. I will be sure to update the blog on how that goes!
5. We turned on the air conditioning for the first time on June 6th at about 4:30am. I had been awake on and off for an hour because I was so hot, and I finally gave in. We still only use the AC while sleeping, and hopefully it will stay that way for a while. I don't know if it's Yankee frugality or what, but I have this deep need to try to last as long as I can without the air conditioning. We get good cross-ventilation in the apartment when all of the windows are open. I have no clue how people made it in Memphis before air conditioning!
6. Obama is the democratic presidential nominee, and I am super excited! We might actually win this thing! Jonathan agreed to let me get a sticker for the Jeep : ) I may have the only Obama '08 sticker in my church parking lot ; ) but I won't let that stop me!
That's it!
1. I did not run the 10k on Memorial Day : ( It was cancelled : ( I don't know why : ( I did not get my money back : ( and I lost my running mojo : (
2. My two baby peppers have turned into almost full grown peppers. I am going to make some tacos either tonight or Monday night, and I will get to use my home grown jalapenos and cilantro. The cilantro and parsley aren't doing too well, and I am hoping that after trimming them down they will grow better. The tomato plant is flowering, so I hope that means tomatoes are on their way. The basil is doing great but requires a lot of water. I am considering putting the herbs in larger pots to see if they do better that way. The plants in the larger pots don't seem to dry out as quickly.
3. Work is settling down, and I really enjoy it. I am still in my cubicle because I haven't had time to move to my office (I worked 7 (mostly 12 hour-) days last week, and I worked 6 days this week....). I might stay at the office late tomorrow night to make the move, we'll see.
4. Becky and I are going to start a half marathon training program on Saturday. It entails going to Breakaway Running at 8am Saturday and running 3 miles with a bunch of strangers. I am fully emotionally prepared to be the last person to finish the 3 mile run. My best time on a good day is 11.30 minutes per mile, and on the training registration form the slowest group was 10-11 minutes per mile. We are also starting the Women Run program with MRTC on Monday nights in July, so we'll have one speed/hill training and one long run with coaches each week. I will be sure to update the blog on how that goes!
5. We turned on the air conditioning for the first time on June 6th at about 4:30am. I had been awake on and off for an hour because I was so hot, and I finally gave in. We still only use the AC while sleeping, and hopefully it will stay that way for a while. I don't know if it's Yankee frugality or what, but I have this deep need to try to last as long as I can without the air conditioning. We get good cross-ventilation in the apartment when all of the windows are open. I have no clue how people made it in Memphis before air conditioning!
6. Obama is the democratic presidential nominee, and I am super excited! We might actually win this thing! Jonathan agreed to let me get a sticker for the Jeep : ) I may have the only Obama '08 sticker in my church parking lot ; ) but I won't let that stop me!
That's it!
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