...sushi, anyone?

So, I made some sushi...
Saturday night...
And, while it was extremely fun, it was also eye-opening at how much work and expense goes in to this.

A few pics for your viewing pleasure:

I love sushi!
I love friends!
(not necessarily in that order)
;-)
A great time was had by all...
But, this was the evening of the duathlon day. Which, we also went to the pool that day. I was exhausted and yawning VERY EARLY. I needed bed. Required. So, I called it early.... This old body can't keep up like she used to.
However, I can create a good end item:

Can you say yum?
I will do this again...
It was fun!
Thnx for inviting me.......

...half life

If you read this post title and thought about a video game, you don't know me at all. Stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200..


A few notes from church this past Sunday.

Topic: Risk
Scripture was from Matthew.

Important question to ponder: If you are willing to announce Christ as your savior at death, why not do it daily while you are living? (When it can actually make a difference) ...Imagine how much more of an abundant life you could live, if it is Christ centered.

There are times I have strayed. Years. ...dare I say decades.
No longer was living a half life acceptable.
Turning things around a couple years ago has made me so much more fulfilled.

Are things perfect now? Nope.
Is that okay? Absolutely
I am happier and I am trying to reach my potential as a Christian, and as a person.
~be the person you were created to be~ this still rings in my mind.

Some days, I feel like this:

Other days:


But every day, I have hope:

...and hope will carry you through any bad day!

Matthew 16:24-28 (New Living Translation):
²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. ²⁵ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. ²⁶ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?^[l] Is anything worth more than your soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. ²⁸ And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

...mom and dave ramsey

so - you already know i teach dave ramsey at church...
but what you don't know is, i pretty much talk every session with my mom too.

every week: 'what's tonight's lesson?'
'what if i moved money here?'
'should i get this or that insurance?'
'how did last night go? were there any good stories that people shared?'

i loaned my cds to her. i have all the classes on audio. i wanted her to hear what dave says for herself.
i then loaned her the book:

(a lot of people have never seen what he looks like)

anyway - the phone rang one morning a couple weeks ago.
mom: 'nancy, dave ramsey saved my life yesterday!'

me: hmm, he's good - but he's not that good.
this should be interesting....

mom:
'so, i was laying on the swing at the arbor....'

(pic of my parents back yard for reference. mom included in pic - she would not be happy to know i posted, but oh well - get online mom, then you can complain!!!)

mom continued: '...i was reading the dave ramsey book you loaned me. i could hear a little frog croaking and jumping in and out of the pond. he was having a really good time. then, he got quiet, so i looked up...and a snake was coming up on the deck! i thought about jumping off the back of the swing, but figured i would fall and break something. so the only thing i had...the book...i threw dave ramsey at the snake, i missed - but i scared him. he slithered off into the woods. DAVE RAMSEY SAVED MY LIFE!!!  ~you can share that in your class if you want to~'

i haven't laughed so much in long in a while.
and, i know dave would appreciate the story!

the only thing that could have made this better...if it were the Bible she threw, at a snake...think about the humor in that one! ;-)

...the tortoise and the hare

Whoever wrote this story:

is full of CRAP!
Slow and steady puts you in 10th place in your age group (there were 11 in my group).

Today was a duathlon.
Run/bike/run.
2.5 miles/10 miles/2.5 miles.



A first for me: we were branded. They wrote our numbers on our arms. And our age on the back of our leg. I kinda liked seeing everyone elses leg (didn't care so much for them seeing my age - but it doesn't really matter). The numbers gave me something to look at and think about as folks passed me. One man I ran with for a little while, the back of his leg read '80'. REALLY? Wow. I nicknamed him pawpaw in my mind. I tried to keep up with him. He told someone that he was running with a broken hip. Some people are just amazing. Pawpaw pulled away, and I didn't see him again. He won his age group - finished first of one in his group. But his time was excellent - and overall he finished very strong. Is it bad that he inspires me and pisses me off at the same time? I want to be like him when I grow up!
I felt like a complete loser on the bike ride. I actually thought about ramming the bike in a culvert somewhere around mile 3. That would be the only descent excuse for finishing as slowly as I knew I would. But, since it is a borrowed bike - I thought better and decided to suck it up. Peddling was a chore. So, I took my mind away from it and started focusing on other things. If I could just let the legs do the work, and the brain be somewhere else - I could have a little fun. So, I thought about mental strength. Overcoming obstacles. How I have grown. Reflected on the last year. Skills I have. Positive things. This kept me going until around mile 8. Then, I took a June Bug to the shoulder. It popped me pretty good and woke me up. Glad it didn't fly in my mouth... Time to get busy and have my brain tell my legs what to do.

During that last leg, I ran behind a little boy. His shirt read 'Dylan' across the top. Then, in his scribbled marker hand writing it said 'I run fast'. It made me smile. He was struggling. The back of his leg read 'R' for relay. He was running as a part of his family's team. He could not have been older than 7 or 8. From time to time his knobby kneed legs would let him drift close to the lane that was now opened to traffic. He made me nervous doing this. I caught him and complimented him on his shirt. The thanked me and then ran really fast. Then, he walked. Kids are like that - a big burst of energy, then nothing. I caught him again. I asked him if he wanted to jog with me. He turned me down and ran fast again. Somewhere around the 2 mile mark (only .5 to go), his mom and brother were coming back to find him. They were so supportive - telling him how great he was doing, telling him to keep it up, telling him it's just a little bit further. Their words helped me too. :-)  Dylan pulled away. Is it bad that he also inspires me and pisses me off at the same time? I want to be like him too when I grow up! 
Goals of the day: #1 have fun; #2 finish; #3 don't be last. So, I'll call today a complete success!
I am so thankful to have friends to do these things with. To me, that makes all the difference. :-)

...Triathlon is in 3 weeks.
...I have a swim cap now. I could take a marker and decorate it...but I would not write 'I swim fast'. I would probably write 'help' or 'ICE - call Heidi'. ;-)

...to-done list

Want to feel good about yourself...get something done. Write it down. Put it in action. Complete it. Be accountable for what you said you intend to do.  ~at least, that is how this brain works~

 

Here's the list from January....

Learn to make pasta

Craft something (and it not be crappy)

Run another ½ marathon

Ski – water or snow - i have been on a SeaDoo, but i'm not marking this done yet. the summer is young....

Finish reading the Bible - here's where i have been a total slacker. i need to step it up....

Forgive myself  - 3/4 marked out....b/c i am almost there...notice what i left behind. :-)

Sleep more

Run my toes in the sand

Go car camping

Take my parents somewhere new - i need to make a plan here...

...and my addition: do a pull up. i *think* i can do one. i just haven't tried in a while.  ~next week!~

 

Other fun, not on the list - i have a duathlon tomorrow. my first one. i borrowed another bike. i have not ridden it yet. we'll see how those 10 miles go. it will definitely be interesting.

...did you miss me?

I took a blogger break.
I needed it.
You didn't miss anything big.

I have been riding a bike, swimming, working, working out, hanging out, teaching class, attending training, interviewed for a job - got my 'better luck next time' email about that job, visiting friends and family, making new friends...and feeling a little empty.

How can you fill up your life with really cool people and things and still feel empty?
I know I have more growing to do...
I feel incredibly blessed and grateful...I just don't feel satisfied.
It's not with other people.
It's within me.
I need to feed my soul.
(does that sounds stupid?)

I had some sad news last week. Two classmates from high school died. One in a house fire, the other a car accident. Their lives, cut short. What if it were my life? Am I ready? Too much to think about.