Diary of a Marathoner-in-Training: Week 2

Yah, I pretty much sucked this week! Here's the sad tale:

Mon- nada
Tues- ran 2 miles, walked 1 mile
Wed- ran 2 miles, walked 2 miles
Thurs- zilch
Fri- ran about a mile and a half
Sat- nope
Sun- na-uh

I'm pretty off schedule, especially since Fri my shin splints started to flair up, and today I couldn't run b/c they were hurting so badly. I did walk 3 miles total today, some of it running, but I'm thinkin' my husband's not gonna love it when I tell him that tonight =/

If you're training for the marathon with me, comment and let me know your progress--maybe it'll inspire me to keep going! I emailed my cousin Sarah the marathon training schedule Zack made (below), so I think she's going to do it too. Let's all go to the Windy City together for our first (well, maybe not your first) marathon. It'll be fun! (Sort-of)

Reflections on Somewhere in Between

There are 2 kinds of people that really irk me as a Christian. The first is the guy whose biggest concern is arguing what you can get away with--you know exactly the kind I'm talking about: the one who always wants to argue that there's nothing wrong with being a Christian who drinks or goes to clubs, the one who's always talking about how judgmental and hypocritical Christians are, saying their non-Christian friends are nicer than their Christian friends, talking about "Christians"as if they weren't one themselves. And their biggest hot button: "Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to go to church!" These are the people who want to argue EVERYTHING. You'll more frequently find them using the phrase "I don't think Jesus would..." than "Jesus said..." or "Jesus did..." Their primary concern is boundaries--how far can one go and...still be a Christian, still get into heaven, still whatever. What they're really asking is how they can manipulate in order to be able to do whatever they want without a guilty conscience. This person will gladly stand on his soap box, stating all the things the Bible doesn't have to say on such subjects, and yet, when I encounter these people, which I quite often do, my first reaction (after realizing they can't be argued with) is this: they don't have a true relationship with Jesus. It's sad when you think about it, but it's true. It's the people who don't really have a relationship with the Lord who always want to argue the details, test the boundaries, muddy the doctrine, point the finger, make excuses. The truth is that's all they have--their theories. But most often I find that these people are hollow-- grasping for a theory in lieu of a relationship, wanting to argue semantics because they are devoid of intimacy, they ask "how far can I go?" rather than "how close can I get?"

The second kind of person is the other extreme: the legalistic Christian, always keeping some kind of score. These are the ones who judge people who aren't in church every time the doors are open, the ones who are more concerned with outward sins than inward ones, the ones who are looking for a reason to correct. You probably know the type: they want to label everyone and everything, make formulas for the way God moves and speaks and works. To them, things are more important than people, church is an institution rather than the body of Christ, and appearances are foremost. They're the ones who give group #1 their bitter fuel, and would probably proudly admit it. They take it upon themselves to be judge and jury, and are grossly under-qualified for such a task. They are far more concerned with details than with relationship, something they have in common with group #1. They cling to tradition, rarely questioning what they've been told or finding the truth out for themselves in a loving relationship with their Father. And in this quest to uphold tradition, they heap unbiblical teachings and false guilt on immature followers, like the Pharisees did in the New Testament. I actually sat in a church service not too long ago when a preacher began talking about how some churches are changing their service times from Sundays to Saturday nights to accommodate their congregation's schedules and try to get a different type of crowd into the church who couldn't or wouldn't come on Sundays. I sat listening to the preacher talk about how disgusted he was by this, saying how it was wrong not to have service on Sundays. What? Do you think Jesus cares which day of the week you meet for church service? I think He probably cares more about how you meet with Him the other 6 days of the week. Religion steals one's ability to see the obvious. This preacher was caught up in tradition so much that he was willing to bad-mouth another church for trying something new in an attempt to reach more people for Christ. The legalist is more concerned with tradition, surface issues, the law than with true relationship. They ask "How much must I do for Him?" rather than "How close can I get to Him?"

The truth is I've been both--the line-maker and the line-walker, so I can't judge either group except to say that the truth lies in relationship. True, intimate relationship with the Savior is the only way to keep your bearings and find yourself somewhere in between the sinner and self-proclaimed saint. I find in my own life that when I'm closest to Him, I don't feel the need to argue over what I can get away with, nor do I find myself so concerned with what others are trying to get away with, but instead I feel privileged to be in the family of God, honored that He would count me worthy to bear His precious name, and determined not to smear it. And when I do, humbled to know that I serve such a merciful God, who entrusts the light of the world to humanity.

Diary of a Marathoner-in-Training: Week 1

I think I underestimated just how out-of-shape of am. My first week of marathon training was kinda hard, and I wasn't very consistent. When we started training, we were in Georgia, so we were a little out of our element. The first day we jogged in the McGinnis' neighborhood. I thought I would die...literally. Zack had to encourage me to keep going...this may put a strain on our marriage =D. I thought surely we had gone a couple miles...turns out it was only .6 miles! Yikes! The next day we didn't really make time to exercise...oops! Wednesday we played basketball with the kids for a while, and I was so winded afterward that we just took a short walk later and called it a day. Thursday was our drive home, and we left early and got home late, so we really didn't have time to run! (Not off to a good start, I know!) Friday Zack was on a mission to get me back on track, so I walked/jogged for about 45 min while he ran, and I was hurting. Saturday I felt much better--ran a mile straight, then walked about a half mile. Sunday was my day off, and yesterday was supposed to be the start of my new week...yah. So, I had a ton of work to do with DUI after being out of town for a week, and just got busy working and didn't get finished until about 9pm last night. I know...I'm full of excuses! Zack laid a big guilt trip on me, so today was my day. I ran 2 miles and walked 1 mile, and I didn't feel too bad. This is where I'm hoping it'll get easier as I run more. Anyway, now I'm journaling about week 2, so I better wait until my week 2 post to do that! Let me know if you wanna do it with me! I talked to Mandy today, and she's going to do it too! We are gonna be marathoners in just 6 months! Woohoo!

Georgia on my mind

Zack and I have been in Georgia for the past week visiting our friends, Chad and Rhonda McGinnis, and their children Korey, Kasey and Kenzie for Zack's spring break from school. Georgia is so stinkin beautiful! Maybe it's b/c all the trees are in bloom there, but it is absolutely gorgeous country. We had a fun time seeing the McGinnis clan, and got to go golf carting in Peach Tree City, which was super fun. That family is too sweet! We went to church with them 4 times in the 5 days we were there, and heard the same message 3 times, which we know was no coincidence. The message was: "When you're in the wilderness, don't try to find your way out, just try to find God."

We decided to choose House #1, and actually made an offer on it while we were up in Georgia. After a long and grueling wait, we found out today that they accepted another offer on the house. It seems our time in the wilderness is prolonged once again. I hope we find God soon. =)

On a lighter (perhaps more comical) note, Zack has decided to make me his guinae pig and train me to run a marathon with him. The Chicago marathon starts in 6 months, and he has a very detailed schedule written out for me to follow. I've run 3 days now, and am starting to fear the worst: I AM NOT A RUNNER! Those of you who've seen me know it'll be a long road to get into marathoner status, but I figure it looks good for Zack either way: if I don't make it, everyone will know it's my fault; if I actually can complete a marathon, Zack will get the credit for whipping me into shape. I'll post the running schedule below for those of you who want to follow my progress or even do it with me!

X Week 1: 30 min walk/jog 5 days, jog at least 1 mile at a time by end of wk

Week 2: 45 min walk/jog 5 days, jog at least 2 miles at a time by end of wk

Week 3: 2 miles per day, 5 days

Week 4: 45 min walk/jog 5 days, be able to run 3 miles by end of wk

Mon / Tue / Wed / Thu / Fri

Week 5: 3 mi / 2 mi / 3mi / 2 mi / 3 mi

Week 6: 3 miles every day, 5 days

Week 7: 3 mi / 4 mi / 3 mi / 4mi / 3 mi

Week 8: 4 miles a day, 5 days

Week 9: 4 mi / 5 mi / 4 mi / 5 mi / 4 mi

Week 10: 4 mi / 5 mi/ 4mi / 6 mi / 3 mi (holy crap!)

Week 11: 3 mi / 4 mi / 4 mi / 5 mi / 6 mi

Week 12: 4 mi / 5 mi / 4 mi / 7 mi / 3 mi (this is where it starts to get funny)

Week 13: 5 mi / 4 mi / 6 mi / 7 mi / 3 mi

Week 14: 5/5/6/7/4

Week 15: 6/5/6/8/5 (haha!)

Week 16: 6/7/5/8/5

Week 17: 6/6/5/9/5 (at this point in the schedule, I'm laughing hysterically)

Week 18: 7/7/6/10/5

week 19: 7/8/6/11/6 (this is where it stops being funny and starts becoming a little scary)

Week 20: 7/8/6/13/4

Week 21: 8/7/7/15/5 (15 miles???? Sick!)

Week 22: 8/8/6/17/5

Week 23: 8/8/6/19/5 (This part is a bit ridiculous)

Week 24: 8/7/6/20/5

Week 25: 8/9/7/20/5

Week 26: 8/9/7/20/5

Week 27: 11/8/6/6/0, and 3 miles on Saturday, the day before the race!

Maybe writing this will help hold me accountable and make me stick with it! I'll keep you posted.

Wonderful World of Wii

Well, I just got back from recording my lines at the studio. It was awesome! I was so nervous at first, especially since I got to hear the girl read lines before me, and she seemed really good. Can I just say I love my brother-in-law? Not only is he the coolest guy in the world, but he is also the sweetest guy in the world, always treating me like a little sister. Anyway! Here comes the funny part...after I was finished reading lines for Sadi, they asked if I could read a couple of lines for another small character. John, the writer of the game, asked if I could try to sound different. I, jokingly of course, asked if she should have an English accent. I started laughing and he said he wanted me to try it. I almost freaked! I was like, "Uh, no, I was just kidding," and he said to please try it. I kept thinking about the way Mandy and I used to talk back and forth with our fake British accents. I tried desperately to pretend Mandy was in that liitle recording box with me, and...they actually kept it! Then, I did a character in a southern drawl, one in a valley girl voice, and the last with a "goth" sound, whatever that means. It was so fun, and now I'm about 5 characters on the game! I can't believe they actually paid me to do it! More great news per John..."they" love what they've seen already, and have okayed a sequal already! Which means...I might get to do it again! Anyway, it was a frickin hilarious experience (hilarious they thought I was any good!), and I'd definitely welcome any big offers from Disney or Nickalodeon ;) (And, yes, that is the very chair Mr. Travolta sat in, and the microphone he used!)

From Final Four to Top Two...help us choose where to live!

Okay, so our realtor told us to narrow it down to 2, so we have. It's between house #1 and #2 (See "House Hunting" Below). More input on which you like best, please!

#1:

*Cheaper and smaller...over 200 sf smaller, about $10,000 cheaper.

*Right in my sister Rachel's neighborhood, just down the street, although she's hoping to move to Oldsmar in the not-too-distant future.

*Has vaulted ceilings

*Comes with pool and jaccuzi

*Has a beautiful water view

*Kitchen needs a lot of work

*Better location (East side of US-19)

*Possibly already has bids on it, which may mean the price may not come down

#2:

*Bigger and more expensive, though it is in pre-forclosure, so we may be able to offer them a lot less for it

*Also has a pretty water view

*Has community pool for a small yearly fee

*Has a fireplace

*Doesn't need as much work, though the kitchen is small

*Much more storage and closet space

*May have more traffic on street than first house

*Did I mention it's A LOT bigger?