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?

All Star Cheer Squad

Hello, everyone! I'm Sadie from Wii's new video game All Star Cheer Squad! What am I like? Well, cheering is my life! At first I'm a bit naive and shy, but by the end of the game, I've got a bit of a 'tude and I can hold my own. I record my lines on Wednesday at the studio, so wish me luck! Everyone needs to go buy the game! It's set to come out this fall and is going to be amazing! It's like a "Bring It On" for video games, and I think they're actually partnering with some of the people who made the movie. For more info, just Google All Star Cheer Squad and Wii.

House Hunting

Zack and I have been looking at houses in New Port Richey for a couple of months now. We've looked at dozens so far with our super-great realtor Jim Graham. Tomorrow is the day we narrow our search--we're seeing the last 4. These are the homes on our "yes" list, so we've seen them already at least once. Mom and Rachel are gonna go with us, and it's pretty exciting b/c I think we may be getting close to getting serious about possibly choosing one...maybe. If you know us at all, you know how hard it is for us to make decisions--we're analytical, indecisive perfectionists--so, aside from this also being one of the biggest purchasing decisions of one's lifetime, it's kind-of a pretty big deal for us. I'll try to post pics of the "Final Four," and you guys can let me know what you think!

House #1:

House #2:

House #3:

House #4:

Wiitney

So, my brother-in-law works at a recording studio in St Pete. He's worked on projects with such iconic companies as Nickelodeon, Disney and Pepsi. He recently recorded the voice of John Tra-fricken-volta for a new Disney cartoon, over which we were all pretty stinkin awe-struck. Today he calls me up and says they have some big-wig in seraching for voices for a new cheerleading Wii game they're making, and that I should come by and give it a shot...read for the part of one of the characters interacting between levels. Sort-of a "Bring It On" for video games. So, I did. I almost threw up on the guy reading lines with me, but I did it. And...he liked me! I guess it isn't set in stone yet, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but Tommy seemed very optimistic that I'll have one of the main roles... about 140 lines! Not only would I get to have my voice on a Wii game, but I'd actually get paid to do it! Holy cow, this may be the beginning of a huge voice and acting career for me. I've asked that Zack simply refer to me as "the talent" henceforth and forevermore. You may do the same.

Photo by: Adam Melancon

What's new with us? Well, since you asked...

Life's good. Zack got hired at Gulf High School as a math teacher and assistant track coach about 6 weeks ago, so we're finally able to pay some bills and stop living on credit cards (I know!). He's been pretty busy with that, especially since assistant coach apparently means "he who does all the leg and brain work but gets no credit or paycheck." We were unaware of the definition 6 weeks ago. Here are some pics of him coaching at a track meet. (Those little blurrs are runners!)

We bought a small business from some friends that involves immobilizing the vehicles of DUI offenders. We officially took over at the beginning of February. Zack's been working for the company for over a year now. I'm officially the president, so I always tease Zack about how I'm his boss. He seems to have already known that. We're still living with my parents for now, but are looking into buying a house. We found one in New Port Richey we really like, so we may put a bid on it soon. I've been keeping busy working on getting all the logistics of the business set up, and making sure things run smoothly.

We like our new church a lot. It didn't take long for us to get sucked into ministry there (if that sounded cynical, I apologize, I'm working on that). Zack plays acoustic guitar and bass, and I sing on the praise team. Zack's heading up the altar ministry. I really like the people there--they are super nice and genuine. I also like the fact that there are a lot of young couples and families. The pastor and his wife have 2 small children they adopted from China. The church has a heart for missions, which suits us well. We still feel called to missions, so we just take things one day at a time, praying that doors will be opened and closed, and following our hearts. We don't know at what point God will call us to another country, but we think He will. We do know that we don't want to get ahead of Him or force something to happen--we just have to place our trust in Him and learn to lean on Him day by day. He must know how much we struggle with not knowing. He's always teaching us something. We're constantly praying, "Lord, let us learn it now, so we don't have to go through it again later." Zack is really enjoying working with teenagers again, though we miss our youth in Spring Hill. I got really sad thinking about them the other day, and all the memories. God knows.

Zack ran his first marathon last month, and his dad flew down to be there. We are all so proud of him. It seems like he can do anything. I envy his discipline and drive.

I got my hair cut about a month ago. It's the shortest I've ever cut it, and probably ever will again. I like it better now that it's growing out a bit. I don't have the face or the hair texture for short hair.

My nephew Aiden is getting chubbier than ever. The girls (Peyton and Jordan) are spending the night tonight. And our plan has been to take them to "Movies at the Park" up the street to watch the Bee Movie, but it's been raining, so I don't know if they'll cancel it. Peyton turned 7 last Sunday and had a little party Saturday. Zack and I took Peyton and Jordan to the Strawberry Festival last Wednesday, where Jordan learned she doesn't much like rides, and Peyton got picked out of the audience TWICE to represent a section for the pig races (there were hundreds of people there both times, and we sat in different sections each time!), and her pig won BOTH times! She got a ribbon that says "I picked a winner!" We had a good time, but didn't stay to hear Tom Jones perform that night. I didn't think the girls would be fans.

Business has picked up this week, which is good. I went with Peyton's class to the zoo a couple weeks ago and discovered I don't hate animals as much as I thought (don't get any ideas, I'm not getting a pet!) I'll post the video of the girls feeding the giraffe.

I've been exercising with Rebekah the past few weeks, though we've started slacking. Yesterday I decided to run, and today I can hardly walk. It seems to take so long to get in shape, and so little time to get out of it. But my goal is to be buff by Micah's wedding in May. That may be part of my problem--unrealistic goals. Maybe.

Well, Zack's Spring break is coming up in a couple of weeks, so we're going to Georgia to visit our friends Chad and Rhonda. They are 2 of the sweetest people alive, and I think Chad may be my husband's soul twin.

We recently had an experience in which a giant screwdriver flew off a semi-truck and hit the hood of our car. The hilarious part is that a year ago, the same thing happened to us on the interstate, when a flagpole flew off a semi and smashed our windshield. Anyway, I got the check in the mail from the insurance company for the damage last week just about the same time I got the bill for Zack's little ER visit in December. Seems God let our car get smashed so we could afford to pay for Zack's face getting smashed. The Lord works in mysterious ways =).

Well, I should go exercise, I've procrastinated long enough...only a month and a half to get in shape! I love you all, and hope to talk to you soon. Send me a comment so I know you're still alive!

A person's a person, no matter how small.

As of now, Zack, Meghan and I have decided to print out flyers to pass out at movie theaters on Saturday for the opening weekend of the movie Horton Hears a Who. The premise of the movie is "A person's a person, no matter how small." This theme speaks so beautifully to the rights of the unborn. I went online to see if I could find a template for something people are passing out, but instead I found so many blogs discussing the hot topic of this movie and abortion.

I am always surprised when I hear people using words like self-righteous, fanatics or religious zealots to describe those who take a stand for the lives of the unborn. One blog actually said how ridiculous it was to compare the two things, and then went on a rampage about how Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) didn't write the book to be about abortion. Instead, they said, it was intended to be about the Japanese after the bombing of Hiroshima, and went on to defend the rights of those people to live. I thought, "And how is that not about human life?" Maybe Mr. Geisel didn't intend for the book to relate to abortion, but it is a story about human rights--the right to live, no matter how small or insignificant that person may seem. Maybe he didn't write it to mean that, but the story is universally true, and it applies, whether it supports your beliefs or not. How can anyone with one eye and half a brain not see the correlation? How can someone trying to defend the murder of the innocent be called SELF-righteous? Aren't those who think they have the right to decide the fate of a human life the ones who have proclaimed themselves to be God?

The argument for abortion is so ludicrous to me that I find myself constantly surprised that people believe it. In fact, I don't believe that people believe it. It's absurd. It's a lie perpetuated by misguided media, and self-serving political figures and the devil himself. Who has the right to give or take life but God? This whole abortion issue is such a symptom of a society that doesn't acknowledge the existence of God. I recently heard rumored a notion of legalized post-birth abortions. What? Can that really be serious? How about we reserve the right for the mother to kill her child a year or two after the birth? It's her right, isn't it? Isn't it that ridiculous? Doesn't it seem like murder to everyone else?

I can't help but think of the Holocaust. An entire race marked for death. People often wonder how humanity could be capable of such gruesome violence. And we sit so smugly watching Hotel Rwanda or Schindler's List and think we are not as guilty. I'm afraid Americans in general are so self-righteous that even if we realized what we were doing, we would be too proud to admit it, or to change. And what great world power will there be to stop us? Hitler had massive armies knocking on Germany's door. But who will save the babies? Who will stand against a culture of death? Only God's judgment, I fear.

It sickens me, angers me, brings me to tears. But no emotion will save the babies. Only prayer. Only prayer. Don't forget to pray for them. We can't forget such an epic injustice. An entire generation marked for death. We have to stand up for those who have no voice, because a person is a person, no matter how small!

"Jesus, I plead your blood over my sins and the sins of my nation. God, end abortion and send revival to America."

New Life

Today I was watching a documentary on women incarcerated at Riker's Prison in New York. The prison had decided to implement a horticulture program into their system. There were outdoor gardens where prisoners could come and learn about horticulture, grow fruits and vegetables, flowers, herbs, and even enter an internship when they were released to help them find jobs in this field. But what had begun as an attempt to reform these women, and simply equip them for life when they were released from prison turned into far more.

As these women began to watch the plants grow and saw the life that came from the earth, they began to report that they felt peace, love and even "closeness to God." They began to let go of the things they had done and that were done to them. They started to open up and talk about things they hadn't before. They felt such pride in causing things to grow rather than tearing things down.

One woman said she felt like God was telling her He was on her side when He allowed things to grow for her. She said it brought peace to see things bloom and ripen.

And as I watched the show, I immediately recognized God's power at work. I recently read a book by Staci Eldridge called Captivating. In the book, she describes the ways God speaks to us, a major way being through nature.

I can just see the smile on God's face as these women stopped to notice the beauty of His creation, and I can hear Him gently whisper Just look! I can make ALL things new!.

These women were reporting finding hope for their lives again, just in seeing pumpkins and strawberries and mint leaves grow. How amazing is our God!

They interviewed some of the women after they were released from prison, and they were saying they had never noticed all the beauty around them before they were incarcerated. Watching the growth that comes from the earth made them realize that they could grow and cause life to come forth instead of death.

God really spoke to me through this secular documentary. He is showing me that everything He creates is a life-giving, transforming truth--we need only watch and learn.