The alarm rang, all too soon, and I forced myself to pull back the warm blankets and put my feet on the chilly floor. This morning’s 6am alarm clock was filled with purpose. I was so proud of myself for fitting in 20 minutes of yoga, shower/makeup/hair/dressed, and pancakes started by 7am. Seriously impressive for […]
My First Half Marathon
I had been preparing for this day since the beginning of July–The Mighty Niagara Half Marathon (for hospice). Week after week I followed my training schedule, running something like 3 miles Monday, 5 miles Tuesdays, 4 miles Thursday, with a long run on Friday or Saturday. My long runs started at 6 miles (since that was my base prior […]
How I Fell in Love with Oatmeal
Oatmeal seems to be one of those highly divisive foods–people either love it or they hate it. I think it’s really about the consistency or texture. It could added to the list of foods like tapioca pudding (or any pudding), yogurt, and stuffing that has the potential to trigger one’s gag reflexes. At least that’s […]
How We Manage Our Money
Friday is our day off–our Sabbath, if you will. (Full time ministry necessitates a different day to rest.) Oddly enough, I spent a large part of my morning spontaneously updating our budget based on our expenses from the past year. (You can laugh if you want.) In the midst of my number crunching (who am […]
My Favorite Relaxing, Productive Saturday
Ahhhhhhhh. The Saturday Morning I’ve been longing for, but hadn’t been able to grasp hold of in so many months. Sleeping in until my internal clock wakes me up. No alarms. (This meant 7:17am.) Lazily rolling out of bed, still deciding what the day might hold. Opening the curtains to let the dreary daylight shine […]
Observations from Mile 12
This morning was my first solo long run besides the 8 miles I ran last fall about this time. I wanted to make sure I was capable of doing the long run on my own because up until this week, I’ve had someone running or biking alongside me. Running is almost entirely a mental sport. Yes, it requires […]
The Start of My New School Year
It all began at 3:30 yesterday afternoon when 2nd grader, Zach, walked though my front door. Piano lessons are back in full swing now! Yesterday, five new students had their very first lessons with me and I love each of them already. I can tell this is going to be a fantastic year. And to think, […]
My Nicknames {revealed}
What’s in a name? Oh, the possibilities are endless. (Or at least they are in my family.) You see, I come from a clan of nick-namers, and oftentimes the pseudo names have no origin and no connection to the person’s actual name. And for whatever reason, I’ve decided to share with you all some of […]
A Foyer’s Invitation
It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do to a space, especially if the color is something beyond the ordinary eggwhite. I walked into our church on Saturday night for worship practice and my jaw had spontaneously dropped open. The color was beautiful, giving off the feeling of cozy, intimate conversation, ushering you […]
Refueling #FridayFaves
On this Friday afternoon, I am finding joy in the little things. I’m an easy-to-please type of girl, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss out on opportunities to be appreciative of those moments. Blessings came come in so many shapes and sizes–a friendship, the light from the window, a kitty’s nuzzle, hand written notes. […]