Monday, August 30, 2010

Women of Faith 2010

I was fortunate to get to go to the Women of Faith conference. I've wanted to go many times before but it never worked out. This time I wasn't even a little excited. It seemed to be such an inconvenient time and location and took so much effort to get there. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. All the speakers' stories were so moving!

The line up included Mary Mary, Natalie Grant, Sheila Walsh, Lori Robertson, Michelle Aguilar, Marcus Buckingham, Lisa Harper, and Karen James.

I bought Marc Buckingham's book: Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently. He was very funny and made a lot of sense. I wanted to buy Sheila's and Lisa's books as well but I will have to borrow them since the first book wasn't even in the budget.

I was able to run the day before the conference but with the long hours found it too difficult today. I guess I'll have to catch up tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Celebrating week 3!

I'm not celebrating big, but I am proud of myself and thankful to God for the healthy, strong body that is able to accomplish all that I set my mind to, with His help! I can't take all the credit. My life is too full and blessed to be orchestrated by a mere man.

As I was saying...week three! I'm following a six week training plan I found on www.about.com on training for a 5k. I've always hated running in the past so I thought I should start small and work up to the larger races. I realize this can take quite some time to develop the endurance I need for a marathon but I'm determined. I don't have a legacy to follow of health nuts, athletes or any sort of good example in that area I suppose but it's something I want my kids to see me doing. I hope it will inspire them to either join me or find their own preferred sport to keep them active and healthy.
I remember daydreaming as a teenager about married life.  We would have a beautiful house, many adorable children, and I would be organized.  Life would flow smoothly and quality time together would be blissful.  Sigh.

It's funny looking back.  Three years ago I decided to stay home and no longer pay complete strangers to educate and train my children.  I loved my job and it was hard to let go.  I was sure I would miss it despite the crazy hours and cranky co-workers.  My stay-home friends cautioned me.  Don't take on too much, it's easy to get carried away thinking you'll have "all this free time now".  You know, that's the first thing I did too!  I started sewing again and organizing everything!  That's when I started a Facebook page actually because I was bored at home about to have child #2.  Everything was clean and I thought "piece of cake".  This rocks!

Somehow over the months and years of breakfast, dishes, lunch, dishes, nap, snack, dinner, dishes, baths, errands, playdates, hurry up, eat slower, sit down, stand up, pick that up, put that down I've lost time to do anything I truly enjoy nor can I enjoy any moments I get.  If I do get some quiet time, it's spent thinking about all that I need to do now that the kids don't need me at the current moment.

I have actually made myself sit down and drink a much loved treat (Starbucks xoxo) and flip through a magazine a couple times lately.  I have taken a bath once over the last two months.  Those things are nice but it just doesn't happen often and sure doesn't benefit me much, which brings me to my newest path on this journey: running.  Not only do I get to rock out to some great music minus the whining for a while, I also get in shape too!

I used to go to the gym as often as church pre-children.  I've tried to exercise regularly since but it seems nothing happens regularly other than diaper changes and meal times post-children.  I've fantasized about running a marathon flippantly a few times, but about a month ago I got serious.  Something in me just decided it was time!  So I've made it happen.  I take the time whenever I can get it but for two weeks I have been running and it has been great!  The funny thing is I really hate running.  I get tired and just want to quit but it gets those endorphins going and I visualize crossing that finish line, having accomplished a new level of fitness in my life and it keeps me going.  Well, that is, in addition to the music rocking on my mp3 player and the thought of fitting into that pile of clothes I thought I'd never wear again!