In the style of Today's Letters

I'm writing in the style of Today's Letters this Monday morning.  Check it out--it's my new favorite blog.

Dear AMP, having you with me at the rehearsal and dinner this weekend in Austin was a de-light.  Truly.  Mrs. Czimskey, you make a beautiful bride.  I'm so thankful for our lifelong friendship, and that I could sing and stand beside you on your most special day.  What an honor.  Smoo, dinner and gelato with you last night was superb.  Your wisdom and insight so encourages me.  I'm so glad you're back in D-town.  I'm hoping your adventures in home ownership become less stresstful soon.  :-)  Dear three suitcases that are still packed from various trips: if I could pull a Mary Poppins move and snap my fingers and sing a song, that would be great.  It looks like something exploded in my room.  Mom, our slumber party and the ride back from Austin yesterday was quite fun.  Thanks for the girl time. Adam, here's to my last week of training before my first 5k.  I couldn't have come this far without you!

Running Milestones

A few weeks ago, I posted about my new running hobby.  At that point, I was semi-enjoying the running process.  Somehow in the last week or so, though, there's been quite a change, and I have really begun to look forward to it.

Last Saturday, I set out to run 20 minutes on the treadmill at my apartment's workout facility.  I put in my headphones and began to run.  The time actually flew by, and there was a good song on my playlist, and I didn't want to stop just yet.  I thought, "Why not five more minutes?" So I did.  Then I thought, "I've done 25 minutes, why not go for 30?  There's another good song on my playlist."

And so, last Saturday, I ran 30 minutes.  Without stopping.  Woohoo!

{This was back in May at the lake, when I was still struggling to run 5 minutes without stopping!  Apparently I smell...haha.}

Then, two nights ago, Adam and I went running.  We were about five minutes from my apartment door, and all of the sudden I fall flat on my face.  Literally.  The sidewalk was uneven, and even though there were street lights, I couldn't see the unevennness.  Oh man, falling down and scraping your knee REALLY hurts.  I'd forgotten!  I have a skinned knee, hip, shoulder and palms.  (Have I mentioned that I'm in a wedding this weekend?  Yikes.)

But, the most surprising part is that I got back up and kept running, when I could've very easily gone home.  I really wanted to finish!  Because I'd run 30 minutes earlier in the week, my run was so much easier that night.  I was so glad.

We got back to my apartment and Adam took such good care of me and my scrapes.  :-)  I even had dirt on my face.  Crazy.  I felt kind of stupid and hardcore all at the same time.

The 5k is coming up next Sunday, and hopefully I'll be good to go by then!

Kids in Kenya

Today, these 15 kids (and a few adults) leave for Kenya.  I've watched most of them grow up in our church and can't believe they're old enough to go half way around the world.  I am so excited for them!  And I kind of wish I could go along.

I've had several of the girls in my Winter Weekend group (aka Disciple Now), and they have the most amazing hearts.  I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses them and opens their eyes to the wonderful things He will do in Kenya.

Our old youth pastor, Tom Stickney, and his wife, Kerry, and their two kids are moving to Kenya to live there full time and take over the ministry his dad started years ago.  It will be quite an adjustment, I'm sure, but I can't wait to hear more about their time their as well.  You can read their blog here.  This is the third year they've gone to Kenya with our youth in the summer, and the Stickneys will stay there after the kids leave.

Linley, one of the girls headed to Kenya today, wrote this:

"That's why I'm going to Kenya. Because I need to tell people that God is the same God who has been around since the beginning of time...and even before then."

They will be in Kenya from July 6 through July 22.  Will you pray for them?

July 4th Weekend

This weekend I headed to the lake with my family for a quick trip.  It was great to get away to relax and celebrate!  The weather was stormy when we got there, but it cleared up on the actual 4th to go out and ride jet skis.  

Adam came with me, and we had a lot of fun hanging out.  See?  We built a fort!  (And that's our friends' dog, Max.  He liked it a lot, too.)  We were going to watch Forrest Gump in our fort (can you believe I've never seen it?!  How un-American.), but the DVD player wasn't working in there and we had to relocate.   We found the Sombrero in a closet with all the blankets, and our family friends that came for the weekend brought the fireman helmet as a joke for when they met Adam.  Hence why we have hats on.  And it's just way more fun.

My family really was around (despite the lack of photos), and we even got to see Papa and Jonita for dinner before heading back to Dallas.  It was a fun time.

We made it back to Dallas last night in time to see several firework shows around White Rock Lake.  I really love the 4th of July.  My weekend was a long one, so I'm still not quite done celebrating.  I'm off to see more friends on my day off.  Love it!

It's the Fourth of July!

May your day be filled with lots of...

Laughter....

Beauty....

Friends....

And Fireworks!

Happys

Yes, I realize that "Happys" is not a word.  But this is the blog world of Shay, and so today, it's a real word.  Just go with me.

There are few things I love more than the Fall season.  This week while shopping, I've spotted tall boots {perfect for cooler weather}, Fall decor, and School Supplies.  The latter being my absolute favorite.  There's just something so exciting about a brand new notebook or an empty planner.  Oh, the possibilities!  The better question is, Why is there Fall stuff out in July??  But one can never fully understand retail.  Don't they know that it's still hotter than blazes here in Texas?!

I found all three of these things at Office Depot this week.  I needed a new notebook to write in for work, and my calendar was going to run out at the end of July.  I was so excited to find this cute little water colored planner.  I'm rather picky about these things--they have to be just right, you know?

The notebook in the middle is rather uncharacteristic of me, but it very much screamed, "CLAIRE" when I saw it.  You see, the roomdog is an incredibly graceful lady and danced all through high school.  She does ballet moves down the empty aisles of grocery stores.  So, naturally, I just had to get this for her.  She has crazy, insane and vivid dreams, so I think she might use this notebook to record them.  It's truly hilarious the things that go on in her head while she sleeps.

These last two weeks have been more than a little rough for her.  Her mom was diagnosed with chronic lymphoma leukemia and has been undergoing a series of tests for the prognosis.  We are praising the Lord that the prognosis was a good one!  They actually caught it so early that there's nothing to treat just yet, so they are just going to watch it closely.  Isn't that great?!

Needless to say, I thought Claire could use a little pick-me-up.  {Not that a ballerina composition book will solve all the worlds' problems.}  But it's what my mom refers to as a little "happy."  Just a little something to make you smile.  Sometimes we all just need a little "happy." {Mine often comes in the form of a Large Sonic Dr. Pepper...just sayin'}

In Beth Moore's study on the Psalms of Ascent, there's a lesson on Psalm 128. Here are the first two verses:

How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!

You will surely eat what your hands have worked for.  You will be happy, and it will go well for you.

In the Hebrew translation, some have translated the word happy to mean "blessed," and while others have taken it to mean the emotion,"happy".  The study says, "They can [translate it] accurately because the original term encompasses both, suggesting both a condition (blessed) and a human reaction (happy)."    

Matthew 5:4 says, Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.   {See here: blessings do not always come in the forms of happy endings.}

I loved this part of my study the other day:

Sometimes the circumstances of our suffering may not change, but the circumstances of our hearts are changed in the midst of them through a keen sense of God's presence and a lively perception of His activity.


So in times when things are going well and when they are not, we can still be blessed.  I'm so grateful for that.  Aren't you?  

White Space & Running

White Space
When I was in Yearbook in High school, we talked about designing pages with white space to let the reader's eye "rest".  I found that the pages I was drawn to look at over and over again had just enough white space to help me see what was really important. 

The same is true for many of the blogs I enjoy reading.  I found that I really like the ones with the simple design and just enough white space.  So I decided to change my blog design up a bit.  We'll see how long it lasts; I was just ready for a bit of a change.  (Sometimes I get antsy to redecorate or rearrange.  Just the other day, I was rearranging my apartment in my head.  Just for fun.)

Running
About two months ago, I started running.  If you know me at all, you must know that I don't work out.  Ever.  I've been blessed with a very fast metabolism that enables me to eat at Sonic and any other fast food restaurant without it affecting my waistline.  Now before you get all jealous on me, just think about how unhealthy that really is, and then think about what that's doing to my insides that I can't see.  Nope--not a very pretty picture! 

I started jogging and walking in two-minute segments {it's affectionately known as "wogging" now}.  It was actually kind of embarrassing that I could barely run two minutes straight.  I have a very sweet friend that's been so encouraging through this entire process, and we often run together.  I used to not be able to run and carry on a conversation.  Now, it's much better.  At one point, I could run up to 15 minutes without stopping.  I took about five days off in a row, though, so I've got to work back up to that.  I'm training for a 5k in about three weeks, and I've got to get myself in gear!  While I don't always enjoy the actual running (though some days, I do), I really enjoy the results and knowing that I'm taking better care of myself.  And the muscles I've discovered in my legs are pretty cool.  :-) 

Tying it all together
Last night I ran by myself in my parents' neighborhood.  The weather was actually cool, and there were just a few sprinkles.  It was so uncharacteristic of a day in June, and I couldn't believe it.  I feel horrible for the people affected by the hurricane that's headed for the Texas coast, but I'm grateful for the cooler weather it's bringing.

My iPod was dead, so I didn't have anything to occupy my head while I was running.  Sometimes I get really bored when I run alone.  But I decided that I would make the most of it, and used that time to pray instead.  If we've talked in the last month at least, know that you were probably prayed for last night! 

Yesterday's run provided my head (and heart) with some much-needed White Space.  A chance to rest while running, if you will.

Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."