fabulous friday video goodness—mumford & sons

Accordion.

Steel guitar [I think].

Incredible lyrics.

Please to enjoy Mumford & Sons goodness.



In these bodies we will live
In these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love
You invest your life

thankful on a—what the heck it's friday already!?

TIME FLIES. And folks, I have so much to do before I leave for TWO WEEKS OF VACATION on Monday. Really, I shouldn't even be writing this. I should be printing out documents for Board packets and sorting through my inbox, then I have to send this massive email [which still needs some edits btw], and don't even get me started on all the qualitative data I've got to quantify. And that's just today at work. WHEW. Why isn't the coffee ready yet?

If I'm so busy, why the blog? Because you gotta pause. Because I have to pause. I have to stop, close my eyes, and take a breath. Otherwise I will go crazy. So this is my pause.

This Thursday Friday, I am thankful.

1. For an empty office so I can turn the music up and get stuff done in my own crazy way.
2. A run with a friend after work that is guaranteed to clear my head and bring me down from a ten to a two.
3. Cool mornings and warm summer evenings.
4. Homemade sushi and honesty.
5. The familiarity of home away from home.
6. Thirteen days away from the office...the last time I did that I was unemployed.
7. Getting to see Nish in person. [Squee!]
8. The beeping of the office coffee pot, it's not french press, but it's found its way into my heart.
9. A southern feast cooked for family.
10. Running eight miles when I didn't think I'd make it more than five.
11. His patience with me when I make time for everything and everyone but Him.

Much love friends. Now it's time to go kick this to list apart!

CB10: one week

Here I am, all set to write about how there's one week until CB10 and now I have Bare Naked Ladies "One Week" stuck in my head. Whatever.

One week until:

• Speed Scrabble
• Ten Thousand
• Sleepy Monk Coffee consumed AT their coffee shop
• Beach gifts
• Toe Rock
• Gin yer hert be cauld I canna warm ye
• Alright, everyone grab four pieces of wood
• Laughing until we cry
• Crying until we laugh
• Three generations
• Jokes years in the making
• The familiarity of a little twin bed shoved close to the window

One week until Windwhistle.*


[Pronounced Whhindwhhistle.]

encouragement

After yesterday's mini-meltdown about not being able to run the half and being worried I wouldn't be ready to run the full, I was in the midst of venting to Kathy when I got an email from Kelly on dailymile*. If I was still on the fence about running the full, that email clinched it for me. Here were a few of Kelly's reasons:

1. You still have 12 weeks! That's plenty of time to get up to speed. I can help you with any training questions you have. We can also look for a training group in Portland.
2. There is no foul in walking. My mom did her first marathon walking the entire thing. She was the last to finish, but came in with tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her face. We can come up with a plan so that you walk every 15 minutes and still finish this thing.
3. Run to the nearest bar after 13.1. If you're not feeling good after 13.1, let's share a pint at the nearest bar. No pressure!
4. We'll be there to help you through it.
5. It's gonna feel really good to cross that finish line. One of the best feelings in the world.

He also suggested running in costume, but all I can think is how shrivelly it would feel to run in something other than running clothes. :)

Portland Marathon, here I come.

*Shameless plug: if you're not on dailymile yet, you need to fix that, stat!

let's do this

Hip issues early on in my marathon training slowed me way down. "No worries," I thought. If worse comes to worst I'll just run the half.

Well, worse seemed to come to worst at my last physical therapy appointment when my PT said he was concerned about me being prepared for the marathon in October. I was discouraged, but not all that surprised.

I kept my chin up and gave myself a few weeks to mull things over. Then last week I decided I would email the race director and ask about running the half, certain it wouldn't be an issue. It is an issue. The half is sold out. This leaves me with the following options:

1. Blow off the race.
2. Take a DNF.
3. Just go for it.

My first reaction was to do #1. My second thought was a slightly defeated, "yeah, I guess I could DNF...." My third and final thought was, "LET'S DO THIS."

[Image is from Threadless]

CB10: sunsets

When you look back through old photos of our yearly trips to the beach, there are always, ALWAYS pictures of the sunset. I would venture to guess that there are hundreds of pictures of the sunset, all taken from within five feet of each other. And every year we take more. Because every year the sunsets are beautiful and different from the ones, not just that previous year, but different even from the previous day's sunset. Just like those sunsets are different each year, our trip to the beach is different each year, even though each year we stay in the same house, sleep in the same beds, enjoy fires in the same fireplace, and play endless games of 10,000 and Speed Scrabble at the same table.



E I G H T E E N D A Y S

CB10: the countdown is ON

Dudes. It is almost here. What's almost here?? The BEACH. That is what is almost here. Only 19 days.

N I N E T E E N D A Y S.

fabulous friday video goodness

After a ridiculously amazing hike along the Dipsea trail, beers on the beach, and dinner at the Sand Dollar in Stinson Beach, we wound our way back to San Francisco along the 101. All five of us, Kathy, Kelly, Ben, Tess and I played the "let's all share our favorite YouTube videos" game. As a result of that game, I've had the Local Natives acoustic cover of "Cecelia," by Simon and Garfunkle, stuck in my head almost all week. It's the perfect summer song. I encourage you to grab something pale and delicious, lemonade, a Corona, plop your feet in some water, and enjoy...but maybe keep the computer away from the water. I don't know if you've heard, but water and electronics don't really mix.

thankful on a really hot thursday

I know even I, the perpetual lover of rain, got to a point just a few weeks ago where I was tired of the consistent precipitation. And I knew this would happen. I knew that as soon as it got above 85 degrees I would start complaining. But you know what? This is a THANKFUL day, so that is what I am choosing to focus on.

1. A long weekend away with the lovely Kathy Simpson. It was long overdue and every minute was absolutely wonderful.
2. Strapless dresses and strappy sandals.
3. Ice cubes and ice cold water.
4. Living water that never runs dry.
5. The proximity of my house to a fantastic gelato place.
6. My uncle Peter has gained four pounds even as he is in the midst of chemo and radiation for esophageal cancer.
7. Good Southern comfort food.
8. A good summer read.
9. My fourth Avett Brothers concert NEXT weekend!
10. His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are not my ways.

I'm off to stick my toes (and the rest of me) in a tub full of cold water and watch a movie. Loves.

thankful on a thursday—exceeding expectations

I expected this week to be overwhelming. I expected it to be too much. I thought the days would be too long and the nights too short. My expectations were, for the most part, met.

What I didn't expect was that this week would be so good. I didn't expect encouragement from unexpected places. I didn't expect that I would love my quiet mornings in the office before everyone else arrived as much as I do. I didn't expect to enjoy running this week.

This week has been so much more than what I thought it would be, and it's not over yet.

This week, I am so very thankful.

1. For quiet mornings and fresh, hot cups of coffee.
2. The gift of friendship, and all the many forms it takes.
3. A WHOLE weekend in San Francisco with Kathy.
4. A reminder that sometimes it is the storms in life that He uses to save us.
5. The softening of my heart toward things I'd promised myself I'd never do...like baking pies.
6. Fresh berries from local farms.
7. Running with the One who gives me the ability to run in the first place.
8. New jeans.
9. Celebrating with friends as they commit their lives to one another.
10. The smell of the salty air on a sunny summer day on the Oregon Coast.