My 1st 5k Race- GoFar

Nathan, me & Stephen

Matt, Stephen, Nathan, me, Paula, Dana, Doug

my gym partner Kimberly

my inspiration, Paula

Well, I did it! I trained for and completed my 1st 5k race! I feel such a sense of accomplishment. This all started when Paula bought a treadmill and started training for her 1st 5k. Then, Dana started going to the gym and working out. Then my mom friend, Kimberly, told me in passing that a local gym was running some great special. So, I went to check it out and ended up with 2, one month trial memberships. So, Kimberly and I started going together. I loved going to the gym. I was soon addicted and would even go bymyself!

My boys do running club at school and they train each fall and spring for a local 5k run. I joked in Oct that I would run with them in the Spring. When the sign ups came for the spring run, I told Paula we could do it together. She agreed and so did Dana, Doug, Matt and Kimberly! I wasn't going to be the only one NOT doing the race so, I started the same program Paula was doing: Couch Potato to 5k in 8 weeks, ( I only had 6 weeks).

Kimberly and I were going to the gym 5 days a week to get ready. Kimberly's goal was to walk the 5k in under 46 mins. My goal was to run/walk in 37 mins. Stephen and Nathan's goal was to finish under 20mins. Paula's goal: 45mins. At the gym Kimberly met her goal, I never got under 46mins.

The week of the race, Paula and I ran on the real road on Sunday evening. Now that was an eye opener for sure. The road is so much different that the TM. We ran 2.3 miles in 33mins. I was a little nervous about Sat. since I had yet to run/walk 3.1 miles. Paula wanted to run the entire 3.1 on Thursday just so we would know. Our goal at this point was to complete in under 45mins. We did it in 42mins! We were very excited and that time helped our nerves too. At least I knew Stephen and Nathan wouldn't completely lap us!

I was hoping that with all the excitement and all the people we would run faster at the actual race. I still wanted to finish under 37mins. I also wanted to be careful to not start off too fast and then run out of steam. The weather was perfect! Thank you God! We started off great, our 1st mile was 11mins! Dana, Paula and myself stayed together during the first 2 miles, running and walking. I got a little ahead jsut past the 2 mile marker and decided to just keep going. I had my Ipod and I was good to go. I finished at 37:18 and it felt great. All of my family was there to cheer for me! I loved it! I couldn't believe how close I was to my goal, and I was not even dead tired. Had I known how close I was to the finish, I would have kicked it up a notch. Paula and Dana were just 1 min behind me, each them busting their personal goals.

I am so proud of all of us. We are all planning to run another 5k again in Oct. And next year we will run the 1/2 marathon in HP!

So a BIG THANK YOU to Paula, Dana and Kimberly for getting me off the couch!

Sing My Love

I can 't express to you how this song makes me feel. I just want to sing it at the top of my lungs to Jesus. My heart overflows with gratitude for what Jesus has done for me.






Need I say more?

A Whole New Level

I went to the Joyce Myer Con. in Hampton VA this past weekend with Dana (sis-n-law) and 5 ladies from her church. We had a wonderful time! If you don't know about Joyce Meyer then you are missing out. She is a dynamic speaker who teaches you God's word, very loudly, with out trying to be nice about it. Meaning this: if you are listening, her goal is to step on your toes with her heels! She speaks the truth and doesn't worry about being PC. I so need to be taught that way!

Joyce is dynamic because she teaches based on her own failures and mistakes. She is very open and funny about how far God has brought her and where He is still teaching her.

This weekend's teaching was on the Fruits of the Spirit.
The 1st thing I learned is that Spiritual Gifts are given by the Holy Spirit and that Fruit is developed. Different gifts are given to different people for our enjoyment. So when I am tempted to wish I could sing like someone else or teach like them, I should stop and just enjoy the gift they received and be thankful that they are using it for God's glory.

2nd: I must practice Love and Self Control in order to produce any of the other fruits. Joyce taught that Love and Self Control are the "book ends" of the fruits. If you don't have Love for God's children and you don't practice Self Control, you can never develope joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfullness.

3rd: 1 Peter 4:8 tells us that "love covers a mulitude of sins." In our life people have hurt us, wronged us, broken us down, and it will happen again. Our flesh wants to make them pay us back, undo what was wrong. Well, they can't. They may apologize and try to make restitution but they can't repay what emotional damage they may have caused. Can we ever repay Jesus for suffering and dying on the cross for us? Never. Jesus doesn't even expect us to. So who are we to try to make people repay us? That is up to God. Think of all the people you have sinned against, hurt somehow and you don't even realize it!

4th: If I call myself a Christian, then it is time to take that to a whole new level. No more acting like the world. I am to be a light that draws people to me, to God. This is going to be hard. Loving people as Jesus did is going to be hard. Taming my tongue is going to be hard. Practicing Self Control is going to be very hard. Going the extra mile is going to be hard. Someone please show me the verse that said this life would be easy.

I am tired of going from luke warm to on fire back to luke warm again. I want to be consistant in my faith walk. I want people to see Jesus in me all the time! I want to listen to and follow the Holy Spirit's nudgings all the time. I want to be different from everyone else. Now I have my chance.

If my tree is firmly rooted in Jesus and His word then I will bear fruit. The devil will attack, and I may bend, but I will not break. God promises me this. It is time to claim God's promises and start living them out.

Won't you join me on this journey? I assure you, it will be quite a ride!

I'm Famous!

Well, not really.

I recently hooked up with an old friend on Face Book. Isn't everyone? She lives in Cinci, OH now and read my blog about my roller coasters and asked if she could share it with her MOPS group. I told her sure, since it was on the web anyway.


Today she sends me an email with an attachment. It is their monthly newsletter, and my story is on the front page, with a picture of Courtney and me! I could not believe it. I am so excited! The reason I just posted that blog to get the words out of my head, my ramblings. Who could have known? I just hope that some mom will read the story and find some comfort or just relate to it.


I will try to attach the newsletter, I hope you can see it.