Running, a Spiritual Experience?

I am happy to announce that my endurance levels are increasing. Yay!!!! Last Saturday I didn't get my run in because I went turkey huntin', or as folks around here say "huuntuun". My first time ever hunting anything...but I got "nuuthuun". I went again this morning and shot at one, that was crazy...

So, Saturday I had to fit in a run...we were headin' over to my parents and I decided to jog there. I have never done that before, and it really passed without too much difficulty. I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself running up the two hills, they weren't the brutes I thought they would be.

I found a lot of courage as I past a home where 6 kids, with 3 still at home are helping their mother through the last stage of her life, as she is dying of cancer....
I am running for her.... I am running for my mom who battled cancer last year and will always be battling the repercussions of it.... I am running for my dad who has had his hip replaced and faces the crippling effects of arthritis everyday.... I am running for my darling, handsome husband who has a herniated disk and can't do the things he loves, and when he does he does it with great pain... I run for my children, because I'm not pregnant right now and I can move. If I never knew what it was like not to move, I probably wouldn't appreciate moving so much. I feel free, I am in charge of my own destiny.... I run for all those people I see in the morning out walking, hobbling their way down the street...they can't run, they can barely walk, but they face their day with courage and do this thing that is unnatural. I run for those who can't run because they are going to work...

I am getting stronger, and I am soo grateful that I can run. Thank you to our Father in Heaven. I know He will help me find the strength to face the more difficult days to come.

Artist of the Day/ Kelly Rae Roberts

I just found an awesome link to the wonderfully, inspiring home of artist Kelly Rae Roberts. Her art is really well done, and as you can see her art is not only limited to the canvas she paints on, but her whole home is awe-inspiring... Love it.

Oh and here is her book: Taking Flight...I hear it's a really good read and motivating as well, with some tutorials on some projects.... You can read more about it here or even purchase it here.

Mama Enchanted

Book Review: Ella Enchanted, written by Gail Carson Levine... I just finished reading this book, very awesome. It is the retold fairytale of Cinderella. Very well done. I have to admit I didn't know for the longest time that Ella Enchanted wasn't just a movie...when I found out I felt errr.. pretty dumb and uneducated. But if you've only seen the movie, don't judge the book by the movie. The movie doesn't do the book the justice it deserves. In fact, the movie doesn't follow it very well at all.

The book has a very strong character..Ella, she as we know was given a gift from a fairy at her birth to be obedient, which in the wrong hands can prove detrimental. Ella found ways around always doing what others told her to do....yes, she did what she was told and then some, let's say. Her quest is to find the fairy that bestowed the gift on her to undo it, so she wouldn't hafta be obedient, because she was afraid to marry thinking her obedience could harm her future husband and family. The end of the book is really empowering, as she has found that through her selflessness she is able to find her true self. But will she ever be able to make her own choices? You better check out the book and find out. This book is definitely a keeper.

Reading the book has really made me think a little deeper about my own life like: what kind of character do I have? What do I choose to do when told to do something? Do I have the right motivation?

I keep finding that my life parallels in some way to Ella's..how many of us moms have our path laid out day by day by the demands of our children and husbands? A lot of times our whole day is planned without our even putting forth any effort of planning. Even if a list is made it is always at the mercy of poopy diapers, a drink or snack, meals, crying, sleepy babies and 2 year olds, and now summer is upon us, so it's keeping after the kids to stay on task.

Instead of getting the things I want to get done, I find myself more busy keeping my kids on task. But, the difference between Ella and me is I choose to do those things, because of love. It's amazing the things that are prompted by love. I love my life, and am grateful that I can be home with my kids and have my life planned around them.

The one thing I have control over is my attitude, it's mostly good, I also have control over when I get up, and I choose to get up and run. That is probably a big reason why I run, cause it's one thing I can control, and also, because I can. I have found the perfect name for me, just call me... "Mama Enchanted".

Marathon

I have so many things going on in my brain... a lot of it is self doubt. It takes me about 25 min to run 2 miles, dang, how can I run 26.2 in 6 hrs. I run everyday, and am just glad I get up in the morning and get the bed off my back and try to be fit and not balloon outta my clothes.

I was gonna run the marathon, I told my sis-in-law, but I wasn't gonna train I would walk/run it if I have to, then she burst my bubble and said the first person that ran the marathon died. uuuuggh....so I decided not to do it, at least not this year, I didn't wanna train. So I get a text from a friend asking me to run it with her. Dood, wow, umm okay.... She says there is a great 26 week program to train for it. I was in unbelief, what did I just say? Okay? My word, I have prolly never ran more than 2 miles ever, straight. I don't think I have even ran 3 miles. I think I could prolly do 3, but you know this self talk stuff?

So now I am in a commitment stage, part of me is there and a lot of me isn't. I told Nissa, my marathon friend, I was honored she would ask me, as I was really surprised, I feel like I don't know her that well. She told me she thinks I'm a strong woman, how can I say no to that? And how can I not face everyday knowing that someone is counting on me to be there? And to top things off we don't even have tickets to run yet, they are in a bidding stage at Dixie Care and Share, so we won't know for sure if we have tickets til middle of June, and then we have just over a month to raise $500 dollars for their cause. Nissa is pretty confident we will get them. Where does she get all this awesomeness? Well, I am becoming more inspired because I have had people already ask how much I need. I could cry. Just as I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of the marathon, I am overwhelmed by the wonderful support, and belief. Now if I could just convince myself.

Happy Dirtday...

K, this is waaay past due, as is a lot of things I have taken pics of and never posted. remember computer problems? This is Spring Break and we had a lot of fun at Whitney Pockets. Two of my bros came for the day and two of dh bros and their kids came. That meant the kids had fun with cousins. They played hard, going up, up, up the sand stone and sliding down, down, down on their bottoms. Which ment their bottoms were literally worn out by the time we were done. In fact Loo Loo's bottom got soo worn out it worn right down through her underpant and to her little hinney, it was pretty sore for a few days. There's a pic of her going up with her toosh worn through. Oh and it was Dh's birthday, it was the most perfect birthday evaaaahhh doin what he loves best, makin everything in the dutch oven (I didn't even cook once), goin four wheelin, shootin, campin, being surrounded with the ones we love. O, and a lot of dirt.