A for Adventure

I love my girls so much. It is painful to think about HOW much I love them because they are not mine. They are God’s. It is a painful reminder that God gives and He takes away – there is nothing we can do to change that. I can plead everyday to God to save my children from evil, from dying before I do; but there is just no guarantee that that will happen. That is sad and depressing to think about but also puts life in perspective. NOTHING in this world is more important than our Creator. I have to remind myself that whenever I get life out of perspective.

Here is Lindy trying out her tightrope walking. She got pretty good at it.

Ruby’s first sandbox visit. Now, this is important because I HATE sand. And it is not really in the moment of playing in the sand, it is AFTERWARDS. All I could think about was every little grain of sand dropping from Ruby’s toes into the car, into her crib, into the house, into her diaper. Gives me the creeps. ugh. That is probably why Dale and I don’t vacation at the beach (that and we don’t live NEAR a beach). Well, Ruby warmed up to it and by the time we left, she was scooping handfuls into her mouth. Gross.

I can’t even BEGIN to explain how good of a feeling it is to have Dale around. FINALLY. My husband, the girls’ father, my best friend has time to play with us.

Saturday, we had an epic day of play at our local International Children’s Festival. Our Fabulous friend who runs the event was able to get us into all the events free – she is amazing. First was a luminarium (sp?), full of color and mazes.

Then Lindy did her first real rock climb – taking after her daddy.

Face painting with an appointment from our friend. Wait in line was only 10 minutes as opposed to the 2 hour line on the other side of the tent!

And a carefree time of playing in the water fountain. It was probably 90 degrees out in full sun. She was soaked but it was pure joy watching her jump around in the cool water.

Ruby wanted to try it as well. She kept wanting to sit down in it.

Summer is right around the corner. Can’t believe it. Also can’t believe that Ruby will be turning one in just a couple of months. Crazy huh? We plan on filling our days with the pool and summer camps.

We found out that this year is the last year of Cornerstone – the music festival that Dale and I met at. So, we’ve been seriously discussing attending the last year and I think we are going to do it! We have been chatting with some of our friends as well – I think we are going to meet up and camp together with our kids. Should be interesting 100 degree weather, full sun and 5 days of camping, music, and our children. Last time we were there, 9 years ago, was our honeymoon! Want to join us? Let us know.

Also, we are looking for a young lady to go with us to help with all the kiddos. Let me know if you are that young lady and interested or know of someone who would like to go. We will pay for price of admission to the festival and food.

Well, I’m still plugging away. I’ve had some good weeks and some bad weeks but I haven’t stopped. About 65 more days until my first Triathlon!

The Marathon Relay was a GREAT idea. It has ramped up my running and as of this week, I can run 5 miles and the gentle Pennsylvania grades are not making me mutter under my breath as much anymore!! If you are following on facebook, I’ve been updating with my progress -some you’ll see repeated below.

Never new why people fell when they were running – now I know. Bit the dust going uphill and hit a pothole. It would have been funny for those watching in a sick sort of way.

Wrestled with my pants the rest of the way. Tried to shove my muffin top into my pants but it just didn’t want to stay. I don’t know how many people driving by saw my belly – disturbing. It is a combination of my fat, my fanny pack, and my insulin pump…all pulling my pants down. I know. Way too much information but just being real with ya.

You ask what is in my fanny pack? Well, I now carry my phone and a few sugar items and a few dollars – just in case I need something when I am out and about. I’ve been caught twice – miles from home with an unexplained sugar low and no phone or money to go buy something. Scary moments. As I am teetering home, walking, all I can think about is sugar and how I can get my hands on some. In the midst of my thinking, I try to envision stealing something from the pharmacy. Yes, I was of course, not thinking clearly. Thinking of how I could flag a car down to use a cellphone or even if I sit down, how long it would take for Dale to realize I should have been home by now.

Yes, now I wear my fanny pack. Do I have to call it a fanny pack if I wear it on my hip?

This weekend, I am attending a swimming workshop to get some more skills in swimming. Should be interesting since I have what looks like the plague on my body. Have I told you about the latest rash that I have going on? Well, remember that one time, I was sick with strep? About 2 weeks after I recovered, my skin started getting splotchy and weird. I went to the dermatologist and they said I had a psoriasis but they weren’t sure why. Then, upon finding out about the strep, it all made sense to them. I guess when you get strep, it can be transmitted to your skin – and that is basically what I have. AND the fun part. Do you know how long she said it might stay? 6-12 MONTHS. I turn 30 and now I look like a teenager or like I said above, like I have the plague. It is pretty bad and I’m getting irritated that they can’t do anything for it. I’ve got steroid cream that I was allowed to use for 2 weeks – it did absolutely nothing. At least it is not contagious.

I have found out a few things about myself and motivation. I have run a few times with a friend in our neighborhood and our route takes us through neighborhoods and then back by my house through another neighborhood. I have the HARDEST time running the first half and then continuing on past my house to the next – I just don’t do it. I have to stop at my house. Sounds lame, I know. So, I’m trying to change it up a bit for myself. The other day, Dale and the girls drove me 4 miles away and he dropped me off and I ran home. I LOVED it.

Since the weather has been nicer and Dale has been home, I’ve been able to train more outside rather than in the gym. I’m needing more time to train so it is helpful that Dale is around. Training 2 or more hours a day and now needing more time to squeeze in multiple workouts is tough. This week, I worked out twice a day on a few days – CRAZY HUH? Imagine if I spent that much time cleaning my house or playing piano or in the Word or praying. It kind of reveals priorities doesn’t it?

There is still a lot I don’t know about the Triathlon, such as…how far back do I need to be from another cyclist so that I’m not drafting? Weird things like that.

My knees have been feeling much better, I was getting concerned there that I’d be in pain everyday. Stretching them out, icing, and ibuprofen have helped tremendously. After my crazy runs this week, I’ve been a bit sore – but in a good, I worked out HARD way.

An anonymous person left a comment on our blog earlier last month and this is our response. You can read their comment on our contact us page – last one listed

I apologize for the delay in writing back. I figuratively had to TIE my husband down to the chair and MAKE him read your comments and write a response with me. Even now, we skipped date night so that we could take the time to give you a well thought out response – it is important to us. It was rude of us to wait this long, so sorry. Three more days of this craziness and I’ll have my husband back.

Moving on.

We would NEVER abandon you for your beliefs. We have so many friends and family members that believe differently than us – but we still love them. Many of our friends make different choices than what we would make. But we do feel that there are absolutes in life. There are some things that are right and some things that are wrong. In this day and age, people don’t want to hear that. People say “whatever you think is good for you is the best choice.” We don’t think that is true.

The first thing we need to understand is that humans are predisposed to look for meaning in their lives in something that is greater than themselves. We believe that we were created by God and part of that is we are seeking something greater. We are looking for something to fill that void in our life. So the fact that you are looking for meaning through neo paganism is completely normal; our beings are designed to find a connection.

The question is, what are you looking for meaning in? We understand why you would be drawn to an organization that provides you a sense of belonging, traditions, community, family acceptance, and tolerance. But some things are true whether you believe them or not. And just because you believe in something does not make it true. You have to evaluate neo-paganism earnestly, is there substance there? Is it based in truth or is it just a group of people looking for a connection to God in the wrong place? (If you deny the existence of God, it makes connecting to Him very difficult).

You said you prayed to Athena. Is Athena real? Does she have power? Does she communicate back to you? Is there historical evidence of her deity? Does she offer a means of salvation (or need to?). Do you feel that this is what will give you meaning for the rest of your life?

We believe that man was created by God; man chose not to follow God, causing a separation. Mankind has been trying to get back to God (or to find that meaning again) ever since. We believe the only way to get that meaning back is through God’s son Jesus Christ. And personally, we have both found that meaning and have evidence that this is true. (For what it is worth, because we believe Jesus is real, that makes Satan real too; which is a WHOLE other conversation.)

If you feel like paganism is just a fun club, that you can do cool activities and have a community, like a Ren fair, that is one thing. However, if you are putting your eternal destiny in Athena (or other pagan diety), that is something different and needs serious evaluation.

We can’t force you to join the Jesus bandwagon or even convince you that He has done things in our life that are unimaginable – that we have concrete evidence in these things. It has to be something that you find out for yourself. We have very close family members that are completely freaked out by the “Christian” culture and how they would be perceived if they loved Jesus. Allowing oneself to believe in something that one cannot see (faith) is one of the hardest parts for so many people that we know. Belief in Jesus is the foundation of our lives. We have friends that think THIS is all that there is in life. We live. We die. To us, that is so empty and void of LIFE and of all things -MEANING.

We love that you are searching for meaning. Ignore all the Christian stereotypes out there and continue seeking truth. You know the truth that we believe – maybe someday you will find that out for yourself.

Sincerely,

Dale + Hannah

I say we because, man, it took a lot of work to get us out of the house: 2 kids, a bike, a trailer, grandma and grandpa, pack bags for a pirate game AFTER the relay, pack a lunch…It looked like we were going to be gone for days.

But WE DID IT!!

What an absolutely AMAZING event to be a part of. I cannot even begin to express how exhilarating it was to be down with the crowd, cheering, waiting, meeting new people, watching Lindy absorb it all as well.

Waiting and Waiting, saw the mayor. HAD to take a goofy picture with him.

So, we got to my relay exchange a tad bit too early. I was so nervous about it all since I’ve never done it before…we were waiting around for almost 2 and a half hours. Oops. Next time, if we do that, we probably shouldn’t take the 5 year old.

Here I am waiting in my corral, waiting for my number to be called. When they called my number, my heart stopped. I jumped onto the street and saw my team member about 200 yards away. We high fived, I gave her the medal and off I went!

So, did anyone else feel a bit ODD running through all the red lights? Ha. I had to tell my brain that it was ok to keep going. I didn’t need to look both ways. Seriously. What a weird thing to think about. We are conditioned for so many years to stop at red, that I had to think twice while running through them.

It was incredible to see all the crowds cheering us on. It was so encouraging. There were probably 10 bands on the 4.7 miles that I ran. It was my mental goal to keep reaching each band.

Look at me sporting my insulin pump. ha.

My little fan club followed me almost THE ENTIRE way. It was really encouraging. At the end, they had to book it to get to the finish line, that was probably when I needed the most support. Note to self. Put MY NAME on my bib next time so that people can encourage me by name. I was hoping for some encouragement the last half mile but I know a lot of my friends were busy. Gotta put my name on the bib.

At one point, my shoes starting sticking in the tar on the street it was so HOT.

So thankful to my in-laws, who took Ruby with them and took care of her, while the 3 of us were hanging out at my starting point. My father-in-law even met us at the finish -it was really special to see my family at the end. Took a while to find each other, but we did it.

I felt like I had another mile in me if I had to, but was thankful that there wasn’t anymore. I don’t know HOW a few of my relay teammates did hills that day. I was completely psyched out by the gentle grades in the road that I encountered and my route was mostly downhill.

So, it took me up until one week ago to realize that it wasn’t a HALF marathon relay. I have no idea why I kept thinking it was only half. My father-in-law was asking how many miles each person was doing and as I was telling him, it clicked that…DUH. That is way more mileage than 13 miles. ha.

Oh the things I learn on these life adventures.

My knees did pretty good, towards the end my ankle was hurting -I think I was over compensating for my knee. Afterwards, I did a lot of icing of my knees just in case. Stairs are pretty painful today. I think the knee pain is coming from my weight. I never had a problem with my knees in high school and as I danced my way through college. Now, being 50lbs overweight…I think my knees are being stressed. Today (the day after), I feel like I’ve been hit by a TRUCK.

Still elated from the race – now completely stoked about the triathlon and just as nervous. It is 3 times (maybe 4 in my mind) as hard as what I did yesterday. Woo Hoo!