Busyness!

So today and this week has been busy to the max with track, young life, parent night, on and on and on. I am super anxious about some things coming up but at thankful for my ability to coach, my  health, and my students. I need prayers for my foot for my half marathon Saturday, for my grandma who fell this week, and for Colby and all the rest of the racers this weekend to do well and stay safe!! 

Oh yea and this sunset right now: 

Speak and don't be silent....

So it's Sunday and its one to gear up for a new full snow free warm lovely busy week. It has been too long since I have seen the weather we are having right now. I just went out for an hour run and came back with tan lines everywhere! Love it. I'm done with the snow and ready for spring! 

Thankful for the 58 degree weather, and for my legs being able to carry me on my run today. I am also thankful for the rest of the young life leaders that we are all thinking about club tomorrow and how to make it successful and we are all actively involved. 

Prayers for myself for patience and calmness as there are some very stressful weeks coming up. I want to pray for all my seniors that are trying to make decisions about college that they will pick the right thing. I want to pray for Bonnie who is sick and for Alicia and Sean who are apartment hunting. I want to pray that tomorrow goes well and the kids have fun. I want to pray for all my friends who are running the next two weekends as well! Ok time to get geared up for tomorrow....!

"Do not be afraid" acts 18:19-20 

Slowing down can be good

Stuck inside for another day but the snow is about to be cleared! We are heading down in a second to clean out the cars then may try to drive in a couple hours! I have taken a few days off running because my foot has been showing plantar symptoms :( but it's feeling better so I want to test it out today. 5k tomorrow and 2 half marathons and an 8k in the next two weekend! Woo!!!

Thankful for good tv to watch on snow days, and for relaxing activities like puzzles and games to destress. Also thankful for coffee because it keeps me going!!

Prayer needed for all of my students who are bored or missing school these couple of days. Prayers for athletics that they will still go on this weekend. Prayers for the young life kids that they will still get word and be excited about club on Monday!

More relaxation time!!!

When I wait, You strengthen my heart....

So here we are with a snow day and its 11:40 and it has not snowed yet. Just rain..hmmm so we made pancakes and I have been sending lots of emails, getting organized, and doing work all morning. About to take a break and watch SVU or something...

Tankful for this down time to be able to get some things done (even if its not needed). Thankful for the lessons God teaches me by not getting answers and exactly what I want right away. Thankful for great amazing friends who I can discuss everything with.

Prayer needed for my anxiety. It is def acting up as March is going to be a chock full month and I need help in controlling my thoughts so that I can focus. Prayer also for the accidents that I have already heard about this morning. Prayer also for people who are lonely and do not enjoy snow days, as well as those with children who are restless and bored during this day to give them strength and ideas to keep them busy.

We will see if we go in tomorrow....

Psalm 27:14

This is the way...

I missed a couple days because it has been a busy week so far! Monday was school, track tryouts, quick workout, and Young Life Leadership. Tuesday was school, track tryouts, workout, and grocery store. Today was school, track tryouts, workout and dinner! So whew! Nice busy week so far. We have a lot of kids for track and we have just been getting back into the routine. I already feel super busy again and it has only been less than a week. It is crazy how having practice after school makes me so much more tired and feel so much more busy than the winter season when I have no practice after school! More snow is on the way tonight and they already cancelled school tomorrow...kinda crazy. This is our 6th snow day and its spring sports season! :( I am over it....

So I am thankful for my edible DNA lab and DNA extraction labs going well with my classes. I am thankful for the close relationships I have with some of my seniors and the gift of being there to help them pick out schools and make major life decisions. I am thankful for track starting out well and the great turnout we have had.

I want to pray once again for this storm that is coming through that everyone will stay safe in it. I want to pray that my foot will feel better by the time I get to my races that are coming up. I want to pray for all of my fellow Young Life leaders that we will be thinking about all the major decisions we need to make in the coming weeks for the middle school kids.

Walk in it....Isaiah 30:20-21, 23

A little down time....

I have been feeling ugh the past couple of days and since Friday night my stomach has been feeling off. I think it's nearing that time in my life where I need to start being more careful about what I'm putting into it.... Aka I need to eat better. So it's an icy day outside with ice amount accumulating so I have stayed in all day and done nothing. Was going to go to the gym but I ran a half marathon yesterday and my body/stomach is not feeling like going to the gym today is even a good idea so I'm resting in bed. Need to kick this before the new week starts tomorrow. 

So thankful for today....having methods of communication available so I can talk to my sister even though she is far away. Second is having my mom close by and third is just the plain fact that I have food to eat single single meal. That puts me pretty high up on the fortunate list in this world. 

Prayers today go out to people who have had flights get cancelled, people who have been in accidents today because of the ice, and lastly, people who have fallen and hurt themselves walking around in this! Okay. Back to my rest day 😎

Don't quit don't give in...

First day of spring sports! Track and baseball for Travis and I started today and both tryouts went well! Too

Cold and snowy to do anything outside but we had a lovely warm indoor session to start out the season. :) Pretty awesome! Then I went for a 13.1 mile run in base and it was tough... Cold windy snowy everything but I made it somehow.  

So I am thankful for the mental strength to get through that tough workout. I am thankful for good music to propel me through a workout and for everything going well at tryouts today.

Prayers for the ice that is coming through tomorrow. Prayers for my mom as she is feeling lonely this weekend. Prayers for my grandma that she will stay safe through this next storm!

....you're an overcomer. Stay in the fight til the final round.

The days when I seem far away...

I don't really feel like I did a good job of being together and loving and kind to ppl today. I mean i had fun and a good day but didn't feel particularly like I made a good impact. Just blah about some things. But I have realized it's ok to feel off some days....

So thankful for friends and family cheering me up after a rough day at work. Thanksful for my students being excited about science today in class (something that barely ever happens) with our strawberry DNA extraction. And thankful for being able to afford and wear multiple layers of clothing to keep warm.

Prayers for track and other spring sports tryouts tomorrow. That everyone stays safe and doesn't get injuries or cold out there. Want to pray for a student who might have some home issues/addictions. And want to pray for Travis to have a good tryout tomorrow too! :) goodnight!

Snow Day #5

We are having another snow day today! Which is nice but makes me feel very unproductive...haha

So we had small group last night and it was the last session in the Freeway church wide study. It was nice to think about all the things we talked about and self reflect, but I wished the study pushed us a little more. It was supposed to be a study that was for newer people in faith so it was a great introduction for that but we had a smaller small group and it went okay with us.

Thankful for:
1. Spring sports starting on Saturday (because that means Spring is closer)
2. Snow day relaxing and getting some things done
3. My teaching classes being over and going well!

Prayers today:
1. Safety out on the roads!
2. My seniors who are making decisions on college
3. For track season to go well, smooth, and be successful with minimal injuries!

Okay, time to keep being productive/unproductive...lol

Parable of the Lost Sheep

I was just picking out a passage to possibly talk about at Club and I turned to the parable of the lost sheep. So lets start with thankfulness. I am thankful that when I feel lost (aka overwhelmed/stressed/anxious), I am really and truly not. I am thankful that my Creator is that caring. It is unfathomable to me. I would not leave 100 people who might run away to look for one. Like most people, I would toss that up as a loss. Not Jesus. And thirdly, I am thankful for full days even when they make me feel exhausted!

I want to pray for Travis and his field trip tomorrow. I want to pray for Jessey and her overwhelming week this week. I want to pray for Gerard and his Leonardtown students who are struggling this week. I want to pray for Jill for strength.

Goodnight:

Way down in Kokomo.....

Okay so this will be a quick one because I am on my phone. Busy day of school, a run, and Young Life club! But I love it! Our theme was luau and it was nice to think about summer even though snow and black ice is still plaguing us!

So things I am thankful for today are he kids that came to Young Life tonight, the other leaders who are going through all of this with me for the kids, and for the adults who are supprting us but not leaders! Young life is such a blessing....there are so many things I could talk about and I will later. But attahed is a picture from tonight! :)

Things to pray for are Wyatt a student at leonardtown who passed away this weekend. I didn't know him but some of or kids did and I want to pray for everyone involved. I want to pray for us to reach out and reach more kids to invite them to club. And lastly I want to continue to pray for safety in this winter weather! Goodnight!!!

No church due to ICE :(

Church was cancelled this morning because of ice...boo! We are supposed to have Young Life from 1-2 so hopefully that will still be on! So I decided to do my taxes instead an get them done since next weekend spring sports tryouts start and from then on, both Travis and I will be quite a bit busier than we are now. Its been nice lounging around so much but its about time we go back to the busy season.  So taxes are done and my goals of the rest of the day are Young Life, long run, and finish my classwork. I am taking two classes right now and both final projects are due on Tuesday so I need to work on those just a little bit.

Today, thankfulness is for not HAVING to be out in this nasty snow/ice mix and for those who are working hard to salt the roads and keep everyone safe. Number 2 is for a working laptop to be able to complete my taxes on. Number 3 is for coffee! I am drinking more and more lately (which I might need to stop soon!) but for now, I am so grateful that it is there every morning to wake up me and that it is not terribly bad for you as is (I drink it black).

Three things to pray for would again be for this snow and ice to clear itself up so we can travel safely again. I also would like to pray for our Young Life meeting today that we would be productive and get things done so that tomorrow goes smoothly and kids will have fun. Lastly, I want to pray that my Grandma and all people who are alone and in ill health are continuing to survive this winter. The end is near! Twenty some days until spring! I must admit the lack of sun and green and warm is starting to get to me...come one spring!

Have a wonderful Sunday :)

"Obviously, I am not trying to win the approval of people but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant." -Galatians 1:10

Alive and Active

I just read a blog post about how God's word is alive and active, which pretty much suits this morning perfectly. It is a relaxing Saturday morning, and it is about to snow (yet again). I just attended a Youth Workers breakfast for our county. It feels sometimes like God is absent or the Bible is outdated, but if we take the time to think about it and contemplate things, we will see that everything is still relevant to today, even if it is in a different context. We often get interrupted or try to multitask, giving God a little bit of our time and energy and checking it off a list (or I do anyway). There is a lot more possible if you surround yourself with positive influences and a strong support system. Sometimes, I just want to sit on the couch and veg out but its so much better to have a challenging conversation and grow.

 So besides the fact that I did not post on Thursday or Friday and therefore have already not held up to my goal, I am forgiving myself and going to keep on going, posting as often as I can without it impacting my life too much. I am reading my Bible Plans every day and have made more of an effort to slow down and think about my readings instead of just rushing through. I am making a lot of progress.

So what am I thankful for today? Number one would have to be for other Christians and the breakfast that we had this morning. In this crazy crazy distracting world, it is nice to sit down and bond and have a conversation about something that really does matter, in a world where trivial things tend to dominate the limelight. Number two is for blankets...particularly heat blanket for keeping me warm and safe while it is so frigid outside. Number 3 is for Science. I am grateful for the logic behind it and how God uses it to help us make sense of the world and to challenge us.

The things to pray for today would be for the weather, that everyone would stay safe and there would be no cold related deaths as a result of this storm. Secondly, for YL Club on Monday that it would go well and we would get kids there. Thirdly, for all the people that are struggling to complete their taxes and deal with that.

  Psalm 119:93, "I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life."

Overcomer

Today is day 1 of my journaling adventure. And I want to start out each entry by just saying 3 things I am thankful for and 3 things I am worried am/need to pray for. So 3 things I am thankful for are snow days (today is day 2 out of school for a nice 8 inches of snow in St. Mary's), having strong and capable legs that have carried me so many miles, and having access to hot water to take a shower after being out in the cold. Three things that I need prayer for are for my grandma for her heat and power to stay on for the rest of the winter, for my cousin's new baby to grow and bring joy into others lives, for the family and friends of Casey, who are still trying to cope with his tragic death.  

Wherever my yesterday has found me, well I don't have to stay there...

So I revamped my blog a little bit and have made a new commitment to start writing in it again. However, although I am still using my blog as the medium to get my thoughts out, this will be different than how I used to blog in that I will be trying to explore my thoughts and relationship with God. It is much easier for me to type rather than handwrite everything, especially for a stream of thoughts type thing that I believe a journal should be....so this is my internet journal for now.