Whew! Its Monday again!
Mr. Hippie remarked to me this morning that it seemed like we had a nice long weekend. I agreed. I don't know why, but this weekend seemed rather relaxed and profitable, yet we packed quite a bit in.
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| Hiking to the Lake |
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| Digging. And by the visibility of their ribs, you'd think they never ate. |
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| sand everywhere |
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| chillin' in the sand. You can't see her "happy foot" thumping, but it was. |
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| in the water |
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LC was in and out of the water, jumping in the waves.
The bravest she has ever been. |
We ran our race. It was amazing! A 5k seems like peanuts after a 25k. No joke. You practically just get started and then it is over with. Yippee. I think I ran my personal best on Saturday. I ran it in 24:44. I know, I know-there are a lot of faster people. About 1/3 of the participants finished before me. But, that is 25 seconds better than my 5k time in March. My age group was the largest division in the whole race-141 women between 30 and 34. I finished 19th. I also think it is awesome that the 2 first place women were from my division-clocking in at 17 minutes and change. Not a bad showing for women in their 30s. It is scientifically proven that women in their 30s are in their prime. Men are already going downhill, but us women, we're strong.=) So, if you are in your 30s, and are debating taking up a sport, thinking you are too old to learn a new trick-think again.
This is the time, ladies. As for Barefoot Hippie Girl..her eyes are set on a hilly 10k, the second Saturday in July.
Mr. Hippie and I both accomplished a lot of looming paperwork and studying this weekend. I tweaked my menu, and wrote the grocery list for our retreat. I also finished up reading Eric Liddell's bio. It made me cry. (I've teared up a few times this weekend-must be hormones) He was 43 when he died of a probable brain tumor. We know his impressive Olympic record (1/4 mile in 47.6 seconds-I can't even THINK that fast!). But, do you remember that he was a missionary in China for 20 years? That he touched countless lives because his Olympic record opened doors, and then his happy personality and love of Jesus Christ poured out? He was a man of principle, undergirded with love for his Lord, and love for other people. Anyway, I also typed up my study notes and my training materials. I feel almost ready to take this week by the horns.
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| I love this face. It's her, "I don't like that red-eye thing in my face." |
I was reminded again yesterday of the verse in Proverbs, "a man's heart devises his way, but the Lord directs His steps." I have prayed about these activities I am involved in during the next 2 weeks. I prayed before I took them on. I've prayed in the preparation. And my time is jam packed. But, I am waiting on the Lord to direct my steps. To multiply my time, and to make our efforts fruitful for eternity. The Christian life is sometimes a walk-just smelling the roses, soaking up the blessings, and enjoying the peace of the day to day. Sometimes it is a sprint-a very busy day, packed with activities and issues and challenges. But short lived. Sometimes it is a marathon. You have put lots of effort into your training, and now you have a lengthier push. But, just like on a physical marathon, when you have to reach deep inside (or depend on the Lord) to get you through, so it is with these marathon activities. Just looking at these 2 weeks I think, "Lord, this is going to take more of me than I have. This is a delicate balance. I don't know how everything is going to get done-life, ministry, family, rest, etc." But, the key is knowing that when I don't have it in me, then, only then, am I emptied enough for God to fill me, for God to work, and for His glory to shine through.
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| The eyes |
We went to the beach again on Saturday. I am so glad. This is fulfilling one of my New Year's Resolutions. Here in MI you can pay an extra $10 when you renew your plates, and then you can get into all the State Parks for free. My goal is to visit the state parks at least 10 times this summer. Saturday marked the second time. This week we brought a picnic lunch. I made humus, Mr. Hippie made a fruit salad, and we picked up pita bread and a rotisserie chicken. A little money spent, so we could spend time studying, not cooking, and then we didn't spend much more money eating out. All the kids were very bold. The three oldest were jumping in the waves and playing frisbee. As soon as I put Meres on the sand, she made a beeline for the water. She loved the waves splashing her, and she enjoyed crawling around in the sand. She added to her "cup of dirt" quota. She was not happy when I made the parental decision to wrap her shivering little body in a towel, and warm her up. She wanted to be playing!
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I was going to run at 6:30 this morning, but Meres woke up.
Frustrating, but how can you NOT enjoy a snuggle with a sleeping baby? |
I posted a fun little video of Meres on my
Barefoot Hippie Girl Facebook page. You should check it out. She is learning to walk. And she has the cutest little chubby legs. See Meres run...
It is also "share your thrift haul Monday".=) I really enjoy sharing my thrift finds. I would say that 95% of our furniture has been given to us. We've bought very little. Most of our clothes and decorations are also second hand. When decorating or dressing second hand, you must have the patience of Job. Your room may need "something." Troll around until you find the perfect thing. For thrift shopping, the key is to visit often. Entire inventories change up weekly. The other key is to see potential, but also not to just buy something because it is cheap. If it is ugly, it will still be ugly-even if it only cost you a dollar. I have decorated my kitchen in a mix of black cast iron, and painted ceramics. I have spent less than $30 on
all the pieces in my kitchen. I am always on the look out for things that fit my theme. Here are some recent cast iron finds.
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| wine rack $1.99 |
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| recipe holder 2.99 |
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| Party-lite candle holder-$1.99 |
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| wall art-w/ coupon, less than $5 |
And we're off!
