Brown bagging it

This fall I am a part of a Home Community that is focusing on Service.  We are spending our meeting time every other week doing service projects.  Last night we assembled brown bag lunches for the Union Gospel Mission.  It's amazing how little it takes to do something positive.  We all brought different ingredients: peanut butter, jam, bread, granola bars, fruit, cookies, etc.  It only took a little more than a half hour to make 40 brown bag lunches.

During the assembly of the sandwiches we talked about a number of topic ranging from how our weeks were going to our favorite kinds of granola bars to how many of us are only a matter of a couple paychecks away from a similar situation that many people needing the Union Gospel Mission's help find themselves in.  We all talked about how blessed we were to have a strong support system of friends and family. 

What struck me was the fact that it didn't take very much for us to do something.  I don't know how many people were fed; I hope 40, but I don't know.  I don't know if they liked the food, I don't know who got the bags of food.  What I do know is with only around 45 minutes of our time and small contributions by each of us, we did something.

Tonight I'm grateful for a roof over my head, food in my cupboard (and my belly!) and a great support system of family and friends. 

13.1 miles

It's not that far really....13.1 miles.  Sure, it's longer than my commute, but not impossible to run. 

We did it successfully last Sunday in the Redwoods.  The HUGE trees were beautiful and I can genuinely say it was a really fun run.  I would have considered myself crazy a few years ago if I would have heard myself say running a half marathon was fun.....but it's true, it is.

Okay, so I'll start at the beginning, or at least the beginning of this particular running event.  Last Friday morning (after coming home from a work trip Thursday night), I jumped on a small plane to Medford.  We almost didn't get to land in Medford thanks the the crazy thick fog that likes to sock in right around the airport.  The first time we went in to land (that's right....there was more than one landing attempt) we were in the clouds/fog and all of a sudden we hear the engines fire back on and instead of still heading down, we are propelling upwards.  The landing gear was brought back up and the pilot came on to tell us we needed 1/2 mile visibility to land and we only had 1/4 mile at the moment.  So we took a 25 minute tour of Southern Oregon and went in for landing attempt #2.  When we were about to head in the flight attendant was so kind to remind us that if we weren't able to land this time, we would have to return to Portland. Not good.  Thankfully we were able to land the second time and of course the fog burned off in the next 30 minutes.

The rest of the day Friday my mom and I took care of some errands for the weekend, went for a nice long walk out in the hills where she trains, and had a nice dinner at one of our family's local favorites.  Saturday morning we took off for the drive over to the Redwoods and picked up two friends along the way.  Whenever I'm heading towards the coast I think, "Oh, it's not that far....no big deal."  And then we start driving and I remember it actually is quite a ways.  The first half of the drive was beautiful.  However once we got to Crescent City.....pouring down rain.  It felt like we drove forever.  And while it is really pretty on the Northern California coast, there is absolutely nothing out there.  Eureka is the big town in those parts.  They have a population of about 26,000. 

We got down to the race site late in the afternoon to pick up our bibs and then we headed back to the motel.

Back at the hotel we made ourselves some dinner.  We had to improvise a little on the assembly...

 

 

We went to bed really early.  I know it's shocking that there wasn't a crazy night life in the town of Rio Dell, CA....or maybe we missed it thanks to falling asleep at 9pm.  We were up and ready to go early the next morning.  Here's a picture of the three runners as we were leaving the motel.

(Mom/Sally, Kayla and Lacey...yes, it was still dark when we left for the race)

We got to the starting line, found a good parking spot and then spent some time warming up. 

 

 

Soon it was time to line up at the starting line and wait for the gun.  It's always funny at the starting line at races because of the large group of people all at the same spot trying to move forward.  Definitely a traffic jam.  Here we are right before the race started...

The course was beautiful; it went through the Redwoods on the Avenue of Giants.  Those trees really are huge.  There were aid stations every couple of miles with Boy Scouts providing water and some substance called "Urg".  I opted for the water.  My mom and I were pretty excited when we passed the 10 mile mark because when they called out the split time we were a good 12 minutes faster than our Pear Blossom 10-mile time. 

One of my favorite moments of the race was at about mile 12 when my mom was telling me we would take a walk break in just a moment.  She said to me, "Let's take a walk break when we get to that big tree."  Umm.....big tree?  They were all big trees!  We were in the Redwoods!

While that moment made me laugh, probably the best moment was crossing the finish line, with my mom.  It was pretty cool.  Her goal had been to complete a half marathon before she turned 50.  Goal accomplished.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been having Brooke and my Dad there at the finish line too.

This is my mom and me coming over the bridge to the finish line.  It was at this point that the finish line adrenaline kicks in and you take off.

 

 

We finished the race just a couple minutes before the first person in the marathon finished.  It is crazy to think he effectively ran twice as fast as us.  He's crazy.  Not because he ran the marathon, but because of how fast he ran it.

Here we are right after finishing...

After the race we headed back to the motel to shower and then we headed up to Eureka for a big meal and then traveled the rest of the way home.  Monday we just vegged out and I my flight back home Monday evening was pretty much uneventful (besides leaving a little late).  I had a great time and am looking forward to the next half marathon.....wherever and whenever it might be!

And.....we're always looking for others who want to join in on the running fun....

New shoes and old friends

So I was trying really hard to keep up with my posts....and then life got really busy.  Not with anything in particular, just a lot of little things that added up to craziness!

Right now I'm on a work-trip and tomorrow evening I will drive back to Portland and then fly out the next morning to Southern Oregon so that I can go run a half marathon in the Redwoods. 

I was down in Medford a couple weekends ago to do a long training run.  That weekend I bought new running shoes.  I had waited too long to replace my previous running shoes and was then informed that I really needed to replace every 300 miles or so.  It was more than a little weird to realize that I had probably run more like 600 miles on the first pair.  Oops...

Tonight, after catching up with a Pepperdine friend and meeting her one month old baby boy, I stopped by my favorite shoe store DSW.  I found really cute yellow wedge shoes that are totally impractical for fall/winter (and probably most of spring) in Portland, but they are oh so cute.  And summer will be back in 8 1/2 short months...right?

While on my quick work-trip I've gotten to catch up with a couple Pepperdine friends.  I love getting to see good friends from college!  And both of these friends were ones I was in Germany with my Sophomore year.  I got to hold my friend's one month old baby boy tonight which was a special treat and last night I got to see very dear friends at their home.  It is always refreshing to catch up with friends and it's been a special treat to meet up with friends rather than sit in my hotel alone!

I'll update with pictures from the half-marathon weekend adventure once I return, I promise!

Rough Patches

Sometimes life's terrain becomes....

a little rocky.

more unstable.

challenging.



My life the last couple weeks has been a little like that.  Tough stuff at work.  The kind of stuff that makes normally very composed, poised people sit at their desks and cry.  And then there's my own career-life things to think about in depth.  That whole "am I doing with my life what I want to do and what I'm called to do" kind of stuff.  


I am trusting and I know that it will all work out how it is supposed to.  God has been faithful before to show me what he has in mind for me.  It's just that I've learned I have to wait.  To be honest, I don't really like the whole waiting thing.  We could point fingers at the "hating to wait" on this instant gratification society we live in, but I think waiting has always been challenging.  However, as is often the case, the challenging thing is what must be done. 
 



So I will wait.
 



Although it is an active wait.  I am searching, pursuing, seeking out what may or may not be ahead of me.  And I will move forward as I have opportunity.  But I will trust that when doors close, it is for a reason.  When I feel stuck in the mud, I'll remember that things will clear out, eventually.  It just won't be in my own timing.

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I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, 
and in his word I put my hope. 
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning, 
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, 
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

Psalm 130:5-7

I have to run...

Over the last 9-ish months I've acquired somewhat of an obsession with running.  Going for a good run gives me a chance to clear my head, sort out my thoughts, and see my surroundings through a new perspective.  Sometimes it is hard to get out the door for a run, but when I do it I always feel better in the end.  There is something to be said for pushing through, enduring discomfort at times, to reach a goal.

I'm now addicted to it.

Wow.  Addicted to running?

Did I really just say that?

Yep, it is true.  I've been in a funk the last couple weeks between being sick and traveling and other unrelated things so my running has been not so consistent.  However tonight I really needed to run.  Physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.....all of me needed to run.

You see, when I run I am not just training and exercising my body.  What I most get from running is the opportunity to spend quality time praying and sorting out my thoughts.  Sure, accomplishing a goal by going a specified distance is great, it feels good and I'm always amazed at what the human body can do (and even more so that my body can do it!).  However when I'm out running for an hour, I spend most of that time praying.  I could write a list a mile long of what I pray about.  You should know that if you read this blog because you know me....there's a 99.78435% probability I've prayed for you while running.

Tonight was no exception.  There's lots to pray about and sort through.

So I ran.

Even though it was late and the sun had already gone down.

(Don't worry, I had my pepper spray with me!)

And I feel better after having done so.

That's why I'm addicted.  I always feel good after (and during) a run.  My thoughts are always more organized, and I've had a nice chat with God.

So I will continue to run.

(And I might even add some yoga for variety in the coming weeks!)

Great friends + Beautiful ceremony + Amazing food = Kelly & Ben's Wedding Weekend!

I enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Texas over the Labor Day weekend celebrating my dear friend Kelly's wedding.  I flew into Abilene last Saturday and was blessed with lots of time with dear friends.  I met Kelly my freshman year at Pepperdine and while we were only in Malibu at the same time for a schoolyear, she is one of my dearest friends.  It was great to meet her (now) husband and get reconnected.

Jen, Kelly, me and Katie at the Rehearsal Dinner at Casa Herrera...

Oh the stories I could tell about our adventures that first year at Pepperdine.  

We laughed all weekend reminiscing!

Jen putting a flower in Kelly's hair before the ceremony...

The beautiful ceremony...

Jen and I at the reception...

Lauren* and I at the reception.....

*I got to know Lauren through Kelly when she would come visit Malibu and then later would I was in Abilene visiting.  It was so great to get to see her and catch up with her again.

Jen, Katie and myself...

 I miss these girls.....I'll just keep trying to convince them to come to Oregon (ha! that will be the day!)

Kelly wore a beautiful tea length wedding dress.....

Here is a picture of Ben and Kelly's first dance as husband and wife...

Just a little dancing....

  

Jen, Kelly and me...

 

 And the newlyweds are off...

After the wedding we headed over to one of the hotels where many family members and wedding guests were staying to visit a little more (really to just keep the party going).  The wedding was seriously fun, amazing food (I kid you not, the BEST wedding food I've ever had - tilapia, mashed potatoes, green beans, delicious bread and salad), and delectable cake.  I judge weddings by the cake.....this one was one of the best!

The next day (Labor Day) I headed back to Dallas with Katie, Ryan (her husband, and Jen.  We went to uptown Dallas for really great Mexican food and then we rode a trolley around the uptown/downtown area.  While I've visited the Metroplex and been through the area several times over the past few years, this was the first time I actually got to see the downtown area.  I have to admit I thought it was a really cool area.  I'm not really a big fan of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but I did enjoy being downtown.  Maybe I've become more of a city girl than I realized?!?!

Katie and I on the trolley....

Jen, Katie and Ryan on the trolley....

 

The trolley ride was free and we just happened to be walking by it and spontaneously decided to go for a ride.  We had lots of fun!  The trolley is from the early 1900's and is lots of fun to sit back in, relax, and enjoy the ride. 

I flew back to Portland on Tuesday morning (thank you Kate for the early morning ride to DFW!).  It was nice to have the afternoon on Tuesday to get groceries, clean up the house and just be organized for the week after a fun, but tiring, weekend.  

These kinds of weekends are always bittersweet.  It is so wonderful to be together with my friends, but the reality is we all live in different (and quite distant) parts of the country so get-togethers are something special.  When we were at dinner Monday evening, Katie made a comment about how great it would be to all live near eachother so we could have dinner parties and hang out.  It would be so great.  Unfortunately it would be tough to get me to California (really tough if you know me at all) and Texas would be quite the stretch as well.  And sadly (for me) I think it would be nothing short of a miracle to get any of my college friends to relocate to the NW.  So for now we'll have to settle for seeing eachother whenever opportunities are presented. 

I loved getting to see my close friends and celebrating Kelly and Ben's wedding over the 2009 Labor Day weekend! 

2 years?!?!

Earlier this week (or maybe over the weekend) marked my having lived in Portland for two years!  It's a little tricky determining an exact date for when I moved here, but it is easy to say at Labor Day so that's what I'm going with.  

Why am I going with Labor Day?


Well, Labor Day weekend 2007 was when my parents brought up my few worldly possessions (I've accumulated a lot in 2 years) and moved them into my grandparents' home.  The day after Labor Day was the first day I worked as a temp at the paper company up here.  (Yes, much like Ryan on The Office......I was a temp at a paper company.)

Approximately two months after moving in with my grandparents I started temping at the company where I now work and a month after that I was offered the position as an employee.  Right as I transitioned I moved into my first place of my own.  It was a little 495 sq. ft. studio apartment on the west side of town.  For the first time in my life I was completely self-sufficient.  I paid all my own bills and the only mess I had to clean up was my own mess.  Work was really crazy at that point and I was often working 50 hour weeks.  I found a church home at that point as well and started making friends in the Portland area.  


Six months later, in the middle of the summer of 2008, I found a roommate and so I moved out of my little Studio.  Due to timing and leases and other things, I was a nomad for the month of July doing a little house-sitting and crashing at a friends' place for a while as well.


At the beginning of August 2008, I moved into my current apartment in NW Portland.  I have loved living in the city and being so close to downtown and the hustle and bustle, all the while not feeling like I'm in the middle of hustle and bustle.  Walking to work has been convenient, and a true blessing during the Arctic Blast of December 2008.  


Over the last year I have developed many more friendships, and loved getting to know the city and its people better.  I've explored by running through the city, hiking its trails and walking through its neighborhoods.  It is hard to believe I have been here two years already, although sometimes it seems like I have lived here for a long time.


I know that I'm a real Portlander because I no longer pause when asked where I'm from.  My friends gave me a hard time this weekend for my Oregon pride (oh the irony as I was in Texas!), but I can't help but tell people when they ask that I love the Pacific Northwest.  


While I have no idea where life will take me in the future.  I do know I will always have a special place in my heart for Portland.  And it's not really because it is green and beautiful, or filled with culture, or that it has four seasons (although all those reasons certainly contribute!).  Rather Portland will continue to be special to me in the years to come because of the time I've spent growing and developing here as a post-grad young adult.  

 

Come visit anytime!

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I will post about my weekend trip to Texas as soon as possible.  It was a great, long weekend filled with good friends, timezone changes, marriage and a 2am Wendy's run.  Expect lots of pictures!