Adios, my friends!

I just wanted to share with my 2 avid readers of this blog that I will be taking a siesta for a month or so. No, seriously, I have felt a nudge from the Lord and I have realized the importance of listening to Him. Everyone has their "thing" that tempts them to spend more time with than with the Lord. The computer happens to be mine. There are days where I have just wasted hours on the internet. Checking this blog or that blog, keeping up with friends on myspace, obsessively checking my inbox to see if I received an email.
It is time to re-prioritize. I choose God this time, even if it means doing something as drastic as packing up my computer and taking it down to my basement where its call will be muted.
I also choose the 20 items on my "To Do" list that needed to be accomplished 6 months ago. I believe I will have the time to do them now.
I apologize if this post falls under the Too Much Information category but I feel like I need to explain why, as of this evening, I will not be posting for a good long while.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Num 6:24-26

He Walks!

Yesterday, Josiah did it. He took his first real steps! Until last month, I was really okay with this "I'm going to take my sweet time" approach. But then the neurotic motherly worries began to kick in. Physical therapy...will he still be crawling at 2?....someone even suggested a chiropractor (what??!!).
This boy is all about timing. The Lord has taught us much about His perfect timing through this child. He came into the world a little too early for comfort. And he began walking a little late for comfort. It all evens out in the end, doesn't it?

It Feels like Autumn

It really does. The weather has been amazing. Fall colors have emerged. I have fallen in love with this time of year. Spring has always been my favorite but fall definitely comes very close. Yesterday afternoon we celebrated this time of year by visiting an apple festival. Oh my goodness! Here is a word of caution- Try not to go to an established apple festival when you are hungry because you will leave with barbecue, roasted corn, turkey legs, caramel apples, homemade cherry lemonade, and yum of all yums...homemade apple dumplings with ice cream tucked very tightly in your tummy. Good thing we shared all of it because that running I've been telling you about would have been for naught. We had so much fun. Here are some pictures to document the occasion...Oh and the pictures of us and the pumpkins are from a farm that we stopped at on the way home. It was quite beautiful!

Get Ready, Get Set....GO

My brother and I grew up going to running races. My parents would run 5k's and 10k's every Saturday morning, or so it felt like to us. My brother and I would love it because there were always tables of oranges, bananas, muffins, and bagels. We didn't have to do the work, we just ate.
Yesterday morning, while it was still dark outside, Seth and I drove downtown for our first 5k together. He and I have been running very consistently the last few months. We have set it where we run separately during the week and on the weekend (when we can), we run together. He pushes the boys in the jogging stroller so it has been fun family time as well. We registered for the 5k (3.1 miles) and then scheduled runs to surpass that mileage so when race day came, we (I) wouldn't feel so stretched. After a 5 mile run last weekend, we (I) were so ready for the race this weekend.

Yesterday was the beginning of a new thing for me. And it was not so much about the actual running. As I ran over the Start Line, a huge wave of emotion washed over me. I felt so many old fears and insecurities be released. Fears and insecurities that I have carried around for years and years. So by the time I got to the Finish Line, not only was I excited that I didn't have to stop to walk at all, but I was flying free. I still feel that freedom today, that lightness that has never really been there before.
The whole race was such a picture of our life with the Lord. My husband and I ran the whole thing together. My husband took on the role of supporter and encourager. He never left my side, he was with me the whole way. We experienced it all together. I just have a feeling when I have finished my race and I am finally in heaven with my true, eternal Husband we are going to have so much to talk about.

"Do you remember when the kids were young and they were driving me so nuts that I thought I was going to go crazy?"
"Yes, I was there with you. Do you remember how I encouraged you that day?"
"That's right! I thought I wasn't going to make it. I thought I was going to have to step out of the race for a while. But all of a sudden, I knew You were there running this thing with me and I could keep going. You gave me my 'second wind'."

Wow, I can't wait!