Wordless Wednesday

Things for a Tuesday (a.k.a. Some Very Scattered Thoughts!)

Life has gotten busy again, blogging friends! I went from a crazy hectic summer right into a crazy hectic fall. The difference is my focus. Where my time is being spent. My goals. Sometimes I think I might be going crazy, but I think it’ll be worth it all in the long term.

You see, I’m focusing on God. On what He wants for me; and part of that is my health. I’ve talked about this before, I know, but here I go again.. I’m sure you must be getting used to that =o) But here’s the latest… haha

I’m walking:

A 5k in Germantown (in Nashville) on October 9th

The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5 mile walk on October 30th (If you want to donate to our team, we’ll……. love you forever? You can donate here or here)

The 5k Strides for SIDS on November 6th

I also read this quote in Fitness Magazine and it’s been helpful and motivating:

“Thinking ‘I don’t want to be fat’ never got me to the gym. It was only when, at 200 pounds, I told myself ‘I am thin’ that I quit living by imaginary boundaries and began dropping pounds. – N. Wakhlu

So from here on out, I’m telling myself ‘I’m thin’!! No more limiting myself with negativity!!!

That’s why I’m spending two or three days a week out walking with Beverly, and not much time at home editing photos or blogging. And forget about facebook… maybe I’ll check it quickly in the morning or on lunch (both on my cell phone) but I don’t have the time to really see what’s going on with my friends.

I need to edit photos still from the 4th of July, a Murder Mystery Train ride, the Zoo, My niece’s b-day party, a Cub’s game, a day of photos around Murfreesboro, and the flea market (I *heart* my flea market finds) but more excitedly, I have some upcoming shoots to plan for some families I know and my former roommate C (who is the third friend of mine to end up with a guy who’s name starts with D! I’m spotting a trend!). She and I talked about it and I think it’s going to be fun to get to know this guy while I’m snapping some photos of them!!

I’m also thinking about starting an etsy storefront. Does anyone out there know about taxes? I just don’t know how to work that all out… hrrmmm….

What else. The flea market finds… my other former roommate A introduced me to this glass selling man at the gigantic Nashville Flea Market and he sells this beautiful purple glass. I caved and bought a vase and a jar… it makes me smile every time I see them on my counter. And it makes me thing I need to buy myself a flower or two =o)

Oh, and I’m still avoiding reading Radical and Instruments in the Redeemers Hands…

Tell me friends, what’s going on with you?

Wordless Wednesday

Nimrod

Have you ever called someone a nimrod or maybe heard someone called that? Hearing that taunt that essentially calls someone a dimwit... have you ever wondered what nimrod really means? Here’s the answer I got from the Free dictionary online.

nim•rod
n.
1. also Nimrod A hunter.
2. Informal A person regarded as silly, foolish, or stupid.

Do you think it’s funny that the two definitions given seem so different? I do!

I’m working on #4 from my list and I’m trying to make it daily. I’ve definitely missed days, but by the grace of God I’m reading.

This morning I was reading in Genesis 10. Here are verses 8 & 9:

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."

So, the word nimrod was really a compliment back in the day. He was mighty! Here are a couple of other verses about him…

1 Chronicles 1:10-
Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first to become a great warrior on earth.

Micah 5:6-
They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
   the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade.
   So He will rescue us from Assyria
   when it invades our land,
   when it marches against our territory.

A drawn blade; apparently just having a sword wasn’t enough of a threat for the people in the land he inhabited. He was a tough man!

Do you know where the other definition comes from? ‘They’ say it comes from Bugs bunny. It seems Bugs used the “hunter” definition when referring to Elmer Fudd as a “poor little Nimrod”. I guess people dropped the might hunter part but keep the foolish.

Interesting tidbit, isn’t it? I just thought I’d share…

Struggles and Burdens

Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

I have friends that do this for me often, but right now there is one in particular that comes to mind…

Beverly has run half marathons. At least 3 (that I know of), and wanting to train for one in December and then I’m assuming the country Music half next April.

She laughs when I tell her she could run circles around me, but I still think it’s a legitimate statement.

But, when I realized my need for accountability when I decided to again start training for a 5k I asked Beverly to run/walk with me. She agreed and she has been a great support to me!

Even when I feel like I hold her back, or my knees or back start to hurt. She was the one that suggested that we take time just to walk for a while so my knees can get used to the pavement and get stronger.

And they are.

But we’re going to pace ourselves so that while she’s running the 5k in October, I’ll be able to walk it. And then maybe we’ll start up running again so I can at least possibly run/walk the 5k I’m doing with fleet feet in November. And Then I’ll be able to keep going and finally actually run a 5k.

She’s so motivating that she’s starting to convince me that I might be able to train with her for the Country Music Half in April. Although I still half think that that’s just a pipe dream…

But while we walk I feel like I’ve gotten to know her better and we’ve been able to fellowship. Talking about our lives and struggles; what God is teaching us.

So while I’ve been struggling physically during this, and while I feel like I’m holding her back, Bev is being an awesome sister in Christ and bearing my burdens. And I am extremely grateful.

Oh, and this is our ‘running’ verse (well, 1 is… I just like 2 so much I added it for all of you!):

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Talk Too Much Thursday

Clever title, huh? Or not. It’s whatever.

I’ve just been quite silent this month, not posting much of anything & hearing about it from others. It’s the hearing about it from others that prompted this post! So enjoy. I promise I have some posts that I’m working on and I’ll try to finish out the month of September better than I started it! I just need to find the time to edit photos.

Maybe I shouldn’t have picked on my brother so much when he hadn’t edited in a while. Nah. What else are little sisters for? =o)

I’ve had some really great/exciting/fun stuff going on in my life, but more importantly God has been working in my heart; making me see more and more the need for Him in my life. That part hasn’t been easy.

At all.

It’s part of the reason for my silence… some of it. Sometimes I can’t explain it or it feels to personal. Things that I don’t even understand.

But, there is enough going on in my life in other areas that I can easily share… especially if I get those photos edited… and I should and I will. Maybe someday I’ll even share the really fun 4th of July photos I took! Or maybe instead (like Christmas in July) I’ll celebrate the 4th in December =oP

Have I mentioned that I see grasshoppers everywhere? I know I mentioned it on my 365 Blog. I do. They’ve been on my car, on my house, in my house; the other week while I was mowing it seemed like there were hundreds of tiny ones all over the yard. Today there is 1 on my window at work. I’ve been at other offices where there have been a half dozen.

Let’s see… Beverly and I are now more walking than running. My knee has been hurting so until it gets stronger we’re working on distance instead or running. That way I’ll be able to walk a strong 5k in October. Yep, I’m still going to do it! And I’m looking forward to it, too! Although part of that is looking forward to the festival in Germantown afterwards with friends. After that 5k, we’re going to start run/walking to lead to running because by then, hopefully, my knee won’t hate me anymore in time for. Bev told me she thinks I’d be ready to train in time to do the Country Music Half, but I think I’ll just take it one step at a time =o)

I’ll write some more on that, perhaps this weekend and I’ll try to me a photo editing nut over the weekend so I can post some more tings over the next couple of weeks…

Sorry I’ve been so lame, blogging friends. I really have missed you!


P.S. I just realized it, but I can't believe yesterday was the 6 year anniversary of my moving to Tennessee! Happy anniversary, Me! =o)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Transported

I took a bite into a Macintosh apple today and I was instantly taken back…

…to fall days playing in the backyard.
…to the smell of fall so crisp in the air.
…to playing football with my dad and brothers.
…to climbing our apple tree in the yard to pick apples (were they even Macintosh's? I don’t remember)
…to playing with friends outdoors savoring the last of it we could before winter stung the air.
…to new jackets being worn.
…to raking leaves.
…to jumping in piles of raked leaves.
…to raking leaves all over again.
…to stone and leave ‘soup’ made in our wagon.
…to planning Halloween costumes (that were sometimes worn under jackets)
…to school starting.
…to the excitement of new friends and teachers.
…to playing ‘don’t step on a crack’ while walking there.
…to popping popcorn with my dad for movie nights.
…to making caramel apples with my mom.
…to the sun setting sooner.
…to the days getting cooler.

I love those memories & I love the fall.

What are your favorite memories of this beautiful time of year?

Wordless Wednesday