I stole this . . .

from a friend of a friend of a friend's blog.  But, that doesn't make it any less true, and I'm hoping I can believe this, REALLY believe this every day.  And more importantly, I'm hoping I can live it out.


“I will set you apart from everyone else. 

The whole lot of you. 

I will give you the ways to walk, show the roads, and teach you about myself. 

All of you. 

I will be good to you. I will meet your needs in ways you would never imagine. 

If you will follow me, I will do these things – and people will notice. 

People will see – all of them – that you live differently. 

You give. You rest. You trust. You love. You serve. 

You do these things because we know each other, and you know this is enough for life. 

I will call you my prize possession. My treasure. My beloved. 

You will be my people, and I will be your God. 

The whole world will see our relationship, and they will see how I treat you – and how you live in response to me. 

This blessing I give, it is to act as a charge upon you, a responsibility as you speak when others ask you as to who I am. That you mediate, explain, encourage and teach who I am. That you shout to others, “Come with me to the house of the Lord, for He alone is God.”

And that your life is lived dependently upon me. For I am strong, and I will do what I have promised. 

If you will keep my covenant. This is your identity, this is who you are. You are a nation of priests. Your life is to usher others in – the generations to come – that you might teach them and show them that the Lord your God has dealt graciously with you and loved you."

Leftover Macaroni

A few Saturdays back, I had leftover macaroni . . . and it was DE-LI-CIOUS!  Eating leftover macaroni may seem like a silly thing to dedicate any time writing about, but it made me think.  You see, it wasn't too long ago when I would have refused to eat macaroni that was a day old.  It was only fresh Kraft macaroni for me, and I can remember my mom and I having several tiffs about my snob status when it came to processed cheesy noodles.

So as I was scarfing down my day old lunch a few weekends ago, I had to laugh.  Eating leftover macaroni is just one of the things my mom did/wanted us to do that I deemed "unreasonable".  And yet, it is one of a number of those unreasonable things I find myself doing now.  Buying generic products (though I still hold out for name brands on pop-tarts and cereal), microwaving spaghetti noodles instead of cooking them on the stove, and buying jeans from Target because I refuse to spend more than $25 on a pair are just a few of the other "mom-practices" I've reverted to as I've lived life on my own over the past 8 years.

And the funny thing is, I've realized that mom's ways really aren't all that bad, and though I may never tell her, I completely understand the benefits of the choices she made.  So, while I used to dread hearing "you're so much like your mom" when it came to the things I did or said, now I consider it a compliment because if being like mom means saving time and money, I'm all in.

 Plus, macaroni really is better the second day . . .

Run Baby Run

THIS . . .

is the running I will be doing over the next three months to get ready for

THIS

My 5th Half Marathon in Virginia Beach!!!

Now, I"ll be honest.  I've had a rocky return to my running routine (wow, that was quite an alliteration; my English teachers would be proud!).  But, I'm hoping the knowledge that I've paid to compete in a race in 3 months, not to mention that I'll get to lay on a beach the 2 days before, will be enough motivation to train, and train HARD.  My best half marathon time was 1:58 in Phoenix, and I would like to beat that.  It's going to take a lot of work in the dead heat of a lovely Nashville summer, but you only live once right?!  So, if while reading this, any of you have become inspired to join me for a run (and a little beach vacation) in Virginia, I would love some company!  And if not, just think happy and fast thoughts for me as I run!