I think I did it. I really think I did.
I think I just hit what's called a "runners high". 35 minutes of straight running, I usually quit after 20-25.
But not today. I decided in my little brain to just keep going. My exact thoughts were "So if I were to keep going, what's the worst that will happen? I'll pass out here on the street and have some neighborly person come to my rescue. Or I just might keep going indefinitely." I opted for the latter.
The last ten minutes were actually way easier than the first 25. I hardly noticed my breathing and my feet no longer felt like lead. By the time I rounded the last corner I felt kinda tingly (not passing out tingly) and still had energy. I thought about continuing, not sure why exactly I stopped.
We'll see how tomorrow goes.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Rain, Rain, Go away. Come again another Day!
Just a few drops at first then more. Before you know it it's a cloud burst that some how finds it's way into your basement...such has been my life the past few days.
We've had over 20 inches of rain each of the past two summers and close to 10 so far this spring alone. Already high water table + way too much rain in way too short a time + one ill placed down spout = water in basement and one Dawn freaking out about the possibility of the old paneling growing mold. No, not fun.
We've ripped out much of the carpet (needing to be done, just didn't quite plan on doing that so soon), "washed" the cement and wood down with an industrial anti fungal, and have many fans drying out what's been soggy.
What's God trying to teach us thru all this? Patience? Perseverance? Dependence? How to really tell if the sump pump is actually working? I think all of the above and I'm sure more.
It's not a party down there, but I guess it could be a whole lot worse. And besides, now we can shop for floor covering other than carpet (which I've never been too keen on in a basement anyway). When it rains it pours. At my house, I'll just keep looking for that silver lining. And I'd thought of some other rainy day cliche to add but I'm just too tired to try to think of it now.
Love to you all.
We've had over 20 inches of rain each of the past two summers and close to 10 so far this spring alone. Already high water table + way too much rain in way too short a time + one ill placed down spout = water in basement and one Dawn freaking out about the possibility of the old paneling growing mold. No, not fun.
We've ripped out much of the carpet (needing to be done, just didn't quite plan on doing that so soon), "washed" the cement and wood down with an industrial anti fungal, and have many fans drying out what's been soggy.
What's God trying to teach us thru all this? Patience? Perseverance? Dependence? How to really tell if the sump pump is actually working? I think all of the above and I'm sure more.
It's not a party down there, but I guess it could be a whole lot worse. And besides, now we can shop for floor covering other than carpet (which I've never been too keen on in a basement anyway). When it rains it pours. At my house, I'll just keep looking for that silver lining. And I'd thought of some other rainy day cliche to add but I'm just too tired to try to think of it now.
Love to you all.
Monday, June 25, 2007
lonely (adj) 1 unhappy as a result of solitude. 2 resulting from the state of being alone. 3 isolated and not much visited by people. ~Collins Concise Dictionary~Life in a new place is lonely. But just as each season comes and goes, this too shall pass. I am still blessed by friends far away and a family of friends always around me.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Our Fathers
Hello all you neglected readers of this blog...you should know by now that I am a fowl weather blogger only! Indeed, it is raining here again, therefore I sit to blog!
First order of business, Happy Father's Day to any dads out there who happen to read this post. Yours is truly a hard position to fill well and I do not envy you the expectations we all put on you. Dads have a heavy burden to carry and those who are a success at their role know all too well it's not easy. So hats off to all the dads out there who care about their children and wives and work so hard to support them. Thank you for being the men our wee ones look up to, aspire to be like, and teach life's lessons to. Hats off to you my husband Michael, (I'll make you read this later) you are a very good dad and our kids are very blessed to have such a caring, silly, wise and creative father to help lead them along the way. We love you and things could never be the same without you!
That being said, here's a story for you. I did not grow up for much of my life knowing my biological dad, barring the first couple of years of my childhood, which I cannot recall anyway. Through a list of crazy, sad and tragic events in my life, God saw it fit that my brother Dwane and I grow up on a dairy farm owned by some relatives we did not know very well. Quite a switch for two city dwellers who had friends around all the time and freedoms most kids shouldn't have at that age. (Right Darryl?!!) Indeed, life on the farm was QUITE different than inner city Vancouver, but there we were. Though my brothers experience there was less than wonderful, mine was however a part of my childhood I often look back to with bitter sweet gladness. Living in a land we did not know in a place that allowed for little freedoms or creative expressions, I too felt at times cheated out of childhood "rights" so to speak, by the all encompassing work load of a dairy...always one more thing to do, one more animal needing care, one more section of garden to tend to, the list went on and on. My relationship with my aunt was somewhat stifled as we were greeted with a feeling of coldness. I was not a daughter of theirs (5 already grown children of their own and many foster children before we arrived) and that was made very clear the day I asked if I could call them "Mom + Dad". The words "We think it's best you call us aunt and uncle..." to this day echo in my mind and yes, bring tears to my eyes. In my childhood selfishness and pain I wanted to yell back "That's not fair, now I've no one!" but now in my adult life I am beginning to see they just didn't want me to ever forget who my mom was; they didn't want me to replace her with them.
The reason I go into all this is to say there was a time when I realized how much of a father my uncle was to me. It occurred to me quite early on while we were there that he was indeed much like what I'd pictured a father to be. And much to his credit, he really did make a concerted effort to raise me as one of his own. I remember times when even at our busiest, he'd stand beside me with his arm around my shoulders and ask "So Dawn, how are you today? How was school? And what was the best part of your day?" There was always a silly little song or tune to make light of the heavy work load and he always had some silly story or joke to add to our dinner conversations. But he could be foul tempered and fly off the handle, as I too along my own parenting journey find myself once in a while. And who can blame him...I would too if I had a farm to hold together, a business to run, and a family to clothe and feed. Not to mention the fact that the love of his life, my aunt, soon after we'd arrived there, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. That in itself took on a stressful and very painful life of it's own.
There are things that I would change if I were to go back now, things I would have said, attitudes I would change in my own self. There are things I don't agree with that my parents thought priority at the time, life philosophies I will not repeat with my family. But now in my adult life I do see the value in the values they tried to instill in each of us. "We can only do the best with what we are given." I remember someone saying this from those days gone by. And it is very true. I am grateful for the time I spent there, for the good memories and for the respect, upright standards and hard work ethic I learned from my parents. I am also grateful and blessed to have gotten know these people on a very different level now as an adult. We are friends more now than ever and Uncle Art more of a father than even some who've know theirs their whole life. Things turn out the way they ought; there's a season for everything and we often are blessed along the way, whether we choose to see it that way or not.
Well, that's all for now. Have a great day today and tell your dad (or who ever fills that spot for you in your life) that you love him. If you can't, just remember all the good times and know that somewhere in there they really did love you! Cheers!
First order of business, Happy Father's Day to any dads out there who happen to read this post. Yours is truly a hard position to fill well and I do not envy you the expectations we all put on you. Dads have a heavy burden to carry and those who are a success at their role know all too well it's not easy. So hats off to all the dads out there who care about their children and wives and work so hard to support them. Thank you for being the men our wee ones look up to, aspire to be like, and teach life's lessons to. Hats off to you my husband Michael, (I'll make you read this later) you are a very good dad and our kids are very blessed to have such a caring, silly, wise and creative father to help lead them along the way. We love you and things could never be the same without you!
That being said, here's a story for you. I did not grow up for much of my life knowing my biological dad, barring the first couple of years of my childhood, which I cannot recall anyway. Through a list of crazy, sad and tragic events in my life, God saw it fit that my brother Dwane and I grow up on a dairy farm owned by some relatives we did not know very well. Quite a switch for two city dwellers who had friends around all the time and freedoms most kids shouldn't have at that age. (Right Darryl?!!
The reason I go into all this is to say there was a time when I realized how much of a father my uncle was to me. It occurred to me quite early on while we were there that he was indeed much like what I'd pictured a father to be. And much to his credit, he really did make a concerted effort to raise me as one of his own. I remember times when even at our busiest, he'd stand beside me with his arm around my shoulders and ask "So Dawn, how are you today? How was school? And what was the best part of your day?" There was always a silly little song or tune to make light of the heavy work load and he always had some silly story or joke to add to our dinner conversations. But he could be foul tempered and fly off the handle, as I too along my own parenting journey find myself once in a while. And who can blame him...I would too if I had a farm to hold together, a business to run, and a family to clothe and feed. Not to mention the fact that the love of his life, my aunt, soon after we'd arrived there, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. That in itself took on a stressful and very painful life of it's own.
There are things that I would change if I were to go back now, things I would have said, attitudes I would change in my own self. There are things I don't agree with that my parents thought priority at the time, life philosophies I will not repeat with my family. But now in my adult life I do see the value in the values they tried to instill in each of us. "We can only do the best with what we are given." I remember someone saying this from those days gone by. And it is very true. I am grateful for the time I spent there, for the good memories and for the respect, upright standards and hard work ethic I learned from my parents. I am also grateful and blessed to have gotten know these people on a very different level now as an adult. We are friends more now than ever and Uncle Art more of a father than even some who've know theirs their whole life. Things turn out the way they ought; there's a season for everything and we often are blessed along the way, whether we choose to see it that way or not.
Well, that's all for now. Have a great day today and tell your dad (or who ever fills that spot for you in your life) that you love him. If you can't, just remember all the good times and know that somewhere in there they really did love you! Cheers!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Beat that Bug!
Well tonight has not turned out at all the way I thought it would to say the least! Instead of rushing off to play soccer an hour and half away from here, I sit at the computer desk, hot tea in hand, warm fuzzy blanket wrapped around my shoulders, trying to shake off an ensuing cold. You know, in the past I probably would have popped some synthetic cold tablets, eaten something sugary for quick energy, tied on my cleats and run off to play. But not today. Today I chose to stay at home and kick this bug. My choice led me to think, am I getting wiser with age or just lazy. I choose the first, though the latter may hold somewhat more truthful.
I recently read an article in Readers Digest about the notion of people no longer taking sick days from work. (As a stay at home mom, ya right!!!) The author wrote about how many people in the corporate and blue collar world simply refuse to take a sick day(s) for lack of confidence in their job security. Others are simply driven by the almighty dollar, even when on salary. And still others feel they can cope with illness at work, though they really should stay home. Countless books, magazine articles and even mainstream health professionals agree that staying home for one or two days to better ones health is a far better idea than going into the office to perform at mediocre levels and spread germs. Perhaps the biggest kicker is the fact that what ever cold or flu you're trying to get rid of will take up to twice as long to get rid of without proper rest. What more evidence do we need?
As for me, I will sit here at the computer while my husband lovingly tucks the kids into bed. (I am so blessed to have Michael!) I will click away at the keyboard while the supper dishes, lunches yet to be made and stack of laundry stare at me from across the room. (They can wait until tomorrow, except the lunches.) And I will not regret that I missed one night of soccer. (Next weeks game is against an easier team anyway.) Cheers and stay well!
I recently read an article in Readers Digest about the notion of people no longer taking sick days from work. (As a stay at home mom, ya right!!!) The author wrote about how many people in the corporate and blue collar world simply refuse to take a sick day(s) for lack of confidence in their job security. Others are simply driven by the almighty dollar, even when on salary. And still others feel they can cope with illness at work, though they really should stay home. Countless books, magazine articles and even mainstream health professionals agree that staying home for one or two days to better ones health is a far better idea than going into the office to perform at mediocre levels and spread germs. Perhaps the biggest kicker is the fact that what ever cold or flu you're trying to get rid of will take up to twice as long to get rid of without proper rest. What more evidence do we need?
As for me, I will sit here at the computer while my husband lovingly tucks the kids into bed. (I am so blessed to have Michael!) I will click away at the keyboard while the supper dishes, lunches yet to be made and stack of laundry stare at me from across the room. (They can wait until tomorrow, except the lunches.) And I will not regret that I missed one night of soccer. (Next weeks game is against an easier team anyway.) Cheers and stay well!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Let that Creativity flow...
I painted faces today and what happy subjects I had for my creative venture! The kids did actually enjoy the face painting, though you'd never tell by the so serious expressions! Note to self, 2 year olds do not make the most patient canvasses on which to paint, but will however, try yours (patience that is!) Why on earth would I paint these children (and no that little guy next to Sarah is not Josh, that's Walker, a kid I watch during the week) up with no place to go? All for fun and I have always enjoyed seeing kids' imaginations take off once they're done! I was totally inspired at Centre Fest in Red Deer last summer by a few of the face painters there and I think it may be a great hobby to take up. And hey, if you like what you see here and are mildly creative, have had your creative bone wiggled a bit, or want to find out more about painting you should go here to my friend Angela's blog! She's a very talented Canadian water color artist who I am privileged to call friend! Leave her a note and she will get back to you! Anyway, must go to bed now, maybe after washing off the many layers of garden dirt and citronella and essential oil from my day in the yard! God bless the people who make and market natural mosquito repellant and the people at Young Living Essential Oils for all their great recipes for naturals!
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