tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17237663960436970862026-05-10T05:23:27.431-04:00Celebrating the ordinary in every day. Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comBlogger1071125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-57563601097780151622021-12-11T07:38:00.001-05:002021-12-11T07:41:25.100-05:00

On a whim, I signed up for a 5K this week.  It was a night run in the dark and freezing cold, but the allure of running under the lights of the Canterbury tree balls during my most favorite season was just too much for me to pass up! I try not to talk too much about my running habits.  People have a lot of opinions, and I need my running to be something I truly do for myself. 

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-60565954285123561762020-09-27T07:58:00.000-04:002020-09-27T07:58:09.996-04:00

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time for war and peace.Weeping and laughing.Mourning and dancing.Speaking and being silent.Ecclesiastes 3:11:  He has made everything beautiful in its time. Things that frustrate me the most these days are the opposites of what I believe I need for satisfaction. Chaos when I want order.Opinions when I just want the facts.Variance when I crave

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-42333626688296074322020-04-12T16:01:00.000-04:002020-04-12T16:01:17.054-04:00

I cried this morning. More than once. I woke up with my alarm and felt grumpy.  It didn't feel like Easter.  I walked into the kitchen and saw my younger girls in the sunroom under their blanket fort they created last night.  The smallest was excited to check out her Easter basket and found bubbles, markers, candy, and hand soap.  I don't know if you've heard, but we're

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-28716863490800136592020-02-22T06:34:00.000-05:002020-02-22T06:34:22.022-05:00

I didn't realize how bad it was getting.  That's the way it starts--a thought here and a reaction there. You don't even realize the darkness has once again made its home next to you all cozy on the couch like a bad relationship. Shake your head, clear your brain, suit up for the next thing, wear a smile, keep going, and be brave. Just don't talk about it.  Get busy, work out,

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-24899412555355702572020-02-09T08:24:00.001-05:002020-02-09T08:24:45.100-05:00

I wasn't expecting to feel more anxious in the weeks following the marathon. New aches and pains, constantly feeling like I was about to cry, unable to explain the heaviness I felt inside.  I didn't want to talk about it with anyone--not my husband, not my friends, not even my mom.  I was afraid to open my mouth for fear that all of the terrible thoughts would come pouring out in a big,

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-63083498852284860072020-02-01T19:22:00.000-05:002020-02-01T19:59:00.259-05:00

The morning of the marathon, I woke up with pain in both of my legs right around my Achilles and a very sore inner right knee.  I have gotten used to random pain in my knee after the Charlotte marathon, but Achilles pain was something brand new.  As I hobbled to the bathroom a little after 2am, I found that I could walk on it, and I could feel it working its way out.   I was

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-44751875745618541942020-01-24T06:03:00.001-05:002020-01-24T06:23:50.370-05:00

On the morning of the half marathon, I woke up ready to roll.  Today was the first day it felt a little more "real" because this distance was going to take a little longer and we were inching closer to the marathon the next day. I knew that today's race was going to be ran in honor of the Fab Five and The Squad, which are comprised of my biological girls, some that I claim as my children,

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-15282134769047114722020-01-22T06:17:00.001-05:002020-01-22T08:01:44.012-05:00

The morning of the 10K I was feeling pretty good.  We had the girls with us, so we quietly got ready and headed out.  This race was in honor of my friend, Jennifer, who had lovingly trained ALL the Dopey miles with me since announcing this was a goal of mine.  She and I bonded a few years ago when we worked together on a bus after I finished the Princess half--we spent that ride

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-10666370917317840602020-01-20T10:18:00.000-05:002020-01-20T11:44:00.039-05:00

The whole reason I started running was because I held my friend's hand on the day before she died.  I knew that I had a capable body (even when my brain tells me otherwise).  So it only made sense to dedicate the very first race to Jill--because she was the reason I ran a 5K all those years ago.  I wrote her name on my hand and Chris and I walked to the lobby of our

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-51975936486299011082020-01-18T12:29:00.000-05:002020-01-18T12:29:09.718-05:00

Yetta's face matched the fear I felt before the start of this race event. On the morning of our departure for our big trip, I woke up with a serious case of anxiety and experienced a full-blown panic attack.  I was crying, nervous, sweaty, and convinced that we had made a terrible decision in participating in this race event.  Normally I'm so excited about flying to Disney, but I

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-63005479238738947872020-01-02T08:53:00.000-05:002020-01-02T08:53:02.531-05:00

Heading into a race I usually have an idea of what time I can finish.  For example, I know that on a good race day, I can probably run a half-marathon in just under 2.5 hours (and, again, I remind you that I am NOT a fast runner so don't come at me with your speedy times).  I do my best to train to fidelity because I'm a rule-follower and list-checker and I like knowing that I've done

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-68990682829888458802020-01-01T07:45:00.002-05:002020-01-01T08:39:39.812-05:00

About two years ago I realized that I was getting ready to turn 40 in May 2019. Up until this point, milestone birthdays had not really bothered me too much.  I enjoyed my 30s and was not quite ready to give them up.  I was starting to show some age, but overall I was feeling pretty good about myself.  However, the idea of turning the big 4-0 really started to rub me the wrong way

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-15609309716843029902019-12-06T06:10:00.000-05:002019-12-06T06:11:49.289-05:00

I feel like my life is slowly unraveling this December.   Some of it is by proximity--friends going through a scary diagnosis.  Churches dealing with the aches and pains of ministry.  Friends losing loved ones.  Friends dealing with difficult family situations.  Friends dealing with work.  Arguments and situations which seem impossible. Some of it is a lot of

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-56904489996789967762019-03-24T07:50:00.001-04:002019-03-24T07:50:44.202-04:00

Our family has recently been hit with the local plagues--flu, ear infection, sinus infection, and all the symptoms--we've had it all at our house for two solid weeks.  4 out of the 5 people have been down for the count and the last one standing told me her throat hurt yesterday. Hold me, Jesus.  I was afflicted on Wednesday and was told to stay out of work for the remainder of the

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-75631154367032070872019-02-10T07:34:00.000-05:002019-02-10T07:35:00.788-05:00

In January I wanted to show up for myself.  I don't think I realized the idea of turning 40 had begun to leave a bad taste in my mouth.  Even though I realize that 40 is not old at all, it definitely moves you out of the young club.  So, in an effort to be more purposeful about myself, I spent some time evaluating what makes me "me" and also thinking about who I want to be (and how

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-16967422571399744892019-01-07T06:00:00.000-05:002019-01-07T06:05:16.881-05:00

January Focus:  Show up for health and wellness. I spent the last half of 2018 in and out of different doctor's offices and had a ton of tests and procedures performed--all indicating that I was, in fact, in pretty good health.  I ran a marathon in November and have my eyes on some more races in the coming year.   However, after I ran the marathon in November, I have had a

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-41982461823344497662019-01-04T08:38:00.002-05:002019-01-04T08:38:54.946-05:00

If The Holiday is on, I'm going to stop what I'm doing and watch it.  I've loved it for years--the soundtrack, the actors, the dreamy, snowy English cottage.  One of my favorite lines from the movie is when sweet Arthur (elderly film maker) is telling heartbroken Iris that it's time she realizes she's not worthless and Iris replies,  "You are supposed to be the leading lady of

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-79350042419193000962018-12-12T06:00:00.001-05:002018-12-12T06:00:41.361-05:00

Sometimes your heart is left a little raw and tender.  Maybe a situation didn't work out quite the way you wanted it to.  Maybe you've got so much you're dealing with and you're not sure how you got here to begin with.  Maybe someone decided they would rather not be there for you when you needed them the most.  Life is often busy taking up too much of you, sucking you dry,

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-31764004190410170382018-12-09T08:35:00.001-05:002018-12-09T08:35:49.170-05:00

A few months ago I agreed to be a member of the Stretched Too Thin launch team and had a book to share with another working mom.  I put up a photo on my social media and almost 30 moms commented that they were interested in reading it as well--moms who are KILLING it every single day, and still feel like they are stretched too thin. Earlier this week I was talking to a friend about how

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-78807386390265867642018-09-13T08:01:00.000-04:002018-09-13T08:01:06.131-04:00

This morning we are waiting for Hurricane Florence to make her landfall somewhere on the Carolina coast.  Two days ago we were told our area would fall in the "catastrophic" category, but yesterday morning the models shifted the storm further south.  It is a relief that our home and camp on the river will probably not endure the brunt of the storm, but it is still not good news for the

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-72536560735409837272018-09-12T08:12:00.002-04:002018-09-12T08:12:45.767-04:00

I'm sitting on my couch and dreaming about having a beautiful screen porch as a writing spot.  I dream about writing a whole book, given the time and space, but sadly I'm not even sure what I would write about.  And the last thing this world needs is another person talking about everything and nothing--our feeds are full of those sorts of people. In a lot of ways I feel like I've lost

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-74271162549368762802018-03-31T08:46:00.001-04:002018-03-31T13:52:48.431-04:00

This mama is tired.  I could tell you about my non-stop schedule.  I could tell you about my calendar.  I could tell you about the many things on my plate and how I feel like I'm one moment away from dropping them all. I could tell you that most days I'm doing my best to give everyone my best and sometimes I really want to throw a fit because I will always take the next

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-44455839206340332482018-02-09T06:06:00.001-05:002018-02-09T06:06:22.961-05:00

I recently spent a few days in Ocracoke, NC while I was involved in a session at NCCAT (seriously, any and every NC teacher should figure out a way to go).  The session centered around teacher leadership and the many ways we can lead in our classrooms, schools, and communities.  It was beautiful and encouraging to spend a few days with teachers from around the state interested in

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-34897554344441272692018-01-08T09:41:00.000-05:002018-01-08T09:41:29.982-05:00

I remember as a teenager (and even as a college student and young teacher) trying to get home in the afternoons to watch the Oprah show at 4pm.  I loved watching her sing along with her musical guests, interacting with her audience, and I thought she was a smart host and not afraid of saying the hard things that sometimes need to be said out loud.  I don’t agree with everything she

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723766396043697086.post-3843594265878498422018-01-01T09:37:00.000-05:002018-01-01T09:37:04.910-05:00

Let us remember our past, but let us recognize we are standing in the present. Let us embrace the things that have been placed in our laps and let us choose to hold them with great care. Let us stand a little braver, a little stronger, and with a little more confidence in the fact that we don’t have to have it all figured out just yet. Let us delight in the skills and talents that

Seriously.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14530518325502336153noreply@blogger.com