297 Days

As my husband recently calculated, it's been 297 since he was last employed. Who would've thought that it would be this long and that we'd wait for so many months. We certainly didn't. We knew God would provide a new job but we definitely expected it to happen a L O N G time ago!! But to be honest, I would't trade the past 297 days for anything.

Over the past 10 months I have fallen more in love with my husband than I knew was possible. Watching him love our kids so well and pour into their lives has been such a blessing to watch! Because of this time off, our kids now adore their Daddy and have such an amazing relationship with him! As a wife and a Mom, there is nothing more attractive than seeing the man you love, love your kids! How does that saying go? "I never knew how much I loved your Daddy until I saw how much he loved you." SO TRUE!

I'll admit, at first it was really hard having him around and home every day. It's not that I didn't enjoy his company, we just didn't know how to continue on with life with everyone home everyday. When he was working, I had my own routine/rhythm to each day and my own way of doing things. When we were all home together, we tended to just sit around with each other. Over time we found a new rhythm/routine and we figured out how to work together as a team, share responsibility, and really move in sync with each other.

One of my favorite things lately has been running together. We tried running together a year or so ago and it didn't go well. We didn't communicate about our expectations and ended up frustrated that the other was too fast or too slow, etc. But lately, we've figured it out and we've been able to run almost daily together. I'm sure I'm actually too slow for his liking but he has so graciously slowed to my speed and hasn't said a word. We've run short runs and long runs, straight out and back runs, and park runs, and even got in a race together. I am so going to miss his company when he is at work!

My hubby getting a new job is so bittersweet. I am so overjoyed for him and this new position where I know he will succeed and be such a valuable asset to his team. He is so full of talent and wisdom and I am sure they will love him from the start! As excited as I am, I'm also a little bit sad. I have come to appreciate my husband so much over the past 297 days and have come to love every second we get to do life together...there will definitely be a void when he returns to work. I know we will find a new normal and we will figure out a new routine again and I know that this is exactly where God wants us to be.

Life in this family is about to look very different and I find myself so thankful and grateful for this journey that we have been on. There have been some scary and emotional days over the past 10 months but God has shown Himself to be faithful each day and in every circumstance and the peace He has given us has been so wonderful! I am so grateful to have faith in Someone bigger and much much smarter than myself. We were able to rest in HIS promises and see Him fulfill so many of them in our lives as we've waited.

Thank you Lord for the waiting. For the lessons learned of walking with You and taking things one day at a time. You are so good to us and so faithful to Your children. Please don't ever let us forget the way you have carried us and blessed us over the past 10 months! We trust You and we are so excited to see what you have in store for us as this new chapter unfolds in our lives!  

#streakingwiththeCOOLKIDS

During the month of February my husband and I are going to attempt to run at least 1 mile EVERY day! It seems a bit daunting but I am so excited to conquer the miles together! Each day we we will run and each day we will pick someone to pray for and run our mile/miles for! Today is day 3 of 28 and we are dressed and ready to GO!!!

Five Minute Friday (on Monday): WAIT

Wait. I hate waiting! I hate waiting for Christmas, for birthdays, for payday, for rides . . . I just don't like to wait. And yet, waiting is exactly what we've been doing since May of last year. My hubby was let go from his job 9 months ago and we are still waiting for a new one. Some days I am able to trust and have faith that it'll all work out but other days I get so sick of the waiting that I just want to scream!

But during the waiting, that's when God seems to speak the loudest! It's during the waiting that I have felt His hand upon us, His love surrounding us, His peace reaching deep within my heart and soul. It is during this time of waiting that I have been so abundantly blessed with quality time with my husband. It has been during this season of waiting that we've been able to run together, to play together, to just sit and relax together. It's been while we wait that my kids have gotten amazing time with their Daddy, day after day.

As much as I've enjoyed having my husband home and with us everyday, we are hopeful that maybe this season of waiting will come to an end soon. God has so faithfully provided for us and cared for us and met our every need as we've waited but we are definitely curious and anxious to see what comes next for our family. As we've waited, God has been so good to us (as He always is). I am actually very thankful that we've had to WAIT for all these months. I wouldn't trade this season for anything and I will forever be thankful for what it's meant for our family and especially for the relationship my kids have built with my husband.

Thank you Lord for this season of WAITING. We eagerly anticipate what YOU have in store for us and trust that your timing is so perfect and so good!

3 Year Runiversary!

3 years ago today I ran my very first race. It feels like so long ago & so much has changed between then and now. It all started because I saw a 5k that raced through Disneyland at night. No really, that is why I started running. The thought of Disney at night just seemed so cool. I posted on Facebook that I wanted to sign up and asked if anyone wanted to do it with me. Most people dismissed it immediately because it wasn't cheap. (I now know that $99 for a 5k is absurd) One of my nurses at work said she'd run it with me and that's how it all began!

All my life I swore I hated running and was quick to tell everyone, "I don't run". I tried here and there. I was forced to do a bit of it in high school for basketball and PE class and I really did hate it. Running was not my thing. Everytime I'd try I'd find myself so tired and so out of breath and it just wasn't fun. I tried everything...in college I'd go to the track and try to run the straight-aways and walk the curves. I ran a whole mile once and that is only because my roommate at the time was talking to me about something and I didn't want our conversation to end. I thought I was going to die after that mile.

But someone told me about "Couch to 5k" and I found an app for my phone and decided to give it a try. I signed up for the race, joined a gym (with childcare), and purchased the app. I picked my 3 days a week and picked a time where I'd go to the gym. I was determined and focused and I just kept going. I quickly discovered that if I followed the app, it wasn't actually that bad. As my minutes of running increased and my minutes of walking decreased, I found myself so inspired and excited. I was achieving what I thought was impossible! I'll never forget the 1st time I ran for a whole 30 minutes on that treadmill...I felt invincible, like I could take on the world!

Our 1st race was awesome! I ran the whole 5k and LOVED getting to see behind the scenes of Disneyland! The race environment was SO fun and it was so easy to be excited when surrounded by so many other people. My 1st medal was super cheesy and our costumes were so simple but it was that first race, that feeling of accomplishment, that got me hooked!

After that race, I found another race, only this time a 10k instead of 5k. I found an upgrade to my app and started training but found that anything over 3 miles on the treadmill was pretty boring and unmotivating. I searched and searched and found a great deal on a BOB jogging stroller and so began our adventures of stroller running. My daughter was such a trooper and didn't ever complain about being stuck in the stroller. We used the time to listen to music and play Eye-Spy games. As I trained I hit a wall and had such a hard time completing the runs. I made up my own method, the landmark method. I'd pick a landmark ahead of me and set my focus on running to that landmark. Once I made it, I'd allow myself to walk to a chosen landmark. It seemed to work so that became my new method. Out with the app!

Our 10k proved to be long and hard but again, that feeling of accomplishment when crossing the finish line and the fun bling around my neck made it all worth it! Since I did the 10k I figured maybe I could do a 1/2. I was blessed with a new friend who became my running buddy and she'd drag me out there several days a week. She'd tell me our distance for the day and we'd set our run/walk timers and take off. I don't think I could have ever completed that 1/2 had I not had someone to run with and encourage me. She'd meet me early on the weekends to get in long runs and we'd stroller run during the week, stopping 1/2 way to let our kids play at the park.  God knew exactly what I needed.

In my 1st year of running I think I ran something close to 10 or 15 races. It was so much fun! Between that 1st year and now there have only been a few races and I haven't been anywhere close to the shape I was in back then...but I am making a come-back! In the past week something has finally clicked and I am actually looking forward to my runs and find myself focused and determined once out there, feet hitting the pavement.

Running has become quality time with my husband that past 6 months. With all of the craziness and uncertainty of life, it is a way to get outside and burn off some of the frustration and anxiety. It's one of the few times of quiet in our day. My amazing hubby has been so gracious and has let me take the lead as far as when to run/walk and I am so thankful for his company. (Plus, I enjoy the view since he's faster than I am!) I am so thankful for that race 3 years ago, for that night that was filled with adventure and determination!

Can't wait to see what races and adventures lie ahead!!!

Five Minute Friday: Share

With little ones at home, sharing is something we are constantly working on. Little brother wants whatever big sister has and if he doesn't get it, look out! But sometimes it's the other way around... there are times where big sister wants what brother has, be it snuggles with Mom, to be the one in the stroller, a snack, a hug, a toy, etc. Sharing is hard.

Sharing as adults can be hard too. Sharing feelings, sharing dreams, sharing money . . . it's hard stuff. Sometimes it is so much easier to keep things to yourself, to hide our dreams & feelings for fear of getting hurt. I am not good at sharing. I would rather keep to myself, build up a tall wall around my heart and avoid being vulnerable. But if I don't let others in, if I don't share a bit of who I am and what I am about, I miss out on being part of something greater than myself.

What is it God calling me to share? Maybe that lately I've felt so anxious about our future, my job, our finances (or lack there-of). Or maybe it's that I've been feeling pretty lonely and have been missing my friends who live far away. Why don't I share these things? I don't share these things because doing so may open the floodgates, doing so may leave me vulnerable, doing so makes me feel so weak and helpless. So often I stuff it all inside and then life, emotions, uncertainty...they all reach the point where they overwhelm me and leave me empty and paralyzed with fear. If instead, I would choose to SHARE with someone I love and trust, they could share the burden and whisper words of love, life, and encouragement where I need them most.

We were not created to do life alone. We were meant to share life...to share love, to share the ups and downs, the good and bad, the happy times and the sad. The Bible tells us that 2 is better than 1 or that a strand of 3 cords can not be easily broken. Nowhere does it say to be the lone ranger, to be strong on your own. It doesn't tell us that 1 is the best number.

Be brave today. Find someone to share life with. Find someone to share your heart with. Find someone who you can be real and honest with and then be open to their embrace and their words of wisdom and encouragement.

My Hubby Is A Trooper...Literally!

For Father's Day last year I signed the hubby and I up for the inagural Star Wars 10k race at Disneyland. My hubby loves all things Star Wars and Storm Troopers so I figured it would be fun and fitting for him to participate in it all! We had originally talked about going as Boba Fett & Han Solo but one of the great girls at Sparkle Athletic told us that if my hubby would wear his full Storm Trooper armor for the race, she'd pay for his bib. Hubby accepted the challenge and was excited and determined to do it. I love coming up with costumes for our races. I had to think of something that not everyone would be...I figured most girls would be Leia, R2 or an Ewok and I didn't want to look the same as everyone else. Not sure why, but I decided to be Luke Skywalker as an X-Wing Pilot. I dreamed it up and made it come alive and it was so fun! Here's some pics of our race:

My version of Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Pilot Costume

The finished product. This is my "flat runner", ready for the race!

In our corrals and ready to run. Started in the dark since the race started at 5:30am.

Entering into Disneyland.

Heading down Main Street.

Couldn't pass up a picture in front of Star Tours!

The lines for pictures with characters were SOOO long. We ad-libbed and did our own...from afar!

Running through CA Adventure.

He made all sorts of friends along the course...these Lego Troopers were pretty funny!

At the finish line.

The medals were AMAZING! I think it may be my  new favorite!

So proud of my hubby!!!

After our race came the Kids Races. This was little brother's 1st race!

He was so cute holding onto Daddy's hand while we waited.

There was no running involved for this little guy...just some very slow walking.

He loved his medal.

Had to stop by the Sparkle Athletic booth to say "thank you" in costume! They put a skirt on him and had him pose for pics!

I absolutely LOVE this picture!!! One of my favorites of the day!

Still Waiting

It's been 9 months now. 9 months of waiting and wondering what God has in store. 9 months of thinking "what if". 9 months of uncertainty. 9 months of having no clue what the future holds and what the future might look like. 9 months. It's a long time to feel like you are in limbo.

And yet I have been constantly reminded this week that someone WAY bigger than me has this all figured out already. HE already has a plan. HE already knows what comes next. HE already knows the answers to my "what if" questions. Isaiah 55 says "My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts... For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." This was one of those "duh" moments for me as I read these words this morning. 

My husband and I had just been talking less than 30 minutes before this about jobs and babysitters and what came next. Neither of us had answers and I left the conversation wondering an pondering what in the world life held for us and what things would look like a month from now. As I read those verses I felt a little stupid that I had lost sight of the fact that HE already knows. I can spend all day planning and dreaming and configuring my future, but it's pointless. HE already knows where and my hubby will get to work again or even IF my hubby will work in an office again. HE knows what position I will hold at work. HE knows what is best for our family. HE KNOWS. 

Sometimes we need a good kick in the butt. Someone to put us in our place and tell us to just RELAX and TRUST HIM. Consider my butt kicked. I choose today to trust HIS plan, HIS ways, HIS thoughts for me and for my family.