I like to think that times such as the one shown above were pivotal moments in my athletic training. I mean, check this out:

*brand new bike, with a kickstand, in pink and teal
*crazy-neon helmet that, if it weren't for my big hair, would seriously dwarf my head
*roll-down socks with... those... shoes
*ruffle shorts (where did those come from?)
*THE Kool-Aid shirt, which is not just any Kool-Aid shirt. This was one that DM and I saved up our Kool-Aid points, probably for months, to be able to buy.

And so, with that kind of set-up, how could one possibly not be an all-star biker? Just wait until I dig up an old picture from Junior High trackmeets!

Headed to Houston in the morning... "If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort." –Dave Weinbaum

I came across this video last week and wanted to pass it on to you. I love the heartfelt, and true, message of it. (Mocha Club is a neat organization that is seeking to help others in a very simple and real way, check them out.)



I was reminded in watching this video that it really is my own heart that needs Africa, that needs to learn the lessons of gratitude, joy, and simplicity that God has to teach me through such beautiful people.

Speaking of Africa, I have to share my Christmas gift from my parents this year (yes, I know it's nearly February). But, well, it's just really cool, and I think you should see it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how my family likes to give meaningful gifts. So here is Africa, with a custom punched hole where Ghana resides.


:)

I'm really loving this 'verse of the week' routine, and I'm only beginning Week 3 (I started a week late). It's been so encouraging to pray over things that are going on in life, big and small, and to see how sometimes a seemingly random Scripture manifests itself in my life and in the lives of those around me. Already, I find myself soaking up God's promises in little moments of the day. I decided to carry last week's Scripture over for one more week. Here it is again:

When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
Psalm 94:18-19

I feel like the last several months have presented moments in which I have felt anxious and a sense of being utterly overwhelmed. The last few weeks especially have been a time of physical exhaustion (building milage for marathon training will do that to ya) and mental taxing working long hours on the computer (sometimes I feel like that's all I do) – many of those times when I would rather be doing something else. It's been a time of change, of questioning and searching on my part, of sometimes wanting to 'stray' the course instead of 'stay' the course. But I also feel like God has been quietly steering me closer to Him as of late, calmly calling me to His side, and whispering his unfailing love to me. And I could not be more grateful for that. He has certainly been my support and brought me moments of great joy. I continue to learn that He is enough for me.

More to come later this week... check back!

This week's old photo is brought to you all the way from 1994. On occasion, 'back in the day', we borrowed my great-grandpa's purple glitter boat and headed to the lake for some water skiing and kneeboarding (my personal fav). This particular trip, we decided to stay overnight to make best use of the time. And where better to crash for the night than in the boat under the stars? At the end of the day, we put an ice chest up at the front to fill in the walkway and made a pallet across the seat area. I'm not sure we slept a whole lot, but it was certainly another crazy Nickson adventure.

I’m not feeling very inspired this week to write (which loosely translates to: I don't have time), so here are a few cool websites to check out in your spare time.

• Simple Desktops: updated at least 1-2 times a week with new images

• THXTHXTHX: humerous and clever

• Anton Krupicka: legit

• Sweetopia: This link is to a specific old post, but the entire site is very cool. And creative. And makes me want to own a bakery. Perhaps in my next life.

The end of catalog season is on the horizon, in clear sight, and I’m sorta glad. Houston in 10 days (woohoo!), and come February, I just may have a life again. You know, the kind where dinner is earlier than 8:00, church attendance is actually regular, and I don’t have to communicate with my roommates through text and email. Just maybe.

When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
Psalm 94:18-19

The making of chocolate chip cookies has always been a favorite of mine. Growing up, a warm batch of gooey cookies was my specialty in the kitchen. My 'secret recipe' came from this awesome full-color, illustrated Kid's Cooking cookbook that came with color-coded measuring spoons and recipes for stuff like playdough and giant soap bubbles. Like I said, it was awesome. However, the desire to cook was one that (thankfully, along with the real recipes) got passed down from a few generations back. Here's proof that Mom started schooling me at a young age. As well as proof that I not only owned, but wore, a pair of purple pants with a somewhat coordinating shirt and shoelaces.


Wear a crazy outfit and bake something delicious this weekend. :)

I bookmarked this post by Donald Miller at some point last year, intending to use it... and then forgot about it. But as the new year rolled around, something made me think about it again. I guess it's that feeling of being able to start fresh when January 1 arrives, that desire to improve yourself and your circumstances that doesn't seem to come at any other time of the year. So I was reminded of this question that Miller poses, and really, the number of comments that he receives back is what's intriguing to me. 317 comments of random people writing back in response, posting their own list of "What Ifs".

I think there is a part in all of us that longs to dream. Perhaps that's the draw of New Year's Resolutions. And I think sometimes we dream too small while other times, we are afraid to 'go big'. Eh, you gotta start somewhere. So I made a list of questions for myself, some that are tangible, others that require some serious effort, and a few that are pretty huge for me. But I think asking and thinking about questions like this helps us to live out the story that God intended for our time on earth. Here goes...

• What if I joined a running club?
• What if I took more risks?
• What if the first thing I thought of every morning was not how much I had to do for the day, but instead, how much work the kids on Lake Volta had already done in the early morning hours?
• What if I was captured by Love?
• What if I acted on what I believed and didn’t worry about the details?
• What if I traveled to Ghana twice this year?
• What if I remembered that God is way better at being in control than I am?
• What if I went camping/hiking/exploring more?
• What if I found a good balance between taking on many things at once and taking time to recharge?
• What if there was nothing more important to me than following in the ways of Jesus?
• What if I stopped _________ (watching tv, spending time online, etc...) and lived a good story instead?
• What if I actually became the prayer warrior I’d like to be?
• What if I did one thing everyday that was totally against the way in which the world operates and lives?
• What if I invested in people without boundary or question?
• What if I actually did go climb Long's Peak?
• What if I loved God with all my heart, not all my head?

What if YOU made a "What If" list and started living it out?

Oh, and Happy New Year!

Hold on to your britches... yet another post this weekend, and I'm not done yet. I like the number 4, so be looking for one more after this to come later today. Unheard of, I know!

I have to give full credit to my friend Stacey, for sharing this idea on her blog. She got the idea from another friend, so kudoos to her as well. So many things are passed around online; I get excited when I see something like this. These are the kinds of ideas that ought to be shared, yes? I don't feel bad for jumping on this bandwagon.

So the idea is to pick one verse, every week of the coming year and pray that verse specifically in your life throughout the week. Pray over people in your life, over tough situations, over your own heart, etc. And then see how God uses that Scripture to capture your heart and manifest itself in your life by the end of the week. I gotta say, I think I can keep up with this one and am excited to give it a shot. I don't know that I'll write about it every week, but I'll try to at least post my weekly verse. I do want to be intentional about sharing the verse with whoever it is that I'm praying specifically for. I think that would be really neat. Better than hearing "I'm praying for you" would be "I'm praying this exact thing for you and your life, today and every day this week, because you are on my heart in this way". Pretty awesome. So there you have it.

Verse for this week: Psalm 145:13-14

The Lord is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.
The Lord upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

I've been thinking a lot today about the little moments in a day and thought I'd write a few out...

I got up this morning from a warm bed, where I slept safely and soundly for 9 hours last night.

I walked to the kitchen, ate some toast and put on warm clothes.

I drove in a reliable car out to the lake for a long run.

I ran for over 3 hours on a pair of strong healthy legs (albeit at times a little broken down!) with good lungs and everything else working together properly.

I picked up fresh fruit from the grocery store on my way home, as well as had the money I needed to pay for a prescription that I called in last night.

I came home and enjoyed a long, hot shower with clean water.

I put on another set of warm clothes, and still had so many more choices hanging in the closet.

I cooked a late lunch and rested for a bit.

I was able to pick up a phone and have conversations with good friends.

I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies and got up to mix up the dough without a second thought.

And it was only mid-afternoon.

**********

What did you do today without even thinking twice, that most people don't get to enjoy? How blessed are we?!

It's supposed to get cold here on Sunday. By cold, I only mean a slight chance of a sleet/snow mix, but nothing compared to a 'real' winter. However, I always say, if it's gonna be THAT cold, it better be snowing. And anytime I see snow, it makes we want to hit the slopes.

Today, I have a few random shots from our annual trips to Wolf Creek growing up. DM and I first learned to ski there, and we spent many Spring Breaks tearing up the powder with Mom and Dad. My favorite part of the mountain at Wolf Creek was skiing down below the lift area on the far side of the ski boundary and riding a CAT back to the lift area. Pretty sure the fam got tired of me wanting to take those trails over and over and over! Here Dad and I are riding the CAT.


And then all 4 of us several years after that.


And this is what happens when you get into soft, deep powder. And run up under a tree. All at the same time.



Happy snow weekend!

It does take a bit to load, but check out this awesome interactive website. Sheer brilliance. The 'journey' section is very cool. That is all.