Some musings from this week. Some are 'old news', others are recent insights. I continue to learn...

1. Coffee houses. This afternoon I had the pleasure of discovering a new coffee hangout with an old friend. Crooked Tree Coffeehouse is nestled in the middle of an Uptown neighborhood. In fact, it's actually a small little house that's been renovated into a 30-occupancy coffee shop, complete with live music on Friday nights. Very cool. Because most of my local buddies aren't big coffee drinkers, I forget how much I enjoy these little havens. And so, I've decided to make it a priority to explore all the coffee nooks and crannies that Dallas has to offer. I mean, how have I lived here for 3 years and only know about the Starbucks across the street that I refuse to frequent? No more, I say!

2. Plan events/get-togethers/small escapes that you can look forward to. An essential. For me this may include a road race, catching up with a friend, a park outing, a trip to the library, etc. Just something to look forward to each week. Whether it be needed quiet time or a social excursion, time away is always blessed and renewing.

3. Shopping for jeans is brutal. Absolutely brutal. Dear Maker O' Jeans: Let me now declare, I will never give in to the "skinny jeans". If I wanted to look like a stork, I'd at least find a more comfortable way to do so than wearing tight denim. All I'm sayin' is, bring back the bootcut... without the rhinestones. If I wanted to have decorated jeans decked out in gems and silver studs, I'd ask the girl that lives below us to share a pair. She's 10. While we're at it, can we work on a universal sizing system? I don't have time to try on a range of 4 different sizes in each style to find a pair in your store that may or may not fit, just to repeat the experience at the next store. That is all.

4. Good friends cannot be beat. Obvious, right? But I have to say, I love those little moments after a good conversation when you just can't help but be grateful for people to share life with. I continue to be reminded of the goodness of God and his wisdom in blessing us with each other. Kudoos to the man upstairs.

5. On working out... Granted some time off since Houston has been warranted. But only running 4-5 times in 3 weeks is a bit extreme for me. And granted life has been a bit hectic lately, but I've decided that I'm much more sane/happy/relaxed when I get my daily workout in. Here's to getting it together and getting up on time.

6. Speak up... with discretion of course. I was told this week "don't be quiet, speak up"! (To which I thought, is that what you really want? Cause you may get more than you bargained for!) But there's merit there too. Often we are silent cause it's easier or more comfortable, but then there are those moments in which we wish we had said what we were feeling at the time or voiced our opinion louder. Pick and choose, but more often than not, don't be afraid to be honest and use the voice box.

7. It's good to get LOST at times. If you don't know that LOST kicked off its final season this week, shameful. Immerge from the hole/cave you've been living in. I have to say, it was pretty fantastic. 3 hours Tuesday night made for a long day, but it was worth it. Here's to raising more questions than are possibly answerable. Hmmm.... sounds a lot like life. But, who knows, maybe we will find out what happened to Claire. And maybe Juliet will come back from the dead... again.

8. Cooking/baking makes life a lil bit better. It all began last weekend with homemade elk lasagna and cheesy potato soup. I'm on a cooking spree, and I kinda like it. Muffins this morning, salad concoction with black beans and corn tonight, and I've been on the hunt for new recipes to try. And I may or may not have made brownies tonight...

9 & 10. Sometimes you have to endure the 'not so pleasant' in order to reach the 'oh so pleasant'. There is a point when you just gotta suck it up and endure, but there's also a point in which you hit a dead end and need to move on. Fine line and a balance that I am currently working on.

BUT, Life is way too short to not do what you love. I have been keenly reminded of this truth in the last few days and have spent a lot of time thinking about it. With no conclusion of course, but at least it's a start. I had this moment earlier in the week in which I thought 'this is working, this is finally falling into place', just to be blindsided the following morning. (Way to keep a person on their toes... you got me good!) However, in the midst of the minor turmoil, I found myself again pondering the fact that I need to be doing/working towards the things that I love, those passions and dreams that always slip back under the rug in the day to day hum of life. And so, what is it that I've temporarily lost sight of and need to be doing with my life right now? Hmmm...

Last weekend, a great event took place in Apartment #2227. Now lining our hallway is a huge world map that I have been intending to hang for quite some time (say... before Christmas!), and I finally got it up! Took an arduous trek to Mapsco to acquire map pins and came home with stickers instead, but there are now hundreds of dots all over the map marking places I've been and places I'd like to go. Amber and Rachel joined in as well, so we have a lot of traveling to do to say the least! Thank you, M, for the map!





Next stop (outside the US)? Ghana, West Africa!!!

Well, it's been a wild week. Lots of crazy work days, but the long hours were redeemed by getting off a little early today and having some time to regroup and catch up on life. Several posts are in the works, but nothing is complete yet. Check back in a few days, and we'll see if I can come up with anything worthwhile to share.

For now, here's a cool article I just came across in Runner's World:

Editor's Note: After nearly 14 years at Runner's World, John Bingham—perhaps better known as "the Penguin"—has decided to move on. We're grateful for all he's done for RW, and we salute him for inspiring countless runners. John personifies the idea that people can change their lives through running. We wish him the very best in his new endeavors. Below is the final "No Need For Speed" column John wrote for Runner's World.

I am not a physicist. I am a writer, runner, and recovering bass trombonist. But that doesn't stop me from thinking that I understand physics. I've read about a concept called "The Butterfly Effect." The definition goes something like this: Small variations of the initial condition of a dynamic system may produce large variations in the long-term behavior of the system. It suggests that a butterfly flapping its wings in Hong Kong can eventually affect the weather in Kansas. Cool, huh?

It got me thinking about how small variations or changes in our lives can have unexpected long-term effects. I used to be an overweight smoker who didn't exercise, but small decisions over the years—like going for that very first run—have produced large variations in my long-term behavior, helping me become the 45-time marathoner I am today.

That transformation didn't happen overnight. It didn't happen after one run, though many of us expect just that. We think that every run needs to produce some immediate benefit. Whether it's supposed to make us faster or build our endurance, the effects of today's run are supposed to take effect, well, today.

I think that's why many of us like to sprint the last quarter mile of our daily run. We like the feeling that comes from a hard effort. It feels like we're accomplishing something. (By the way, that final sprint at the end of a run is a good way to pull a hamstring. Trust me on this.)

What I didn't know then was that there is a Butterfly Effect in running. It isn't the grand gestures and epic achievements that make us runners. Sure, running for 30 minutes nonstop is great. Qualifying for Boston is great. But that's not ultimately what makes you a runner.

It's the little things we do every day adding up over time that matter. It's not just running one morning; it's getting up morning after morning and running. It's not just eating better at one meal; it's making better decisions at every meal. It's the small decisions we make almost without thinking that make us runners.

The lesson from today's run may not be important right away. Learning you're more comfortable wearing a long-sleeve shirt even when it's not that cold out may lead to the best race of your life years later. Learning that you shouldn't have eaten the Firebrand Salsa on your nachos the night before a long run may mean a marathon PR somewhere down the road.

It may be a function of aging, or it may be a function of maturing as a runner, but knowing I don't have to squeeze significance out of today's run has made running much more satisfying. Today's run might just be a run. I take it in as a point of data on an elaborate matrix. I don't try to assign a meaning to it. I have faith that somewhere, sometime, it will matter.

I run now with enormous confidence that I am doing something good for myself. I run understanding that I may never know where the winds of some running epiphany started. And I run understanding that not understanding is all right.

This will be my final new column for Runner's World. I'm not retiring, just moving on. I'd like to thank Amby Burfoot for giving me the first opportunity to write and David Willey for continuing that vision. I'd like to thank a series of wonderful editors for giving life to my words. Finally, I'd like to thank each of you for the privilege of entering your lives each month. You have given me a gift that I can never repay.

Waddle on, friends. Forever.

And so, marathon #4 is in the books. Houston certainly exceeded my expectations, as far as the course, organization, and spectators go. And though I always harp on wanting a flat course to run, it really does make a huge difference physically and mentally for those of us who are “hill-challenged”. Here's the brief rundown and a few pics:

...with Mom and Rachel before the start...

Mom flew down for the weekend on Friday night, and she and Rachel and I headed for Houston on Saturday morning. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Expo picking up my race packet, driving a bit of the course, and on to the hotel to check in. We were certainly out of our element with the valet parking, complimentary hot chocolate chip cookies and really nice everything! Met up with the Fields and the Montoyas at Spaghetti Warehouse for an early dinner and really enjoyed getting to do that.

MP Team: Ray, Chris, Jeremy and I

5 AM came early, and we walked to the start area (woohoo!), meeting up with Chris, Jeremy, and Ray. The Convention Center was packed with people. 26,000 runners plus friends and family. Quite the madhouse! It was really awesome to have friends to start the race with, even though we ended up finishing a good hour apart.

heading to the start...

lots o people...

talking to DM on the phone right before the gun...

and we're off!

While I would like to say I ran an awesome race, reality is... not so much. After being sick, I knew there wasn't a prayer for a decent time, so I just did what I could to chill and finish the course. It was a good experience though. Mom and Rachel drove around and saw me at 4 different spots along the way, which was so encouraging. The weekend was much more about spending time with friends, remembering MP while we ran, and learning to relax and enjoy the time. For that reason, I decided towards the end to ditch my chip and left it in a trash bag somewhere between miles 23-24. Ha! I decided I didn't want my day to be defined by splits and times, but rather by good company, good causes, and good memories. And it certainly was that!

cruisin'...

some top-notch spectators along the way...

downhill from here...

homestretch...

done!

However, January 30, 2011: Houston and I have some unfinished business. :)

Well, good thing my list of "resolutions" didn't include updating my blog more. Pretty sure I would already be a failure. So for you 5 readers out there, here's what I've been up to the last few weeks...

*Convo Cafe: We kicked off new groups for our Wednesday night reading. This time around my crew is meeting at Wendy's. We're reading the "companion" to Same Kind of Different as Me, What Difference Do It Make?. So far, really enjoyable reading and a good discussion group. I think it's gonna be a great mid-week blessing.

*Blind Side: Somehow Amber ended up scoring 6 free tickets to Studio Movie Grill so we went with some friends to see The Blind Side. So good. See it if you haven't. SMG was fun too; I'd never been to one before. For those of you who live in the sticks, it's basically a theater and restaurant combined. You sit at a bar/table area in the theater, punch a button when you want to order, and have a waiter come around to you. Pretty cool. Great chocolate milkshakes.

*Work: I'm back out at Vertis for awhile. Call me crazy, and you would be right, but it's been pretty interesting so far. I'm on a team that's solely dedicated to a golf client and have been producing advertisements/brochures/massive catalogs on a very short turn schedule. Looks like I'll be living and breathing R9 Drivers, Sabertooth putters, and The Shark for a bit of time.

*Sick: Since I am the queen of bad timing, I came down with a "little bug" a week before Houston. Looking back now, I'm pretty sure I had a strain of Swine/Dog/Rat Flu. It was a pretty rough week of not much sleep and lots of crackers, Gatorade, and Pedialite. That's right, Emmerson shared her Pedialite with me. Grape flavor. Anyway, I came out on the other side a week later and found myself headed down 45 on the way to the Houston Marathon. Whew...

Well, friends, it’s been a wild last year when I think about it. I'm sure you each could say the same. Lots of ups and downs, lots of new experiences, lots of growth, lots of things to consider for the future. Makes me wonder what 2010 holds. I mean, who knew in the last year that I would... run a marathon with DonMark and sign up for another 6 months in advance, welcome little Emme and watch her go from a few scary weeks at Cook’s to a healthy, happy baby, see Wyatt turn 3, camp and run an adventure race in the snow, see 3 close friends get married, get laid off, work at a tile company, a beauty supply company, and then back at the place that laid me off to begin with, be apart of a new church with new friends to journey through life with, move apartments, welcome new little ones to the world and say goodbye to others, help the Mercy Project with some design work and watch it take off, confirm a trip to Ghana this summer, run with a team from Dallas to Houston with some really amazing people, welcome my parents to the world of Mac, and the list goes on and on. SO MUCH can happen in a year! And these are good things, huge blessings from the Lord. I know I get really caught up in the day-to-day and forget the big picture, but when you start looking back at where you’ve been, wow. God is good. I greatly anticipate the year to come and hope you do as well.

So an attempt at “resolutions”, although again, I think they’re overrated…

1. Work on my Spanish. Speaking, that is. Apparently I can read it well enough to put together a 40-pg legal document, but that’s another story!
2. Lifestyle running. A wise person has informed me that one big race a year isn’t going to get me the marathon PR that I’d like. I need to develop the training process year-round. (Duh. Why didn’t I think of this before?) SO, more races, varied training, and teaching myself to work hard even when I’m not “in training” for a big race.
3. Cook more. I learned from the best; why not use those skills a little more?
4. Be intentional and meaningful. Broad, but to me it means using my time to further relationships with others in a way that truly makes a difference. It means thinking about and focusing on things that will impact lives and further the Kingdom.
5. Recluse less. I have this tendency to become a recluse at times. I mean, let’s face it, sometimes it’s a lot more appealing to throw on a sweatshirt and grab a good book on Friday nights. Not always a bad thing, but since I haven’t officially moved to Colorado to become a hermit (yet), I should probably be more social.
6. Learn to swing dance. That’s right. It’s time to hit the dance floor.
7. Paint more. I have two paintings mapped out in my mind right now and would like to actually get them finished. I even have all the materials ready to go for the first one, just need the motivation to get started.
8. Learn more about design. I’d like to keep up better with the world of Pantones and Helveticas, and start dabbling in web. I want to ad to my library of reference materials and explore artists more than I have since being out of school.
9. Camera. I am determined to acquire my camera this year. Simple as that.
10. Mercy Project. Ghana trip. And exploring whatever all of that may mean for the future.
11. Find time for numbers 1-10.

What's on your list?

Happy New Year!