I walked 100 miles in the first month of 2010. Yes, I did a happy dance.
I am also realizing I'm going to have to kick it up a notch now, really start pushing it. (Aside--I killed my turkey I was trying to bake and make sandwich meat with. It's really dry, and I normally make bomb turkeys. Things just aren't right in Rainville....) What was I saying? Oh yes, kicking it up a notch....
Originally I said I was aiming to walk to Oklahoma City by February 14th. Haha. I don't know...109 miles in 2 weeks. But nevertheless, I said it, so I will try. My shin splints seem to have calmed down, so maybe I can really rock it for 2 weeks.
I don't know though, I'm just sayin'....that's a lot of ground to cover!
But I am now comfortable with 4 miles in one stretch, so if I walk the girls back and forth to school, which is 4 miles, and then start in on 5 mile stints during the day or evening sometime, that's 9 miles a day, multiplied by 14 days (2 make up days)....it's doable.
Back to happy dancing...after months of asking the Lord for vision, for direction, for a place and a purpose, I believe I have been given an answer. I love children, I love teaching and art and play, and I love being home with my children. So I am seriously pursuing opening a full time preschool in my own home. I am exploring educational philosophies, curriculum, materials, space design. And I'm excited. I've been filled with passion again. And I can visualize the space my classroom will be in, meetings with parents, the backyard I want to have, the books and tables and blocks and shelving I want to have. I can visualize writing in the quiet moments, the nap times, the early morning hours and late nights. I can visualize bringing great children's books to my class, the parents, and fellow teachers and librarians and preschools as I network. I can visualize bringing tutus into the classroom that I've designed and made myself. It all wraps together in a neat little package.
Yes, I am happy dancing.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Goodbye Texas....
Today I crossed over into Oklahoma!! I'm happy today was the day I did it, because I was feeling a bit discouraged after weighing and measuring and not seeing anything much of a difference, with 1.25 inches lost this week. But I guess better down than up, right? But I did it, I walked my way out of Texas!!
This week I am looking towards that first 100 mile marker!!
I went to a conference today and listened to Anastasia Suen talk about showing versus telling when writing children's books. Of course, I came home revved up to write the greatest children's picture book ever, but decided family came first and took the kids out for a mile walk. So instead of happily floating in writing land with notebook, pen, cards, and images, I listened to my four year old whine about her shoes, her scooter, her bladder, and her mother telling her what to do all the time. And instead of writing the greatest children's book ever, I stood on the sidewalk in the middle of my neighborhood and screamed, "Go!!" and then through clenched teeth, "Do not ever bring that scooter again!"
Not my greatest mommy moment.
This week I was so tired, I slacked in many areas, including *sniff* housecleaning, cooking, and reading my Bible. Ironically, I had just read my friend and Proverbs 31 Woman's editor, Glynnis Whitwer's blog about inertia, and how if you're not moving, you'll continue not moving because of inertia. And vice versa. If you're moving, continuing to move is that much easier. I began the week exhausted and continued the week exhausted, slacking and making excuses.
Not my best week for accomplishments or meeting goals.
I'm so thankful I still have my Daddy's love and that what I do doesn't depend on continual patience or mighty accomplishments, that His love shines through all my mistakes and failures, accepting me just the way I am.
I'm also thankful that tomorrow starts a new week, with fresh opportunities to screw up.
"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
This week I am looking towards that first 100 mile marker!!
I went to a conference today and listened to Anastasia Suen talk about showing versus telling when writing children's books. Of course, I came home revved up to write the greatest children's picture book ever, but decided family came first and took the kids out for a mile walk. So instead of happily floating in writing land with notebook, pen, cards, and images, I listened to my four year old whine about her shoes, her scooter, her bladder, and her mother telling her what to do all the time. And instead of writing the greatest children's book ever, I stood on the sidewalk in the middle of my neighborhood and screamed, "Go!!" and then through clenched teeth, "Do not ever bring that scooter again!"
Not my greatest mommy moment.
This week I was so tired, I slacked in many areas, including *sniff* housecleaning, cooking, and reading my Bible. Ironically, I had just read my friend and Proverbs 31 Woman's editor, Glynnis Whitwer's blog about inertia, and how if you're not moving, you'll continue not moving because of inertia. And vice versa. If you're moving, continuing to move is that much easier. I began the week exhausted and continued the week exhausted, slacking and making excuses.
Not my best week for accomplishments or meeting goals.
I'm so thankful I still have my Daddy's love and that what I do doesn't depend on continual patience or mighty accomplishments, that His love shines through all my mistakes and failures, accepting me just the way I am.
I'm also thankful that tomorrow starts a new week, with fresh opportunities to screw up.
"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Seven Miles to Oklahoma!
Howdy, Gainesville!
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I have come to Gainesville, TX, a smaller town featuring antique shopping, an octagonal courthouse, a historic train station, and a zoo. While reading through various facts about Gainesville, I found the following the most interesting:
Gainesville is home to many Victorian style homes, antique shops, and quaint storefronts. The town is known for its churches, supposedly the site of the first episcopalian church in all of Texas.
Sadly, Gainesville is also where 42 Texans were hanged after a mock trial by the Confederacy on October 1, 1862, to scare them into loyalty.
I am now only 7 miles from the Oklahoma border. :-) The last few days have been really hard. My legs are tired and I am having a lot of front shint pain. After research, I've found it could be my shoes (which I doubt), or weak shin muscles, or the way I drop my foot, or stepping out too far in front of me (overstriding). All I know is I want to cry sometimes when I walk. I've been icing my right leg now when I get done walking and stretching my shins. And I've noticed walking slower doesn't cause it to hurt as much, but walking slower takes longer.....
Pain, pain, go away....
View Larger Map
I have come to Gainesville, TX, a smaller town featuring antique shopping, an octagonal courthouse, a historic train station, and a zoo. While reading through various facts about Gainesville, I found the following the most interesting:
Another flood brought Gainesville into the national spotlight when, on September 21, 1981, the Trinity River flooded much of the town, including the local zoo. The Frank Buck Zoo, named for famed zookeeper Frank Buck, lost more than forty animals that day. The one that garnered the attention and love of the world was Gerry the elephant. Named Gerry II after the zoo's original elephant, Gerry managed to survive the flood, after being swept down river, by hanging on to tree limbs with her trunk for 36 hours. At the worst of the flood, the only part of her body that was not submerged was her trunk. Since the flood Gerry (now known as Sissy) has remained in the spotlight off and on. There was an attempt to breed her at the Fort Worth Zoo in the 1980s, but that didn't work out. In 1997, she crushed a zookeeper against the doorway of her barn enclosure at the Frank Buck zoo. While details around the death are still shrouded in mystery, zoo officials labeled her as a problem animal and shipped her off in the middle of the night to avoid protests from the community that had come to love her over the years. After leaving Gainesville, she was sent to Houston Zoo and then El Paso. She made headlines again when video footage of her arrival at El Paso was leaked to media outlets. The footage showed zookeepers beating Gerry with clubs for over an hour. The zookeepers never really explained why they did what they did to her. Thankfully, Gerry/Sissy was sent to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, where she resides at the present time. Gerry turned 40 on Dec. 1, 2008. (Wikipedia)
Gainesville is home to many Victorian style homes, antique shops, and quaint storefronts. The town is known for its churches, supposedly the site of the first episcopalian church in all of Texas.
Sadly, Gainesville is also where 42 Texans were hanged after a mock trial by the Confederacy on October 1, 1862, to scare them into loyalty.
I am now only 7 miles from the Oklahoma border. :-) The last few days have been really hard. My legs are tired and I am having a lot of front shint pain. After research, I've found it could be my shoes (which I doubt), or weak shin muscles, or the way I drop my foot, or stepping out too far in front of me (overstriding). All I know is I want to cry sometimes when I walk. I've been icing my right leg now when I get done walking and stretching my shins. And I've noticed walking slower doesn't cause it to hurt as much, but walking slower takes longer.....
Pain, pain, go away....
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