She Runs By Faith

There is just something about running and racing that I love. Maybe it's the energy/nerves combo or the large amount of bananas present at most races or the herds of sweaty people that love to run too. Really, what's not to love? Racing as a family makes it 110 times even more special! Leo, E, and I ran the June Bug 10k together on June 14th. Leo even held my hand crossing the finish; it pretty much made my month :) E worked his little diapered rear off as he slept for most of the 6.2 miles in the stroller. I will be taking it easy on the running for a while as the next race isn't 'til October. I suppose I still run more than the average American though now it is an every-other-day-or-so sort of thing. To switch things up a bit I have been rollerblading with the jogging stroller and biking with the trailer. E really wants his own pair of roller-blades someday. He keeps trying to run away with mine... Rollerblading with the jogging stroller is the next best thing...

Recently I won the book, Pulling Back the Shades: Erotica, Intimacy, and the Longings of a Woman's Heart , in a giveaway on Faith's blog, "Life of Faith" . I was excited to read a book by Dr. Juli Slattery because I had heard her on Focus on the Family though I wasn't sure if the subject matter would be very relate-able for me. After finishing the book, I found that this can speak into the lives of all women, whether you struggle with sexual sin or not. Pulling Back the Shades opened my eyes to how destructive the Fifty Shades of Grey series is and how vital it is for us to guard our hearts and minds from Satan's deception. It broke my heart when I read the statistic that of all American adults who read the Fifty Shades series, 1 in 5 are Christian women . This isn't something I can write off because it's not "my battle". Erotica and other immorality are destroying the integrity of God's people, our brothers and sisters, from the in...

The June Bug 10k on Saturday was a blast! Slightly miserable for a short stretch that consisted of gravel and wind gusts but fun overall. Leo decided to run at the last minute so this was our first "family race". E and I placed 1st in the stroller division and 2nd for women overall. Per my watch, we finished in 48:17 for a 7:47/mile average pace. What that doesn't tell you is that we started out at a ~7:07/mile pace, which is too fast for me and the amount of "training" I've done lately! I paid for it when we hit the gravel/wind hit and I had to walk a few strides. That will teach me to start out too fast! (no, probably not) After the race they served baked potatoes with chili... so good! Then we made a quick coffee stop and headed to a birthday party. It was a great day! I will write up a race report after the final results come in :) We have been enjoying some beautiful summer weather lately. E and I went to the county park this morning ...

Life just doesn't make sense sometimes. On Monday, E and I went to a birthday party and a visitation. The party was to celebrate my great grandma's 95th birthday and the visitation was to say goodbye to my cousin's sweet baby girl who went to be with the Lord at only 17 months old. Such a stark difference between the two. With sweet baby girl, it's natural to ask why she had to leave us so young. In my great grandma's case, she wonders why she is still here. A lot of "Why?" questions have been floating around my mind lately. I feel like there are no specific answers to my questions, though they always come back to this definite truth --> God is sovereign . He is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, and all-loving. His ways are beyond my understanding. This doxology from Romans 11 says it best: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known th...