Birthday Blizzard

Snow days are so weird - and fun. They don't feel like a Saturday...but they don't feel like week days...And in this snow, there's not really much you can do in the way of playing in it, at least until it stops actually blizzard-ing out there. Nathan suggests that we walk to Quik Trip (1.25 miles away). I asked him why, and  he said,"To get stuff." Not motivation enough for me. Its probably not a good sign that I'm already feeling sort of cabin feverish...we're less than 24 hours in....

I have been texting my little sister who just told me that my brother wanted pizza so badly, that he set out walking to the nearest convenience store - BJ's - about a mile and a half from my parent's house. Well no one heard from him for awhile so my mom called BJ's and asked if he had gotten there yet. They said he had just gotten there. He left like an hour and a half before. My sister was telling me this, and said that no one in their right mind would be out in this weather...and thats when I said,"This is why Joel is out in this weather." If you knew Joel, you would know what I mean. He's CRAZY! (Not literally, because talking about him being crazy if he actually was, would be mean. He's just irrational - haha). Hope he got his pizza. I told her to text me when he got home - she hasn't texted me yet. Its sad that I am relying on her text to provide some excited in this day. That, and The Biggest Loser, tonight. But thats still 2 hours away.

Found out about an hour ago that we don't have school tomorrow either - huge surprise there. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to go outside and play in the snow. So much for running at all this week. I don't even think I could get to the gymn at The Greens to use the treadmill. Gosh. Yesterday I got a pretty good one in - 3 mi. That'll have to last me for the week. Alright, I'm done here.

P.S. Joel just got home. He got his pizza!

Nathan really likes peanut butter twix. So whenever he gets one he eats both of the pieces and then blows up the wrapper and gives it to me, trying to make me thing he's going to let me have one. I know him so much better than that. Firstly, I know how serious he is about twix...Secondly, he isn't by nature a share-er when it comes to food. Like when I always ask him to split something with me, he has to have his own. So I didn't fall for his twix trick today and he was like, "Grace one of these days I'm gonna get you a twix, and you're going to slap it away but its gonna be real. I'll be the boy who cried twix." Ah...I just love him.

Here's another Nathan story. (I'm in love with him). The other day I got home before Nathan did so I sat in "his" chair, because its super cushy. Well, there's an ottoman (sp?) in front of it, so you can't really sit directly in it. Long story short...I ended up falling off of the ottoman, into the chair. I heard a loud noise. I have broken Nathan's Chair. I so debated not telling him..because if you fixed the cushion just right, you really couldn't tell...until you sat in it. He got home and he was in such a good mood and we were going to some friends' house to watch The Bachelor, so I decided to wait until after we got home. He was glad that I told him. I told him that I almost didn't. It was like when you confess something to your parents before they find out on their own and then your punishment isn't as bad. Obviously, I wouldn't have been in trouble with Nathan, but he definitely wasn't as mad as he would have been. And since he's a super awesome human - he was able to fix this tremendously hard to fix chair and is now sitting in it happily. James Taylor's "Handyman" comes to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzW1LEY125s . He's handy with love, and he's no fool...Also, he can just fix anything. For real.

Today while I was running a 8 yr. old shot me with an airsoft gun. I was at mile 4.5 and I was on a ROLE. So I see the kid and he sees me. He comes out into the street and starts running beside me. I could see it in his eyes - he was so aiming at me. Then, BAM! Right in the hip. Pretty ballsie. He then ran away rather swiftly as I yelled after him "I know where you live!!!" I SO do. He's gonna regret that decision...

Tomorrow is Friday - ra ding ding dip a doo! (Andy Bernard).

Grace

la la la la la la life is wonderful

Stayed home sick today. Went to the Dr. and he said I have a pretty bad sinus infection. Good news is that I found 5 bucks on the way to the doctor's office. Niiiiice. So I got some Panera while I was waiting on my prescription. Well I went to Target to get my prescription and I came out with that - and two new pairs of shoes. Here's my favorite...

Yeah, I pretty much love these.

Also went for a run this morning. Wasn't too sure how that was gonna go because I can't go 2 minutes without a coughing fit, but I actually felt better while running than I did before or after. Plus it was a gorgeous day, so I ran outside. Pretty wonderful. It felt SO GOOD to not be on a treadmill. I can run so much faster! And I did. 34 minute 5K today, which isn't a big deal for most people, but is pretty much a time I have only ever run when accompanied with race-day adrenaline. To offer a bit of perspective, I've been running a 5K in training in 37 or 38 pretty consistantly. So I'm a proud runner today.

I'm also now a proud member of Owasso's running group "King of the Road." Its a facebook group where invited runners can go to log their miles every day. At the end of the week the group admin adds up everyone's miles and the runner with the most mileage gets to have the "trophy", which is an actual piece of the road (a hunk of asphault about the side of a dinner plate) for the week. You wouldn't believe how motivating it is. I want that piece of road so bad!

Confession: Today (and not just today) made me realize how very very much I would enjoy being a stay-at-home mom. I adore my job. But I REALLY adore getting things done around my apartment, running erands when there aren't 5 million people at the store, running when its light outside, and TAKING MY TIME with all of it. There's a time and place for every season of life, and I know I'm not there yet. Also when I'm actually a stay-at-home mom, my day wouldn't be as blissful as today was because I am not, in fact, a mom. Kids would make a huge difference. But a good one. Ohhhhh, a girl can dream! And that is my dream, at least for now. I know plenty of people who are "the grass is greener" kind of people, and when they're a stay-at-home mom they wish they could go back to work...but when they're at work, they wish they could stay home. Well, we shall see! This is a long way off for us....

Tomorrow its back to school. I'm watching Heidi after work so I've gotta get my run in before school. Back to running in the dark, I guess. Oh, BTW I know I said that this blog was also going to chronicle my progress with "The List: 2011." It will do that - but I haven't really gotten started except for half-marathon training. More to come about the list SOON! Promise.

Grace

Snow day...snow day...(like from that commercial @ Christmas time)

Nathan and I on our snow day, playing with the Reeds in the snow.

St. Mary's playground, the view from my window at work.

What a lovely snow day we had yesterday. Since I'm a new teacher, even though I had been told how the alert system works for calling off school, I didn't sleep well because I was worried about it. So I woke up to my alarm at 6 AM yesterday morning, cursing the day because I hadn't gotten a call cancelling school. Well I normally don't check facebook first thing in the morning...but I was having a hard time waking up and I thought it might help with getting my juices flowing. Well the first thing I see when I get on facebook is the status of one of my co-workers saying, "SNOW DAY! SNOW DAY! SNOW DAY!" Long story short...I very nearly made my 40 minute commute on a snow day because our school's alert system didn't call me. On days like this I think facebook is very useful.

Alas, we DID have school today - which I am totally ok with. Fridays at St. Mary's are my "easy" days. I do Mass (at the beginning of the week I choose all the Mass music and choose cantors to lead the congregation, then stand up there with them and sing at Friday morning mass) and teach kindergarten in the morning. Then I get the afternoon to plan for the next week - no classes. Its pretty nice, I have to admit it makes looking forward to Fridays even better for me than most. Tonight is the St. Mary's Faculty Appreciation party. Its where all the teachers get to bring their husbands/wives, and in true Catholic form, participate in cocktail hour (with real cocktails) and dinner with an open bar. Gee-miny Christmas. Such a foreign concept to me! But hey, I'll take it. After dinner there is supposed to be dancing and carousing of many kinds. This is my first time to go, but I have heard that last year one of the priests broke his thumb doing the worm, and a teacher threw out her back getting down with her bad self. So I fully expect that this will be a night to remember. Nathan and I are pretty jazzed about it.

Tomorrow night my old highschool friends that I haven't hung out with in ages are getting together for a "reunion" and reenactment of our high school years. We'll probably watch "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton" 2 or 3 times, play board games, eat junk food, and talk about our actual weddings as opposed to dreaming about them like we used to. So much has changed. Out of the 6 of us, 3 of us are married, one divorced, one engaged, and 2 have children. Its been 3 years since we've been able to get everyone together. I've been looking forward to it for 2 weeks. It will be interesting and fun to see how everyone is the same, yet different. And if we'll all be as kindred of spirits as we once thought we were.

If there's one thing I've learned as I've "grown up," its that most things come full circle. The things that are important to you when you're small, become important again when you grow up. The people who were there with you from the start will be there with you when you take your dying breath. And all of the things in between prove to you why those people, and those things mean so much.

The List: Spring 2011

Two years ago, in January of 2009, I decided to make a list. The things on the list were things that I had always wanted to do - some that I would have to learn how to do, some that would take lots of work and dedication, and some that were easy, but fun, and some that were selfless acts. I gave myself until May to complete it. Making and completing the items on that list changed my life forever. So much so that I made another list for that summer and completed that one too. I haven't made another one since that year. Today I was reading my journaling of those experiences and rememebering what a profound impact those lists had on my life. So I'm doing it again. Here is my new list:

The List: Spring 2011

1. Run a half marathon

2. Learn how to play the guitar for real

3. Build up piano repetoire with the time I usually spend of facebook

4. Become a friend to someone I don't like

5. See a shooting star

6. Go to an art show

7. Visit a museum

8. Explore Tulsa - go to all the places I've always heard about and have wanted to go, but never have. Or places I have gone, but love, and would like to go again....and EXPERIENCE THEM!

List of those places (with room to add more): Ida Red, Purple glaze, the famous mansions, etc.

9. Make a photo collage of my life

10. Read books of all kinds: Biographies, Documentaries, Guides, Non-fiction, Classics, Novels, etc.

11. Meditate in silence for one hour at serene location of my choice

12. Purchase something "vintage"

13. Go running in the Utica neighborhoods

14. Make a promise that's hard to keep, and keep it.

15. Be unneccesarily kind to people, if there's even such a thing...

16. Try a food that I don't think I like, but have never tried.

17. Memorize a passage of scripture

18. Go camping!

19. Cook a gormet meal from scratch

20. Spend an entire day with my sisters

There you have it. The following blogs will journal my experiences completing the items on the list and any other nonsense I decide to include along the way. Here's hoping it all gets done!

Grace

My new life

Well, hello friends! Its been awhile, its been awhile. Since I last posted:

1. Nathan and I are now married people! It was such a wonderful day, and I am so blessed to be married to such an amazing man. The last 4 1/2 months have been incredible. Setting up our lives together is even more awesome that I had anticipated. I have always heard people say that they love their spouse more now than when they got married, and on my wedding day I honestly didn't see how I could love him more - but its true, I do! So so blessed by our marriage, and the thought of our future!

2. I am an official graduate of The University of Tulsa - with a degree in Vocal Music Education, with Piano emphasis! I have learned so much and made life-long friendships at TU. I met my husband there, learned how to be a teacher there, and I gained a wealth of knowledge about myself. I know that I am a completely different person as a TU graduate than I was before I started there. I am proud to call TU my Alma Mater!

3. I am now a certified and EMPLOYED music teacher at School of Saint Mary's in Tulsa! Of all of the blessings God has lavished on me, this might be the one I am most thankful for and aware of daily. Let me tell you, I work with some of the most caring, kind, and compassionate people I have ever met. My students are wonderful, loving and bright. I am able to speak the name of Christ freely in my work place. Blessed beyond measure, thats what I am.

4. Still running - still pressing on. Its been a year and 10 months since I very first started running. Since then, I've run 11 races. I can honestly say that running has provided me with so many rewarding and fulfilling experiences. Along with running, I have added biking and rollerblading to my exercising routine - as well as eliptocal and weight training. Its nice to change it up every couple of days - and I LOVE being outside all the time!

5. Nathan and I are to blessed to be a part of the new satellite campus of our church (First Christian Church of Owasso) - FCC Stone Canyon. Nathan is one of the amazing worship leaders there, and I work with the children and the "first touch" ministries. We both still sing at the North Garnett campus of our church as well. It keeps up pretty busy, but it is so special to be a part of a church who has a heart for seeing people come to Christ, loving them through their sin and struggles, and seeing them find redemption.

Thats it for now. Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Grace

Countdowns

I think I'll start blogging again. Its been a busy couple of months. Nathan and I have almost everything planned for our wedding and we get more excited as each day passes. We're starting marriage counseling soon. Should be fun and probably suffieciently awkward - its all good!

There are a lot of countdowns in my life right now. For the month of March - Spring Break in NYC (Carnegie Hall!). So excited about this. You have no idea. For April - Spring Fever Triathalon! I have mixed feelings of anxiety, anticipation, excitement and terror about this one. We'll see how that goes. The feeling of perpetual soreness has returned and, I have to say, it feels amazing. For May - MY COLLEGE GRADUATION! 5 yrs. is such a long long time to be in school. I'm definitely ready to move on to the next part of my life. And for June - I just happen to be marrying my very best friend in the whole world. I can't even believe it some days. I am so very blessed.

All of these things cause me equal amounts of excitement and nervousness. This is a really big time for me. I'm so busy most days I don't even stop to think about it. I'm stopping and thinking about it now, and I like it a lot.

What a wonderful year. I love my life.