Chicago 2013, Baby!

Why am I posting this video?? (Besides the fact that it's pretty darn cool!)

Because I just signed up to run the 2013 Chicago Marathon with Team in Training!

AHHHHHHHHH! (That's a scared scream, but also an exhilarated one!) Both for the training and the fundraising.

But I know I can do it, and I WANT to do it! Yes!!!!!

you have to think this is funny

Oh my gosh...soooooo funny. There is a reason this has been all over the Interwebs.

the fighter

For many reasons, this song seems to define my life right now.  Plus I wanted to write a new post so that anyone who comes to my page would see something new at the top of it!

This is a great motivational song for a dragging workout, by the way!

considering a challenge

I clearly haven't been very successful in the past with keeping up when I say I'm going to do a series of blog posts or any kind of daily effort. Yet, I'm considering a challenge.

I wonder what it would be like to write here about my relationship with money and spending. I think that I overdo it, quite simply. It's one of the areas in my life where I have shame. It could definitely be worse (if I have more expendable income or higher credit limits!), but I think at this point it's bad enough. When I have extra money to spend, I do spend it. And then I feel yucky, and I look at all the stuff that surrounds me and I don't like it. It's actually simple, in terms of being able to connect a yucky feeling to overspending/overconsuming.

This has been a rough year, with my dad's death and some other unbloggable crud of life. It's also been a rewarding year, as I've gotten myself in running shape and I've achieved the goal of running a half-marathon and am staying with the fitness and weight loss journey.

The main goal I have for 2013 is to be free of credit card debt. Yes, ultimately, being free of all debt would be a good goal to have, but for 2013 I'm just trying to tackle credit card debt.

I hope I can write pretty honestly here about my thought process in wishing I could buy something and choosing not to, or refraining from doing an expensive activity in favor of saving my funds. Even just the focus and more public way of addressing it will probably be helpful.

I also just found this site: http://andthenwesaved.com and it looks helpful. I don't know that I will do the Spending Fast because it intimidates me and I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. It seems like it would completely max out my willpower and leave me a bit bereft. Just the planning for it seems overwhelming. But maybe once I get a bit further out from the brain drain of the Christmas season, I will have some more energy for it.

Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about...I hope by even putting the intention out here in a more public way that it will help me to stay more accountable than I would have if I'd just kept the idea in my mind....I guess we'll see!

the struggler, not the expert

These lines from Kristin Armstrong's recent Mile Markers article really resonated with me.  This is basically the whole "never perfect, always real" philosophy in one great paragraph.  It's how I feel about ministry (when I give sermons), Christianity and faith, parenting, everything.

The things I write about are the things that I am passionate about, interested in, and fighting for in my life.  I do not write about these subjects because I think I am an expert, I write about them because I struggle.  I write about authenticity because I know what it is to be disingenuous.  I write about integrity because I know disgrace (and grace).  I write about courage because I know what it is to be weak.  I write about the power of trying, because I want to be okay with failing.  I write about generosity because I battle selfishness.  I write about joy because I know sorrow.  I write about faith because I almost lost mine, and I know what it is to be broken and in need of redemption. I write about gratitude because I am thankful - for all of it.

we run for life

why I ran