See Sarah run. Run, Sarah, run!

Once upon a time I was a college student. I lived on chicken patty sandwiches and canned pineapple all school year, spent most of my time planted in front of a computer or in class, and relaxed by "hanging out" (usually consisting of a bunch of friends sitting in someone's dorm room or a restaurant while eating crappy food).

One summer break I was at my grandparent's place in upstate NY when my younger cousin invited me for a run. I made it up one hill and down the next and almost died. I couldn't get back up once I was on the ground. My aunt had to get me with her car. I crawled into one of the bunk beds at the house and almost withered away with shame. 20 years old and I couldn't jog a 1/4 of a mile. But it was no wonder considering the way I took care of myself.

College came and went. Now here I am a few years later determined to live down the embarrassment of being young and out of shape. This is my second week of running and I hope to be fit enough to run a 5K at the end of June. (Special thanks to Meredith for inspiring me and keeping me accountable; please click on her blog link at the right to read her marathon story).

This is really a balancing process. I'm making up for all that inside, sedentary, philosophy time I spent in college by getting out, running around, looking at the stars, while still nurturing that part of me that likes to think deep and long. I'm learning that going for a jog and knitting, liking science and loving God, being a homebody and enjoying good company are not mutually exclusive.

So despite all the naysayers I'm going to run and I'm going to love it.

Baby

Our Lucy is such a baby! She is all chubbiness and smiles. Lucy can sit up all by herself, eat solid food, and even blows raspberries on our necks. She started clapping a little and says "dadada" and "mumum" and "buh buh buh." You'd think a baby never babbled before the way Alan and I are proud of her when she does that.

I wanted to post some pictures (there are hundreds to choose from, trust me) but my computer is being dumb and won't let me upload pictures or even make hyper links on this blog (any advice Chad?). Hopefully I will have some up soon.

She is napping with her Dad right now; they were both up late last night due to teething pain (Lucy was teething, not Alan). Alan is a good nighttime parent. When I am too tired to think straight Alan is walking around with Lucy, hushing her back to sleep.

We are very sleepy these days and very happy.

We heard many a comment when I was pregnant about how soon we were having a baby, questions like "Was this a planned pregnancy?" from virtual strangers. If I was indignant then, now all I can say is they can stick it where the sun don't shine. Lucy is the greatest little person I've ever met; shame on people who make others (especially new moms) doubt the joy and blessing of being a parent.

Pictures will be up soon, I promise.

Well I whisper in the dark
From the bottom of my heart
And I'm searchin for one star to shine
I will shout from mountain high
And I'll reach into the sky
Til you open up my eyes so blind

Oh but lord no, Don't make it easy
Keep me workin' til I work it on out
Just please, please shine enough light on me
'Til I'm free from this shadow of doubt

-Gary Nicholson


i surrender all
to the promises you made
and i will give it all
to the maker of the day

no one knows your heart
and no one knows your fears
when no one solves the mysteries
or even wipes away the tears

can you hear the sound of laughter
from the other side of life?
there are days when i feel like a stranger sometimes...

-Newsboys

Stargazing II

My nighttime explorations of the sky are getting better each time I gaze. Now I can pick out constellations by the handful, even in the terrible Wilmore sky (the lights from Lexington and the Asbury baseball field ruin the Northern sky). Mars and Saturn are up every night this season, hanging out in Gemini and Leo respectively.

I encourage you all to look up some evening this week. There are a few links on the side bar that can help you orient yourself under the night sky.

Once Alan empties our camera of baby movies I will take and post some new pictures of Lucy. We've been plowing through the semester, learning to be parents, to be better people of faith, keeping our heads up as best we can.

More later. Too tired to write anymore!

Athan's Surgery

Our good friends Amberly and Ryan's little boy Athan is undergoing heart surgery today. Please keep them in your prayers today as Athan jumps one last big hurtle to recovery. We are so proud of this little guy and all he has overcome in the past year.

Please stay posted with what is happening with Athan and his family throughout the day at athansjourney.blogspot.com (sorry, I can't hyperlink things from this computer).

Homemade

I love homemade things, especially now that I'm spending so much time at home. Seriously! Being home all day most days gives me more time to appreciate the quilt from my sister-in-law Tamiko, the paintings from my Grandpa and Stephen. The pillows hand-stitched by my mother-in-law and a good friend's aunt, the scarf from my sister, the diaper bag from Hannah, the hand painted picture frames (also from my Grandpa) and countless crafts from cousins surround me each day and serve as reminders that people care for us.

Right after Christmas -- this Christmas being particularly filled with handmade and thoughtful items-- Alan and I had a discussion about taste. A lot of times we receive gifts outside the usual limits of our tastes. But are our tastes so important, so sacred in their particularities, that we can't allow others to have a hand in shaping them?

I believe allowing a place in our home for the things people make us has opened the door for our tastes to be changed. First off, they weren't so great to begin with! And second of all, just as I'd rather have others enrich my life than be left to my own devices, so I'd rather my home be beautified with the handiwork of others.

Thank you to all who have labored in love on our behalf.

A Nice Day

What a nice day we had yesterday. After Alan finished off a few papers the three of us drove up to the Gap clearance store and spent an hour or so picking through clothes with tears along the seams and shoe prints on the front (which was fun in its own way). Then we ate at Cracker Barrel, a must when traveling a road like I-75, and enjoyed the sunset as we drove home.

Could we have been doing other things? Yes. Was it the most virtuous way to spend the first day of Alan's break? Not exactly. But it was good to buy some needed clothes, to get out of Jessamine County, and be together as a family on a rainy day.