flannels and flapjacks

check old #28 off the list...i ran a race with liz. and i was less in shape for this business than for the warrior dash.

this was a 5k at college wesleyan church...we ran 3.1 miles in our flannel shirts...and then they fed us pancakes. not bad. ok, i thought it was rough. old injuries were flaring up all over the place. but liz was a rockstar and encouraged me to not be a little baby about it.

so we made it through, didn't get hit by any cars, and will be sore for days. boy, getting old is fun.

picture this: heroes...

every time i walk by this banner, i think about saving cheerleaders...

the wigger house cast of characters

so i have mentioned a few times how i live in the wigger house with some randos. and some of you loyal readers don't have any idea what or who that means. at long last, here is the explanation:

last year, i lived with uncle jon and aunt betty. and fritz, of course. (who could forget about fritz?!) and i met some cool people in grad school. and four of them got a house together this year on wigger street. yeah, that's a place. well, one of the cool people had to leave for financial reasons, so the other girls asked if i would like to move in.

i realize that me moving where MORE people are is a strange concept, but you might also remember that community has been an important focus for my time here in marion. so having the opportunity to live with some friends--and live just off campus--was a cool thought. i prayed about it and decided to jump in. thus, the day after i ran the warrior dash, i moved my worldly possessions from lantern lane to good old wigger street.

and here are the jokers i live with:

kelsie

kels did her undergrad at taylor and is getting her masters here at iwu in clinical mental health counseling. her boyfriend, ben, is cool [because he is getting his masters in student development at taylor] and hangs out with us sometimes. kelsie is a missionary kid, has a terrible sense of direction, is an extrovert, and wears her snuggie backwards. she unintentionally says funny stuff all the time, and we really ought to have a quote board just for her. my favorite thing about kelsie is her gentle spirit.

megan

megan did her undergrad at capital university and is getting her masters here at iwu in clinical mental health counseling. she has a niece and nephew who are super cute. megs has a twin sister, loves glee, is an introvert, and eats a lot of macaroni and cheese. she is easily amused and laughs often. my favorite thing about megan is her excitement over small stuff.

liz

elizabeth ann is one of my best friends. she did her undergrad at iwu and is getting her masters here in clinical mental health counseling (have you noticed a theme in this house?). liz is a basketball superstar, loves going for walks, is an extrovert, and drinks more water than anyone i know (except travis). she has her own language and is hilarious and weird. my favorite thing about liz is how she relates to people in a very intentional, focused way.

all of us like hugs and watching cool shows like the big bang theory and the amazing race. we play lots of monopoly deal, eat kind of a sick amount of brownies, and make bonfires. i love living in this house. these women challenge, encourage, and love me well.

impressions...

i realize some of you do not know what i have been thinking about regarding my future. that could be because i have not really talked about it. so...these are the thoughts that have been rolling around in my head:

go somewhere to do a doctorate program.

go somewhere (some campus) for a job.

stay in marion for a year or so to work and hang out in the wigger house.

etc.

during my time of solitude this weekend, i read a verse that i loved:

my heart has heard you say, 'come and talk with me.' and my heart responds, 'Lord, i am coming.' psalm 27:8

i should note that i was not processing about my future at all when i read this. i just loved it and wrote it down. and then [because i was drinking a million pots of tea] i went to the bathroom. and in the ten feet or so between the bed and the bathroom, i was struck with a very strong impression about my next year.

this is straight out of my journal:

i am going somewhere new. alone. where my faith will be challenged, where people are desperate for Jesus, though they do not know it. where i will build authentic, vulnerable community that chases hard after truth and life-change. God is about to shake my life hard; he is going to require much of me. and the time i have in marion is meant to prepare me for this next step. it will be hard; it will be uncomfortable; it will require great faith.

---

so i'd love if you would start praying over those words...start praying for this time right now, where i am being prepared and equipped to be sent out...start praying for my protection...start praying for what's ahead in my life. thanks. :)

kapow! look at all these blog posts!

don't get too excited, but i am posting again. true story. but today's post will be brief anyway.

one of the things i did while i was gone this weekend was write and think and whatnot. and i wrote a poem. you can read it here: solitude.

(in case you didn't see it last week, i wrote a poem--read it here: wednesday--and solitude is sort of its answer.)

a weekend away...

you may have noticed a sudden decrease in my blog posts. the primary reason was the craziness that is my second-to-last semester of grad school. but beyond that, i have just been tired.

i am an introvert. i need alone time.

but i am also a grad student who lives in a house with three women, has two grad assistant positions, leads a breakout group of seventeen transfer students, and has an internship with twenty-nine honors college freshmen. i do not get much alone time.

there have been many cool things going on this semester. but also a lot of heavy things. that is what happens when you are immersed in community. that is what happens when you are in relationship with flawed, hurting people.

in an unprecedented way, i have felt the weight. it has pressed down on me.

i had to get away. i needed rest. i needed solitude.

so i made plans to spend the weekend alone. and then i actually went. and it was wonderful.

day/night one:

i shut my phone off. i put my sweatpants on and made many pots of tea. i did logic puzzles. i read books that had nothing to do with school or students. i ordered a pizza. i read a book in a bubble bath. i pampered myself with some mary kay treatments. i got caught up on parks and recreation. i slumbered happily in a big, cushy bed with a ridiculous amount of pillows.

day two:

i got up when i felt ready. i ate a leisurely breakfast and read. i made coffee and had quiet time. i got caught up on how i met your mother. i got caught up on community. i wrote some poetry. i rested. more logic puzzles. more tea. more reading. i took another awesome bubble bath and actually took the time to shave my legs well. i ate jimmy john's. i watched some badger football. i finished two books. i slept long and hard.

day three:

i ate breakfast and read. i spent some sweet time with Jesus. i finished another book. i took a luxurious shower. i enjoyed the quiet in the air and the quiet in my heart. and then i went home.

it was an excessively good and restful time. very quickly, i realized i need to be more deliberate about this. and do it more often. i have some more things to share about this time alone, but they are for another post.

for those of you who were aware i was doing this and were praying for me, thank you. i felt wrapped up in those prayers and loved well.

30 by 30: still alive, surprisingly...

i know i have been a terrible blogger for a while. and i apologize if you are experiencing feelings of abandonment. as promised, i made some changes to my list. i am including those changes on this update list.

2) another hundo. officially $1800 out of $2700.

4) i posted about the warrior dash last month, but here's the 'after pic' with my friend, nate:

6) CHANGE: have a tea room date with my housemates!

7) CHANGE: attend something theatrical...

11) once again, i did not post the picture for my monthly cooking blog, so here it is:

bleu cheese pita pizzas. let me just tell you, they were super easy and super delicious. let me know if you'd like the recipe.

also, since moving into the wigger house, i have been cooking nonstop. it's really fun to fix a big meal and know i don't have to eat it all by myself.

12) CHANGE: plan a scavenger hunt for my housemates. (they seem excited about this one.)

24) i did this in august, but here's the skinny dipping proof picture:

you do not even have to tell me how awesome those tan lines on my arms look. i know.

26) CHANGE: play guitar in a public place. (no, mj, not the farmer's market)

28) CHANGE: run a race with liz.

29) i forgot to say i read a book last month: another fine myth. and this month, i read ish, the dot, 31 days to finding your blogging mojo, the prayer matrix, and pray. so i am up to 33 out of 100. grad school has severely slowed my reading pace.