Happy Weekend!!

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It's Friday and one of my favorite days of the week. I get to hang out with 10th graders for the first half of the work day and college students for the rest.

This week has been eventful. I had two friends have cutie babies yesterday. Welcome to the world Liam Seamus and Ruby Mae!

We're attending the wedding of two beautiful friends from church this weekend. Tyler, Ethan, and I are so excited to witness their union.

I came across this blog post today about body image and eating disorders. It's good stuff. Speaking as someone who has struggled with control over my body and figure, I was encouraged to hear Kristen's story.

Enjoy some great music today.

This looks like a great side for dinner tonight.

The weather is beautiful. Enjoy creation.

Great website for book nerds.

Have a great weekend.

The Red Ninja Halloween

A few months ago, E came downstairs with his LEGO red ninja and said, "This is what I want to be for Halloween."

My response? "Ok. We will figure out how to make this happen."

So, as I posted before, I decided to buy a pajama pattern. However, I ended up not having time to make the costume because the day I had free for it was dedicated to making this Owl cake for a friend's baby shower. So Tyler and my mom took over. The results were some great pants made by Tyler and the rest of the outfit created by my mom. Thanks Nana. We could not have made it without you. E was definitely an amazing, stealthy ninja.

I've included some images below of our Halloween extravaganza. We went over to our neighbor's house and then to the neighborhood park for a dinner and parade. I also threw a picture of Tyler in for good measure. I caught the image after he posed with E. They are both such handsome fellows.

Let's Be Honest - Social Media...Envy and Greed?

Photo by Tyler LaCross

Lately I find myself wanting more and more. I'm always thinking of what I need to buy in order to make our house more cozy, what I need to organize and clean (this is not always bad), and what I need to wear or match together to keep my style in line with what I prefer. I don't think I've always been this way or really believed these things matter.

I think the root of all these things is 1. Believing I need or deserve more than I have; and 2. Surrounding myself with and being gullible to believe social media knows more about my needs than I do.

I've grown to have such a love/hate relationship with Pinterest, Facebook, and Social Media in general. So says the girl writing about social media on her blog. I'm a hypocrite. Yes, I know.

Putting all of that irony aside, I love social media because it allows me to stay connected to people I value who live in other parts of the land or world. But at the same time, I often forget I'm connected to a world (online) where people have extreme control about who they portray themselves to be. While I do love keeping up with my friends, I need to be cautious about what information I allow to seep into my mind.

Often, people post really good or really bad things about life. Isn't this the way it always seems? When there are reviews online or in a magazine, it's either really good or really bad. No one ever cares enough to give a mediocre review for a hotel, restaurant, etc. It's only the people who are wowed or revolted. The same is true of social media. People post what great ideas they have/believe. They post new clothes, pictures of themselves doing something amazing, or new recipes they tried...

Wait, am I describing my own blog?

But so rarely is this a true picture of who they are as a person. And if I'm really honest with myself, this incomplete image of someone's life becomes a great breeding ground for discontentment, greed, and envy in my life.

I see it in the moments where I think:

"Ah. I wish I'd gotten to vacation this past week. Must be nice."

"Oh look..._(fill in name here)_ is pregnant. Everyone is pregnant these days. It's that stage of life...If only we were ready."

"Look at those amazing outfit combinations. Now, if I can go buy another gray scarf, this one lighter than my other gray scarf, and some darker brown boots than I can recreate this look."

The options are endless. I've chosen some randomly shallow examples, minus the baby example, but there are so many ways we desire what others have. However, that incomplete image of their lives takes away from my ability to love that person or care about them. When I envy or want what they have, I cannot see anything else about that person, their life, or what they are experiencing. I can't see pain, suffering, or a place where I can step in and be a friend. I can only see the extra money they have to fly to Hawaii or my own inability to pay for such a trip at this moment in life.

Even if I don't desire their possessions, but their happiness or their outlook on life, I can so easily run down the road of coveting what it is they have just because I compare my life to their incomplete image on Facebook.

It's easy for these social media desires to go unchecked. We simply justify our feelings and either:
1. Get addicted to that person's life and stalk them and their pictures regularly while feeling sorry for ourselves at the same time; or
2. Easily dislike someone we don't know really well without seeming to harm our relationship with that person

In real life, if we envy a friend, it doesn't take long before we see the repercussions of that envy in the way we treat them. We'll snap at any complaint they have or have little sympathy for them. And there is always the "one-up" on how bad our lives are. We simply won't love them well. But on Facebook or a blog, with someone we haven't seen since high school or have never met, it's a different story. It seems as though it wouldn't matter if we like the person or not. They aren't actually hurt by the situation. But our own hearts are not ok. Our own hearts are still crying out about how unfair life is or about our inability to control our own situations.

The truth is we aren't in control, not completely. We are limited by what we are able to do and how we are able to think. And our sinful desires, actions, and repercussions trip us up daily. They prevent us from moving forward and away from envying our neighbor or Facebook friend. Without God's grace and my daily awareness of this issue, I would become sad and bitter towards anyone whose situation seemed better than mine. But things are rarely what they seem. I am learning that every single day, and it is pure joy to be able to love other people wherever they are.

I Ran a Half-Marathon!!

The wait is over.

I was supposed to smile. I forgot.

I ran a half-marathon with a time of 2:15:45. As it was my first half, I was ok with just finishing.

The morning was perfect for running. I couldn't have asked for better weather. It was overcast and in the low to mid-sixties while we were running. As glorious as sunshine is on a regular day, it would have been much more difficult if the temperature had been up several degrees.

Tyler and West didn't run, but met Faith, Anna Gail, and myself at the 4 mile mark, the 9ish mile mark, and the finish line in Fluor Field. They flashed their cameras and took quite a few pictures.

Anna Jamming to Her Tunes

Faith - More than Halfway

I loved the adrenaline at the starting line and the sheer number of people ready to run. I even saw my sister's college roommate in the line up. I know several people who were there but never saw because that stadium was packed out.

The best part of the race was the last mile or so. As we came back into the city, there were more and more people watching and cheering. I felt so encouraged by people who I did not know. They kept yelling for all of the runners. I even had one man tell me I looked great and to keep going. I'm sure I looked as though I was about to die, and he felt obligated to keep me alive at least long enough for me to make it around the next turn. But, it was still encouraging to hear.

Last Moments of the Race

After we circled around the stadium at the end, the runners ran onto Flour Field, around the edge and across the finish line near home base. As we ran into the stadium, a man called our names over the loud speaker. It was as if I was in the Olympics or something (this is definitely the closest feeling I will ever have to being in the Olympics). I could hear the crowd, my name over the speaker, and I was instantly covered in goosebumps, sprinting with renewed energy towards the finish line. Any pain I felt was suddenly gone from my body. It was a great moment in life and really truly reminded me of Hebrews 12:1-2, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who fo rhte joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." I felt as though I was completing that race, not that I was going to die, but that I was finishing something so hard and anticipated. I cannot imagine the immense joy I will feel on that final day.

Tyler captured some great images of people running and even the marathon winner crossing the finish line, acting like it was nobody's business. We saw him afterwards while he was loading up on fruits and carbs. I can't comprehend the energy he burned.

Michael Dwomoh - 2012 Spinx Marathon Winner

Runners

On the walk back to Faith and West's (they live so close to town we could just hop on the Swamp-Rabbit Trail and walk to their house in a jiffy), we found a perfect fall tree and celebrated our victory with a leaf dance and photo session.

Love These Girls 

Tyler and West Do a Leaf Dance

While it ultimately may be too ambitious, I'd like to make the half-marathon a yearly goal.

We did it.

Weekend Wonders - Faith, West, and Anna

Oh the joy of true friends.

This past weekend, Tyler and I traveled to Greenville, SC to visit the lovely Jones family and Miss Anna Gail Hastings. We also went for me to run this half-marathon, but that was a minor detail.

Such a lovely, serious couple (Don't you love their green walls?).

Friday night's feast before the run consisted of delicious foods Faith and I made while the boys played music and talked. Those guys. It had been over an hour of solid cooking when we finally sat down, but Tyler asked when we had possibly found time to make all of the food from scratch. 

For dinner, Faith and I made this cauliflower soup. It really was pretty easy. One Tip: We used an immersion blender instead of emptying the soup out and blending it. It was much easier this way because we didn't have to deal with piping hot cauliflower.

Roasted Cauliflower for Garnish

Soup is Served!

My favorite thing about this recipe was using the chive oil Faith made, which was really fun to drizzle on top. It was definitely hard to make a straight line, and most of our bowls ended up with polka dots of chive oil. Yes, I know. She made chive oil. Faith goes all out for visitors.

To accompany our soup, we also made these Cheddar-Chive Scones. They were amazing. I do believe I ate more of my scone than anyone else. But it's ok, because I ran a half-marathon the next day. That's what I kept telling myself.

Kneading the Dough with Bad Posture.

Finished Product

For dessert, Faith whipped up some crock-pot apples. She cored the apples and filled them with brown sugar, cinnamon, and some butter. Then she cooked them in the crock pot for a few hours. They were amazing, especially topped with Frozen Vanilla Greek Yogurt.

Anna came by after celebrating some friends at their rehearsal dinner. She had a packed weekend with little sleep: Wedding Festivities, A.M. work at Starbucks, and a half-marathon. I envy her ability to keep the momentum going.

Faith and Anna Gail

Tyler: When did you make all of this from scratch?

After dinner, the boys were amazing and washed dishes for us. I may or may not have guilt tripped Tyler into joining West. However, the ever-helpful Tyler did it with a great attitude. West is a professional dishwasher these days, and they knocked it out in just a few minutes, even though the counters and table were covered with dishes. Thanks boys.

Hard at Work

It was a great night before the marathon. Good food and real friends. Already looking forward to visiting again.

Let's Be Honest - Wise Friends and Fake Friends

Most people believe they are wise. They trust their hearts will tell them the right answer and keep friends around who will confirm everything they say.

But wisdom is not listening to the heart or the soothing words of friends telling you exactly what you want to hear. And truly, most people are not wise.

As well as contemplating wisdom, I've also been thinking through the true meaning of friendship. Think about it. How often do our friends challenge something we're going to do? How often do they tell us it's unreasonable, unwise, or immature? For the most part, people won't say when they disagree, and we don't question why our friends never tell us we are wrong.

It's easy to say people who are like-minded are friends, so of course they agree. It's an easy out for a real problem. How often do you not completely agree with everything your friend says? No one is exactly the same. We are all unique. Which means, we have our own unique thoughts and make decisions in a unique way.

I've found myself being a bad friend. I've been unwise in how I've responded to friends who are making mistakes, and I usually do it because I'm afraid. It might be something small, like should I buy this extra pair of earrings?

Not a big deal. Right? They're just earrings.

But that same friend may have mentioned that she was trying to cut back on her budget for the next month. And obviously, a pair of earrings isn't much, but could be one of the things she didn't really "need" and could be sacrificed for the sake of a peaceful bank account.

Of course, my initial response is to forget all of that. To forget it all and say, "Sure. Those would look nice with your blue sweater."

But isn't practicing good friendship policies in small situations like this what really make a person a wise friend? I don't challenge my friends because I don't want the backlash of negative response, though who is to say she wouldn't tell me I'm right. But I never know if fear controls my response.

Our lives are really lived in the mundane. Very rarely do we have epic moments that define who we are, and very few of us will be remembered forever. So it's really in the moment-by-moment that our decisions matter.

Yes, this may sound depressing, but it's real life. And being a good friend, being an honest friend, in the mundane gives us the practice to, when faced with an epic moment, point out major life flaws. For instance, what should be done when a friend decides to up and marry someone she has only known for a month, someone who drinks like a fish and has no control over his words? When it's obviously a recipe for disaster and major life issues, it's absolutely essential to say something to this friend.

But if it's not practiced in the mundane, will it happen when it's a life changing event? Not for the fake friend, the friend who just wants to make everyone happy.

But for the wise friend, being honest, having a differing opinion is part of the every day. I have a few friends like this. I often hope to be as wise as them one day. Of course, my motivation for being wise is probably selfish (so other people will think of me as wise), but that is a discussion for another day.

Thank you wise friends for existing and loving the people around you well.

Preparing for the Half

This weekend marks my first half-marathon, and I'm more than excited.

First of all, I'm so happy to finally see and catch up with this girl.

And this girl.

Such beauties with even more beautiful hearts (Oh, I'm also thankful to see West, but he's not running with us, so I'm not counting him. Sorry, West.).

But in preparation for the 13.1 mile showdown, I'm taking it easy this week. Because it's been absolutely b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l outside, I've been taking walks every single day.

Walk Photo

I also busted out my old Power Yoga video with Denise Austin. Denise definitely keeps it real. While part of me can't stay focused on the yoga because of the music in the background and Denise's thorough directions to feel the power of yoga, it's been helpful to get my IT bands all stretched out. They've been kind of tight after my crazy trail run this past weekend. 

I ended up running 11 miles on the trails at the National Whitewater Center this past Saturday. It wasn't 13 miles, but I bet it was more difficult than what I'll be running this coming weekend. The roots were definitely a force to be reckoned with, and I spent most of my time thinking about where I was going to put my next foot or how I was going to run over a bike jump hill rather than my usual meditation on the life and times of the LaCross family. 13.1 miles will be hard, but at least I won't have to worry about roots and gravel.

But, back to this week. I'm going to try and run once tomorrow, a short 2-3 miler, and then I have a walking date Thursday. 

I've also been trying to eat pretty healthy this week. A friend asked me this past weekend what I've done differently in my diet since I've been training. The truth is, I haven't done too much.

I've cut out most everything I drink except water. That may seem like a feat in and of itself, but I had a stomach virus that made me get over my caffeine addiction, so it wasn't too hard to stop. I just didn't start drinking coffee again after I felt better. I guess there was some good to come from that stomach virus.

I also haven't been drinking alcohol. I don't drink much, but I find I feel much better and less full of carbs/beer in the morning if I don't drink a beer the night before. My one exception is that Tyler thought I deserved a nice night of a glass of wine, dark chocolate, and a good conversation. How can I turn that down? So I did let him treat me to some wine that night. I've consumed some hot teas when I'm really chilly, but usually I pick one without caffeine in it and rarely add anything to it.

As far as food goes, we eat pretty healthy around here. I didn't have to cut out fast food, because we don't eat it unless we're traveling and desperate. So I didn't have to wean myself from fried foods and jump to eating tons of fruits, veggies, and proteins. I am eating more food and making sure I eat carbs the night before a long run. 

But being a typical vegetarian, I did struggle to add protein to my diet. I've been eating many more seeds and nuts. I've also added a bit of fish into my diet to make sure my body has enough protein to recuperate from the runs. A personal favorite is a fruit smoothie with some soy protein powder added. Smoothies are liquid heaven.

But it hasn't been all that easy. My sweet tooth, or every tooth in my mouth for that matter, has been so desiring to just eat whatever sweets I want because, "Hey, I'm burning tons of calories a day! I can do what I want." But, I've found I don't feel as well after I eat sweets, and they definitely don't help me run faster. So, it's been a struggle in the sweet department.

I haven't decided exactly which clothes I'll be running in Saturday, but I'm bringing a few options and a sweatshirt to wear before we start running. Faith is planning to cook a scrumptious meal on Friday night and have bagels, peanut butter, and apples for breakfast Saturday.

Spinx Run Fest, here I come!