The Big Guns

This past weekend we made our way out to the shooting range.

We found a place a solid hour away in the middle of some fields, it was awesome.

Driving down the dirt road transported me to back to Pillager and I felt I should have been pulling up to the farm any minute.

Unfortunately we were a couple hundred miles away from that possibility. But we still had a an awesome, albeit windy time.

Our Professor, Dr. Payne provided our weaponry

Jon takin' 'em down one by one :)

Our shooting view.

Our friend Kat who was ROCKING it.

She had all the boys beat.

Is it sad that we knew we were at the right place because we saw the huge American Flag?

Enforcer.

of what? I'm not sure. 

minor detail.

Our friend Brad who is a little bit more believable as an enforcer.

Dan may have given Kat a run for her money, but I'm pretty sure she still took him down.

holding my own...

The aftermath.

At just a few dollars a pop this was cheap entertainment that I envision becoming tradition.

Strawberry Shortcake

Yes, you read that right. 

While I may have given up sweets for Lent, I found a way to make up for it during breakfast.

Last Friday after yoga-madness we had everyone over for our weekly dinner, and this week pancakes won out. And there were a lot left over. 

Not wanting to go the traditional route of pancakes in the morning I decided to spruce it up.

Greek honey yogurt, a smidge of honey, and strawberries.

What I ended up with was a delicious recreation of a (hopefully healthier) version of strawberry shortcake.

And the fact that it satisfies my sweet tooth is just an added benefit :)

All I can say is that in 5 days I will be in a very happy sugar-high state :)

Dance the night away

This Saturday we got our early decade groove on.

neon colors: check

ridiculous teal eyeshadow: check

out of control blush: check

curled hairsprayed bangs: check

Our good friend Mary Ellen threw the shin dig and it was so much fun!

No party is complete without some pigs in a blanket

so much amazing food, so little time.

Some DenSem girls gettin' their groove thang on.

Kelly and Dave showing off their cuteness

The lovely ladies taking a break for the seizure inducing strobe light :)

I think a little break from the ins and outs of seminary life was much needed for all of us!

Hopefully this means many more to come!

Refreshing

Denver is known for it's amazing sunshine.

I mean, 300 day out the year are dedicated to the glorious warmth and cheeriness the sun has to offer.

While it has drastically improved my mood, and my ability to wake up in the morning there are days when it can feel a bit forced.

It's difficult for me to allow myself to feel reflective, sad, or even relaxed on sunny days. There is this innate  Minnesotan need to be outside in the sun, doing something! Otherwise it would be a waste.

I'm sure that as time goes by I'll become more accustomed to the sun, and won't feel the need to be soaking up every ray or feel the regret if I don't.

Today is a rainy Denver day.

normally this would upset me. It's gloomy, it's dark, I have no motivation, I can't be productive... etc.

but today?

Today
 I. am. loving. it.

I have the peace of mind to just relax and stay inside.

There's no pressure to go out and make something out of the day for fear of wasting it.

Because in reality, no day is lost.

Everyday, regardless of how busy, peaceful, stressed, relaxed, or productive is a good day. 

And just one more day that I've been blessed to experience and share with others that are around me.

So, bring on the rain.

South Platte River Half Marathon!

Today was the day ladies and gents!

I have to say the 1/2 totally took me by surprise, it didn't really hit me until I was actually at like mile 5 that I was really running the half marathon!

The forecast had been calling for rain, wind, and general nastiness for days.

To say I was dreading it would be an understatement.

However, this morning a clear blue sky greeted me!

There was still a lot of wind, but nothing to absolutely horrible.

Dan came to cheer me on, and to keep Jon company while he was spectating.

And I can't forget my favorite fan :)

Thankfully I wasn't running it alone!

Alison (on the left... or I guess my right in the picture) is an awesome women who I have the pleasure of sharing my counseling classes with :)

Vanessa is one of Ali's friends and is HILARIOUS seriously loved meeting her!

representin' DenSem!

The show offs... just runnin' out of control

Moseying along.

I was so proud of myself for starting at my own pace and running my race.

However, it was at this point (mile 1.5) that my bladder was SCREAMING... I thought I could make it, but 12 more miles with an extremely full bladder? 

Not

Happenin'

So I found a random porta on the side of the trail, unfortunately another guy had the same idea and he took his own sweet time. Another girl and I timed him... he made me miss a solid 2 minutes of my race...

I on the other hand was in and out in 15 second... yes, I really am that fast.

Honestly, the race went by in  blur, before I knew it i was at mile 10 and I was feeling GOOD!

If you'll recall my Korea half it was mile 10 that my knee blew out and made running slightly more difficult.

Not this time.

I was truckin' along and feeling great!

I will say there was a killer hill at mile 12.25 for the next .5 miles, but I was able to catch Ali (who I hadn't seen since the first 5 minutes of the race) and we pumped each other up!

No walking here.

Before I knew it I could see the finish line and away I went!

Please ignore my heel striking the ground, but notice the smile on my face.

I was feeling AWESOME!!!

(and yes, I totally beat the girl in the blue... I have a bit of a competitive spirit)

After the race waiting for some food!

burgers and fondue

I was doing really well with the no dessert thing for lent.

but melting pot fondue?? I just ran 13.1 miles people!!! That and I've heard that some people don't even recognize sunday's for the lent sacrifice...

so there.

Overall, I finished 13.22 miles in 2:12:24 (according to my Garmin)

which puts me at 10:00 per mile!!! Right. on. target.

I also had negatives splits for the last 6 miles.

And I knocked about 2.5 minutes off of my previous half marathon time.

Although because of porta potty man something makes me think I could've finished at around 2:10.

I have NEVER felt this good after a long run, and I'm loving that.

Now it's time to get ready for the next one :)

I'm hoping for a sub 2:10!

Lent: Fasting and Feasting

This morning I was reading my good friend Laura's blog.

She had an AMAZING post about Lent that I had to repost.

and because I haven't taken any new pictures lately, and I'm totally lusting after Italy right now, I figured a few views of Cinque Tierre would be welcome.

Lent-

is a time for fasting

is a time for feasting

it is a time to fast from certain things

and feast on others.

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ indwelling in the them

Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life

Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light

Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify

Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude

Fast from anger; feast on patience

Fast from pessimism; feast on divine order

Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation

Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives

Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on increasing prayer

Fast from hostility; feast on nonresistance

Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal Truth

Fast from discouragement; feast on hope

Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm

Fast from suspicion; feast on truth

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire

Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on sunlight of serenity

Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

Lent is coming to a close in a few weeks, and while I've given up  desserts and that has definitely been a sacrifice I love the thought of fasting in non- physical or behavioral ways.

I hope I can take these next few weeks and truly transform the way my mind is thinking and processing. 

I want to fast what is not of God and feast on the truths that He has given me.

Be Blessed!