new things

There have been & continue to be some changes around these parts.  Thought I'd share a bit of what's been happening. 

We are ditching our smart phones. *Gasp*  Seriously.  A friend on FB just recently mentioned that he had traded his in, & I commented that I had been considering doing the same.  I never mentioned it to Joe, but last night he came in & out of nowhere said, "I've been thinking..."  Done.  I love when the Lord puts us on the same page with something.  We've decided that the emotional hijacking that comes with some of this technology stuff is way too big a temptation/distraction from living.  I do not need to know instantaneously if an email comes in or if someone has posted on my FB.  Our justification for even getting them in the first place was for Joe's business & I was in the midst of lots of adoption paperwork.  Well, guess what?  Joe can regularly check his email, & if something is urgent, he can be contacted by phone.  As for me, the big email I was waiting for during our adoption to hear that we had LOA never came through & I found out at home! Ha!  And the worst part is what we're paying per month for this "convenience".  It feels more like a ball & chain, so we are done.  As my friend said, "If we put as much time in our relationships as we do our phones, well, you can imagine..."

Next new thing:  I began running again!  Tomorrow, I complete the final workout of a program I began six weeks ago to do a 5K.  I can honestly say I have thoroughly enjoyed this process, even the days that the workout kicked my butt!  I mentioned before that I have struggled with getting back into running, & I think maybe I was trying to do too much too fast, which caused me to get discouraged & give up.  This training plan was developed by an exercise physiologist, & it has been just what I needed.  It wasn't as basic as the couch to 5k plan (which is great for anyone that is truly starting from ground zero), but I am putting in the miles, & it really feels good.  For yesterday's workout, I ran 25 minutes straight after warming up, walked 5 minutes, then ran another 25 minutes.  Yep, 50 total minutes of running, which ended up being 4.5 miles!  In order for me to do this, on most days I am up at 5 a.m. (read dark o'clock), but it's worth it.  I have realized that I need that solo time for my emotional & physical well-being.  Typically, I listen to worship music (with a few pump up jams for good measure!), so there's really nothing like starting my day feeling like I've accomplished something & with my heart in the right place (not to mention that seeing the sun rise is da bomb!).  I've also acknowledged that I am a 43-year-old mama to 9 children, 2 of which are very busy toddlers, so I need to keep moving!  The plan is to do a 5K with Kearsten in a couple weeks.  I'll keep ya posted!

My most recent new thing:  I cut my hair!  In the whirlwind of these last several months, I suddenly realized that I had not gotten a trim since before going to China (yes, that would be over 6 months ago).  And my hair grows fast!  I am barely 5'5", & I truly began to feel like the length & thickness of my hair was beginning to overtake me like Cousin It!!  Thankfully, my awesome stylist did not reject me after so many months of absence. ;)  Instead of a trim, though, I wanted it CUT.  In the end, I am not for sure how many inches came off, but I am guessing a good 8, & it feels ever so good.  Kaya was very concerned that I would not be able to put my hair in a ponytail anymore, but I can...It just no longer resembles a horse's tail!

Truth be told, I do struggle with doing things for myself (which annoys my loving husband).  Some of it comes from being "mom", some of it comes from the difficulty I have with reconciling first world luxuries with third world deficits.  But I am trying to find a balance in taking care of myself so that I can better serve others, & I think an occasional haircut is good for a mama!