It's already the end of September? Wait? Is that right? I could have sworn it was still the beginning. I mean, I feel like I just blogged about Labor Day. Crap.
In all fairness to the month of September, I'm kind of glad it's going by quickly! The 29th (next Wednesday) is Mike's birthday, then we leave on the 1st to head to the Bluegrass State! It'll be our first trip home together, driving, since Christmastime. October is a random time to go to KY, but we are hitting up the most important KY traditions: Louisville, Keeneland, World Equestrian Games at the Horse Park, UK vs. Auburn football game, etc. etc. I'm contemplating taking Mike to the Ale-8 factory, since he's never toured it before. However, because Sept isn't over yet, here are a few pictures of what has consume the past 3 weeks of my life:
A quick trip to Chicago included: 2 nights at Wrigley Field to see Dave Matthews Band, pizza at Giordano's, much walking, and a trip on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier.
Life has alo included some changing of the seasons and we drove up to Kenosha Pass (it was SO busy, apparently yesterday was the day to see the Aspens) to view the changing leave colors. It was worth it, check this out
We're attempting to change the reverse light on my car today - wish us luck. I watched part of the World Equestrian Games on NBC today - yay! NBC! The Broncos play the Colts - eh, not interested. And the Rockies, well, we're not sure they are going to make the post season. Oh well.
My dad at a total knee replacement this past week and I have been catching up on life on S & G Farm as dad slows down to let his knee heal. We're praying for a speedy recovery!
That was brief summary. I plan on blogging before we leave about more in-depth topics, esp. since I made a promise to myself that I would blog at least 4 times a month. Gotta get on that!
You've got to check out this local company Mike and I stumbled upon last night at the "Taste of Colorado" Festival. The festival itself was quite LARGE in comparison to the little Pioneer festival that's held in Winchester, KY every Labor Day weekend. YAY! Labor Day Weekend! They have a number of Yay!'s that aren't online that we saw in their little booth.....so cute and they have a great attitude about the vision of this company. PLUS one of the owners is from West Virginia (I still like her even though she went to WVU)! YAY! It just makes you want to say, "Yay!" after everything. You should try it. Here is a picture of the Yay!s that we bought:
You might think that Mike bought the "Yay! Boobies!" but, that was totally me. Remember? I just finished walking 60 miles in three days to save the boobies, so - Yay! Boobies!
So, here is their website - please check them out and support local businesses in CO!
This afternoon consists of cheering on the University of Kentucky as they take on the University of Louisville in the Gov's Cup with our favorite UK fans in Colorado. Then, to a friend's house to celebrate a 3-day weekend! Going to try to squeeze in a run inbetween - maybe check out the Sniagrab (bargains spelled backwards) Sale going on at Sports Authority - we got some sweet deals on our skis last year! Tomorrow we'll go to church and maybe do some hiking around. Monday we are heading to Coors Field for a Rockies Game (I know that might be surprising, not). I remember when I blogged last year about Labor Day weekend - time does fly.
Remember that hike Mike and I took up Mt. Audubon? This is me at the summit pondering how to save the world. No, I'm probably thinking about how to keep our dogs from eating large rat-like rodents called Pica. They like to sqeak then dart into their holes - little sissies - regardless it taunts our dogs instincts. Here is a video of what the summit looked like - please put it on mute because it was REALLY windy up there.
Moving on -
If you want to know the truth, I cannot believe that I walked 60 miles in 3 days. Honestly, I didn't know when I woke up on Day 2 if I could even move my feet. My blisters were throbbing and my body was so tired. But, Team Undercover needed me, so alas, you keep on walking. This was on my New Years Resolution list and I am so glad to have it checked off!
Things you learn when you walk 60 miles in 3 days:
1. Taking a team picture at the beginning of the walk will look much different than the end. Hair down, hats clean, blister-free, etc. etc. etc.
2. Husbands are essential to this journey. Mine was the driving force behind me signing up for this journey. He encouraged me and supported me throughout the process....plus he gets husband of the year for dropping me off so early at Opening Ceremony (5:30am!).
3. Blisters are inevitable and you have to take care of your feet. As disgusting as mine were, I saw so many other blisters that were worse, I really just stopped complaining. Plus, you have to keep in mind the reason you are walking and the pain is just part of it. Actually, when you are almost ready to give up because you are so tired, your feet hurt, and you have to pee so bad you might just go in your pants, something miraculous always happens. I'll explain later.
4. You must be comfortable with calling your breasts many different names. You must also be comfortable with men wearing bras and velvet boobs. In addition, a van that drives by that says, "Save Second Base" and shirts that read, "Big or Small - save 'em all" make you laugh. No matter how many times you see it. That sign reads "BreastSwana Safari", for example, will get you every time. Men should be very thankful I walked to save boobs. Maybe that's why Mike was so gung-ho about the whole situation :)
5. Pink is a movement, not a color. And, having a tent to yourself is clutch.
6. The Lord's plan will always prevail, this was confirmed to me through this sunset. I just couldn't believe how beautiful it was, I took like a million pictures. But, truly, God places us in the right place, at the right time, with the right people for the right reasons. Right? I mean, there is no doubt in my mind that this weekend had been ordained for a long time.
7. When you are walking with a girl that you've never met before and you have discussed every topic under the sun while melting on a hot concrete pavement with loud cars racing beside you, a team sign in the middle of the blue was ESSENTIAL. This was one of those miraculous things I mentioned above. We almost walked right by it - but there it was - beautiful, pink, and just the thing we needed in order to keep going. At this point during the walk, our other team member were tending to their wounds and resting. Kristal and I kept Team Undercover going, and going, and going.
8. Lunch indoors = heaven.
9. When we first started walking, someone mentioned, "You won't remember how to flush a toilet." I thought, that's pretty bogus and far-fetched. I mean, we're only using them for 3 days, it can't be that bad. HOLY CRAP. These beautiful blue (they should've been pink) portable potties were life savers. In fact, Kristal and I could always tell we were coming up to a pit stop because we would have to pee. At one point in the walk, I RAN to these beautiful creations because my bladder was about to fall out. I just really refused to become dehydrated (story about that later, too). Regardless, my point was when Mike and I went to Arby's after the walk to grab something to eat, I forgot to flush the toilet. Oh boy.
10. Just wanted to give a quick thanks to the girl who allowed me to take this sign and walk with it for a while. This was my whole reason for walking in this crazy thing. My Aunt Donya was 25 when she lost the battle to breast cancer. I want to be a part of a movement that never allows that to happen again. Too young. Another miraculous story - as Kirstal and I were finishing up day 2 (the most horrid day of all) a young woman was standing outside her house. This was not odd, as we had random people cheering all over the place, but as she saw my sign she said "Thank you so much for walking - I had a double mastectomy in December of '09. My son had a football game otherwise I'd be out there with you. But thank you so much!" She was crying, I was crying, Kristal was crying and good golly we were just a huge hot mess. The Lord knew that was just what we needed to make it through that last mile. Miraculous.
11. Dogs in pink energizer bunny ears will make you smile. Husband that show up at cheering stations will also make you smile.
12. Women are much stronger than you realize. Here we are showing our muscles on mile 59.5. Hottttttttt.
13. You always remember when you meet someone that you know will change your life. This is Debbie a 10 yr survivor that drug most of the women in her family (her sister, daughter, daughter-in-law, herself, and me) to raise money and participate in this crazy event. To see her taken out on a stretcher into an ambulance was quite the humbling experience. She ended up okay (this is her the night after being in the ER), but it was what kept Kristal and I to keep walking, for Deb and for women that were not able to participate. I love her.
14. Here is team Undercover after 60 miles (well, only for 2 of us) - we look tired. This was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Will I do it again, IIIIIIIIIIIIII don't know right now. Ask me in a month.
15. You must really be crazy to go to a Broncos game after you walk 60 miles (16 miles that day). I'm crazy, insane, coo-coo, and just downright stupid. Mike and I wandered to Invesco to watch the Broncos beat the Steelers in a pre-season game. It was LOUD, but fun and I survived. I'm so gald we went.
16. And to top it all off, my dreams really came true. Ray LaMontange and David Gray performed together at Red Rocks. I'm all typed out, because seriously, this might have changed my life, too. Here is my love, David Gray playing my favorite song. I love him. I love this song. I love my crazy life that never ends.
Okay, so one more thing before I conclude this crazy, long, post..... I WAS ON TV!! It's another miracle. Here:
Have you ever been in a valley - just an overall rough time in your life - and a dear friend says to you, "just pray about it"? Or, have you been the wise friend who spouts this advice when you can't seem to come up with something more, personal? I have been prisoner to both of these situations and it seems this phrase gets tossed around without really analyzing the implications. Recently,
A co-worker suggested a book called, The Power of a Praying Wife. I was hesitant at first, don't you think I already lift up my husband in prayer? But a marriage is never perfect, right? And I had been interested in digger a little deeper into the power of prayer, as my prayer life had been slacking. So I picked up the paperback and started diving in. Lo! What's that I read? The entire first chapter entitled, "His Wife" is about expecting to see a change in yourself, not in your husband. Oh dear. It's not a fix-it-all book? Shucks. I have a feeling I'm in for quite a journey into understand the role of a wife as a prayer warrior. Here's a sneak peek of the first paragraph - it'll hit home to those in marital relationships:
The hard part about being a praying wife, other than the sacrifice of time, is maintaining a pure heart. It must be clean before God in order for you to see good results. That's why praying for a husband must begin with praying for his wife. If you have resentment, anger, unforgiveness, or an ungodly attitude, even if there's good reason for it, you'll have a difficult time seeing answers to your prayers. But if you can release those feelings to God in total honesty and hten move into prayer, there is nothing that can change a marriage more dramatically. Sometimes wives sabotage their own prayers because they don't pray them from a right heart. It took me a while to figure that out.
Omartian, Stormie. (1997). The power of a praying wife. p. 25
The phrase, "just pray about it" has now transformed into something much more personal and intimate. How has prayer changed your life? Or maybe it has changed the life of someone in your life?
Recent life in the Colorado Curry's has been a little of this:
The Mile High Music Festival - a 2 day madhouse of people wearing strange clothing, listening to bands, and drinking $8 beer. Ok, not so much of the $8 beer but did buy a cute horse skirt, love it! Here we are enjoying the band Train - I belive this is right after they played the song, "When I look to the Sky" which is what we danced to at our wedding. It was surprisingly romanitc, even with thousands of other people around.
We also hiked to the top of Mt. Audubon yesterday, I'll have pics of that in the next post. 13,300 ft up - not quite a 14er, but my legs were just as sore. The dogs were pooooooooped!
My 60-mile journey begins THIS WEEKEND! I have been talking about this since the New Year as it was one of my resolutions. I cannot believe time has gone by this fast! I plan on writing a blog about my experience, so look for that sometime next week. And to beat it all - Mike got free tickets to a Broncos pre-season game on the night after the last 20 miles. Yikes! He'll probably have to carry me into Invesco Field.
We are seeing Ray LaMontagne and David Gray at Red Rocks next week, too!
We are just busy little bees! I like it that way. Labor Day weekend is coming up - unbelievable!
So, I snagged the newest edition of 5280 Magazine from work because it had the "Mile High Messiah" a.k.a Tim Tebow on the front. This #15 has caused quite a stir in the Mile High City, and I have yet to figure out why. Yes, the kid is a college football genius and had an amazing college football career - but what makes him so popular? Especially when he is 3rd string quarter back (behind Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn)! Regardless, Mike and I were talking about his very public faith (so did the article in the magazine) and concluded that his relationship with the Lord and positive, yet humble, attitude will be a good thing for the Broncos - and even more for the city of Denver. The downtown part of Denver has 0 churches; I belive our pastor called it a "black hole". We're not in the Bible Belt any more.
Here, take this quote: (oh good gosh, I have forgotten all of my formatting for inserting a quote into the middle of a paper, Mrs. McComas, please forgive me)
" Football is just a platform for me," he says, alluding to his very public faith. "The games are a bonus. But I also recognize that to keep that platform, I have to perform. I think Denver fans will see how willing I am to work hard to make sure I keep it." He pauses. "I think I can make it work." And there it is, plainly stated, appropriately humble and yet supremely confident. What, or where, does this come from? Does it come from the fact that he has always been told he was a golden boy - the Golden Boy - and he can't understand a universe in which he isn't the best? Or does it come from within, from his God, from an inner confidence that only he understands?
You see, I don't think the author of this article understands the Christian faith. This "what works for you" attitude is clearly what people in Denver like to assume upon everyone when it comes to "religion". If you are a Christian and that's what "works for you" then great. If you believe in meditation and karma and that "works for you" then fabulous. Whatever makes you happy...basically. Mr. Tebow - if you could, please, stand up for Jesus. Be very public about your faith in the Lord and continue to love Our God on the bench, to your teammates, and to this city desperate to hear the truth. And, it's okay if you're a virgin (just wanted to put that in there), it's actually a pretty cool thing.
I FINALLY have my husband home from 9 weeks of summer camp. Praise the Lord! It was a tough summer, but I think my little hubby touched the lives of many, many campers and counselors. Although it wasn't a faith-based camp - I know that Jesus was glorified in his life and hopefully those around him were able to see a difference. It was a blast traveling to and fro - through the little town of Nederland (where I got a speeding ticket) - through the woods that hold crazy guys with guns - through little local bars - and through very large moose that graze in the local ponds. The Lord's plan will always prevail.
And right now, I feel like our lives are open for the next step - whatever that may be. There is an old Audio A song that says, " I wanna be your hands, I wanna be your feet. I'll go where you send me, go where you send me." My Lord, I will go where you send me, er, us. I love you. Love Wins!
I need to preface this post by saying - I do NOT think I am overweight nor am I dieting to LOSE a significant amount of weight. I truly just need, discipline. Yes, discipline.
Have you ever sat a box of oreos beside you and snacked on them while watching a tv show? Or, like me, eaten a substantial amount of sweets at work because people bring free food in all the time? Before you know it, an entire sleeve is gone and your stomach starts to hurt. TOO MUCH SUGAR!!!!! Then, the guilt. Oh, the guilt...which the majority of the time ends with, I've already screwed up, guess I'll eat another sleeve (or two). I just might be talking about my own eating habits, maybe yours too? After gaining a few pounds and feeling really guilty about by recent eating habits I decided I needed a little accountability.
My husband? No, he has lost several lbs over the summer from being at camp. My husband has the metabolism of a small child. My friends? Friends that I would trust to keep me accountable are a thousand miles away. Sigh.
After much research, I've made a decision to exercise discipline, exercise my body, and exercise my mind. It's time to make myself accountable for what I eat. Helllloooooooo Weight Watchers. I have heard so many positive responses from people who have jumped on this bandwagon; I've decided to let Weight Watchers online exercise discipline for me. Plus, the 3-month membership fee is also a fire under my buns to put my full effort into project, "1 good decision leads to another". Isn't that on a commercial? Anyway, it's how I picture this project. Tracking my points and having to decide where I want to "spend" (although WW doesn't encourage this view of the points system) them:
1. On 5 oreos or 2. Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with a side salad.
What would YOU do?
Ack! Tomorrow will be the first weight, we'll see what happens. Regardless, discipline in my eating habits will hopefully generalize to my exercise habits and spiritual habits. I've already experienced the satisfaction of what self-control can bring and I look forward to pushing myself to establishing more healthy, earth healthy habits in the near future (i.e. joining a co-op for food). Your body is a temple, right? So let's treat it like one....I mean, we only get one - so be good to it!
1. I found my lifelong friend - and I watched her marry the man of her dreams - and I cried. Hard. I've always heard that a girl has one friend that lasts a lifetime, I'm pretty sure I've found mine.
2. I'm not ready to move "home"....to my Kentucky home, that is. The peace I felt coming off the plane into DEN was indescribable. Our time here is not yet up.
So, in a nutshell that was my trip. Now, I'm back in CO enjoying the humidity of 10%, planning backpacking trips, buying climbing gear (rope, quickdraws, slings, etc), raising money for my walk, going to the Mile High Music Festival, and drinking a Fat Tire. Life is good.
Well, life will be better when Mike is home from camp and my evenings can get back to "normal". Life is never perfect, right?
