A Dose of Perspective

Oh my dear friends, have you ever been served a humbling piece of perspective from a five year old little boy?  God used my sweet little dude to speak volumes to me this week.  The last couple of weeks or so at work have been extremely busy and I've found myself just taking care of one emergency after another between technical issues, assisting fellow coworkers, meeting requests from the corporate office, etc. etc. etc.  But, we all have seasons like that whether it's at work, home, ministry, etc. right?  This really wasn't any different than any other busy time at work, but for some reason it was overwhelming me a bit right now.

One thing I cherish so much in our home (even though it doesn't happen all the time) is having dinner together as a family.  I love the time together, catching up with each other and just reconnecting a bit. Now don't get me wrong, sometimes there's arguing, complaining or silence.  Monday evening, the conversation went like this:

Josh - 'How was your day at work?'
Me - 'Oh, it was okay.  Just a little overwhelmed though as I just feel like I'm putting fires out and not getting much accomplished and getting behind.'
Jayce - 'Mom, why don't you just borrow my Lego Fire Truck to help you put out your fires?'
Me - 'Oh, Jayce that's so sweet of you, but they're not real fires.'
Jayce - 'Well it's not a real fire truck either'

The next morning, Jayce brought me his fire truck, so that I could take it to work for a couple days to help me with my 'fires.'  I love this little boy's sense of humor and how God used him to remind me that these little battles I've been dealing with at work and at home needed a little perspective.  They're not near as big of deal as I was feeling they were and I just needed to take a deep breath and realize these aren't real fires and God's got this!

May you also find a little perspective in the midst of your battle and find peace in God's grace!  And if means putting a toy fire truck on your desk as a visual reminder, then do that too!

As we enter a weekend, I'm going to rest on God's promise in Matthew 11:28.  'Come to me, those who are weary, and I will give you rest.' 

Blessings,

Krystal

One of My Favorite Mommy Moments!

When Joshua and I were first married (almost 13 years ago) one of THE hardest things for me to do was learn how to cut his hair.  His dear mother had always cut his hair so it was my turn to learn how (and do it gracefully).  The first time I cut his hair, I was literally in tears.  And I took so long that Joshua finally grabbed the clippers and gave himself a haircut, which made me cry even more.  This is definitely not one of my favorite tasks, in fact there are times where I put it off until looking at his hair drives me crazy.

After having our little man, I always joked that some day they could cut each other's hair so that I could have a break for a few years.  Well my friends... we are on our way!!!!  What I wasn't prepared for this evening was what a sweet moment this was between my two men.

Jayce was trying to be so careful with Daddy.  

Yes, I let my four year old run the clippers (with Mommy's help)!

Daddy was a little concerned at first, but was incredibly patient!

It really is the simple everyday memories that can mean the most!

Almost Done!

My two very handsome men with fresh haircuts!  Thanks for your help, Jayce!

Jayce had so much fun helping Mommy cut Daddy's hair.  I just loved watching these two.  Sometimes life can get so busy that we forget to capture these special moments.  I'm so very grateful that we were able to slow down for just a bit this evening for a haircut!

Love you boys,

Mommy

From Bitterness to Gratefulness!

I've always heard how very different each child is, but never 'really' understood it until we had our little boy.  Oh, how I love this little boy.  He's extremely silly (trying at times), loves an audience (even when it's not appropriate) and is just down right funny!

Although, I absolutely love this little man and everything about his sweet personality, this post is a thank you on behalf of a little girls' Mama.

Just like with any child, some days can be hard and sometimes there are people who may unintentionally hurt our kids or us as parents, but if I've learned anything over the last couple of weeks, it's that life is short and forgiveness is crucial!  I just recently spent some time reflecting on all the different ways others' have blessed us through loving on our kids.  Miss Kylee is what most people would call 'shy.'  I prefer to refer to her personality as reserved and genuine.  Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be to speak to a reserved child and not get a response.  It's also been a challenge for us to teach her that it is okay to be reserved, but not okay to be impolite.  With that in mind though, I absolutely love seeing relationships form with Miss Kylee as she gets comfortable with someone and develops a very 'genuine' relationship.  I'm also so blessed to see the joy in other's when, after they've tried for so long, this little girl finally opens up to them or simply gives them a hug.

Here's a side of Miss Kylee that not everyone gets to see.  She has such a fun loving heart (thanks to the dear friend who made Kylee this hat to support a friend with breast cancer).

Another special side of Kylee is her love of music.  We pray that she continues to use this gift for God's glory and we greatly appreciate all who have encouraged her on this journey!

I love this little girl with all my heart and have a little thank you to some very special people...

• Thank you to our dear friend who has watched this sweet girl from the time she was just six weeks old.  You have helped shape and love on her like one of your own. 
• Thank you to the elderly man at church, who goes out of his way to say hi to her each and every Sunday, even when she just smiles back.
• Thank you to the sweet man at church who wouldn't let Kylee leave church until she gave him a hug after he's worked so hard to develop a friendship with her.
• Thank you to the sweet friends who brought Kylee flowers for her first piano performance at church, which was such a big day for her.  You touched this girls heart more than you could imagine.
• Thank you to the dear friend who spends time out of her week to teach Miss Kylee how to play the piano (and to the special guy who picks her up after school each week to take her).  She truly lights up every time she plays and absolutely loves this special time with you!
• Thank you to all of the teachers and staff at her school and church, who love on her.
• Thank you to our sweet photographer who ever so kindly and gently is able to capture the beauty and personality of Kylee.
• Thank you to the dear friend who went out of her way to give this sweet girl a piggy back ride through a derby track just to show this girl how much you love her.  She just recently requested that photo be hung in her bedroom and thinks so much of you!
• Thank you to this girls sweet aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who love her for the special girl she is!
• Thank you God for loaning this special girl to us!  We pray that You continue to give us the wisdom and encouragement daily to help her grow to love and trust You!

This list could go on and on and on to all the countless people who have showed their love to this sweet girl with countless acts of kindness.  Each and every one of you has not only made a lasting impression with this girl, but you've touched her Mama too!  May God bless each and every one of you.  May God continue to teach me to love my children just as they are and just as He designed them!  It is inevitable that at some point someone will hurt our children (typically unintentionally), when (not if) that happens I challenge you to quickly forgive and reflect on the many people and times that someone has loved on your child.  It will quickly change your heart from bitterness to gratefulness!

Blessings,

Kylee's Mama

Another Half Marathon!

Back in June I ran the Slackers Half Marathon race, which was such an incredible experience.  I also learned so much from that race.  One of the difficult lessons I learned was that I must be careful when choosing a race to run.  I have to be cautious for both my spiritual and physical health.  As I've wrote about in the past, I got a migraine two days before my first half marathon race due to stressing over the race and allowing my fitness to become an idol.  What was a way to relieve stress became my stress.

Like many runners, I am much more committed and dedicated on a daily and weekly basis if I have a goal to works towards, which is one of the many reasons that races are so valuable.  A dear friend and fellow running pal came across US Road Running, which is a site dedicated to virtual races.  The way that it works, is you register for a race (which they have all sorts of different themed, monthly, team races, etc.) online.  The fee is really reasonable, simply to cover the administrative costs and costs of the medals.  With some of the races they mail you your medal right away and you can have it ready for race day and others you log back in after your race, record your time and then they mail you your medal with your name and time on the back of the medal.  You can then run your race at any location (indoors or outdoors) at any time (within the guidelines of the chosen race).

I absolutely loved this idea for so many reasons.  Living in rural America it can be a challenge to travel to the larger races, therefore a virtual race is less expensive, easier on my family and a lot less stressful for this runner and yet, still gave me a great goal to work towards.  A group of us then picked a date, picked our distances, set our goals and got registered!  I registered for the Movie Madness Half Marathon, which is a virtual half marathon that you can complete anytime during 2013.  I was so excited to receive my medal in the mail and then I sat it on the shelf to wait for 'race day', which I happen to receive the same day as a new pair of running shoes.  Oh happy day!!!

I didn't feel near the anxiety in the days leading up to the race that I did for my last half marathon.  I'm not sure if it was the fact that I had already proved to myself that I could actually run the distance, the fact that I was able to sleep in my own bed the night before or the fact that I had an amazing group to run with and support each other.  God truly has blessed me with an incredible group of supportive and encouraging people along this journey and the fact that we never get tired of talking about 'running' with each other is a bonus.

Race day finally arrived!  I usually run really early in the morning, so waiting to run at 8:00 am was a bit of a challenge, but it was just too cold for us to start any easier!  We went a little early so that the kids and I could create a finish line.

Then it was time for a quick picture before we got started!

We had such a sweet supporter who set up a water station for us and the greatest little guy rooting for us as we went by!  And just look at the fall colors we enjoyed on this run!

My very sweet husband traveled around the various locations taking pictures, while also being there to love and support me on this race.  He blessed me so much by making me feel like this race was just as important as a race that had 10,000 people running!  I just love him so much!

I made a 4 mile loop around our small town several times and then finished the last 1.1 miles on some side streets! At mile 8 my dear husband had a water bottle ready for me.  He also drove around to various spots so that him and the kids could encourage me and make sure I was doing okay.

Because of this being a virtual race, my precious girl was able to join me for part of my half marathon.  

Her original plan was to run the last mile with me, but after about 1/2 a mile her little tummy was hurting, so she headed back towards Daddy and celebrated coming across the finish line as well, while I finished out the final portion of my run!

I made it and my little dude had my medal at the finish line.  There's nothing sweeter than the loving support of my dear family at a finish line, even if it's a finish line that only a few have crossed and one we drew out with sidewalk chalk.  I'll take it!!!

 

I finished this half marathon in 2:20:21 (average pace of 10:42), which was about 7 minutes faster than my first half marathon race.  My goal was to keep my average pace under 11:00 minute miles, so I was excited!  

I love this little guy, he cheered for mommy and was the first one to say 'good job mommy' after crossing the finish line.  Those words my friends, make every single strike to the pavement worth it!

It brought me to tears when this sweet girl came running up to me to join me for part of my race.  She's definitely starting to enjoy this support.  Although I would love for her to enjoy running the same as I have come to do, my real hope is that she see's how running has changed her mommy's health, life and the way God has used it to draw me closer to Him!

God used this race to teach me once again!  A lesson in contentment!  I don't need a big racing event with a lot of people, a fancy venue, multiple water stations or an overnight stay somewhere to enjoy a great run (although those races are fun too).  All I need is God's strength, great friends, an incredible family and an open heart to enjoy the view of where I'm at right now!  Well... and a good pair of running shoes.  I can't wait to do another virtual race.  Now to put another race on the calendar!

Blessings,

Krystal

Asking Forgiveness from Your Child

After completing our first race as a family and watching her mommy and daddy run in different races, our six year old little girl has started to have an interest in running.  And wow, has that made her mommy smile. I've really struggled with the balance of how to encourage her to stay active and healthy without pushing too hard and realizing that just because I enjoy running doesn't mean that either of my kids will. Deep down though, I would love to enjoy this together as a family. 

My Mom treated Miss Ky with some new running clothes last week so after she got home she was anxious to give them a try. Of course I know exactly how that feels. New gear always makes the next run a little more fun and exciting. While we were getting ready for the day on Monday Ky did what she typically does and asked how my run went and how far I ran (I love it when she inquires about my run). I told her that I did a different workout but would be running on Tuesday. She then asked if we could go for a run after work.  Of course I couldn't turn her down and agreed to a mile run after work on Monday. 

It was extremely hot, but we decided to venture outside (first mistake).  Josh and Jayce were out cruising around on the RZR and snapped a couple pictures of us. 

This was still at the beginning of our run so we were both feeling pretty good, but that changed when were about half way. Ky needed to walk, so we did, I then made a huge mistake. I started pushing her too hard to finish the run strong. This poor little girl was really hot, tired and frustrated. I should have let her just finish walking home but I told her she was strong and could finish the run. She cried a little bit and then we finished. After we finished the mile we walked the rest of the way home and I began to feel horrible. What should have been fun and enjoyable just turned into something she may never do again simply because of how I pushed her too hard. 

We did have smiles at the end, but we still had some mending of our hearts that needed to take place. 

I prayed for wisdom and guidance that evening as I began tucking my little girl into bed. I love God's grace and life lessons. I had to humble myself and apologize to my little girl for pushing her too hard and asked her to forgive me. She quickly said "of course I forgive you, mamma."  As a parent it can be difficult to apologize to your child, but God can do some amazing things during these times.  There was a tremendous relief both for her and for me. I then suggested to Kylee that if she wanted to go for a run together again that maybe we should do it in the morning while it's cool outside. She thought that was a great idea, and I was just excited that she actually wanted to run again!  God's grace is amazing!

We decided we would run together early Wednesday morning (after I finished my Turbo Fire workout), which meant she would have to go to bed early Tuesday night. I had her lay out her clothes and shoes so that it would be quick and easy for her to get ready when she woke up!

  

She woke this morning SO excited to run. She said she didn't want to listen to music while we ran so that we could talk. What a blessing this child is. I told her she could decide if we walk or run and I would not push her at all. The conversation we had was so sweet and genuine. We only stopped once as her shoe came untied otherwise we ran the entire time. After we reached the half mile mark she said 'I think I can run farther than a mile today.'  I said 'we sure can if that's what you want to do.'  We ran 1.26 miles but the true joy came from the mended relationship and the blessing of running beside my precious little girl!  

She truly enjoyed this run and so did I!

She was so proud of her accomplishment too. I love how running makes you feel good when you go a little further or a little faster than you did before. Great job Ky, your Mama is so very proud of you!

But then the REAL joy came. Kylee saw an absolutely beautiful sunrise. She said 'Mama, it looks as if God is shining down through the clouds.'  I said, 'He is baby.'  While sharing with my husband about our morning, we discovered that Kylee's never seen the sun rise like this before. She's typically not a morning person and the sun is usually up before she wakes up.  I'm so excited I got to share this special morning with her and am praising God for His grace every morning and for choosing me to be her mother!  

Have you ever shared a sunrise with your child?

Ephesians 2:4-9 
⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

Blessings,

Krystal

Fitness became my idol!

If you've been following my blog, you probably already know that I used to suffer a lot from migraines.    My mother has suffered from them for quite some time as well, so I'm sure it's partially hereditary.  Most of my migraines would come right after a stressful period.  I remember back when we went on our first flight with both of the kids a few years ago.  I was so stressed about getting everything caught up and ready at work, getting the packing done, anticipating what the kids would need on the trip, and the list goes on and on.  We finally got everything packed and arrived at the hotel close to the airport and I was FINALLY able to relax and then the dreaded happened, I got a migraine.  It was horrible as I wasn't at home, didn't have any medication with me, started to panic over the worries of recovering before our flight the next morning, it was just awful.  I did recover and we were able to continue our trip, but it was definitely a rough start.

I was so excited when after running for several months, I realized I was no longer getting migraines.  The balance between improving my health and a way to manage the stress of life, was eliminating them completely.  Over the course of this last year God has taught me a lot about priorities, making rest and sleep a priority, improving my eating habits (and that of my families), scheduling my workouts and not skipping them, and most importantly to seek Him during the difficult times.

Running has definitely become a huge part of managing my stress.  It's an incredible way for me to clear my head, stay fit, spend time in prayer and challenge myself.  Some of you may remember me posting about having a really bad run a few weeks ago.  I had given blood the day before and my body had not recovered before trying to run eight miles.  I was so discouraged and began panicking about running my first half marathon race.  After a good friend saw my post she wanted to do something to encourage and support me on this journey.  There's nothing that supports a runner more than prayer and a run!  It was so kind and encouraging and was just what I needed.  We invited other running/walking pals and got together early Wednesday morning before my big race.  I also asked my husband if it would be okay to invite my little girl to join us and let me just say this little girl was SO excited!!!

I can't thank all of these ladies enough for running with me!  It was a beautiful morning and I was so touched by how God was using each and every one of these ladies to touch my heart!  A great support system is so incredibly valuable for any goal we set in life!  Thank you Lori for putting this together and thank you ladies for inspiring and encouraging me!  I pray that I can be the same encouragement to someone else!

I experienced a great amount of encouragement and peace immediately after this run.  I was FINALLY to the point of not feeling nervous or stressed about the half marathon.  I had been over thinking and stressing about this big day for weeks.  I was ready to just relax and enjoy the experience.  Kylee and I then headed home so that I could shower and get ready for work.  Right after I got out of the shower the dreaded happened... I started seeing spots.  I couldn't believe it, I was getting a migraine.  I had been so excited to be done with migraines and couldn't believe I was getting one.  I immediately took the medication I have to decrease the symptoms, laid down for about 15 minutes and then tried to go to work.  I quickly realized that it wasn't a good idea to try and work and the symptoms were getting much worse.  I headed home and went through the painful motions of getting through a migraine.  That evening I finally felt better.  After eating with my family, my dear husband wanted to talk about my stressed induced migraine.  He reminded me that running had been a way for me to deal with stress and as the race began approaching it BECAME my stress.  Clearly this was a dangerous combination and one I have to learn how to manage or I won't be able to continue racing.

Just a few weeks ago I was chatting with a dear friend about how working out, fitness, losing weight, etc. can become our idol.  I praise God for that precious conversation as it helped put things in perspective for me.  God definitely used this migraine to convict me of this very issue.  I don't regret signing up for the half marathon, or improving my health and fitness, but I do know that I need to be more aware of the necessity for balance and not to let it become an idol as it did in these last couple weeks.  I found myself focusing much more on this big day than other important areas in my life, including time in God's word, valuable time with my husband and kids, and just not taking the time to praise God for what He's done in my life.  As you all know the first two big goals I set for myself on this journey was to run my first half marathon and to lose 25 pounds... my next goal, for the next 6 months I will spend as much time in prayer and in God's word as I do working out.  That's actually a pretty big order as I'm hoping to run another half marathon in the fall and you all know some of my long runs take a good amount of time.  My prayer is that it will help me keep my priorities in order, manage my stress level, develop a new perspective for my journey and simply draw me closer to God!  God has been so incredibly faithful through this journey and I'm excited to see what He has in store for this next year!

Stay tuned for my race recap from the big day!!!

Blessings,

Krystal

It's JUST 2 Words!

A little conviction today!  I've come to realize that there are two words that should be eliminated from EVERY runner's vocabulary!

The first word that should be eliminated is the word 'just'!

I have found that this simple word can be so discouraging to not just myself but those around me.  I began to realize the danger of this word when friends would ask me about our family run and I would say 'We "just" ran the 1 mile.'  God began teaching me a lesson regarding choosing my words and encouraging others around me.  What was 'just' a mile for me after training for a year was a REALLY big deal for my precious little girl who ran in her very first race.  I don't ever want to risk discouraging her (or anyone else) from wanting to run again by her feeling her distance was in any way inadequate.

The other dangerous word for a runner is the word 'only'!

Just recently I was talking about my training with a friend and caught myself saying 'I "only" ran 6 miles today.'  As I reflect on my journey over the last year, I was reminded when 6 miles or 3 miles was a really big deal for me (and on some days they still are a big deal).  Running is such a mental challenge and using these words can cause myself unnecessary struggles during a run.  I've since realized that when I'm sharing about my training, there may be someone who is just thinking about running and me using the words 'just' and 'only' could really discourage them from starting.  Or someone may be struggling with reaching their 5k goal and I risk discouraging them too.  Earlier this week a good friend came to me and said she wanted to get some friends/running pals together to run one of my final training runs with me before my first half marathon next weekend to simply show their love and support as I had a really bad run last weekend.  I was so incredibly touched and blessed by this and realized that just as I need encouragement once in a while, so do others around me.  I'm so excited to meet up with these ladies this week and am also so excited that my little girl is also going to get up and come run and support her mommy.  I have come to love this sport and lifestyle, and want to encourage others who are considering giving it a try or have been doing it for a long time and just need an encouraging word to keep persevering through each and every step!  

I know that I've been guilty of using these words when I shouldn't have and if I've discouraged any of you through my blog or through just chatting about running with these two words, I sincerely apologize and pray that you can forgive me.  I praise God for His mercy and grace every morning! 

Every single mile is an accomplishment and a part of your journey!  

Get out there and run a mile, a 5k, 10k, a half marathon or a full marathon... just run :)

Blessings,

Krystal

Answered Prayers

Compassion is defined as a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it. Many months ago I began praying for more compassion for others. And not just in general for those hurting but for those closest to me. This desire was on my heart partially because of wanting deeper relationships with friends and family, but more importantly a deeper relationship with God. I saw this gift in friends and those around me and I valued their compassion and empathy so much.  Although I know these feelings and reactions don't come naturally to me, I knew God would hear my prayers and the desires of my heart, after all His word promises to do just that. 

⁴ 

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give 

you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

I definitely felt like God was using Josh's accident to teach me compassion.  I instantly felt compassion and empathy for those who have suffered much more severe burns than those of my husbands'.  My heart also ached for other wives who get that horrible phone call that their husband has been hurt.  Nothing can compare to the hurt, the panic and more importantly the desire for God's strength to get through such a challenge.

And just when I thought God's lesson on compassion for me was complete, He reminded me very quickly that He wasn't done teaching me yet.  Early this week Jayce came down with a stomach bug.  After struggling through a couple sleepless nights and him being in such excruciating pain I finally decided to take him into the doctor to make sure everything was okay and to make sure that I shouldn't be worried about his recovery.  After getting to the doctor I quickly realized that this was something more than just a stomach bug.  We then had to begin the very difficult process of running tests, which included blood work and an IV port.  I have such a new understanding for parents who have to go through this on a regular basis.  Absolutely nothing can prepare a parent for the fear, terrifying screaming and panic that their child endures through this process!  I was standing outside the same ER room with my little boy laying in the exact same hospital bed that my husband laid in exactly 3 weeks prior.  I was definitely starting to feel helpless and extremely overwhelmed.  The friends and family that surround you during these times are a tremendous blessing.  I called my dear friend who was watching our little girl and she immediately prayed over Jayce and I over the phone.  What a blessing this conversation was.  The peace and strength God provides is beyond words.  

We then began the long wait for the results from the tests and our doctor shared with us that Jayce had an infection in his intestines.  He could have sent us home and let Jayce's body continue to fight through the infection but decided to go ahead and admit him into the hospital to get some fluids going to help with his dehydration and some medicine to help with the stomach pains.  As exhausted as we all were, we were so grateful our little dude started to get some relief.  

Sissy came to visit and didn't hesitate to crawl up in the bed with her little brother and try to put a smile on his face.  I love this little girls heart!  She's had such a difficult month too, just trying to understand everything that's gone with Daddy and Jayce.  

The next day Jayce was finally able to eat something and was actually hungry, which we were so excited to see again!

And then we told him he was going to get to go HOME!  He was so excited to get everything unhooked and go home to rest.

Jayce has had to be on a specific diet for the last couple of days (which is extremely difficult for him to understand) and will have to continue for several more days as everything heals.  This has been a challenge for just a few days, I can only imagine parents dealing with food allergies every single day.  We've seen just a glimpse of what you go through.  And just this evening we had to talk about going back to the doctor tomorrow for a checkup.  He was so upset because he thinks he'll have to get 'poked' again and have to stay the night.  For those parents who have to go through this process on a much more regular basis and/or much more severe levels, my heart literally aches for you.

Although our family has had our share of challenges throughout the last several weeks, I can tell you that God is good and is faithful.  He carried us through each moment of these challenges and as a wife and a mom I hope to have a new level of compassion and understanding when someone else goes through a challenging season.  And to all of those who have helped us, prayed for us, visited us, helped with our kids, sent texts, cards, etc. over the last few weeks, thank you!  You have blessed us and showed us God's love!

And today I praise God for answered prayers for healing over these two special men in my life and for a new sense of compassion!  

Blessings,

Krystal

Pray & Run for Boston

When you become a runner you immediately become part of a community, a family.  When a dear family member or friend becomes a runner, you also become part of a community and larger family.  Like so many around the world Monday, my heart sank when I heard of the news of the bomb explosions at the Boston Marathon.  

Thanks to the inspiration of 'Through Heather's Looking Glass'  and so many other bloggers and runners across the country, I was inspired to also run 4.09 miles yesterday in honor of Boston and all of those affected.  This was the time on the race clock when the first bomb went off.  

I spent this time praying for the city of Boston, the runners and spectators at the Boston Marathon, the families, the entire running community and for our country.  As I prayed for Boston, I also reflected on my own journey and was reminded that we cannot live in fear!  I was also reminded of Psalm 27:1.  "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  It was an emotional run just thinking what must have been going through the minds of the runners, spectators, families, emergency personnel etc. that were there.  And then I began thinking about how hard it's going to be for these runners to run their next race.  Will they be able to?  What will it feel like to cross the next finish line?  What will their next training run feel like?  What I do know is that no matter what, God is our light and salvation and we should not fear!  There are so many things that we cannot control and we must allow Him to be in control.

Runners Unite and Do Not Fear!

We live in a fallen world and this is just another reminder that we need Jesus!

Blessings,

Krystal

Gentle Mothering

After running 8 miles this morning my body has been a little tired today.  The kids and I have been picking up the house, doing laundry and other fun things that we needed to do on a Saturday.  With that being said though, we all enjoyed a nap and then enjoyed some time outside.  This beautiful spring day couldn't be wasted by spending it inside!  

I decided to take my bible reading outside.  There's nothing sweeter than a peaceful afternoon, God's word, the giggles of my kids playing and of course a nice glass of cold water!  

Here's the view of the kids playing while I spent time in prayer and reading God's word.

Several year's ago my Mom gave me a new Bible, it's called the 'Mom's Bible.'  I really enjoy it as the notes are written for and to mothers.  I spent some time this afternoon reading in the book of Matthew.  God uses Chapter 11 to speak to us about finding rest in Him by learning to be gentle and humble!  I was reminded this afternoon that God speaks to us in such gentle ways through a gentle tug in our hearts or a quiet nudge.  This was a gentle tug reminding me that I should speak to my children in the same way that God speaks to me.  After I finished my time in God's word, I immediately got up and joined my kids on the trampoline.  I love the excitement they have when Mommy comes to play with them.  

 Yes, I even joined Kylee in some cartwheels!

Thank you God, for using a peaceful and beautiful afternoon to speak to my heart!

May you find rest in Jesus today!

Blessings,

Krystal

Maintaining Training On the Road!

As I'm sure you've seen from my various posts that I traveled to Illinois in mid March to attend the Hearts at Home Conference (more to come on the conference).  It was an amazing few days of being renewed physically but most importantly spiritually.  A dear friend of mine and I traveled together.  We laughed together, cried together and were truly blessed.

Amy has been with me on this journey to get healthy from the very beginning.  Her encouragement, prayers, accountability, and support has been such a blessing.

We had such a special time together.  Both of us have made such drastic changes to our life over the last year.  Our daily routines of what we eat and our workouts are so important that we discussed our plans before we even left.  We travelled on a Thursday, worked out Thursday night, scheduled a rest day for Friday (to fully enjoy the conference) and then both of us enjoyed a workout on Saturday before we began our travel home.

Before we left I did some research to see if there was any running paths close by and was so excited to discover the Constitution Trail that goes through the Normal/Bloomington, IL area.  The weather was a little brisk and foggy but I was SO excited to run outside.  

This was THE best run I've ever had since starting this journey.  Being refueled spiritually the day before had such an impact on the thoughts I had while I was running.  I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face for the entire 8 miles and felt like I should have ran farther.

Here's a the view I had on my run!  It was incredibly refreshing!

There was also a couple little ponds that I enjoyed running past, even with the fog!

Absolutely loved being outside on this peaceful, beautiful morning!

It's so easy to skip a good run or workout while you're traveling, but it's so important to stick to your plan even while on the road.  This taught me to seek this opportunity whenever possible!  I can't wait to discover new areas or paths when I travel.

Blessings,

Krystal

A hard week or a lesson learned?

This week I got back into focusing on getting some more miles in and some additional cross training done. It was also an eye opening week for me as I realized I had fallen into a trap. The trap of thinking that if you can't run the entire goal distance you are weak.  Monday was a short run of 3.5 miles and some dumbbells and then Wednesday morning I had set a goal for myself to run 10 miles. As I got started I could tell it was going to be a tough run. My feet hurt, my stomach hurt and I just had a poor attitude. I even had to take a few walking breaks. I was so incredibly discouraged, especially after running 12 miles last week.  I was only able to finish 9.25. This was the first time since I've started running that I didn't meet a daily distance goal I had set for myself.

Over my lunch break on Wednesday I decided to do some reading on some blogs and various research to see how others cope with a bad run as I knew I wasn't the first person to feel this discouraged after a run.  I came across several encouraging post as well as being introduced to the Galloway run/walk method.  I had heard of the method several times but never really understood  it.  It's a method of running a certain amount of time then walking then repeating.  On Thursday morning I did some cross training.  I rode the bike in the gym for 6 miles and then did some dumbbells.  Friday morning came and after being so discouraged Wednesday I wasn't really looking forward to it and almost didn't even get out of bed to go (but I'm so glad I did).  I decided to not set my goal too high and use an approach that would still push me but not push me too hard.  So here's what I did, I ran two miles then walked a quarter of a mile, and then repeated several times to complete 9 miles.  I also increased my speed with each interval.  It was a much better finish to the week.  Although my miles per run were less this week I was able to run 21.75 miles this week, which is more than I have ever done.  I learned such a valuable lesson this week.  It's okay if you need to take a walk break in between running AND it's okay to have a bad run!  After such a long journey this week, I leave you with this simple but encouraging reminder.

Blessings,

Krystal