Exciting things going on around here. I decided a couple weeks ago that I want to be a Scentsy consultant and signed up and got my stuff and am preparing for my launch party that is this Saturday. I'm really excited about where I can go with this.

Andrew had an allergic reaction to something a week and a half ago. We didn't have any idea what the reaction was in response to, but it was scary enough to me to make him an appointment with an allergist. We went Tuesday and he's allergic to several types of tree pollen, weed pollen, grasses, dust mites, cat, dog, and mold. So, we're in the process of cleaning up his room. I've ordered dust mite covers for his mattress and pillows. He's on Flonase nasal spray and taking Zyrtec. We go back in 6 weeks for a check up. We're also toying with the idea of pulling up all the carpet and replacing it with hardwood floors. I would love to do that, but we haven't actually sat down and really talked about it yet. I would love to have a couple pretty throw rugs that would brighten up the rooms. Besides that, our carpet is stained with watercolor paints.

Running is still going fairly well. The temperature all of a sudden jumped up this week (from 60s to 80s) and I was actually able to run a mile and a half before walking yesterday afternoon. I might survive warmer weather running after all. I've decided not to do the half marathon in April. I missed a week of training and I just don't want to push it too much again. I'm aiming for something in the fall/winter.

Where Can I Go?

The song is in my head. "Where can I goooo from you, Oh Lord? Where can I go from you?" Indeed, where CAN I go from the Lord? The simple answer is nowhere. I can go nowhere apart from my Lord. He is with me everywhere I go. Everywhere. He is in the depths of the sea. He is in the highest heaven. The darkest cave. The brightest meadow. Everywhere. I'm so thankful that he is where I need him...and even where I don't think I need him.

Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. -Psalm 28:6-7

I was just driving and thinking about how God's presence has been evident throughout the last 6+ months of my life. He has been so faithful through all of the hard times we've experienced. He provided us with money to pay our bills and buy groceries with while Clayton was out of work. He provided Clayton with a job in the area that he is going to school for. And, consequently, Clayton loves it. He has given me a sense of peace about Clayton being in this line of work rather than being a police officer. I had gotten used to having that patrol car in my front yard. After all, it had been there for 9 years. Two days before he resigned, God told me it is okay by allowing me to drive up into my yard and think "It looks normal without that car there." No matter what happens, He is faithful.

I was listening to the radio this morning and God spoke to me through a story about Shrinky Dinks. The morning host, Heather, found these things for her kids and they made them over the weekend and last night. They put her son's in the oven for it to shrink and while they were watching, it folded over and looked like it wasn't going to do right, so her son wanted them to take them out before it got too badly mangled. Heather, in her wisdom (and knowing what the end result was going to be) told him that they would leave them until time to take them out. How like our God! He allows us to go through bad things, through fire because he knows the end. He knows that when everything is said and done, we will be holy as he is holy. Holiness comes by being tested, by going through the fire. The impurities are burned away and we are left with Jesus in us.

This really resonates deep within me this morning as I have made a commitment to be in God's Word daily - something I struggle with. My prayer is that if I can make it routine to begin with that God will ignite my routine into passion and I will long to be in the Word as often as possible and grow closer and closer to him and more like him and through the fires that will surely come I will be tested and the impurities will burn away and I will see His reflection in all that I do.

Seriously considering it

A half-marathon, that is. There's a local one in 9 weeks. I just so happen to have a 9-week training plan downloaded. I'm scared slap to death to commit to it. I'm sure that's normal, though, for people who have never done a half. I think I'm most scared of taking longer than 3 hours to do it. But, I can do 5 miles in about an hour, give or take a few minutes, so logic says that I should be able to do 10 miles in about 2 hours and then 3 more miles after that, so around 2.5ish hours. Still scares me. Like butterflies-in-my-stomach-already scares me. I think I am going to do the first week of training and then register. Maybe it will be what I need to break through my stinking weight loss plateau.

Yeah, I'm behind.

I've hit 5 miles again and am hoping to push it a little farther this week. I've been subjecting the kids to my runs here lately because I seem to have lost my will to run in the mornings. I've been taking them to the track after Andrew gets out of school and running at least 5K each time. Today was run club and since I didn't get out this morning, I went to the track a little early today. Ran 2.75 before the kids got there and then tacked on another 1.26 with the kids for a total of 4.01 in 50.13.

Everything else has been pretty much the same around here. Found out that Clayton's parking isn't totally paid for, but we won't be paying as much as before. Insurance doesn't kick in until May 1, so we're living with temporary insurance right now. He's working tickets now and likes it much more than answering the phone. When they hired him on, the only open spots were the Saturday through Tuesday shifts, but he was told to stay where he is until further notice. I'm liking that because it's Monday through Friday and he gets off work at 4:30.

My nephew, Levi William, arrived on February 3. I haven't gotten to meet him yet, but that will be taken care of tomorrow since my loving husband has arranged a GNO for me. Evidently, LeeAnna is in town a little earlier than planned and Clayton talked with her and we're going out tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to some girl time. Can't wait until I can get some girl time planned with my sisters from church, too.

As far as weight loss goes, I'm still hanging around the same 27ish pounds. At least I'm keeping off the same weight rather than gaining again. Hoping to eventually drop some more.

Oh, and one other thing! I'm helping teach in GAs and am loving it. I actually taught last week and had a blast! It's much more laid back than I was making choir to be.

Exciting news! My husband starts working directly for his company come Monday! Parking will be paid for, woohoo!

More exciting news! I'll have a new nephew by Friday!

Random news: My truck has been cleaned out, washed, and vacuumed.

Running news: I hit 5 miles on Tuesday in 58.03! I did 2.11 miles in 26.51 on Wednesday and 4.73 in 1.03.01 yesterday. The good news about yesterday's run, even though it was slow, was that I conquered the hill between my house and the end of the road not once, but TWICE. It's a long hill, but I ran up it both times.

Running update

I'm so excited to say that my last 2 times out, I've run, yes RUN, 4.25 miles. I did not stop to walk either time! If it had not been so foggy when I finished running this afternoon, I would have tried to hit 4.5 miles. Aiming for that Monday morning. I believe I have enough time before the Cooper River Bridge run to add 0.25 a week and be able to run it all. Haven't signed up for it though. I don't want to run it alone, so I need to find out if someone wants to go with me.