My Muscles....are telling me I am getting older :)
My new challenge this summer is to do an Olympic Distance Triathlon in August at Big Creek State Park: 1500 meter swim, 26 mile Bike Ride, 6.2 Mile Run. Anyone who has known me for the past 3 years would tell you, I want to do a half ironman before I am forty. Last summer, I tried the sprint distance triathlon. This summer, I am upping the distance to Olympic. Why? The Ultimate Goal: To get in better shape for running a half marathon in the fall. It is all for the mental assurance. I need to know I could do a half ironman at some point in my life. To do a half ironman, I need to know I can run the distance. Honestly, most of the half ironman does not seem so bad. The 1.2 mile swim and the 56 mile bike does not get me nervous. It is the half marathon at the end! I am the world's slowest runner. As I age and have children, I just get slower. Do not get me wrong, I am not rock star tri person. My goals are to finish and finish well for me.
My Mental Breakdown of the Sport:
Swim: LOVE THE FREEDOM ! There is no feeling like it in the world. The water makes you feel weightless. Trust me, I know. I swam until 2 days before Ava was born. With an extra 30+ lbs and being a week over due, I felt weightless entering the water. No one can talk to you. It is just you, the water, and your thoughts.
Bike: LOVE THE CHASE! My cycling class will tell you, I love hills. I love riding my XS bike with smaller tires and keeping up with people with larger wheels. I love cruising up a challenging hill and passing people with body markings stating they are younger than me. I love putting the petal to the medal and riding. Free spinning down hill. The wind in your face. You gotta love it.
Run: LOVE BEING DONE! LOL...it is true. It isn't that I hate running. It is just I enjoy the other two sports more. I don't find myself looking at my watch with swimming or biking unless I am pushing for race pace or above race pass rate. When I run, I am constantly telling myself....just X more minutes or X more miles. I get done and I feel old. Swimming and biking make me feel young and free. Running nope. I am slower and I am getting older. I try to give it all I got during and at the end of the run, but I still just can't seem to push past certain times or I hit a mental block. My husband, the runner in my life, tells me "Well, you are good for as short as you are or just make it about the distance and faster times will come." He is great. But myself competitiveness always takes over, I want the faster time to come and come now!
The Mental Makeover:
Last week, I started in on my base training for running. Two days of running and one brick bike/ run. 4 miles for the long run this week. At the end of it, I felt slow and old. But I reminded myself, I have a bigger goal in mind and the postives. My high school never had a cross country team, a swim team, or a tri club. I loved each sports. I did them on my own in my free time or would wake up and go swimming with my dad at 5:30 am. My college didn't have a tri club or swim team. I would jump in the pool after teaching 6:15 am aerobics and swim or enjoy a run late at night to release stress. In my late twenties, I get to enjoy the ability to compete in the sports I have loved my whole life. I get to be well rounded in my workouts. Only 0.3% of the country participates in a triathlon. Out of that number roughly 25,000 people do an Ironman on the mainland each year. At the end of the day, yes! I am getting older. Yes, I maybe getting slower. It is what a challenge is for. It is what goals are for. If goals were easy to reach, we would be selling ourselves short. So tomorrow....it is back to my week two of base training and back to another run!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Moving and Missing
Moving....
It has been a term which has defined my life. My father was in education. I never lived in a house or place longer than 6 years. Growing up, I lived in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio (home) / Kentucky (school), and Iowa. My sister and I would sit around the table. We would laugh because we remember our life story and dates by the houses we have lived in or the places we have moved. My husband, Adam lived in the same house for 18 years. I just can not imagine it. How lucky! How fascinating! In the time he has been married to me...this has been his moving track record.
Apartment Place #1: Stanton Ave- It was our first apartment. We were finishing out our degrees in Ames. Our ceiling cracked and caved in; water flooded our floors. Hence move #1.
Transition Place #2: Mom and Dad's....well, we were lucky. My parents lived 20 minutes away and we needed a place to crash before we moved to Mount Vernon for our new jobs.
Transition Again Place #3: We moved to Mount Vernon, Iowa. I was a live in residence life professional. I was the Area Coordinator in a new residence hall. It was scheduled to be finished in later July / Early August.
Apartment Place #4: The new residence hall area coordinator apartment in Clock Tower at Cornell College! Chris Wiltgen, Director of Residence Life and Karla Carney-Hall, Dean of Students were incredibly smart in designing this apartment. What new professional would not love cherry cabinetry, tile flooring, double sinks in the bathroom, 7 closets, 2 bedrooms, and pantry?! If you are looking for a residence life job....this apartment is hands down the best in Iowa! We were crazy to leave. Coe College had the job of a life time in the field of service-learning. I would have the honor to build an office. We would be 5 minutes from Adam's work. It was too good to turn down.
Apartment Place #5: Voorhees Hall at Coe College. Yes, Adam and I had to loft our queen size bed. We went from 7 closets to 2. My mom told me, "you grow into the spaces you live." She forgot to mention, you have to learn to downsizes as well. I think we stuffed items in the drop ceilings just to create space. Who knows what is still there now?!
Apartment Place #6: Our longest yet! E Ave Apartments at Coe College. When Ava came along, Coe knew a 1 bedroom place would not fit our growing family. We moved into our nice apartment for the past 2 years. They even let us paint Ava's room yellow :)
So if you have been counting, Adam and I will be married in July for 5 years and we have lived in 6 different places. It has been an exciting ride. The journey is far from over. As many of you know by now, Adam accepted a new position in the Des Moines Area at The Members Group as a financial analyst. He has been living in Des Moines Area for the past 4 months. During our period of transition, my parents have been gracious to let him crash at their place. I have been finishing out my contract at Coe. Ava has enjoyed staying with mom during the week and traveling to Oma and Opa's house on the weekends to see Daddy. I just recently accepted the new Service-Learning Coordinator position at Drake University and will begin in July.
The last BIG Move #7: Our first house! We are excited as can be. Last week, we put an offer on our new house and it was accepted. We are going to be in West Des Moines. We have less than 60 days till closing. A new yard for Ava. A house we can call ours. Words can not express how thrilled we both are at this time. We will be settling our roots and crossing our fingers for it to be the last move. We both desire permanency. We feel a huge peace and God is slow placing all the pieces together. We are thankful for His grace.
Missing
Through all of our moves and transitions, we have loved the Cedar Rapids Area. For our 7 moves, I have 7 things I will miss/love!
1.) Hope Fellowship Vineyard Church. We have grown to love the church, Pastor Dave, and its ministry. We look forward to seeing what it will become in future years.
2.) Cornell College. You took a chance on fresh out of graduate school professional who had limited student affairs experience. I am truly thankful. We would have never come to this area had it not been for your warm welcome. It was an honor to be apart of your residence life staff.
3.) Students. Both at Coe College and Cornell, you are the heart beat of the work. You challenge me to be better, think harder, and work smarter every day. It is easy to change numbers, build programs, and challenge the norms. Why? Because of you, you make it worth it and you make it happen. Just today, I dropped off food at a local pantry. The individual taking in the food for the pantry said, "Wow! Doesn't this just make your proud. Your students did all of this. They are keeping us going." It is true. I am proud and I don't say it enough. It has been an honor to work with all of you.
4.) The Community. The Cedar Rapids non profit world is remarkable. The need is great. At each community partner breakfast and site visit, I am amazed. You all do such fabulous work. I started this job in the middle of our city's greatest natural disaster. When I share this with service-learning directors across the country, most people laugh. However, it was the best time to start. I was able to see the community work in the most cohesive manor. I was able to see a city rebuild and raise above horror. We still face our struggles, but the collaboration surpasses anything else I have ever seen. It has been an honor to work with you.
5.) Coe College Faculty, Staff, and VISTAs. Lou Stark and the Campus Life Team, you were crazy for hiring me. I thank you for putting up with my over determination at times and directness. I thank you for appreciating me as a staff member, who lacked a Kleenex for the crying student in their office. Trust me....they will be in the next office I have. Laura Schnack, I thank you for being a wonderful friend and colleague. You are excellent at the work you do. It is truly an art form to watch! It has been an honor and privilege to direct the office and work with fabulous individuals. I know this work would never have reached its depths without the VISTA staff (Janna, Evonne, Tara, Wendy, and Kellie). I was blessed to supervise each of you. Everyday was an adventure. You were each excellent fellow travelers. Marie Baerh, THANK YOU THANK YOU! I say it all the time, we would not be successful without your support and Lou's support. I brag to everyone you both are the best VPs around. It has been an honor to work with each of you.
6.) Rockwell Collins Recreation Center. Brenda, I thank you for being the world's best boss. You have taught me how to be a better supervisor. You showed me how important it is to own our mistakes, move forward, and make it better the best you can. Thank you for taking on a short, rolly polly pregnant woman :) I will never forget teaching kickboxing and yoga 8.5 months along. Ava gets her moves from those womb days. The members...Monday night cycling was my favorite time of the week. Thank you for expanding my ITune Library. I have a renewed appreciation for 70s classic rock. Thank you Sandy for knowing every MJ song! Be nice to your new instructor....it takes a few months to learn your grooves. Don't worry, I will let them know not to take it easy on you and give you many many hills! My week always started right because of you. It was an honor to be your employee and instructor.
7.) Adam and Ava. One of the best things about this place is we started our family here. I love you both! Adam, I miss everything about you. Even the things that drive me crazy. I sleep terrible with out my best friend around at night. The past few months have been hard and almost unbearable at times. It just has shown me how much I love our time together as a family. I am thankful to God for placing you both in my life and I am thankful we began it here together. It is a honor to be your wife and mommy.
1.) Hope Fellowship Vineyard Church. We have grown to love the church, Pastor Dave, and its ministry. We look forward to seeing what it will become in future years.
2.) Cornell College. You took a chance on fresh out of graduate school professional who had limited student affairs experience. I am truly thankful. We would have never come to this area had it not been for your warm welcome. It was an honor to be apart of your residence life staff.
3.) Students. Both at Coe College and Cornell, you are the heart beat of the work. You challenge me to be better, think harder, and work smarter every day. It is easy to change numbers, build programs, and challenge the norms. Why? Because of you, you make it worth it and you make it happen. Just today, I dropped off food at a local pantry. The individual taking in the food for the pantry said, "Wow! Doesn't this just make your proud. Your students did all of this. They are keeping us going." It is true. I am proud and I don't say it enough. It has been an honor to work with all of you.
4.) The Community. The Cedar Rapids non profit world is remarkable. The need is great. At each community partner breakfast and site visit, I am amazed. You all do such fabulous work. I started this job in the middle of our city's greatest natural disaster. When I share this with service-learning directors across the country, most people laugh. However, it was the best time to start. I was able to see the community work in the most cohesive manor. I was able to see a city rebuild and raise above horror. We still face our struggles, but the collaboration surpasses anything else I have ever seen. It has been an honor to work with you.
5.) Coe College Faculty, Staff, and VISTAs. Lou Stark and the Campus Life Team, you were crazy for hiring me. I thank you for putting up with my over determination at times and directness. I thank you for appreciating me as a staff member, who lacked a Kleenex for the crying student in their office. Trust me....they will be in the next office I have. Laura Schnack, I thank you for being a wonderful friend and colleague. You are excellent at the work you do. It is truly an art form to watch! It has been an honor and privilege to direct the office and work with fabulous individuals. I know this work would never have reached its depths without the VISTA staff (Janna, Evonne, Tara, Wendy, and Kellie). I was blessed to supervise each of you. Everyday was an adventure. You were each excellent fellow travelers. Marie Baerh, THANK YOU THANK YOU! I say it all the time, we would not be successful without your support and Lou's support. I brag to everyone you both are the best VPs around. It has been an honor to work with each of you.
6.) Rockwell Collins Recreation Center. Brenda, I thank you for being the world's best boss. You have taught me how to be a better supervisor. You showed me how important it is to own our mistakes, move forward, and make it better the best you can. Thank you for taking on a short, rolly polly pregnant woman :) I will never forget teaching kickboxing and yoga 8.5 months along. Ava gets her moves from those womb days. The members...Monday night cycling was my favorite time of the week. Thank you for expanding my ITune Library. I have a renewed appreciation for 70s classic rock. Thank you Sandy for knowing every MJ song! Be nice to your new instructor....it takes a few months to learn your grooves. Don't worry, I will let them know not to take it easy on you and give you many many hills! My week always started right because of you. It was an honor to be your employee and instructor.
7.) Adam and Ava. One of the best things about this place is we started our family here. I love you both! Adam, I miss everything about you. Even the things that drive me crazy. I sleep terrible with out my best friend around at night. The past few months have been hard and almost unbearable at times. It just has shown me how much I love our time together as a family. I am thankful to God for placing you both in my life and I am thankful we began it here together. It is a honor to be your wife and mommy.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Missing the Mark
Have we missed the mark?
Mistreated. When working with my students, I try to teach the forgotten in our society deserve human dignity. Elderly, refugees, homeless, disabilities, at-risk youth, they all deserve the best of us and our giving. In Atlanta, it was challenging to be asked to cut off moldy bread and serve it to the clients at a food shelter. It was challenging to see human beings treated like cattle as they come through the line for their food. I felt sick. I felt like someone had gut punched me. I kept asking myself was I teaching my students this was o.k.? How can a reconcile this during reflection time? Individuals having no choices as to what was put on their plate, when they have little other choices in life. Do not get me wrong, I understand the system is messed up and the concept beggars can't be chooser when shelters are given second best. However, I cringe when I see a lack of human dignity being extended. Human dignity can involve choice. Human dignity involves if it isn't good enough for us, it isn't good enough for them. An individual can maintain their choice over what they eat by simply being looked in the eye and asked "Here are the options for today what would you like on your tray?" An individual can be seated at a clean table. A table clean enough, I would let my daughter sit at and eat. When was the last time, we went out and bought brand new clothes for a homeless shelter? When was the last time, we baked fresh goodies for them to eat? When was the last time, we said TODAY YOU DESERVE THE BEST not SLOPPY SECONDS. Cattle lines and moldy bread...we have accepted others being mistreated. We have missed the mark.
Misdirected. Waiting for "Superman" is an interesting documentary on the state of education. I watched it late Saturday night. I struggle sometimes to explain quality education is a privilege not a right in our society. It is hard to explain to my students why a parent would choose to work three jobs or live in a homeless shelter before taking their child out of private education, but when you watch the film you get it. A good education in our society is a privilege. Oh how we like to think everyone has a right to an education (myself included), but it simply is not true. We have missed the mark on this one. I have began to ask my students a couple of questions. I am open to others if you have them. How do you know to go to college? How do you even know to take the right classes to get into college? Did you go to an elementary school and middle school where most of your peers are scoring at your grade level in reading? Did 70% or more of your class graduate from high school? Their luck and my luck did not come down to a lottery system. A number being pulled. A quality education should never be withheld from our youth. Parents should not have to base their hopes of a quality education on a luck of the draw card to get into a good school. We have become misdirected in thinking everyone has access to an education. We have missed the mark.
From seeing how the poor of society are treated in Atlanta to understanding the depth of educational depravity we have in our schools, I am still asking myself have we missed the mark?
A few weeks ago, I was reading an article on the Christian response to immigration and the author referenced the book of James. I dug a little deeper the past few weeks into the book of James. Its contribution to the Bible was to call for obedience to God's moral law. It is sometimes referenced as God's "Law of Freedom." It applies to all people and obligates us to treat others equally. I find it interesting James writes about being hears of the Word not doers (Chapter 1) and the very next passage is about what? The Sin of Favoritism (Chatper 2). You got it. The example: the poor. The passage proceeds to discuss rich being favored over the poor. A reference to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:19). Rich person you get to sit here and get the nice place. Poor person you get to sit here on the floor below me and get sloppy seconds (vs. 1-5). James answer "you are dead wrong (vs.6-11). "His challenge: "Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn't shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." The gut check at the shelter was confirmed by these verses. My soul was shouting ALARM. Something is wrong! Something must change!
So how can we change our misguided aim? How can we become people who extend human dignity (mercy) and walk as individuals who are judge by the law of freedom? How can we teach our students, children, and others about extending honor to poor in our society with out degrading them? How can we extend our best selves to those who never receive the best? How do we demand the best for all children even those outside of our school districts? How do we say enough is enough lets hit the mark and stop missing it?!
Mistreated. When working with my students, I try to teach the forgotten in our society deserve human dignity. Elderly, refugees, homeless, disabilities, at-risk youth, they all deserve the best of us and our giving. In Atlanta, it was challenging to be asked to cut off moldy bread and serve it to the clients at a food shelter. It was challenging to see human beings treated like cattle as they come through the line for their food. I felt sick. I felt like someone had gut punched me. I kept asking myself was I teaching my students this was o.k.? How can a reconcile this during reflection time? Individuals having no choices as to what was put on their plate, when they have little other choices in life. Do not get me wrong, I understand the system is messed up and the concept beggars can't be chooser when shelters are given second best. However, I cringe when I see a lack of human dignity being extended. Human dignity can involve choice. Human dignity involves if it isn't good enough for us, it isn't good enough for them. An individual can maintain their choice over what they eat by simply being looked in the eye and asked "Here are the options for today what would you like on your tray?" An individual can be seated at a clean table. A table clean enough, I would let my daughter sit at and eat. When was the last time, we went out and bought brand new clothes for a homeless shelter? When was the last time, we baked fresh goodies for them to eat? When was the last time, we said TODAY YOU DESERVE THE BEST not SLOPPY SECONDS. Cattle lines and moldy bread...we have accepted others being mistreated. We have missed the mark.
Misdirected. Waiting for "Superman" is an interesting documentary on the state of education. I watched it late Saturday night. I struggle sometimes to explain quality education is a privilege not a right in our society. It is hard to explain to my students why a parent would choose to work three jobs or live in a homeless shelter before taking their child out of private education, but when you watch the film you get it. A good education in our society is a privilege. Oh how we like to think everyone has a right to an education (myself included), but it simply is not true. We have missed the mark on this one. I have began to ask my students a couple of questions. I am open to others if you have them. How do you know to go to college? How do you even know to take the right classes to get into college? Did you go to an elementary school and middle school where most of your peers are scoring at your grade level in reading? Did 70% or more of your class graduate from high school? Their luck and my luck did not come down to a lottery system. A number being pulled. A quality education should never be withheld from our youth. Parents should not have to base their hopes of a quality education on a luck of the draw card to get into a good school. We have become misdirected in thinking everyone has access to an education. We have missed the mark.
From seeing how the poor of society are treated in Atlanta to understanding the depth of educational depravity we have in our schools, I am still asking myself have we missed the mark?
A few weeks ago, I was reading an article on the Christian response to immigration and the author referenced the book of James. I dug a little deeper the past few weeks into the book of James. Its contribution to the Bible was to call for obedience to God's moral law. It is sometimes referenced as God's "Law of Freedom." It applies to all people and obligates us to treat others equally. I find it interesting James writes about being hears of the Word not doers (Chapter 1) and the very next passage is about what? The Sin of Favoritism (Chatper 2). You got it. The example: the poor. The passage proceeds to discuss rich being favored over the poor. A reference to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:19). Rich person you get to sit here and get the nice place. Poor person you get to sit here on the floor below me and get sloppy seconds (vs. 1-5). James answer "you are dead wrong (vs.6-11). "His challenge: "Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn't shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." The gut check at the shelter was confirmed by these verses. My soul was shouting ALARM. Something is wrong! Something must change!
So how can we change our misguided aim? How can we become people who extend human dignity (mercy) and walk as individuals who are judge by the law of freedom? How can we teach our students, children, and others about extending honor to poor in our society with out degrading them? How can we extend our best selves to those who never receive the best? How do we demand the best for all children even those outside of our school districts? How do we say enough is enough lets hit the mark and stop missing it?!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
MLK Day Reflections
MLK Day: Making it a Day On and Not a Day Off
Over 200 attendees came to various campus events on MLK Day organized through our office and campus partnerships. 65 faculty, staff, and students joined together to discuss Civil Rights past and present at an Issue Breakfast. 65 faculty, staff, students, and children worked to pack over 9,000 meals for Haiti and created blankets for our local shelters. 40 students and staff conducted a poverty simulations. 40 students attended a slam poet who was entertaining yet insightful to the issues still prevalent today. It was motivating to see individuals do something verses nothing on their day off. It makes me excited to be able to take students and staff in a few weeks to the King's Center in Atlanta over Alternative Spring Break.
As I reflect on Dr. King, I am drawn to his communication abilitites. Many individuals recite or know Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have Dream speech. How many individuals have heard or know more of his other great speeches?! (I Have Been to The Mountain Top to just name one of many) The communication part of me wishes our rhetoric could be so fabulous and rich. Where are these communicators today? Who can articulate and paint beautiful pictures in our minds. The picture depicted moves us in a unique way. Rhetoric pushing us to become advocates for a cause or creating a strong wave of personal action. Maybe this young man is on his way....in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The following is a 5th Grader who is the 2011 Dallas Winning Speech for the 19th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition -- Elijah English. He hopes to be the youngest president.
Over 200 attendees came to various campus events on MLK Day organized through our office and campus partnerships. 65 faculty, staff, and students joined together to discuss Civil Rights past and present at an Issue Breakfast. 65 faculty, staff, students, and children worked to pack over 9,000 meals for Haiti and created blankets for our local shelters. 40 students and staff conducted a poverty simulations. 40 students attended a slam poet who was entertaining yet insightful to the issues still prevalent today. It was motivating to see individuals do something verses nothing on their day off. It makes me excited to be able to take students and staff in a few weeks to the King's Center in Atlanta over Alternative Spring Break.
As I reflect on Dr. King, I am drawn to his communication abilitites. Many individuals recite or know Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have Dream speech. How many individuals have heard or know more of his other great speeches?! (I Have Been to The Mountain Top to just name one of many) The communication part of me wishes our rhetoric could be so fabulous and rich. Where are these communicators today? Who can articulate and paint beautiful pictures in our minds. The picture depicted moves us in a unique way. Rhetoric pushing us to become advocates for a cause or creating a strong wave of personal action. Maybe this young man is on his way....in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The following is a 5th Grader who is the 2011 Dallas Winning Speech for the 19th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition -- Elijah English. He hopes to be the youngest president.
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