Hi Everyone!
I arrived in the UK today for a three and a half week visit. I will be in Bradford with friends for almost three weeks and then traveling on my own -- hopefully into Scotland.
The trip went well. All flights were on time, etc. However, I ended up sandwiched between some big guys and as a result was unable to sleep at all until my little puddle-hop from Amsterdam to Leeds this early-afternoon. It was fun to meet up with Bob and Kathryn. Needless to say, I am exhausted. Now, at 8:30pm, I am going to bed. I'll keep you all posted on my adventures in the UK!
Laura
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Final Catch-up: Jesse’s BASIC Graduation
A few weeks ago my mom flew into BWI and then drove with me to Columbia, South Carolina to go to Jesse’s graduation from basic training. I am so glad I went! Jesse knew mom was going, but had no idea that I would be with her or that my dad would also fly into town for the event! When my mom and I got into town, we met up with our friend
The morning after we arrived, I dropped mom off at Ft. Jackson and then as quickly as possible went to the airport to pick my dad up. His flight had been so delayed that he made it in the morning after his intended arrival. We got to the base about a half-hour after the start of the event, and were thankful that the start had been delayed due to some problems in the sound systemJ. Jesse was an honor grad, so we sat in VIP seating right in the middle. Just as my dad and I scooted into our seats, Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue came over the loud speaker. I can’t describe how emotional the environment was. None of the families had seen their loved-one for about 10 weeks, and the music was perfect for that environment. As the song began to climax, green smoke bombs were set off on the far side of the field we were on. And then out of the smoke ran the new soldiers. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.
The rest of that day was spent with Jesse on the base. We went to lunch, did some shopping, took a tour, played in a gym prepped with games for family day, and in the late afternoon Mom and I went to Starbucks and brought a drink back for Jesse. It was great to see him and the life he’d been living.
Instead of going into the details of the rest of the time there, I want to say thank you to Jesse and to all of our country’s soldiers. I think you all are amazing!
And here are some photos of my little bro:
Friday, May 28, 2010
Florida - Still Catching Up
Hi Friends,
The day after getting home from the Adventure Relay I jumped on a plane to Ft. Lauderdale to visit my sister Allison.
Allison is 13 months younger than me. She went to school at Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. After graduating she spent a year teaching in South Korea and then lived with my parents for several months prior to moving back to Florida to be a nanny. She started a new job on May 3, so the week prior to that (when I visited) was a perfect opportunity to spend some fun time together!
I can't get over how fun it is to be with my siblings now that we are grown up. I am just so amazed how God has worked in each of us so differently, and how great each of my siblings are in their unique ways! Allison and I had a great time talking through things we've learned, and I was struck by how different our journeys have been, even though we were raised by the same people, have similar genetics, and have shared friends and experienced many of the same things throughout our lives.
Here are some of the things we did!
We visited the Everglades:
The day after getting home from the Adventure Relay I jumped on a plane to Ft. Lauderdale to visit my sister Allison.
Allison is 13 months younger than me. She went to school at Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. After graduating she spent a year teaching in South Korea and then lived with my parents for several months prior to moving back to Florida to be a nanny. She started a new job on May 3, so the week prior to that (when I visited) was a perfect opportunity to spend some fun time together!
I can't get over how fun it is to be with my siblings now that we are grown up. I am just so amazed how God has worked in each of us so differently, and how great each of my siblings are in their unique ways! Allison and I had a great time talking through things we've learned, and I was struck by how different our journeys have been, even though we were raised by the same people, have similar genetics, and have shared friends and experienced many of the same things throughout our lives.
Here are some of the things we did!
We visited the Everglades:
I got to meet many of Allison's friends. She seems to have some wonderful people to share life with there. Since her birthday was the day after I left, I was able to attend her birthday party:
We thought the reactions people had when they heard we were sisters was funny... as it has been for most of our lives. "Really???," "You guys look NOTHING alike," "I can see it," "Are you sure?," "I can see it in your eyes," "Wow! You guys look alike," were just some of the exclamations we elicited.
On my last night there Allison, her friend Kristen, and I went to a nice area in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, intending to take a night boat-ride. We ended up missing the boat by about 10 seconds, so we walked around a park and took some pictures. It was a lovely night.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Adventure Relay -- Lessons
I realized after my last post that I forgot to tell you about the coolest moment of the race for me.
When I started my 5am run, I was exhausted. I'd run over 10 miles already within the 20 hours preceding it, and only had two hours of sleep on a cold gym floor. It was pitch black, and as I started the leg with a woman whose pace was (amazingly) slower than mine. I wanted to stick with her as long as possible, because within the first half-mile we descended from partially lit streets into the C&O Canal -- running under train tracks in the darkness with only a head lamp to light the way. About a mile in the woman stopped to walk, and I kept going.
I ran a while longer and was just so tired. My legs didn't feel like moving anymore and I didn't have a very good idea of how far I'd gone or would still need to go. Walking sounded like a brilliant idea. Then, a few things happened:
I realized that I (a) could finish the run and (b) started praying that God would give me the energy and discipline to do it. One step at a time, I plodded along.
I got frustrated looking at my feet, and wanted to get a better idea of what was around me. Twice I moved my headlamp from facing mostly down in front of me to being angled up, thinking I'd be able to see straight in front of me. It didn't work. All that happened was that I no longer had such a good view of the step right ahead. There was nothing close enough to me in front to catch the light of the lamp. So I shifted it back down and kept running.
In that moment of exhaustion and frustration, God showed me a few things. Most of you know me, so you know that I tend to be very much a "big picture" person. I'm not a huge fan of trifling with the small details... show me what's really going on and I'll do much better than if you just tell me what to do. I like to know the end goal before I start something, keep my eyes on the prize while doing it, and be aware of the underlying motives and pressures affecting actions and interactions in the meantime.
So as I was running in the dark, God showed me that, in the race and often in life, He would have me trust Him one step at a time, following the path He has set before me, willing to change directions by His bidding, and trusting that He has the big picture. This was especially poignant given my current life status and situation. Sometimes it is the right thing to focus on my feet and just keep going, one step at a time. I can use the info I have but need to be OK that I don't know everything. At this point I need to move ahead with the information I've been given!
When I started my 5am run, I was exhausted. I'd run over 10 miles already within the 20 hours preceding it, and only had two hours of sleep on a cold gym floor. It was pitch black, and as I started the leg with a woman whose pace was (amazingly) slower than mine. I wanted to stick with her as long as possible, because within the first half-mile we descended from partially lit streets into the C&O Canal -- running under train tracks in the darkness with only a head lamp to light the way. About a mile in the woman stopped to walk, and I kept going.
I ran a while longer and was just so tired. My legs didn't feel like moving anymore and I didn't have a very good idea of how far I'd gone or would still need to go. Walking sounded like a brilliant idea. Then, a few things happened:
I realized that I (a) could finish the run and (b) started praying that God would give me the energy and discipline to do it. One step at a time, I plodded along.
I got frustrated looking at my feet, and wanted to get a better idea of what was around me. Twice I moved my headlamp from facing mostly down in front of me to being angled up, thinking I'd be able to see straight in front of me. It didn't work. All that happened was that I no longer had such a good view of the step right ahead. There was nothing close enough to me in front to catch the light of the lamp. So I shifted it back down and kept running.
In that moment of exhaustion and frustration, God showed me a few things. Most of you know me, so you know that I tend to be very much a "big picture" person. I'm not a huge fan of trifling with the small details... show me what's really going on and I'll do much better than if you just tell me what to do. I like to know the end goal before I start something, keep my eyes on the prize while doing it, and be aware of the underlying motives and pressures affecting actions and interactions in the meantime.
So as I was running in the dark, God showed me that, in the race and often in life, He would have me trust Him one step at a time, following the path He has set before me, willing to change directions by His bidding, and trusting that He has the big picture. This was especially poignant given my current life status and situation. Sometimes it is the right thing to focus on my feet and just keep going, one step at a time. I can use the info I have but need to be OK that I don't know everything. At this point I need to move ahead with the information I've been given!
Getting Caught Up -- Adventure Relay
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for your patience as it has been so long since I've posted! It has been an eventful month or so, and I'm going to try to start getting caught up.
Thanks so much for your prayers for the adventure relay! I survived all of my runs (and ran it all, although not too quickly), and had a wonderful time! I was the first runner, so I started our team out at 10:15am. My first leg was 6 miles in Pennsylvania countryside, and reminded me a little bit of running in Grove City. A few miles in, I got concerned since my feet were falling asleep. My shoes were new, and I was afraid that there was something wrong with them. I'm embarrassed to say that it probably took me a mile of running to realize that they were tied too tight. After adjusting them things went better! My run finished past Gettysburg College and through the city of Gettysburg. It is beautiful!
My team was waiting for me when I finished my first run. I was so thankful to know that it was the longest one I'd be doing, so it was quite a relief to have it over! Stacy ran after me, then the rest of our team. There were a few epic runs completed by my teammates in the first leg. It was great to get to cheer for them.
My second run was right at dark, around 8pm and was about 5 miles. It was probably my best run in terms of speed, but I was nervous running alone on country roads after dark. Thankfully, though, I was safe!
We got some sleep on a gym floor (about 2 hours), before we traveled to the start of my 4 mile third leg, which I started at 5am. I started the team along the C&O Canal, which we followed for the rest of the day. We had a great time together as a team especially as we each completed our last legs. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment!
Thanks so much for your patience as it has been so long since I've posted! It has been an eventful month or so, and I'm going to try to start getting caught up.
Thanks so much for your prayers for the adventure relay! I survived all of my runs (and ran it all, although not too quickly), and had a wonderful time! I was the first runner, so I started our team out at 10:15am. My first leg was 6 miles in Pennsylvania countryside, and reminded me a little bit of running in Grove City. A few miles in, I got concerned since my feet were falling asleep. My shoes were new, and I was afraid that there was something wrong with them. I'm embarrassed to say that it probably took me a mile of running to realize that they were tied too tight. After adjusting them things went better! My run finished past Gettysburg College and through the city of Gettysburg. It is beautiful!
This is Emily and me preparing for the race.
My team was waiting for me when I finished my first run. I was so thankful to know that it was the longest one I'd be doing, so it was quite a relief to have it over! Stacy ran after me, then the rest of our team. There were a few epic runs completed by my teammates in the first leg. It was great to get to cheer for them.
Many of the transition points were entertaining -- I liked this one.
My second run was right at dark, around 8pm and was about 5 miles. It was probably my best run in terms of speed, but I was nervous running alone on country roads after dark. Thankfully, though, I was safe!
We got some sleep on a gym floor (about 2 hours), before we traveled to the start of my 4 mile third leg, which I started at 5am. I started the team along the C&O Canal, which we followed for the rest of the day. We had a great time together as a team especially as we each completed our last legs. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment!
This was right after the last transition point. After sending Dan (the last runner) off on his final leg we jumped in our cars to head to the finish line in DC.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Adventure Relay
Hi Friends,
This has been a really nice month+ of being in Maryland and Pennsylvania -- spending time with my family and friends in a few locations and investigating possibilities for next steps! I didn't realize this would happen ahead of time, but I feel a lot of continuity between my time overseas -- spending time with people I admire who are doing things I'd be interested in doing -- and my time here living with Trent and Wendy and their awesome family. It is such a blessing to have this "gap" time to stop and learn and relax and evaluate opportunities. I am not sure where this journey will lead but I am confident that I will look back on it as a very formative time.
I decided to post today because tomorrow promises the beginning of another kind of adventure for me.
Five months ago (or so) some of my friends started talking about running in an "Adventure Relay" where 12 crazy people will run around the clock from Gettysburg to the Washington Monument. I wasn't sure where I'd be at this time and had all but decided that my distance running career was over (my max was a 10-miler last summer, and although it was a good learning experience it was not exactly the favorite thing I've ever done), so I decided not to sign up. I may have said something about being an alternate or something... not sure.
SO, when I got back to MD many of my friends were in the midst of training for this run. As I've been trying to get back in shape after my travels I've done a training run or two with the girls running in this relay. I have not pushed myself too hard, knowing that I did not really need to be ready for the run -- I just wanted to be in decent condition.
HOWEVER, one of the other runners needed to back out last week. I was approached to take his place, and let my friend who is coordinating this thing know that, although I thought I could probably physically survive the race, it would not be pretty. I advised her to try as hard as possible to find someone else to do it, but said that I could probably do it as a LAST resort.
Well, as you suspect by now, last resort had to be pulled in. So without training I am somehow going to run 15 miles of the relay starting Friday morning. Thankfully my friends were gracious enough to move people around to give me the easiest spot!
Yesterday, after hearing that I actually might be called upon to do this, I decided to run about 4 miles. During my run I realized my running shoes desperately need to be replaced and that my pace is embarrassingly slow. I love doing things that fall into the, "well, this will at least be humbling if nothing else" category.
So, if you praying folk would remember me Friday and Saturday, I would sure appreciate it. I'll post some race pics afterward and I'm sure I'll have some kind of story :-).
Also, I'm looking forward to a trip to Florida on Sunday! I'll be there for six days visiting my sister Allison, and am really looking forward to it!
Oh, and here are a few pictures from the last month:
This has been a really nice month+ of being in Maryland and Pennsylvania -- spending time with my family and friends in a few locations and investigating possibilities for next steps! I didn't realize this would happen ahead of time, but I feel a lot of continuity between my time overseas -- spending time with people I admire who are doing things I'd be interested in doing -- and my time here living with Trent and Wendy and their awesome family. It is such a blessing to have this "gap" time to stop and learn and relax and evaluate opportunities. I am not sure where this journey will lead but I am confident that I will look back on it as a very formative time.
I decided to post today because tomorrow promises the beginning of another kind of adventure for me.
Five months ago (or so) some of my friends started talking about running in an "Adventure Relay" where 12 crazy people will run around the clock from Gettysburg to the Washington Monument. I wasn't sure where I'd be at this time and had all but decided that my distance running career was over (my max was a 10-miler last summer, and although it was a good learning experience it was not exactly the favorite thing I've ever done), so I decided not to sign up. I may have said something about being an alternate or something... not sure.
SO, when I got back to MD many of my friends were in the midst of training for this run. As I've been trying to get back in shape after my travels I've done a training run or two with the girls running in this relay. I have not pushed myself too hard, knowing that I did not really need to be ready for the run -- I just wanted to be in decent condition.
HOWEVER, one of the other runners needed to back out last week. I was approached to take his place, and let my friend who is coordinating this thing know that, although I thought I could probably physically survive the race, it would not be pretty. I advised her to try as hard as possible to find someone else to do it, but said that I could probably do it as a LAST resort.
Well, as you suspect by now, last resort had to be pulled in. So without training I am somehow going to run 15 miles of the relay starting Friday morning. Thankfully my friends were gracious enough to move people around to give me the easiest spot!
Yesterday, after hearing that I actually might be called upon to do this, I decided to run about 4 miles. During my run I realized my running shoes desperately need to be replaced and that my pace is embarrassingly slow. I love doing things that fall into the, "well, this will at least be humbling if nothing else" category.
So, if you praying folk would remember me Friday and Saturday, I would sure appreciate it. I'll post some race pics afterward and I'm sure I'll have some kind of story :-).
Also, I'm looking forward to a trip to Florida on Sunday! I'll be there for six days visiting my sister Allison, and am really looking forward to it!
Oh, and here are a few pictures from the last month:
Jenni visited me for a week -- we went mountain biking. I fell over 3 times...
For my 25th birthday, my friends took me to a restaurant in downtown Baltimore. So fun!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Home Again
Hi Everyone,
I'm sorry that this post is so delayed!
Last weekend's Atlas Mountain travels continued to have lots of cold rain. Michelle and I bussed to Chefchaouen on Monday morning. It is really pretty -- a town with white walls and blue doors, but I'm afraid that we couldn't enjoy it much in the pouring rain.
The ride back to Casablanca was beautiful!Tuesday I took the bus back to Casablanca, and was really glad to get warm and hang out with Kevin and Keely. We watched The Two Towers extended edition on Tuesday night. I really enjoy those stories. It is nice to step out of the everyday patterns of life and think about the bigger picture, which I think epics help us to do. It is especially good as I think through what I want to do with my life:-).
Wednesday I went to the Casablanca medina on my own to do a little shopping. It was a fun day meeting people on the street and barganing for a few things I wanted. I'm not sure whether I've ever done that alone before, and it was certainly interesting! In the evening we watched The Return of the King.
I flew home on Thursday. Kevin graciously offered to drive me to the airport, and after circling it several times due to very very confusing and insufficient signage we found my drop-off point and I began my journey. I realized I still had a lot of "American" in me when the security procedures to board the flight took, I kid you not, about an hour and a half. I felt like I got to know everyone on my plane as we each went through line after line, sometimes being turned back to fill out a form or questioned by some very slow-moving personell. The same guy (about my age) inspected my bag in two different stations.
The flight to JFK was good. It took about 8 hours and went smoothly. I got to see The Blind Side (twice, they played back to back) for the first time. I really enjoyed it. The JFK experience wasn't great but I found my flight and we eventually took off.
About two hours after the scheduled arrival time we landed in Baltimore. My bag was one of the first off the plane and it was sooo nice to have John pick me up and to go home to my beautiful room at the Gladstone house.
I have had a great time getting to see friends (although I definetely haven't seen everyone important yet) and resting up this weekend. I was frusterated that I wasn't feeling well on Saturday and Sunday and didn't have much energy. I'm feeling MUCH better today, though, and am thankful for that!
I have some debriefing work to do this week as I process through my trip. Thanks again to everyone for following this trip! I will continue writing as my adventure continues. Also, I'll post more pictures from my last few weeks.
Laura
I'm sorry that this post is so delayed!
This is Azrou.
Last weekend's Atlas Mountain travels continued to have lots of cold rain. Michelle and I bussed to Chefchaouen on Monday morning. It is really pretty -- a town with white walls and blue doors, but I'm afraid that we couldn't enjoy it much in the pouring rain.
During our rainy day in Chefchaouen, we went to a carpet shop and had a fun time. Michelle had a great time getting me proposed to by the carpet shop owner. I had to decline, even after his offer of 198 cows (payment to her, of course).
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| From 2010-03-12 2010-03-12 |
Wednesday I went to the Casablanca medina on my own to do a little shopping. It was a fun day meeting people on the street and barganing for a few things I wanted. I'm not sure whether I've ever done that alone before, and it was certainly interesting! In the evening we watched The Return of the King.
I flew home on Thursday. Kevin graciously offered to drive me to the airport, and after circling it several times due to very very confusing and insufficient signage we found my drop-off point and I began my journey. I realized I still had a lot of "American" in me when the security procedures to board the flight took, I kid you not, about an hour and a half. I felt like I got to know everyone on my plane as we each went through line after line, sometimes being turned back to fill out a form or questioned by some very slow-moving personell. The same guy (about my age) inspected my bag in two different stations.
The flight to JFK was good. It took about 8 hours and went smoothly. I got to see The Blind Side (twice, they played back to back) for the first time. I really enjoyed it. The JFK experience wasn't great but I found my flight and we eventually took off.
About two hours after the scheduled arrival time we landed in Baltimore. My bag was one of the first off the plane and it was sooo nice to have John pick me up and to go home to my beautiful room at the Gladstone house.
I have had a great time getting to see friends (although I definetely haven't seen everyone important yet) and resting up this weekend. I was frusterated that I wasn't feeling well on Saturday and Sunday and didn't have much energy. I'm feeling MUCH better today, though, and am thankful for that!
I have some debriefing work to do this week as I process through my trip. Thanks again to everyone for following this trip! I will continue writing as my adventure continues. Also, I'll post more pictures from my last few weeks.
Laura
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