Yep, we’re those people now. We have a gym membership. Technically, only Jeff has the membership, but we got it on a sweet deal that includes 1 permanent guest pass. That means Jeff can take any one person with him for free an unlimited number of times. 2 for the price of 1! This also means that Jeff can play racquetball with anyone who’s willing—something he’s wanted to do for a long time. And it’s month-to-month so if we don’t end up using it enough to get our monies worth: no contract, no problem.
It’s always good to write down goals so I thought I’d do it in a public forum for more accountability.
- Get at least 90 minutes/week of aerobic exercise, working up to 120 minutes/week.
- Drop at least 5 pounds, maybe 10 (back to what I weighed in college).
- Work on toning varies muscle groups. (I’m not sure how to measure this goal other than what I see in the mirror.)
- Be fit enough to run a 5k at an 11-minute mile pace.
- And, just for fun, beat Jeff at a game of racquetball.
That last one might take me awhile.
We’ve only been going a couple weeks, but it already feels good to be working out regularly again.
In the spirit of our renewed commitment to exercise, we each got fitted with new shoes and we’re both super happy with what we got. I’ve always gotten Adidas running/training shoes since my first pair for junior high track. They’ve been fine, but I’ve had it in the back of my mind that I probably need a better fit/brand. In college I had some foot pain while training for soccer, and the trainers told me I overpronate and gave me inserts. Also, I have slightly narrow feet and oddly shaped heels (Jeff calls them faun feet). Well, I have found the shoes for me!
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10
Never before has a running shoe felt this good. Arch support! Perfect width! Snug toe box! The guy who was working with me said that soccer players like snug fitting running shoes and I think he’s right. I tried on lots of different shoes, but these were the first and the best. (This is probably boring you, dear reader, but I am really excited about these shoes!)
Jeff had a similarly great experience and found out that double wide (2E) give him the room he needs. He got a nice pair of New Balance that provide the stability for racquetball and tennis that were lacking in his last pair of running shoes. For any Cincinnati locals, Bob Roncker’s Running Spot really lives up to their reputation. And neither pair were was super expensive (for a high quality running shoe, anyway).
Note from Jeff: I thought the sentence “And neither pair were super expensive…” didn’t sound right, so I made Sarah go look up the grammar. It turns out that when the word “neither” is used as the subject of a sentence, it always takes a singular verb. So the correct usage is “And neither pair was super expensive…” Yes, I know I’ve embarrassed myself now.
Jeff and I walked (and ran some!) the Aruna 5k down on the University of Cincinnati campus last Saturday morning. From the web site:
Aruna, a Hindi word meaning ‘bright morning sun,’ serves both as a metaphor for what could be for so many women and children who have been sold into the dark world of the sexual slave trade, as well as the name of an initiative in Mumbai, India to bring an end to human trafficking, specifically in the area of sexual exploitation.
The race was organized by the Cincinnati Metro Campus Crusade for Christ group (or Cru, as they’re called on campus). The Cincy Metro area director goes to our church and had shared about the event and the work going on in Mumbai through the Aruna Project.
It was a beautiful day to be outside and active. We brought the dogs with us, and it was fun to see UC’s campus up close and on foot. There was a good turnout and—the best part—the event raised $14,000 to help rescue women and children and bring them to safety and into the light! Also, the local Clifton Chipotle gave coupons for a free burrito and drink so a group of us enjoyed lunch together on a grassy spot afterwards.
Bear with me as I show some of my geeky side. Last night, Jeff and I watched an episode of Star Trek TNG called “The Perfect Mate.” It’s the kind of Star Trek that I enjoy most: one that focuses on the characters themselves rather than action-adventure. The whole episode is worth watching and there are classic moments from Riker, Worf, Data, Dr. Crusher, and Picard, of course.
My favorite part starts at 4:23, but start at the beginning to get more context for the scene.
Kamala: “My empathic powers can only sense a man of deep passion and conviction… So controlled, so disciplined. I’m simply curious to know what lies beneath.”
Picard: “Nothing. Nothing lies beneath! I’m… I’m really… quite dull. I fall asleep each night with an old book in my hands.”
K: “When a metamorph finds you interesting, do not take it lightly.”
P: “Oh, I’m not taking it lightly, I’m just trying… to be as dull as possible.”
Love it! Picard is such an interesting, multi-layered character.
Interesting to note: The woman who plays Kamala also plays Jane Grey in the X-Men movies to Patrick Stewart’s (Picard’s) Charles Xavier. I totally missed that the first time around, but now it seems so obvious. The actress (Famke Janssen) was also slotted to play Jadzia Dax in DS9, but turned down the role.
I’ve now lost all but two or three of you. 🙂
Oops! Started this yesterday and never got back to finish it…
Today I…
heard: the lovely voice of one of my oldest and dearest friends
felt: spring breezes and falling temperatures
saw: wrinkled, prune-y fingers from hand washing the stack of dishes that come with cooking for and hosting lovely friends for dinner
tasted: sausage, toast, strawberry yogurt; triscuits and cheese; stingers and carrots. What are stingers, you ask? They are sandwiches served at our college snack shop (The Hive) consisting of chicken tenders, cheese, and various condiments on a hamburger bun. Yes, we now make them at home, and yes, we still call them stingers.
smelled: new running shoes!
How about you?
Grandma would have turned 95 last week, if she were still with us on this earth. One of my fond memories of her is how she would float pansies in a pretty bowl of water on her kitchen table. Grandma loved pansies, and always grew them next to the side door off the kitchen in the little strip of dirt between the house and the sidewalk.
Today I clipped purple-white and purple-yellow-faced pansies from my own garden and laid them gently on the water’s surface in my own pretty glass bowl on my own dining room table. I think Grandma would smile if she could see them.
Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It’s also the holiday that makes the least sense to me from a secular point of view. What do bunnies, chicks, and eggs have to do with Easter, really? At least with Christmas, the tradition of gift-giving is somehow related to the main event even if most people leave Christ completely out of it.
For most people, it seems Easter is really a celebration of spring and the changing of the season and has very little to do with Christ’s death and resurrection. Since the time of year coincides with the Christian holiday of Easter, the two joined together. I suppose this is a very American way of things. Do Europeans celebrate Easter non-religiously as do most Americans? What about countries without Christian-Orthodox influence? I suppose it probably isn’t even on the calender in those places.
Growing up, I received a Spring basket on the first day of Spring instead of the traditional Easter basket. I have always appreciated my parents doing this as I still got to have the fun of baskets and eggs, but with the proper emphasis on what we were really celebrating on Easter. This is a tradition I plan to continue with my own kids someday.
Now, back to the present day, which was what this post was going to be about when I first started. 🙂 Our church has a Tenebrae (Latin for ‘shadows’ or ‘darkness’) service on Good Friday which I find powerful and moving. Candles are lit, the choir sings in between dramatic Scripture readings, we observe Communion, the candles are extinguished, and we all leave—as we came in—in meditative silence.
Due to several factors, we were not able to travel to be with family for an Easter meal this year. However, we were blessed to join in with our good friends, Ryan and Kyna, and Kyna’s family who were in town visiting. We had a big celebratory meal on Saturday evening (so the travelers could be on their way after church on Sunday). The meal included roast lamb, mashed potatoes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, salad, bread, and tiramisu and strawberries for dessert. It was quite a delicious feast! It was a wonderful day of fellowship and fun. Sunday morning we ended up going to first service at church (we’re normally second service people) and enjoyed a relaxing day including a nap in the sun and some gardening. We built the first fire of the year in the fire pit and cooked hot dogs and s’mores over the flames. We finished the day with a movie, as per usual. While we missed spending time with family, we both enjoyed the celebrations… all possible because He is risen. He is risen, indeed!
April showers may bring May flowers, but I’m really enjoying the flowers April is offering up right now. I wish there were a way to share the fragrance of the hyacinths, as that is their true beauty. You don’t even have to bend down to smell them, the glorious scent rises up to meet you.
