Thankful for Mush

I'm sure you've heard me say that I'm not into mushy, romantical stuff, but that's not entirely true. When I was little, I watched Beauty and the Beast so many times that I can still recite the entire movie (along with just about all the other Disney movies). I was so enchanted by Belle and loved that she spoke French, dreamed of faraway places, and had the most fantastic library. When I was a little older, I watched Romeo and Juliet (new and old) over and over. The way they spoke of love had me completely smitten. When a boy gave me a ring like the one in the movie, I was over the moon. Disney and Shakespeare ignited a love for beauty in me. I became obsessed with words and stories and poetry (which also created a grammar nazi, sorry). A book I am reading now has shown me a world where love and beauty are taken away, and I have been reminded of the importance of both.

When I got older, reality set in, and I began to live in the real world. There is only worry in the real world--usually worry about what people think. I ususally get lost in what people think of me now, instead of being uber-confident in myself like I was when I was younger. Recently, I found myself petrified in a parent meeting at school. I sweated and shook the entire time I was in the meeting. As long as I do my best with the child, the parents' opinions shouldn't matter. Our lives are special and beautiful, and we should be completely confindent in who we are. We may do silly things, but that makes us fantastic. I have a fairy tale life, and I should be so thankful every second for what I have instead of worrying about things that don't matter. I have the most wonderful husband, family, and friends. I get to paint my nails many different colors and wear cute clothes. I get to ride my bike in beautiful places with fantastic people. I get to enjoy poetry, books, and music. We should be proud of our story and what is being written. We are all so unique and beautiful, with lives full of possibilities. Enjoy and own it! I am thankful that there is only One who judges me, but He also loves me and has created me in His image. 'Tis better to have had word vomit on a first date, accidentally spit on someone on a bike ride, and sweated through a parent meeting, than to have never lived at all. :)

 

'When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.' -Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn" You are AWESOME! Click here if you need a reminder. http://youtu.be/-DIETlxquzY 'So as long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.' -Shakespeare

Watch your step! Labor Day Adventure

I have quite a bit of homework to do right now, but I'll save that for tomorrow night and give you a peek into our Labor Day weekend. First, DO THIS WORKOUT, and then let me know if you can walk the next morning. I have been in need of a wheelchair since Friday morning. My butt hurts so bad! PopSugar and Pinterest need to put warnings on their workouts. Saturday morning, we rode about 50 miles with a good bit of hills, and I didn't know if my legs would let me make it back to the car. After that, Josh walked and I hobbled around REI, Shane Co., and Opry Mills, and watched some college football (YAY!!) at BWW. I love wings, wings don't reciprocate. Josh and I didn't move off of the couch Sunday. IT WAS FANTASTIC. We did take Mak to the dog park for a while. He took over the pool and chased some birds. Doggy Heaven. Today, we woke up early, loaded into Cam's Jeep, and made our way to Lost Creek Cave. Crazy, beautiful experience.

We don't have too many pictures considering how dark it was, but here are a few. Felt like "Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, Dodge" were appropriate instructions today. It was pretty awesome how large some of the cave rooms were and how tiny others were. I found that I can maneuver my body through small pathways that didn't look nearly wide enough. I realized that climbing down muddy rocks is actually much easier than climbing up them. I also learned that my butt is a wonderful tool, and I will never take it for granted again. <Cue Sir Mix-A-Lot> Being way underground with little light and little knowledge of my surroundings made me a little nervous, but I know I will have nightmares tonight. Not from the actual cave, but from Cameron's and Kyle's crazy Gollum/Monkey run. There is nothing like crouching in a low cave and someone running toward you full speed like that. CREEPY. The whole trip was worth it. I haven't ever done anything like this, but I would definitely do it again.

 

On a different note, many of you may stop reading my blog after this, but I need to make a confession. Although I love movies very much, there are two that I have extreme DISLIKE for: The Never Ending Story (I would beg my teachers in school to let me help them instead of watching this movie) and Jurassic Park(s). UGH! Luckily, Josh seems to only like the latter. That little girl in Jurassic Park is so annoying, and I hate it when the goat gets eaten. What crazy movies. I have several crazy movies going through my head because of today (Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, Dodgeball, Descent--THANKS KYLE). There will be lots of prayer and meditation before bed tonight. Thinks happy thoughts, Karah...daisies, rainbows, bouquets of sharpened pencils. :)

 

Thanks, Ryan.



 

Recap--The Lightning Round

Don't have much time, but I thought you'd like to know what's been going on. Ready? GO!

1. Been working in my classroom for the last week and it's just about ready. We go back in the morning for meetings and then for open house tomorrow afternoon. I am excited to meet my new bunch of darlings! I know that each one is placed in my class for a reason, and I pray that I can teach them what they need to know this year--academically, and how to be good people. This year is going to be great! I have a wonderful team, including the most fabulous teacher and friend--Bri! We are going to rock it this year as co-teachers! We've got great new teammates in Hollie and Michelle, plus the pros (MM, LAO, TW, and CG). We will be missing April though! However excited I am to get started, my love of sleeping in will make me miss summer so much.

2. I kicked some MOUSE-tail last weekend! Marsha and I drove to Mousetail Challenge, got a little lost, got behind a horse and buggy, and prepared to face the hardest trail we encountered last year. I went there knowing I would do better than last year, but was still haunted by the memories of busted up legs and crying my eyes out on the pre-ride. And this year we had to do TWO LAPS!! AHHH!! That's 16 miles of climbing, rocks, and torture! I had a good start, pondered quitting about halfway through the first lap, then realized I had done my first lap in under an hour. I was pretty pumped and worked very hard on my second lap. Managed to get 2nd place, blow my last year's time out of the water, and left without any injury (no crashes!). Marsha and I realized that there is no reason we should have ever done that race last year! That trail is crazy technical, and I don't know how we survived. Must have been a MTB miracle.

3. Spent the weekend on my MounTain Bike. Yesterday, I had a fun time on the gravel grinder in Hickman County with Lindsay and Bryan. We rode through lots of creeks, saw a waterfall, and did a little climbing. My dumb blonde self failed to look down and check what gear I was in, so I big-ringed most of the climbs. Pretty soon I will have man legs.

Today we pre-rode Montgomery Bell for the race next weekend. I feel like I know the trail pretty well since we were there all winter being that it's the only place to ride when it's wet. I love the trail except for one section--TOMMY'S REVENGE! dum, dum, dum! I have been deathly afraid of riding down the hill to the bridge. I just know that I'm going to fly off the side of it and crash into the ravine. I still didn't do it today on the pre-ride. I figure it will be a race day feat. I'm coming for you, Tommy!

4. For those of you who are concerned, yes, I did purchase some running shoes yesterday. No, I am not becoming a triathlete. My other running shoes seriously rub my feet when I take the dog for a run. Josh thinks he is going to turn me and that this is the first step. However, it was just a ploy to add to my fabulous shoe collection and they're totally cute!

Alright, so if you're going back to school tomorrow or not (cough-SumnerCo.) or just going to work, I hope you have a fabulous Monday. If you start getting "a case of the Mondays," picture me like this.

I hope big-ringing it won't do this to me.

Brain Break

Some of you might know that I began my Master's in Special Education last week. So far, it has been overwhelming, frustrating, and enlightening. I am enjoying my cohort and learning so much. However, you don't know what this is doing to me. IT IS EXHAUSTING to learn about Special Ed. Exhibit A: What I looked like this morning...

Look! The hair is down, I have on make-up, and I look pretty well put together.

THEN

Exhibit B: This is what I looked like after my 8-5 class...

The hair is back and disheveled. I'm glistening with sweat, wrinkled, and tried. It's crazy what sitting in a chair for 8 hours can do to a girl!

I have been fuctioning on extreme amounts of caffeine and snack food. I even neglected my bike last week. <GASP!> I know, can't believe it either. So, I am taking a brain break to talk to you. Let's think of peaceful things that do not involve students with learning disabilities and the uneducated professionals who work with them. Let's think of places where everyone does what they are supposed to and is nice to everyone else. Lots of unicorns and rainbows are in order.

This may not have a rainbow, but it is a nice part of my day. This is the courtyard outside of the building I am in ALL DAY LONG. Pretty, huh? There's a fountain and everything.

Alright, one unicorn picture, and I'm going to get started on the hours of homework I have ahead of me. Think of me when you're on your bike or watching Big Brother.:)

Thankful for Three - Post MTB Race Edition (WARNING RATED PG)

Well, we're home. We're tired. And I'm very thankful for a couple of things that are helping me recover from the Stanky Creek XC. IT WAS HOT today in Memphis. So hot that I probably should have stopped on the side of the trail every 5 miles to reapply chamois cream. Ahh, the chafing. TMI? Just wait. The first two things I'm thankful for directly relate to my bum. <Hehehe>

1. BAG BALM! Thanks to Marsha's excellent recommendation, this salve has been a post-ride staple all summer.

2.Victoria's Secret Pink Cotton Boyshort. You definitely do not want to be Ms. FancyPant(ie)s after being on a bike saddle for two hours on a super rooty trail. They are also on sale! I may have to by a couple more pair.

Great pic, Kelly!



3. My friends! The best part of riding my bike is riding with awesome people! Last week, I went for a road ride all by my lonesome. It sucked. Period. I love being on my bike, but it is so much better to have people around you that motivate, challenge, and care about you. I love seeing people at races, racing with my teammates, and riding with people who continue to help me be a better rider. The bruises, super sore knee, and exhausted feeling are all ok because I had fun at the race today. And beating my time from last year by about 30 minutes doesn't suck either. :)

It was so hot that this is what I was considering. Thanks Katy!



On a side note, I am SUPER proud of my husband! Josh did his first triathlon yesterday and killed it! He got 2nd place in the beginner class and 4th in his age group out of 28 people. He was 25th overall out of like 300 people! I can't say I haven't shed a couple tears about him preceding is bike ride with a swim and following it with a run, but I'm still proud of his hard work. There are a lot of Rules he doesn't follow anyway. :)

Now to ice the knee. Umm, I guess I need to follow Rule #5. Happy Riding!

Whatcha up to?

Been busy lately? I have. Here are a few things that have filled my summer days so far.

My mom had a birthday, and we celebrated by eating lots of ribs! The brother in the bowtie graduated from high school <tear>. My sister and I conquered difficult years of teaching and successfully burned ourselves at my pool! Yay summer!

I "subbed" for my mom at my parents' business. Need some awesome glasses? Go see my Dad!

I've spent a lot of time on my bikes. I did the Harpeth River Ride and rode with some nice triathetes. Then showed Lock 4 who's boss. This weekend, we are heading to Land Between the Lakes for the White Lightning mountain bike race.

The librarian at the local library I work with is leaving to go work in Nashville, so we celebrated her time with us last night. Like my Book Cake? I had to sit by the cake and smell its deliciousness the entire meeting. :)

I am enjoying every minute of my summer! Hope you are too!



Beginning a new adventure

Well, hello, Blog-world! It's been a while. I've missed you! My absence has been caused by a huge change in my life. Josh and I packed up our bikes and our dog and were basically pushed out of our house by its new owner. We felt very blessed that our house sold so quickly, but it was very emotional when we walked through the house for the last time. Well, for me at least. It was the house we bought right after we got married. We started our life together and raised a puppy there. We made that house our own. Now, it belongs to someone else who will make her own memories there. I am excited to start our new adventure. We stayed with Josh's dad until our apartment was ready. God bless him for putting up with us for a week. We moved into the apartment on Good Friday. It has fresh paint, new carpet, lots of boxes that still need to be unpacked. So far, we really like being closer to civilization. Mak even has a dog park that we can walk to. He still has major sensory-overload, but seems to be adjusting well.
My closet is completely unpacked now, and I can begin getting back to normal. I have become addicted to the Pinterest app on my phone and have been using it for outfit inspiration. I've been itching to wear a striped shirt I bought at a thrift store and searched for ideas. Here are a few that I pinned, and then my version. Hopefully, I will be sharing more now that we are settled. I'm so glad that life is a changing thing.