Today my stomach has butterflies, I am not sure if they are more excited butterflies, or nervous butterflies. I think they are both. Tomorrow is my first half marathon. I really want to run (almost) the whole thing. I say almost because I may stop to get water and such but I really don’t want to walk. I am not overly concerned with the time, but just that I complete it running. After tomorrow’s run, I can never call another run my first half marathon. Depending on how tomorrow goes; I do not plan on it being my last half marathon. I worked hard for this I don’t want to lose what I worked hard to get. A lot of people encouraged me and strove with me to get this point, and I am very thankful. I am excited to run this with Brianna; I really couldn’t have done the training and committed to it without here. I am excited that her sisters were motivated to join in the running spirit and run the quarter. It will be a very fun day, and honestly one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. In a way I feel like it is somewhat life changing. I would really covet your prayers for our safety and enjoyment. Praise the Lord, for our ability to run. Thanks!! See in 13.1.
Monthly Archives: May 2015
A simple place
It has been awhile since I have written anything on here but I think I need to get back at it. I did keep a travel journal in Ireland, but that was really the last time that I have written anything. It is kinda fun to write with pen and paper rather than type. I haven’t decided if I will share my writings from my travel journal on here, but I am thinking not. I do plan on sharing snippets here and there about the trip though, starting with today. Today I am going to tell a little of the smallest most quant part of our trip, the town of Lahinch. Nothing in Lahinch was particularly awesome, or breathe taking, it was simply just simply wonderful.
When we got there, I did not think that it was anything too special. We stopped on the way into town at “towny” little eatery/pub called Dillion’s, I am pretty sure that was my favorite food I ate on the trip. I had stew, the meat and mushrooms were together in a brown sauce on the middle of the plate, with carrots (literally of a 3” diameter) and mashed potatoes on the side. I do wish I would have gotten a coffee with that meal but it is okay that I didn’t. It was nearing 11am when we got that meal, so it was quite a hearty meal to be the first meal of the day, but it worked out great. It was such a warm, filling, Irish way to start a wonderful day.
We got to Lahinich, which I was fine with but I didn’t want to spend a lot of time here, so I thought, since the Cliffs of Moher was to follow (more on that later!). We went to some wool clothing shops (with beautiful sweaters, scarfs and blankets), we walked through the town (a few times, since mom and Carol took much longer in the shops) we went to the beach up in town which was really pretty but you could not get too close to the water, without wading in seaweed up to the hips. We then walked to the end of town, in search of a “toilet” and a coffee shop, thinking that we could make a two in one stop in a cute coffee shop. With no “cute” coffee shop to be found, and likewise no “toilet”, so we walked down to the beach, and sat on some very large rocks, in the land of many other rocks, and looked out on the all the beautiful gray. Yes beautiful gray, I have never thought gray to be beautiful before but it was. It was not stunning, amazing it was simple, it was content, it was bliss and it was peace. On that beach nothing was wrong. I am not a literary or flowery person but my soul was at peace.
If a person can have a soul mate, or a kindred spirit, can they have a place, a setting, a real location of a peace for their soul? I don’t mean ultimate peace, which is Heaven, but a resting place? If you can, that was mine. I don’t think that it is only on that rocky shore line in the little town of Lahinch that my soul can experience this, but a setting such as this. Not many people, the people that are there are calm. Very little traffic, just calm people, continuing waves, smooth rocks, mountains in the distant haze, grayed skies, nothing was harsh, everything was content.
We did go back in to town and find a toilet in the town bar, and a cup of coffee (and a smooth for Dakota) at the ice-cream stand. But then went back to that beach. It was actually kind of hard to leave, like I was leaving a friend or a place of belonging, even though I only knew that place for a few hours one day.
Lahinch,
Thank you for letting me rest in your town and on your shore that day. Stay simple and peaceful. Until we meet again.
A simple passerby,
Natalie
Too Fun!
This past weekend was so much fun! I am pretty sure I was outside enough and burnt enough calories for at least week, but it wasn’t nearly enough…. I can’t wait to get back out there! Gah! It was prefect!
It started with a work picnic Friday evening, including running a 5k (I came in third), playing cornhole, and throwing football; Saturday I played a great, fast paced game of backyard soccer with 5 of my guy friends, then got together with other friends and shot pistols, and Sunday Brianna and I woke up a 4:30 to go to the Pittsburgh Marathon, come back in time for Sunday school (we did miss church), then I played Frisbee and a bit of basketball with the Rice/ Schaum Family. That is a huge run on sentence, but it was a huge run on weekend!!
Friday- The work picnic was fun! A co-worker and I put a lot of effort into planning it and it went very well and people seemed to have fun. And we got to enjoy ourselves as well. Friday night I got a message from a friend that is currently a garbage man and he messaged, “I got a soccer ball from the trash!..” That meant one thing, we had to quickly gather people and play pick-up soccer the next morning, no other option. So we started messaging a lot of people. The only people that were free were guy friends…. No big deal, some of the best friends a girl can ask for are guys!
Saturday- The guys and I met up and played pick-up soccer for two hours, almost straight. According to Branden’s workout watch we ran a total of 5.5 miles in the course of the game. Guys are great they love to have fun and goof around like we are kids!! We played until around noon. Went home, took a shower, and got a call from my dad while he was on his way to work that he was having car trouble, so I called my friend Luke, and being the kind-hearted guy that he is he delayed his plans to meet me at my dad so my dad could take my car to work and Luke took me. He had plans to go shooting with friends, so I joined them. Knowing that I was getting up early I had to be a party pooper and go home before too late.
Sunday- Alarm went off at 4:25 and then 4:30 and I rolled out of bed. (That is really early for a Sunday!) Got dressed quickly packed a P&J and some snacks and some water, went and picked up Brianna and drove to a trail 4 miles out of the city. We thought that there might be a lot of traffic in the city around the race. We didn’t want to get stuck going in or out of the city. So we parked out of the city, ran into the city. Ran to three different locations to see the half marathon at the start a middle point and the finish line, we were on the North Shore, Downtown, and the Southside. It was a really neat way to see so many different areas of the city, interconnected, by foot. While down there we got to see a few people I know, and talked to a friend of mine from work that finished in 1:34, which is really fast! It was great energy in the city and really motivating for our half! We ended up running around 10 miles and walking 4 by the time we were back to my car. We both felt like it was at least two in the afternoon, but in reality it was only 10.
So we made in back in time to join my friend (Brianna’s bother-in-law’s) Sunday School class on Discipleship, which will be an enjoyable course, since it is something I can closely relate to now in my life. (Good job Peter, sorry we showed up in sweaty running clothes.) Then right after Sunday School a group of friends decided it was too nice of a day not to get together and be outside. So we got together that afternoon and played some causal knock-out basketball and threw Frisbee. I was beat!
It was such a fun weekend, spent outside with wonderful people. Tonight we are having a game night, in or outside, weather dependent. Brianna and I are already planning a 10+ mile run this week, and a group of us going kayak Saturday and possible Soccer game Sunday. And SUNDDAY DAKOTA IS COMING! MONDAY WE ARE LEAVING FOR IRELAND!! Gah! Warm weather and friendship are two wonderful things!
Sprinkles through the Day 