words of wisdom?...yes.

to go along with the post from a few weeks back: CLICK HERE

Love this song right now by Laura Story: Blessings
With my favorite line:
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?
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We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

we came. we conquered.

we left at 4:45am...so this pic was about 5:45am...the sun was just coming up! Nashville was so sleepy and quite and peaceful when we rolled in...until we got to the spot...and saw triathletes buzzing all around! i love the energy that emits from triathlons. If you have never watched one or participated in one.... make it you goal! It' s really a fascinating sport.

last sunday was the Music City Tri. My buddy Mandy and I came and conquered=) The Music City Tri is the 2nd oldest Tri....this year marked 33 years. It was one of the most enjoyable Tri's. We swam, bike, ran right by the Titan's Stadium. The swim refreshing...but the current was strong! I accidentally got off course...was going straight...but the current was so swift that it pushed me down stream...quick! The bike was on I-24. They shut it down for us...awesome! The run was right through downtown Nashville. Gorgeous. I just love being from TN and love living in TN. Participating in this Tri reminded me even more how much I love living here!

last week

work is a delightful place to be when you absolutely adore the people you work with...side by side. thankful.

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i didn't know it at the time when i snapped this shot, but a fly landed on ckc's leg. do you see it? random timing!

hello del coronado- hello happiness

had our ford 20 group meeting in del cornado, ca (right outside of san diego) last week. the weather was pristine...hovered around 70 degrees=) had a blast.
my 1st view of the beach each morning when i went on my morning beach run.

our group had a dinner cruise one night...ckc LOVED it. fascinated by boats.

ckc proudly sporting my VOLS visor.

our friend erin came along to help out with the kids while we were in our meetings

cheese!

our hotel. build in the 1800's. simply fantastic.

ckc 10 min after our flight to AZ took off. she was a angel during the flights...thank goodness!

happy 62nd bday dad! you're the youngest 62nd year old i know!
momma's girl!
mom and dad at the San Diego zoo.
chloe wearing a funny monkey mask
ckc looking at otis the hippo

smiling....

Shaun, Dad, Murray, Larry...in our meeting this am. Shaun won a sales contest and gets to have 3 pulls in the silver dollar bucket. This is a crowd fav...it's funny/ entertaining to watch. One of my 1st sales meetings...they had the silver dollar pull... I love it. It's motivating to me...and I don't even get to pull!

Dad's longtime buddy, Teddy McCain, popped in our meeting this am to surprise dad for his upcoming bday. Teddy has been 'robbing dad' for most of dad's life (as dad would say)....and by robbing- he cuts Dad's hair. HA! Anyway, Teddy bought this ridiculous visor that has WILD hair coming from it. It was hair-larious. couldn't resist.... :)

night-night Molly. haha.

ckc is into to saying 'bye-bye' to everything/everyone...including this baseball game we went to Fri night. AND- for night-night time, we now get to say 'night-night' just about to everything in the house....stuffed animals and toys included. hum....is this her way of postponing the inevitable? LOL.

picture this

2 different views on one of my running paths at the Lake. took them today. can you feel the serenity? can you hear the quietness? can you breathe in the beauty?

words...can you relate?

i am facinated by vocabulary. i'm a nerd and love words. so, when words fit nicely in songs... i, then, love songs. lately, i've been lovin the band: Santus Real. what grabs me? nature and songs.

Lead Me lyrics
Songwriters: Matthew Hammitt;Jason Ingram;Christopher James Rohman

you tube: http://youtu.be/OAKBXBXz1fo

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames, I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling, but on the inside

Oh, I can hear her saying

Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent, but on the inside

Oh, I can hear them saying

Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh Father, show me the way
To lead them

Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me 'cause I can't do this alone

---------------

The Redeemer

you tube: http://youtu.be/FDjhPlu1EDQ

Sometimes I just wanna start over
Cuz everything looks like a wreck
And I need the courage to carry on
Cuz I can’t see what’s ahead

And there are places I’ve wished I could be
Battles I’ve wanted to win
Dreams that have slipped through my hands
I may never be back again

But I’m still a dreamer
A believer
Oh, I lost my faith in so many things
But I still believe in You
Cuz You can make anything new

Sometimes I just wish we could say
All the things that are easy to hear
Ignore the injustice we see
And explain every unanswered prayer
But I’d rather speak honestly
And wear a tattered heart on my sleeve
Cuz in the middle of my broken dreams
Redemption is here

And I’m still a dreamer
A believer
Oh, I lost my faith in so many things
But I still believe in You
Cuz You are the answer
The Redeemer
Oh, I’ve given up on too many things
But I’m not giving up on You
Cuz You can make anything new

I don’t have every answer in life
But I’m trusting You one day at a time
Cuz You can make a weak heart stay alive
Forever
And this is where heaven and earth collide
I lift my hands, I give my life
This is how my weary heart stays alive

Oh, I’m still a dreamer
Still a believer
And You are the answer
The Redeemer
Cuz You can make anything new
Yeah, You can make anything new

Happy 4th!

(from our dock)

(at Mr Bills in Grand River)

As mentioned, I love the Lake. Even on my worst days, there is comfort in being at the Lake. So many memories have been created over the years.

Next time I'm up there, I'll have to take a few pics of my (awesome) running trails. In a few days, I ran atleast 20 miles...and walked the dogs a few miles, too. There are countless roads to run....all seemingly untouched by the world. I love the serenity that comes at the Lake. There is the quote from the movie 'What Women Want'...and I come back to it all the time:

'She is running. It is early. It is quite. Just the sound of her feet on the asphalt. No pressure, no stress. This is the one place she can be herself. Look anyway she wants to, dress anyway she wants to, think anyway she wants. No game playing. No rules.'

The puzzle

Granny, Papaw and Aunt Connie came to TN for a visit. As tradition has it, Papaw sets up his card table and works an impossible puzzle...and masters it every time! I don't have the patience to work a puzzle....but admire those that do! Papaw worked diligently on it...and had some help along the way. It became a family effort. 1,000 pieces! AH! my nightmare!

finished! pretty, huh?

reporting w/ thumbs up!

granny and papaw working fast to put the last piece in. papaw was a gentleman and let granny snatch it up and wiggle it in=)

Crazy Cousins

notice a trend in these pics? ckc thinks cousin chloe hung the moon! chloe spend the night and ckc was just delighted every second. we 3 had tender moment. my fav? sitting in bed between chloe and ckc and reading books and seeing the thrill on their angelic faces. love those girls!

Old Hickory Lake Tri in Hendersonville- June 25

this is my first Tri that I have gone to by myself...it was actually quite liberating. I enjoyed it. The water was wet-suit legal...meaning...FREEZING! Didn't find out until we got there and got down to the water. I jumped in and it literally took my breath away. My steady rhythmic swim stroke was all messed up from the start. I survived, but barley. I got out and was so dis-orientated that I couldn't find my shoes. haha. Not a good feeling when the clock is ticking! Had a blast!
rolling out after race. finished middle of the pack. not excellent but not bad. i was just happy to be there and participate and get some of my energy out!

my transition area. i have the placement of my items down to a science. and it is a science. i have learned to shave off time just based on how organized my transition area can be. i do it the same way each time.

my cute teal bike along w/ all my other race-ready items.

I love to run, play hard, be active, take risks, be adventurous, set goals, accomplish big things.....therefore, Tri's fit me. Over the years, I have realized how much the 'activity of a Tri' embodies who I am....all my characteristics (good and bad) are displayed in a Tri. I love that no 2 are the same....and never will be. Something is always different (weather, course, people, your body, etc). I don't mind change and I always love a good challenge. I love the ruggedness of Tris. It is just you....relying on your own body and mind to move. I like Tri's because you have to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. You have to be organized in your approach. The Tri community seems to be an encouraging one. I like the changing of 3 different sports..afterall, it's a full body sport. To complete a Tri you have to know how to hunker down and dig deep within your thoughts. You have to get in the zone and just roll with the punches and go for it. It is not a sport for the weak minded...especially the longer ones....at some point- it becomes a mental activity just as much as a full-body activity. It's a lifetime sport. I'm very encouraged w/ the people that participate: super athletic to super couch potatoe. Old to young. Fast to slow. There is not a one size that fits all for Tri's. If you have been apart of one...or atleast watched one..add it to your bucket list. It will amaze you!

What about you? Why not tri? (cheesy, I know!)