Head Games On and Off the Track

Running is such a mind game. The first mile last night was fun and not bad. (Music does a lot, I’ve decided!) The second mile yesterday was hard for me, tortuous. My thoughts of “Oh, just stop at the next lap” warred with my determination to keep going. I’m pretty sure my plodding, mournful jogging…

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Snow Dustings, Queen Nefertiti, and Sushi

A light dusting of snow swirls in each gust of wind outside. The heater has just clicked on inside and I smell warm metal. The house is quiet: my family is either napping or off at Operation Christmas Child or on a playdate. Sweeping the last crumbs off my lips, my chocolate chip cookie just…

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Retreat in a Rust-Colored Woods

Last week, we spent the weekend at a beautiful wooded camp for a youth retreat that we ran. The weather was amazing– 50s or 60 degrees warm, blue skies, rust and amber colored leaves– so special for November 6th-8th weather. The 45 teens and leaders connected in games indoor and out, worshiped together using drums…

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Coyotes, Cougars, and Pumpkin Families

Last Wednesday, we finished up school and set out on a nature hike. Our anticipated yearly tradition is to scour the woods for the most colorful and striking fall leaves. My kids and I sauntered down to “our woods” and “our river,” keeping a watchful eye out for the best leaves. At the river as…

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The Fun of Puzzling Out the Map of Africa

(older puzzle pics) We successfully finished the whole puzzle of Africa! It is so fun for us to work on learning all the countries of Africa. Today we tested ourselves on at least south and central Africa, seeing how many of them we could write in on a blank map by memory. John and Morgan…

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