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Life's little decisions

I had such a great run this morning, about an hour and 15 minutes long. It felt so good. During the run, I reminisced about my running history. I've been a runner for almost 30 years, and all have been injury free except for a brief few weeks in 1991 when I must have twisted my knee skiing and it kept me off the course for about 2 months. That's it, however! I thank God for the gift of running; it has allowed me to stay healthy and it comes so easy.

Funny how little decisions in life have such an impact. I picked up running during a church youth group retreat my senior year. It was at St. Mary's Convent in Sewanee. The leader of the retreat was a runner and he talked it up to the point that the afternoon we got back from the retreat, I put on my Converse (yes, those basketball shoes!) and ran over to Aunt Ora's house and back. The rest is history!

Another eventful decision came from that weekend: that's when I fell in love with The University of the South and decided to apply. If I had not gone there, I never would have met Sallie Topfl whose sister Liz introduced me to Charles!

A night with Jeff Foxworthy

For the second time in about 6 weeks, Charles and I actually went out on a Friday night! We saw Jeff Foxworthy last night as part of a "fun raiser" at our church for Africa missions. He was a hoot! He had some good redneck scenarios, one of which is "If you have a set of salad bowls and they all have Cool Whip written on the side, you might be a redneck." He went on and on for almost an hour! Turns out he went to Africa too with his daughter on a missions trip and at another part of the show, he gave some very poignant thoughts about going to Africa. Jeff and many of the other speakers last night mentioned that you come back from Africa a different person, more blessed and richer in faith than when you left.

We didn't get home until about 11:30!

A Walking Wikipedia

A lady that sits near Charles at work is moving to another group and therefore moving off the floor. Since Charles is so friendly to everyone, she told him that she was going to miss him! The lady said that she thought of Charles as a Walking Wikipedia! What a compliment for Charles, and how true too!

A mopping good time

Last week, I rushed through Sears on my way home, hoping to figure out which size Lands End slacks fit me, so that I could order from the full collection online. (No such luck, though, because none of the sizes and styles that I tried on fit at all.)

Meanwhile, the marketing department was having a demonstration nearby on Magicloth, a man-made chamois material that absorbs untold amounts of liquid. A small crowd was gathering and I was curious too. The demonstrator dumped a half a liter of coke on the counter and soaked it up completely with his Magicloth. I was intrigued. They gave out samples, and I got an extra sample because I answered a question correctly. So, now, I have 2 samples of Magicloth. The man was offering to sell a big piece for $20.  There were no immediate takers, so he made it a 2 for 1 offer. Still no takers, so he threw in a Magicloth Mop. At that point, I don't know if I felt sorry for him, or if I was still feeling superior for having answered a question correctly, or if I was depressed because none of the Lands End slacks that I tried on fit... but I bought the package! So now, I have 2 small Magicloths, 2 huge Magicloths and a mop!

I took my loot home and deposited it on the first available flat surface I could find and left it be. However, a couple of nights ago, I tried out the mop on my kitchen floor. (Mind you, I can't even remember the last time I thoroughly mopped, since the only mop I own is a skimpy Swiffer.) It really turned out looking good! It was one of the highlights of my weekend and reminded me how much I love to clean.

If only I could find some slacks that fit!

A to-do list for the iPhone!

Thanks to my husband Charles, I now have a to-do list application for my iPhone! It's iNozbe.com, and being browser-based, there's no need to upgrade the iPhone software; you simply create an account and add projects and tasks to it. You can even access your account from a traditional computer by going to Nozbe.com; in fact, I set the account up on nozbe.com, because it seemed easier to read the fine print there and determine which plan to subscribe to. I ended up opting for the free plan until I'm sure it's the real deal, and, yep, it's the real deal! I can access the very same account on my iPhone by going to iNozbe.com. It's amazing, and the interface, at least on the iPhone, could not be easier to use.

Charles heard about it from one of his favorite podcasters: Cali. You can download her podcasts on iTunes or go straight to her website, iCali.tv. Thanks Charles! I think I'll go add a "Hug Charles" task to my to-do list!

Much ado about Harry

I just finished the last Harry Potter book. Talk about not wanting a book to end! Before I started the last chapter, I deliberately put the book down and went out for a run so that I could ponder the whole saga while there was still a little mystery to it. Without giving any of the plot away, here's what I liked about the seventh and last book in the series, and what are my take-aways:

1) Harry was most effective when he did his own thinking; and when he did his own thinking he was most confident. This is a good lesson!
2) The Voldemort squad was its own worst enemy! They were so selfish and fearful that it caused them to make self-defeating if not fatal mistakes.
3) Once Harry knew an event was inevitable, he made his decision and faced it courageously. Even if he didn't know the outcome or what the next step in the plan was, he forged ahead with purpose.

And how much more would I have gotten out of the series if I'd read it more carefully and inquisitively!

Little ado about Harry

I just picked up the last Harry Potter book and am flying through it. Believe it or not, I haven't heard who dies or how it ends! Much appreciation to the media as well as my friends, family and husband who have read it who have not divulged the plot!